OUR FAVORITE NEW MUSIC & MOVIES! - Amoeba Music

Dimitri Coats that plays real deal 1981 style bottle
in a cops face hardcore. Originally released
as a boxed set of four 7” Eps & now available as
a CD this is corrosive balls out raging jams to
skate & vandalize to. Each song is a killer but the
leadoff “Black Thoughts” & the thrashing “I Don’t
Belong” & “Upside Down”(the last two available
for your video viewing pleasure on YouTube) are
among the standouts. The sound of a veteran
punker like Morris delivering bile like “Now I’m
pissed” & “Fuck people” calls out all the kids to
get back to the garage & get it right. They even
get in a nice name check to fallen L.A. punk casualty
Jeffrey Lee pierce on the song of the same
name. Classic L.A. punk artist raymond pettibon
does all the cover & booklet art to lend that
cryptic darkness only he can encapsulate visually,
a perfect foil for the music. At an age when
most sellouts are telling the kids to turn down
the noise or get off their lawn nice to see a true
believer not afraid to grow old hatefully.
The Fresh & Onlys – Play It
Strange (IN THE rED)
The first studio Lp from the ever prolific, previously
home recorded, Onlys builds on all the
strengths of myriad earlier releases while pushing
things in exciting new directions. rather than
simply cleaning up the usual lo-fi sound, producer
Tim green (The Nation Of Ulysses/The Fucking
Champs) adds punch to the grittier material
while enabling the more subtle, elusive elements
of songs like the lilting opener “Summer
Of Love” to have a delicacy the Onlys had never
achieved before. Stompers like “Until The End Of
Time,” “Be My Hooker” & “plague Of Frogs” have
as much punch as the home recorded releases,
while more complex tracks like the incredible
single “Waterfall” & “Tropical Island Suite”
are able to be fully realized creations. “Tropical
Island” is particularly notable for combining a
rampaging opening section that is the hardest hit-
38 MUSIC WE LIKE H Spring/Summer 2011
ting part of the album before descending out of
a feedback haze into a lazy calypso piano coda
dream finish. The band also incorporates acoustic
guitar textures into the finger snapping “Red
Light,green Light” & the ultra catchy live favorite
“Fascinated,” as well as keyboard strings on the
beautiful closer “I’m a Thief,” a song that marries
a tough heartbreaker lyric to a sweet melody that
recalls Little peggy March’s 1963 chart topper, “I
Will Follow Him.” The finest pure pop record of
2010 is the result.
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti –
Before Today (4AD)
The mercurial Ariel pink’s previous releases have
often felt like an inconsistent hodge-podge due
to being mostly compiled from various home
recorded sessions from — in some cases —
several years apart. For his 4AD debut, Ariel has
assembled a real band & finally conceived a recording
designed to be an Lp. The results encapsulate
the best aspects of his previous material
(offhand melodies, a loose casual feel & a playful
exuberance vocally) while inching ever closer to
real songcraft. A funky mostly instrumental intro
track leads into the joyous super catchy cover
of the 1966 obscurity, “Bright Lit Blue Skies” by
the rockin’ ramrods, a perfect instrument for
pink’s talents. The albums’ centerpiece is the
back-to-back John Travolta fucking his reflection
in the mirror disco anthems “round & round”
& “Beverly kills,” with Tim koh’s basslines front
and center to give you that cocaine drip in your
throat feeling. He even throws in a yacht rockin’
slow jam like “Can’t Hear My Eyes” to keep the
party going. All in all a near perfect step up from
the underground to the spotlight.
Who Is Harry Nilsson & Why
Is Everybody Talking About
Him? (2010) – Directed by
John Scheinfeld
A beautiful, loving portrait of the incredibly talented
& troubled singer-songwriter traces his
rise from a troubled, impoverished childhood
to a grammy-winning, chart-topping performer
and his subsequent descent into alcohol & drug
induced self sabotage through questionable artistic
and business decisions. His surviving contemporaries
& collaborators offer their insights
amid mindblowing rare performance footage
from TV appearances. Nilsson’s incredible voice
is best known as an interpreter of other songwriters’
work (his classic rendition of Fred Neil’s
“Everybody’s Talkin” from the Midnight Cowboy
soundtrack & No. 1 single version of Badfinger’s
“Without You”) but his own twisted & artful
compositions survive as a timeless riff on Tin
pan Alley traditions informed by his own unique
sense of humor & the absurd. Nilsson’s often
booze-sodden friendship with John Lennon ultimately
led to his leaving music behind to become
a gun control advocate following Lennon’s
tragic murder in 1980. If you are only familiar
with his hits you owe it to yourself to get the
broader picture of a unique talent.
Sound Of Siam: Leftfield
Luk-Thung, Jazz & Molam in
Thailand 1964-1975 –
Various Artists (SOUNDWAY)
The kind folks at Soundway have been providing
adventurous listeners with unusual and revelatory
treats from all over the world for several
years and this collection stands with the finest.
Nineteen killer tracks from the politically repressive
’60s & ’70s Far East nation of Thailand
that run the gamut from funky grooves, skanking
reggae guitars & wild jazzy elements while also
incorporating traditional roots of Thai classical
music. Some tracks also recall the mournful
sounds going on in both revolutionary Africa &
South America during the same period. This is all
the more fascinating due to the fact that political
oppression in all three regions made it impossible
for them to be familiar with each others
music. All killer & zero filler on this captivating
document.
Tip:
If you care about what becomes a permanent mark upon
your body, go to Clifton Carter’s LIGHTHOUSE TATTOO.
RObERTO’S 2010
REVISIT
There wasn’t a whole lot that got me excited
music or movie wise in 2010. In fact, besides
my nephew being born and our local team
finally winning baseball’s world championship,
last year as a whole is definitely on the
backburner. Therefore, while these aren’t my
all-time favorite albums, this list is a handful of
titles you might have missed which are worth at
least a listen and should still be readily available by
the time this booklet hits our shelves.
Cee-Lo Green – The Lady
Killer (ELEkTrA rECOrDS)
I first knew of this dude when I heard him rappin’
on the goodie Mob single, “Cell Therapy.”
Many of you have heard him as a singer on the
song “Crazy,” as a part of the award-winning
group gnarls Barkley. This solo project continues
down the singing path, with standout tracks
like “Bodies” and “Old Fashioned.”
The Roots – How I Got Over
(DEF JAM rECOrDINgS)
Celph Titled & Buckwild
(of D.I.T.C.) – Nineteen Ninety
Now (NO SLEEp rECOrDINgS)
If understood correctly, Celph Titled was able
to pick from Buckwild’s original production
from back in the day for the tracks on this project.
guests include well-known MCs like A.g.,
grand puba, Vinnie paz, and Chino xL.
Ras Kass & DJ Rhettmatic –
A.D.I.D.A.S. (All Day I Dream
About Spittin)
(rE-Up ENTErTAINMENT)
JR & PH7 – The Update
(SOULSpAzM rECOrDS)
This album spans a good chunk of the globe,
with the two producers hailing from germany
and the MCs from places like Michigan and
California. Evidence, Edo. g and Sean price are
among some the voices you might recognize on
this record.
Tip:
Although not all of them are hip-hop, the mix tape area
located in the Hip-hop section of the SF store has a wide
variety of treats new and old. If you’re looking for a new
take on some classic soul, obscure beats, or a blend of local
MC’s material you haven’t heard yet, chances are you’ll
find it here. Sayonara!
STACEy
Just tell me what you want.
Ariel Pink’s Haunted
Graffiti – Before Today (4AD)
The Bye Bye Blackbirds –
Tour E.P. 2010 (BYE BYE BLACkBIrDS)
Limited Edition of 100
Kathryn Calder – Are You My
Mother? (FILE UNDEr: MUSIC)
member of New pornographers and former
member of Immaculate Machine
MUSIC WE LIKE H Spring/Summer 2011 39