We Love You...Digitally - FILTER Magazine

SCENEasicsamerica.com/onitsukatigerOn the Road withWe Are ScientistsBy Benjy EisenChris Cain, bassist extraordinaire for We Are Scientists, is psyched—intellectually psyched, if not emotionally(hey, he’s the type of guy that would prefer to satirically analyze why he might be smiling than, you know, justdoing it). His band is on the run in England, promoting the piss out of its major-label debut, With Love and Squalor.The whole deal is part of an across-the-pond trade, coming from our side as compensation for their latest musicalinvasion. “Round Two: You gave us Bloc Party, we’ll give you We Are Scientists.”With WAS rocketing to fame on a trajectory that couldn’t have been better designed by actual rocket scientists,rest assured that when this band of Brooklyn boys return to the homeland this spring, the shenanigans and soldoutshows will follow.Where are you guys right now?We’re in a town called Preston. It’s somewhere rightthere in the middle of England. I guess it’s about anhour south of Liverpool.Lately, you’ve been playing England more thanAmerica.We can’t seem to leave. We’re actually just coming toour second week here on this tour; before this we werein the States for a few weeks. But in the last six monthswe’ve spent an undue amount of time here.People are people no matter where you go, butis it a different experience to play for U.K.audiences?There are different crowds from city to city here, thesame way it is in the U.S.; New York crowds tend to bea little more restrained and any college town tends tobe a little crazier. It’s sort of the same thing here—likeGlasgow and London are very hip, chilled out crowds.Although they’ll buy tickets and you’ll sell out showsthere, the shows are never all that fun because they’lljust clap politely as though they’re at a golf match.Which they’re not?Well, we do start our set with a little putt-putt, butafter that it’s almost straight ahead rock and roll.The band’s website features mock reviews from5 FILTER minithe road and other seriously funny humor. Isthat all the band’s doing? I mean, do you personallyupdate it?Yeah, yeah—it’s all done by us. Nobody else even hasthe passwords.And they never will! That was a big stickingpoint for us. Initially, when we were working out thedetails of our deal with Virgin, they perfunctorily insistedon control of the website, which, I think, they’re justused to having. And we basically said, “We will walkaway from the deal.” Then they were like, “Well, what ifwe said you guys can maintain the news section or whatever?”And we told them, “No, you’re not listening.Youcan’t have the password to our website! We will walkaway from the deal if you insist on having any influenceat all on our website.” Finally, they were like, “Fine, wedon’t really care about it that much, fuck you.”What’s one piece of wisdom you picked upwhile on tour in the U.K.?This is actually a bit of completely counter-intuitivewisdom that you have to learn the hard way: The onlything that is safe for your digestive system over here—consistently safe—is the Indian food. Which is exactlythe opposite of the truth in the United States. I’ve beenpoisoned more often than not in the U.S. eating Indianfood, but over here it’s really the only thing you cancount on to be not only delicious but also pretty highquality.And safe.That’s an important piece of road wisdomfrom the U.K. FSome good style is so hot it can easily be use to heat up delicious soup.The Limber Up Asian TM

SCENEThe Go!Team’s Guideto Brighton,Englandby Bryan ChenaultGOOGLE EITHER THE GO! TEAM or Brighton,England and you’ll find surprising results. For theformer, you’ll discover that it was the name of a late’80s Olympia,Washington outfit on Kill Rock Starsfeaturing Beat Happening’s Calvin Johnson andsoon-to-be Bikini Kill drummer Toby Vail.They putout a series of 7-inches of all different musical styles and featuring all sorts of guest musicians from the Northwestscene (like, say…Kurdt Kobain [sic]). As for Brighton, you’ll find out that it—not Amsterdam—is the official “gaycapital of Europe.” Just a stone’s throw from London on the southern Sussex coast of England, the famous seasideresort town is a bit like the Key West of the U.K., but thankfully without the searing heat or Parrotheads singing alongto “Grapefruit/Juicy Fruit” (yes, that’s a real Jimmy Buffet song). But aside from its tourist trap proclivities, Brighton(and sister city Hove) also offers a vibrant, multi-cultural, artistic community on par with London.So what does either have to do with this Go! Team, the one that—after much ado and several delays—finally releasedits debut album in the U.S. last fall? Both the originally named band and the city in which three of this band’s membersreside are all about diversity, which is perhaps the best thing about our Go! Team’s beautiful mess of an album, Thunder,Lightning Strike.Throw sitar samples, Peanuts piano ditties, air raid sirens, melodica breakdowns, SonicYouth guitars, mariachitrumpets, old school raps/beats and flute loops into a blender and out comes a potent and perfectly schizophrenicsummer smoothie. Here, mad scientist and multi-instrumentalist Ian Parton gives us his polite picks on the best ofBrighton and pretends not to know about the city’s nude sunbathing spots.The Best...…reason to live in Brighton instead of London?It would probably be because it’s at least an hour awayfrom our record label.…lame tourist destination: Brighton pier,Devil’s Dyke or Royal Pavilion?Devil’s Dyke is marvelous, so that’s not lame. It’s got tobe the pier, because it’s just shite unless you like puttingmoney into slot machines.…gay discotheque or place to rock leather asslesschaps?Zanzibar.…place to sunbathe nude?Your own bedroom. No one wants to see that!…late-night eats?Market Diner.They serve food until 6 a.m. and they havesomething called a “gut buster,” which is a very largebreakfast full of fried things that are very tasty.… record shop for an aspiring DJ?Borderline, because it has nothing but classic stuff that youshould know about. It doesn’t carry any contemporarymusic at all.…cool guy on the Brighton scene: Nick Cave,Gaz Coombes of Supergrass, or Bobby Gillespieof Primal Scream?Nick Cave, because he has bats in his house.…Brighton band: British Sea Power, the Cure[from suburb Crawley], Suede [from suburbHayward’s Heath)]?Only one of those is really from Brighton. Can we nominateourselves?…place to give Fatboy Slim the finger?That wouldn’t be nice—he’s our neighbor! Fa community of like-minded,passionate music writers, bloggers,fans and online aficionados comingtogether to expose the best in new musicexplore the alliance via filter-mag.com/links6 FILTER mini

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Finally,Sumdayis NowGrandaddy Says GoodbyeBy Lesley BargarJason Lytle needs a haircut.Well, maybe not an actual haircut, but a metaphorical one at least.What he needs is thefeeling—that “cut off the dead ends, become the all-new, superior, fitter, happier, more productive you—all whilea cute-ish junior college chick talks about her favorite pomade” feeling. It’s the sensation of change, and it eitherscares the crap out of you, or it saves your life. For Jason Lytle, now formerly of Grandaddy, it’s both.The (artificially) toe-headed, ball-capped frontman of the Modesto, California space-pop band resisted changefor 14 years, releasing five groundbreaking albums in the meantime (two best-of list toppers in their day).And now,with What Happened to the Fambly Cat? freshly pressed (Grandaddy’s fifth LP and possibly their best since TheSophtware Slump), Jason Lytle has stopped fighting what every bone in his body (and hair on his head) has urged himto do: move on.So as the Fates hold up their shears to one of the new millennium’s most fuzzed-out, beloved, dreamy and unwittinglysuccessful bands, its frontman takes a minute with Filter Mini to discuss the oft-overlooked upsides to shocktherapy, dirty rags, Montana and rotting fruit.So, I hear you just got back from somewhere.I’m moving to Montana and I just had to do thewhole handing over of the key, changing of the guard.It’s very long overdue. Modesto became an experiment,like an endurance test. I always imagine a dirtyrag that you’ve been cleaning your hands off with asyou’re working on your car or lawnmower, andyou’re just basically throwing a big rag on top ofwhatever it is that’s trying to take flight. For somereason the dirty rag thing just comes to mind, withthe pollution here and the dustiness and the dirtinesson top of all of the greasy…It’s a good image. But a lot of people use thefact that there’s nothing going on in theirhometown to create their own entertainment…I’m no stranger to that working process, and I’ve verymuch benefited not only from that, but also from theregional uniqueness. But it gets to a point where…Ijust remember once the band started getting reallybusy, there would be these chunks of time where Iwould come back and be like, “Okay, now what?” Andusually the best thing to do is take all these things thathave happened to you and make something of thoseexperiences. But the problem is that—see, the fruit isripening and ready for the picking, but when you pickit, that’s when you’re really benefiting from everythingthat went into making it. Then one season thefruit falls and it rots and you haven’t done anythingwith it, and that continues to happen and these gapsget bigger…it becomes counterproductive. And thenyou realize, “Okay, I have to get out of here. This isjust downright unhealthy.”I’d tell anyone who lived anywhere for morethan 10 or 15 years that it’s time for change.Before I got stuck there I always had itchy feet. Icouldn’t wait to go after six months in a place. It gotto the point where pretty much the only reasons Iremained were the band, the close-knit aspect of itand the responsibilities that surrounded it. I wasreading something recently about shock therapy, andI was like, “You know what? That’s kind of what I’mdoing right now.” I halfway had a plan about theMontana thing, but I knew that whatever my changewas going to be it couldn’t be flaky, and it couldn’t behalf-assed. I really had to knock myself out of whateversort of groove I had established.Does the rest of the band feel the same way?Everything has definitely shifted. For me it was prettyapparent at the end of touring Sophtware Slump, andeven on the next big go-around following Sumday. Itstarted leaning more toward regiment and fulfillingrequirements and other people’s expectations. Inever really knew what was going to come of this; Inever really had any expectations. I had nothing to gooff of. I just know that I didn’t like where it wasgoing. But we really do enjoy each other’s company,and we really like to whoop it up too.And by “whoop it up” you mean...We really encourage each other. It’s literally like,“Oh, come on pussy! What are you doing?! Come on!Why are you going to bed?!” This whole group ofguys who enjoy prodding each other even to thepoint of going way beyond our best interests. Andthen sometimes, on those long stretches of touring,it got downright ridiculous. There’d be these littlestretches of partying where you’ve been kind ofdrunk for four days straight.And it’s like, “Oh, I needa break. I need to purge myself. Clean up.” And I’msaying that’s no big deal—I’ve been drunk, I meanwasted, every single night for three months. But onthe days off I’d want to cower in my room and hide;it would end up being worse on your days off. It’ssuch a twisted sort of version of—well, it’s not reality.I’ve never wanted to be one of those cowering,delicate, shriveling-in-the-dark fragile musiciantypes. I really, really need to be outdoors and havesome percentage of health.That answers my question as to why no tourthis time. But do you feel like you’re notgoing to get your last goodbye on stage?I don’t think any show, with any amount of money orproduction would have been able to justify itself inmy mind, or been able to get across some sort offarewell. If anything, it’s almost better to kind of letit dissolve into a mist. I don’t know.With a tour, I getthe visual of dressing up and parading around thecorpse. It would be sad.You were playing a bit with L.A.’s Earlimartbefore. Are you going to continue?I’m going to allow myself some time to reassess myrelationship with all this stuff. I still plan on playingsomehow, somewhere, in some capacity. But rightnow I have a really screwed up tainted view on playingmusic in front of people and traveling.But you’re not done with music are you? Wehaven’t seen the last of you, have we?Hell no! [Laughs] Whether you want to or not. Hellno. F8 FILTER mini FILTER mini 8

y Pat McGuire | photography by Autumn de Wilde9 FILTER mini FILTER mini 9

Sometimes you can just see it coming.You’ll be off on a tangentsomewhere: on a trip, writing aplay, talking to your mother-inlaw;you’ve been lost, head in theclouds, but suddenly it’s there, youcan sense it, feel it approaching. It’s hanging right in frontof you; you knew it would be there but you didn’t knowwhen.You were starting to second-guess yourself: “Is thisever going to end?” You were waiting for it to feel right.Waiting for the groove.And then, when you weren’t payingattention—somehow you didn’t notice it before—suddenly it’s there and you can reach out and grab it, now,NOW! …and it saves you. It’s the way out. Dry land.Anexplanatory monologue. A lull in a one-sided conversation.And just that quickly, we’re all on the same pageagain. When we’re out wandering somewhere, waiting,somehow we just know when the door is going to openand it’s time to go inside, to where we’re comfortable,to where we should be, to where we belong. And justlike that, we’re back in the groove.Doug Martsch spent the last five years waiting for thegroove to come back around. In 2001, his band Built ToSpill was almost a decade old and on its seventh album,Ancient Melodies of the Future. They were still riding thesuccess (namely, a reputation for pretty little dittieswrapped in epic guitar jam heroics) of a series of phenomenalreleases spread throughout the entire 1990s.Martsch spent that decade playing with various landmarkbands and collaborators, but mostly BTS, establishingone of the most inspiring and flat-out awesome catalogsof any indie rock dude around.Built To Spill’s second album was the near-faultlessThere’s Nothing Wrong With Love, so effortlessly good that itgot them a deal with Warner Bros. for 1997’s Perfect FromNow On.The indie community breathed a collective sighof relief when that too proved to be a damn near impeccablerecord—somewhat difficult but ultimately rewarding(in listening as well as in Martsch’s recording process:“That record was kind of a pain in the ass,” he recalls, “butI’m really proud of it.”). 1999’s masterpiece Keep It Like aSecret prompted TV appearances, a live album, and—alongside Pavement—Indie Rock Band of the Decadeaccolades. Neil Young comparisons were whispered at theirshows. Bands started migrating to the Northwest andgrowing beards, leaving their flannel at home. Guitar soloswere in again. The groove that they had helped start andthat bands like Modest Mouse and Grandaddy were nowriding too, was in effect. But in 2001, having just recordeda solo album and missing his girlfriend and young son backin Idaho, Martsch began to grow tired of all the jamming.The Built To Spill lineup was always changing, varying fromtour to record to tour, and after hitting the road withAncient Melodies for a while, it was time to take a break fromthe groove and a vacation from the band.“There’s gotta be some kind of balance between stupidlooking and comfortable,” Doug Martsch is saying.He’s describing the never ending chore of beard maintenance,but could be expounding upon a number ofthings. Doug is a soft-spoken man who knows what hewants out of life and how he best fits in it. Right now,that’s in his own home, relaxed and at ease despite havingto come up with answers to questions he hasn’t heard inhalf a decade. He readily admits that he unconsciouslytells untruths during interviews to keep from saying thesame thing over and over. He’s an honest liar, or a fibbingtruth-sayer, and he’s a man who looks to be on some sortof vacation even when he’s been working his ass off.Martsch used Built To Spill’s break as more hiatus thanholiday, touring in support of his solo album, Now YouKnow, and forming the Boise Cover Band at his home withsome friends, playing other people’s songs for a change.He listened to reggae and soul music, and spent time justhanging with his family and playing basketball. He startedThere’s gottabe some kindof balanceBetweenstupidlooking andcomfortable.growing out that trademark beard. And then, 18 monthslater, it all just began to feel right again—it was time towrite some new BTS songs.As the groove demands, sometimes change is neededfor the door to swing open. And thus, this was the firsttime that everyone (the standard trio of Martsch, bassplayer Brett Nelson and drummer Scott Plouf, plusrecently added longtime touring guitarist Jim Roth)wrote their own parts of a Built To Spill song. “We wouldjust turn on my ADAT machine, someone would startplaying, and we all would join in,” says Martsch. His Boisehome was the site of the writing sessions. He’s remarkablyunassuming—he could be talking about watering hislawn if he wasn’t describing how works of art are made.“No one talked about what chords to play or what anyoneshould be doing, we just jammed. And then I wentthrough all these hours of riffs and picked out little areasthat I thought were cool and we worked from there.”And in this new and rarified air, the groove waftedback in.The band was so at home with the new songs thatwhen it came time to record, they did so without the helpof producer Phil Ek (who’s manned the helm of everyalbum since There’s Nothing Wrong With Love). “We justthought that we knew how to do it, we’d been in the studioso much,” says Martsch. “We all get on really well.To me,music is not just about sounds that are being produced, butalso what the people are about and what they stand for.There are bands that might make great music, but if I thinkthe people in the band are assholes, I don’t really bother.”The band also invited longtime touring guitarist and onetimemember Brett Netson (not to be confused with bassistBrett Nelson) to rejoin, allowing the three-guitar arsenal oftheir stage show to light up the studio as well. But even withall the right parts, you can’t force the groove; you still haveto wait for that perfect moment to take shape.The trip tothe eighth Built to Spill album has been long and winding;Martsch’s beard is proof of the process: “I was gonna cut itwhen our record was done, and then the recording just keptgoing on and on. I finally just had to shave it.”Fortunately, Doug’s no Samson—You In Reverse may bethe band’s greatest achievement. These are some of theirfinest tunes to date, absolutely packed with the myriadpearls from the jams.The band was patient enough to alloweach song to manifest itself sonically, whether clocking in ateight minutes plus or wrapping up in under three.WhereTNWWL was sweetly succinct and to the point, and PFNOwas constantly traveling off on beautiful, spiraling tangents,and KILAS was pretty much the combination of those twothings, YIR is a true step in BTS’ evolution. Each of itssongs—whether discussing passing time or politics orpatience itself; in the form of a jangly little ditty or aswirling, epic soundscape—rings true in a natural way, gorgeouslysimple and lusciously complex at once. Severaltracks, like opener “Goin’ Against Your Mind,” feel difficultand heady but grow to reveal barebones chords withdynamic flourishes. Shorter ones like “Liar” that appear niceand easy become more complex with each listen. It’s as ifthe groove has swallowed both the music and the listenerwhole, engulfed them completely, and instead of spittingthem out like a crashing wave does a surfer, it picks themup into itself like a gentle twister, and together all ride outthe record in the calm eye of the storm.“When we’re jamming and it’s time to come back intothe groove,” says Doug, “sometimes it only takes one personcoming back in to make it sound like it’s the whole band.There are all kinds of tricks like that. It’s all based on math,certain numbers that just feel right, that people will automaticallywant to come back to. I’ve never written songs ina strange time, ’cause I don’t like ’em, they don’t feel good.I want a groove, I want something just straight up.”Doug Martsch and Built To Spill are, like all of us to someextent, gifted with the innate sense of simply knowing whenthat door to purpose is opening.You can’t force it, you can’tactively search for it; all you can do is sit back and enjoy thewaiting. The five-year pause may have made us itch withanticipation, but it allowed the band the time they needed tomake their grandest statement yet. You In Reverse is Built ToSpill’s proof that they will always be something for us tocome back to. “We want to work at our own pace, “ saysDoug, “but I definitely think that the best Built To Spill stuffis in the future. Some people might not ever think that anythingis better than our first stuff, even though a lot of thingsabout it are really amateur, but based on the way that I feelabout music today, and based on my own personal state, andjust how good I think the band is, as far as I’m concerned wedefinitely have greater potential than ever right now.”Like the groove, like true love, like the springtime,some things will just be there when they’re ready.Sometimes you can see them coming (and in this case, whowasn’t crossing their fingers?), but you just might have towait for that door to open. F10 FILTER mini FILTER mini 10

Tracing theMovement of a Handwith Clap Your Hands Say YeahBy Tristan StaddonSAVE FOR ONE MINOR GEOGRAPHIC DETAIL, today’s likely no different for Alec Ounsworth than it might’vebeen a year ago. He’s got music on the mind, articulate ideas about art—his own and others’—at the ready, and atleast a week’s worth of laundry in the dryer. Pretty standard stuff for a culturally-conscious twenty-something witha band based in Brooklyn.So what about his geography is worth teasing? Well, today’s abnormal for Ounsworth because the laundromathe’s utilizing happens to be in Northern Ireland, near Belfast, where he’ll soon stand onstage as the leader of oneof indie rock’s most celebrated new bands. Sorry, but it’s easy to get carried away when you’re writing aboutOunsworth and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, his label-free quintet, the band that was arguably 2005’s most deservingsuccess story, even though no one expected them to be. A year after the fuss first hit the fan, Ounsworth speakswith Mini to reflect back and look ahead.Apparently, 2005 was pretty good for you.Looking back, what strikes you as most surrealabout the past year?I was in Brooklyn one day, staying at somebody’splace, and I saw a pigeon collapse from the top of anapartment building and land on somebody’s air conditionerand then hit the stoop at the bottom of theair conditioner. That was the most surreal thing thathappened in 2005. It was tragic and depressing aswell. Or did you mean about how the band turnedout?Yeah, that whole thing.You know, nothing really strikes me as that surrealanymore.A lot of ado has been made over the musicalinfluences, or lack thereof, you suggest with thisalbum, but something that’s not often talkedabout are your non-musical influences.A lot of them have to do with the people that I might,or might not, have mentioned in terms of musicalinfluences; they’re friends and folks that I’ve encountered.It’s tough to answer that one though.You watcha film by Cassavetes or you see a [Susan] Rothenbergpainting or you read some stories by RaymondCarver—these are just names I’m throwing out, butthey’re as important to me on a certain level as a lot ofthe people who are musically affecting me.You’ve mentioned in other interviews that, whilePHOTO: CHRIS CRISMANwriting this record, you’d work your day job andthen come home to write for eight or nine hours.Sure, yeah.How have you adapted that to the road?Well, I haven’t written a song in a long time [laughs].It’s tough, because I got very used to feeling like I wasin a routine of being creative every day. I guess youhave to try to adjust in such a way that you can translatethat creativity into what you’re doing onstage, sothat you’re not rehashing the same old stuff. That’simportant to me. I think that I’ve been trying a bitmore, this time around, to find the time to work onstuff, but it really makes such a difference. I preferwriting at night, and I prefer being able to record it insuch a way that I can imagine the other instruments,and there are certain limitations here that mightchange the way I write songs a little. But then you gohome and return to form…hopefully.A lot of your fans have fallen in love with thisnotion that you’ve taken a stand against lettingexternal forces like, oh, corporate labels andagendas, affect your art. But you’ve openly saidyou’ll consider signing if the fit is right. Do youworry about the backlash a move like that mighttrigger?No. A lot of my big heroes—who did what they wantedto—have been on bigger labels. There are certainrepercussions, based on what sort of relationshipyou’re entering into, that you have to make sure areright. But I think that, as far as the backlash is concerned,it was never really pointedly expressed as astand against major labels—it just happened to be thatwe decided not to sign. It was a unique situation. Butthe more I think about it, the more I begin to understandthe music industry, it might as well have beenconsidered a stand.It’s part of the reason people love you. It supportsthe idea that you’re a people’s band, notsome company’s.Yeah, I think that’s right. I certainly like the idea ofthat. I mentioned John Cassavetes earlier and I saw adocumentary on him a little while ago. I saw how heworked and I think that it was a little more torturousfor him to work with a bigger company. I think,instinctually, that’s the way it could’ve gotten for us,which is why it never seemed like that much of a relevantquestion in the first place. But the idea, as far asI’m concerned, is that labels have people working forthem too. In a lot of ways it just doesn’t seem to havepanned out these days to become something thatretains its integrity and honesty. I don’t know what tosay about that. But I do know that I’m not going towork with anybody like that. FMake it ClapMini gives a round of applauseto this select group ofsignificant musical clappers.Alfred B. Smith“If You’re Happy and You Know It”(1916)Where it all started, bitches. We hearit’s sung “And you really want to showit,” on the eastern side of the Atlantic, but we’ll hold ourwise-ass remarks for now because, well, at least theydidn’t swap “clap your hands” for “bomb Iraq.”Queen“We Will Rock You” from News of theWorld (Hollywood, 1977)Essential palm-mashing, especially ifyours are hairy.The Rembrandts“I’ll Be There For You” from FriendsSoundtrack (Reprise, 1995)Was it really Rachel’s hair that carried200-odd episodes of Friends’ yuppiedrivel? Or were the over-eager handsmacks in the middleof what’s become the most irritatingly infectious sitcomanthem ever responsible? Get that wheelchair guyon the phone.Radiohead“We Suck Young Blood (Your Time IsUp)” from Hail to the Thief (Capitol,2003)A handclap’s comfort zone allows forthe expression of gratitude, excitement or seal mimicry.But this one’s mitts are all grave and malnourished. Andthey keep trying to cut up our credit cards.LCD Soundsystem“Disco Infiltrator” from LCD Soundsystem(Capitol, 2005)Handclaps for the new millennium. Notfor the faint of wrist, but perfect ifyou’ve a better grip on irony than everyone you know.11 FILTER mini FILTER mini 11

REVIEWSOne-Liners: A miniature take on selected Filter Magazine reviews...........................................................................................................................(Go to Filter-Mag.com or pick up Filter Magazine’s Winter Issue for full reviews of the albums covered here.)The Flaming LipsAt War With the MysticsWarner Bros.Coolest old dudes ever create a psychic collageguaranteed to freak out newbies half their age.CalexicoGarden RuinQuarterstickDesert dwellers expand their horizons,swapping cactus buttons for a more political bent.92% 86%GrandaddyWhat Happened to the Fambly Cat 92%V2While this cat may require work before itcurls up in your bed, it’s guaranteed not to shit therein.MudhoneyUnder a Billion Suns 91%Sub PopGrunge stalwarts return with a haze ofgarage-rock psychedelia that would make even Queensbow in respect.GoldfrappSupernature89%MuteSublime, sultry, sleazoid electro that’ll sendyour cocker spaniel a’humpin.Prefuse 73Security Screenings 88%WarpGlitch master Scott Herren proves he can bedisjointed and soothing in equal measure—a perfectsoundtrack for travel.Test IciclesFor Screening Purposes... 87%/37%DominoYelp-core à la the Blood Brothers with theodd electro spasm; tasty for some, sickening for others.Isobel Campbell & Mark LaneganBallad of the Broken Seas 86%V2In this week’s After School Special the meek littlegirl and grizzled old man across the street become bestpals.Arab StrapThe Last Romance86%TransdreamerPerennially depressed Scotsmen take anothertrip down the Trainspotting toilet, but this one’s jaunty.MogwaiMr.Beast85%MatadorBy-the-book post-rock from the Scots whowrote the book; is their approach on “Auto Rock”?Belle & SebastianThe Life Pursuit84%MatadorCutesy coos are replaced by synth wash; thekids may have left the twee house for good.Young PeopleAll At Once80%Too PureThe Cowboy Junkies meet Terry Riley meetthe Kills in a thin haze of sometimes-successful experimentalAmericana.Death From Above 1979Romance Bloody Romance... 69%ViceSuperfluous album of do-overs shows whythis Canuck duo should just stick to their sludgy bass andbitchin’ hooks.LiarsDrum’s Not Dead39%MuteA drum-art experiment gone horriblywrong; if drum ain’t dead, you might wish it was now.The StrokesFirst Impressions of EarthRCAA solid showing that strokes a little harder, alittle smoother and with a little more nonchalant effort.86%FILTERALBUMRATINGS91-100% ¬81-90% ¬71-80% ¬61-70% ¬Below 60% ¬a great albumabove par, below geniusrespectable, but flawednot in my CD playerplease God, tell us why12 FILTER miniFILTER mini 12

REVIEWSCD Reviews...........................................................................................................................Starlight MintsDrowaton91%BarsukSo I was going to spin a tale whereinglammy late-’70s era Bowie emerges from the past tokidnap Björk from the arms of Matthew Barney andstart a traveling post-punk, operatic circus. But thisalbum’s too damn good to be reduced to that kind offarce. Church bells, violins, pianos and synth collidewith edgy surrealist rock. Never cluttered, Drowaton isas compelling as it is complex, and it’s one of the mostfun listens of the year. PATRICK JAMESEagles of Death MetalDeath By SexyDOWNTOWN RECORDSDear Boots Electric, Love Doc:So there’s this cute little mamma in my Psych classI’ve kinda had my eye on for a hot minute, and I needyour help, brother. Can you call her up and play someof your boots-scootin’, honky-tonkin’, solid gold skuzzjams to get this here Eaglet some serious skirt action?Boogie on boogieman,— “Smitten Kitten in Cleveland”Dear “Kitten”:“Well, well, well/You found the right lovedoc/Boots Electric gonna tick her tock/Throw my newrecord on the ol’ juke bock/And lil’ bitty baby gonnabe punchin’ yo’ clock/Boogie on down to the ol’ jookshed/Sweatin’ it out like with more thunder thanLed/When it come to rockin’, you know what Isaid/Sweetie, give me sexy, or give me dead.”Purr on all my Sexy Kitties,— Boots Electric, Love DocPAT MCGUIRESparksHello Young Lovers 71%In the RedSparks have too much conviction intheir own completely personal style of music for it tobe tongue-in-cheek. Even so, I defy anyone with anego to blare this with the windows down. Everymusical synapse will scream “Hate this record!” butthere’s something impressive in hearing music thatdoesn’t even register in the modern pop cannon.Theclosest approximation: imagine 50 minutes of the“gala moosh” vocal interlude in “BohemianRhapsody.” Hello Young Lovers is like a profoundly13 FILTER mini85%retarded carnival of pure imagination performed toperfection. MICHAEL SUTERHard-FiStars of CCTV83%AtlanticMike Skinner fronting the Killers?Almost.The Hard-Fi lads did come up in the same WestLondon hood as that bore from the Streets and tacklethe same “I’m broke and my woman’s bothering me”problems, but they scrub it up in a “diska” sound (acombo of disco, punk and dub, folks) so it goes downnice and smooth. So smooth in fact, these guys shouldn’thave money problems for awhile.Woman problems?That’s another story. JR GRIFFINSondre Lerche &the Faces Down Quartet 88%Duper SessionsAstralwerksIf the current group of dashing crooners were theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (with Harry Connick Jr.as earnest Leonardo, Michael Buble as logicalDonatello, and Jamie Cullen as party animalMichelangelo), then Sondre Lerche could easily step inas the wisecracking Raphael. Teamed with the FacesDown Quartet on Duper Sessions, the 21-year-oldNorwegian and his combination of smooth slackervoice and snarky lyrics call to mind Pavement—hadthey been popular in 1952. Somebody get this mansome sai daggers on the double. TODD BERGERSecret MachinesTen Silver Drops88%Warner Bros.Texas-sized drums (bass bass high hat,bass bass high hat; repeat), guitar bombast and monsterlive shows helped the Machines blow all the other kidsaway when they broke on the space rock scene, but forTen Silver Drops they’ve ditched some of the bang bangin their rock and roll for mellower freeform prog jamsthat creep up and envelope you like an ominous morningfog. Loneliness and paranoia have never sounded sosoothing. BRYAN CHENAULTTaylor Hawkins & the Coattail RidersTaylor Hawkins &the Coattail Riders 53%ThriveIf Nirvana’s drummer can create the Foo Fighters, it onlymakes sense that the Foo Fighters’ drummer could pulloff his own band, too, right? Um, not so much. Hawkins’attempt at stepping forward sounds like a bar band whowants to be Rush, but only excels at turning the crowd todrinking more. Except, it’s, like, worse than that—andwith annoyingly thin production for a project led by adrummer. Don’t quit your day job, dude. JR GRIFFINMystery JetsFlotsam & Jetsam 88%679The Britpop bloc is hot and these blokesonly toss more Molotovs into the hedges. After releasinga plethora of singles on their native island, the MysteryJets compile their early greatest for this stateside EP.Thegroup includes a father and son and it seems the old man’sshoved his decreasingly square prog/psych record collectiondown the collective throat of his twentysomethingbandmates. Here the MJs regurgitate the half-digestedmess while doing a spastic dance. DAN FRAZIERLoose FurBorn Again in the U.S.A. 90%Drag CityPart Wilco side project, part break-fromall-the-“difficult”-shit—let’s-make-some-pop-songsoutlet, and part cheeky modern day alt-indie supergroup,Loose Fur good time boys Jim O’Rourke, JeffTweedy, Glenn Kotche are back in the US of A, and wedon’t know how lucky we are, boy. Born Again is 10 nopressureeasy rockers that feature both Tweedy andJimmy on the mic, each bringing his own brand of deepand dope-y ditties to the table. There’s a reason theseguys’ other bands are the two most importantAmerican acts since the E-Streeters. PAT MCGUIREMs. John SodaNotes and the LikeMorr MusicTHE WAR!THE ECONOMY.STUDENT LOANS.BILLS.TAXES.PARENTS THAT WANT GRANDCHILDREN—NOW.CONSERVATIVE JUDGES.TIVO DIDN’T TAPE 24!!!STRESS. ENDLESS FUCKING STRESS!!!SO GIANT. SO POWERFUL.INSURMOUNTABLE!A BLACK HOLE OF WORRY.All so easily defeated by nine songs.Like Kraftwerk with estrogen, on xanaxSo soothing…everything…okay...now....DAVID ISKRA85%

Eastern Conference ChampionsThe Southampton Collection 86%RetoneINFOMERCIAL: Hey, all you alternativemusic lovers out there! Remember when Radioheadused to rock? Remember when their ballads weren’thidden beneath pesky bells and whistles? Wish they’d goback and make The Bends, Volume II? Well, wait nolonger! Check out these incredible lost tracks stolenfrom Thom Yorke’s vault of tears, not available instores!! CONSUMER (AFTER PURCHASE): Wait,this is just three guys from Bucks County, Pennsylvania?It can’t be! Did I just get James Frey-ed? BRYANCHENAULTVarious ArtistsHugh Masakela Presents 91%the Chisa Years…1965-1975BBEFourteen relentless groove monsters from the vaults ofChisa Records, the influential African music label headedby jazz/pop legend Masakela and producer StewartLevine (Jamie Cullum, Simply Red). Masakela weighsin with his band Ojah on the opener, “Afro Beat Blues,”which turns on a crushingly tight Fela-meets-Motownjam; elsewhere, the rhythms shift from soaring soulworkouts from South Africa’s Lette Mbulu to propulsivetownship R&B from the Zulus and slinky midnightreggae from Baranta. Afrobeat doesn’t get funkier thanthis, so do your ass a favor and get with it. PAUL GAITAPlaceboMeds73%AstralwerksWay too late for glam and out of syncwith NIN’s industrial revolution, Placebo has alwaysbeen like a puzzle piece in the wrong box.They serve apurpose, but they just don’t fit the current picture.Thisalbum finds Timo Maas lending a hand, which meansthey are a little late for the “Electronic is the newRock!” campaign. Michael Stipe contributes some nicebacking vocals, but that too leaves them tardy for theAlternative Nation. Here’s hoping they find their ownIsland of Misfit Bands. I hear that Charlie in the Boxplays a mean synth. DAVID ISKRAVarious ArtistsLondon (Original Motion 90%Picture Soundtrack)Tiny EDick Clark once said that “music is the soundtrack ofour lives,” and it’s true. In any situation, there’s analbum that will perfectly fit the mood. For instance, ifit’s ever 4 a.m. and you’re driving a Maserati to a delivera briefcase full of coke to the Armenian mafia, thenjust pop in London.The Crystal Method’s haunting tech-

no score, intermixed with a range of cool tracks fromartists as varied as the Perishers and Connie Price, nicelycaptures the feeling of doing something wrong thatfeels so right. TODD BERGERNeko CaseFox Confessor Brings 88%the FloodAnti-First the tigers spoke (with thick jaws to that poordeer’s throat); now the fox brings the flood (of severedginger-haired girl heads, apparently). It seems that atNeko Case’s wildlife preserve, only evildoing animalsare welcome. But dark Disney fable imagery and albumtitles/art aside, inside is just what you’d expect fromthe undisputed queen of alt-country and her sultrySadies: dreary guitars that draw out rain showers andbellowing vocals that split the sky like thunder. BRYANCHENAULTSubtract By TwoAgoniser Ecrire86%This Generation TapesKudos to the tastemakers—it seems“minimalist” and “post-“ are giving “emo” and “dancey” arun for their money as genre modifiers, averting theimpending “dancemo” disaster and birthing a slew ofpretty-in-pretentious projects. While Sunn0))) getexhumed and the world warms to Fennesz, eager newcomersSubtract By Two make a valiant and spooky dashforward, layering their drifting etherea with steam,jumbled electronics, pensive guitars and piano, andfound sounds that connote a trip through the streets ofJack the Ripper’s London. So what if they’re fromNorth Carolina? LOUIS VLACHIrvingDeath in the Garden,Blood on the Flowers 84%Eenie MeenieIrving’s already been hailed as “arguably the best popL.A. has to offer,” but that was years ago and long beforeDeath in the Garden. Even with the vast layers, dynamicnew wave melodies and catchy hooks, this album ultimatelyfails to deliver as well as it does on the fantasticfirst track, “Gentle Preservation of Children’s Minds.”There’s a palpable sense of “I’ve already heard this”-ness,which could help Irving break through just easily as itcould render them forgettable. PATRICK JAMESMartin DennyThe Best of Martin Denny’s 86%ExoticaCapitolLounge legend Martin Denny made island music forformer GIs pining for the exoticism they experiencedin the South Pacific (minus all the explosions). Hisstrategy: light jazz blended with world percussion,laced heavily with bird calls, gamelans and pulp adventuretitles like “Taboo” and “Quiet Village.” Theapproach took off like a flaming Tiki torch andlaunched the exotic music craze of the ’50s. Exoticacompiles 18 of his lushest tunes, wraps them in sultrycover art, and includes an interview with the bigKahuna himself. PAUL GAITAStereolabFab Four Suture92%Too PureTHIS JUST IN: Stereolab’s Armpit Farts,Volume One will be available this spring! At some pointthis should get to be a little much, right? And yet, herewe have Fab Four Suture: six EPs compiled, and still amasterful collection of spacey, psych-y exotica—nodemos, no fluff, no fucking Dust Brothers remixes.2004’s Margarine Eclipse reverberates through, but highlights“Get a Shot of the Refrigerator,” “Vodiak” and“Interlock” demonstrate Stereolab doing what they dobest: expanding the depth of their interstellar production/explorationwhile kicking a little terrestrial ass onthe side. MICHAEL SUTERMC LarsThe Graduate42%HORRISIf every blogger with a bad attitude hadaccess to sampling gear and unleashed his or her questionablemusical skills on the world, well, the worldwould sound a lot like MC Lars. The NorthernCalifornia laptop musician attacks every pop culturephenomenon in play today (Hot Topic gets it especiallyhard in the ’nads with “Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock”).But for a guy who’s allegedly so revolutionary, Lars’ targetsare easy, his skills are wafer thin and the end resultis simply annoying. The Graduate? Failed. JR GRIFFINThe Duke SpiritCuts Across the Land 87%StartimeNow that the Big Apple’s main dime bagdelivery service shut down (yes, such things exist),those curious as to what might happen if, say, PJ Harveyattempted an album with an ounce stowed in eachpocket will have to turn to England. These Brits’ girldrivenpsych-blues-rock undulates out of the speakers,begging to be mulled over, lulling anxieties to sleepbetween the ears. Sure, you could appreciate it perfectlysober, but why not add a little ganja, allowing theirnuances to overtake you in a quasi-cosmic experience.CATHERINE ADCOCK

RADIO SINGLES CHARTPRESENTED BY MEDIAGUIDEThe Filter Recommended Radio Chart is Filter’s compilation of our favorite college,indie, modern rock and adult album alternative stations around the country that we know willalways bring you what Filter loves best: Good Music.This list of top-20 singles of the week ismade up of the most played songs of our select stations. Read on, and check filter-mag.comevery week to see what Filter and the in-the-know programmers across the country deem best.1: CAT POWER, “Living Proof ” Matador2: CAT POWER, “The Greatest” Matador3: BETH ORTON, “Conceived” Astralwerks / EMI4: CAT POWER, “Love & Communication” Matador5: BELLE & SEBASTIAN, “Funny Little Frog” Matador / Rough Trade / BeggarsGroup6: BELLE & SEBASTIAN, “Act Of The Apostle” Matador / Rough Trade / BeggarsGroup7: DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, “Crooked Teeth” Barsuk / Atlantic8: BELLE & SEBASTIAN, “White Collar Boy” Matador / Rough Trade / BeggarsGroup9: CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH, “The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth”Self Released10: JENNY LEWIS WITH THE WATSON TWINS, “The Big Guns”Team Love11: U2, “Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own” Interscope12: JACK JOHNSON, “Upside Down” Universal / Brushfire13:THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS, “Use It” Mint / Matador / Beggars Group14: SIA, “Breathe Me” Go! Beat / Astralwerks15: APOLLO, “Nove” Inexplicata (w/ Ceu) Ziriguiboom / Crammed Discs / SixDegrees16: CAT POWER, “Where Is My Love” Matador17: BETH ORTON, “Heart Of Soul” Astralwerks / EMI18: DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS, “14-Feb”Triplea.com19:THE STROKES, “You Only Live Once” RCA / Sony BMG20: DEPECHE MODE, “Precious” Reprise / Sire / MuteChart based on electronically monitored airplay data of the week of February 6, 2006 provided bywww.mediaguide.com for the following commercial and non-commercial radio stations: KCRW - Los Angeles, CA, KDHX - St. Louis,MO, INDIE 103.1 - Newport Beach/Santa Monica, CA, KEXP - Seattle,WA, KITS - San Francisco, CA, KOOP/KVRX -Hornsby/Austin,TX, KXLU - Los Angeles, CA, WAWL - Chattanooga,TN,WDBM - East Lansing, MI, WDET - Detroit, MI, WFMU -East Orange, NJ, WFPK - Louisville, KY, WFUV - New York, NY, WKNC - Raleigh, NC, WKQX - Chicago, IL, WRAS - Atlanta, GA,WRGP - Homestead, FL, WRVU - Nashville,TN, WTMD - Townson, MD, WXPN - Philadelphia, PA, WYEP - Pittsburgh, PA, EQX -Buffalo, NY, The Current 89.3 - MinnesotaGOOD:MUSIC:WILL:PREVAILtune in!FILTER MINI IS PROUDLY DISTRIBUTEDBY THE FOLLOWING STATIONS:MAGAZINE’SM sic Appreciation Nightspresented bythe all-newfrom HondaFEATURING LIVE PERFORMANCES AND DJ SETS BYHot Chip, Juan Mclean,2 Many DJs, The Duke Spirit,Jimmy Tamberello (Postal Service)and many othersTO PREVIEW THE FIT, JOIN US THIS SPRING INLos Angeles • San FranciscoNew York • Seattle • ChicagoPhiladelphia • Portland • Indioand more cities to be announcedGo to filter-mag.com and sign up for the newsletter in yourcity to get your exclusive invite and more information.fit.honda.com

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