Archive for the 'smartrock' Category
I don't know how I missed it, but Ratatat quietly released Loud Pipes as the third single from Classics a couple months ago. The record is out on vinyl only and, in addition to the title track, it features three attractive and compelling b-sides:
Loud Pipes (Outtakes).
Bears only the slightest resemblance to its namesake. The beat and instrumentation are there, but otherwise, it's a whole other ...
Stereolab: French Disco
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
From the single Jenny Ondioline (1993). Also appears on the Oscillons from the Anti-Sun box set (2005).
Free Download
For nearly a decade now, Stereolab has been a consistent "A list" band in my library, but I've, more of than not, been more disposed toward the groop's laid-back, lounge-infused work. The band's early, fuzz-laden krautrock-inspired recordings have generally left me uninspired (though I do enjoy krautrock ...
Mogwai: 2 Rights Make 1 Wrong
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
From the album Rock Action (2001)
Free Download
I can't begin the to describe how awesome this song is, but it's worth noting that it made me completely fall in love with Mogwai. Clocking in a 9-and-a-half minutes, this song is epic. Not for any story it tells, but for how it makes you feel. This mostly instrumental piece of slow-burning segments of ...
Ratatat in Atlanta: The ringing in my ears
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
The ringing in my ears serves as a reminder that I have permanently lost a portion of my hearing, but I'm telling you it is worth it. I just got home from Ratatat's show in midtown Atlanta and I have something to admit to you:
Seeing Ratatat perform live is one of my favorite things in the world. This show marks the third time I've managed to ...
Ratatat in 60 seconds
Thursday, March 29, 2007
So I was itching for something to do this evening, and inspired by WFMU's recent 10 Albums in 10 Minutes contest, I decided to cram the 45 minutes of Ratatat's self-titled debut album into a 60 second playing time.
Here's the result. It's a pretty smooth overview:
[audio:070329Ratatatin60secs.mp3]
It’s the Orpheus Express and we’re heading right down to Hades, ladies
Friday, January 5, 2007
One cold night, during the very cold December of 2000, I found myself at the original Handle Bar myspace warning in downtown Pensacola. Dilapidated doesn't even begin to describe the place, but its rundown condition gave it the perfect character to be a favored destination for the town's surprisingly robust hipster set, until it burned down in 2001. don't worry, the handle bar was rebuilt in ...
Isotope 217: Now you’re fusing with jazz
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Originally called just "Isotope," the band changed its moniker to Isotope 217 to avoid confusion with the 70s experimental rock/jazz outfit of the same name.
But whether by direct inspiration or after-the-fact realization, I-217's modus operandi is remarkably similar to its nomenclatural predecessor, specializing in a kind of improvisational, "experimental" jazz, similar to the jazz+rock fusions of the 60s/70s, but updated for the late 90s. Released on ...
Underwater music from the National Skyline
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
A Night at the Drugstore, found on National Skyline's 2001 album This=Everything. The band started by Hum's bassist after that band's demise. This song is smooth and laid back with a looping, but grounded ethereal quality.
[audio:061031NightAtTheDrugstore.mp3]
I think it belongs on your iPod; I know it's happy on mine.
Stereolab - Puncture in the Radar Permutation
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
While it is a song with an incomprehensible name Puncture In The Radar Permutation from an album with an incomprehensible name Cobra And Phases Group Play Voltage In The Milky Night, here's the song that got me hooked on Stereolab. It's a song with several movements, beginning with a haunting tension that mounts to a climax around 2:20. Then it totally breaks down and melts that ...





