Which One Is Pink: Tame Impala and Black Angels

New music and videos from Pink Floyd-haunted bands.

One of the best singles of the year.

Nice Zombies vibe to this one. 

"Solitude Is Bliss" comes from Tame Impala's Innerspeaker. The Perth band plays Neumos on Fri, Dec 10 (with Stardeath and White Dwarfs). Click here for my review of the Black Angels' Phosphene Dream.

Mmm, So Good: Endless Boogie, Hot Panda, Le Vice, Murdocks, the Rakehells, and Sweet Nasty

Endless
Boogie,
Full
House
Head, No Quarter

After coming across praise from Dave Segal (The Stranger) and John Whitson (Holy Mountain) for the second LP from Endless Boogie--a name that sounds like the title of a lost Leo Sayer album--I looked forward to giving it a listen, but I'm not so sure I share their enthusiasm (the band actually swiped their name from a John Lee Hooker record).

I don't expect to like everything those two endorse, but they're
tasteful gents, so the dual recommendation caught my attention.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
The public-facing organ of Endless Boogie, Paul Major [Top Dol-
lar], croaks like Fred Cole doing Chris Griffin from Family Guy.
--Doug Mosurock, Dusted Magazine

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

There's no doubt this Brooklyn quartet can rock, and I love the
feedback-saturated excursions, but Top Dollar's growl is a bit of
a buzz kill--like the Cookie Monster on helium. Basically, he does-
n't sing when he can shout. And if he can't sing in the convention-
al sense, that's for the best, but he sounds like a parody of an
old blues man crossed with Neil Young on an epic bender.

Granted, I wouldn't expect slick from dudes steeped in the Allman
Brothers and other Southern-style rockers, but Greg could sing
(and Duane could play, but the younger Allman still hasn't gotten
his due). The lyrics can be hilarious, too, as in "Mighty Fine Pie,"
in which Dollar waxes rhapsodic about his favorite food.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Mincemeat or key lime, any kind of pie, I'm gonna eat it. Apple, pump-
kin, blueberry... Don't need a fork, I'm gonna eat it with my hands.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Well! Okay. Rather than sexual innuendo, the singer
appears to be quite literal about his pastry addiction.

Though I'm unfamiliar with their debut, 2008's Focus Level,
the song titles indicate consistency, i.e. "Smoking Figs in the
Yard," "The Manly Vibe," "Bad River," "Executive Focus,"
"Gimme the Awesome," "Steak Rock," "Coming Down the
Stairs," "Jammin' with Top Dollar," "Low-Lifes," and "Move
Back!" (Only "Executive Focus" seems out of character.)

Click here for Jing Wei's Endless Boogie woodcut.

I'm gonna give Full House Head several more listens to see if
it grows on me. I like the way it recalls the MC5 at their grungiest
and the 'Stones at their greasiest, but for now, I'm on the fence.

Update: I'm coming around. Bonus: Pitchfork hated it.



Hot Panda, How Come I'm Dead?, Mint Records [10/12/10]

About Hot Panda, I once wrote that the "quirky Winnipeg
quartet combines new wave noise and indie-pop on their sec-
ond eclectic release, Volcano...Bloody Volcano." Like that LP,
this one manages to be noisy and melodic at the same time.

And that seems to be the intention since the press notes reveal
that they "wanted it to sound alive, spontaneous, lo-fi, and play-
ful," adding "there are lots of different 'slapped together' tidbits
and half-songs, so it should not sound over-produced or over-
rehearsed. You can tell the band just had fun writing these
tunes." For better or for worse, I would have to agree.

Click here for "Mindlessnesslessness."

Le Vice, Le Vice, self-released [8/17/10]

Le Vice invest their unique brand of hip-hop with continental
flair. It sounds as if the San Franciscans cut their teeth on the
Euro sounds of Kraftwerk and Giorgio Moroder before embrac-
ing the Bronx rap that followed in its wake. MC Alex Lee spits
rhymes over synths, real and fake beats, and a sinuous bass
line that recalls No Doubt--a little something for everyone,
at least for those who like Chic, Donna Summer, and ESG.

Click here for "Hard to Be Ill" and here for "Shy Guy."

Murdocks, Distortionist, self-titled

This Texas trio does that emo thing on their sec-
ond record. If that's your scene, you might dig it.

The Rakehells, Please Yourself; or the
Devil in the Flesh, Rockpark Records

N, pl: (rākˈhĕls) Dissolute men in fashionable so-
ciety [syn: rakes, profligates, rips, bloods, roues]

This NYC five-piece delivers hard rock with glam-rock attitude.
In the portrait that accompanies Please Yourself, they sport
flaxen wigs and frilly shirts, so I'd assume they're students of his-
tory (whether they prefer George Washington or Louis XIV, I
couldn't say). I have a soft spot for glam, but the Rakehells--
image aside--aren't doing anything I haven't heard before.

Sweet Nasty, Life on Fire, self-released [10/19/10]

Pub rock with a dash of country, Life on Fire is better than
expected from a band named Sweet Nasty. Still, I could do
without lines like "Woman, I saw you fall like a girl," even if
I do have a soft spot for Neil Diamond's "Girl, You'll Be a
Woman Soon" (Urge Overkill cover, too). As for the
name, multi-instrumentalist Anthony Fusco says
the Arizona quintet aims to create "those sweet
ballads that tear you apart and those nas-
ty grooves that get you moving."

The Vita Ruins, A Day Without a Name, self-released

Atmospheric yet danceable, Vita Ruins mix shoegaze and el-
ectro-pop to fine effect. The DC duo doesn't evoke M83, except
for "...Like a Band of Strangers," but fans of M83 and other ef-
fervescent acts are likely to enjoy A Day Without a Name.

Click here for "Seven Suns."

Endnote: Hot Panda play the Comet Tavern on 12/5. For more information, please click here; for Le Vice, here or here; for the Murdocks, here or here; for the Rakehells, here or here; for Sweet Nasty, here or here; and for the Vita Ruins, here or here. Endless Boogie image from Raven Sings the Blues.

Margaret Cho: Stringing Words Together

Margaret Cho, Cho Dependent, Clownery Records

I'm so high it's like how's the weather?
It's really hard for me to string words together.
-- "Calling in Stoned" (Cho and Ben Lee)

You'd be forgiven for expecting a comedy album from Drop Dead
Diva star Margaret Cho. Her first musical CD provides plenty
of comic material, but in sonic terms, it's an indie rock venture.

Guest artists include Tegan & Sara, Ben Lee, Brendan Ben-
son, Fiona Apple, Andrew Bird, Jon Brion, Grant Lee Phil-
lips, Ani DiFranco--and Tommy Chong on "Calling in Stoned."



As Lee explains in the press notes, "She started learning gui-
tar at age 40 after seeing Madonna play." He paraphrases
Cho's reaction, "If that bitch can do it, it can't be that hard."

So, the Notorious C.H.O. has an impressive array of musician
friends, but what about her voice and writing skills? Well, she can
hold her own with any of the other actresses who've turned to re-
cord-making in recent years, from Minnie Driver to Law & Or-
der's Jill Hennessy, except I can't see them singing the Carl New-
man co-penned "Your Dick." If anything, that makes her work
more fun--and less likely to receive commercial exposure.

Your dick. Your dick. So big I could hug it,
with both arms like a koala bear and fall asleep.
Your dick. Your dick. Can be seen from the moon.
It's like a harpoon. Talk about Moby Dick.

On "Gimme Your Seed," Hey
Big Dog," and "My Puss," she
adds dance-pop, country,
and hip-hop flavors to the
mix, bringing smart-ass
outfits like Sparks to mind
(presumably for stockist
reasons, "Dick" appears as
"D**k," "Puss" as "P***").

In addition, the CD includ-
es bonus track "Lesbian
Escalation" with Rachael
Yamagata (I'm embarras-
sed to admit I read that
as "ejaculation"). Conclud-
es Ms. Cho about her mai-
den musical voyage, "I want to create a new genre of music that
is hilarious, but also seriously good." I'd say she's succeeded.

Complete track listing:
1. Intervention (co-written with and feat. Tegan & Sara)
2. Calling in Stoned (co-written with
Ben Lee, feat. Lee and Tommy Chong)
3. Your Dick (co-written with A.C. Newman, feat. Lee)
4. Baby I’m with the Band (co-written with and feat. Brendan Benson)
5. Hey Big Dog (co-written with Pat-
ty Griffin, feat. Lee and Fiona Apple)
6. I'm Sorry (co-written with and feat. Andrew Bird)
7. Lice (co-written with and feat. Lee)
8. Enemies (co-written with and feat. Jon Brion)
9. Asian Adjacent (co-written with and feat. Grant Lee Phillips)
10. Gimme Your Seed (co-written with and feat. Garrison Starr)
11. Eat Shit and Die (co-written with and feat. Grant Lee Phillips)
12. Captain Cameltoe (co-written with and feat. Ani DiFranco)
13. My Puss (co-written with Diana Yanez and Kurt
Hall / parody of Mickey Avalon and Dirt Nasty song)

Hidden Track (CD/digital only): Lesbian Escala-
tion (co-written with and feat. Rachael Yamagata)

Endnote: For more information about Margaret
Cho, please click here. Images from Planetary Group.

September 2010 Reviews

These are the reviews
and other pieces I'm
working on this month.

Amazon DVDs: Boy
Meets World - The Com-
plete Second Season
[three-disc set], Boy
Meets World - The Com-
plete Third Season
[three-disc set], Hung - The Complete Second Season [two-disc set], Parenthood - Season 1 [three-disc set], and The Criterion Collection - Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence.

Amazon Theatricals: The Town (Ben Affleck returns to Bos-
ton with Jeremy Renner and Rebecca Hall), A Woman, a Gun
and a Noodle Shop (Zhang Yimou remakes Blood Simple),
Never Let Me Go (Ishiguro Kazou adaptation with Carey Mul-
ligan), and Inside Job (Charles Ferguson on the financial crisis).

Still playing (or yet to open): The American, Eat Pray Love,
Get Low, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, and Please Give.

Seattle Film Blog: Pier Paolo Pasolini's Mamma Ro-
ma and Michelangelo Antonioni's Le Amiche.

Still playing: The Tillman Story.

Video Librarian: Animals, Whores & Dialogue - Break-
fast With Hunter, Vol. 2, Decoding Alan Turing, Fagbug,
The Good Mother, Meeting Andrei Tarkovsky, The Way
We Get By, Addicted to Her Love, For My Wife, Four
Seasons Lodge, I Am Comic, The Prankster, Stiffs,
Countdown to Zero, Mid-August Lunch, The
Oath, and Parenthood - Season 1
[three-disc set].

Endnote: Image from Keeping the
Bear-Garden in the Background.

He's New Here: Gil Scott-Heron

Since releasing Gil Scott-
Heron's I'm New Here in
February, XL Recordings has
done a great job at keeping
the album alive by issuing re-
mixes from Mos Def and the
like, but I was particularly
taken by this video for his ver-
sion of Smog's "I'm New Here."

Smog's Bill Callahan may have written the lyrics--and recorded the song first--but Scott-Heron's heartfelt interpretation makes it sound as if they were designed just for him. They also reflect his journey through difficult times.

According to the press notes, the Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard-
directed clip "was recorded live in Clinton Recording Studio, NY
with the engineer Lawson White. (This is where much of the album
was recorded and mixed). Pat Sullivan (XX) is featured on guitar."



Forsyth and Pollard add, "Some things should be kept simp-
le; no messing, no gimmicks. This video was shot with com-
pletely live sound, with half an eye looking back on classic
footage of performers like John Lee Hooker and Bob Dyl-
an. We wanted to shoot something bold and direct, that
captured something of Gil's remarkable presence and
the raw power of his performance. We filmed him the
day before walking around his neighborhood in Har-
lem then on the day we returned with Gil to the
studio where much of his new album had been
recorded. There's no narrative here, this is
a deliberately simple video for a decep-
tively simple and beautiful song."

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Endnote: Click here for my review of I'm New
Here. Image from Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Reelin' in the Years: Part Six

Click here for part four

Film folk in Seattle, circa 2008-10.

Above: Author Sherman Alexie (The Toughest Indian in the World) introduces Kent Mackenzie's The Exiles at the NWFF in 2008. The Milestone DVD features commentary from Alexie and Sean Axmaker.


















Alexie lets out a laugh after the screening of The Exiles.


















Barry Jenkins and NWFF program director Adam Se-
kuler after a 2009 screening of Medicine for Melancholy.


















Jenkins takes questions from the audience. Dig
the way the coffee cup completes the outfit!


















Actor/director/raconteur Melvin Van Peebles
and NWFF executive director Lyall Bush in 2009.















Boston Phoenix critic/filmmaker Gerald Peary in-
troduces For the Love of Movies at the NWFF in 2010.

More images to come...



Endnote: Cross-posted to Facebook and Siffblog. Click the
links for reviews of The Exiles, Medicine for Melancholy, For
the Love of Movies, and Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-Itchyfoot-
ed Mutha. All photos taken with Kodak one-time use cameras.

Movie of the Month, Part 20: Sarah Watt's Winning Dramedy My Year Without Sex

I recently
reviewed
the follow-
ing film
for Vid-
eo Librarian, and thought the results were worth sharing.


MY YEAR WITHOUT SEX [***1/2]
(Sarah Watt, Australia, 2009, 96 minutes)

The title promises comedy, but My Year Without Sex quickly
turns dark before the mood starts to lift. It begins as Ross (Matt
Day, Muriel's Wedding), a Melbourne audio technician, celebrates
his 39th birthday. All seems well until his wife, Natalie (Sacha Hor-
ler), who works in a retirement home, suffers a brain aneurysm.
Her recovery is slow--and far more realistic than what narrative
features usually depict--and Ross worries about their future.

When Natalie returns home, life normalizes, though they avoid
anything that could impede her recovery, like sex. Instead, Ross
gets her a dog after hearing a speaker on the radio claim they can
help people to live longer. Director Sarah Watt (Look Both Ways)
continues to track the events of the next 12 months: eight-year-
old Ruby (Portia Bradley) suffers a minor injury, Ross takes on
additional work as an assistant soccer coach (Jonathan Segat
plays their 12-year-old footy fanatic son Louis), the family
takes an ill-starred vacation, and Natalie changes careers.



All the while, they bicker about faith and parenting, make up, and
socialize with Anglican priest Margaret (Maude Davy, a standout)
and Uncle Greg (Fred Whitlock) and Winona (Katie Wall), a photo-
genic couple with fancier possessions, but problems of their own.

While her previous film featured animated segments, each section
of My Year Without Sex opens with a brief montage that intro-
duces the theme to come, a unique touch. Unlike most American
family dramedies, which toggle between quirk and sentiment, like
Little Miss Sunshine, Watt sees both the humor and sorrow in ev-
eryday life without getting too big, too cute, or too soft. It's a re-
freshing change, and the cast is terrific. Highly recommended.

Click here for Movie of the Month, Part 19: Alice -
A Look into Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Endnote: Slightly revised from the original text. I didn't provide
a DVD pick for July, but if I had, it would've been Mystery Train
(click here for review). Image from The Sydney Morning Herald.