Thee Oh Sees Revisited

I just caught Thee Oh Sees last night at Philly's Broad St. Ministries. They don't come around too often so it was great to catch them in this sort of intimate setting. Unfortunately due to time constraints they were only able to play about six songs but those six songs were sensational. They had some quality opening acts as well. One of which being their fellow San Franciscan Ty Segall. He takes the one man band approach. Drums at feet. Guitar in hand. Groovy stuff.

Colors are Neat! Blocks are Okay!

If rearranging blocks of color is your thing then you are in luck my friend. First entry. This pretty sweet flash game Coign of Vantage. While using your mouse, or mouse like device, flip and rotate the field of pixels until you form the image in the top right hand corner. Hint: the smaller, more distant blocks go in the foreground. This game gets pretty addictive once you get the hang of it and the music will give you the feeling of being in the waiting room of a sophisticated dentist (and who doesn't enjoy that?). On a side note, I also learned that the word 'coign' refers to a projecting corner or angle of a wall or building. The phrase 'coign of vantage' means a favorable position for observation or action. The more you know... Next up. For those looking to test their color differentiating abilities head on over here. It even gives you a color IQ at the end that you can use to mock and ridicule those silly color blind people. What a bunch of weirdos.

Just Max

I'm not quite sure what realm this was recorded in. What with the late Max Roach being encased in an angelic glow while being surrounded by a deep black void of space. There's something mesmerizing about the simplicity of the situation. You get the sense that there is a deep communication being witnessed.

Reality x 2

A lot of interesting reworkings of our urbanized landscape on display, courtesy of Mr. Joshua Callaghan. Plenty of intriguing concoctions to contemplate such as bricks disguised as pigeons, deceptive city lights, and meditations on outdoor furniture. All is not as it seems.. unless it is.

Norma Frazer

This is a beautiful rendition of Cat Stevens "The First Cut is the Deepest" by Norma Frazer. I first heard this cover on the Studio One comp Full Up: More Hits from Studio One. I don't know much about the singer but at least we have this. So hit play and get hypnotized by the spinning groove.

Rock Bottom

Sometimes clicking pause during 'The Simpsons' can prove to be an enlightening experience. Here are some important life lessons provided by a Simpsonized version of 'Hard Copy'. (Remember that show? Those were simpler times.)
"Rock Bottom" corrections list:
- Styrofoam is not made from kittens.
- The nerds on the Internet are not geeks.
- The word "cheese" is not funny in and of itself.
- Roy Rogers was not buried in his horse.
- Our universities are not "hotbeds" of anything.
- Our viewers are not pathetic sexless food tubes.
- The "Cheers" gang is not a real gang.
- Salt water does not chase the thirsties away.
- Cats do not eventually turn into dogs.
- Bullets do not bounce off of fat guys.
- Recycling does not deplete the ozone.
- Everything is 10% fruit juice.
- The flesh eating virus does not hide in ice cream.
- V8 juice is not 1/8 gasoline.
... BTW if you can name the episode that this appeared on (w/o googling) you win 5 interwebz.

Two Guys Singing a Hank Williams Song

It seems so surreal. Bob Dylan. Johnny Cash. Together. The music. The stories. Did this really happen? It's kinda like walking into a diner and seeing Batman and Superman just hanging out together, sipping on a cup of joe or maybe seeing Jesus ride a dinosaur or something. And yet here it is. It's like a wonderful dream realized.

Thee Oh Sees

That was a little snippet from the recent CD/DVD release "Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion" by Thee Oh Sees. This limited edition package features live takes shot in and around semi-remote locations scattered about their home base of San Francisco. It also includes some humorous scenes with the band thrown in there for good measure. Banter amongst the group and timely quips. Things of that sort. You know, just kicking it and such. The band's originator, John Dwyer, serves as the groups nucleus. His past credentials are too numerous to list here so just look here instead. (Do check out Coachwhips). Thee Oh Sees have gone through various incarnations in their brief history and not just in name alone. From OSC, to the Oh Sees, the Ohsees, and now finally as Thee Oh Sees. The former OSC originated as a bedroom project for Dwyer's sound experiments but it has evolved over time from that, to freak folk, to it's current form as a full fledged band that creates a sweet brew of psychedelic tinged garage rock. The majority of tracks on "Thee Hounds of..." are a bit more akin to their work prior to their latest effort, “The Master’s Bedroom…”. Here's a side-by-side comparison that does a better job of illustrating their sounds evolution. More so atleast than whatever generic genre terminology I can dish out. And in case you were wondering… no, the drummers expression never changes. Ever.

That Straight Natch'l Blues

I recently picked up a tasty nugget of bluesy goodness in the form of Fat Possum Records "the George Mitchell Collection". This colossal set features 45 bluesmen and women, each donating two, three, or four songs a piece. Clocking in at the 8 hour mark, this 174 track bonanza offers a variety of rural simplicity that is brimming with passion, joy, and sorrow (and at under $45 it's quite the bargain). I tried to provide a proper swath of what this set has to offer but it's been a difficult task to narrow the field down to just a few songs. Never the less, here are a few that I found particularly appealing. The last two are perhaps more indebted towards traditional gospel than that of "the devil's music". The final track by Robert Johnson (no, not that Robert Johnson) wastes no time in bursting out as a ritualistic chant that stirs the soul. Ready?

Slow Motion For Me.

I've discovered a new hobby. Watching cartoons in slow motion. It's pretty amazing to actually see the tactics that animators employ when creating believable movement out of a 2D world. Some movements become almost bizarre and abstract when a chaotic and frantic action occurs. (i.e. electrocution: see above.) No one would suggest that Sylvester actually has four disembodied heads and three free floating limbs but in this moment it is fact and we all agree. If you are curious as to what led up to this freak out and what transpired afterwards than click here.

Stone Cold Groove Exemplified.

Fuck an ABAB song structure. Just play this riff till the end of time and then hit repeat. In case you've never been formally introduced to the infinite force that is Serge Gainsbourg.... here you go. The clip you just clicked was taken from the 1968 French film titled Le Pacha. Serge was quite the eccentric character in his day and has firmly established icon status in his native land of France. His lyrical prowess is supposedly second to none but I could never tell ya cause I can't understand a damn word he's saying! Speak the queens english or GTFO! Anyway, his musical styling ranged through out his career from jazz to ballads.... and there was also some mambo, lounge, reggae, pop (including adult contemporary pop, kitsch pop, yé-yé pop, '80s pop, pop-art pop, prog pop, space-age pop, psychedelic pop, and erotic pop), disco, calypso, Africana, bossa nova, and rock and roll. Basically any genre that Allmusic.com has to offer. I am not well versed on his entire catoluge but I can say with confidence that this live album is absolute quality. Straight loungy blues sex appeal. Oh yeah, almost forgot. This also happened. Cheers!

Hello Grnad World!

I have studied the internets intently and have discovered its greatest flaw. That weakness has finally been addressed and rectified by the creation of this here blog. Let us rejoice! I intend to pilfer only the finest ingredients that the web has to offer. Make no mistake about it, my computer skills teeter between woeful and "what does that button do?". Never the less, I shall over come. Grammatical mistakes be damned! I shall overcome! It is my solemn duty to convince you that my opinion must be cherished as fact and ultimately etched upon stone tablets that will then be brought down from a mountain top that will be named at a later date. Alright, now that all the clerical work is out of the way let me share the work of Nina Katchadourian. I first learned of her work when she visited UDel's campus as a guest speaker. Her work entails "uninvited collaborations with nature" and other re-workings of our surrounding world(s). There are plenty of interesting things to check out in regards to language, text, and translation. In conclusion.. watch this space.