'fri*. FOMfi f£T SuflB FMMY ArVIMALS BLACK REBEL /ItWTOOTClf ClUB ?f|D KOALA Buck 65 TM 1000/zEUS LOAD ftFCO/tDS PRomr »PLiFrii(G A/vo THE SNmLES MEDIA couecriVE A**. A©.©1 Under Exposure - Sonic Affairs @ Vancouver Art Gallery presented by Western Front j)<g> Ihe listening Theatre @ Charles H. Scott Gallery presented by Open Circuits and Vancouver New Music noo trac : IM @ Video In '©4 Audiomobile : Artist Run limousine @ Western Front *©© see«sound e«scape @ Western Front SFU Max/MSP/Jitter Workshop @ Western Front Open Circuits, bradycran0hormail.com Access Artist Run Centra, wNvw.aco3ss.rubyarts.org, 604-689-2907 Western I Belkin Satellite, www.belkin-galtery.ubc.ca/satollite, 604-687-3174 Video In, Simon Fraser University, School tor the Contemporary Arts, www.sru.ca/sca Vancouver Counterpoint: Local Hangouts, exhibition opening @ / l©Ji Cinema for the Ear @ Scotiabank Dance Centre presented by Vancouver New Music <&^<§> Open Circuits® Or Gallery, Zulu Records, and Sugar Refinery I]©,28 Peter Luining @ Belkin Satellite Q©.^0^^ Dangerous Currents @ Scotiabank Dance Centre and Vancouver East Cultural Centre presented by Vancouver New Music l©.3ll Counterpoint: Local Hangouts, performance @ Access t, www.front.be.ca, 604-876-9343 .victeoinstudios.com, 604-872-8337 New Musk, www.newmusic.org, 604-633-0861 or a® t design and illustration by Si Bornowsky DiSCORDER ISSUE 245 • OCTOBER • THAT FURRY MAG FROM CITR 101.9 / Buck 65 by Flctvia p.l 1 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club by Parmida Zarinkama p.12 Kid Koala by Natalie Vermeer p. 13 Load Records Profile p. 14 TAS 1000/Zeus by Kimberley Day p.l6 Four Tet by Saelan Twerdy p. 18 Super Furry Animals by Merek Cooper p.l 19 Editor: Fennesz and Noriko Tujiko by Sam Macklin p.20 Merek Cooper Droplifting by Bleek p.22 Ad Wrangler: Steve DiPo \ Art Director: Lori Kiessling Associate Editor: Esther Whang Editorial Assistant: Karen Langhelle < Secret Weapon: Saelan Twerdy RLA Coordinator: Kimberley Day Layout and Design: Merek and Lori Production: Keith Turkowski, Kim, Noriki and lots of other people. Very special thanks to Duncan and that lovely Ubyssey On the Dial: Bryce Dunn Charts: Luke Meat Datebook: Mistress Whang Distribution: Matt Steffich US Distro: Frankie Rumbletone ' Publisher: Lydia Masemola © ■'DiSCORDER" 2003 by the Student Radio Society of the University of British Columbia. All hts reserved. Circulation 17.500. Subscriptions, payable in advance, to Canadian residents ; $15 for one year, to residents of the USA are $15 US; $24 CDN elsewhere. Single copies are $2 i cover postage, of course). Please make cheques or money orders payable to DiSCORDER Maga- Panarticon p.6 Riff Raff p.7 Fucking Bullshit p.8 A Kick in the Head p.8 Over My Shoulder p.9 Strut, Fret and Flicker p.10 Under Review p.24 SHiNDiG Report p.29 Real Live Action p.30 Kickaround p.32 Charts p.35 OntheDialp.36 M£LT Lori pulled this gorgeous cover art together despite her busy schedule. Let us build her a tower many stories high and throw flowers in the air as we prance around it to the sound of The Decemberists. DEADLINES: Copy deadlii ber 22 and can be booked by DiSCORDER is not responsible artwork (including but not lim Jted material. Material can be DiSCORDER at discorder@clut From UBC to Langley c as through all major cable CiTR DJ line at 822.2487, oi ext. 2. Fax us at 822.9364, e-m pick up a goddamn pen and i for the November issue is October 15. Ad space is available until Octo- ralling Steve at 604.822.3017 ext. 3. Our rates are available upon request, r loss, damage, or any other injury to unsolicited manuscripts, unsolicited 3d to drawings, photographs, and transparencies), or any other unsolic- ubmitted on disc or in type. As always, English is preferred. Send email to d Squamish to Bellinghar stems in the Lower M ' office at 822.3017 e> rite #233-6138 SUB Blvd ainland, except Shaw hite Rock. Call the >r, BC»V6T 1Z1, CANADA. 3 DiSCOM3ER h<&at up th<yiiGht t liUJihlJH IIUUHUUJUI 1 chiclet vdvat k \ ""'"dr. bkjft^/usSfco'ohia/ j a Mr I | r|g>' fr9| ^^JjiJ i_nJ ^—j J sk WITH SPECIAL GUESTS KINGSBURY MANX % irlV j.di/ootfonio.orc tuesdirys ral*o at Zulu and Highlife J SATURDAY OCTOBER 111 J COMMODORE BALLROOM | IoctobeimTI ALL I AGES , rsavBsthedau TAKING BACK SUNDAY 1 OCTOBER 141 hawksley workman | & the wolves f ! Serena Ryder , ! 0^^5 October 16 | Richard's i on Richards \ j |OCTOBER 161 TICKETS ALSO AT ZULU AND SCRATCH .moneen. I JCROATI AM CULTURAL CENTRE | If B33J^^ %i^ Iff I CUFF THE pUKE I OCTOBER 21T iuun „•» mr. ScroPfW DJ^PINNA HOWIE DAY with special guests Matt Nathanson and Lizzie West °?£l Matador Recording Artists fEk> M ffflffi I SATURDAY OCTOBER 251 BEAMS Trus North recording artists iufi»»_ <T| R'CHARB'S ON R1 I SATURDAY OCTOBER 25 j P»il»slhORgHlP» ■ COMMODORE BALLROOM B I OCTOBER 30 I hoobostonk M infrot JCOMMODORE BALLROOM I » R/DDANCE THECASUALTY \ I FRIDAY NOVEMBER 7 IJ:lliMi!liL'.i',l:iJ:kVl flORTHJ **■ in ra r/jT^iigMi I®, with special quests mO© »n« THE FORMAT I RICHARDS ON RICHARDS I fllUTflR/ luith /PECifiL gue/t/ inDiGenou/ - fORHER ULLAGES 00<"»s63m,w WITH SPECIAL GUESTS •i'ii'T 1 FRIDAY & SATURDAY NOVEMBER 7 & 8 F SILLIIS wmmm±. imnnfiia: m Spiritualized* ^with special guests Soledad Brothers j NQVEMBERjjl JAZCQLEMAN j qbomb # ^ ,_^ TED PARSONS • NICK WALKER Jim J-31 |COMMODORE BALLROOM ||, PH NOVEMBe" 1 JIS the new album Amazing Grace® KILUNG-K>KE i- WITH SPECIAL GUESTS GOD FORBID utfuh /peciol^ie/tr Luhe Vibert Chri/ Clark obeif OCTOBER 28 OCTOBER 29 VOGUE COMMODORE [^gg, THEATRE BALLROOM m i www.samroberlsband.cam l-SEE PURCHASE TICKETS OQQGQQ AT hob,com OR ticketmaster.ca ticUctmaster604-280-44< (studios labels, venue. c Gear Buy& sell, Show/Alh,," ♦List yourself as musfc « Submit & control your oJbTdTh * 'am With or» WMttoiwc«,s Music Sceme Online ^vgSS^°lsUyHs= i IWEKnESI^ OCT STH ! OCT 15TH ' the*swiIters i TEMPERS FLARE: RODNEY DECROO ! *™7™£5?%^'> PETE CAMPBELL & HIS SO CALLED FRIENDS OCT22TH PLEASURE SUIT ; THE NEINS : OCTHafH : : EMBER. SWIFT | BTAE REELS i "1 MONGOOSE ; IFINEOTTigNSj Info: €01) 878-COeO • RVMB1IT0NI.COM SPONSORED By PONCHO'S ROCKIN' TACOS 6 0cte.b&<-2£C8 Next Five Minutes Looking out through the glass onion that is Amsterdam—bikes on the right, trams on the left, here I am: stuck in the middle of Next Five Minutes (N5M), the international festival of tactical medid <www.n5m.org>. It's late again and I am upstairs in the hacker lounge at 3am, as usual writing and smoking in dark lights and mahogany walls with a dozen or so pasty-skinned, Linux-runnin' coders giggling over their latest anonymous protocol development. Later I will discover that my website has been hacked by some white hat, packet sniffing my wireless FTP transfers—welcome to the New World of ubiquitous insecurity. A gathering that grew out of Dutch media activism from the '80s and the XS4ALL hacker movement. N5M has become a central touchpoint for the networks of Indymedia and the Independent Media Centre (IMC). Remix that with hacktiv- ists, politically conscious artists, writers and academes stirred in with contemporary psycho- geographers and social software advocates and you begin to drift into this global network of resistance that engages the positive production of alternative life and thought. Despite criticism, it's not all bourgeois kids with laptops... a strange mix it is, as I enjoy a spliff with the Brazilians in the middle of Leidseplein, completely cracking over the fact that here, in Amsterdam, (and at complete odds to Sao Paulo.) cars, people, and bikes are kept in separate, perfectly ordered lanes. In Brazil, media activism is a different game entirely. While I question the Brazilians on how to bribe police officers in a state of accepted and widespread casual and criminal corruption— which they find funny—I also learn of their work in Sao Paulo. By assembling social graffiti artists, renegade poster freaks and other public interventionists, the group coordinated subversive public art, eventually managing to secure their own open studio space, where artists could come and work 24/7 on projects in a supportive atmosphere. But this was open to immediate critique that their work was middle- class and focused on aesthetic intervention in Sao Paulo city central, ignorant of the massively poor sections of the city. They needed to go to the favellas. the poor, rural areas... I should note that the project includes equal representation of women, and that this critique came from a woman member whose name I am unable to hunt down at the moment who organised the work in the favellas. As Ricardo Ruiz of <basev.has.it> explained to me: drive 4 hours, too soeed down the highway through suburbs, buildings, jungle, then back to suburbs... keep going: and you are sf/// in Sao Paulo, this city of close to 20 million people, almost the population of Canada. With the help of funnelled money from UNESCO, the group scavenged old computer parts and conducted workshops in the favella communities on how to assemble, test and build a PC. install and troubleshoot Linux, set up local area networks, create content, and access the Net. As they view it. Net access isn't the problem. The issue is what you do once you have Net access. The Net is often consumed as a Western product, and what is needed is the production of localized content, via tactics that not only link to the world but speak directly to local networks. In fact, this was a theme at N5M: the "deep local" of the Net, the realisation that the Net needs to be able to work on a neighbourhood level of social communication, a pragmatic level, alongside the global. While the indie-rawk kids go ga-ga over Friendster.com, the Brazilians teach the urban poor Linux. More can be discovered at <www.projetometa fora.org> and in the writings of Ricardo Rosas at <rizoma.net>. Last 10 Restrictions Despite my enthusiasm for N5M, criticism is needed. Not on the level of tactics—for, like Critical Art Ensemble, I think tactics should not be negated for the sake of. "advancing critique"—but rather in the systematization of speakers and slick packaging of the "festival." Although attempts were made' to avoid talking-heads panels and to provoke dialogue, many of the invited speakers spoke on more than one occasion in an atmosphere that made difficult actual conversation. A more diverse range of speakers and a more open system—perhaps borrowing from academia, a Call For Proposals—is needed if the Festival is to discard its reputation as a closed circuit of regulars. Not that these regulars have nothina to sav: hearina Geert Lovink was a treat, for example. But when Lovink is speaking three times, one wonders if there are not others with perspectives and points to make. In fact, the best encounters of the conference were in the hacker lounge, the informal dinners, and the two open TAZ spaces, where ad-hoc presentations on psychogeogra- phy and mutant sound-jams disrupted the programmed blocks. One of these moments came late on Saturday night. Here's a few words pounded out on the keyboard in the smoky light... Genoa Memories Amsterdam, Saturday. I had plans tonight to see a Yes Men film and catch a lecture or two. But something detained me. After meeting Marc Covell, the British journalist who was beaten within an inch of his life at Genoa during the IndyMedia Centre raid by the police and carabinieri, my mind was unsettled. Here was a person, and I felt a gravity pulling his handshake to a life-affirming grip. I was haunted by this during the Locative Media workshop <locative.x-i.net>, and went upstairs, afterwards, to write. Marc found me there—we had made a date for 9pm, to grab a possible interview. We did. Marc told me, over two hours, of his experience in Genoa in 2001. Of the violence and torture. At points both he, and I, were close to—well, tears. Now, two years later. Marc has already . booked a flight—to return, to the "gates of hell," fo Italy, to Rome. To return because 72 police officers, including high-ranking officials in charge of Genoa security, have been charged—charged with everything from attempted manslaughter, torture, assault perversion and obstruction of justice, to planting of evidence . I remember following Genoa—I caught the last Indymedia transmission from the Centre saying it had been raided. That was apparently Marc's doing. It would be a few hours, and then a few days and then weeks until the extent of the violence—organised police violence what is technically, fascism—would be revealed. When the stretchers came pouring out, when the body bags were arranged,, the comas, broken bones, scars, split skulls. These came to light. A lot of this was forgotten one year later, especially in North America, after 9-11. North Americans stopped following the story. But Europe—thankfully—did not. Inquiries were launched, and the EU got involved. And here we are today with the breaking of the charges.' Finally. And I think that Marc can begin, now: for it.is only the beginning. But also the beginning of the end. Trick or treat, my little guys and ghouls! Both types of goodies from the grab bag this month— we'll start by asking the musical question, who are The Mystery Girls? Subject of a New York Dolls song, it's true, but, more importantly, five sprightly lads from Wisconsin with a knack for catchy, '60s-tinged garage rock on their two-song debut for label du jour, In The Red Records (P.O. Box 50777, Los Angeles, CA USA 90050). There's enough rollicking bass, tuneful guitar and hoarse but not out-of- tune vocal delivery to keep me spinnin' these cuts for a while. Spinning a new seven-inch last week by The Distraction at Squares Beware! (Whoops, did I just shamelessly self-promote my Thursday gig at The Morrissey?), I was tricked by a third bonus song not identified on the eye- popping sleeve of glass-shattering action by a member of the California punk combo. I was enjoying "In The Lipstick," and just getting'into the Buzzcocks-laced groove when I happened to look down and notice the song was over. Darn you. Distraction, make your songs longer! The flip, "Auto Destruct," is another over-before-you-know-it, pogo- inducing number that begs to be put on repeat, and good for the ADD-afflicted hipsters among us. (Unity Squad Records, P.O. Box 1235 Hungtington Beach, CA USA 92647.) Fred, -you've done it again! Okay, for those of you who don't know who I'm talking about (I'm guessing 99%), Fred has a little label called Zaxxon . Virile Action Records (www.za xxonvirileactioh.com) and has been patting a thousand with every release. With The Blacks, his streak is still intact, as this'last testament to low-down, gritty, punkified blues is a sure-fire way to get messed up or fired up, depending on your mood. Four tracks to let you decide, "You Don't Love Me" and "Going Down" are the standouts here. The Blacks were from Sweden, and lead guitar/howler Martin Savage fronts a new band called The Locomotions that you will have to hunt down if you call yourself a fan of rock and roll. Many say that the line drawn between fan and strangely obsessed is a blurry one, but don't tell that to the four groups who decided to all lend their unique talents to paying tribute to "The Boss" on a seven-inch compilation called Dancing In The Dark 4. Local kids Operation Makeout kick out the most spirited rendition of the aforementioned tune, with Katie and Jesse's trademark trade-off vocals doing justice in making yours truly tap his feet joyfully along, with Anna's playfully schizophrenic drumming giving the song punch to spare, r. mutt pairs things down to just voice and keyboard for his barely audible version, kind of like Atom And His Package trapped at the bottom of a well. The artist known as Animal might as well be trapped down there with him, as I wanted to spare myself the pain of listening to this depressing take, so Mirah gets the last crack and makes it almost a gospel tune with pipe organ and slightly off-key singing. My only gripe—where's the sax solo? (Monoculture Records 1353-3202 SE Woodstock Blvd. Portland OR USA 97202.) How many bands does it take to change a light bulb? new vinyl by bryce dunn New York, trio got their name from a 1932 film starring Marlene Dietrich whose character, a prostitute-turned-spy, goes by her code name X27. Well, listening to their latest offering, this ain't spy music; instead it.'s the soundtrack to a rumble in a JD flick. It's rough and tumble, sweaty and greasy garage that makes you wanna run like hell when this gang rolls through your town. It's like asking Pussy Galore to rewrite the soundtrack for West Side Story, complete with odes to "Agent X," the detective caught in the crossfire, and "Invisible Boyfriend," the lovesick guy who means well, but takes a backseat to the leader of the pack. (Show And Tell Recordings, no address given.) We end this Octoberfest with Doesn't matter, as long as they don't cover any more Misfits songs! The folks at Buddyhead wasted perfectly good peach- coloured vinyl on The Burning Brides doing an average stab at "Hybrid Moments" and The Icarus Line getting all emotional with "Angelfuck," so before I start crying, I'll stop here and not bother to tell you where you can get this. Here's one for the strictly collector types: Bellingham, Washington blue-collar rockers Federation X have taken to task covering '70s hard rockers Budgie and their opus "Nude. Disintegrating Parachutist Woman," a song so epic it took both sides of this single to complete! The only other band I can think of that used two sides for one song is The Mummies, and it was because they ran out of space and not because of the gargantuan song length. Any fans of Federation X are better off with their two full-lengths; again, thjs is solely for the fanatics among you. (Wantage USA, P.O. Box 8681 Missoula MT USA 59807.) Reading up on the band X27, I found out this Brooklyn, the English rose, Miss Ludella Black, who like former sister of suave (that's ex-Headcoatee to you uninitiated folks). Holly Golightly, has struck out on her own, and like Miss Holly has friends in familiar places. Her backing band is The Masonics, ex-members of The Headcoats. kind of the Barry Gordys of the Medway scene, as both Miss Black and Co. have collaborated before in similar outfits (The Delmonas, anyone, anyone?). The three tunes written for Ludella's smoky vocal stylings are love-lorn ballads with a twist of optimism, as evident on "You Opened My Eyes," and the vintage recording techniques of studio guru Liam "Toe Rag" Watson gives the overall sound of these tunes the same feeling as -too many warm gins going down the gullet as you sit at the end of the smoke-encrusted bar, trying to drink away the memory of a former lover. How's that for a visual? (Smartguy Records, 3288 21st Street PMB #32, San Francisco CA USA 94110.) Gotta go, but we'll see you all next month for more sweet seven-inch surprises! • ^>-ula proudly presents the edos f/ll music series: NEUI MDRK 15 NOW! , vnw KnVTTTPa^fln/rc>TOMoflrcy UOULCl - ZUBOT DUO TUESDiflU OCTOBER SB FniDiflH OCTOBER 31 CDmmUNITU HAUL 3S\A WEST IDTH >9I/ENUE f/^ulft.CH 7P'»SCOfc£E* Mishit by WARNING: DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING IF YOU HAVE A KNOWN HEART CONDITION, HIGH BLOOD- PRESSURE, OR PREGNANCY. DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING IF YOU HAVE HOPES. DREAMS, OR FAITH. What I'm about to tell you is both shocking and scandalous. It is also 100% true. I'm a guitar player. I play music with my buddies. Sometimes, we'll play a show around town. Sometimes people will tell me that I'm pretty good. I thank them, but I can barely look them in the eye. The truth is that when I play live, I have to hold back. I have to play at a level that's a tiny fraction of my actual ability so that no one will find me out. I am your favourite guitar player. You just didn't know it In 1999. MCA Records called me up to record some guitar solos. Jimi Hendrix wrote the songs. The record was released under his name, with the title Live at the Fillmore East. Jimi Hendrix did not play any guitars on this record. I played every single note. Last year, I received a call from Hmmy Page. He called from the recording studio. He said that he'd slammed a door on his left hand and broke all of his fingers. Atlantic was pressuring him to record his guitar parts for How fhe West Was Won. They were on a tight deadline. Jimmy Page asked me to record in his place. The "Dazed and Confused/ Walter's Walk" medley, that's all his poor guitar playing would become obvious. He wouldn't have been able to hide behind noise. He asked me to record in his place. The recordings were released in 1994. Nirvana's MTV Unplugged in New York has since sold millions of copies. Before Kurt died he'd said that he was going to tell the / orn youf favourite guitar player. You just didn't know tt was. me... me. The -20-minute "Moby Dick" solo, that's me too. I played on the entire record. Jimmy sat in the control room, slapping the table with his-right hand because he was unable to clap. About ten years ago, I became friends with a special soul named Kurt Cobain. He was an angel. He wrote beautiful songs. He just wasn't very good at playing guitar. His band. Nirvana, wanted to record an acoustic record, but Kurt was worried that world about me. Jimmy said that the only reason he kept quiet about my work was because of my own wishes. MCA made me sign some things to keep everything undercover. They ripped up those contracts when they offered me my own record deal. I rejected the deal. I'm not a good songwriter. I'm also not a very good live performer like Kurt, Jimmy, and Jimi were. I just happen to be the greatest guitar player of all time. • Chris Burke Idioglossia College DJs, eh? They have a reputation for never being satisfied and they seem to have an opinion about everything. A band that fnay have been the next big thing one month suddenly becomes yesterday's waste of vinyl. On to the next groundbreaking obscurity. If you're reading this you probably know one or you are one. Years of college radio eventually left me calloused. It was 1989 at KUPS Tacoma and I'd hit the brick wall of disinterest in music. The world was catching on to grunge and I'd already had a snot-load of the shit. Industrial was turning toward thrash metal, Manchester was... well... Manchester (yawn). I started to look under any rock for something surprising, experimenting with noise and British twee. Yeah, that kept me alive for a while. So. one fine day I'm going through the motions of being DJ Bleek of Tacoma and I spot a promo CD next to the control board: Chris Burke's Idioglossia. After playing a track on the air my divining-rod began to quake. Magicaily, 1 found a cassette copy with 45 minutes of the hour-long album of 29 tracks. This became one of the most played tapes of the next couple years, accompanying me through art school and beyond. One song, "The Hat Makes The Man," inspired a design project, resulting in a big fat A+. A little later I found that the song was inspired by a Max Ernst painting. Full circle, my personal link to Ernst. In fact, Idioglossia is all about surrealism-. Heavily built on samples with excruciatingly detailed research and editing (as in the song "Freud"), the album is a marvel amongst sound recycles (or apprapriators) while still remaining faithful to actual melody in tracks like "The Bold One," "Television Repairman" and "Get Below." Then when it spins off into the surreal it shines nicely; "I went running down the stairs, only problem was I missed the fourth step and went crazy!" and in "Everything I Need" Burke lifts only one word from Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful to Me" and serves up a twisted audio-montage. 14 years passed and all I had was one cassette side filled. It's about time I did some research and get those lost 15 minutes! Voild! Mode Records in New York had copies. Unfortunately, the first package never arrived but they quickly sent another copy, God bless 'em. What ecstasy, holding the actual disc again after all those years and gobbling up those precious spare minutes. Then, 12 years after art school, I sent off a note to my ex-roommate: "Hey Tom, I finally ordered a copy of Idioglossia. Thought you might be interested." Tom: "I'd wet myself if I grabbed a copy of Idioglossia from you. I think mine is lost. Its weird, I've had Chris Burke stuff in my head all week." • 4a«^^6a4Cruipie.rsI;tasv^3ini^ 8 Odrx*>eri<x& I fu furniture in my apartment. I also had no friends in New York and no way to check my e- mail to assure myself I did really have friends. I was even hoping that new Discorder editor Merek would send me threatening messages about my chronic lateness, but. he's too laid back for that. Ex-editor Chris Eng did get in touch, or at least his Friendster account did. I am now officially Chris' Friend, rather than his Major Source of Stress. I have been learning all sorts of new things about various friends and acquaintances by reading their Friendster profiles online. It seems like a large number of my friends claim to have an Open Marriage. And here I thought that everyone I knew was Single, In a Relationship, or Married. Really, I'm Just Here to Help! But enough about my pathetic computer habits. After a week of plays in Williamsburg, long subway rides to Coney Island and endless strolls through Central Park, I'm finally settling down to write. I am still trying to make sense of a Coney Island attraction called "Shoot the Freak" in which a car- nie barks at bystanders to pony up cash to shoot a "Live Human Target" using a paintball gun. The "Live Human Target" is a young man who smokes while waiting to be shot at. Apparently he's also allowed to do his job drunk. To further procrastinate, I reread Eden Robinson's heartbreaking short story collection Trapllnes, and Melissa Bank's neurotic New York collection The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing. I've also discovered that The New York Times is an awesome newspaper and that the Sunday edition takes an entire day to read, bagels optional. And in order to recover from watching the Yankees lose 13-2 and finding to my disappointment that Nathan's which makes the regulation-sized hot dogs used for competitive eating doesn't make veggie hot dogs, I'm listening to the CD included with the children's book Sunny. The CD is my Vancouver soundtrack of the moment: there are songs by p:ano. The Secret Three, Destroyer, Veda Hille, Sparrow and Miko Hoffman. It's difficult not to think about how much I miss my family, friends and my community. I have yet to find my Same Ten People in my new city; it's been hard enough to find One Other Person. But- Over My Shoulder this month is made possible with a little help from my friends. Miko gave me the children's book Sunny for my birthday, while Josh Rose at Zulu Records dug through two months worth of credit notes after the Smart Cookie Press Number One Fan book launch in order to uncover twelve bucks I thought I'd lost, which allowed me to buy Windy. These two books deserve a feature, but deadlines and communication problems (not being in Vancouver, not having a phone or regular internet access) prevent that from becoming reality. ROBIN MITCHELL & JUDITH STEEDMAN Windy Sunny (Simply Read Books) The books we read as children stay with us into adulthood. A few years ago, I reread A WrinJcte In Time for a children's literature class and enjoyed every line of it once again. When I got to 3 class, I found out that over forty members of the class thought the book was boring and lame. They hadn't read it in elementary school and could not love it the same way I loved it. I wondered how they could not feel a kinship with Meg Murray and I scorned their derisive commentary. Then I remembered some people have happy summer camp childhoods devoid of books and taunting from other children. Some people get to take part in all of the reindeer games and not everyone grows up filling the role of nerdy outcast. In time I came to forgive each and every member of the class for not being in love with A Wrinkle In Time. Vancouver-based authors Robin Mitchell and Judith Steedman, with photographer Mia Cunningham, have created a series that will no doubt become happy memories for many children. Each story is clear, clever and fun, while the pictures are stand alone works of art. When I read Windy and Sunny, it makes me want children, so I can read them the books as bedtime stories. In fact, both books end with a goodnight exchange. How perfect is that? "Xs well, the dust jackets of both books have instructions for crafts printed on the inside. There are directions for kite making in Windy and simple how-to guides for two instruments in Sunny (which, as I mentioned before, has a lovely CD insert.) Best Of all. Sunny culminates in a hootenanny, a neighbourhood shindig which gives Sunny the opportunity to make some rousing music with a little help from his friends. • www.simplyreadbooks.com ACCESS ARTIST-RUN CENTRE ;|"3 BIENNIAL OF PERFORMANCE ART INFORMATION S> '604.875.9516 ^mSfT H2 www. I i veva ncouver. be. ca OCT 18 - NOV 29 2003 tr;:x^^ THE 22ND VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL runs until October 10 at various locations By the time this Issue is out, we'll have just past the half-way point. The rest of my life will have fallen around me in neglected heaps, my eyes will have become black holes and I'll have had a couple of epiphanies. If this more or less describes you, you might want to skip to the reviews or just run off to catch another screening. . Otherwise, consider that our access to the worid'i^H^rtfeS^ is distressingly narrow relative to what's out there; but for two weeks each autumn, that access is blown wide open and this is your chance to see some fiction features, documentaries and shorts that won't even make the local art houses, let alone the multiplex. Of the films I saw by deadline, the following five aren't particularly obscure, but they're all good and you can still catch them—along with with many others—in the final week of the festival. Cowards Bend the Knee (Canada) This hour-long melodrama from Guy Maddin {you lucky thingsl) began as a gallery installation whose episodes were viewed at ten separate peepholes. Unless you had your heart set on lining up ten times in an art gallery, give thanks that you can hunker down in a cinema and hoover up the feast in one go. The silent, subtitled action, the grainy monochrome and frequent iris zooms are all Maddin staples, but there's also a very coherent, if demented, narrative that involves hockey, commitment phobia, father issues, sexual frankness, some gore and a lead character named—of all things—Guy Maddin. Most interesting was the strange physical sensation of having to follow the images through a tunnel in a void. So if you still feel to enchant, but Saddest Music as though you're at a peepshow, has more than a whiff of both, that's probably as it should be. and it's a many-layered joy. P/gg/e(USA) No film festival is complete without one reaWy good American indie, and it looks like this year's honour is going to the debut feature from Alison Bagnall (Vincent Gallo's co-writer on Buffdto 66). Piggie's credits are thrillingly incestuous: Savannah Haske plays a damaged, obsessed young woman to Dean Wareham's (yes, he of Galaxie 500 and Luna) criminal drifter, and together to4feM£J3|£.-v most of the soundtrack's chilling, country-gothic ballads—which Haske also sings. Sample lyric: "Oh won't you rub on my sacrum tonight...." All the performances are so well pitched to the film's tone of abject absurdity that they seem to be teasing us—yet they're never kidding. Piggie's swampy, claustrophobic beauty will follow you around for days. The Saddest Music In the World (Canada) Any Guy Maddin fan who has read Kazuo Ishiguro's The Unconsoled will understand what a celestial match has occurred here. The novelist's dreamlike lamperings with spatial logic and his absurdist way with melancholy are all over his screenplay for Maddin's latest feature. Set in depression-era Winnipeg, The Saddest Music in the World (pictured below) plays like a German Expressionist take on the Hollywood musical. It's also about the United Nations General Assembly, America's way of doing business with the world and Canada's precarious position as next-door neighbour to an all-singing, all-dancing monster. Maddin's vision has never needed narrative structure—much less political subtext—in order Secret Things (France) When was the last time you covertly took off your bra in the Metro? Or wore your trench coat with nothing underneath? These are the more lighthearted dares that ex-strip club workers Natalie and Sandrine set for themselves while they methodically go about reclaiming their power over life and love. As they manipulate their way through the ranks of a big Parisian firm, the plotting ^^tSestftasHerand the stakes higher, until they are thrown a curve ball that makes the "glass ceiling" look like a welcome mat. In true Gallic style, director Jean- Claude Brisseau leaves little to the imagination in the sex and skin department—the climax (sorry) is like a collision between Fellini and Catherine Breillat—but the film packs some devastating lessons about where real power lies. A Tafe of Two Sisters (South Korea) This" immaculately art-directed thriller begins with a hospital psychiatrist's attempt to interview a newly admitted young girl. As proceeding events unrolled in flashback, I was wishing the good doctor had been sitting beside me to shed some light. At first, all seems straightforward as the titular siblings mourn their departed mother, fear and resent a usurping stepmother and shrink from an ineffectual father, but as the bloody twists and shocks multiply, it becomes anyone's guess as to what's going on—and in whose psyche. It's when the penny finally drops that one realizes how much control director Kim Ji-Woon has had all along—and the extent to which guilt and grief can mangle the mind. That's when the pity and horror really kick in. • io cdfefae^accS D Richard Terfry aka Buck 65 is a busy boy these days, and his latest album Wicked and Weird is set to make him still busier as he kicks off a tour of the world. He even managed to pop by CiTR, where Flavia collared him for a chat. Successful though homeless. Nova Scotia's Buck 65 (aka Richard Terfry) is.ready for adventure. Having just released his new album on September 16, and fresh from a year of European living, Buck is showing no signs of putting on the brakes. IsrciP^* With his move to Warner Canada, Buck 65 has jumped into the mainstream from the deep, dark underground of Canadian hip hop. Despite his veteran status on the scene, a couple of years ago only certain kids in the know could cite more than two of his songs, let alone any album before Vertex. His success centered around "The Centaur" and "Pants on Fire." Fast-forward five years: his latest album, Talkin' Honky Blues, is available as a domestic release in 1.8 different countries, and the single "Wicked and Weird" is getting radio airtime.- This is due in no small part to his recent label change, but you can't deny that Buck has steered his ship in a new musical direction. The album is a sweeter, more lovable version of Terfry's usually moody, often explicit, organic lyrics and somber beats. This time around, he includes more instruments, and he is more involved in writing the music instead of relying so heavily on samples. The result is an almost folk or country version of hip hop that appeals both to the get-down-with-the-bass crowd and the let's-hear-a-Jlttle-twang crowd. He's reaching into new territory, gaining a more diverse audience, and, most importantly, trying to keep things new and fresh with each step forward. DiSCORDER: How was is It for you, personally, living in Paris? How was it different and how did it affect you, as a person and, by proxy, your music? Buck 65:1 chose Paris specifically because I'd lived in the same place my entire life and I did want a different experience, you know? I didn't wanna go somewhere and basically just have it be more of the same. I was just purely excited and I was anxious'to get up every morning and run around and take It all in. I think it gave me a new sense of romar*ce and nostalgia and history. I just learned a lot, like how they hang on to the things that matter, and how culture is not . disposable to them over there. That's a great thing.... Obviously, my French also improved a lot and I got lots of ideas for style. And I think it slowed me down a lot, if you can believe that.... From Nova Scotia? Yeah, going from Nova Scotia to a much bigger city. They're all about savouring and taking your time, you know, this is your life, enjoy it as much as you possibly can. There's a whole other sense of cool over there, which I really appreciate, so all of those tMngs I hope rubbed off, or at least I felt them. Alternately, those exact things had an effect on my music, and gave me a new sense of romance, like I said, that I poured into it. I think my new album is prettier than some of my stuff in the past, and I think that has to do with being there and just being inspired by beauty, because my whole life, because of where I came from and everything else, I didn't have much choice but to find beauty in garbage and ugly things, but there it's just over- the-top beautiful gorgeousness all over the place, and it gave me a whole new appreciation for those beautiful, precious things. And the French people? They can be a bit tough, even with their love for wine and food and all thai. The crowd there has really embraced me. An interesting thing is that in most places I've gone, I've felt I really needed to build an audience from the ground up and it's been a lot of hard work, whereas there, somehow, magically it felt as if I had a willing audience just waitin' and ready for me. I'm genuinely starting to feel love there in France, and* lave it. It's almost like a joke here in North America, the idea of "huge in France" or "big in Germany," you know, and whatever, if that becomes me I have no problem with that whatsoever. How was the move to Warner? How did you feel about It, what was the decision there? Yeah. My motivation for going with a major label in the first place was to get my music into the hands of as many people as I could, regardless of what their background was or what kind of music they were into otherwise. I wanted to break out of just the hip hop circle, just get out there to a wider audience, and that's a difficult thing to do with an independent label. The creative process and stuff has stayed the same. I try to incubate myself a bit from the business stuff, I don't even realty pay too much attention to that, I just concern myself with making the best music I can make, and not so many other things. And they seem to be doing a fantastic job. exactly what I'd hoped they would do. It's a secure feeling to know that you've got support in high places, even when everyone working at the London office of my label is, well, I'm older than all of these people! It's a lot more organic and down-to-earth than people would imagine. With this change in the business stuff, you must notice changes in the make-up of your tans. How do you view the people who come to see your shows? Because last night (at the Sonar September 18 show) there was a slew of different people, everything from trip hop kids, to art kids, to hippies, to 50-year-old Japanese ladies... I love itl The more diversity the better. I really want everyone to like my stuff. Kids, obviously, but older people also. Play it for your grandparents and see what they think. I don't like the idea of hip hop music having to be an embarrassment. And now I'm seeing people out who are my own age, which is really nice. I'm seetjrtg the crowds diversify more all the time. It just makes me feel really good. You want to have an appeal that crosses boundaries. And I'm starting to see that everywhere I go. In terms of keeping things fresh or creatively stimulating for you, what do you get up to? Pet projects like the collaboration with Sage Francis? Yeah, that's coming out on the.Lex label, which is part of Warp Records in London. It's a record that was produced by DJ Signify with a little help from Sixtoo. As far as diversifying and keeping things interesting for myself, I would look particularly to my new album where I didn't rely so much on sampling; I wanted to actually get into writing music and playing instruments a little bit. Just trying to motivate myself and push myself further as a "songwriter," up until now a dubious claim at best. I'm just trying to make the best music I can without limiting myself. I don't know where it's going to go next. Your style? Yeah. To me this album feels like a fork in the road. It would be really easy for me to make an album like Vertex over and over again for the rest of my life. I know not everyone is going to be able to follow me on this path that I'm going down now. Not everyone is going to be happy with the changes that get made. But what I've seen so far is that for every person I lose I seem to be gaining ten more. I accept the fact that this is going to happen and I have no control over that, I'll just do what I can to keep myself from getting bored or going stale.' I just want to take this as far as I possibly can. I've been thinkinga lot about melody lately and I'm seeing the importance of melody and how it can help your words a lot. It's something that I'm beginning to understand, the science of it, behind it. I'm thinking seriously about taking voice lessons. I'm never going to abandon fully what I'm doing now, but I'm always looking to take on as much, musically, as I can. So the new album dropped, mass hysteria has ensued... what next? I'm assuming you'll be a pretty busy guy? Yep; Touring, touring, touring. Europe, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Korea and then the US. I'm basically looking at touring for about year, which is a long, hard road, but that's fine. I don't even live anywhere right now; so I might as well just stay out there and keep sin gin' for my supper. There are lots of Interesting proposals coming my way, like opportunities to work with some film-related things, which I'm reaUy interested in. And I'm also looking at some collaborations. All kinds of stuff. But I'm really looking forward to the traveling, and the adventure that happens along the way. And that's the best part of my job as a professional people-watcher. That's what I do. It's almost like the music is secondary becuase I don't really think of it In any self- referentiai vtag. Ws like I say in Wicked and Weird, "the highway's a story-tefler anctt Just write it down." • ii Discords The boys from the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club have a reputation for being mean, moody and difficult to deal with. Not for Parmida Zarinkama though. This Rebel's just misunderstood. On a Friday afternoon, after a month of pre-booking, we get/3 call from a label rep and finally Robert Turner, the bassist who shares lead vocals with Peter Hayes (guitar, vooals). Sounding tired and rather drained. Robert explained that they were in Philadelphia, getting ready to play with friends and fellow L.A. kids The Warlocks. Two years ago the band exploded out of the side of the 'Frisco scene, wowing everyone (especially the Brits, but they always catch on first) and were instantly slapped with a reputation that could only come from naming your band after the W//d Bunch. Despite the media (mis)conceptions. they're not the allusive rock star assholes people want them to be. Here is a band that makes the Strokes look like lazy hipster pussies and gives us another golden idol to worship. Here is a band that is talented enough to deserve it. DiSCORDER: With your next record, it's supposed to be a more "rootsy, Americana" sound—is that where you're going? Robert Turner. That's where our heads are at right now. That's where it feels right to go. We have a lot of songs that are ready for that kind of songwriting style and no one's ever heard it. It's too good to waste. . It's kind of fun for us to do something different but at the same time we don't wanna fuckin' like... [says something indeterminate, possibly about Weezer or weasels]. So you guys are already planning the next album? I heard you've already laid down some tracks and put them aside from Take Them On, On Your Own. It's hard to think about it like that, but we've got a really good idea of what we wanna do on the next one. This album [Take Them On, On Your Own] was really free, there's no concept, no interference. It was all just the sound the band makes put onto a record. That's what I like about this album. But the next one is the exact opposite: It's going through something completely different that's not natural to the three of us. It's like a side of you that there that you need to recognize, you know? It'll be a different process, a totally different process. I'll have to change the recording and the sound and everything. I read an interview in NME talking about the recording of the last album, and it was in a really shanty London studio that doubled as a club on weekends.... [Laughs] Is it going to be the same thing with the next album? Is the record company pushing you guys to get producers and a nice studio? We had all the doors open to us; we could have done whatever we wanted. We could have hired a million dollar producer in a billion .doHar studio but we didn't think that would add anything worthwhile, you know? Except money and money never sounds good [pauses. then laughs]. It might feel good, it might look good, but it doesn't sound good. There's no need for that, it's not really a part of the art we're making. It's there as far as the record company will supply it but we'd rather save a bit making it and see a couple of fuckin' dollars back from it someday [laughs]. You know, rather than wasting a million and being in debt forever. You guys are sometimes lumped in with this supposed "new rock revolution." How do you feel about thot? [Sighs] Um, we get some magazines that do and some that don't know what to make of us. I don't really know what to make of us most of the time, 'cause we've really made our own sound. I don't think you guys sound anything like the White Stripes or the Strokes, but a lot of magazines put you with them. Yeah, well, I can understand the spirit there, the spirit of those bands. We all want things to go back to basics again and remember why rock and roll was made in the first place...stick with some limitation in the sound and the break down of fhe song. And not lose the plot, you know? It seems the first thing to go. How do you feel about the comparisons to The Jesus and Mary Chain and Primal Scream? [Pauses, then laughs] Primal Scream? I dunno...they're good company, but at the same time, um, it's really about the music, about the way we look, you know? The media really play on your image, give you guys that dark, rebellious but sexy kind of air. I was actually kind of intimidated to interview you guys 'cause they gave you such a "fuck you all" rep! But you seem nice! [Laughs] Yeah, seem nice, so far. So far. %-i'?-V--,"; [Both laugh] '•' jl|l||jj With your new CD and the "U.S. Government," people seem to be trying to give you a more political reputation. How do you feel about that? Are you guys more political now? Um...l dunno. Everything is becoming more direct with us, with what we're singing about. There's one song on the record that's about political stuff, and it's fair to comment on it. It's on people's minds, so it's going to get out there, but that's not what the band's about. Speaking of government stuff: Drummer Nick Jago's work visa. I read, that he was bom in Iran (so was I, by the way). With things being the way they are right now, was the trouble he was having related to that? He was born there...that's where he popped out [laughs]. But he's an English citizen and his father was making maps or something for the British government. That was never the hard thing. I think it's just hard for everyone right now, you can have an almost perfect record and still everyone's way too paranoid about letting people come and go as they please. Generally, I end with a stupid question, so here it is: Jack White collects human skulls, what do you collect? Um...airplane ticket receipts. Oooh, that's a good one. I collect them from everywhere I go. I'm really obsessive about keeping the tickets from the destination and where I left from. I got to ■ keep them all or I'll never remember where t've been. Peter collects postcards; he has his whole wall covered in, like, old postcards he's collected from all around the world. It's really cool, actually, that's a great hobby to have, 'cause in the end you can put them all on your wall and it makes amazing wall paper. Nice. I collect concert tickets. Oh yeah, I used to do that. But then, like, we got in a band and everything.... Lost track? [In a kind of nostalgic voice] No, you don't have to. ..it's really sad, it's really rock star, you know, it's like, you don't have to pay for tickets anymore, you get let in, with your name on a guest list.... You'd think that'd be excellent! No. I never have to pay to get in, so there's never a record...just in and out the door...which is good cause you save money, or whatever...but I was the same way, I was the same way. But not anymore. I don't know what Nick fuckin' collects.... Where is Nick right now, is he with you guys? Yeah, he's roaming the streets right now [laughs]...l think he's trying to find himself [laughs again]. He keeps losing himself.... Identity crisis? [Laughs] It's no crisis, if it was constant it'd be a crisis... may be it's constant, I dunno. He loses everything, he loses his clothes, his wallet every week, glasses, backpack, everything. Once he lost his suitcase, that was crazy. I suppose he'd collect things if he could keep them. • Q.Oc*fcber2O03 Yl m Kid Koala may spin records in clubs, but he doesn't expect you to dance. Interview by Natalie Vermeer Kid Koala is a scratch-happy musical genius. He confirms that turntables are indeed musical instruments through his quirky samples and cuts. His manipulations bring to mind keyboard and string instruments through his rapid strums and animated taps and deliberate warps. Last year alone. Vancouver was privileged to host him many times, first with his tour with Dan the Automator, Mike Patton and Jennifer Charles in Lovage, then with his jazz band. Bullfrog, and for a solo show at Sonar. He has toured with many others as well, including Ben Harper and Radiohead. Earlier this year, he released a beautiful picture story book, Nufonia Must Fall, through ECW press, full of his cartoon drawings with a piano soundtrack. He presented scenes and songs from it, amongst other things, during his book launch at the Planetarium in March. Needless to say, this former Vancouverite is always doing something new and is a very busy and talented fellow. Last month, I emailed Kid Koala, also known as Eric San, to solve some mysteries and to ready myself (and you!) for his Short Attention Span Theatre show happening this month. He' was in Europe at the DiSCORDER: Hi Eric! Kid Koala: Hello. Why must Nufonia fall? Nufonia is a place where people have no fun.:, ever. Why can't robots sing? I think they can... maybe they are just shy. Things were looking so promising—why couldn't Malorie and the robot [from Nufonia Must Fall] be together on the plane in the end? They were in a cosmic sort of way, you know? Do you plan to write a happy (ending) love song or story? Yes, the new book with the Ninja [Tune] album has Grandmaphone defeating the fire-breathing Ogre with some yarn and birdseed. And even the Ogre is happy because he gets a new ski hat. How long have you known DJ P-Love? Many people think we look disturbingly alike so possibly we were separated at birth. But actually I remember meeting him in '97 or so... we were both deejaying around Montreal at that time. That kid is super musical... you should definitely keep an eye out for his stuff in the future. What gave you the idea for the awesome bingo intermission during your book tour shows? It's a pedagogical trick we used to use in Language Arts class back when I taught first grade. It's kind of a sneaky way to introduce the characters of the book to people. I am very happy you enjoyed yourself. How did you meet Lederhosen Lucil? I've known her for years, since 1993 or so, but it wasn't until about three years ago that I heard she was doing this Lederhosen Lucil thing. You guys better watch out... she's AWESOME. She sings these quirky beautiful songs over her casio keyboard. And she wears these various lederhosen and braids and speaks with this faux-Bavarian accent sometimes. This girl is RAZOR SHARP! You can try to heckle if you want to but be forewarned: shS's super quick and you'll probably get smoked. How do you have your records organized? "Dance music" and "other." What and who are you currently involved with? [I'm] doing a record with Mark Robertson from Bullfrog, rehearsing for tour with P-Love and Jester [and] drawing space people. What inspired the Dixieland jazz sounds on your new album [Some of My Best Friends are DJs, out October 7]? Isn't that what the kids'are listening to these days? Actually. I have been a fan of jazz music for many years. And I finally got a chance to visit New Orleans about three years ago. it was really inspiring to me to see/hear jazz being played in the city where it all started. The day I left New Orleans. I decided to try to do a hand-cut turntable version of "Basin Street Blues" (a song I heard many of the bands play down there). Anyhow, I didn't know how long it was going to take or how demented it would sound but I felt like trying to do a turntable rendition of that song. Why is 2003 the time for short attention span theatre? It was time to do a tour that matched the recordings better... I thought it was kind of weird to play kind of party-rocking music in a club and then send people home fo listen to tracks made out of coughs and sneezes. What can we expect for your show on October 19? Vinyl vaudeville! Songs, storytelling, •sifJiness. three DJs, eight turntables, a piano, some turntable foley, some silent animation, more interpretive dance music and Lederhosen Lucil! You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll meet that special someone (possibly). • Kid Koala brings his Short Attention Span Theatre show to the Commodore on October 19 and you should go. (B 0\3CjORD£^ There's something rumbling in Rhode Island. It's making one hell of a racket and it's very probably wearing a mask. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the wonderful world of Load records. In the last year, chances are that if you're not wearing slinky pants and applying more hairspray to an already inflated '80s obsession, this is the music you've been listening to. Friends Forever—CRASH! Lightning Bolt—BANG! Noxagt—WHALLOP! All have released records of unhinged genius on Ben McOsker's Providence-based imprint. Load, along with a lot of its bands, have been gathering pace for a few years now, but it's only in the past year that its output has emerged as the discerning choice for those seeking a true alternative Making generalizations about a label's entire roster is always dangerous and always detracts from each band's separate • personality, but I think it's safe to say that the term "bloody great racket" pretty much covers it. And I mean great in both senses of the Let's let label h n explain himself: Can you remember the moment when you first thought: "Right, that's it, I'm going to start a label." And what was the motivation? Some friends of mine had just played a show at CGGB's with their band. Boss Fuel. I was a little drunk and said I'd put the seven-inch out. The motivation was to just get the record out. My next release was the one that changed the direction of the label, with the band Von Ryan Express. A sideways-stepping choogle of colossal proportions. Weird and rockin'. Describe your typical day running Load Records. A lot of production stuff, proofs, layout, etc. Mailorder, etc. A lot of time is spent on press and promotion... answering emails, calls, etc. Other days might be booking tours. Lots of different stuff. No two days are the same. -'frJNm Does Load Records employ a staff or is it just you? Load is me. and my girlfriend. Laura Mullen. I pay her for layout of records. We are a good team. Interns are coming in October. Do you still run the whole operation out of your basement? We have a an office upstairs. The basement is where I keep backstock. Its really just eight or nine palettes with LP's and CD's and some shelving. We have another room that is used for paste up and whatnot as well as putting together mailorder. Name a band you really wish you had on Load. I like Gang Gang Dance, but they are working with other labels. Load's roster seemed for a long time to be composed of bands whose sound was generally pretty spastic and maximalist. Now with bands like Noxagt and Khanate in the line-up, things are rounding out into a heavier, more decisive flavour. Was there nothing much of interest in this category to adopt before? Is heavy difficult to do well these days? As the label puts out more records it's only natural the sound would extend into other areas. I've put out heavy bands in the past like, Astoveboat, Vaz, and the Brainbombs, so I think Khanate and Noxagt are in the line of bands in the past. Plus I think that both bands do a freaked out take on heavy. In Khanate's case, slowwwwww and heavy. In Noxagt's case, sabbath'ed out and angularity is the means of attack. Load seems to me to be taking things up where Skin Graft kind of left off, taking chances on some very bizarre bands (who also love the. theatrical aspect of performance). Does it seem to you like you're 'taking a chance' with some of these bands, or is this completely normal to you? I really try to think of myself operating in the tradition of Bulb Records more than Skin Graft. Bulb was doing it first, doing it weirdest, and rocking it out to the max... Prehensile Monkey Tail Skrink, Bullet in the Head. I think the world's hjjnger for bands doing Interesting music with over-the-top presentation has not gone away. I don't think a record, adequately promoted will do poorly. There is a home for every record... just a matter of finding the home. Are Friends Forever ever going to play INSIDE a club? They have played inside a club as far as I know. They just usually play inside their van. Why is there such a huge inexplicable proliferation of Rhode Island bands that dress up as animals? I think its vice versa. There are a lot of animals that dress up as "I must distance myself, especially from major labels, which are just the cocaine whims of A & R guys. I want to put together compelling " packages that aren't as tradable with file swapping." So do you think then that the whole downloading thing is effecting music business? My label has done fine and I know tons of my releases are being traded as MP3's. However, it may hurt the sales somewhat. Lightning Bolt and Neon Hunk are apparently drug-free. I found this shocking. Does this hold true for other Load bands? If there are no drugs, then seriously, what fuels this madness? Since many of the bands are not in the traditional rock band mold they don't feel the need to "play" that way. Not all the bands are necessarily drug/alcohol free. It's not a test to get on the label or anything. Madness? Load runs a good time rock and roll label. Hot Hot Heat are from Victoria, near Vancouver, they might read this. Is there anything you'd like to say to them? Hello from Providence. What's next on the release schedule for Load Records? Any tours that might come to Vancouver? September has Vincebus Eruptum a pummeling sludge station between Flippers-ville and Eyehategod-town. Also out in September is a JO'VCD from one-man musical shotgun, Mr. California and the State Police. Think the short bus with shots of tequila lined up down the center aisle. October has a Total Shutdown LP (CD on Tigerbeat 6), a Khanate double LP (CD on Southern Lord), and a Kites LP/CD. November has the USAISAMONSTER LP/CD. January has a Necrimonitron CD and a double sided DVD/CD of animation, "Pick a Winner," from the plaid underbelly of America as sung to the Load Records catalog. • «4 O&ther 2&B Lightning Bolt (pictured left) Wonderful Rainbow With this, their third album. Lightning Bolt made a huge leap from their previous material and delivered one of the roughest, heaviest, and funnest chunks of raw transcendence released in 2003. The most obvious difference between Wonderful Rainbow and their earlier albums (which are still pretty awesome) is the introduction of sonic diversity. Where before they cruised in the single gear of colossal, punishing riffs, they now introduce fragility, melody, and quiet beauty into their gut-wrenching feedback squalls. The result is nothing less than the total transformation of being through noise—after seven tracks of jaw-dropping, mind-bending anthems, the restrained loveliness of the title track feels like a cool sponge bath following a ten- round bout with an exploding robot unicorn. "Two Towers" is unquestionably the album's high point, though—after a warm- up of stupidly technical kit-bashing, the two Brians (Brian C. on talking drums, Brian G. on bass) that comprise Lightning Bolt kick into a monster two-note groove that rages for a full five .minutes, slaying everything in sight while cycling through intensifying sonic phases. In the next track, "On Fire," and the following "Longstockings," Gibson even drops the distortion altogether for minutes at a time and plays with a cathartic clarity that clears the head as it pummels the body. This is the kind of thing that separates Lightning Bolt from their contemporaries in weirdo noise-rock—they have little interest in the arty ambience of their friends Black Dice, or the avant-garde ambitions of jazz-metatlists like Ruins. Instead, they strive for the wide-eyed enthusiasm of a child's crayon drawing, their ham-fisted, blood-and-sweat approach defying attempts to intellectuafize their crazed power. All you can do is lie back and feel the topography of your brain shift under the tectonic weight of Lightning Bolt's noisy brilliance. Noxagt (pictured below) Turning It down since 2001 Hey kids, do you like metal, but are turned off by the posturing vocals? I know I am. Thank god then for Noxagt's Turning it Down since 2001. If Black Sabbath and The Dirty Three ever played a gig together on the flatbed of a truck that was being slowly driven through a lake of treacle, this is most probably what it would sound like. I kid you not, this record is loud, heavy and vvvvveeeeeerrnTyyyy slow. And, oh, how wonderful. Slightly akin to label mates Lightning Bolt, the bass is the prominent instrument, but Noxagt are far less feverish and more lumbering. They also have way more viola. That's right kids, viola! This trio have been together since 2001 (as the title of this album would suggest) and consist of bass player Kjetil D Brandsdal, viola player Nils Erga and drummmer Jan Christian L Kyvik, Noxagt (pronounced Noxact) are spear-heading the Norwave movement heading out of Norway. If you thought black metal was dark and menacing, then wait til you hear this. Itt '£$T **f Sightings Absolutes Missing those old HAIRY PUSSY albums you sold for beer? Well just relax your eardrums my friend, SIGHTINGS have got yer back covered. Their second album. Absolutes, finds these obnoxious noise makers torn Brooklyn creating the antithesis of so-called "music" in a wondtsw,* " cacophony of found sound, guitar feedback, and generafmcryherxi.' ; Coherent vocals are not an issue. That being said however, you'll find yourself singing along without having an idea about what's coming out of your mouth. Good'shit. >*~?5&.-^S; s/t Their set up may be conventional—bass, guitar, drums, vocals—but what ain't so ho-hum about Khanate is that they're one of the few bands who manage to do deep, dark and heavy to good end. And they're not afraid to make the songs long either—a good sign they're not ashamed of themselves to begin with. (Or maybe they have nothing but disdain for their audience's lack of patience and simply want to punish them—another trait I deeply respect in a band.) But the really refreshing thing is that none of them fucks it up by climbing all over each other like a bunch of horny, leg-humping mutts; no, these lads are exemplary graduates of obedience school. Imagine four very lean, well-groomed, well-bred hounds who are quite content to sit in noble repose until it is time to strike. Indeed, this two-song document of musical discipline is perhaps the sparest rock album I've ever heard. It's beautifully open and slow, a recipe we all know makes you close your eyes, anticipate the landmark bass-and-cymbal punches and drop your head along in time until you lull yourself into some kind of blissful Satanic trance. Blue ribbons for the lot. Friends Forever KUIball The sadly defunct Blinding Light Cinema showed the documentary on this amazing band who tour incessantly and play in WAL MART parking lots all over the good ol' Yew Ess of Eh. Their tunes cannot be explained here. Just buy the damn thing. They dedicate the album to the Denver Broncos fer chrissakes. 15 JK3CX>«X5fc The members of Zeus say goodbye to TAS 1000 and embrace spiritual enlightenment. By Kimberley Day A show of epic proportions occurred on Friday, August 29, 2003. That show involved a couple of bands whose names have since been evaporated into nothingness because of the awesome power of the opening act: Zeus. The tiny stage at the Picadilly Pub was set up with two drum sets facing each other from the left and right sides of the stage, and two keyboards facing each other from the front and back. At 10:15pm, the venue erupted into omnipotent sound that caused everyone watching to hold their breath until the end of the 7-minute set. The drums were as explosive as lightning, and the keyboards cast a shower of melody onto the crowd. No, it was not a miracle, but one could say that it was an act of God. The King of the Gods, to be more precise. Zeus himself-^in the form of four talented musicians- performed for the crowd of dozens, exposing the listeners to his powerful, enlightening brand of magnificent sound. After the set. I chds^at three of the Zeus band members and a few others into the alleys behind the puis Jfli;the bowels of West Pender's alleyways. I managed toask Zeus some questions SSfcoutfi,/' * their band's music, future, and the band vriS^they were formerly associated with, TAS 1000. I sprinted, knees-to-the-chest, out of the Picadiily^to.dround 10:30PM that night. Ahead of me were trjtfcp^;trails of Matt'Krysko, John Rogers and Scott Howard, formeriyof.^^yiOOO and currently of Zeus. Upon turning many corners, I notiCe$4$ijt*|he three musicians had stopped and were standing in a circle around what appeared to be some sort of vigil. Careful to stay near the wall where 1 couldn't be seen, I sidled up quietly until i could see what was.tiappening. To my amazement, Krysko, Rogers, and Howard were standing above TAS 1000 manager Jay Watts, who seemed to be meditating in front of several photos of Oasis' Noel Gallagher, lit up b/s§e8i'ted votive candles. As beautiful as the setting was, ljCcMdnot sit back and appreciate the spirituality, I needed to get on with fhe interview. ■ I stepped into the candlelight and quietly asked, "Can I ask you guys a few questions?" Howard nodded his head at me, and then at Krysko, who proceeded to scream, "SNAP OUT OF IT!" and slapped Watts across the face, ending the meditation session and invoking the first of several temper tantrums from Watts. Howard consoled the crying Watts and managed to stop his screaming for long enough for me to get the interview started. With Watts curled up into a fetal position, I began. "Could one of you please describe the life and death of TAS 1000 in 50 words or less?" I asked. Howard removed his hand from Watts' shoulder and replied, "Marta's legs spread open, and out came TAS," to which Rogers added, "A woman named Marta left this fucking answering machine in a Value Village store. Matt was a loser, he found the machine. After he found it, he decided to get creative and we all decided—since I'm the leader of the band—that we'd make songs. They sound like shit and they're repetitive." As Krysko gave reasons for the general population's distaste for the music of TAS 1000, Rogers struggled to find an intelligent word for 'birth' and then continued with his explanation. "Renaissance. Rebirth. "Jt^sdrTbf like a rebirth. It's sort of like the machine died and then there was a renaissance. Vfe put it to music, so it's maybe what Marta had dreamt of the whole time." We all paused a moment to reflect upon this statement, some laughed, some nodded in agreement, and then Rogers grew impatient and yelled "SPEED IT UP!!!" 'V $S#eac I scrambled through my notes for something else to ask. "What are-some questions or comments that you receive about TAS 1000 that really bother you?" I asked, a question that earned instantaneous replies from both Howard and Krysko. Howard went first. "I've got one. 'Did you write all of that music yourself, or was it on the machine too?' As if people would sing the same thing into an answering machine." Krysko immediately began his reply by saying "Yeah, or, 'Did you fake the messages?'." His face turned a bright shade of red and he mumbled something to the tune of, "How could someone ASK that? It was all I could do, to keep myself from —," but then he was strategically interrupted by Howard, who further expressed his annoyance by telling me of a TAS 1000-inspired knockoff "Someone did a knockoff of TAS," he said, with a tone of aggravation in his voice, "He phoned his own answering machine, sang something funny and then looped it himself. It takes all of the fun out of the process...whatever fun there is. It's pretty grueling, actually." Everyone nodded in agreement. At this point, I decided to change the pace of the interview a little bit, and ask some questions about their new band, Zeus. "So, what can..." I began, but then stopped abruptly as I noticed that Watts had re-emerged from his infant-like state and was standing there with an unnervingly confident grin plastered across his face. "What can you tell me about Zeus?" Everyone's eyes lit up, and Krysko began to enthusiastically field the question. "Well, Zeus is a four- piece," he began, "two drummers, two keyboards. We're brothers, as well. Two pairs of brothers, really." Howard then clarified this fact by explaining, "There's Scott Howard and Derek Howard, then there's John Rogers and Matt Rogers." Matt added "we play short, energetic, epic rock," completing the description. I then made the mistake of once again mentioning TAS 1000, by ' asking whether the band would consider Zeus a TAS 1000 side project, or whether they would like their current band to be thought of as completely separate from their former band. I knew immediately that . this was a mistake because instantly Rogers yelled "NO," grabbed the framed photo of Noel Gallagher from Watts' hands, and sent it flying across the alley into a brick wall. The sound of the breaking glass was too much for poor Watts, who began to scream but was silenced by another warranted slap from Krysko. To continue discussing the TAS 1000/Zeus connection, I asked whether the band expected Zeus to be as loved or hated as TAS 1000, to which Howard replied, "Hopefully more loved. Zeus is more 'for the people' than TAS 1000. We put out this adversarial stance with TAS 1000. We wanted to release live bees on the crowd." Howard's comments were cut off by Rogers, who, in his first lengthy comment of the past half hour, said, "Matt and Scott got a little carried away with the webpage. That's where I sort of stepped out of it. I said, 'Fuck this shit, the webpage is lame.' They were acting like they were a little bit (6 October 2/*3 UILL of comic relief for the world. 'Oh, let's go check out the TAS site and check out this funny stupid fucking article fhat Scott or Matt wrote.' Man. Hilarious." Howard and Krysko both confessed to this tragic flaw, and Howard opened up in a moment of truth to say, "To his credit, John actually helped us out a bit. He put us into rehab, and Jay came to visit us once a week. He brought us cookies, care packages." Krysko then put his arm around Rogers, shed a single tear, and added, "The cupcakes were brilliant." Unfortunately, just as the interview seemed to be going somewhat smoothly, John Rogers went on a rampage. He grabbed the Marantz recorder, jumped up on top of a dumpster and shouted, "We still have more CDs, so buy them! TAS 1000. It's a great CD, despite the rumours of how we hate it." Krysko joined him atop the dumpster and added, "We actually love it!" Rogers continued his rant by saying, "It's actually the best recorded work to date...by TAS 1000." He then directed everyone's attention to Watts and said, "Jay gets 90%. If you like Jay, buy the CD. He'll get 90% of the earnings. He's a poor kid. He's got nothing really going for him. He's pretty much a strange loser, so we want to give him some cash so he can feed his mouth." I took the Marantz back from Rogers, as Watts began to speak. "TAS 1000 lost me my job. I had it, I lost it. There's quite a story, actually. Scott was out of town at the time. This kid who worked in the film department of a local post-secondary school decided he was going to do a documentary on TAS 1000. It coincided with Marta's trip to Vancouver to make fetish wear with a partner of hers. Marta also works at an Art Gallery. She's multi-talented, but shitty at everything at the same time. Anyway, so she came down, and on Saturday—while John was at work, Cass was out of town, Scott was in New York City—Matt and I did the interview a little drunk. They're a bunch of bumbling fools, these documentary film sorts. We heard them mention where Marta was staying, and Matt had a video camera so we decided that we would go to this hotel and pose as a film crew." "A supplementary film crew, gathering behind-the-scenes footage," added Krysko. "Exactly," Watts continued, as Rogers, fed up with the lack of CD-advertising time he was receiving, began to loudly scrape his drumsticks on a metal parking gate. "So we went in and we interviewed Marta and her partner, then the other filmcrew came in later and discovered the ruse. There was an inquiry, and now I will no longer be working at that school." Howard, who may or may not have been speaking in a sarcastic tone, expressed his sympathy to Watts, and then moved on explain that, "The documentary will be out by the end of this year or the beginning of next year, on the Special Edition TAS 1000 DVD." The news of the upcoming DVD release sparked my interest in whether or not there would ever be a TAS 1000 reunion, and so I made the mistake of inquiring. Rogers, irate, flew at me and grabbed onto my shoulders, screaming "Drop dead! We're talking about Zeus! Joe Strummer died!" Upon this explosion, everyone fell silent and the only one to take advantage of this silence was Jay Watts, who said, "I love Oasis. I'm a huge Oasis fan. I just picked up Be Here Now, and..." Watts was then cut off by Rogers, who exclaimed, "Oasis is awesome. About TAS, the reason wily we've lost interest isbecause our manager was pushing us. You know how Jimi Hendrix' manager was pushing him really hard? It's sort of like that, except with Jay Watts. He's a slave-driver. We were sick of it, so that's why we lost interest and the band broke up." Watts, who chose to ignore Rogers' comments, continued to explain his love for Oasis, as Howard and Krysko proceeded to lift Rogers up from his sitting position into the air, carrying him away from the group. As he was being carried away, Rogers was heard to shout, "The band broke up because of Jay Watts!" three times, each slightly less audible from the growing distance between his unwillingly transported self and the recorder. Several minutes later, upon Rogers' return to the group. I was able to ask another question. "What is the fictional story behind Zeus?" I asked, only to be bombarded by facetious responses. "He's the King of the Gods." replied Krysko. "You can probably just read up on it." added Rogers, "There are books about it. You can get the whole story at the library." Howard then offered, "If you don't read, you can come to our shows, buy the recording, and learn it all. Zeus is Greek Mythology for those who cannot read." Rogers quickly added, "Star Trek! I like Star Trek and velvet ships," quite possibly a nonsensical addition to the previous statements, or perhaps jab at—or tribute to —fellow Zeus band mate (who was unfortunately not present for the interview), Derek Howard. Upon this indirect mention of Derek Howard, I asked what absent TAS 1000 band mate Cass Picken (in Victoria at the time of the interview) would have said, were he present. After attempting for several minutes to convince me that Joel Herman—known primarily for his Brian's Funhouse video, screened regularly at the home of three Zeus members—was Cass Picken, several hands pushed Joel towards the recorder, into which he stated, "Buy the CD," then retreated into the shadows of the alley. It was obvious that things were falling apart, as Watts, Krysko and Howard had stepped aside to discuss the details of Kierkegaardian understandings of the Cold War. I decided to end the interview by asking for an explanation of Rogers' hatred towards TAS 1000. "Sometimes I'll blame it on the webpage." he began, "but it's really Marta and how she disrespected Ron Rondon, a character on the TAS 1000 CD. They had a bit of a falling out, it was brutal. If you don't respect Ron, then you can't respect John." I thanked everyone for their time and began to slowly step backwards. As parting words, Rogers offered the following: "We don't envision: we are. If you listen to Zeus, you are Zeus. And Jimi Hendrix says TAS and Zeus wail." • You can buy many, many TAS 1000 CDs from www.tasl000.com. John Rogers is hosting an upcoming art show for several local artists, with performances by Zeus and guests at Video-In Studios. Be there, or else. »7 fcisooftoe*. The sample-based organic electronic music of Keiran Hebden (aka Four Tet) has become so influential that he now finds himself in the position of having fans that have never heard Fridge, the noted British post-rock trio that he's been recording with since 1995. His first full length, the free-jazzy Dialogue released on Trevor Jackson's Output imprint in '99, caught the ear of experimental dub pioneer Pole, who approached him to do a split EP. On the strength of that EP and his first album. Four Tet was signed to Domino records, and the fusion of warm, folky melodies and laid-back hip hop rhythms of his next album. Pause, made him a veritable superstar in the world of indie electronics. His highly recognizable style (dubbed "folktronica" by some) can be discerned in the work of countless producers of ihe last few years, and won him fans of no less distinction than Radiohead, with whom he toured this summer. His latest album. Rounds, sees him further refining his technique without breaking the mold he built so well. DiSCORDER awakened the groggy Mr. Hebden from what might otherwise have been a pleasant sleep to ask him a few questions about his busy life and upcoming tour with Prefuse 73. DiSCORDER: You've been really busy lately—remixing the Super Furry Animals and Radiohead's "Scatterbrain," and your agent said you did thirteen Brazilian interviews last week. Are you going on tour in Brazil? Keiran Hebden: [Laughs) No. I'm just doing the regional press for everywhere. Far away campaigns happen slowly and they take longer. I'm just kind of catching up there. So I did thirteen Brazilian interviews. You're putting out something on Ache records here in Vancouver soon, right? Yeah, a split single with this band called Hella. Oh. awesome! That's kind of a strange pair-up. That's why I wanted to do it. actually. I get off on all sorts of things like that, but I always turn them down, pretty much. So when [Ache records] said in their email that the split would be with Hella, I agreed to it—the first one in ages. I just sent my track off a couple of days ago. Hopefully that'll come out soon. How did you end up on tour with Radiohead? Did they just call you? Yeah. They're into my music and stuff—they just asked me, really. You've gene on tour with Dan Snaith (aka Manitoba) and you did that Notwist remix with him—he's said you're the only person he respects in electronic music. How did you guys get to be so tight? Well, about four or five years ago now we met at, like, a festival—he hadn't made any music yet, really—and he invited me to come to Canada and DJ at this'student thing, so I went. I'd never been to Canada before. He said, "Why don't you come out for a few days, Wen?'1 and I ended up staying for, like, ten days. And wejust got ©n brilliantly—really, really well—and just became great friends from then onwards. And when he ended up moving to England to study here (his family's actually from England), he moved into a place ten miles away from me, basically. Do you think you're ever going to work together again? Maybe. I think the two of us, people keep asking us that, and I don't think either of us want to or anything like that, we've just both got so much on our plates at the moment. I think, when you put out an . album, you just kind of ride the wave of it for a while. You don't really look for potential new projects to take on. So if I asked you that question—who do you respect most in electronic music. Is that a question you can really answer? Well, there's just too many people, really. It's like, "Who do you respect most in rock music?" One moment I might say it's Jim O'Rourke or Christian Fennesz I respect toads, because of the incredible improvisational thing they do, but sometimes you want to hear some really hard-hitting drum and bass, or somereaOymythmic bass stuff. I'm into a lot of music and there's a lot of people who excite me about what they do, for loads of different reasons. You're pretty forward abotit stuff that you like: I've react interviews where you give props to guys like 50 Cent or the Neptunes or the White Stripes—and "Spirit Fingers" on Rounds is a reference to Bring H On. right? Would it be safe to say that your relationship to the mainstream isn't too antagonistic? • Yeah, I'm not one of those people, you know—I don't like to be a snob about films or music, especially with a lot of electronic music, there's an attitude about it where a lot of people that are into it want to treat it like it's some kind of higher art form. You can believe in that way of thinking, and still want to absorb things that are from the hugely commercially successful sphere, and not disregard the ethics of that. Oh yeah. I think that a lot of people that are only obsessed with the underground and the most obscure kind of music realty tend to miss out on the fact that a tot of things are popular because they really are good. Yeah. Completely. So, Fridge is still together, right? Oh, definitely. I mean, we haven't done anything in ages, but hopefully there wfll still be stuff in the future. One of the other guys in Fridge, Adem llhan, just finished his solo album—just this weekend, in fact. That's probably going to come out early next year and he's got toads and loads of stuff going on with that. We've all got a lot going on, but we'll get around to doing another record eventually. i wanted to ask you about your live show as opposed to your recorded material. Every time I've seen you perform, there's so much more noise than ever comes up on any of your albums. So I wonder, is there any reason you don't want to put that same kind of noise into the stuff you record? Well, the way that the live music seems to have evolved for me, you know, there's some crazy music that just goes on for an hour, and it's just got to happen there and then, in that moment, then it kind of goes away.Whereas, when I make an album, I find myself wanting people to go back to it again and again. I just think the live thing, you get caught up in the big sound system and the crowd. I just find myself going for it more...it's something I wanted to happen, as well. I always wanted the live stuff to be removed from what happens on the album, to continue the ideas on the record, for it to be music that constantly evolves, rather than me being another one of those people that just goes out and tries to.recreate albums. I want people to come and see me live to catch a glimpse of where my head's at that day, you know, what I think is interesting right then. So, do you And yourself listening to more low-key, relaxed music when you're at home, most of the time? Not at all. One of the things I listen to most fe<quffe aggressive free jazz. One of my main kind of things, at the end of the day—one of the .biggest influences on me—something I always end up coming back to. is Albert Ayler, Ornette Coleman, and late period John Coltrane stuff. Or sometimes I put on more intense party hip hop, or something like Hella or Lightning Bolt. Those are all sort of things I'm interested in. You're going on tour again with Prefuse 73. Did the last tour just go so well you wanted to do it again? Yeah, he's a really great guy, and it just works so well. People come to shows, when we play together, definitely to see both acts. We're both doing something that's quite different from everything else at the moment, but we seem to have really crossover audiences. It's nice to go out and do shows with another artist you like—we both enjoyed each other's albums this year. So, after you're done with all these remixes and touring, do you have anything immediately planned, or are you just going to kick back for awhile? Well, I've just kind of been finishing a lot of stuff. After this, hopefully— well, I haven't really made any new music in a long time. What I want to do is to take some time—the music industry kind of quiets down in December and January—and work on some new music, and get ready for all the touring I'm going to do next year all over the world. Next week, I start two weeks in England, then I do two weeks on the west coast of North America, then I'm back here for a week before heading off to Krakow in Poland for a festival, then after that I want to take a couple months and think about making some new tracks. • Catch Four Tet at Richard's On Richard's October 24 with Prefuse 73 and Beans (formerly of Anti-Pop Consortium). Hounds is out now on Domino records. IB October 2oc$ \-A V, Inside the cool, cool mind of Super Furry Animals' lead singer Gruff Rhys. By Merek Cooper Photo by Kevin Westenburg Super Furry Animals' lead singer. Gruff Rhys, is one of the most laid- back people I have ever had the fortune of talking to. In the following interview you will notice that there are no exclamation marks used, even when he says something alarming or bizarre. It just doesn't seem appropriate. And really, why wouldn't he be laid-back? Six studio albums, one of them written entirely in his native Welsh tongue, and nothing but critical praise and none too modest commercial success. Just when you expect them to falter—they must, it's been almost ten years— ■ their subsequent release coolly improves on their already winning formula. And what a formula! How does one begin to describe it? It's definitely pop, but it's also so much more. On Phantom Power, their latest, techy electronica rubs shoulders with pastoral folk, while country mingles with glam rock, their attitude a mixture of punk's DIY aesthetic spliced together with the eclectic, try-anything, enthusiasm of Krautrock. Despite the laid-back demeanour, Gruff Rhys and his four band mates are more than willing to engage with issues that make them mad. Phantom Power is not only a great album, it's an album that reflects what it feels like to live in the year 2003, warts and all. Songs like "Liberty Belle," "Out of Control" and "Hello Sunshine" all comment on the negative aspects of Americanisation. because, as Gruff says, it's all "out of control." I spoke to him on the line from Toronto about this and many other things besides. DiSCORDER: Starting with the new album. Phantom Power. Good job, great album. Gruff Rhys: Ahh, nice one. I wanted to ask you about the recording process of Phantom Power. You worked with two different engineers, didn't you? Yeah, we had a lot of help. We started of with Gorwel Owen, who recorded our first two albums and Mwng. And he's very disciplined— he gets us out of bed in the morning. Then we spent summer in our own studio and did the album up till the point where it was almost- finished but we still needed to do a lot of the singing and stuff. So we hired Tony Doogan.... Mogwai and Belle and Sebastian's engineer? Yeah, we got him to come down and he's truly crazy; he hired loads of guns and he built bonfires for us to sing around, folk style. You can hear the crackle of the bonfire when we sing at the end of "Undefeated." If he didn't like the sound of the guitar, he'd just put the guitar on the bonfire. He's that kind of decisive guy, especially after a few ales. On Phantom Power, you express a tot of dissatisfaction with the current American administration and its foreign policy. A lot of people would ' say you are anti-American, but if s not that simple, is it? It's obvious that you're influenced by a lot of American culture. Country music and West Coast psychedelia, for instance? Yeah, exactly. We love traveling in North America and there's an incredible energy here that you don't find elsewhere. It's always inspiring. And all the people we meet are usually pretty cool, you know, totally switched on politically, so It's a shame they're being misrepresented by a bunch of arseholes. But the reason I feel qualified to talk about American foreign policy is because it effectively decides what the foreign policy is in the UK. We're half governed by Washington, otherwise I wouldn't bother dealing in other peoples problems, you know? It would be embarrassing. I really like the line in "Valet Parking," "the Euro Zone Is my home." Because, for me, the UK should realize what a great opportunity it has to link up with the rest of Europe and It should stop getting into bed with these American warmongers. Yeah. That song is set in the year 2010 after the European Federal Government is set up, so it's a future celebration of travel within the Euro Zone.r ^^^^M, Another driving analogy we refer to a lot is that we see ourselves as taxi drivers, y'know? The main function of a taxi driver is to take the person, for example, from the station to the house, but on the way they might talk about what their pets did last night or about their relationships or about political issues. It's not the main function of the taxi driver and similarly our main function as a group is to make uplifting music—if's about melody and rhythm and wordplay—but occasionally we'll talk about a pet and if politics affects a bit of our lives that'll make it into our songs, you know? What I like about your lyrics is that even If something angers you, you seem to stay very cool, sometimes even putting a humorous spin on things. That's where you succeed. You have a serious message but there's always humour and it never becomes too serious or portentous for people to deal with. Our songs are about domestic life and we try not to cover up the humorous aspects—life can be humorous. We don't buy into the notion that rock bands should be wearing black standing on glaciers, you know? We wanna make human music but we don't wanna sit on fences either. On the face of it/we're paid to travel the bars of the world playing music. That's the reality of our life. I don't know how credible that makes our political insight. But you're an ambassador for Welsh culture nowadays. How does that feel? Yeah, it's pretty mental going round the world being Welsh and meeting people, you know? Like, in Japan, we've come across people who've learnt the language because of us. Yeah, I always listen to your Welsh stuff and try and pick out what I can from the translations. Yeah. I had a shock with that kind of thing: I was listening to Serge Gainsbourg and I was getting really into the music and then I started reading the lyrics and I realised I'd been listening to a concept album about arses. ■'■■^'ISfii About arses? Yeah, about different types of bums. Which album's that? I think translated it's View of the Exterior. It's really good. I'm gonna have to get that album. Oh shit, I'm mixing it up. "View of the Exterior" is the first song. The album is called A Man with a Cabbage for his Head. It's really good. It sounds like Air or something. Are you still writing Welsh songs? Yeah, I've got shittoads written—twenty or so. Do you write In both languages simultaneously? Well. I'm bilingual, so I write either in Welsh or in English, but I don't translate from one to the other. I get a bit irritated when I read in interviews that I translate from Welsh whilst I'm speaking, just because sometimes I fake my time speaking. I speak just as slowly in Welsh. I wanted to ask you about the fact that the album is "carbon neutral." To quote from the album coven "Carbon Dioxide is one of the main reasons for global warming. Future Forests calculate the amount of C02 produced in the production and distribution of this CD. Super Furry Animals and Future Forests win plant enough trees to re-absorb this amount of C02." Yeah, we've got our forest in North Wales—the Furry Animal Forest. They've just planted it so it doesn't look very good at the moment. If you're looking for a forest adventure, go elsewhere. It hasn't grown yet it's about six inches high and it's looking pretty bare. Eventually, we're gonna have live bears and we're gonna re-introduce the wolf and the eagle to North Wales. I wanted to clarify a little known tact about you guys: that the actor Rhys Itans [famous for playing Hugh Grant's unhinged flatmate Spike in Norting Hill and Puff in Human Nature] was originally the lead singer in The Super Furry Animals? Yeah, yeah. Initially, I just wanted to play guitar. We've known Rhys since we were kids. He's larger than life, you know? We thought he'd be a great frontman, he's got an amazing singing voice. Really? Ahh yeah, incredible. But I think the whole dynamic of the band would have been very different. We did some demos together, there's probably about six songs recorded with Rhys. Mostly with original lyrics by him. Very rock. I reckon if Rhys had been the singer we could've been more of a Guns n' Roses-style band—glory or nothing rock and roll. We were very bad influences on each other. We would have toured the world for three years on the back of a platinum-selling album and then died. What's next from you guys? Well, we're just about to embark on a nine-month tour, which is great, but it's frustrating us all because we won't be able to record so much. But we'll probably react to this record—Phantom Power is a very acoustic album and I imagine we'd do something much more brash and sonic next time. Hopefully we can come over to Vancouver and play some.over the top sonic tunes in February. • We'H be waiting. Phantom Power is out now. t«* Dsscofcsefc N (A W Viennese record label Mego ("My eyes glaze over'*} has been realizing its vision of music's future Since the halcyon days of the '90s experimental music boom. In this proposed future?a kind of psychedelic austerity or po-faced pranksterism is achieved via ecstatic laptop tinkering and the harnessing of errors. Mego has given the world a series of frankly astonislijng^eases tram^tseuseoois like Farmers Manual, General Magic andfflniwMstalsapiJltijtgpOl: - projects by legendary figures such as Jim O'Rourke and Merzbow. Perhaps Mego's most accessible and well-known releases have come courtesy of Christian Fennesz and Noriko Tujiko, both of whom will be visiting Vancouver this October. In anticipation of their arrival, DiSCORDER decided to contact Fennesz and Noriko in order to provide advance information for the curious and further illumination for the already addicted. Fennesz Avoid meeting your heroes. Chances are you've received that particular pearl of wisdom before from some other source, but don't write it off as a mere cliche. This is sage advice because the whimsical children's author genius will always turn out to be a curmudgeonly misanthrope who wants you to fuck off, and the tortured artist genius will always turn out to be a thoroughly genial type who wants to buy you a drink. And yet it's so hard to resist, bearing in mind that any such idol will trail a mass of rumour and misconception in his/her wake. Don't you want to get it all cleared up? Don't you want to know? Such was your trusty correspondent's dilemma when asked to interview Austrian computer-music virtuoso Christian Fennesz. Luckily, the resolution presented itself via the very technology that makes Fennesz's music possible. We'd do an e-moJWnterview. Of course, this was just enough contact to destroy my wonderful vision of Fennesz as the first arrogant, scowling rock-star of abstract electronica. Thoroughly genial indeed, he began his second e^maHof the exchange with the salutation "boing!!" The-formafof this interview also allowed him to be somewhat evasive, and frustratingt^*eeR;inhis answers. It's unlikely that any real insight was achieved in the process but. at the very least, a few misconceptions.were put to rest and a few rumours scotched. Oh, but some of if turned outto be true. For instance, Fennesz did indeed start his career (if you wish to call it that) as the guitarist and singer in a rock band. The outfit in question, Maische, was based in Vienna and primarily influenced by the My Bloody Valentine/Sonic Youth school of noise. They were, apparently, moderately popular in their native land during the early '90s. However, Fennesz was never quite comfortable working in this format. "Me and the drummer were singing," he recalls. "I hated it and of course I would be happy to leave that to the likes of David Sylvian," the ex-Japan vocalist who contributes to Fennesz's forthcoming album Venice, which will mark a kind of full-circle \n his work—from song-form to abstraction and back Fennesz does feel that, although it "depends on the lyrics," the application of words to music can limit the-meaning of a piece "I don't think my own music needs additional lyrics," he says, qualifying that "I do like to work-onother people's songs, thougMust tike Jdid with David, and I'm curious to hear what he did with orasof the tracks I sent him." But we're getting ahead of ourselves. By the time that Maische started to end,-Fennesz was thoroughly disillusioned with the logistics of the rock band set-up. His solution was to purchase a sampler and begin work on what became the Instrument EP. Although ostensibly a leap into electronic music, Instrument was entirely sourced from sounds created by Fennesz's Fender Stratocaster and the resulting music has a great deal of aesthetic common ground with the man's noise-rock heroes. Hearing that a member of Maische was working on some electronica, Mego leapt in and offered to release the results, which they did as a long out-of-print 12" single. By 1997, and the release of his first Mego full-length hotel.parallel, Fennesz had seemingly left behind the strictures of rock for something way more rarefied. The album was a great deal more generically electronic-sounding than Instrument, with only "Aus," the gorgeous closing track, showing hints of rootcharmony, instrumentation and rhythm. The contents of this album may come as a surprise to those who only know Fennesz through his reputation as the man who brought warmth to European "glitch" music. Nevertheless, he does not see it as an austere or anomalous piece of work. "I don't think -4|aot1ts0OBoicold»"tte<ebukes. "I still Bke4tJ" ■■ tfis next step was to pull in both directions at once— simultaneously committing fully to computer composition/digital signal processing (DSP) and taking an aesthetic step "back" into bBssed-out noise territory. Since then, his work has become less abrasive and the elements of live guitar andkeyboard playing have comeJncreasingly •^erflsRfore. Meanwhile,fennesz has become openly scornful of etectroRi'cd's obsession with software-and-processover music-andr- results. However; he is quick to deny that his approach now favours musicianship over programming. "Both are equally important," he counters. "I am still fascinated with technology." Indeed, although 4»er^u$eBtta3lty-thaRla*ne for not asking any questions about software, he also—rather surprisingly—offers that "if this is any help, I use Max/MSP, Reaktor, Logic, GRM Tools, Kontakt, FM7 and Soundhack." w,j~sijjJSa Ultimately though, he does agree that there is something obnoxiously macho about the virtuosic use of high-end software. "It is like the return of 'guitar solos''" he avers, "and some people get it wrong." He concludes that, "I'm a musician, not a computer scientist, so I want fo write music, not 'code'." It seems undeniable, then, that - for this musician - music will always be more important than technology. As for whether he's given up his penchant for extreme noise, he merely teases: "Wait for the next album..." Fennesz's DSP noise masterpiece, 1999's Plus 48 Degrees North..., was released on the British label Touch. It was immediately remarkable for the'way it wrapped scouring blizzards of distortion within designer- Jon Wozencroft's rural cover photography. Clearly, something was happening-here. In rejecting the standard "dots- and-loops" approach to packaging that is all but ubiquitous in experimental electronics, Fennesz was taking control of the context in which his work was received—something most laptop artists appear to consciously avoid. He evidently loves the design of his Touch and Mego releases, noting that, "I was lucky enough to work with great designers like Jon Wozencroft and (Mego's) Tina Frank. I was always happy with the results." More significantly, he notes that "every artwork they made for me was well-discussed." This speaks volumes about Fennesz's all encompassing approach to his releases, his unwillingness to allow context to be set by outside forces and his inability to simply do what is usually done. This, along with the sheer brilliance of his music, allowed Fennesz to create the image of a laptop musician whose creations were infused with humanity and personality. Here, it seemed, was an artist who harnessed new technology to capture the vagueness of human memory and the beauty of corroded nostalgia in a way that was radical and in no way obvious, yet very immediate and, to those with an ear for these things, undeniable. Having said that. Plus 48 Degrees North... is uneasy listening to say the least and was never likely to capture a particularly large audience. Luckily for the world at large, Fennesz had a big move upWs.'Sleeve. Having already referenced classic rock in general, and the Beach Boys^j^adrticular, on his Fennesz Plays single (a pair qf extremely abstracted but surprisingly accessible cover versions), he set out to make an album that refracted vintage pop through the scratched tens of pest-Oval glitch music. It was the resulting 2001 Mego full-length Endless Summer (named after both a Beach Boys greatest hits and a classic surfing movie) that allowed him to make inroads into the collective consciousness of the indie rock masses. Fennesz still listens to Endless Summer all the time and notes that it's "the only record of mine that I can listen to without thinking it was me making it." The album matked.a-commercial and artistic high point for Fennesz. it also represented, at least for the time being, the end of his relationship with Mego. Thus emerged another of the rumours this article set ©ut4b<tevestigate—that there had been a falling out between artist and label. "There were some 'interferences,'" he admits but adds that "Now we're fine. They are friends." As for the future: "There are no plans to release a Fennesz record on Mego. All the upcoming stuff will be on Touch. But never say no." Along the way, Fennesz's rising profile has provided opportunities for a great deal of collaborative work. He's worked with dance companies, filmmakers, installation artists and a whole bevy of top free improvisers. 'He's also done remixes for the likes of Hrvatski and Ekkehard Ehlers (perhaps the only laptop artist whose music rivals the Austrian's for sheer beauty). Still, probably his most successful and well-known collaborations ao October 2us "1 Mego records abstract electronic superstars come to Vancouver for Electric City, and Sam Macklin gets intimate with Fennesz and Noriko Tujiko. have been as part of FennO'Berg—the knockabout trio he shares with Mego kingpin Peter "Pita" Rehberg and indie-rock renaissance man Jim O'Rourke. Their two albums are beautiful, hilarious and unutterably strange, often all at the same time. Although tie's been getting more selective with the collaborations he does, Fennesz says he's willing to do a FennO'berg record "any time" and confidently states, "I'm sure there will be another one." And Fennesz's collaborations are becoming ever more publicly prominent. As well as the aforementioned work with David Sylvian, he's jammed on stage with Sonic Youth and worked on the next album by majortabel indie rockers Sparklehorse. This last collaboration seems especially close to his heart. Indeed, when I ask him what he aspires to (my big closing gambit!), he responds with a quote from the band's singer Mark Linkous: "It was like a little child built up to a fountain." Fennesz's fascination with Sparklehorse may be puzzling to some of his hardcore fans but it will certainly help to bring his music to a whole new audience, even beyond the section of indie-rockdom that is already familiar with it. But that's nothing compared to what might have happened if the bizarre rumour that Fennesz was doing a Madonna remix turned out to be true. He's heard this tall tale too but apparently it "bullshit" although he'd do it in a shot, given the chance. Meanwhile, solo releases proceed apace, providing ample material for those of us still catching up. Field Recordings on Touch collected an array of previously released material, including the entire Instrument EP, while the recent Live in Japan (via Japanese Touch affiliate Headz) provided a "greatest hits" set that embodies the perfect summation of and introduction to Fennesz's work. It also gives us some kind of idea about what will happen when he presents Live in Vancouver at the Scotiabank Dance Center on October 25, a new piece commissioned by Dangerous Currents, part of the Electric City festival. This performance has been long awaited by his many Vancouver fans and will be a must-hear for all abstract electronica enthusiasts in the area. It's hard to know what to expect, as all the man himself will give away is "No visuals, jpsWght." Not terribly illuminating, pardon the pun. As for Venice, which was slated for release near the start of this year, one has to wonder when that's finally coming out. "Strange," Fennesz quips, "Mike from Touch is asking me the same question every day now. It will come out this year." Something tells me it'll be worth the wait. Noriko Tujiko Over the course of four albums (the middle two for Mego), Japan's Noriko Tujiko has slowly been building a grassroots reputation as a genius of experimental song craft. Despite the fact that her amorphously melodious laptop pop seems to confuse the rigidly dogmatic music media, Noriko has managed to win the heart of just about every real person who has been lucky enough to come across her work. Her enthusiastic championing by a select band of fans and her newfound ability to tour Europe after a move to Paris last November have helped to raise her profile significantly. Noriko's second album Shojo Toshi impressed so many Vancouverites that the Powell Street Festival was persuaded to arrange a grant allowing her to visit these shores. She played two shows in town, on consecutive nights, the first at the Sugar Refinery and the second at The Blinding Light!! Cinema (RIP). Both were truly superb, with Noriko seated behind her Apple Mac, whipping up tempestuous eddies of sound and revealing an astonishingly room- filling vocal presence. I was lucky enough to have a short e-mail discussion with Noriko about her music. Her English is faltering but sure as shit a lot better than my Japanese, as they say. She's very gracious -1 ask her if she minds the^act that everything ever written about her has compared her to Bjork and she replies: "No, not at all. It's a good advertisement, no?" She's also clearly confident about her obvious talents—I tell her she looked taken aback by the warm reception she got from her Vancouver audiences and she. simply tells me, "It's not true". Of course not. Nobody who heard those sets would have been surprised to discover that the other people present had enjoyed them a great deal. The bulk of the material presented on those two nights later emerged as her third album Make Me Hard, which is, to these ears, her masterpiece - a set of songs so fully realized, so perfectly addictive, so artfully skewed that it's truly uncanny. Make Me Hard was quickly followed by a new album. From Tokyo fo Niagara, on the consistently excellent German indietronica label Tomlab. This fourth album, perhaps Noriko's most accessible to date, is ostensibly a collaborative exercise with avant-journeyman Aki Onda. "He was taking a lot of photographs of me and then after that we started to make the album naturally," she explains. "I can't even remember the beginning, of the working. But anyway he was the producer for the album when I noticed. I had never had a producer and it was nice. I want to have a producer for the next album too." . :,>W8!ite9i!tmay seem like a step back to the more straightforwardly Bjorkidwtfip-hop other debut album .(some of which was re-issued by Mego as the 12" / Forgot The Title), From Tokyo To Niagara reveals more and more hidden subtleties and glorious sonic/melodic hooks with every listen. Noriko explains the differences between the new album and her previous work in typically "enigmatic" English: "As I was working alone using only my brain. And for the last album I was not working alone." Whatever it is she ma* be getting at here, I'm sure of one thing: The new album is already capturing the ear of Vancouver's music- loving public and many new fans must be kicking themselves that they missed Noriko's Vancouver performances. Fear not, for she is coming back. Noriko will be performing on October 22 at the Scotiabank Dance Center as part of Dangerous Currents. Don't miss out this time. • Selected Oisoqgrciphy Fenn£sr.\ 1997 Instrument EP (Mego) Hotel Paral.lel (Mego) 1999 Fennesz Plays (Moikai) 2000 Plus Forty Seven Degrees 56' 37" Minus Sixteen Degrees 51' (Touch) 2001 Endless Summer (Mego) 2002 Field Recordings 1995-2002 (Touch) 2003 Live In Japan (Headz) Noriko Tujiko 2000 Shojo Toshi (Mego) 2002 Make Me Hard (Mego) 2003 Froi^okyo to Niagara _k-^pfeimlab) fi &i Discoaas&t D u Sit back while Bleek tells you the heartwarming story of a little new media collective named Snuggles and the phenomenon of "droplifting." ORLD UNITE Attention shoppers! As you peruse the aisle of your random CD rack you may stumble upon a jewel case with an eye-catching image and a generous helping of tracks from a variety of artists, most or all of which you've never heard of. If you're in a store with alarmed packaging around the CDs, you'll notice that the one in your hand is * as unencumbered as an angry feminist at a bra burning. Interesting. Go see what the clerk has to say about it. The kid doesn't know anything and can't find any info on the store computer. Not only that but the barcode doesn't seem to work either. Maybe you want it anyway and they pull a price out of the air and on you go. Perhaps the track by Evolution Control Committee caught your expert indie eye and you took the gamble, or perhaps you never gave it another thought. Whether you like it or not you've become a participant in the phenomenon known as "droplifting," a word coined by Richard Holland (aka Turntable Trainwreck) which is meant to describe the opposite of shoplifting, bringing in the goods and leaving them for no sane reason, except to perpetuate a kind of dadaist publicity stunt. Holland, not being picked up by a label or predicting not to be picked up, would discreetly drop his discs in stores. Around the continent shifty characters are lurking around (usually) major department storesand CD racks droplifting the two thousand existing Free Speech for Sale compilations under the appropriate file or even right there in the top-seller display rack. A loosely knit collective known as the Snuggles New Media Collective (Negativland fans will recognize the reference from the "U2" single) are behind the compilation of re-contextualised advertisements, cut-up, processed, remixed and generally fucked with. The Snuggles list is at least nine-years-old and originally began as a Negativland discussion list. List members have taken the DIY ethic on in a funny yet combative or cynical strategy: "The album's source material is copy written from several advertisers and producers . who would charge us way too much money to legally clear the samples, if they are even willing to negotiate at all. The content of this album would likely offend them to the point where they wouldn't want it to exist, as it criticizes their very industry using the same clever tricks they use to sell their products. Frankly, we don't feel any of them deserve to get paid a second time for the recordings they've already been overpaid to produce. More importantly, I feel what we're doing is making new art out of their old art, and furthermore, we should be allowed to be financially compensated ourselves for making such art! This is also one of the subtle ironies of this project" (freespeechforsale.com). But hey, now that you know the secret, don't be a patsy. All the tracks and more are available at the freespeechforsale.com sitel In fact Free Speech for Sale is the third in a series of compilations from the Snuggles group, the first two being named The DropTift Project and Dictionaraoke. not fo mention various other side-projects and online give-aways from many of the artists. The press kit explains it like this: "With this recent compilation, we want to show the public the harmlessness of appropriating samples from commercials: harmless because the samples will not advertise anything...though they may say something altogether different, it just won't be the message the advertiser intended us to hear," explains Every Man. "William S. Burroughs did it with real text in Naked Lunch, Andy Warhol did this with his 'Brillo Box' sculpture and his ' 100 Soup Cans' painting, and we're doing the same thing in Free Speech For Sale with audio." The web-page designed to closely resemble the "As Seen On TV" site was built by Snuggles member Pimpdaddysupreme, who also works with audio-art troupe Workshoppe Radio Phonik, both of which appear on the Free Speech for Sale CD. The CD's curator is a multi-talented computer systems administrator who goes by the afias Everyman. With other members of the list Jn various fits of flight and fancy, Everyman stepped up to the task of bringing Free Speech for Sale into fruition. According to Everyman, the project began being kicked around as early as 2000 right'after the Dictionaraoke compilation. You'll find Everyman's contribution to the CD under yet another alias, the Button, which is derived from his three hour late-night experimental radio show Press the Button on WRUW in Cleveland. After mailing hundreds of CDs around to interested droplifters, Everyman began a road trip from Ohio to the Burning Man festival in Nevada: "I droplifted some of these in the Flying J store by Interstate 80, and I've been doing this at every single Flying J stop. I drop five to ten of these in the CD section which is right in front of the check-out counter and they'd never notice. I did this day after day after day 21 Ocbtoerisxa mm^MPTiim^t m & feA^gy ^tpami Illustration: Pax Lyle while driving out there., and at one point when I was standing in line I heard a trucker behind me picking it up and looking at it and he said the name of it, you know, he said (adding a southern drawl] 'Free Speech for Sale! This must be somethin' new because I've seen this at every goddamn truck-stop for the past two days!' I was trying hard to stifle my laughter." Stopping at the same locations on the way back from Burning Man, Everyman found that half of the CDs had been picked up. Either bought or stolen, and that's the nature of the game, really. The website offers a place for droplifters to write stories of their exploits: where they've set the discs (ideally in a "hot new" items display somewhere), and hopefully soon a victim, I mean lucky individual, will post something about buying the disc. The stories may include something like this example from Snuggles' member The Former Yugoslavia: "The other night the copy of Free Speech for Sale that I dropped off at Target (Asheville) was stijl on the same end-cap more than a week later, only it had been moved in front of the new Lionel Richie CD. So I tried to buy it. Surprisingly, there wasn't much of a struggle—I got sent over to the customer service desk, they checked their database and couldn't find any matching products, so they sent me on my way with it... only to have rhe turn around, come back in the store and "redroplift" it (this time on a 'popular music' end-cap in front of one of the registers). Fun fun fun...." Of course, nobody really sees a dime from this experiment in nonsensical marketing, so why do it? And why take appropriated material and rework it to be something funnier, ironic and consequently more entertaining? "Steve Hise discussed this a little bit," Everyman ventures to explain, paraphrasing audio artist and Detritus.net owner Hise: "Where there are different levels of plundering, there's the subversive level, like why would an artist plunder, would it be for subversion or would it be because it's so neat because it's so new, its against the law? You know, I'm doing this because it'swrong, just like some people smoke pot because it's technically illegal and they argue that if it got legal it'd probably cut the amount of pot smokers in this country in half. A lot of people would try it just because it's legal but then it would just fade away." This, he says, likely makes up about 75% of the Snuggles collective. "Then there's the level of plundering that's like. 'I want to do this because I want to make a statement and I use recycling as a tool for my art and not necessarily because I only rely on recycling as an art form.'" Steve Hise (a contributor to Free Speech for Sale, etc.) told me about his involvement in the Snuggles group, which he said was fairly minimal at this point because of his own focus on the art of appropriation. His website Detritus.net hosts a number of on-the- go projects, as well as news and issues around creating through plunder. Or, like the website says, "Detritus is a gallery, a village, a library, a studio, a news service. Detritus is keeping watch on relevant events and developments, and always adding more content to its pages." Among the fine artists Steve calls his friends, and may do the occasional collaboration with, are People Like Us, The Tape Beatles, The Evolution Control Committee and Wobbly just to name a few. I asked Steve Hise about a recent speech he gave at the Electrofringe festival and got more about the question of why: "Electrofringe is a yearly electronic art festival in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. I was invited and attended in 2001 (see electrofringeorg for more details]. My talk there was basically about using cultural recycling as a form of cultural activism. I also discussed the history and purpose of Detritus.net, and the three "stages" of cultural recycling, in my view. What I mean by stages are sort of modes of operation or rationale in artists that engage in cultural recycling. In other words, why do people do it? The stages are: 1. The Pleasure of the Intertext 2. The Glamour of Theft 3. Cultural Activism." He continues: "These stages are not necessarily in that order for everyone, and often someone will drift back and forth between them or they co-exist in two or three stages at once. The first is about simply enjoying the act of cutting and mixing pre-existing cultural artifacts. It's fun. The second is about-exulting in the sort of outlaw chic of knowing you are 'stealing' intellectual property. The third is using cultural recycling as a tool to convey meaning and hopefully make positive change in culture and society." tzveryman admits that to the Snuggles group, making a track compelling without the humour and irony can be difficult but valuable: "Sam Steven's Cyberphobe ('The Year of my Nervous Breakdown') CD where he included 9-11 samples. Me and David Dixon of Stark Effect were discussing that very concept saying that the one thing that the Snuggles artists use a lot is irony. It makes it cute, it makes it funny and does make it have a greater impact, but the one real hard thing to do is sometimes make a track without the use of irony. It's like the real artistic challenge. I felt that Cyberphobe did just that. It's really cool, it's not funny but it's still entrancing to listen to. Negativland has some tracks like that. My favorite one is off the album Free, which is called 'The Gun and the Bible': It's chilling, I mean the Bible, this loving, peaceful thing in the name of God and religion, which stands for the ten commandments, 'Thou shalt not kill' but there's so many people killed with a gun in the name of religion." Whether the tracks on Free Speech for Sale are ironic, silly, surreal, stupid or all of the above, they are unarguably compelling. Certain tracks and strategic edits are hard to shake from your mind sometimes, as for example Tim Moloney's "Shatner" with William Shatner informing you how to choose a career in "TV VCR repair or TV VCR repair or get a degree in TV VCR repair." and Stop Children's "Medicine Head 24 Hour" in which "one daily dose provides 24 hours of headache, diarrhea and abdominal pain." Evolution Control Committee mixes pineapples with Dippidy doodoo. There is also Social Security's touching "Hi, Bye" with the advice "for free help call home.". Toward the end of the disc some of the artists bring Free Speech for Sale to an almost creepy end with darker audio- art collages. It's truly a novel compilation with ingredients for the experimentally-minded and thinking industrial fan. If that weren't enough, the website includes several bonus tracks • from these artists and other potential Snugglers. "I don't think the number has stopped because people keep making them," Everyman says. "I guess it's not clearly defined but we're always accepting bonus tracks. If you have some idea of making a song out of a commercial then by all means, you know, that's what the bonus site is for." • To get involved in droplifting, while the discs last, or to And out more about the Snuggles collective, go to the website at freespeechforsale.com 33 0iSCO«l«R .KWDGODH i Aesop Rock Bazooka Tooth - (Definitive Jux) Ian Bavitz (aka Aesop Rock) is back with the long-awaited follow-up to Labour Days, his epic, paradigm-annihilating opus. Apparently consumed with the desire to become even more than the most ambitious lyricist on Def Jux (itself arguably the most ambitious label in hip hop), Ace has stepped behind the boards to produce the bulk of this album's tracks himself (ll out of 15), relegating long-time producer Blockhead to just three tracks. The results are impressive, though not too surprising—the style is busy and heavy on abstraction, borrowing liberally from the El-P school of hard grime and cluttered, left-field samples. The highlight accomplishment of Aesop Rock's solo production career thus far is clearly "Freeze," a swaggering sledgehammer of gutter-funk battle rhyming and blurting synth-horns with multiple tracks of Ace's trademark nasal vocals leaping over each other to deliver lines like "The roof is on fire where Snoopy sits right now/You should have shot yourself in the foot while it was in your mouth!" His beats aren't always quite so on, though, a fact made more evident when Blockhead returns to the decks with his funkier, more tuneful style—a pleasant break from the frequently taxing complexity of Ace Rock's own crowded soundscapes. El-P himself guests as both producer and MC on "We're Famous," coming with one of the hottest beats on the album-a simple but funky loop of laser-gun keyboard blasts and shuffling drum hits over which he and Ace call out every hater who ever disrespected Def Jux for not being hip hop, with some seriously sick rhyming. Mr. Llf also guests on the standout "11:35." where he and Ace get into a bit of that narrative rapping that's so rare on Aesop Rock albums. This Blockhead-produced track far exceeds Ace's previous experiments in storytelling, 24 October 2aa notably the disappointing "No Regrets" on Labour Days, the album to which Bazooka Tooth will unavoidably be compared (along with his earlier Float). Not everyone will find the comparison favorable, this album being obviously deficient in the epic sweep and thematic unity of his last groundbreaking full-length, but his flows haven't devolved—in fact, he's in better form than ever, lyrics-wise, and the beats .underneath uphold the unimpeachable Def Jux rep for bleeding-edge progres- siveness. There's hardly a shortage of excellent hip hop at the moment (upcoming releases by Non-Prophets and Soul Position have got me chuffed, to say nothing of Outkast's latest masterpiece) but there's no doubt, in Ian Bavitz's own words, that he still "Aesops the fuck out of the Rock." saelan &J1F. NinALENT Billy Talent s/t (Atlantic Records) The self-titled debut album from Billy Talent offers 41 minutes of head-nodding, toe-tapping music as well as a short video clip, "Behind the Scenes with Billy Talent," when you put the CD into your computer. To back up the screaming vocals of lead singer Benjamin Kowalewicz. the screeching electric guitar of Ian D'Sa, and the rhythmic electric bass of Jonathan Gallant, Aaron Solowoniuk provides a sturdy backbone of beat and quick fills. The sounds of Billy Talent can be compared to that of Alexisonfire. However. Billy Talent is much more melodic and I could actually make out all the lyrics rather than the mesh of incoherent screams Afexisonfire offers. Although their lyrics take on a cynical view as they basically speak of being screwed over by the world, they are not your average punk band. With their pleasant harmonies and catchy tunes, they have a lot more to offer than just anger music. recorded media Overall, I'd say Billy Talent t just that—talent. Laney 'i4 :tffr Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Take Them On On Your Own (Virgin) And I had high hopes for this album.... With their second major Virgin Records release, Los Angeles' Black Rebel Motorcycle Club shows us that even the guys under fjressure can cut a decent record. Well, half of it's good, anyway. Starting where the Jesus and Mary Chain and Stone Roses left off. in a sense, more than a decade ago, BRMC borrows the wall of sound and adds their own asinine punk personas fo their sophomore album Take Them On On Your Own. "I don't feel at home in this generation... Ain't you had enough/ I've had enough/ Don't fuck with me" assures vocalist Robert Turner on "Generation." The strongest track lyrically, "Generation" evolves into a neo-shoegazer mess of distortion and unnecessary effects. While some predictable tracks make a worse headache than sniffing shoe glue, introductory tracks "Stop" and "Six Barrel Shotgun" are more fun than six barrels of monkeys. The sound is reminiscent of The Stooges. and that voice, that voice, is dirtier than Iggy Pop. I like it. "US Government" has so much potential. "In Like The Rose" makes me feel like I'm not wasting my time. If you liked this record or even BRMC's previously released treats, you can catch them at the Commodore Ballroom on October 17 for a reasonable sum. Although I will be busy clipping my nails that night, I hope some of you will attend and support your favourite tribute band. In further news, watch out for the White Poser U-Pass Guy hitting shelves sometime soon.... Calen Nixon Chris Clark Empty The Bones Of You (Warp) This is the second Chris Clark LP on Warp Records. Where are the vocals? In this epic instrumental album, Chris Clark exposes a gothic concrete world narrated with heavy synthesizers. This emotionally robotic journey is warped (pun intended— www.warprecords.com) with a myriad of cacophonous sounds uniquely metallic in nature. The production is cold and slick; it flows nicely if you're feeling rainy, or if it's raining on you. But beware of prolonged listening; I'm not sure if you'll come out of it feeling intact. There must be hidden messages in these compositions because I get this vague feeling of physical sickness somewhere in my body. I almost want to see a Japanimation accompanying this soundtrack to get a better visual understanding of these songs. I've played this on my CD player at least two times from beginning to end and I still have trouble identifying the songs. Did I just listen to track 04 or 11 ? So forget about playing this CD on shuffle/random. Track 13, "Betty," was particularly jarring for its analog noises piercing my eardrums. For a moment, I thought those darn CDs were skipping again. Of course they weren't, but Clark did a magnificent job of fooling me. The cover is quite confusing. In the centre, there appears to be a face or a skull of some sort. I can't make out what is above its head, but below there are tons of crudely drawn fighter pilots flying kamikaze straight towards the centre. And there is this light orange silhouette of a guy upside down falling info the fray. Maybe the CD cover is too small for finer details. When I see the LP version, I'll stare at it a few more times and by then I'll get it. Or when Chris comes to town in November, I can ask him to explain it. Frank Liao m Death Cab for Cutie Transatlantlcism (Barsuk) "My God, some fans are going to despise this record." That was the first thought that ran through my head after playing Transatlanticism through for the first time. The bright, clear and polished production which leaves the listener no dark corners to hide; the lyrics, simpler and more direct compared to past albums; and guitars that alternately blast and chime where they were once understated—people are going to say Death Cab for Cutie pulled a Liz Phair. Admittedly, their accusations may not be entirely without merit. The vocal "ba-BAAAAs" on "The Sound and Settling" are far too glee club; a loud, distorted guitar bridge tramples the otherwise delicate and bittersweet "Tiny Vessels," and "We Looked Like Giants" trades nuance for bluster. But to use flaws like these to justify a criticism that DCFC have ignored their craft and talent for potential write-ups in Rolling Stone misses the point entirely. Yes, the songs are less murky and more verse-chorus-verse than before, but it's not like Ben Gibbard and Christopher Walla went out and hired The Matrix. This much is evident from the opening track, "The New Year." The loud, ringing guitars don't smack of commercialization, they actually help make a pretty catchy, poppy song that still communicates Gibbard's desire for connection ("There'll be no distance that will hold us back"). Equally successful and poignant are "Title and Registration," a bass-driven reflection on past love which features a Postal Servlce-ish xylophone section, and "Expo '86," where Gibbard's voice alternately coos and soars over Walla's melodic guitar work (sadly, there is no mention of Expo Ernie). The album's peak, though, is the gorgeous career-highlight "Transatlanticism." Even as more and more instruments are added to the song before its inevitable climax, Gibbard's ache and longing ("I need you so much closer") stand above all else in this eight-minute epic that sounds like the grown-up offspring of "Pictures of You." So, bemoan Transatlanticism as "Pop Goes Death Cab for Cutie" if you must, but I'll still treasure it all the same. Neil Braun Mark Eitzel The Ugly American (Matador Records) When I first gave this CD a listen, I couldn't shake the feeling that Mark Eitzel may have lost it. The previous singer for the American Music Club has this time chosen to infuse Greek instruments and styles into his own songs. On first spin it all seemed to lack a hook, and felt just too pretty, too produced, too clean and too impersonal. Something strange happened though,' because I found myself listening to it again and again, maybe so that I could give an honest review, but also because I felt that I might be missing something beneath the smooth veneer. After many repeated listens to The Ugly American, I've decided that it is. in fact, a pretty record, but nothing more. The lyrics are unimaginative, and the Greek instrumentalists add spice to the dish that would otherwise be entirely unpalatable. At its worst, the additional pop-inflected voice and production that Eitzel has chosen to work with this time around is the strangling kitsch that can be found on songs "Take Courage," and "Nightwatchman." At the album's best ("Western Sky" or perhaps "Love's Humming"), it is unmemorable, with tracks flowing into each other and falling into a mid tempo doze of non emotions and sparkling mediter- soren Brothers ^w^r Adam Green Jessica EP (Rough Trade) Could this be true? An Adam Green CD that doesn't seem to earn a "Parental Advisory" sticker? Of course there is one, but I can't figure out why. The only "Moldy Peach" language available appears on one of the covers he does! This EP contains, obviously, the awesome "Jessica" single from his Friends of Mine album released this past July. I love the lyrics: "Jessica Simpson, where has your love gone? It's not in your music, no...." The only lo-fi moment appears on track 3: "Don't Smoke/ The Bronx Zoo 1989" which sounds like a seven or eight-year-old Adam advertising therr of lerits of not smoking going to the zoo. Awww... And then there's "What a Waster"— a Libertines cover—an easy going, guitar strumming version of the cokehead girl song. And the final song? A cover of The Beach Boys' "Kokomo"! With Ben Kweller! Eek! What an awesome combo! I think this EP caught Adam in a good mood (and in a studio!!! Gasp!!!) and I easily listened to this 20 times in a row after I ripped open the packaging. These are feelgood songs, like Neil Diamond or something... Natalie Vermeer Gemma Hayes Night On My Side (Astralwerks) "Album of the year." "A scorcher." "The finest debuf* from a female since Beth Orton's Trailer Park." Or so the promotional sticker reads. Knowing that these quotes are all from British tabloids, you can't help but be very skeptical (speaking of which, now that our editor is a Brit, will DiSCORDER be carrying headlines promoting "The Greatest Band in All Creation" and then trash said band three months later?). Indeed, Night On My Side doesn't deserve all that praise, but it's not without merit. Hayes' voice can't compare to the assertive and arresting Orton; it's closer to Jewel's minus the preciousness, which means it's pleasant, but not strong enough to carry a song by itself. Unfortunately, the spare "My God" and "Evening Sun" are written to put all the focus on Hayes' voice. She fares much better when she sticks to pop- pier, moFe engaging fare like the charming single "Hanging Around" and "Back of My Hand," as well as the feedback- drenched "Tear in my Side" and "Lucky One." Co-produced by Dave Fridmann, the album's mix of adult alternative smoothness, distorted guitars and acoustic explorations sounds great, but the album's quieter moments, designed to sound emotional and affecting, fall flat. Think of this album, then, as music for polite company; it's nothing revolutionary, it's fairly unobtrusive, and the odd guest might even compliment you on your music taste. Neil Braun Head of Femur Mngodom or Proctor (Greyday Productions) I like where this band gets its name. The head of femur is the point where the cameraman for the Ed Sullivan Show was not to film below when Elvis shook his pelvis. The band explains that "the head of femur is the point where rock and roll becomes sex qnd we balance on top of it!" Oooh.... So there are three core members of the band and then 15 guest musicians, including an accordionist! Zyeah! The vocalist and guitarist is Matt Focht who drums for Bright Eyes and there's another guitarist/vocalist named Mike Elsener who has played in a band with Matt before and with keyboardist/drummer/vocalist Ben Armstrong. Ben also currently composes music for children's movies which I find interesting because many times this album seems kind of like a collection of simplistic high school band/choir songs, but that's not to knock it I find some similarities with Bright Eyes but this band is a lot more accessible and there aren't many Connor O'Berst- bursts of cracking, heart- wrenching vocals. The often simplistic melodies and lyrics are endearing in many ways but in some instances, force me to skip tracks. They are kind of growing on me, except some of the especially cheesy lines like in "80 Steps to Jonah" or "Money is the Root...". Sometimes it seems like I'm listening to The Flaming lips. Madness, and Rocket from the Crypt at the same time. I think the highlight of this album is the Brian Eno cover ("The True Wheel"). Just like how the first song on this album ("January on Strike") makes me/eel tike I'm in an 80s suburban teen movie, this song makes me want to skip down the street in my big-shouldered pink sweater. It's got Beach Boy harmonies with robotic new wave response vocals—howcan you riot love tt&j?v\ Natalie Vermeer Jaga Jazzist The Stix (Ninja Tune) I've been listening to this disc for weeks but haven't been able to write this review for sometime. Usually the words come to me after the first or second listen, but this time: nothing. The Stix is a good release; no, scratch that, this is a fucking great release! Jaga Jazzist are future- jazz but not in that Jazzanova, DJ Krush, or Beatless sense of the term. Damn, those Norwegians are keeping it fresh! My head was just getting around fellow countryman Kim Hiorthoy's latest release, and now I have this follow-up to the fantastic Animal Chin EP by a collective of ten Norsemen known for fusing retro-lounge to contemporary electronics. The group is both jazzy with horns and upright bass, plaintive and sweet with guitars, and electronically rhythmic thanks to a heavy dose of synths, keyboards and drum machines. It's like the boys are equal fans of Ninja Tune, Warp and Stereolab yet have somehow combined these influences into something truly unique. Your cool friends and not-so-hip parents will both appreciate The Stix, being so current in sound and its homage to free jazz of the '70s. Are the Norwegians the new Swedes as far as album sales < probably not, since electronica/jazz usually a backseat to rock/pop/punk . on the Billboard charts. Let's just say those Icelanders have something to worry about. Robert Robot %0, Paula Kelly The Trouble With Success or How You Fit Into the World \£|§|# • (Kimchee Records) ".NeV.e/^^Mdge a record by its credits. 1 picked this record up because in its credjjjj,-troth" ■ ,fdr^OTCtfe'stra and a chW^^^fe, listed. 1 had thus assumed that Paula Kelly was either a classical musician/composer or a <veryj.<cVeative atmospheric solo vocalist. Tq n^^^treme disappointment, this was' rief .the- case. Both the orchestra and choir are used as single-note backup instruments throughout most of the record. The only colorist moment they give is at the end of "Where Do You Go," when the horns randomly decide to end the song Spanish Tango style. This sounds very out of place, seeing as the rest of the record seems to be a blend of a modern Japanese pop group. The Cranberries, and Shirley Temple. I can easily imagine this record selling well to Japanese ESL students—despite the nonsensical melancholy lyrics such as "through the dizzy blue, the ground comes into view," and "over time, filled with circles in my mind." Listening to this record hurts my ears. Regardless, there are some attempts at style in the later half of the record, and I would definitely call Kelly 'unique.' So it is for this reason alone that I would give this record a three or four out of ten. Only the extremely optimistic feminist would score it any higher—and, even then, only by a few points. Eric Hedekar Well, takes Kid Koala Some of My Best Friends Are DJs (Ninja Tune) The second full-length album by Canada's own, Eric San (AKA Kid Koala), is more of that good lovin' you're used to from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (Ninja Tune 1998). Jazz samples over catchy beats and creative sound manipulations make the majority of Koala's tracks on Some Of My Best Friends Are DJs (Ninja Tune Oct. 2003) sound beckoning you to come closer with one sharp red-nailed finger, as she provocatively sways her hips to the music. The CD is part of Kid Koala's liter- .,ary>Pr^i©ct, Nufonia Must Fall, a 350-page love story about an unemployed robot and a workin' girl. The theme of love is explored on fhe disc, most aptly l^^%fj$iipte .of koala bears' sexual barks and in "Vrse&ti^h * Island," a twangy musical manifestation of a lazy sunny day under a palm ttfs>gi»h Hawaii. The ■ sc«Sfcl?ing is wave-like, floating through edcto,Jrjgck, and there is a narratioriJJaijis'orts, guiding you through the album. "Skanky Panky" and "More Dance Music" stand out as strong tracks, both with cheery, nostalgic jazz melodies and a catchy beat that you 0C^d8«JTUS^U«S somewhat sentimental scratch __ DJing showcase that r can't help but bounce to. Then, there's the stuff that's just plain different and certainly a little bizarre, such as "Flu Season," which involves cutting recordings of two people sneezing over classic beatboxing. That and "Robochacha", a crazy mix of an electronic voice and drum beats. Overall, this record is' tion on the fun and funky sound j ^\A IcTS BC/ of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, but with a more personalized theme, 2* ^-0 rs^^ tying in with Koala's Nufonia -^^.'tOWY' WlLS^sl Must Fall project. The result is a ** rt)u i »sf Lai 5AM' Bob wtseMAiJ us of just how talented thisgy^^ ^ ON PAY ©wlf • Canadian artist is at combining _ p ». , P\JLA JAZ"2> unexpected elements to form ' *» beautiful yet out of the ordinary S* J°«\ ^ ih^l |p$ music t>ievy PieOjet-jA^ Flavia ^.foy^lChiUr^f 16. £teNAR.\oS Uy iHw. -OVvVWf" A.c^\ | IS- jnMb'-KaH.4". (XrS\o[C Kitchens and Bathrooms [fe _ ^^j^,^ ft |fe Vehicles Beyond f I II I kA, C. > (Sonic Unyon) JacMMia Mfif.* There's something difficult il.Av\."fob*J>H felKcfc »f about reviewing a math rock . Amtr.'ti |%"4"") band. Labelling a band math |$, TV rlour C4^fc5 rock tends to be a bit suffocat- W ( o I»IC "Htf'^ ing and limiting, given how ^, . t exclusive that style can seem"2ljX V/WN■• to-be. So I'm going to give the —, C>a ftftjj'.L j, ft ~X\Nt$altj facts straight up. K and B are a ^ i^ » fi.p Hamilton. Ontario rock trio who 22 . MYStvTy jPP like to experiment as much as 23. M/st ^ONtIA^ possible with different rhythms "%A l^lAS^f/ DRAJC^-- ^25. IN tVir^'s Jk>J V-eK^Vy :i and melodic lines. The vocals "Vehicles Beyond"- are scarce and cryptic, and as such tend 2|p . ^B^V<VJ PeCre to act as little more than sup- ^A.v'AC^Nt1 porting instruments to the main feature— the interplay between * ' i guitars and drums. The songs **( * *— ' have a touch of hardcore andzJ^ . f^gAAjCX>A M"^^ are epic in sound, though not in ^g^^K* 1$ S length (the longest song, "The^r,» »,»5-rv1^ *\ Commodity," pulls in at barely -T—fAMlU^ *MA| five minutes). Given the lack of - 0 J p (fr£tf£ l^fi experimentation with different J * # . instruments or styles the songs •»« (4At.LC>^"€.^'A/ ,6 can tend to run together, bu they're all good enough to float the album as a whole. Songs to " ¥ ^^jjfca4» MllSl'c note are "Alphabet Conscious"' and "For Instance, Driving Blind," but as there are no songs that stand out head and shoulders above the rest, these are chosen for their song titles as much as anything else. The album art is a black background, with a picture of what look like a street at night with yellow tinged street lights. Check them out if you're interested in hardcore experimental music. soren Brothers ^ew^HV i SVlf^dfciNptV 35 i>vSOoflDC& Los Straitjackets Supersonic Guitars In 3-D (Yeproc Records) I'd kinda given up on instrumental bands when groups like Satan's Pilgrims, The Bomboras and Huevos Rancheros packed it in because they had gotten tired of playing (and I got tired if hearing) a style of music that traditionally has been an uphill battle of appreciation because other bands like them either relied to heavily on schtick or not enough on musicianship, thus bringing the quality factor down a few notches. With the aforementioned bands there was always that perfect blend of show, style and song that would never detract one iota from my appreciative ears. Then I happen along Nashville, Tennessee's troubadours of surf-n-turf, Los Straitjackets and '. I thank the good Lord above that at least there's still hope for instrumental fans to invest their money in a hard-working outfit like them. By the time you read this, seven albums worth of show- stopping, mask-wearing, gear- grinding voice-less (unless you count their sing-a-long record) ■ versatility will have come, seen, and conquered those fortunate enough to catch their FIRST time ever in Vancouver (an outright crime considering their appearances on Late Night With Conan O'Brien, numerous film scores and celebrity endorsements- not withstanding), but such is life. For those who have missed this momentous occasion, you have this brand new disc of delight to pipe through those speakers and enjoy thirteen tracks of big boss beats. From the Link Wray influenced fuzz-fest of "Time Bomb," to taking a ferry 'cross The Mersey for "Dipinto Twist" and "Isn't Love Grand?", there's still a lot of shakin' to do with more straight up Ventures- style surf numbers like "Beach Bag" and "Galaxy Drive." To the jazzy be-bop of "Giggle Water" and the spooktacular theremin-laced (courtesy of The Blues Explosion's Jon Spencer) "Tarantula," the band with a penchant for twang and a trick or two up their sleeves (like guest appearances from X's DJ Bonebrake and Billy Zoom) make for a worthy entry into the instro- sweepstakes and deserved of many spins at your next shindig. Bryce Dunn ing noticably up the middle. Although some of the mixes fall into the trap of becoming simply wandering grooves, most of the tracks are solid. Above all. Madlib's deep respect for the artists he is reinvisioning is utterly evident—right down to the faux- Francis Wolff photo he has on his album cover. Very Blue Note. Lucas TdS Madlib Shades of Blue (Blue Note Records) Remixes of old jazz records seem to be as common as low- rise jeans these days. They are often a way for a record label to generate new interest in old recordings (which are cheap to re-package), while generating interest from old jazz fans for new artists. Plus, the remixers get the joy of playing with the work of some of their heroes. However, remixes in this vein often come across sounding fake and forced. Some would even argue that these remixes are tasteless (remember the guffaw surrounding Tricky's remix of Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit"? So my biggest question when picking up Madlib's Shades o? Blue was "How will he fare remixing the work of Donald Bryd, Herbie Hancock. Horace Silver and other Blue Note artists?" Madlib, thankfully, is no amateur. He's been around the block a few times and knows the material he is working with. Plus, to call this album a "remix" album is not really doing it justice... it isn't so much a remix album as a collaboration project to reinterpret eleven classic pieces. Madlib takes us on a journey through Blue Note's record library, remixing and often altogether rerecord- ing pieces. There is no doubt that Madlib has respect for the original masters whose work he is playing with—but he also takes steps to level the playing field, asserting himself as an artist on- par with the original jazz cats. For example. Madlib uses packaging craftily on this release, creating an "authentic" atmosphere by mimicking the look and feel of original Blue Note sessions... looking at the liner notes, one would think that over twenty real musicians were involved in the project—in fact, it's mostly Madlib himself and his multiple aliases (including the "Joe McDuphrey Experience" and "Yesterday's New Quintet"). He even credits each individual sample and each overdubbed part as a seper- ate instrumentalist... Taking the gag to its inevitable extreme, he even fakes a live recording session at "the Lost Gates, CA" with a trio and then lets the listener in on the joke halfway through the tune when he chops and edits the record- Mogwai Happy Songs for Happy People (Matador) This release was originally titled Bag Full of Agony, but Mogwai came up with the marginally better Happy Songs for Happy People instead for their 'proper' fourth long player. This childishly ironic title is almost as clever as the album's art is boring. With song titles like "Kids Will Be Skeletons," I don't think Mogwai is any happier than before. Thankfully, the real content—the music—is better than the band's marketing. No longer a young team, these five Scotsmen have managed to carve a niche in the musical landscape»as primarily instrumental rockers who take leads from drony shoegazing with a healthy dose of post rock and something I don't know yet. I could say HMFHP is a progression in sound from their louder, less delicate, guitar-rock of past. ik^'is&Sii The quiet and whispered vocals on "Boring Machines Disturbs Sleep" are certainly new. The same goes for the inclusion of violin. I could also say this is the sound of a band maturing and loosing their edge or possibly no longer as fresh-sounding. Yet, at moments, this seems to be Mogwai's best release, complete with vintage Mogwai cutting guitars and their more recent focus on emotive piano interludes. Jon Peel claims Mogwai has gone from being a good to great band with HMFHP, but I'm not convinced. This is solid and among?) some of Mogwai's best work, but undoubtedly will not convert those not previously convinced of the bands right to popularity. Robert Robot Plastilina Mosh Nolo Chicuelos (Astralwerks) I am going to start stating that it would be very unlikely for me to buy a Plastilina Mosh album if I was living in Mexico, espe cially because you can listen to their songs as frequently on the radio as you hear Nickelshit in Vancouver's stations. Maybe I would be tempted to buy one here in Canada more for nostalgic reasons than for anything' else; Because being here made me appreciate more their salad of rhythms with a predominant electronic lounge elements that could be easily ployed in a mainstream club or include one of the tracks in a chill out CD compilation: however you can sense the Latin flavour mixed with Spanish and English lyrics. Their music is a satirical portrayal of Mexican urban culture through the combination of old rhythms with new beats. Plastilina Mosh is cynical. Plastilina Mosh likes to be ridiculous and they make groovy sounds out of it. They try to bring fur coats and burlesque girls from Mexican seventies films where the main actors were "suave" smooth and sleazy Don Juans acting cool with the ladies. In their warped version of pop culture you can see chihuahua dogs sipping martinis and maybe you can imagine ugly people making love with a funky rhythm over a velvet beach. Hola Chicuelos is less compromised and less political than their previous album. Hola Chicuelos, which would translate as "Hello Little Lads," goes between cheesy and pop with hints of interesting notes. You have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy this CD. Drunk and funk from Mexico you can like a couple of tracks like "Peligroso Pop", "Shake Your Pubis" or some of the more loungy sounds. I am going to finish by saying that if you are thinking of buying this CD, you'd better buy another of their creations called Aquamosh, which is much more interesting, has better grooves and is a more compromised Oswaldo Perez Cabrera Puffy AmiYumi Nice (Columbia) You know those Japanese kids you see around town that look like pop culture came along and puked up all over them? That's what this record sounds like. Every track seems to borrow from a different style of popular music: "Long Beach Nightmare" smacks of early Beatles, "Your Love is a Drug" sounds like a song The Cars wish they could have written and "Tokyo Nights" sounds like the kind of '80s eurotrash dance music that Aqua were churning out five years ago. Even the cover has Ami and Yumi posing as John and Yoko on their "bed in" for peace. This sort of borrowing and meandering through pop music is usually an album's undoing; in trying to appeal to the widest variety of listeners an artist (or producer in this case) will create an album of songs with little relation to one another. Not so with Puffy AmiYumi. Somehow the Japanese pop duo's twin vocal sound transcends the stylistic differences found in the music. This is an even more amazing feat due to the fact that over half of the lyrics aren't even English and those that are don't exactly pack an emotional punch. There are two songs about Tokyo ("Planet Tokyo" and "Tokyo Nights"), a cartoon theme song that's actually the theme song for a cartoon ("Teen Titans Theme") and a song in which the duo declares that a suitor's affection for them is similar to a pharmaceutical product ("Your Love is a Drug"). An album like this would not work were Puffy AmiYumi not Japanese. The thought of two girls from North America singing an album like this (or two pseudo-lesbians from Russia) quite frankly makes me want to vomit. For some reason though. Puffy AmiYumi come off with enduring cuteness. Ian Gormely guitar chords, solid beats and country bass riffs need no interruption by vocals. With c.ool graphic design to wrap it up and int/Jguing titles like "Twenty Original Fembots," this CD is very retro and very cool. With a spaghetti western feel evocative of roadhouses and lonely bars, I recommend this CD as the soundtrack when you hop into your classic car with your baby and drive on out to find one, or at least find somewhere secluded. I have one complaint—this disc wasn't wasn't long enough. More, I want more! Vampyra Draculea The kamblin' Ambassadors Avantl (Mint Records) The Ramblin' Ambassadors' disc Avanfi serves up some classic rockabilly music, with a little bit of a surf influence just under the surface. Their deep chunky Seismic Portions (Coqi records) I wanna completely hold judgment against this CD until I see them perform live. Circa 1995, the Melting Hopefuls CD made heavy rotation in my walkman for a couple of weeks before sentimentality led to mighty boredom. Zoom forward to 2003 landing this terrifically packaged CD for review: origami and all. From Ottawa arid proudly adoring Canadian Twenty Dollar Bills on its cover. Seismic made me feel age thirteen again and ready to really love this album. With sappy new-school soft indie rock riffs and melodic vocals by the Sarah Deluca, it was a sure formula for success. The cheesy protest sound clip of "No More Wars" was a bit much though. I'm getting too old to sit through this often- repeated anti-war rhetoric. How about "No More Coke," way more provocative? And something so important it's worth mentioning. Beat diggers: yo, cop this on LP/CD. Lots of Nirvana-ripoff breaks. I made a neat remix of "Sleep On It" with old MPC-60. Type nice. The instrumental "Portions" gave me the impression that the drummer lacked serious funk. A drummer needs to feel funky. Frank Liao The Shins Chutes Too Narrow (Sub Pop) While The Shins' first album. Oh! Inverted World, invited one a little further down the road of tight throwback falsetto pop than this writer.is willing to travel (sober). it was a revelation. I hear, to enthusiasts, making its follow- up a relatively anticipated thing. On Chutes Too Narrow, America's Top Modelizers (your friends will explain) maintain the if-it's-baroque-don't-fix-it-( too- much) approach, but manage to slip something noteworthy into that first record's claustrophobic pop gush. As much as I'd like to think that it's me who has loosened up, I'm pretty sure it's The Shins. Sure, there are moments that match—even up—that record's pop ante, but for the most part things have been toned down: the helium bong gathers dust on several vocal takes, the arrangements are less gymnastic, the folk of "New Slang" has quietly spread through their sound. Of course, what's gained in this newfound space is a more dynamic record and songs, as nicely penned strumjobs explode pretty convincingly into rock star fist- pumpers ("Kissing the Lipless"), updated pop classicisms, and kicky psychedelic throwdowns. Bas/7 Waugh get to make a landmark record envied by collectors? Why did I just bong a can of tomato juice? The reissue details the birth and abortion of Solger and the liner notes include tribute and commentary from Steve and Mark of Mudhoney. The three chord guitar treats on "Dead Solger" and "Raping Dead Nuns." coupled with vocals oh-so "sick of the production line and having to meet the standards" (From "I Hate It") make this album worth more than just its history. However, the raw sound becomes a detriment to this album when patchy instruments and less-than-favourable acoustics slaughter the five live tracks closing this record. To further my steak analogy, the Germs "What We Do Is Secret" cover is clearly the HP sauce on your entree; this record is either 16 tasty cuts or fodder unfit for human consumption, depending on your tastes. Regardless, Codex 1980 will deliver sonic E. Coli and aural Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease faster than elected government overlords can ban it. Calen Nixon Solger Codex 1980 (Empty Records) Listening to Empty Records' reis- . sue of Solger's recording efforts is comparatively akin to ordering rare prime rib and instead being served a raw goat carcass recently defiled by a correctional institute social committee. A delicacy indeed for hardcore purists, enter the group that was Solger with a cacophony of distorted strings accompanied by satisfying lyrics. Codex 1980 aims to capture all of the band in one half-hour production. Frankly, not a very daunting task for a legend that only lasted five months before they kicked the shallow bucket. Born under the Black Flag at the turn of the forgotten decade, Solger are the angriest Germs you ever did hear. Why Solger? Why do four punks from Seattle Some Girls Feel It (Koch Entertainment) First they were babies and now they're girls. After the Blake Babies reunion tour in 2001. Juliana Hatfield and Freda Love decided to continue playing together. They recruited Love's friend Heidi Gluck to play bass, among other things, and Some Girls was born. The result of this union is their first full-length. Feel It, a soundtrack album for those days when you just can't get off your ass. It's not great. It's not bad. There are no tempo changes, and it makes me feel like I'm listening to one long song. Hatfield's vocals are casual to the point of detachment, working like a sedative on the lyrics' emotional appeal. The band is more than competent, and the songs are generally well crafted, but there's something missing here. The energy and honesty that much of Hatfield's older work (like 1995's Only Everything) so charming, is absent, and Some Girls don't- wear this indifference well. Why was this disc called Feel It when there's nothing to feel? Kat Siddle Taking Back Sunday Tell All Your Friends (Victory) Tell all your friends indeed, cause this is one disc they should all own. Taking Back Sunday are one of the numerous melodic hardcore bands that seem to be crawling out of fhe woodwork these days. Yet these Long Island natives have succeeded in transcending the genre. There's nothing particularly new about this band; they boast the usual influences, their lyrics follow the same heart on sleeve conventions that is so en vogue right now and their music falls into the typical rhythmic patterns with all the breakdowns and explosions of pent up emotion where they should be. What sets this band apart from its peers is its ability to write genuinely catchy songs without sacrificing its energy or aggression. In fact it's the slower numbers on this record where lyrics such as "did I ever tell you that everything I know about breaking hearts I learned from you" ("There is No 'I' in Team") truly gain their spiteful- ness. Elsewhere on "You're So Last Summer", lead singer Ed Reyes earnestly demonstrates what a pushover for the ladies he can be explaining that "you could slit my throat and with my one last gasping breath, I'd apologize for bleeding «n your shirt." Ouch. Taking Back Sunday is not going to challenge the boundaries of punk rock, nor do I believe is its intention. What they have done is written an album of anthems that is certain to make an impact amongst those of us who like to scream along in our cars really, really loudly. Ian Gormely John Morgan Johnny Fever The Lotus Sound Large 10prrv4am 19* (©Bander) Vancouver Canada .progrsssiveentertamiertcorn Free cover before 11 pm except Oct 31 WWW.-^bH LrECORDS.COM PO BOX 1381001W BROADWAY #101 i¥w ww mvu mum www.citr.ca Martin Tielli Operation Infinite Joy , (Six Shooter Records) Well, we've waited an extra four months for this first in Martin 27 Sfiscofcsefc j Tielli's four CD subscription series, it's finally out and well worth the wait. The artwork, which was apparently delaying the release, even seen the special signed subscriber's edition. There are several revisited themes from his musical past, including a picture of the Albion Mall and the man in a snow jacket (from Rheostatics album Introducing Happiness). as well as lots of detailed scenes of Toronto As was promised, this is a full-out rock album, akin to was my game. Now along come Paul Shrimpton and Andrew Wedman and give me a reason to reconsider my relationship to Tinkertoy: the band, that is. Tinkertoy's Transatlantic Love Machine inhabits the same musical space as Fluxion and Kreidler. Low key in a disturbing way. the music'quietly burbles away. The occasional click, beat and almost recognizable sound marks the passing of time. The ■ faintest of melodies is described. Voice fragments hang in the air, dissipating before comprehen- his all acoustic solo debut—he sion. covers much more ground in Perfect m usic for staring out thfe-one—and there's plenty of windows. his distinctive wailing vocals. The Pes musicians consist of his touring band (Piei, Mirochnik, and Smith) plus producer Jon Goldsmith, fel low performer in Nick Buzz and collaborator for at least one of tne other releases. In one song. tribute vocals, along with Apparently, Martin had too many ideas to just release one album this year, but it seems like he had too many ideas even for four. At first listen, several of the songs seemed jumpy and disjointed, but because of this overwhelming wealth of sound, there's'something new to appre- epitc ; incredible speaks succinctly and frankly of the ugly side of humanity. Fans of the Rheostatics who didn't like ...Poppy Salesman (were there any?) will enjoy this immensely, especially "Winnipeg" and "Ship of Fire," which are two of some really beautiful songs on the second half of the album. And for those who've been watching/ listening to his live shows, there's "Beauty On." Keep your eyes open for the next in the series - Nick Buzz playing music by Schoenburg. which will be out in the next couple of months. H ^ The Trews House of III Fame (Sony Music Canada) When I say "Canadian pop," what comes to mind? A warm breeze rustling through the golden grain fields? Beer-drenched house parties? An overall mediocre sound? Sloan and Duotang? Well, think option c... er, with some of b and d. Meet The Trews, fresh out of Niagara Falls, brought to you by the good people of the Canada Music Fund, already spun by the likes o'f Much East and MuchMoreMusic. Somehow, Canadian bands always draw some strange patriotic pity out of me and I'll reluctantly press play a second time. i this c a CD a Tinkertoy Transatlantic Love Machine (Noise Factory Records) I was never a tinkertoy fan. As a toy it sucked... wow another model of an atom... lame. Lego 28 Och>ber2rjD3 go AND actually read the lyric book. The sound still didn't turn There is, however, something interesting in the writing collaborations of Colin MacDonald, Jack Syperek, John-Angus MacDonald, and Sean Dalton. It flows like desperate 3 a.m. ramblings. like the drunken sentiments you share with a buddy when your significant other's an ass, like the reflections that spontaneously arise while watching those beautiful Ontario sunsets over those majestic lakes. Maybe this CD won't overwhelm you with the urge to actually PAY for it, but these guys have potential. Maybe someday. Parmida Zarinkamar P< Jorma Whittaker s/t (Secretly Canadian) I have made other people listen to this album. I have forced them to sit in silence, waiting for the moment when strings and drums will come to deliver the sweetest relief, though the sounds are already delicio'us in and of themselves. These people have sat in silence for longer than even I had intended them to, despite the fact that I have listened to this album enough times to repeat the lyrios in my head. This is because each note, each tonal intonation is achingly withheld until the last possible second. And I cannot decide if it is the delaying of pleasure or fucking torture. I do not believe that Jorma Whittaker could have existed in music if it were not for this modern age. Without a microphone, his voice may have disappeared to secret inside places, lost forever in the swill and beauty that is his motivation. Enabled by electronics, every breath becomes a hyperbole, or a voice reflected back and echoed; not whispered, for there is no warm breath on my neck. It would be so simple to believe that he is alone in- these sounds, despite a multiplicity clearly evident. In other incarnations, Whittaker is part of Marmoset.. Though I am unfamiliar with their music, it is frighteningly obvious why he would have tackled this music of his own accord. Besides the obvious telephone distortion (Do you remember these games of our youth?), exorcism, in essence, is a solitary experiment. In his worst moments, Whittaker sounds like Destroyer with no soul, lamenting things so uninteresting as his financial standing in relation to a new boyfriend. At his best, Whittaker will entice you to tear your hair out, to spew bodily fluids and your heart into a stew of stinking experience, and then let the mess ferment until all that is left is delicate treasures. Drink these sounds like expectorating cough medication and abandon to the dream imagery not so far away as you may imagine. Do you remember that feeling of unquenchable joy of elliptical movements around a merry-go- round and the always fought notion of vomit? If you do not, than that thin line is where this album willtake you. sweetcheyanne Michael Yonkers Band Microminiature Love (Sub Pop) Every once and a while some long-forgotten recordings get dug up by one obscurist music obsessive or another and see the light of day, touted to you and me as works of weird and undiscovered genius. In some cases, these fosstts are worth the trouble of unearthing; the recent release of Simply Saucer's previously unavailable demos, for example, was terrific news for any Modern Lovers fans. Michael Yonkers' Microminiature Love is, unfortunately, a different story. Originally recorded in 1968, Sub Pop would have you believe that this bedroom-recording nut-job was a pioneer of primitive proto-punk psychedelia, possibly on the merit of his homemade guitars and pedals. The sad truth is that his guitar sounds permanently out-of-tune, and his effects are nothing that wasn't already in mainstream use at the time. His songs are pretty much devoid of any hooks or dynamics and his playing is inept, at best, to say nothing of his lyrics, which are downright silly. His unintentionally amusing haunted-house vocals might draw a comparison to a genuine oddball genius like Joe Meek, but the fact seems a lot less impressive when you consider that Joe Meek was recording about ten years earlier and knew his way around a great rock and roll riff. Michael . Yonkers, despite having recently ! played with the likes of Wolf Eyes and Six Organs of Admittance, simply does not make the grade as an outsider rock artist. He traverses the same ground as early Stooges and Pere Ubu, but with such a dearth of inspiration that he gives descriptors'like "primitive" and "psychedelic" a bad name. Don't be fooled—some "treasures" are better left undiscovered. saelan • Blow the Rent Check! You're poor, you're homeless, but you love rm^^pi0^§^kt the Pastoral Folktronic Laptop explosion. Four Tet must be looking over his shoulder. I'm pretty sure I heard a hurdy-gurdy in there somewhere too. imi; The Decemberists Her Majesty... (Kill Rock Stars) 'Ello. 'ello, 'eM||§jtehat 'ave we 'ere? While everyone is still gently nursing their newly purchased re-release copies of Castaways and Cutouts, cheeky young scallywags The Decemberists sucker punch their audience ^^'■^^wick-smart follow up that actuaHyir^w^ves on their already winning formula. Spiraling thros#f?$ime, location and genre, lead singer Colin Meloy presents us wif*H<^SOT: junk shop stuffed full dtftpjgip;'; brae and curios for our perusal. Like some'kind of Wellesian hero, alternating songs find us fighting against those dastardlyjjjiffy&on the muddy battle fields of northern Europe, rWm$ig, a ride on a clipper ship in the South Pacific and hobnobbing with a Jewish debutante in a scene vaguely reminiscent of an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel circa 1!9'&2Jgf%0 is baroque indie pop writ large in maddening detail. It makes your head spin. Quite*jsi^ijgte one of the albums of the year, and to think, in recent iri^^s^»" Colin Meloy has been rnwsa3»gfi,',~ because he didn't think anyone would tike this album. Matmos The CM War Maybe two years spenfTraiiing.' the world on the heels of Bjork have done MaJmes some good, at least when if comes to learning how to please an audience. The r "i War must surely classify as their most populist release to date. There arejlti^pdies. blissed- j§y^Jj£i& and even (sh^^ho^- ror!) the odd conventional tune. However, when they say3b»-',Cwil i^S6rfiflV' ain't kiddin' Fans of ihe trademarfe#tetmos squelch and pop mo^Osg^djsappointed as 0rew Daniel and MC.Schmidf ^^^gl^^te^lS^ century folk—bagpipes, marching bands and all—info a beautiful electronic tapestry, carrying it as their flqg as they march off intg.l^^gfe- friends Lesser, Btevin Stoe&mgndl David Grubbs join the campaign on its merry way and before you know if, Matmos have cornered BlgStar The Big Star Story (Rykodisc) "Hangin' out (dum-dum dum der-der-dert)/Be^i the Street (dum-dum dum der^der-dert)....' ." Even if you hate the show, you have to concede thaf Twaf - *?l|3$^$nas done at least one good thing during its numerous seasons on tbelipf;,goggle-box. Thanks fo an endless^»^e% sion of re-rui^SfsJightly modi- -&el#j^fen of Big Star's "In the Street" now resides comfortably in the collective consciousness, hopefully finally allowing the legendary band's lead singer Alex Chilton the chance to pull down some long-awaited and well-deserved "mad dollar," With their chim8(^@pfete^^^^: sweet harmonies ando^M^': ing song craft.'|^Star blazed a trail, which was subsequently followed by just about every indie band one can name.'MpK^ was, back in the 70s. the record- buying public didn't payj^Si^^j blind bit of attention. Inte^gs^i^i shortly after theJpttease of Radio City, the group's second^&^^j Chilton was asked taaMfJMgfiijI, about all the critical acclaim they were receiving. His rather cynical response was "Yeah, that's nice. I just hope If sells. We've had critical acclaim before, but no money." Cynical ]JJ$%&fcs|j$iNton'5 powers of foresight were spol^fcOh sure, they had tots of underg/ound|p||fiHb this garnered them very little real popularity and they looked destined to be the kind of band only truly apprecialiSijJ'by snobbish record store clerks and^$$$tjma$ wankers tike me. But like Nick Drake, a drip-drip-drip of praise : from the great and thft^^sC, (Michael Stipe, please take a bow) has founa^§|!p^alil|fl^fe" record a very loving txwj|y2p*k. with this release, hopefully more people will get in on the secret. What we have here is &§w%££iL> your standard greatest hits package, and it serves as a perfect introduction to the band—if you know nothing about them, this is definitely where you should start. However, as a snobbish wanker, I have but two gripes: one, the version of their flagship song "Thirteen" included hetf$|iE&^.. version and not the ethereal studio take. And, second^f^«fj^s jw4£@I6 Me." Why not? • Merek Cooper the Railway in awe. The Rain and the Sidewalk followed Splatter, and this one-man act impressed many with his moody electronic art-pop music and his witty lyrics. Elizabeth was next and they entertained the crowd with their brand of heavy art rock. They ended the night with the song "War Is Beautiful" which is one hell of a catchy song. A tough night SHiNDiG 2003 Night by Night Summaries By Ben La! How time flies. It felt just like yesterday when I announced to a packed crowd at the Railway Club that Black Rice was the' winner of SHiNDiG 2002. Next thing you know autumn is here, the kids are back at school, and I am hosting SHiNDiG once again. For the benefit of those who don't know, I'll give a quick rundown of what SHiNDiG is. SHiNDiG is CiTR's annual battle of the bands (I say "bands" for my convenience, but solo musicians are also welcome). For thirteen straight weeks 27 acts of all styles duke it out at the Railway Club to grab one of three prize-winning top slots. Many of the most recognizable Vancouver bands have competed in this event in the past, including Clover Honey, The Cinch, Three Inches of Blood, The Organ, Operation Makeout, Witness Protection Program and The Salteens, to name but a few. September 9 was the first night of SHiNDiG 2003. The three bands competing were Fiction, Letters To Grace and The First Day. Fiction combined oldies pop, new wave, dance and hard rock all into one package, and they delivered a very accessible ,j-fQ \[q VV * ViCtO^V ? set filled with hook-laced songs. Letters To Grace is best described as modem rock with a '60s sensibility, using visual arts to create an atmospheric musical experience. And the winner of the night. The First Day, is a hardcore punk act. Their set was energetic and tight, and it blew everyone away. The second night of SHiNDiG was September 16. Splatter was the first band on stage and they quickly got the crowd's attention with their high-energy metal show. The singer was charismatic and funny, and the "hair-windmill" of the bassist left many at to Jonathan from Vogville Recordings, the sound system was repaired before Revisionist took centre stage. With a newly acquired vocalist that added life to their powerful math rock instrumentais. Revisionist certainly delivered an impressive show. The Hooded Fang was last to be on stage, and they were much more than a classic stoner metal Bnabeth, the. winners at the second night of svMQi&, A "Hatful of for the judges I'm sure, but eventually they decided that Elizabeth would advance to the semi-finals. September 21 featured the loudest night so far, with The Badamps, Revisionist and The Hooded Fang all competing on the same night. The Badamps. with a crowd of fans gathering . in front of the stage during the show, hooked everyone with their good times punk rock. This was very impressive considering the Railway Club's sound system was mostly out of commission during their set. Thanks Splatter, a&> at fhese^on4 night Don't tfttoo cto£e (hex \\o). band. Most noticeable was their brilliant use of contrasting male and female vocals whjch added a new dimension rarely found in that genre of music. Again another hellish night of decision making for the judges, but they decided on Revisionist in the end. So that's a quick summary of the first three nights of SHiNDiG 2003. You can bet more excitement will come in future installments of SHiNDiG. On October 7 we'll have a fun night of indie-pop with A Common Mistake, They Shoot Horses Don't They? and Explaining Colors To The Blind. The following week, October 14, the beautiful voice of . Leah Abramson will battle against ' the finely crafted sounds of New Years Resolution and Paulisdead. And October 21 will feature the first hip hop act at SHiNDiG since just about forever with The Front playing with the punk act Martial Law and the hard-to-describe act Gangbang. You can't beat drama and excitement like that. See you all Tuesday nights at the Railway Club! SHiNDiG is held every Tuesday night at The Railway Club until December 2. For more information please visit http://shindig.citr.ca. Or just come on down. We give away beer for jokesl OF VITAMIN A INDUSTRIES, INC. endearing>cds $i4cdn, nus, 13 usos VARKAb'l PARKAS VANCOUVER/VICTORIA SHOWS: WED OCT 8 - VANCOUVER @ THE PIC W MAD BOMBER SOCIETY THUR OCT 9 - VICTORIA @ LOGAN'S FRI OCT 10 - VANCOUVER INSTORE @ RED CAT (5:00 PM) FRI OCT 10 - VANCOUVER @ THE MAIN FEATURED RELEASE SALE>CDS $8 CDN, 5 us, 8 usos BONADUCES A WINNIPEG INDIE ROCK/PUNK CLASSIC. PRAISED FOR ITS MIX OF POIGNANT LYRICS AND CRUNCHING GUITAR MELODIES, MEMBERS WOULD GO ON TO FORM THE PAPERBACKS AND PAPER MOON. INTERCONTINENTAL POP EXCHANGE >cds $8 cdn, 6 us, 8 usos <WOLF COLONEL/PAPERBACKS IPX NO 1, 4 SONGS EACH FROM WOLF COLONEL (K RECORDS) AND THE PAPERBACKS (PSHAW RECORDS). MELODIC INDIE ROCK. PAPER MOON/LESLIES int> IPX NO 2, 3 SONGS EACH FROM PAPER MOON (ENDEARING) AND SWEDEN'S LESLIES (LABRADOR). SOPHISTICATED INDIE POP. COMING NOV 1: HEAVY BUNKERS/ORWELL IPX NO 3, 3 SONGS EACH FROM HEAVY BLINKERS (ENDEARING) AND FRANCE'S ORWELL (QUINCE/PARASOL/EUROPOP) . SOPHISTICATED ORCHESTRAL POP. www.endearing.com www.intercontinentalpopexchange.com po box 69009.winnipeg.mb.r3p 2g9 mp3s, tour dates, news, paypal ordering at endearing.com. subscribe@endear- ing.com for newsletters. streaming audio, paypal ordering at intercontinentalpopexchange.com. FREE samplers with every order 19 frSCOfiDeR, live reviews The Last Spitfires Show Ever August 8 Brickyard This night wasn't about China- ' (own or Jet City Fix or Spreadeagle. although they destroyed. It was about staying up until 1:30 in the morning to witness the Spitfires kick everyone's ass for the last time. It was all about spiffing beer at the lead singer. It was about stealing the microphone and singing the song yourself. It was about swapping cigarettes with band members and falling into amps and singing "Down On It" in the encore. And dammit, it was wonderful! Chris-a-Riffic Cream Com Barf Extravaganza August 12 Havana Theatre Every-second Tuesday of every month. I should hope you have the time and good sense to plant your fat ass into the comfy seats of the Havana Theatre. That means it's mixtophonics time, baby! This time a collective of fresh-faced Dadaists who call ttiemselves the Cream Corn Barf Extravaganza took turns destroying a small part of Commercial Drive for the sake of the eleven people who witnessed it. The booklet I was given was misleading, though it contained many disturbing photos, the most dubious being the back photo of a naked women with freshly cutoff legs. I was also led to believe by the group's name that 1 was going see a lot of good puking action from the eight-member group. 1 was even given a blindfold, so I was ready for a spectacle that could only be enjoyed with the ears. What a frickin' letdown. No chundering. The performance area was littered with campground eauipment and percussion instruments and Corn Pops cereal and chains of all sizes. Where's the castor Oil? Where's the smell of rotten banana? The show started with Ida from The Beans riding on a stationary bike. From there, the group spent a good hour smashing and thrashing in a unrehearsed melee of pagan lust. What an exercise in human behavior! No "musician" spent more than 30 seconds on one little project. Too much stimulation! My favorite acts of musical sadism ingluded Corn Pops being thrown on a crash cymbal, a big chain crashing onto a garbage lid, and the subtle sound of a pair of pliers snapping the strings of a guitar. Add some adtordian and you still have WANKERY! I did, however, enjoy the grand attempt at their destruction art. For the sake of the theatre. I'm glad they didn't go any further. Chris-A-Riffic Andrew WK The Black Halos August 26 Richard's On Richards When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in a club surrounded by the assembled members of the cult of Andrew WK—well, you get the idea. Upon entering Richard's, I knew that it would be a fight to stay near the stage as a handful of 250-plus-pound bruisers were The Raja and the S'Ctewalk: at Shin dig Phcrfc by Ben Ui ffJk bouncing off each other on the dance floor during The Black Halos' opening set. The Halos gladly obliged both mosher and non- mosher alike with their rousing,. glammed-up punk. Not wanting to end up as a smear on the floor dnd ntot willing to hide on the "il- cony. I stood back and enjoyed the accomplished feats of both the Halos and the moshers. The band finished off with the radio hit "Some Things Never Fall." during which singer Billy Hopeless tried to mosh but ended up getting stripped down to a leopard-print thong. Clearly a case of giving your soul (and almost everything else) to rock and roll. Once the Halos had left, WK's fans headed to the stage and began singing his songs, though it doesn't take much dedication to memorize "I love New York City!/ Oh yeah, New York City!" After a brief instrumental intra, the crowd roared to life in an orgy of fist-pumping and devil signs'to the strains of "It's Time to Party." It certainly was. Clad in a clean white T-shirt and blue jeans—a refreshing change from his dirty whites, Andrew WK was a whirling dervish for his hour-long set. The head banging, mike pumps, stage dives, stage jogging, and scissors kicks he performed were more than anyone could keep up with; he should sell exercise tapes! The fans lapped up this tremendous display of enthusiasm. They stormed the stage throughout the set, giving everyone a view of the average Andrew WK fan. As far as I could tell male fans are early 20s jocks that live on beer and Playstation 2 while female fans want desperately to work at the Cecil or for suicidegirls.com. Such fan enthusiasm on such a small stage did cause some problems. With 20 other people with him on the stage, WK could barely do any moves. Fans also inadvertently interfered with the eauipment, which caused a bouncer to start throwing people off the stage without warning I laughed when that overzeal- ous fool tripped a drum mike, causing a song to be aborted. Having said that, it's hard to criticize a guy who delivers everything he promises. WK's beer- rawk tunes were pure mindless fun and his unflagging energy had everyone sweaty by night's end. And as for doing as the cult does, I even got onstage and crowd surfed once. Now where do I get my membership card? Neil Braun R.E.M. Wilco The Dandy Warhols August 29 Thunderbird Stadium Radiohead Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks August 30 Thunderbird Stadium Recently, it's seemed like (in cidents of alcohol and sedative-induced air rage notwithstanding) R.E.M. couldn't get arrested if they tried. Ten years ago they were the Biggest Band In the World; nowadays the only place you may hear them is on Jack FM. You'd think R.E.M. would by now be just a bunch of washed-up has-beens touring only for the money, but their concert at Thunderbird Stadium suggests there may be some life in this venerable institution yet. Right from the opening chords of "Begin the Begin," the band, particularly singer Michael Stipe, expressed charisma and a genuine thrill of performing that you have trouble getting from bands half their age. With song lyrics safely positioned by his mike stand, Stipe strutted, posed and danced his way across the length of the stage the whole night, garnering love and affection from all in attendance. Stipe further engaged the crowd by chatting them up after each song, giving shout-outs to Burnaby and West Van, and dedicating a gorgeous piano and vocal rendition of "Nightswimming" to a recently- married couple. Energetic as they were, R.E.M. never let fun interfere with their performance. Stipe's voice was as enchanting as on the albums; Mike Mills' vo- . cat harmonies, in addition to his talents on the bass and piano, helped to bring the more organic and beautiful songs from the set •to fife; and Peter Buck's Rickenbacker and mandolin jangle crafted the core melodies of some of the most indelible pop hits of the last 20 years. While the set lacked older or more obscure material, the crowd was treated to a surprise duet performance of "E-Bow The Letter" by Stipe and Radiohead s Thorn Yorke. The band and Yorke then finished with a supercharged version of "It's The End Of The World..." that had everyone bouncing around, singing and grinning ear to ear. The type of joy and love of craft convinced me that R.E.M. likely have at least one more masterpiece album in them to set alongside Murmur, Document, and Automatic For The People. The support acts acquitted themselves nicely in the afternoon sun. The Dandy Warhols' stoner pop-rock seemed to produce its own blunted haze, even though singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor had to soliciHans for donations of the good stuff. Extended, blissful versions of "Godless" and "Bohemian Like You" made chemical enhancement completely unnecessary, though. Much like their sensational two nignt stand at the Commodore last year, Wilco's set was a stunner. Each song highlighted their impeccable musicianship and arrangements. Moments like the. double vocals on "California Stars," Jeff Tweedy's buzzsaw guitar solo on "I'm The Man Who Loves You," and the subtle. multi-instrument percussion on "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart" enhanced fhe crystalline clarity of their music and created an ambience you usually only find on album. While the hour-long set Wilco had was more than most opening bands would get,, the band left the stage with me wanting more. Doubtless this was the defining triple bill of 2003. If R.E.M.'s set was a showcase of past glories, Radiohead s show the next night at Thunderbird Stadium was firmly grounded in the present. A much larger and younger crowd assembled to hear a set largely composed of songs from the new album, Ha/7 To The Thief. Despite few.^ surprises in the presentation of the new material, the songs never failed to mesmerize. "2 + 2 = 5" started the show with a rollicking, cathartic tone that was only intensified when Yorke took to the piano to begin "Sit Down, Stand Up," only to get up and. warble "Oh the raindrops/ Oh the raindrops" while a cascade of gurgling beats pulsed around him. A similar intensity carried through the rest of the set; there was little kidding around (or dialogue of any kind) to be had on this night. The rhythm section of bassist Colin Greenwood and drummer Phil Selway were primal forces of nature that dominated the majority of the set with their massive beats and laser-guided precision. Yorke's performance ranged from verbal freakouts on "Paranoid Android" to physical freakouts on the show-stopping "Idioteque" and even some dark beauty on piano-led takes of "Sail To The Moon" and a hauntingly eerie "Like Spinning Plates." Yorke even managed a political sideswipe as the band used his repetition of the words 'Alistair Campbell' to form a sample in "The Gloaming" which Yorke then proceeded to march along to like a toy soldier on speed. Johnny Greenwood received many a fanboy shout- out with his detached personality and his manic manipulation of various electronic and radio paraphernalia. Radiohead eventually closed out their first set with "There There." featuring both Johnny and Ed O'Brien assisting Selway by pounding out a colossal beat on two double- drumkits. With a man on either side of Yorke banging away on a drumset, the stage looked something like a pagan ritual. During the second encore, Michael Stipe repaid Yorke by assisting the band on "Karma Police," making an already memorable gig that much more unique. By the time Radiohead closed the evening with a beat- heavy version of "Everything In Its Right Place." the band had clearly and convincingly made its case that they are the new Biggest Band In the World Today. Neil Braun SHiNDiG Night One Fiction Letters to Grace The First Day September 9 Railway Club "What's the difference between SHiNDiG and the Titanic? The Titanic had a good band when it went down." Davy's jokes for beer joke put it all in perspective as we began another year of SHiNDiG. the last bastion of musical integrity we have left. Kind of. The Railway Club was looking as foxy as ever, and fhe bands were rarin' to fly out of the gate. Fiction was the first band, and it looked like the lead singer was surrounded by gifted session players, one more unique looking then the next. The sound was nothing I haven't heard before, but it was done well. They were heavily influenced by new wave and post-punk bands of the day. and that's all well and good. However, there wasn't anything exciting about it. Next! I The second band, Letters to Grace, was possibly the nicest band I've ever seen. They were crazy polite, thanking the audience for their applause after almost every song. Someone should have told them that SHiNDiG! eats up bands like that. Their slow, sweet harmony- filled country folk didn't seem to register even a smile with the evening's tight-ass judges. The last song was more upbeat and they finished off a nice set. When The First Day started playing. I asked myself this important question: when did NoMeansNo open up a school? Now, I'm not saying if wasn't good. It was loud and technical and thrashy and drummer-licious and they ended up winning. Duh! Their guttural theatrics-and blazing guitars and everchanging time signatures were just enough to propel them into the winner's circle. Free beer is just a little more delicious and even though we at SHiNDiG! are off to a somewhat shaky start, last year's one started the same way. (Remember that armpit of a third band in 2002?) Chris-A-Riffic SHiNDiG Night Two Splatter The Rain and the Sidewalk Elizabeth September 16 Railway Club Featuring the Metal-grrl power of Splatter, the endearingly bleak The Rain and the Sidewalk, and the full-on rawk of Elizabeth, week two shaped up to be significantly more enjoyable than last. Splatter started off the night with a vociferous snarl of peppy, angry rock. A four-piece, each member an unusual instrument, they used their extra strings and drums to good effect. The singer, a woman who had one of the deepest, growliest singing voices I've ever heard lead them well, snarling into the mic, prancing around on stage and keeping up a lively banter with the audience. As metal goes, it was fine enough. It might say something that beyond their surprisingly pleasant demeanor the best part of the show was the unbelievable hair-windmill the bassist managed to get going during a few of the tracks. There was nothing particularly wrong with the group. They were really quite good, and possibly quite deserving of winning the night, were it any other week. The Rain and the Sidewalk was the next act to arrive, on stage, emerging as another one- man-band. There was something Joy Division-esque about him from the start—hopelessly bleak lyriqjS of a sad, lonely, smart introvert, bracing, simple guitar and some 'fuzz' to complete the electronic sound. Unfortunately for us, there were two large problems with this act. First, and foremost, the guy simply could not sing. His voice was truly atrocious. Second, he was visibly nervous, and was hesitant and stumbling out of the gate. The latter improved dramatically as the set wore on, but there was little improvement on the former. His songs were really quite good, and the lyrics were intelligent and darkly humorous. I hope that he may find a skilled singer to work with in fhe future. Given the slowly cresting wave of '80s and New Wave nostalgia, he may be well poised to take advantage of that with some work. Elizabeth, from the start, stole the show. Elizabeth was really tight, and clearly having a ball up on stage. Their brand of straight- up rock was nothing particularly new or innovative, but it was hook-laden and catchy, and I soon found myself enjoying them despite my best intentions to not like them. The lead singer was charismatic, and the earnest, dreamy strumming of the lead guitarist was fairly mesmerizing. Their weakness lay in the other two members: The bass was often simply lost amidst the rest of the sound, and the drumming, while solid, was nothing more than that. In addition, there was a certain sameness to each of their tunes. More than once I found myself thinking, 'Haven't they already played this song?' Despite these faults,, they were entirely enjoyable, and I'm quite pleased that I'll be hearing them again in November in the semi-finals. Steve Tannock Calexico The Frames Jason Collett Richard's on Richards September 24 Picture yourself sitting on an old but sturdy, dusty hand crafted_ wooden chair. Below you are creaking wooden floorboards, and all the walls around you in the room are painted white. There's a window with white lace curtains keeping the sun out of the room, but you can tell just by looking at the lace that the sun is blazing outside. and you think you can maybe even hear grasshoppers. There's sweat on your hands, legs, and running down your temple, from the stifling heat. You turn around to see a beautifully rich tapestry hanging on one of the walls, thick and hand woven, bursting with purple, red, and orange geometric designs all bordered by black and white. When you wq[k up to the tapestry to investigate it, if becomes apparent that the tapestry is in fact only a holographic projection on the wall and the designs change -depending on where in the room you stand. This tapestry is Calexico. But to start off the night, it was singer/songwriter Jason Collett with stories of girls and marijuana, who lulled the crowd coming in. His voice may have been pretty, but the lyrics and musical style lacked enough ingenuity to carry it, and it was a welcome change of pace when Irish rockers The Frames took the stage. Full of good energy (granted some of it borrowed from a couple of die-hard fans in the crowd) The Frames got the crowd moving, even if half of their songs sounded poppy and cheesy enough to be primetime Muchmusic material. Still, their set was more than saved by a couple exceptional soggs, as well as some dabbling into musical themes from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. By the time Calexico started off with an instrumental from their latest album Feast of Wire the crowd was actually silent with anticipation (a rare moment at Richard's given my previous experiences there). The thing about Calexico that I love most is how they take the cliched styles of mariachi music or spaghetti western and mix it with new inventive art rock sensibilities. The colours of their music were vibrant, frequently punctuated by piercing trumpets, and came across beautifully live, as. the musicians wove layers of sound upon each other, creating overwhelming psychedelic effects at times. That together with the Arizona-inspired lyrics and a strangely lo-fi visual show created an inescapable atmosphere in Richard's like one I'd never experienced before. No surprise, however, as it was instantly recognizable that the six- piece setting up their instruments before the show was not so much a band, but a collection of serious, and talented musicians. Dueling trumpets, accordions, acoustic bass, steel guitar, syn- . thesizers, nylon string guitars, and 'more percussive techniques than , can be counted on the fingers of j my right hand all lended them- ' selves beautifully to the overall experience. The only complaint that I had was that by the time I made it outside after the show, there weren't any crickets left chirping under the starry sky. soren Brothers • THE BRICKYARD 315 Carrall Sty604.685JB995 OCTOBER *•**•*********••***•**** 3rd The Blade Halos, Chinatown, Jet City Fix Intl Playboys/ 4th Crystal Pistol and guests/ 8th Mr. Airplane Man, Clover Honey, Kick In The Eye/ 9th Bitchiri Cameros, STREETS and guests/ 10th Broadcast Oblivion Despistado, The Charming Snakes/ 11th Gorky's Zygotic Minci and guests/ 12th Richard Devin, Phoenecia, Otto Von Scherach/ 15th The Demolition Doll Rods, Sweet Fuck All and guests/ 16th Juction 18, Weak At Best and guests/ 17th The Buttless Chaps The Gay, The Rambling Ambassadors/ 18th Spread Eagle, The Girls, Hi-Test/ 22nd Sharp Teeth, Black List and guests/ 23rd Leeroy Stagger, The No No Spots, Grace Nocturnal/ 24th Raised Fist, 21st Blow and guests/ 25th All State Champion and guests/ KA/^Aa^^ 26th Death By Stereo, Himsa, Side 67/ ^ *v«*y n££E! 29th The Dears and Pilate/ V^$2s££f 30th Threat From Outer Space and guests/ h*!Clais 31st Three Inches Of Blood, Goats Blood and guests/ Red Cat Records 4tS07 Main St. New & Used CD's & Vinyl ph. 708-9422 * email buddy®redcat.ca m urn %$mwmi think you're up to fj^ st ttscofcoee. BIG CHARITY EVENT111 Bands / 2 Nights / 4 Venues Straight Present 4 ockfest Friday, October 10th The Purple Onion Cabaret jpl Water Street Sastewa Vanceaw ft-SHIFTKIT © I '.THE BPBH PROJECT The Piccadilly Pub I 620 West Pender Vancouver ||§ §.TEN D01L0R THOMPSON I-VIBRATOR © PiSCQRDEB I Saturday, October 11th Richards On Richards 1030 Richards Street Vancouver •CYANOTIC m i •JOYKAMP © i MNSIPID [ I the Green Room I 695 Cambie Street Vancouver j (•THE FLAIRS H •PERFECT STRANGERS ■ ^t - * i^ *"S *-. f$>VA.,A{)t m n k ■s^iiiiiiiimiiffis IfeCa ^P^^' f^ *•*«*: f^Si'^^^fe: S^ "1 ^^6^ mtW% ''S "* ",ear<^ kins play in an empty room . ^^^^^^-^ * one©,,, it was. like a knife fight in a phone booth. The ©an scares me!" ^^■'.j ' -Paul Westerberg ' F; 1 WKkW'k .^^m^^^wkW^w~ k:>^ . u# « ^& $$& « * l&&1fflm, 1| g^ in stores 10/21/03 mm& «*w»f &tp««s»ffi .com Hi em "orV^yj^lk Wf***1 'VVwftjt bou^s <i«AvV r &^ l6fe "fV* *V**v w*& «^te*w<, rt*fc> •"•iM^U* 55- Oc*ater>&ca The Gay You Know The Rules CD/LP IN STORES OH $12ppo from mint Critics | Opulent Canine • Dirty Whispers Bed of Tines * Fishin' Jim • Robert Smith • snd others mm* Fridwlmbter* II The Brickyard Saturday October 19 jLogan's. Victoria ||pPwefora. B.C. band's self-described 'ekctro-country" aesthetic bursts beyond the bounds of precious theory... by uniting, among other things, heavily treated vocals and a bassline that dps in and out of both genres. The result could be described as a musical wcombmant [eye] "...these electro cowboys cruise hard-to-define territory, its true, but at the end of the day. their influence is as much about sweet, accessible jangly pop as it is bleak remote Kraftwerk 3 stars." [Vancouver GunJ "„Love This Time works best when the band indulges its rootsier side. An exception is the title track on which guest musician Ida Nilsen's vocals are almost buried amid swirling keyboard lines, distant computerized voices. -^^aj^^ and robotic drum beat. The song is the album's heart, and quite possibly the group's J||| ||k crowning achievement to date." [Georgia Straight] Jkm^ foveiWstTOe THE NEW PORNOGffi>HERSi GET YOUR MINT FIX FROM THESE FINE FOLKS mm SCRATCH 726 RICHARDS 604-687-6355 ZULU 1972 WEST 4™ 604-738-3232 advertise with DiSCORDER 604.822.3017 ext. 3 for low, low rates 3^Oetttasra03 what's bei, nG Played at CiTR 101. 9' fi! October Long Vinyl October Short Vinyl October Charts 20 Years Ago According to some legend, angry elephants never forget. Thankfully, The Weakerthans are neither angry nor trunky. 1 The Weakerthans 2 Buck 65 3 Raveonettes 4ButtlessChaps 5 Belle and Seb. 6 Hawksley Workman 7 v/a 8 Ken Nordine 9 Quasi 10 Weirdos 11 Value Village People 12 Sloan 13 Husbands 14 Sup. Furry Animals 15 Do Make Say Think 16 Atmosphere 17 Slumber Party 18 Guided By Voices 19 Tomas Jirku 20 My Morning Jacket 21 Gruesomes 22 Frank Black and... 23 Constantines 24 Sparrow %&*&*& 25 Gossip 26 Po'Girl 27 Enon 28 Andrew W.K. 29 v/a 30 High Dials 31 Metric 32 Prefuse 73 33 OX 34 Alan Licht 35Tsurubami Reconstruction Site Epitaph Talkin' Honky Blues Wea Chain Gang of Love Columbia Love This Time Mint Dear Catastrophe... Rough Trade Lover/Fighter Universal Canned Hamm's... Pro Am Wink Asphodel Hot Shit Touch and Go We Got The Neutrons... Frontier Repent IMMRNT2 Action Pact BMG Introducing the Sounds... ' Swami Phantom Power XL Winter Hymn Country... Constellation Seven's Travels Epitaph 3 Kill Rock Stars Earthquake Glue Matador Bleak 1999 No Type It Still Moves RCA Gruesomology Sundazed Me Your Tears Spin Art Shine a Light Sub Pop Sparrow Overcoat Undead In NYC Dim Mak Po'Girl indie Hocus Pocus Touch and Go The Wolf Island Verve Remixed 2 Verve A New Devotion Rainbow Quartz Old Word Underground... Elgonix Extinguished: Outtakes Warp Dust Bowl Ballads indie A New York Minute XI Gekkyukekkaichi Strange Attractors 1 v/a 2 Microphones 3 Hidden Cameras 4aLUnARED 5 v/a 6 v/a 7 v/a 8 Triggers 9 v/a 10 Stuck Ups 11 Clorox Girls 12 Lost Vegas 13 Elliott Smith 14 v/a 15 Ludella Black 16 v/a 17 Shell 18X27 19 Low Beam 20 Federation X Gossip/Erase Errata Lanterns Play "Ban Marriage" ELCTRK! Explosion/Tonsils Fliptops/Gloryholes Low Rollers/Diskords Medicine Black Rebels/Nearly Deads Last Chance Neo Psych Pretty (Ugly Before) Dancing in the Dark The Pill... Icarus Line/Burning Brides Gimme Shell Airstream and Dread Erase Errata is: a) bored b) angry c) your dream date In the record library of CiTR, these loving words grace the cover of a Big Country album: 'This is an amazing bad record." 1 Big Country 2 Howard Devoto 3 Alan Vega 4 Elvis Costello 5 Enigmas 6 Tom Tom Club 7 The Alarm 8 King Sunny Ade 9 Bauhaus 10 David Thomas & The F 11 3 Teens Kill 4 12 Violent Femmes 13 Adrian Belew 14 Aztec Camera 15 Monsoon 16 Cabaret Voltaire 17 Rent Boys Inc 18 Flesheaters 19 The Will 20 Subhumans The Crossing Jerky Versions of the Dream Saturn Strip Punch the Clock Enigmas EP Close to the Bone The Alarm Synchro-System Burning from the Inside eds Variations on A Theme No Motive Violent Femmes Twang Bar King High Land, Hard Rain Third Eye The Crackdown Squeal for Joy EPt A Hard Road to Follow Causa Sui No Wishes, No Prayers c HOW THE CHARTS WORK } The monthly charts are compiled based on the number of times a CD/LP ("long vinyl"), 7" ("short vinyl"), or demo tape/ CD ("indie home jobs") on CiTR's playlist was played by our DJs during the previous month (i.e., "September" charts reflect airplay over August). Weekly charts can be received via email. Send mail to "majordomo@unixg.ubc.ca" with the command: "subscribe citr-charts." • 36 DlSCofcDcR. ARE YOU SERIOUS? MUSIC 9:0OAAA-12:0OPM All of time is measured by its art. This show presents the most recent new music from around the world. Ears open. THE ROCKERS SHOW 12:00PM-3:00PM Reggae inna all styles and fashion. BLOOD ON THE SADDLE 3:00PM-5:00PM Real cowshit-caught-in-yer- boots country. CHIPS WITH EVERYTHING alt. 5:0OPM-6:0OPM British pop music from all decades. SAINT TROPEZ alt. 5:0OPM-6.O0PM International pop (Japanese, French, Swedish, British, US, etc.), '60s soundtracks and lounge. Book your jet set holiday now! QUEER FM 6:00PM-8:00PM Dedicated to the gay, lesbian, bisexual,.and transsexual communities of Vancouver. Lots of human interest features, background on current issues, and great music. RHYTHMSINDIA 8:00PM-10:00PM Rhythmslndia features a wide range of music from India, including popular music from Indian movies from the 1930s to the present, classical music, semi-classical music such as Ghazals and Bhajans. and also .Qawwalis, pop, and regional language numbers. TRANCENDANCE 10:00PM- 12:00 AM Join us in practicing the ancient art of rising above common thought and ideas as your host DJ Smiley Mike lays down the latest trance cuts to propel us into the domain of the mystic al. <trancendance@hotmail. THE SHOW 12:00AM-2:00AM FILL-IN 2:00AM-6:00AM MONDAY FILL-IN 6:00AM- 8:00AM BREAKFAST WITH THE BROWNS 8:00AM-11:00AM Your favourite brown-sters, James and Peter, offer a savoury blend of the familiar and exotic in a blend of aural delights! LOCAL KIDS MAKE GOOD alt. 11:00AM-1:00PM Local Mike arid Local Dave bring you local music of all sorts. The program most likely to pby your band! THE DIM SUM SHOW 11:00 AM- J :00PM PARTS UNKNOWN l:O0PM-3:OOPM Underground pop for the minuses with the occasional interview with your host, Chris. SANDBOX THEATRE 3:O0PM-4:O0PM A show of radio drama orchestrated and hosted by UBC students, featuring independent works from local, national, and international theatre groups. We welcome your involvement. <sandboxtheatre@hotmail.c ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS 4:00PM-5:00PM A chance for new CiTR DJs to flex their musical muscle. Surprises galore. STRAIGHT TALK 5:O0PM-6:OOPM CRASH THE POSE alt. 6:00PM-7:30PM Hardcore/punk as fuck from beyond the grave. SOLARIZATION (on hiatus) alt. 6:00PM-6:30PM Most frequently played songs on AnoilE hosted by Luke Meat (Wednesdays 11:30 am-1:00 pm) 10) "Mr. Tamborine Man" - William Shatner 9) "Period Piece" - Boyd Rice 8) "Jolly Green Giant" - Negativland 7) "How Long Are You Staying" - Bill Joy 6) "Pink Lady Lemonade (I Wanna Drink You)" - Acid Mothers Temple 5) "Neither His Nor Yours" - Coil 4) "Meat Eater" - Nihilist Spasm Band 3) "Cooloorta Moon" - Nurse With Wound 2) "Vestal Spacy Ritual" - Masonna 1) "Heathen Earth" - Throbbing Gristle' 10 albums Luke Meat has never listened to (and probably never get around to...) 10) White Blood Cells - White Stripes 9) / Want to See Bright Lights Tonight - Richard and Linda Thompson 8) London Calling - The Clash 7) Shootin Rubber... - Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians 6) Double Nickels on the Dime - Minutemen 5) The Woman in Me - Shania Twain 4) s/t - Ramones 3) s/t - Tortoise 2) The Crossing - Big Country 1) Bfack Cars - Gino Vanelli y°"r guide to Ci™ 101.9 ^ MY ASS alt. 6:30PM-7:30PM Phelps. Albini. 'n' me. WIGFLUX RADIO 7:30PM-9:00PM Listen to Selecta Krystabelle for your reggae education. THE JAZZ SHOW 9:00PM- 12:00AM Vancouver's longest-running prime time jazz program. Hosted by the ever-suave Gavin Walker. Features at 11. Oct 6: "Paris Blues" is a newly discovered concert by pianist/ composer Horace Silver's great quintet of the 1960s with the Solid "Blue" Mitchell on trumpet and Smokin' Junior Cook on tenor saxophone. Oct 13: Today is the birthday of the greatest of all painists: Art Tatum (born in 1909). We hear Tatum in the company of two virtuosos—vibraphone master Lionel Hampton and the "unchallenged greatest drummer Buddy Rich Oct 20: "Contemporary Concepts" is one of bandleader/pianist/innovator Stan Kenton's finest and most swinging studio sessions. Great soloists and wonderful arrangements make checking out this feature a must! Oct 27: Trumpeter Booker Little was the Wynton Marsalis of his day. Well educated and musically gifted, Little broke new ground and had his own style despite dying at age wenty- three! Tonight, his only quartet date and his most personal recording. VENGEANCE IS MINE 12:00AM-3:00AM Hosted by Trevor. It's punk rock, baby! Gone from the charts but not from our heaVts—thank fucking Christ. PSYCHEDELIC AIRWAVES 3:00AM-6:30AM DJ Christopher Schmidt also hosts Organix at Club 23 (23 West Cordova) every Friday. TUESDAY PACIFIC PICKIN' 6:30AM-8:00AM Bluegrass, old-time music, and its derivatives with Arthur and "The Lovely Andrea" Berman. HIGHBRED VOICES 8:00AM-9:30AM THIRD TIMES THE CHARM 9:30AM-11:30 AM Open your ears and prepare for a shock! A harmless note may make you a fan! Hear the menacing scourge that is Rock i and Roll! Deadlier than the most dangerous criminal! <bominsixtynine@hotmail.co FILL-IN alt. 11:30 AM-1:00PM MORNING AFTER SHOW alt. 11:30AM- 12:30PM REEL TO REAL alt. 12:30PM- 1:00PM Movie reviews and criticism. BEATUP RONIN 1:00PM-2:00PM Where dead samurai can program music. CIRCUIT TRACING 2:00PM-3:30PM EN AVANT LA MUSIQUE alt. 3:30PM-4:30PM «En Avant la musique!» se concentre sur le metissage des genres musicaux au sein d'une francophonie c/uverte a tous les courants. This program focuses on cross-cultural music and its influence on mostly Francophone musicians. ELECTRIC AVENUES alt. 3:30PM-4:30PM Last Tuesday of every month, hosted by The Richmond Society For Community Living. A variety music and spoken word program with a focus on people with special needs and disabilities. THE MEAT-EATING VEGAN 4:30PM-5:00PM WENER'S BARBEQUE 5:00PM-6:00PM Join the sports dept. for their coverage of the T-Birds. FLEX YOUR HEAD 6:00PM-8:00PM Up the punx, down the emo! Keepin' it real since 1989, yo. flexyourhead.vancouverhard core.com SALARIO MINIMO 8:00PM-10:00PM THE LOVE DEN alt. 10:00PM-12:00AM <loveden@hotmail.com> ESCAPISM alt. 10:00PM-12.00AM es«cap'ism n: escape from the reality or routine of life by absorbing the mind in entertainment or fantasy. Host: DJ Satyricon. - Aug 5: Pounding System: dub- wise and otherwise. Aug 19: Church of Hell: Mars Attacks! <DJSatyricon@hotmail.com> AURAL TENTACLES 12:00AM-6:00AM It could be punk, ethno, gbbal, trance, spoken word, rock, the unusual and the weird, or it could be something different. Hosted by DJ Pierre. WEDNESDAY FILL-IN 6:00AM- 7:00AM THE SUBURBAN JUNGLE 7:00AM-9:00AM Bringing you an entertaining and eclectic mix-of new and old music live from the Jungle Room with your irreverent hosts Jack Velvet and Nick the Greek. R&B, disco, techno, soundtracks, Americana, Latin • jazz, news, and gossip. A real 9em! ^StSIf . <suburbanjungle@channel88 .com> FOOL'S PARADISE 9:00AM-10:00 AM Japanese music and talk. EXQUISITE CORPSE 10:00 AM- 11:30AM ANOIZE 11:30AM-1:00PM Luke Meat irritates and educates through musical deconstruction. Recommended for the strong. THE SHAKE alt. 1:00PM-2:00PM FOR THE RECORD alt. 1:00PM-2:00PM FILL-IN alt. 2:00PM-3:00PM The theme is: there is no theme! Kat and Claire push around trolleys of alt-pop. alt-country. Canadian indie, electroclash, and other delicious morsels. MOTORDADDY alt. 3:00PM-5:00PM Cycle-riffle rawk and roll! RUMBLETONE RADIO alt. 3:O0PM-5:0OPM Primitive, fuzzed-out garage mayhem! RACHEL'S SONG 5:O0PM-6:3OPM Socio-political, environmental activist news and spoken word with some music, too. www.necessaryvoices.org <necessaryvoices@telus.net> AND SOMETIMES WHY alt. 6:30PM-8:00PM (First Wednesday of every month.) BLUE MONDAY alt. 6:30PM-8:00PM Vancouver's only industrial- electronic-retro-goth program. Music to schtomp to, hosted by Coreen. JUICEBOX 8:00PM-9:00PM Your ears have never felt so naughty! FOLK OASIS 9:00PM-11:00PM Roots music for folkies and non- folkies... bluegrass. singer-songwriters, -worldbeat, alt country, and more. Not a mirage! <folkoasis@canada.com> HANS KLOSS' MISERY HOUR 11:00PM-2:00AM FIRST FLOOR SOUND SYSTEM 2:00AM-6:00AM FILL-IN 6:O0AM-8:00AM END OF THE WORLD NEWS 8:00AM-10:00AM PLANET LOVETRON 10:00AM-11:30AM Music inspired by Chocolate Thunder: Robert Robot drops electro past and present, hip hop and intergalactic funkman- ship. <rbotlove@yahoo.com> FILL-IN 11:30AM-1:00PM STEVE AND MIKE l:O0PM-2:O0PM Crashing the boy's club in the pit. Hard and fast, heavy and slow (punk and hardcore). THE ONOMATOPOEIA SHOW 2:00PM-3:00PM Comix comix comix. Oh yeah, and some music with Robin. RHYMES AND REASONS 3:00PM-5:00PM DJ Knowone slaves over hot- multi-track to bring a fresh continuous mix of fresh every week. Made from scratch, samples and just a few drops of fame. Our tables also have plethora of guest DJs, performers, interviews, giveaways, Strong Bad and the occasional public service announcements. <eno_wonk@yahoo.ca> FILL-IN ait. 5:00PM-6:00PM PEDAL REVOLUTIONARY alt. 5:00PM-6:00PM Viva ta Vetorution! D J Helmet Hair and Chainbreaker Jane give you all the bike news and views you need and even cruise ■ around while doing it! www.bikesexual.org OUT FOR KICKS 6:00PM-7:30PM No Birkenstocks. nothing politically correct. We don't get paid so you're damn right we have fun with it. Hosted by Chris B. ON AIR WITH GREASED HAIR 7:30PM-9:00PM The best in roots rock 'n' roll and rhythm and blues from 1942- 1962 with your snappily-attired host. Gary Olsen. <ripitup55@telus.net> LIVE FROM THUNDERBIRD RADIO HELL 9:00PM-11:00PM Local muzak from 9 til 10. Live bandzfrom 10 til 11. alf.co tbirdhell WORLD HEAT 11:00PM-1:00AM An old punk rock heart considers the oneness of all things and presents music of worlds near and far. Your host, the great Daryl-ani, seeks reassurance via <worldheat@hotmail.com>. WIRELESS CRUELTY 1:00AM-6:00AM FRIDAYS FILL-IN 6:00AM- 8:00AM CAUGHT IN THE RED 8:00AM-10:00 AM Trawling the trash heap of over 50 years' worth of real rock 'n' roll debris. SKA-T'S SCENE-IK DRIVE! 10:00AM-12:00PM Email requests to: <djska_ t@hotmail.com> THESE ARE THE BREAKS 12:00PM-2:00PM Top notch crate diggers DJ Avi Shack and Promo mix the underground hip hop, old school classics, and original breaks. THE LEO RAMIREZ SHOW 2:00PM-3:30PM The best mix of music, news, sports, and commentary from around the local and international Latin American communities. NARDWUAR THE HUMAN SERVIETTE PRESENTS... 3:30PM-5:O0PM CiTR NEWS AND ARTS 5:00PM-6:00PM A volunteer-produced, student and community newscast featuring news, sports and arts. Reports by people like you. "Become the Media." To get involved, visit www.citr.ca and click "News Dept." THE NORTHERN WISH 6:00PM-7:30PM AFRICAN RHYTHMS 7:30PM-9:00PM David "Love" Jones brings you the best new and old jazz, soul, Latin, samba, bossa, and African music from around the world. www.africanrhythmsradio.com HOMEBASS 9:00PM- 12:00AM Hosted by DJ Noah: techno but also some trance, acid, tribal, etc. Guest DJs, interviews, retrospectives, giveaways, and more. 3(> October 2003 I LIKE THE SCRIBBLES alt. 12:00AM-2:00AM THE ANTIDOTE alt. 12:00AM-2:00AM THE VAMPIRE'S BALL 2:00AM-6:O0AM Dark, sinister music of all genres to soothe the Dragon's soul. Hosted by Drake. SATURDAY FILL-IN 6:00AM-8:00PM THE SATURDAY EDGE 8:00AM-12:00PM Studio guests, new releases, British comedy sketches, folk music calendar, and ticket giveaways. 8AM-9AM: African/World roots. 9AM-12PM: Celtic music and performances. GENERATION ANNIHILATION 12:00PM- 1:00PM A fine mix of streetpunk and old school hardcore backed by band interviews, guest speakers, and social commentary. www.streetpunkradio.com <crashnburnradio@yahoo.ca> POWERCHORD l.O0PM-3:00PM Vancouver's only true metal show; local demo tapes, imports, and other rarities. Gerald Rattlehead, Dwain, and Metal Ron do the damage. CODE BLUE 3:00PM-5:00PM From backwoods delta low- down slide to urban harp honks, blues, and blues roots with your hosts Jim, Andy, and Paul. ELECTROLUX HOUR 5:OOPM-6:00PM SOUL TREE 6:00PM-9:00PM From doo-wop to hip hop, from the electric to the eclectic, host Michael Ingram goes beyond the call of gospel and takes soul music to the nth degree. SYNAPTIC SANDWICH , 9:00PM-1 1:00PM PLUTONIAN NIGHTS 11:00PM -1:00 AM Cutting-edge, progressive organ music with resident Haitchc and various guest performers/DJs. Bye-bye civilisation, keep smiling blue, where's me bloody anesthetic then? http://plutonia.ag EARWAX 1:00AM-4:30AM "noiz terror mindfuck hardcore like punk/beatz drop dem headz rock inna junglist mashup/distort da source full force with needlz on wax/my chaos' runs rampant when I free da jazz..." Out. REGGAE UNKUP 4:30AM-9:00AM Hardcore dancehall reggae. Hosted by Sister B. In the Booth with Kid 606 Miguel Trost-Depedro (A.K.A. Kid 606, founder of Tiger Beat6 Records) brought his Paws Across the World tour to the Brickyard on August 28. Accompanied by Barcelona's DJ Rupture, and Sweden's Dwayne Sodah- berk, the boys brought the electronic jams of straight-up IDM to retarded Jungle teetering on Gabber. My conversation with the Kid was aired on the September 4 installment of the Planet Lovetron Show (Thursdays 10:00am - 30am). Robert Robot: What's your story Miguel, how old are you, where are you from and where are you now? Kid 606: I just turned 24,1 was born in Venezuela. I grew up in San Diego, and now live in the Oakland area. Stuff that makes you go mmmmm? C & C Music factory, Vancouver's Crack Town, Collage Radio, Arnold Schwarzenegger running for governor...his latest admission of his involve ment in those body builder orgies—all that muscle and sweat is kinda scary What's the deal with Violent Turd Records? Tiger Beat6 was created to release music that other labels wouldn't release. Violent Turd was created to release what Tiger Beat6 wouldn't release. It's like too hot for Tiger Beat6. We have too much material to release on one label. Are You a Fan of Freeland Hellraiser? I don't really know him, but I'm a fan of Hellraiser movies. Do you know this movie called. Castle Freak? I own it! You've seen Castle Freak). [Laughs] It's so great because it's bad. Have you had any problems with Copyright? Not really, I've had more good things happen. Jay-Z's publicist phoned me up and asked me to do a remix because he'd heard me using his material already. Who would you like to work with? Mainly vocalists...I'd like to do something with Shaun Paul or Brandy, these are artists I really like and listen to the most. Check out ali things Tiger Beat6 and Violent Turd Records @ www.tigetbeat6.com V Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 6AM 7 8 9 REGGAE LINKUP FILL-IN FILL-IN FILL-IN 6AM 9 1 SUBURBAN JUNGLE BREAKFAST WITH THE BROWNS HIGHBRED VOICES END OF THE WORLD NEWS CAUGHT IN THE RED THE SATURDAY EDGE ARE YOU SERIOUS? MUSIC FOOL'S PARADISE 10 11 THIRD TIMES THE CHARM 11 EXQUISITE CORPSE PLANET LOVETRON SKA-T'S SCENIC DRIVE THE DIM SUM SHOW 12M* FILL-IN ""»«"'" ANOIZE FILL-IN 12pm| ROCKERS SHOW THESE ARE THE BREAKS GENERATION ANNIHILATION REEL TO REAL , PARTS UNKNOWN BEATUP RONIN SHAKE THER?C0RD STEVE & MIKE POWERCHORD 1 2 i 3 CIRCUIT TRACING FILL-IN THE ONOMATOPOEIA LEO RAMIREZ SHOW BLOOD ON THE SADDLE SANDBOX THEATRE RHYMES & REASONS CODE BLUE MOTORDADDY/ RUMBLETONE RADIO 4 ELECTRIC 1 EN AVANT AVENUES | LA MUSIQUE NARDWUAR PRESENTS 4 ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS 5 6 MEAT EATING VEGAN : CHIPS WITH 1 SAINT EVERYTHING 1 TROPEZ STRAIGHT TALK WENER'S BBQ RACHEL'S SONG FILL-IN REvSlTJTION CITR NEWS AND ARTS ELECTROLUX HOUR QUEER FM FILL-IN SOLARIZATION FLEX YOUR HEAD OUT FOR KICKS ■ THE NORTHERN WISH SOUL TREE A.S.W. BLUE MONDAY / MY ASS 7 8 WIGFLUX RADIO ON AIR WITH GREASED HAIR AFRICAN RHYTHMS ! 10 1 12AM 1 4 RHYTHMSINDIA SALARIO MINIMO JUICEBOX 10 11 12AM THE JAZZ - SHOW FOLK OASIS LIVE FROM... THUNDERBIRD HELL HOMEBASS SYNAPTIC SANDWICH TRANCENDANCE VENUS FLYTRAP ESCAPISM HANS KLOSS' MISERY HOUR WORLD HEAT PLUTONIAN NIGHTS THE SHOW VENGEANCE IS MINE! AURAL TENTACLES 1 LIKE THE SCRIBBLES THE ANTIDOTE 2 3 4 WIRELESS CRUELTY EARWAX FILL-IN FIRST FLOOR SOUND SYSTEM THE VAMPIRE'S PSYCHEDELIC 5 6 AIRVv AVES B/ ^LL REGGAE LINKUP 6 L 57 SOCjDRdsR. SUBMISSIONS TO DATEBOOK ARE FREE. FOR THE NOVEMBER ISSUE, THE DEADLINE IS OCT 22. FAX SHOW, FILM, EVENT AND VENUE LISTINGS TO 604.822.9364 OR EMAIL <DISCORDER@CLUB.AMS.UBC.CA> Emmylou Harris & Spyboy Wed 1,8pm S Centre for the Performing Arts. Re-Generation featuring In Essence. Sweatshop Union, Kia Kadiri, Chin Injeti and Wayne Laval- lee (Wed 1); Crowned King, Breach of ■fejst. Pepper Sands and Paula Toledo (Sat 4) SCapilano College Godsmack TtKi 2, 9 pm a Commodore Billy Talent ^tf^Sxisonfire ^pitalfield ©earn From Above thu 2, 7pm S> Croatian Cultural Centre Emma Wall w/ Ashley Schram Sarah Wheele lfou.2. 9pm a* Railway Club Pri 3, 9pm %1feiilway Club The Black Halos w/ China Town Jet City Fix International Playboys Fri3 ® Brickyard taking Bombs w/ The Accident Sharp Teeth @Pic The Department the Starlight Mints Ember Swift Sat 11,9pm Thu 16, 9pm w/ Rae Spoon (Wed 22) Xavier Rudd @ Anza Club @ Commodore w/ Yvette (Thu 23) Sat 4, 9pm @ Railway Club & Richard's The Art of Listening Tour The Buttless Chaps featuring DJ Vadim, Yarah Bravo w/ The Gay B'z Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and DJ First Rate The Rambling Ambassadors Thu 23, 9pm w/ Stratford 4 Sat 11, 10pm Fri 17 @ Cemmodore Sun 5, 9pm OPic @ Brickyard @ Commodore Prefuse 73 Gorkey's Zygotic Mynci Sloan w/Four Tet Indie Band Night w/ Kingsburu Manx Fri 17, 7:30pm Beans featuring the Notes From Underground: Sat 11, 10pm @ Vogue Theatre Fri 24, 7:45pm Dead Model Shoot, Grace Nocturnal, @ Brickyard Tonechaser and'Perfect Strangers Clover Honey Sun 5, 9pm, Moneen w/ Robosexuals Los Furios @ Fairview Pub w/ Saves the Day Fourty-Two Fri 24, 10pm Taking Back Sunday Fri 17 @ Railway Club Queens of the Stone Age Tue 14 OPic w/ Distillers @ Croatian Cultural Centre Secret Family Recipe AFI w/ Camilla Tue 7, 7:30pm Crowned King w/ Poison the Well Milo @ Orpheum Theatre Tue 14 Autopilot Off Fri 24 @ Mesa Luna Sat 18.2:30pm @ ElCocal My Morning Jacket @ Commodore w/ Patrick Park G3 In 3s Wed 8, 9pm featuring Joe Satriani, Steve Vai State of Shock Knitting Circle @ Richard's and Yngwie Malmsteen w/ Burn Project Sat 25. 1 Opm Tue 14, 7:30pm Rally Car, @ Sugar Refinery Mad Bomber Society @ Orpheum Theatre Electric Humor w/ the Gamblers Sat 18 Bottleneck Los Furios Longwave @Pic CD release party DJ Ska-T w/ Calla Sat 25 Wed 8, 9pm Tue 14, 9pm Kid Koala @ Railway Club iff Pic w/ DJ P-Love DJ Jester Fine Options The Sweaters George Thorogood & The Destroyers Lederhosen Lucil w/ Stag Reels w/ Rodney DeCroo w/ David Gogo Sun 19, 9pm Mongoose Pete Campbell Wed 15.9:30pm . @ Commodore Wed 29, 9pm Wed 8, 9pm @ Commodore @ Railway Club ® Railway Club Billy the Kid Hawksley Workman & The Wolves w/ Red Broadcast The Dirty Projector w/ Serena Ryder Patrick Jacobsen Thu 30, 9pm w/ Joel R.L. Phelps Wed 15-Thu 16,9pm Mon 20, 9 pm @ Richard's Wed 8 @ Richard's @ Railway Club ® Sugar Refinery Dropkick Murphys Temper Flare & the Thrillionaires Peaches w/ Good Riddance Steve Earle & The Dukes w/ Pleasure Suit w/ Electrocute the Casualties w/ Garrison Starr The Neins Tue 21, 9 pm Thu 30, 7pm Wed 8, 9pm Wed 15,9pm ® Richard's @ Croatian Cultural Centre @ Commodore ?|^K| @ Railway Club Guided By Voices Ruflo Bfflyldol The Demolition Doll Rods w/ The Von Bondies w/ Motion City Soundtrack Wed 8, 8pm Wed 15 Wed 22. 9pm Thu 30, 8pm @ Orpheum Theatre @ Brickyard @ Commodore @ Sonar Abernethy and the Trees Grandaddy with Paulisdead w/ Elbow places to be i concert venues misc venues: ! brickyard 315 corral 604.685.3922 cinematheque 1131 howe 604.688.8202 \ cafe deux soleils 2096 commercial 604.254.1195 ridge cinema 3131 arbutus 604.738.6311 cellar 3611 w. broadway 604.738.1959 video in studios 1965 main 604.872.8337 cobalt 917 main 604.764.punk j commodore green room 868 granville 695 cambie 604.739.7469 604.608.2871 record shops: lotus 455 abbott 604.685.7777 active pass records 324 w. hasting 604.646.2411 the main 4210 main 604.709.8555 bassix records 217 w. hastings 604.689.7734 marine club 573 homer 604.683.1720 beatstreet records 3-712 robson 604.683.3344 pat's pub 403 e. hastings 604.255.4301 black swan records 3209 w. broadway 604.734.2828 pic pub 620 w. pender 604.682.3221 crosstown music 518 w. pender 604.683.8774 railway club 579 dunsmuir 604,681.1625 futuristic flavour 1020 granville 604.681.1766 richard's 1036 richards 604.687.6794 highlife records 1317 commercial 604.251.6964 the royal 1029 granville 604.685.7527 red cat records 4305 main 604.708.9422 ?Jmp&~ ** 66 water 604.683.6695 scrape records 17 w. broadway .604.877.1676 sypr refinery 1115 granville- 604.331.1184 scratch records 726 richards 604.687.6355 WS^club-. | 1882adanac 604.254.5858 zulu records 1972 w. 4th 604.738.3232 CiTR Special Presentations: SHiNDiG ■ ■ Witness CiTR's annual music deathmatch every Tuesdays at Railway Club. Beers for Jokes as always. The first band goes on at 9pm. http://shindig.citr.ca October 7: A Common Mistake Explaining Colors To The Blind They Shoot Horses Don't They? October 21: Gangbang Martial Law The Front October 14: Leah Abramson New Years Resolution . Paulisdead October 28: Coin Gutter The Screaming Eagles We've Been Had Mr. Plow CD Release bash for It's Plow or Never with guests Kill Allen Wrench and Alcoholic White Trash. CDs and tattoos to be won. The party on Saturday 18,10pm (doors at 8: 30pm) at the Cobalt. DiSCORDER Special Presentation Electric City A month-long electronic music and new media event to guide us through October. Many artists at various venues, www.newmusic.org/electriccity Food4Music Rockfest Come out for a night of venue hoppin' and charity givin' on Friday 10 in support of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society. Featuring-Stoffitfcit, Noetic and the Burn Project (8pm, Purple Onion); Vbrirjiand Vibrator (8:30pm, Pic); Cyanotic, Joykamp and Insipid (7pm, Richard's); the Flairs and Perfect Strangers (8:30pm, Green Room), www.food4music.com 38 OctoberaaS HOT HP wkmamB ALL REQUEST STUDENT NIGHT MOST "AFFORDABLE" NIGHT IN TOWN HAVE FUN AT A CLUB AGAIN 15 WATER ST. GASTOWN 604 602 9442 WWW.PURPLEONION.COM 13 TliiHSDAYS I AT THE PURPLE OMION *********** DJS LOKJ,JUJU,LOGIK& MOSES *********** 15 WATER ST./GASTOWN/604 602 9442" OCTOBER 2003 tftakatiK H PEACHES Father Fucker CD/2LP WTfc the ElectroclashiChips finally olrn- pletely fall. Peaches will be standing" tall in-the neon colored ^^^Kt^M^SL^ her fe^ds, surveying fhe asymmerajpryanl wreckage She's alfaystieen greater than, a giant with a bad perm in a land of trendy gnats/Genre aside, this bearded lady has the biggest balls in popular music, bar none (sorry Iggy, we're talking balls, keep your dick out of it) Father Fucker finds Peaches' balls hanging Out of her pants, rudely.. . "TBpfjlBff IrfWryonefe face as she cajulet VS Willi a liilaiioua spew of rude words and guttural sounds, backed by hard rocking beats. Think Tlie Teaches of Peaches, but with more of everything — like a foot- long hotdog over-heaped with alt the toppings, slopping over the bun and into your crotch. Will it stain? Yes it will. C019.98 2LP 19.98 THE FIRE THEFT S/t CO We're not sure what the party line is on this issue, with the rise of punk Christianity and whatnot, but this is one great record to smoke bales of weed to. Put The Fire Theft in the old multi-disc player with the newest Mars Volta and some old Floyd or Genesis or Yes or even Jane's Addiction, and then get seriously baked. (Mere's a Zulu suggestion: Keep all doors and windows closed to ensure extra glazing — small rooms are best.) Yes, this is some deep soul searching stuff from Jeremy Enigk and the other guys from Sunny Day Real Estate. That's right, Sunny Day Real Estate. Amidst the orchestral swoops and deft rock dynamics, there's a palpable sense of reaching out for meaning with substance in our time of political cravenness and social insecurity. And not the Limp Bizkit meets Enya that is Evanescence kind of pseudo-seriousness-ness, but something really heartfelt, Enigk-style: heavy shit that lifts you up. CD 19.98 TELEVISION Marquee Moon (Expanded) CD Guest Reporter Christa Min of Fucking Bullshit writes: Ever since 1977, it's been hard to make a record that doesn't stink. The release of Television's Marquee Moon was the invention of the eternal fresh cut. Half of the bands in the last two decades have been stinking it up by cutting the cheese, while the other half have been trying to fit into Television's perfect mould. The remastered release of this semen-full J record includes five bonus tracks—alternate versions of album cuts, instrumentais, and the shining "Little Johnny Jewel", Twenty-six years later, Marquee Moon reeks of ice and air. Take a whiff. It smells like real spirit. AVAILABLE OCTOBER 7 RACIEL'S T Systems/ Layers CD 19.98 VARIOUS DFA RECORDS PRESENTS: COMPILATION #1 CD Dear Franny. If you haven't seen me in two months it is not because I don't love you. I do love you. I am now in L.A. It's a dump, but the people are nice. I don't know how I got into this, but I've been asked to ghostwrite an autobiography called The Way of the White Belt. The guy's name is Florian. Bad choice, but that's fiction. Anyway, I need you to send me that OFA mixed tape I gave you — the one with: The Juan Maclean "By the Time I Get To Venus", LCD Soundsystem "Give It Up". The Rapture "House of Jealous lovers". Black Dice "Cone Toaster", The Juan Maclean "You Can't Have It Both Ways", LCD Soundsystem "Losing My Edge", Black Dice "Endless Happiness" and that exclusive Rapture track "Silent Morning", Thanks. Hi to Boo-Boo. Tell him the thrift stores hereare^sjJT;?^ CD 19.98 Systems/layers islf)«S«y$ posed for a multi-disciplin; piece bs^KNewYork based I dance^heate^ompany tflTr* Systems/Layers unfolds from the perspective of; tional tourist watching the lives of a handful of urban dwellers as they negotiate the demands of modem everyday urban existence, juxtaposing the hustle and bustle and sense of ntime/sbace compression of the; big-city with. the. small, prosaic features of contemporary life. TfWnusic demonstrates the full range of Rachel's commendable abilities, combining rich strings and piano with field recordings, occasional noisy ambience and rock instrumentation. Systems/Layers also features a female vocalist on one track, unusual for the otherwise instrumental Rachel's, which brings out a quality similar in atmosphere to This Mortal Coil, a rewarding reverie that brings the recording together. Another evocative, expertly played and long overdue recording by the always smart Rachel's. CD 16.98 MOJAVE 3 Spoon and Rafter CD Somewhere in our collective psyche lies an abandoned Fender Rhodes piano. Sure, its legs are wobbly and the tolex a bit frayed, but its tone is still warm and its keys still know the melancholy notes. Next to it are a battered pedal steel and a twelve string guitar that has seen better days. A crocheted sunset hangs on the wall, below it a lonely glockenspiel. This metaphysical space has been, visited countless times by many young conceptual photographers wishing to document the uncomplicated and beautiful signifiers of the fragile history of. folk rock. Mojave 3's Neil Halstead has visited the room on occasion as well, searching for the ever-elusive real. This, his latest record, comes from there. A must-have for those documenting Nick Drake, The Fairport Convention and the new sounds of the neo-folk underground. We recommend this record while maintaining our nature boy sense of wonder. CD 19.98 BELIE AND SEBASTIAN Dear Catastrophe Waitress CD/2LP A re we too old for twee? Has such cuteness in pop run its rAcultural course? Does it make sense anymore? That 90s innocence is long gone, surrendered to the uncertainty of the 00s. Also, people change and grow as they age, exploring new ideas and directions. For example, some turn to the big 80s production prowess of ex-Buggies vocalist Trevor Horn, best known for his work with Frankie Goes to Hollywood. He's also responsible for that conterhpora% Russian faux-lesbian pop duo t.A.t.U. All this is true! Such otherwise inexplicable changes and choices are bewildering except if conducted by Belle and Sebastian, renowned for their dry humor and gentle pop adventurousness. The result of this unpredictable meeting sounds kind of like ABC, except played by Belle and Sebastian, Thus, a little jingle jangle and folkie strum amidst the clean 80s subtext vibe. Enticed? Boy do Belle and Sebastian love to challenge their leagues of fans, keeping them guessing with ambiguous cover images and aesthetical whimsy! In any case, this is so long-awaited it could be a collection of field hollers by the band and we'd still all be as excited as we are. Show us what you've got this time, Belle and Sebastian. AVAILABLE OCTOBER 7 CD 29.98 2LP 26.98 vinyl LOCAL MUSK: JON-RAE FLETCHER and the mira The Road CD ur loss Jon-Rae Fletcher has moved to-Toronto ^Wry^ffio^oJesfiQn.^bo kuoiws»WjjaJ,Biyf terioufwJRdM" blow through the hearts and mindj^hjj^^|e^^^psl| oflen not even the young themselves,-we surmise und recall i Nevertheless,' we ere happy to announce mis impressive new recording bptan-Rae and his talented fj|t band the River; If ever there was any.fajpt elsu&t about the genuineness and impress cw s of Jon*R»s lbiltfy it is resolved by thi& great collection ot songs from ballads, to sing- ilonqs, to all-out rockers Watching this kid live Is something else altogether He and his band come on like a i|p)ious event, uapti^hng audiences-with their country jfjSJkieiSinGariryj irwoking^jBass conversion of hand clap- ifljpg and group singing. Thftecording approximates a Jon-Rae live show: a little rough and tumble, but heavy with feeling Come on home, buddy YOUNG AND 11811 life Through One Speaker CD Wonder Woman walks along Jnpf|piljT^$,desolate arSEf'wjth ^boulders stumped, eventually?dii^bTngmto the » greenish water, wearing flippers and a sn©rijpl=set, a grey- blue sky abovetet-Such gently absurd imagery is common HHs Young aMfSexy aesthetic, imbued with a smajt^^p sense fltmild pathos and just-darkening humor. Yet thelf piquantly sardonic attitude is nicely juxtaposed with some Ol the sweetest and catchiest hooks and phi i es possible ^SSiplejBng the whole picture. The expertness of the bands singing anil playing is even better on this sophomore wcsrdir^lfWfBelialreacty strong debut, Stand Up for | Your Mother. 3W8*Bew record finds the band more in charge of their rn^fgrial, with a thoroughness and decided- Jjiess atidible even in the production of the record, completed with the mighty JC/DC. Pop music we recommend. AVAILABLE OCTOBER 7 CD 14.98 CD 14.98 The Shape of BEATS to COME includes: ATMOSPHERE Seven's Travels CD/2LP Damn it's a good time for new underground hlp-ho"p^^l^^Wv|^ff' Five Deez s Kinqynasti, Themselves' The No Music AlFFs, Buck 65 s TaHcin' Honky Blues, No Luck Club's Happiness and Vaudvtlle Villain by Victor Vaughn aka MF Doom. And now, Atmosphere are back in the fold. After their major label dalliance God Loves Ugly, Slug and Ant are returning tdftSat they do best — emotionally raw lyrics spat over elemental boom-bap backdrops. The results will surely be enough to make you throw your hands in the air and holler "return to term!" This is a hard, hard record, in every sense and its unabashed realness deserves your respect and your support. CD 16.98 2LP 19.9if AESOPROCK Bazooka Tooth CDtfUyl Ouch! What did we just say about ail the brand-spanking undie hiphop hitting the streets? Jeez, if it wasn't for the bargain prices Zulu Records is selling a lot of these new joints for ydu'dDe straight broke, kid! But whatever your financial situation, you're going.to need this one for sure Just as ruff, intelligent funny, touching, angular, melodic, experimental and downright funky as tea previous albums, Bazooka Tooth sees Aesop Rock maintaining an astounding run of form and - staying right at the top of his game Solid. AVAILABLE OCTOBER 7 ■ KID KOALA Some of My Best Friends are DJs CD/LP And for all you fans of instrumental hip-hop Like that other alt. CanCon legend Neil Young, Kid Koala is a virtuoso of inspired sloppiness. Just as the grizzlcJ rocker can bit ■ stratospheric emotional heights via unabashed displays of limited guitar soloing technique, jthe cube*pie tffiMafilfst can blow your mind with juts and Splices so nonchalantly thrown together,that tfie^gound lazily brilliant,andHj;> brilliantly lazy An,admirabl/ concise testament to lo-fi inventiveness, Some of My Best Friends are DJs comes packed with one of the kids'acelaimed comic books, making It the undisputed: bargain of the month. AVAILABLE OCTOBER 7 mm 16.98 CD 16.98 3LP22.< ALL SALE PRICES " IBIFFECT UNTIL OCTOBER 31, 2003 ra SCHEMATICS IN-STORE Sunday October 12th 4PM J Phoenecia, Richard Devine, and Otto von Schirach Attention all fans of the Electric City! Free electro demonstration! LAPTOP DERBY Plug In - Sunday October 19th 3-5PM Second installment of Zulu's laptop invitation- j al! Curated by Open Circuits. An open call for YOU to bring your LAPTOP to the store, plug it in and rock us LIVE. Details in the store. More Music for your complete consideration: Funky Porcini- various reissues with bonus materials CD P.W. Long- Remembered (Touch and Go) (Ninja Tune) Spread Eagle- s/t (Local) The Free Design- Kites are Fun CO reissue (Light in The feobel Campbell- Amorino CD (Instinct) AWc) Trailer Bride- Hope is a Thing With Feathers CD (Bloodshot) Potato Polpo-Llce Hearts Swelling C0/LP (Constellation) shuggie Otis- Inspiration Information CD (Six Degrees) British Sea Power- The Decline of British Sea Power Matmos-The CM MfarOWP (Matador) CD/LP (Rough Trade) Portastath>/M|im««asaUrtC»(Merge) Do Make Say Think-Winter Country Hymn Secret Hymn IAmrtobotaiidl^d-Grac»DaysCB(CatiiioW CD/LP (Constellation) Zulu Records 1972-1976 W 4th Ave Vancouver. BC tel 604.738.3232 www.zulurecords.com I 'KZCffRQ2\
- Library Home /
- Search Collections /
- Open Collections /
- Browse Collections /
- Discorder /
- Discorder
Open Collections
Discorder
Discorder CITR-FM (Radio station : Vancouver, B.C.) 2003-10-01
jpg
Page Metadata
Item Metadata
Title | Discorder |
Creator |
CITR-FM (Radio station : Vancouver, B.C.) |
Publisher | Vancouver : Student Radio Society of the University of British Columbia |
Date Issued | 2003-10-01 |
Extent | 40 pages |
Subject |
Rock music--Periodicals |
Genre |
Periodicals |
Type |
Text |
FileFormat | application/pdf |
Language | English |
Identifier | ML3533.8 D472 ML3533_8_D472_2003_10 |
Collection |
Discorder |
Source | Original Format: Student Radio Society of University of British Columbia |
Date Available | 2015-03-11 |
Provider | Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library |
Rights | Images provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy, or otherwise use these recordings must be obtained from CiTR-FM: http://www.citr.ca |
CatalogueRecord | http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?bid=1190017 |
AIPUUID | 343e74cc-f1e4-4d53-a0ab-d41233940b51 |
DOI | 10.14288/1.0049923 |
AggregatedSourceRepository | CONTENTdm |
Download
- Media
- discorder-1.0049923.pdf
- Metadata
- JSON: discorder-1.0049923.json
- JSON-LD: discorder-1.0049923-ld.json
- RDF/XML (Pretty): discorder-1.0049923-rdf.xml
- RDF/JSON: discorder-1.0049923-rdf.json
- Turtle: discorder-1.0049923-turtle.txt
- N-Triples: discorder-1.0049923-rdf-ntriples.txt
- Original Record: discorder-1.0049923-source.json
- Full Text
- discorder-1.0049923-fulltext.txt
- Citation
- discorder-1.0049923.ris
Full Text
Cite
Citation Scheme:
Usage Statistics
Share
Embed
Customize your widget with the following options, then copy and paste the code below into the HTML
of your page to embed this item in your website.
<div id="ubcOpenCollectionsWidgetDisplay">
<script id="ubcOpenCollectionsWidget"
src="{[{embed.src}]}"
data-item="{[{embed.item}]}"
data-collection="{[{embed.collection}]}"
data-metadata="{[{embed.showMetadata}]}"
data-width="{[{embed.width}]}"
data-media="{[{embed.selectedMedia}]}"
async >
</script>
</div>

https://iiif.library.ubc.ca/presentation/cdm.discorder.1-0049923/manifest