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Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti readies new album

A while back, I was introduced to Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti by my friend Aaron Olson, a veritable rock historian and badass bassist (badassist?) of Cyrptacize. The song in question was “Helen,” and I instantly disregarded it because I didn’t understand it. What was with the flange overload and the yelping? I couldn’t instantly buy into this concoction of spooky baroque sounds. Gradually, I was won over by the chorus, which is so fun at face value. I almost want to strip the song down of all its embellishments, because I think whats hidden underneath is just solid pop song.

So, I’m excited that 4AD will release their new album, Before Today, on June 8.

Six months in the making, Before Today was recorded in part in Encino at the House of Blues (once Tito Jackson’s home studio) with Sunny Levine (Quincy Jones’ grandson) and Rik Pekkonen (Bill Withers, Seals & Crofts, Bread) as well as at the band’s home studios. The result is a beguiling mix of glam rock, West Coast funk and Merseybeat harmonies with a high-production sheen; a contrast to the corroded bedroom recordings that have fomented a fervent cult following over the past decade.

Give them a chance if you like your pop with a dose of strangeness.

Santana: Supernatural, Legacy Edition


RIYL: Eric Clapton, Dave Mathews Band, Ozomatli

This Legacy Edition re-release of Santana’s 1999 smash-hit, Grammy Award-winning Album of the Year ups the ante by remastering the original album and adding a second disc of bonus tracks that should delight any fan of the original. The bonus disc has outtakes, remixes and unreleased material with several of the same guests from the original album. There’s also a 24-page booklet with rare photos and a 2,000 word essay by Hal Miller on the album’s creation and significance.

The remastered original sounds great, with Santana’s hot, melty licks singing through the mix of warm bass, dynamic percussion, horns, vocals – the guitar legend is a Jedi Master at weaving his lines into a song without stepping on anyone else. Songs like “Put your Lights On” with Everlast and “Smooth” with Rob Thomas received so much airplay that some people may never want to hear them again. But this shouldn’t overshadow the other great tracks on here.

“(Da Le) Yaleo” features Santana wailing at his best, no pop restriction here. “Love of My Life” with Dave Matthews and Carter Beauford is a soulful gem that makes you wish DMB would add a lead guitarist. For those that don’t care for Matchbox 20, “Africa Bamba” is a beautiful track that is truly smooth, without the pop sheen. Lauren Hill & Cee-Lo help Santana explore hip-hop flavor on “Do You Like the Way,” but it’s “Maria Maria” with the Product G&B that really has classic staying power. With its catchy hooks, soulful vocals and mix of both acoustic and electric virtuoso guitar, it’s no surprise that this tune is the one that’s still a mainstay in Santana’s live repertoire. “Wishing It Was” with Eagle-Eye Cherry is another tune that continues to resonate with deeper substance than the bigger radio hits, with its contemplative lyrics and memorable licks. Underrated closer “The Calling” is an epic blues with Santana and Eric Clapton trading licks on a great finale.

One of the highlights of the bonus disc is “The Calling Jam,” also featuring Clapton, and one of seven previously unreleased tracks out of the 11 on the disc. A cover of Cuban band Irakere’s “Bacalao Con Pan” has smoking leads in a Latin rock setting, while the single “Angel Love (Come For Me)” features a horn section and Santana playing sweet leads behind the vocals. This is something most guitarists don’t know how to do. They should listen to Carlos to learn. “Rain Down on Me” with Dave Matthews and Carter Beauford might even be a better song than their collaboration on “Love of My Life,” with Dave singing in a bluesier vibe that resonates well with Santana’s guitar. “Exodus/Get Up Stand Up” is a hot tribute to Bob Marley, while a cover of Lighthouse’s 1971 hit “One Fine Morning” is another high-energy winner. “Maria Maria (Pumpin’ Dolls Club Mix)” provides an alternate dance-oriented approach, while “Corazon Espinado (Spanish Dance Remix)” offers another take on the original album track with Mana.

There’s an uplifting spiritual vibe throughout both discs, along with a great diversity of material and some of Carlos’ most tasteful playing. All of which makes this set a definitive keeper. (Sony Legacy 2010)

Thurston Moore to lecture noisy kids about noise

It’s hard for most people to appreciate “noise” as music. I’ve taken my chances and more often than have to bow out, angry at myself for either wasting my time or failing to understand its value. Nevertheless, I do find the containment of noise interesting.

I guess the trick is to get ’em while their young, which is what Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) is attempting to do this Sunday when he will give a dissertation on white noise to children at the New York gallery Partners & Spade.

From Papermag.com:

Ya gotta love Partners & Spade. This Sunday, April 11th, they will be hosting another session of their Avant Garde Preschool. Don’t expect any papier-mache animals. At 11:30 a.m., for a one-time “tuition” payment of 30 bucks, Thurston Moore will deliver a “Dissertation on White Noise” to kids ages 8-12. Sounds wild, eh? All proceeds go towards the arts program of PS 126.

Even though I’m not a parent, I’d love to take my kid to this thing. It would be a sort of punishment for the youngster. They’d have to sit through excruciating, yet challenging guitar feedback while I’d just try to get Thurston Moore to talk to me.


Photo from fOTOGLIF

Neil Young serious about summer

Neil Young has added more dates to his “Twisted Road” tour with fellow folk musician Bert Jansch. The 14-date jaunt will feature Young playing solo, the first time he’s done so on a tour in many years. The dates are below.

05/18 – Albany, NY @ Palace Theatre *
05/19 – Buffalo, NY @ Shea’s Performing Arts Center *
05/21 – Worcester, MA @ Hanover Theatre *
05/23 – Wallingford, CT @ Oakdale Theatre *
05/24 – Washington, DC @ Constitution Hall *
05/26 – Louisville, KY @ Palace Theatre *
05/27 – Knoxville, TN @ Civic Auditorium *
05/29 – Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre *
05/30 – Spartanburg, SC @ Memorial Auditorium *
06/01 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium *
06/02 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium *
06/04 – Houston, TX @ Jones Hall *
06/05 – Austin, TX @ Bass Performance Hall *
06/07 – Dallas, TX @ Meyerson Symphony Center

No California love, I see. What gives, Neil?

Steal This Song: Oh Mercy, “Lay Everything on Me”

There are few ways to get our attention faster than comparing an artist to Neil Finn. It’s a double-edged sword, though; there are scores of artists who try to emulate Finn brothers Neil and Tim, but almost none of them succeed in replicating his signature blend of rich melodcism with a healthy dose of neurosis. Still, when someone dares to make the comparison, we listen.

And, if the song turns out to sound more like the Go-Betweens than the Finn Brothers, we listen again. And again.

oh mercy

Alexander Gow and Tom Savage. The new McLennan and Forster?

“Lay Everything on Me,” the first single from Melbourne quartet Oh Mercy, feels like a lost track from 1987, the kind of thing that would have received heavy airplay in the early days of 120 Minutes. Think the Immaculate Fools, Danny Wilson, the aforementioned Go-Betweens, or if you want a modern-day comparison, Jupiter One. It’s insanely melodic guitar pop, with a simple, driving drum beat (and lots of cowbell) and a bare-bones scratch guitar line. But this is no retro hipster douchebag band cashing in on a movement; they simply favor melody over an ironic pose or sonic gimmicks – as it should me, damn it.

The band’s debut album, Priviledged Woes, is set to drop in the States soon, and after a dozen spins of this song and a quick glance of the songs on their MySpace page (which features a nifty cover of the Cardigans’ “Lovefool” that they recorded for an Australian radio station), it can’t come soon enough.

Oh Mercy – Lay Everything on Me

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