The Days of Lore

Black Friday: Black Tambourine?!

Friday, January 29th, 2010 | musiX | No Comments

Black Tambourine is about the furthest thing from metal you can get. But they get the nod for Black Friday today … because I don’t feel like writing about the latest Haemorrhage record.

Slumberland Records has been churning out precious indie pop records for two decades now. What can I say? I’ve become quite smitten over the past few years. Long before The Pains of Being Pure at Hearts and the Crystal Stilts there was Black Tambourine. The D.C. four-piece formed in 1989, releasing a couple of 7-inches for Slumberland (the first for the label in the early-’90s) and playing only a handful of shows … basically around long enough to secure cult-status.

I didn’t listen to the band way back when … too busy taking in the new Helmet and Soundgarden records. But the words Black Tambourine can be found on many modern-day indie bands’ lists of influences. Deservedly so. The band found that irresistible balance between too-precious twee and noise-filled post-punk. It’s a template that’s been aped a million times since.

Slumberland is gearing up to release a new compilation simply titled Black Tambourine on March 30. Unlike 1999’s Complete Recordings package, the new record will include six unreleased track as well as four newly-recorded songs including covers of Buddy Holly’s “Heartbeat” and Suicide’s “Dream Baby Dream.”

I’m going to go out on a limb and say there will be a handful of reunion shows that coincide with the release. I could be wrong, but I’m feeling very Nostradamus today.

“For Ex-Lovers Only” - Black Tambourine

Tags: Black Tambourine, Crystal Stilts, Slumberland Records, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

TDoL gets Pantsed … holla!

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 | musiX | No Comments

I like the word “pants.” I’m not sure why; it just sounds funny … especially when used as a verb.

Follow it with the word “yell” with an exclamation point and you have an entirely different thing going on. Pants Yell! have been around for a few years now, assembling jangly pop songs from their home-base in Cambridge, Mass. It’s the sort of (borderline) cutesy, melancholic indie rock you’d expect to hear on—wait for it—Slumberland Records … which, of course, also puts out albums by artists like Black Tambourine, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and the Crystal Stilts. Me likes.

Pants Yell! will release Received Pronunciation (its first for Slumberland) on Nov. 10, an album that delivers more pop-meets-noise tunes taken to playful levels by Andrew Churchman’s hushed vocals and quirky wordplay … what would you expect? The band’s name is Pants Yell! fer gawd’s sake.

“Cold Hands” - Pants Yell!

Tags: Andrew Churchman, Black Tambourine, Crystal Stilts, Pants Yell!, Received Pronunciation, Slumberland Records, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

The love of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009 | interviewZ, musiX | 1 Comment

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart have been busy little buggers. Since the release of the New Yorkers’ first full-length in February, they’ve become one of the most talked about bands on these here Interwebs. Endless touring and press has made it a challenge for TDoL to snag an interview with TPoBPaH … to that I say OMG (!), WTF (?), BYOB (!) and WKRP (in Cincinnati).

Well, it finally happened—just as the band added new tour dates, including a stop here in Portland on July 23 at Backspace. I was giddy. I’ve been taken by the band’s rambunctious power-pop since hearing them a couple of months ago at Your New Favorite Song … not to mention TPoBPaH tugged at my heartstrings with a tune called “Kurt Cobain’s Cardigan.” The songs are bite-sized sugar-bombs of pure ear candy: Shiny, shiny hooks and cheery boy-girl vocals courtesy of guitarist Kip Berman and keyboardist Peggy Wang, sullied to perfection by a thin layer of crackling distortion. It’s the type of music that makes you feel like you can fly … although I don’t recommend trying such a thing.

TPoBPaH just released a 7-inch for “Young Adult Friction” on Slumberland, a song that would sound just as at home at a dance party as a dingy punk-rock hub. Impossible not to like. Te prometo.

So, without further ado—after two months of enduring the pains of being patient—The Days of Lore caught up with Kip Berman (who bares a striking resemblance to Jason Biggs) to discuss the state of the economy and the power of pop music.

TDoL: I interviewed JB Townsend last year, and he said that while he had read some great reviews of the Crystal Stilts, some of the references to influences were a bit lazy. How do you feel about being compared to other bands, and the comparisons that come from that?
Kip Berman: Just that anyone rates us along their favorites is super sweet. Plus, I hope people who like our music go back and discover the bands we draw a lot of inspiration from, as a bunch of those bands are pretty under-appreciated.

What might someone be surprised to find in your record collection?
Let me check … The Hunches Yes. No. Shut It. alongside Belle and Sebastian’s This is Just a Modern Rock Song EP. Those records are probably eying each other suspiciously, though I love them both.

How have the songs changed since the band started?
I think the biggest change was when Kurt [Feldman] joined up on drums about a year and a half ago. Up until then, we relied on a drum machine which we programmed lazily with one of two possible drum beats.

If the band were to make a departure in its sound, which direction could you see it going?
It’s not a self-conscious “now let’s play doom metal” sort of thing, but more of wanting to always continue to get better and make pop music that we love. I feel that pop is so wonderfully broad a style of music that you could never ever get bored or fully exhaust it—it’s infinite.

Is it difficult to be in a band these days with state of the economy and the music industry?
The economic situation is pretty scary, but I don’t have a lot of sympathy for “The Music Industry.” There’s so much great music coming out now that I find it hard to see how, as a fan, things are bad. Maybe Metallica is only making 20 million this year instead of 35? We’re just happy to have people be excited for our shows and come out and have fun. Getting to make music with your friends and getting to tour and meet new people is pretty much the best thing ever.

What’s your motto for being in a band?
“Peggy is always right.”

And motto for life?
Be excellent to each other … and party on, dudes!

“Come Saturday” - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

“Young Adult Friction” - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

“Kurt Cobain’s Cardigan” - TPoBPaH (split 7-inch with Parallelograms)

Tags: Crystal Stilts, Kip Berman, Peggy Wang, Slumberland Records, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

You get 10

Monday, December 15th, 2008 | musiX | 9 Comments

I’ve been wrestling with the whole year-end list thing since I saw them popping up in November. Some makes lists of 50. Others try 33. Twenty-five is always a good number. So is 20. I’ve decided to go with 10 (plus a few honorable mentions) … any more than that would be five too many. And I’m pretty sure it isn’t going to resemble yours. Or his. Or hers. Or theirs. That’s probably a good thing. Click on the cover to buy the album. And let the civil discourse begin …

10. Yes No Yes No Yes No - The Girls: I grew up during the early days of MTV when bands like Missing Persons, Devo and The Cars were coming in loud and clear in technicolor. The five men who are The Girls take the innocence, and the excess, of ’80s new wave and power pop without resorting to kitsch—then they grind it up with giddy Blank Generation riffs. What can I say? It’s damn good fun. “Not I” is the immediate standout, but “Who Are the Forgetters” is The Girls’ secret weapon that will sneak up on you and threaten to wear out the repeat button.

“Who Are the Forgetters” - The Girls

9. Nevergreens Vol. 1 and 2 - Los Fancy Free: Mexico City’s Los Fancy Free has been at it for years. Martin Thulin (aka Menonita Rock) was born to Swedish hippies in a Scandanavian Mennonite community in Northern Mexico. It reflects in the music—a rock outfit that relies just as much on flower power as it does on stomp boxes, with lyrics in English and Spanish. This year, the band released a double-disc gem. It’s a long and winding trip through the desert aboard the Partridge Family bus with pockets full of peyote. And they do a 10-minute psych-punk version of “Sultans of Swing.” Rules.

“Money Money Money” - Los Fancy Free

8. Rising Down - The Roots: The Roots continue to do all the right things by pointing out the wrong in America. Rising Down is less organic than past albums, and it’s definitely one of the group’s feistiest, taking issue with, well, everything: global warming, school shootings and the black experience in general. The biting social commentary is given weight by the always-steady back beat of ?uestlove and a revolving door of guest MCs including Talib Kweli and Mos Def. Should have made more lists. I’ll take The Roots over Lil Wayne’s haughty ways any day.

“Lost Desire” - The Roots

7. The Airing of Grievances - Titus Andronicus: Jersey’s Titus Andronicus punched me in the face and then kicked me in the ribs. Then they barked at me about Camus’ existentialist ways. Guitars and drums clang together like they were recorded in a tin shed while frontman Patrick Stickles screams like Conor Oberst on a whiskey bender. It’s actually a near-exact translation of their live show. If the E Street Band hopped a train to CBGB and sat in with The Ramones, you’d get Titus Andronicus which, fittingly, takes its name from William Shakespeare’s most violent tragedy.

“Joset of Nazareth’s Blues” - Titus Andronicus

6. S/T - Vampire Weekend: I heard “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” and, slightly annoyed, went on with my business. But a friend made me listen to the entire album. At gunpoint. I started humming “A-Punk” and “Oxford Comma” (which, sadly, I do give a fuck about). I began getting annoyed when critics focused more on the band’s Ivy League pedigree and its proclivity for sweaters and Sperry Top-Siders. Silly critics. It’s a smart, fun record—there, I said it. I hope Vampire Weekend keeps making decent albums; unless they’re willing to try new things, their Afro-indie pop could wear thin fast.

“Oxford Comma” - Vampire Weekend

5. Real Emotional Trash - Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks: Stephen Malkmus still has a way with words. He also wields a mighty axe, and it’s evident that Malkmus is indulging himself here, experimenting with strung-out epics that are heavy on the guitar. But Real Emotional Trash is still a pop gem, made even sunnier by the warm production. Even if he goes for the hippie jam (the 10-minute title track), or the stoner riff (”Dragonfly Pie”) Malkmus returns to those shimmering pop melodies with “Cold Son” and “We Can’t Help You,” the latter on which Janet Weiss’ vocals melt me every time.

“We Can’t Help You” - Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks

4. Anonymous - Nothing People: This three-piece hails from a tiny sliver of land in Northern California. I always picture them as these sort of mad scientists that hole themselves up with an array of vintage gear and effects inside this fortress-like laboratory among the wind-swept olive groves. Anonymous is Nothing People’s first full-length after releasing a handful of excellent 7-inches. The band makes controlled chaos where echo-y vocals quiver over distortion and feedback and occasional drum loops and keyboards. In fact, if I didn’t know them better, I’d say they were not of this earth.

“I-5″ (live) - Nothing People

3. Blame it On Gravity - Old 97’s: Full disclosure: I am a huge fan of the Old 97’s. Unhealthy huge. But, even I wasn’t too keen on this record upon initial spins; I selfishly wanted a full return to those glorious Bloodshot days. Then I began to notice Rhett Miller’s familiar bookish wordplay, which wasn’t quite there on 2004’s Drag It Up. And guitarist Ken Bethea’s leads and licks killed me. Blame it On Gravity essentially plays like a greatest hits album, tapping from the band’s 15-year history and all of their clear-cut influences—’60s Brit-pop, Replacements rawk, outlaw-country. How could it not be good?

“Here’s to the Halcyon” - Old 97’s

2. I’ll Be Lightning - Liam Finn: I wanted to hear this album because of my love for Liam’s pops. He definitely inherited Neil’s knack for writing a pretty pop song, even snagging some of his old man’s vocal phrasings in “Music Moves My Feet” and “Lead Balloon.” The young Finn plays most of the instruments here, and he isn’t afraid to throw some ugly on top of the pretty … in a very handsome sort of way. There’s always something lurking in the background to make songs like “Second Chance” and “I’ll Be Lightning” feel not-so Crowded House—not that there’s anything wrong with that.

“Lead Balloon” - Liam Finn

1. Furr - Blitzen Trapper: I gravitate toward melodies and dynamics, even production, well before lyrics begin talking to me. But Eric Earley can spin a yarn—whether it be a murder ballad in “Black River Killer” or the tale of a young man who, literally, follows his animal instincts in the title track. What’s most impressive is how naturally this band can traverses folk (”Furr”), country (”Stolen Shoes & a Rifle”) and even ramshackle garage (”Love U”). There’s even a weepy, Elton-inspired ballad in “Not Your Lover.” So good an album that I actually get a little sad when it ends.

“Black River Killer” - Blitzen Trapper

Even more to love (in no particular order):

Microcastle - Deerhunter

Evil Urges - My Morning Jacket

Dear Science - TV on the Radio

Alight of Night - Crystal Stilts

S/T - Fleet Foxes

Tags: Alight of Night, Anonymous, best of 2008, Blame It On Gravity, Blitzen Trapper, Crystal Stilts, Dear Radio, Deerhunter, Evil Urges, Fleet Foxes, Furr, I'll Be Lighning, Liam Finn, Los Fancy Free, Microcastle, My Morning Jacket, Nevergreens Vol. 1 and 2, Nothing People, Old 97's, Real Emotional Trash, Rising Down, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, The Airing of Grievances, The Girls, The Roots, Titus Andronicus, TV On the Radio, Vampire Weekend, year-end list, Yes No Yes No Yes No

Low commotion

Sunday, November 9th, 2008 | musiX, pdX | 1 Comment

Live: Crystal Stilts, Cause Co-Motion! and Hornet Leg at Holocene, 11.7.08

Sometimes I think about how a band becomes a buzz-band. One minute you’re bashing out songs with some buddies, the next minute a writer for some hip blog is dipping into his or her pool of snazzy adjectives and doting over you like a newborn baby, and before you know it you’re traveling the country on the label’s bill. Then some blathering boob decides that half-baked alliteration is a brilliant way to buoy the phenomenon. It boggles the mind. Two of Brooklyn’s busiest, buzziest bands made their way to Portland to bestow on us what the buzz is all about … OK, I’m done.

I read a recent article in the Village Voice that said psych five-piece Crystal Stilts lacked stage presence. Sure, the members hardly twitched, but the songs the Stilts have put on wax were very alive on stage with warm tones dueling chilly echo. There was no between-song banter. Even when vocalist Brad Hargett did say something, it was so awash with echo you couldn’t decipher the words anyway. In the end it was sort of like sitting in a dim tunnel eating a big plate of [insert comfort food here].

On the flipside, I thought labelmates, Brooklyn neighbors and exclamation mark-happy Cause Co-Motion! would be the life of the party(!). The band’s release It’s Time! is a blast of ’60s bubblegum laced with methamphetamine. Live it was a bit jumbled, and the only thing moving was bassist Liam (no last name), who had his own dance party in the back corner of stage right. In the end it was like, well, sitting in a dark bar drinking a Jack and Coke … which created quite a buzz as well.

Tags: Brad Hargett, Cause Co-Motion!, Crystal Stilts, Holocene, live, Village Voice

Kingdom of the Crystal Stilts

Friday, November 7th, 2008 | interviewZ, musiX, pdX | No Comments

It’s hard to imagine what kind of music Brad Hargett and JB Townsend would be making had they stayed in Florida. The two met there, moved to Brooklyn in 2002 and formed Crystal Stilts soon after. The band just released its first full-length Alight of Night last month—although it sounds like these guys spent some time at The Factory. It’s chilly, dark and spacious, but allows just enough sunlight to break through. Hargett sings with little change in inflection while Townsend strums jubilant chords and drummer Frankie Rose (formerly of Brooklyn popsters Vivian Girls) provides clang and clamor on drums and tambourine. I bet they’ve listened to Galaxy 500.

Slumberland labelmates Cause Co-Motion! are a little more to the point. The fellow Brooklynites just released an album of singles called It’s Time!, 14 short bursts of ’60s bubblegum and snottiness—so happy together. Both bands play with local garage outfit Hornet Leg tonight at Holocene. They’ll be right at home in misty Portland.

[Note: Shortly after the band's Portland show Crystal Stilts guitarist JB Townsend got in touch with TDoL to answer a few questions.]

TDoL: Tell me what it was like to have Hamish Kilgour [NZ's The Clean] come up to you after your first show.
JB Townsend: It was extremely encouraging. At that time we had little concept of what we were doing live and to have someone like that say nice things gave us a bit of confidence.

How much of an influence is the New Zealand, Flying Nun sound?
The Flying Nun sound is definitely a big influence on our production and songwriting. We’re huge fans of The Clean etc., and are glad they’re getting the influential attention they deserve.

How long did it take to record Alight of Night?
Recording only took us a total of probably about 15 hours spread out over a month or two and then a few quick overdubs this year. I did most of the overdubs myself besides two or three bass tracks. Mixing, because of finances and multiple approaches on songs with varying drums, extra overdubs, mono/stereo mixes, took us about two years.

There’s definitely something going on musically in Brooklyn; which band(s) are you listening to?
Cause-Co-Motion!, German Measles, The Beets.

How does it feel to have music blogs/Pitchfork clamoring over you? Good? Strange?
It’s definitely good on one hand—a lot of what’s said is a bit safe and at times shallow in my opinion. References to influence are a bit lazy. It’s strange to have songs that are roughly four or five years old with lyrics that are even older on some songs being reviewed as an up to the minute record along with bands that recorded LPs this year. This LP is extremely dear to us and our formative times, yet our new songs are definitely a bit more structurally realized. Some of the more repetitive songs on Alight of Night stemmed from songs that were sometimes very long freakouts that we made more compact. On the other hand, I’ve read some honest and well-rounded reviews that are quite flattering.

What can people expect live from Crystal Stilts?
We surely are not trying to replicate the recordings, but some songs are very similar. It’s great to have such talent in the group with Andy, Frankie and Kyle—who never cease to amaze and encourage me. I think what we have going now live is a different and better approach to the same songs with some new ones thrown in there for a taste of future records.

“Shattered Shine” - Crystal Stilts

“I Lie Awake” - Cause Co-Motion!

Tags: Alight of Night, Brad Hargett, Cause Co-Motion!, Crystal Stilts, Frankie Rose, Galaxy 500, Hornet Leg, JB Townsend, Let's Go!, Slumberland Records, Vivian Girls