While I was at work the other day, I noticed a CD sitting around with the word "Rangda" on the cover, spelled out by the roots of a particularly spooky tree. Enticed by the spooky, I gave it th' old once-over.
"Harrumph. Rangda is the NAME OF THE BAND? That's terrible. It's a nonsense word. They're probably hippies. What a waste of a spooky tree."
With that, I turned the thing over. I found myself confronted by a photograph of the band in mid "rock-out". "Feh. They look like an all-dad blues band. Who the hell are these jokers OH SHIT THAT'S SIR RICHARD BISHOP." For indeed it was the guy from legendary avant-noise-arabic-art-weirdos Sun City Girls on guitar. And the other guitar? Ben Chasny, from likewise big-deal art-weirdos Six Organs of Admittance. Oh, and the drummer's some dude named Chris Corsano, who plays with meaningless nobodies like Thurston Moore and Nels Cline and Sunburned Hand of The Man and... look, if yr MOM was in a free-improv noise band in New York in the last ten years, he probs played with her, too.
So, yeah, I grabbed it. And it's great. Pretty much what you'd expect (if you were expecting three dudes just TACKLING their instruments for about forty-five minutes). Epic, shrieking walls of noise and drum abuse alternate with quiet, contemplative pools of gentle plucking and brushed snares. Sometimes it's sweeping waves of high-end scree, sometimes it's the vague desert motif of "Bull Lore" which sounds like a free-noise version of "Hotel California". Except, y'know... GOOD.
And "Rangda" isn't a nonsense word after all. It's the name of a Balinese Demon Queen (above left) who eats children and leads an army of witches against the forces of good. Which means I should probably take a seminar on Balinese Cultural Literacy, but my stupid job doesn't offer one. God, they're so backward. I mean, what century IS this?
For yr consumption: th' aforementioned "Bull Lore" and "Serrated Edges," the most... um, NUANCED of the batshit noise assault tracks.
There's something of a cottage industry in the world of publishing that churns out Complete Histories Of Punk Rock at a rate that would be alarming if Complete Histories Of Punk Rock were anything to get alarmed about. They're not, but that doesn't stop people like me from getting worked up anyway. I KNOW these things are just a way for dudes who sold heroin to Dee Dee Ramone to make a semi-honest living. I don't have a problem with that. Hell, if it keeps these guys off the streets, I'm all for it. It could even be pointed out that nobody's forcing me to read the stupid things, but here I am, and there they are, and what does that mean for you, the reader?
It means I wanna talk about The Dictators. See, all these Complete Histories of yadda yadda are alla time talking up The Dictators and how they're (ugh) SEMINAL. And they're pretty much right on, but you kind of wouldn't know that from listening to any, y'know, actual Dictators albums. The first one (Go Girl Crazy) is pretty decent, but it's hampered by the fact that Punk Rock sort of didn't exist yet, so it's basically a loud, dumb, awkward version of The Beach Boys (I know, right?) and Handsome Dick Manitoba (he's the one not getting felt up in the picture above) hardly even sings on it, which is too bad 'cos despite an admittedly limited range, he's one of rock's great blah blah blah. Oh, and the guitars sound sorta wimpy. The second one (Manifest Destiny) has even wimpier production, which sinks a handful of great songs and a bunch more shitty ones. I haven't listened to Blood Brothers yet. If you wanna send me a copy, that would be great. Then they broke up for twenty years, and made two more albums, which sound like they're made by a bad cartoon version of the actual band.
So why all the fuss? Because of this. It's called (deep breath) Dictators Live New York New York, but it was originally released as Fuck 'Em If They Can't Take A Joke, which was a much better thing to call a Dictators album. The ROIR label guys put it out, so it was only on cassette. You can order it from 'em on proper technology now, but I'mma keep giving it away until those dudes restock their Dictators shirts in non-fat sizes. We're not all Handsome Dick-size, guys.
This is what the first two albums shoulda sounded like. The songs are a notch or three faster than the album versions, the guitars are surprisingly awesome sounding for a live tape (recorded on two track? Ye gods!), and Handsome Dick sings THE WHOLE THING. He also contributes some hilarious stage banter (especially during the intro to "Two-Tub Man"). Geez, even the song titles are better than on the albums (the awkward "Young, Fast, Scientific" is rechristened "Rock 'n' Roll Made A Man Out Of Me", a title that kinda tells you everything you need to know about The Dictators and their Many Moods). The songs selection is excellent, covering pretty much all the classic Dictators anthems, plus a charmingly graceless cover of a Velvet Underground tune (or not so charming. My wife got pretty pissed when she heard it, but she takes The Velvets kinda seriously. The Dictators don't take ANYTHING seriously. Hence the problem).
So get it. And put my copy of Blood Brothers in the mail. And stick some White Castle in there too, while yr at it. All this beer is making me hungry.
There won't be a ton of depth in today's deal, kids. I'm just tossing up a handful of things that got me out of bed on this miserable and soggy morning.
First up is the number one download on Itunes Japan (for what that's worth), "A Winter Fairy Is Melting A Snowman" by Kaela Kimura. This slice of manic J-Pop seems to be "going viral" (ugh), and the part where the excessively huge guitars kick in makes me grin like a goddamn fiend.
The next two songs are by Wymyns Prysyn from Atlanta. That's pretty much all I know about these dudes, but they remind me of Hammerhead and The New Bomb Turks and Nation of Ulysses. So basically they remind me of the mid 90's, which is pretty much my entire steez in a nutshell.Come to Portland, you guys!
We then find ourselves on a "hilarious" tip. Dude to our left is "Liberace Morris," the lead singer for Black Fag. You heard me. Dudes are doing Black Flag covers with vocals that are supposed to ape our pal Rob Schneider, but end up sounding a little closer to Jello from Dead Kennedys. Which may mean something, but I don't know what. We can sit around and argue about stereotypes and political correctness all day, but the upshot is that the part in "T.V. Party" that goes "Extreme Makeover/Extreme Makeover Home Edition" cracks me the fuck up, and a Mojito sounds damn good right about now.
Ultra-moronic synth damage from Roger Roger is up next! I grabbed this from the peerless Egg City Radio site, which is where you want to go if yr sick of music sounding like humans made it.
I go there at least twice a day, because seriously, humans? Shut the fuck up already. Speaking of humans and my general distaste for them, this mix finishes with "Kill Them All" by The Brainbombs.Genius and Brutality. Taste and Power. Possibly the most important rock band of the last decade. We'll talk more about them soon.
Submitted for your consideration: Ninja Man. Dancehall reggae DJ. "Article badman". A performer who has had much-publicized (in Jamaica, anyway) battles with such heavyweights as Shabba Ranks, Super Cat, and Crack Cocaine (which perhaps explains a thing or two about the outfit to our left). Born-again Christian. Machete-wound survivor (AFTER converting to Christianity, oddly enough). Movie star. And currently on trial for murder, conspiracy to commit murder, shooting with intent, and illegal possession of a firearm.
Thus, when I found myself in a Seattle record store that ONLY sold death metal and reggae records (a mix that perhaps makes more sense than one would originally assume) and I found Ninja Man's 1990 album (one of EIGHT albums our man released that year!) Out Pon Bail, I snatched it up. Folks, this record is WEIRD. The first track features a goddamn banjo (not a traditional choice for a dancehall record, if you didn't already know). The banjo also appears in much-reduced capacity on the second track, and then sadly disappears in favor of (marginally) more accessible electronic squelching noises, orchestra hits, and an ASSLOAD of echo. Now, whenever echo effects are deployed in a reggae context, critics like to trot out the word "cavernous", which these sounds are NOT. Out Pon Bail is NOTHING like a cavern. It is not vast or spacious. It is instead FLAT and EMPTY, despite the fact that there are tons of crazy-ass sounds pinging around in its cramped, adimensional space.
This, of course, is awesome. I have included the first six tracks, after which the album sadly turns into limp, predictable lover's reggae. What happened? I'm betting the coke ran out.
P.S. - Pay particular attention to the second minute of "Get Out A Here," in which Ninja Man just gives up on the chorus midway through. Shit like this is why I love dancehall.
The gentleman hiding behind the tote bag is David Liebe Hart. He is an actor/comedian/musician/public access host. He has appeared on such television programs as "Good Times," "What's Happening," and "Tim And Eric Awesome Show Great Job." He recently performed in Portland, Oregon at Valentine's, and I was lucky enough to attend.
It was a bit of an odd night.
Bearing in mind that this was some of that "outsider art" that people go on about, I showed up an hour late, hoping to bypass at least one of the opening acts. Unless they are legitimately nuts themselves, the class of people who get roped into opening for this sort of thing are either half-assed "experimental" "artists" or annoyingly unfunny "comedy" acts. My luck running true to form, there was one of each on the menu, and no, I hadn't managed to miss them.
The first act was called "Sustentacula" (I know, right?) and it was one of those two-dudes-and-a-ton-of-gear-making-white-noise propositions, which is usually fine with me as long as the set stays under twenty minutes. Unfortunately, one of those dudes (I think his name is Dude With Beard) started singing.
He had one of those affected, pseudo-folky, Neutral Milk Hotel/Decemberists kind of voices, and the fact that he was singing over a bunch of atonal electric gurgles meant that he didn't really have to stick to any sort of melody, instead opting to intone lyrics like "Fish tale mammary inside the pelvic womb, impale the menstrual heart June cocoon." Not exactly, but you get the idea. He'd also get up occasionally from his bank of whoosh-makers and do some preposterous performance-arty antics... hopping on one foot while windmilling his arms, or leaning backwards while flapping his lyric sheets like flippers and then scowling. That sort of crap.
It was while he was doing this second bit that something amusing actually happened. When Dude With Beard finished flapping his lyric fins, he tossed them "contemptuously" toward the audience, then sat back down at the Gurgle Controls. At this, David Liebe Hart LEAPED to his feet and scrambled over to pick up the lyric sheets. He carefully dusted them off, stacked them neatly, and placed them on top of DWB's stack of gear. It was great. DWB is trying to be all "I'm a Supes Intense Artist" and Liebe Hart is just like, "Oh, dear, you dropped these. Let me help you out, buddy." Classic.
Eventually, the gear stopped burbling and the dudes went off to shave or something. Then a group of ladies (allegedly) got up, all dressed in fancy-ish dresses with loads of makeup on (one lady also had her hair tied under her chin like a beard, which I guess created a bit of artistic unity with the first act) and began doing some of that "performance art" you kids seem so keen on these days.
They were called "Galactic Daughters of Passion", and I include their name here so you will be able to AVOID THEM AT ALL COSTS. Their act basically consisted of a bunch of tantric breathing exercises done at irritating volume into a microphone... and then they started rubbing their crotches on each other's legs... and talking about how they're "gonna come". And then one of 'em tore her dress and put on a warped old blues tape and stood on a table... and then I don't know what happened because I got out my Mike Tyson book and focused on my Manhattan. People were laughing, so I guess it was supposed to be funny... question mark.
Look, I can find transcendent qualities in art that is stupid, in art that is vulgar, in art that is amateurish, in art that is awkward, and in art that is annoying. But when your art is stupid AND vulgar AND amateurish AND awkward AND annoying? You can pretty much fuck off and quit wasting my time. Thankfully, David Liebe Hart finally got up and did his thing. He did not bring any puppets with him, which was probably for the best, as it allowed us to focus on the man and his music. He was accompanied by his partner Adam Papagan (visible at extreme right in the video) on guitar and THAT'S IT. No frills. No antics. Just a man with delightful, life-affirming songs sung with a strong voice and a rockin' guitar. And the occasional interlude about being seduced by alien women who look like Betty Page.
And sometimes, that's all you need. Easily the best live performer since Jonathan Richman, and all the idiots who walked out (passing DIRECTLY in front of David Liebe Hart, btw) are the worst sort of scum.
Which is to say, they were fans of the opening acts.
Anyway, here's yr ipod filler for the day. Only one jam, 'cos David Liebe Hart really needs yr money. This is off the "Public Access" album from 2008.
The world is a smaller, sadder, less luminous place with the news that Don Van Vliet has left us land-lubbin' women alone. While it is perhaps redundant for me to toss my humble scribblings into the deluge of Beefheart memorials, it is a testament to the Captain's powers that NO AMOUNT of hyperbole can really do justice to the man's art. It is impossible for Beefheart to be overrated. Despite being thirty-nine years old, the clip above is as assaultive, as mind-warping, as ALIEN as it was at its inception. Even moving in Beefheart-saturated circles (as I do), there is no way to get used to this stuff. No matter how many Arab On Radars, no matter how many Flying Luttenbachers or U.S. Maples I obsess over, Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band got there first, strangest, and best. I could listen to these albums for the rest of my life and never exhaust their store of innovation, wonder, and energy.
Thank you, Don Van Vliet. Thank you and goodnight.
A word of warning, gentle reader. If you are easily offended, or at all faint of heart, this is perhaps not the post for you. Please proceed to the next entry down, in which that nice Fred Schneider fellow "thinks outside the box" and earns my praise and prose through the creation of a rather excellent "rock" recording.
Mom, GO TO BED NOW.
Everybody else still with me? Good. Let's talk about Smoothe Da motherfuckin' Hustler.
In 1996, this dude dropped an album (Once Upon A Time In America) full of icy, dark, drugs-and-guns rap (well, not exactly full. Three of the tracks were weak-ass sentimental bullshit). Smoothe's flow was head-spinningly dense and, while lyrically harsh, also displayed an almost gleeful sense of the possibilities of rhyme. Yes, the subject matter at hand is almost SHOCKINGLY ignorant (this post's title is actually taken from one of the album's LESS appalling moments), but the virtuosity on display here is undeniable. Also, fuck you, pussy.
Now, I'd like to think I'm sort of okay at this writing business, but no description I give you will adequately capture the vertiginous pleasures of Smoothe Da Hustler's flow at its very best. To help illustrate my point, I have included the two tracks that best exemplify what America has to offer: "Broken Language" and "My Brother My Ace". Perhaps you should go download them NOW.
The first voice you hear is not actually Smoothe. This deep, menacing voice belongs to his brother, Trigger The Gambler. Despite declaring himself the "Funeral servin' church preacher, your black hearse coffin seeker," Trigger is NOT the better rapper on this track, for soon, so soon...
Smoothe starts to rap. His voice is a harsh, rasping croak. This is fitting, as he quickly declares himself "The Human Asthma" (this is possibly the finest bit of rap braggadocio I have ever heard). He goes on to proclaim himself (MOM. I TOLD YOU TO GO. TO. BED. You will not be pleased with this next part, for God's sake, LOOK AWAY) "The white girl gangbanger, the Virgin Mary fucker, the Jesus hanger." After each phrase, Smoothe sucks in a quick burst of air, a small catching noise almost hidden under the echoing snap of the snare drum. These brief flashes of visceral function throw the verbal pyrotechnics on display into stark relief. As the song nears its conclusion, you are probably coming to grips with the savage flow and the bleak imagery, which means you are just about ready to have your mind completely blown by the next track. A few low, hollow knocks of bass and then... Smoothe and Trigger begin trading lines in a bleak, smothering torrent of language. One minute into the song, the finest thirty seconds in hip-hop begin:
Trigger: Fake frontin' faggots, soft like fabric, I got gadgets, my craft go static, pussy niggas get dramatic. Smoothe: Dramatic get niggas pussy static 'cos craft my gadgets got a fabric like soft faggots frontin' fake if ya backwards...
Yes, he really did just rap his brother's line backwards. And yes, it still pretty much made sense. Hurry up and get yr head back in the game, 'cos here comes Smoothe again: "Threats I move with, bruise shit, mentally confuse and lose shit, shit lose and confuse mentally shit bruise and crews slip." Damn. Then, the beat drops out for one second, the piano note that provides the song's bass line echoes like a funeral, and Trigger sneers, "God gave me a gift, I'm givin' him one back... that's a black bag with a ribbon, sealed tight with a tag."
And so on. No, the rest of the album is not as good as these two songs, but most of it is still pretty goddamn good. And no, Smoothe's career after this album did not live up to his potential. He provided a bunch of stellar verses on Trigger's (unreleased) album, did a bunch of cameos for other artists (his verse on Public Enemy's soundtrack to He Got Game is stellar...), and then disappeared for twelve years. His 2008 comeback is, um... somewhat LESS than some of us were hoping for.
Anyway. One devastating album is one more than most of us get. Maybe on iTunes? I dunno. Give the man some money, it'll help keep him off the streets. And you WANT Smoothe off the streets.
