The Van Pelt | Bielefeld @ AJZ | Nov 26 1997

Doesn’t cut much deeper than this for me. Chris Leo was a great friend and advisor during my high school years (1993-1997), and when I’m honest with myself I admit that that the Van Pelt’s sound (and Chris’ lyrical/vocal style) was massively important in my thinking, hearing and playing. (My first real “punk” band, semi-finals, was particularly indebted to the talk-sing/big-bottom strategy employed in the first track here.) This really, really takes me back. ‘God, I stole a lot of moves from this guy, but never came close to anything this rad. I must’ve seen this band 20 times in those 4 years.

Jason Molina – What Comes After the Blues

consider this our Pship anthem until you hear otherwise.

Seriously

The “pocket,” here: obscene.

The Night Marchers – I Wanna Deatbeat You

Most excited I’ve been about a straight-up-the-middle “punk rock” band since who, The Pharmacists? Jawbreaker? New “Bomb” Turks? This is John and co. from Hot Snakes, RFTC, Drive Like Jehu and several other San Diego luminaries. Get the record, cuz it features the gtr tones that make this group so exemplary.

This record is subtractive, in my mind, where the Fucked Up alb is additive. If the Fucked Up record purportedly shows the hardcore kids how to add in a few doses of drone-y art-rock sheen with their punk, the Night Marchers reminds Lex of what can be done with pure barre chords in the hands of rock veterans and a worthy frontman and writer. My recent power pop excavating is really making me realize how much punk rock I’ve reactionarily cast aside in favor of other adventures. No more!

Delocated.mov

clip from a television program that will now be attracting my glassy, post-Tina Fey, startled gaze every Thoisday night at 10:30 on le Gartune Nedwerk.

Inglorious Bastards (2009) Trailer

Uh, this trailer does not inspire a lot of confidence in me.

Prindle’s “Best ‘73 Since ‘73″ results’re In…

…And odd if they aren’t weighted down with lotsa 2000s-era pitchfork rock. I guess those’re the albs that we interweb-blogg-geeks have in common…but really, Radiohead made two of the ten best albums of the last 36 years? You should click here for the full list (and more), but here’s nos. 25-2 to whet your thing:

25. Led Zeppelin – Houses Of The Holy
24. Ween – The Mollusk
23. Replacements – Let It Be
22. Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
21. Pavement – Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
20. Iggy & The Stooges – Raw Power
19. King Crimson – Red
18. Wire – Pink Flag
17. Husker Du – Zen Arcade
16. Ramones – S/T
15. Bob Dylan – Blood On The Tracks
14. Meat Puppets – II
13. Minutemen – Double Nickels On The Dime
12. Pink Floyd – Animals
11. Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation
10. Sex Pistols – Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols
9. Nirvana – Nevermind
8. My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
7. Radiohead – OK Computer
6. Pixies – Surfer Rosa
5. Talking Heads – Remain In Light
4. The Clash – London Calling
3. Radiohead – Kid A
2. Television – Marquee Moon

30 Year-Old Lex Record Purchases, 2/8-2/11, 2009

7″s

1. Dead C, Stealth b/w The Factory (1999)
2. Faces, Stay With Me b/w You’re So Rude (1972)
3. Faces, Cindy Incidentally b/w Skewiff (Mend the Fuse) (1973)
4. Faces/Rod Stewart, You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything (1975)
5. Joe Jackson, Steppin’ Out b/w Chinatown (1982)
6. Pitchblende, the Weed Slam ep (1992)
   
7. Rod Stewart, You Wear It Well/True Blue (1972)
8. Rod Stewart, I Was Only Joking b/w Born Loose (1977)
9. Rod Stewart, Hot Legs b/w You’re Insane (1977)

LPs

1. AC/DC, Powerage (197eight)
2. Badfinger, Ass (1973)
3. Badfinger, s/t (1974)
4. Bailter Space, Robot World (1993)
5. Beach Boys, Pet Sounds (1966)/Carl and the Passions: So Tough (1972)
6. Be-Bop Deluxe, Axe Victim (1974)
7. The Box Tops, Cry Like A Baby (196eight)
8. Jackson Browne, Saturate Before Using (1972)
9. Jackson Browne, For Everyman (1973)
10. Boys Life, Departures and Landfalls (1996)
11. Dr. John, Destitively Bonnarroo (1974)
12. Roberta Flack, Chapter Two (1970)
13. Gang of Four, Another Day, Another Dollar 12″ (1982)
14. The Godfather,  Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1972)
15. Holy Childhood, Up With What I’m Down With (2003)
16. Husker Du, Candy Apple Grey (1986)
17. Husker Du, Warehouse: Songs and Stories (1987)
18. Waylon Jennings, Honky Tonk (1973)
19. Waylon Jennings, Dreaming My Dreams (1975)
20. Lynyrd Skynyrd, Street Survivors (1976)
21. Mission of Burma, 8 x 12″ with hand etchings by Shepard Fairey (2006)
22. Moby Grape, 20 Granite Creek (1971)
23. Michael Nesmith & The First National Band, Loose Salute (1970)
24. Marc Olson and Gary Louris, Ready for the Flood (2009)
25. Shawn Phillips, Second Contribution (1970)
26. Richard Pryor, That Nigger’s Crazy (1974)
27. Richard Pryor, Is It Something I Said? (1975)
28. Rolling Stones, Exile on Main St. original pressing with POSTCARDS! (1971)
29. Rolling Stones, Goat’s Head Soup original pressing (1973)
30. Rolling Stones, Black and Blue original pressing (1976)
31. Roxy Music, s/t reissue on 180gm virgin vinyl w/poster (1972)
32. Roxy Music, For Your Pleasure reissue on 180gm virgin vinyl w/poster (1973)
33. Sir Douglas Quintent, Mendocino (1969)
34. Silkworm, Blueblood (199eight)
35. Simon and Garfunel, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (1966)
36. Split Enz, True Colours w/ laser etchings (1980)
37. Thief, Original Motion Picture soundtrack by Tangerine Dream (1981)
38. Muddy Waters, the Real Folk Blues on Chess (1987 reprint)
39. Bob Weir, Ace (1972)
40. Stevie Wonder, Music of My Mind original pressing (1972)
41. Stevie Wonder, Songs in the Key of Life original  w/ 7″, booklet (1976)
42. Thalia Zedek Band, Liars and Prayers (200eight)

Mark Olson & Gary Louris – Turn Your Pretty Name Around (Live on Letterman) 2009.02.05 (HQ)

This is fireworks-less adult music for people with life-partners they love, like and respect to hear over an indiscrete number of whiskeys, beer backs, and maybe the first five smokes they’ve allowed ‘emselves in seven-eight months.

Well, jolly-fucking ho – good for you people, whoever you are. Meanwhile the rest of us can surely appreciate how mature these vocal melodies are, and how the tone of the song is way more Rose Melberg than Roger McGuin.

This belongs next to the godly Neil Hagerty Halstead record in the “so pretty you don’t even notice that it’s pretty” category. Now I’m even more pumped for the dry, great album it comes with, being as I am a wet, overrated man-hamper who best steer himself away from the ashtray mouth for a while, now that he thinks about it.

For Those Following Along At Home

Obviously the top 73 list is full of albums that you (and I both) should own on fancy vinyl. While you’re waiting to piece that collection together, however, let me refer you to YoungMossTongue, a blog run by an obvious kindred spirit, which features many of the Top 73 albums and many of the chasepack albs in convenient – but never sufficient – mp3 format. Everything from Come to the Tall Dwarfs, folks!