one of these things is much like the other

Most of the time, I have no patience for copies--it's like, do your own thing, be your own pet, whatever. Destroy your idols, as the saying goes. Kill the Buddha. That's what came to mind while listening to the new Sic Alps album, A Long Way Around to A Shortcut (Drag City). Buried in the almost 30 tracks is a roughhewn gem called "Message from the Law", about bothersome letters of eviction, government people who just won't leave you alone and not giving a damn. It's a tight, nostalgic riff-driven piece of cool shrug-your-shoulders rock.



But, nostalgic for what?, you might ask. Take a peep and you'll see. It's got the same tune and bassline, although by far lacking the same sense of urgency, as the Beatles' classic "Paperback Writer". As one of my favorite Beatles cuts, I'm not complaining too loudly about Frizco's Sic Alps aping the British legends. After all, who could resist taking a stab at their genius?



Message from the Law
Paperback Writer

Track Review: Killing Joke

Killing Joke made a few good albums, but none are as stellar as their self-titled debut from 1980. I went through a big phase with this album, especially with its opener "Requiem".

They were a post-punk band from the UK whose music seethed with industrial grittiness, carried by big drums, hard-edged guitars, primitive electronics and the uncomprising, fearless vocals of Jaz Coleman. Early on they caught the ears of the legendary DJ John Peel, famous for his Peel Sessions that featured the cutting edge creme de la creme of music at the time. Their music has influenced a laundry list of groups, from Big Black to Faith No More to Nirvana to Napalm Death.

Months ago I snagged the discs but only recently got to giving them a good listen. Boy, do I regret that. I've been flailing around my room non-stop the past few days, pumping skinny fists to their tune "Tension". I have no idea what album the song is from--perhaps a bit more research would reveal that--but it's a hot one. The echoing drums of Paul Ferguson sound like a giant rubber ball bouncing violently off racquet ball walls--they're buoyantly aggressive but never miss a beat. The clipped, Clash-like sinewy riffs play with Coleman's Londonite snarl, and when the entire-band-strong chorus kicks in, you'd better not be standing still. It builds in this sophisticated way that most post-punk bands are too archaic to touch, save maybe Gang of Four or Joy Division. Put it in your trunk and bump it.

Tension
Wardance
Requiem

Vile

Circa September 3rd, Kurt Vile playing at a house party in the Mission, taking a break from a mesmerizing set of songs that shut a lot of people up.

Photo by Isaac Vazquez

The Underbelly

I can't wait for this Ozzy documentary to come out. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for him, and I'll kill anybody who says his brain is fried and that he has Alzheimer's or something. Believe me, I've heard people say that, and it's not cool. He's just a big teddy bear underneath the shakily-applied eyeliner and occasional blank stares.

6 Minute Interruption

This isn't music, but deal with it. Poetry is basically music, right? Right. This is a video of Charles Bukowski cruising around on camera, pointing out all his favorite Hollywood haunts. I went through a gigantic Bukowski phase, as most people who are badass at heart did, but that was before Youtube existed, if there ever was a time. Now there's a goldmine of Bukowski footage floating around on the site and I thought I'd post my favorite. Forever R.I.P., Hank.

Nightcap

I've spent many a night recently playing this video over and over again, just as I'm getting sleepy, the lights have dimmed, and everything else is falling silent. There are a few live performances of Antony & the Johnsons' take on Beyonce's sassy mega song "Crazy in Love" floating around Youtube and all are just as haunting when you can see the undulation of the orchestra backing Antony's pleading vocals. I'm just glad they finally made it official. One of the most genius covers ever, probably.

Thank God August is Over/Please Be Kind September

August was a doozy, but not because I was spending it laying on some beach or painting my nails rainbow or climbing Mount Kilimanjaro or mourning Michael Jackson or inventing automobile-installable record players.

I was busy doing other things, like blowing my mind seeing Sunn O))), sweating at a noisy house party where people actually shut up to hear Eat Skull and the luminous Kurt Vile play in a living room, complaining all the way through summer school, and chasing down this now-tiny but soon-to-be-huge San Francisco band Girls.



Christopher Owens, on the right, is the singer and lyricist of Girls and easily one of the most candid & intriguing people I've ever interviewed. Behold:

On life after the Children of God cult:

"Yeah I'm totally an Atheist. The idea of God is romantic, and I think it's something that people made up. People are the most amazing things on the planet. It's all foolishness and madness, but it's all so great. People just do these things that don't make any sense. That's what makes them great. I like anything romantic, but I don't believe in God at all. But I think the idea of gospel music is beautiful, and the idea of wanting to be rescued by something greater than yourself is beautiful. But giving people guilt trips over very natural things is maybe the most evil thing you can do, maybe as horrible as war. I'm pretty obsessed with Jesus. Jesus was really great."




On what he would be like if he hadn't grown up in the Children of God:

"I feel like I'm smart and I feel like I plan ahead. I like to win. I have good genes, good health. I think if I had not grown up in a cult, I would have gone to school, I would have been an aggressive student. I probably would have been some sort of successful capitalist, and I’d probably have a lot of money and I probably would not have the sort of feelings and emotional genius that I have now, because it's been forced upon me by other people. I think the reason why I’m sort of a romantic artist right now is because I’ve had a damaged upbringing."

On first getting noticed as a band on Myspace:

"I feel like Myspace was kind of this American dream. . .like equality and opportunity for all. Any band can make a page. It doesn't cost you any money and you can decide what pictures you put up there, and people might like you and give you a record deal or whatever. Or you might get laid. It's such an American thing. It's a beautiful thing."

On the role of drugs in his music:

"In San Francisco it's easy to find any drug you want, so I can just get high out of my mind for three days and write music. I recently have become, because of touring, a lot more sober. To be honest, I was a drug addict for a while. It was a big deal in Holy Shit [his former band with Ariel Pink]. That kind of got the ball rolling. I got super addicted to opiates for while. I would love to just be high right now. The only reason I talk about it is because it's crazy. It's really a crazy, amazing thing. And it's crazy how much of your life it can rob you of. I don't know why it's not more of a talked about thing. It's just one of the biggest thing i my life right now. You can just go buy these things whenever. But at the same time, I know it's stupid and you're gonna pay for it."



It's crazy how much these guys have blown up in the past month or so: I've seen them on countless blogs, they snagged the cover of FADER Magazine, their brilliant tune "Lust for Life" soundtracked the Urban Outfitters (?!) Fall 2009 Lookbook, and the Bay Guardian (the first to get the scoop in San Francisco) splashed them on their cover this week, by yours truly. Godspeed you, Girls. You're gonna be stars soon.

P.S. Catch them at their San Francisco-exclusive early record release part at Amoeba Music on Haight St. on Sept 15!

P.P.S. Download:
Lust for Life
Hellhole Ratrace
Summertime
Morning Light