PLAYBACK ST. LOUIS
CURMUDGEON BY ROB LEVY
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Don’t you love the spring? The allergies, the baseball (complete with Redbird thirdplace antics), the inevitable playoff collapse of the Blues, and an end to the indoor soccer season. However, one groovy thing about the spring is that it marks the arrival of some really good shows. I am not just talking about the big large, overpriced, scary LYDON R i v e r p o r t / U M B / Galactic Empire shit. No, I am talking about lots of good bands and respected artists gigging out in smaller venues. With that in mind, the next two months are going to be off the hook. In the next few months, there is a flurry of great live music action: Dressy Bessy, The FortyFives, The Starlight Mints, Guided by Voices, Stereolab, Bob Dylan, Keb’ Mo’, Lucinda Williams, Henry Rollins, Liz Phair, Grandaddy, Ben Kweller, Death Cab for Cutie, and the Stereophonics are all coming to town. Plus, if you figure in larger shows like David Bowie and Missy Elliott, then the spring is indeed going to be crazy. All of this is happening before the summer heat sets in, bringing with it humidity and stupid tours for dumbass Limp Bizkit assclowns, skater kids, and mundanes with no sense of musical propriety. So get out and see some bands or read a book, but don’t just sit there! If everyone who made a fuss over Janet Jackson’s boobie would spend as much time and energy thinking, reading, and being creative, we’d live in a much better place. Ultimately, it is sad that her nonspeaking body part was much more interesting than any of the actual performers at the SuperBowl halftime show. The show itself was a collection of current and future hasbeens. Maybe next year they could get Gerardo or Monie Love. Elbow has covered Massive Attack’s “Teardrop” as a B-side for their next single. Just when you thought it was safe to come out into the world, Billy Corgan has announced he is working on a solo album. Czech fetishists British Sea Power are releasing “A
STEVE EARLE Lovely Day Tomorrow” as a single in the Czech Republic. The exclusive single will be released in both English and Czech. Steve Lillywhite, the man responsible for the sound of U2’s first two albums, has again reunited with the Irish band. After helping out on some previous albums, he is back to fulltime production for their next album, slated for a late 2004 release. In the meantime, the Edge has recorded the “Batman Theme” for the new Dark Knight animated series. for a new QOTSA album before the end of this Johnny Lydon caused quite a stir in the U.K. year. on I’m a Celebrity, Get Me out of Here. He drew Steve Earle is the subject of a new documenflak for being incredibly profane and belligerent tary, Just an American Boy. The documentary to the cast and crew. Things got so literal and lensed by Amos Poe features an in-depth look intense that Lydon abruptly quit the show. at Earle’s career and his 2002 tour. Carnegie Hall hosted a Tibet House Benefit Down-tempo chillsters Frost hail from last month featuring Ray Davies, David Byrne, Norway. This in itself is not enough to make Yo La Tengo, Phillip Glass, and Keb’ Mo’. you jump up and down with glee, but when Maybe it’s just me, but the new Webster you consider that Frost is the latest in a string Film Series people don’t seem to be offering of Scandinavian bands to infiltrate Europe and programming as daring or interesting as their North America, then that should make you take predecessors. notice. This duo makes pop music in the vein of Urge Overkill had reformed and played a Club 8 or a calmer Portishead. Frost’s good buds series of West Coast dates. Royksopp have remixed “Endless Love” for their The Pixies are releasing a 22-song retrospeclatest album, Melodica. Melodica offers anything tive, Wave of Mutilation, to coincide with their that a purveyor of trip-hop or down-tempo could reformation. Their British tour sold out in less want. It is full of sweeping back melodies, lush than 30 minutes. They are headlining this year’s vocals, and beats that melodiously move about, Coachella Music Festival with The Cure and fitting snuggly under the vocals. Radiohead. Astor Piazolla was the world’s most famous Together We’re Heavy is the title of the clunky tango musician. He made some amazing records second album from The Polyphonic Spree. The with melodies NICK DRAKE hour-plus-long CD, due later this spring, again and harmonies features serious orchestration. that zipped, Krist Novoselic is abandoning his plans sang, and to run for lieutenant governor for Washington angled their State. His former Nirvana compadre, Dave way into your Grohl, recently recorded a track for the new subconscious. Garbage album, which is due out next year. Now Milan Which brings me to this point: could anyone Records has more boring than The Foo Fighters or No honored his Doubt win a Grammy? work with Also idiotic is Sean Combs’ interest in buyAstor Piazolla ing the Orlando Magic of the NBA. Remixed, feaIt has been about five years since Ghost turing contemreleased an album. Their porary artists BRITISH SEA POWER new album, Hypnotic like Koop and 4hero reworking and re-pastichUnderworld, is a sweeping, ing Piazolla’s tangos into new electronica-tinged massive movement of feedcompositions. back, noise, and textured Despite the recent back problems that sidesound overtures. tracked Guided by Voices’ recent tour, Bob Bassist Nick Oliveri Pollard is at it again. GBV spent February reschedhas left Queens of the uling tour dates and recording new material for Stone Age. Earlier last their next album, due later this year. Meanwhile, month, Mark Lanegan left Pollard, in the guise of Fiction Man, is releasing the band to finish work on his new solo project later this month. his solo album. Despite the Underachievers Please Try Harder is the fine lineup shenanigans, look new album from Glasgow’s Camera Obscura. It
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