Ode to Decembeard | 14
Musican Meltdowns on Stage | 44
A Taste of Boston Street Performers | 52
northeastern students on music
No 30
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Staff
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Tastemakers Music Magazine 232 Curry Student Center 360 Huntington Ave. Boston, MA 02115 tastemakersmag@gmail.com © 2012 tastemakers music magazine all rights reserved
Features Editor Ryan Kehr Interviews Editor Dinorah Wilson Reviews Director Suzie Conway Reviews Editor Leslie Fowle Media Directors Jenna Ross Christina Spleen
The Team Staff Writers Emily Cassel Runyon Colie Suzie Conway Tom Doherty Mike Doub Joey Dussault
Siena Faughnan Leslie Fowle Shea Geyer Amanda Hoover Alexa Johsnon Elizabeth Johnson Wilson Ryan Kehr Max Malsich Cara McGrath Erica Moser Mackenzie Nichols Ben Stas Dan Wilets Dinorah Wilson Art & Design Chris Bowers Brian Cantrell Abbie Hanright Ally Healy Lacey Honda Eric Lee Stephanie Lee Emily O’Brien Carole Pompei Casey Price Wendy Schiller Carisa Tong Contributers Lauren Kovalefsky Steve Olimpio Dan Wilets Marketing Gus Altobello Martin Au Daniel Esmond Nathan Goldman Shreya Gurubacharya Crystal Lin Sarah Maillet Jason Moosikkamol Alex Taylor Carisa Tong Leah Zwemke
The Cover Design Dave Tschiegg
Photo Dave Tschiegg
Meet the Staff
About
Listening to
Quote
Jeff Curry Position President Major Behavioral Neuroscience Graduating Fall 2013 Co-ops @ Harvard Medical School Favorite venue Irving Plaza (NYC) Tastemaker Since 2010
Tame Impala Lonerism Japandroids “I Quit Girls”
“I like to stand in my underwear and touch my butt.”
Foals “Inhaler”
Max Malsich Position Staff Writer Major Animal Husbandry Graduating Spring 2017 Favorite venue XXXX Tastemaker Since 2012
The Chemical Brothers “The Golden Path” Joe Goddard “Apple Bobbing” (Four Tet Remix)
Imagine how much colder we’d be without zippers!”
Peterson Field Guides A Field Guide to Eastern & Central North America Bird Songs
Erica Moser Position Staff Writer Major Journalism Graduating Spring 2016 Favorite venue Bank of America Pavilion Tastemaker Since 2011
Gotye “Bronte” Mr. M Lambchop Major Lazer “Get Free”
“You know you’re lazy when you spend five minutes making designs out of the leftover pesto oil on your plate.”
Ben Stas Position Staff Writer Major English/Journalism Graduating Spring 2016 Favorite venue Paradise Tastemaker Since 2012
Neil Young After the Gold Rush Leonard Cohen “Suzanne” Black Moth Super Rainbow Dandelion Gum
“One of my top ten dreams ever involved ?uestlove and I driving around in a van solving mysteries.”
From Dawn till’ Busk a taste of boston street performers p. 52
Table of Contents Cover Story
Editorial
Reviews
30
20
Music Versus Industry
08
Show Reviews
28
What It’s Worth
34
Album Reviews
40
Documentary Reviews
Apocalypse Jams Songs for the end of the world
Features
14 44
Ode to Decembeard A celebration of the best facial hair in the industry
Brawlin’, Bawlin’ and Name Callin’ Musician meltdowns on stage
Interview
42
37
When bands and their labels fued
How much are muscians actually making from services like Spotify?
The James Franco Complex When actors switch over
38
Born to be Cliché and Walking on Triteness Why many soundtracks are not bad to the bone, just bad
50
Into It. Over It. A quick Q&A with Evan Weiss
06 10
Calendar Local Photos
26
Flying Lotus, Soundgarden, Elbow, Kendrick Lamar, Ke$ha
Shut Up and Play the Hits, The Shield Around the K, The Year Punk Broke, No Distance Left to Run
Etcetera
Sophomore Slumps There are as many examples of victims as there are slump survivors, and this begs the question: “What causes the sophomore slump?”
Local Talent
22
Matt and Kim with Oberhofer, Matthew Dear, and Trey Anastasio Band
Fat City Bird Born and based in Boston, MA, Fat City Bird is the shared brainchild of six multi-instrumentalists
Doctor Jeep The alias of DJ and producer Andre Lira represents quite a different breed of modern electronic music
17
A Primer to the Mountain Goats Where the curious uninitiated want to start
29
Inked
48
Digital or Physical?
58
Just a Taste of
Tattoos in music around Northeastern
An infographic on how Northeastern students consume their music
Roseword and Drew B.
Calendar January Su
Sa
1
2
3
4
5
Brothers McCann Club Passim
Whiskey Boys Club Passim
Action Item Brighton Music Hall
Fat History Month O’Brien’s Pub
Goosepimp Middle East
Matalon Brighton Music Hall
Serious Jack Middle East
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
The Pluto Moons Middle East
Quicksand Paradise
Emilie Autumn Royale
Kris Allen Brighton Music Hall
Arkells Brighton Music Hall
Infected Mushroom House of Blues
Big Sam’s Funky Nation
Suzie Brown Club Passim
Hospitality Great Scott
The Soft Moon TT the Bear’s Place
The New Complainers TT the Bear’s Place
Playin’ Dead Church of Boston
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
Dessa The Sinclair
Jessie Ware The Sinclair
Emeli Sande Paradise
Datsik Royale
G. Love & Special Sauce
Iris DeMent The Sinclair
The Darkness Paradise
Niki & The Dove Brighton Music Hall
The Young Rapscallions
Selebrities Middle East
Smokey Robinson Wilbur Theatre
Savoy Middle East
Mission of Burma The Sinclair
Middle East
Paradise Matt Pryor TT the Bear’s Place
Brighton Music Hall The Wild Northern Middle East
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
Math the Band Middle East
Gringo Star Great Scott
Onuinu TT the Bear’s Place
Ellie Goulding House of Blues
Phantom Glue Great Scott
Christopher Owens Paradise
Marilyn Manson House of Blues
Palma Violets Middle East
Femi Kuti Paradise
Walk the Moon Paradise
La Dispute The Sinclair
Ra Ra Riot Paradise
Soundgarden Orpheum Theatre
27
28
29
30
31
Titus Andronicus The Sinclair
Cat Sounds Great Scott
The Used House of Blues
Company of Thieves Brighton Music Hall
Duncan Sheik The Sinclair
Widowspeak Great Scott
Ryan Montbleau Club Passim
The Vaccines Paradise
Purity Ring Paradise
55th Monterey Jazz Festival Berklee Perform Center
Rockommends
Christopher Owens January 25 @ Paradise
La Dispute with The Menzingers January 25 @ The Sinclair
Still wallowing in your tears now that Girls is no more? Cheer up! Former frontman Christopher Owens will be bringing his solo act to the Paradise on January 25th. Expect to be moved to tears by the beauty of his music, so keep those tissues handy!
First, the good news: to kick off 2013 Hot Water Music is hitting the road with La Dispute and The Menzingers. Now the bad news: Hot Water music isn’t actually playing on the Boston date. But The Menzingers and La Dispute both kick ass and the tickets for 1/25 are a good $10 cheaper than the rest of the dates, so attending this show will be good for your ears and your wallet.
Shea Geyer (Pharmacy)
Em Cassel (Journalism/Music Industry)
February Su
Sa
1
2
Flogging Molly House of Blues
Emancipator Paradise
Fun. Orpheum Theatre
Red Baraat The Sinclair
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Brittany Haas Club Passim
Luca Ciarla Club Passim
Carrie Rodriguez Club Passim
Blackberry Smoke Paradise
George Clinton Parliament Funkadelic
Matt and Kim Agganis Arena
Wildrun Middle East
Mumford & Sons TD Garden
Of Mice and Men Royale
Deepti Navaratna Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center Richard Shindell Club Passim
Papadosio The Sinclair
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
The House Jacks Club Passim
Dead Kennedys Middle East
The Residents ICA
Yo La Tengo Paradise
Darol Anger Club Passim
Big Gigantic House of Blues
Punch Brothers House of Blues
Why? Brighton Music Hall
Yuto Kanazawa Scullers Jazz Club
Tony Bennett Boston Opera House
Toro Y Moi Paradise
Spiritual Rez The Sinclair
19
20
21
22
23
Dada Wilbur Theatre
Diva Jazz Orchestra Scullers Jazz Club
Cat Sounds The Plough and Stars
Balance and Composure
Cockney Rejects Middle East
Texas is the Reason Paradise
Emilie Autumn Royale
Enslaved The Sinclair
The Lumineers House of Blues
17
18
24
25
26
27
28
Desaparecidos Paradise
Dave Mason Blue Ocean Music Hall
Efterklang Middle East
Eels Paradise
Fred Hersch Trio Scullers Jazz Club
Who Dunkin’ Donuts Center
Lady Gaga TD Garden
Martyn Joseph Club Passim
Silverstein The Sinclair
House of Blues
The Sinclair Railroad Earth House of Blues
Yo La Tengo February 13 @ Paradise
Toro Y Moi February 15 @ Paradise
Indie rock royalty Yo La Tengo return with a new record in 2013, along with a tour stopping at the Paradise in February. Count on the New Jersey-based trio to put on a dynamic show drawing from all corners of their sprawling catalog, from hushed ballads to 15-minute-plus fuzzed-out psychedelic jams.
Toro y Moi and his new age version of electronic funk will be hitting the Paradise this February. It’s sure to be an extra-memorable show in the wake of his new album, /Anything In Return/, set to drop in January. Check out the track, “Talamak,” for a preview of the perfect dance party.
Ben Stas (English/Journalism)
Allison Walker (Journalism/Cinema Studies)
Passion Pit Agganis Arena
Cris Cab House of Blues
Show Reviews
Reviews Matt & Kim
Ryan Kehr (English)
Matt & Kim with Oberhofer November 16 @ House of Blues
Winter 2012
8
Rarely do I end up at a show where I have actually heard of the opening band, so it was a nice change of pace to be able to sing along and jump around when Oberhofer took the stage to start the night. I had first seen Oberhofer this past fall when they played at Northeastern’s AfterHours. Although they were pretty good, I thought that their loud, energetic sound would be better suited for a larger venue—I was right. As soon as they took the stage, Oberhofer broke into the upbeat “Gotta Go,” with frontman Brad Oberhofer’s voice taking command over the venue. Brad had more space to move about the stage this time, allowing him to really express himself and get into the music by jumping around while jamming on his guitar. Not once did the energy stop during Oberhofer’s set. “I Could Go” featured Brad’s perfect whistling skills and a pretty ditty on the xylophone. The song switched between moments of calmness and in-your-face madness, all with the increased intensity of both the drums and Brad repeating “I could go” until it transformed into “ah-ohs.” During their playing of “Haus,” Oberhofer proved that they are masters of executing smooth transitions between organized guitar riffs and utter chaos. Besides perfectly shredding the guitar, Brad loves to utilize his voice to make “oohs” and “whoas” that slide up and down octaves—it’s their trademark sound. So when“oOoO” began
playing, a popular song among the crowd, people began singing along to the “oohs” and jumping around to the pop-punk chord progressions. The xylophone added a complementing element to the angst of the song. Coming to the end of their set, Oberhofer played “Away Frm U,” a drum-heavy song featuring more of the xylophone and Brad’s whistling. Brad really let loose, especially when the song dived into chaos with heavy guitar chord progressions. Oberhofer slowed it down slightly with the love gone awry, “HEART,” which seemed to resonate with the band and audience alike. For the grand finale, Oberhofer played “Gold,” which had a sunny-day-at-thebeach feel to leave us on a happy note. Next up was Matt & Kim, and having never seen them live, I was unprepared for the colossal amount of energy that was to be released from the duo. Matt & Kim entered the stage to the hip-hop song “Let Me Clear My Throat” and danced around on stage before taking to their seats at the simplest set up I have ever seen at a show: a drum set and a keyboard on one platform. They immediately jumped into “Block After Block” and never stopped the party. Kim had so much fun beating the shit out of her drums; she never once stopped smiling during her performance. Between songs, hip-hop or electronic music blared so Matt& Kim could break it down on stage. There was no separation between artist and fan; we were all there together to have a fantastically fun time. Balloons were tossed to the crowd to blow up and confetti rained down intermittently throughout the show. At one point, Kim
walked out on the hands of the crowd to do a booty dance to Diplo’s “Express Yourself.” Matt & Kim played an excellent span of songs from their ever-expanding catalog. They just released their fourth album, Lightning, and played the latest crowd favorites “Let’s Go,” “Now” and “It’s Alright.” Their new album definitely has a club music aspect to it, which made for a show with nonstop dancing. “Silver Tiles,” “Daylight” and “Cameras” were massive sing-a-longs with plenty of crazy dancing coming from both the crowd and Matt & Kim. The show ended with “Lessons Learned” and “Good for Great,” tremendous tunes that showcased just how much Matt & Kim love making music and playing it for their fans. If you have never been to a Matt & Kim show, you are missing out on probably the most fun you will ever have at a concert. Shea Geyer (Pharmacy)
Matt & Kim
Ryan Kehr (English)
Matthew Dear November 14 @ Paradise Rock Club The crowd may have been small, but the energy was palpable as chameleonic DJ, producer and experimental electro-pop musician Matthew Dear and his band took to the Paradise stage. Dear has been making dance-floor-oriented music under a variety of pseudonyms since 1999, but his full-band live performances focus on the danceable art-pop records he releases under
Matthew Dear
Ben Stas (English/Journalism)
Trey Anastasio Band October 27 @ The Orpheum Theatre Lead guitarist Trey Anastasio has stepped into a very different environment with his eponymous band than with his main gig, Phish. While vastly differing musical styles and extended group improvisation are staples of Phish’s bag of tricks, Anastasio and his crew (which is also twice the size of Phish) is based on intricate but powerful horn arrangements and the guitarist’s rapid-fire soloing. Just as with Phish, Anastasio brought the band on stage without a set list. Instead, he worked off a list of tunes the band had rehearsed for the tour and chose each song on the fly. This gave him the opportunity to read the crowd response and let each set grow organically. This short tour was to support Traveler, Anastasio’s new studio album which was released earlier in the month. The band showcased eight songs from the record. Some of the new songs, such as “Valentine,” “Let Me Lie” and “Pigtail” have been part of the band’s repertoire for some time, while others like “Frost” and “Architect” were still finding their feet. Right out of the gate, the pulsating groove of “Money, Love and Change” provided a backdrop for Anastasio to do what he does best: nimbly build a solo that starts slow and builds tension to a blistering,
his own name. His current tour is in support of 2012’s technicolor dream Beams, and sees Dear put on a dynamic and impressive show. In the tradition of powerhouse dance-rock live bands like LCD Soundsystem and Cut Copy, Dear and his cohorts employ little in the way of drum machines or loops. This is dance music built from the ground up, and it’s immensely more satisfying to watch than a couple of guys with laptops. Dear spent the show operating an Ableton Live rig on his left, an analog synth on his right and a bank of processors and pedals with his feet, usually all within the same song. He even picked up a guitar for few of the newer tracks, and rarely spent a second standing still throughout the entire set. Dear’s energy and talents were seemingly boundless, and backed by a tight rhythm section and a second guitarist, the songs sounded fantastic. A healthy portion of the setlist was comprised of cuts from Beams, a record on which Dear strays further from his Detroit techno roots than ever before.
“Headcage,” “Up & Out” and others didn’t sound out of place next to Dear’s back catalog, but exhibited his ever-expanding musical palette with unexpected instrumental flourishes. The night was rounded out by older songs, including highlights from 2010’s stellar Black City. Dear menacingly waved a piece of stage lighting at the audience during a downright manic “You Put a Smell on Me” to close out the main set. The track’s lecherous vocals and siren synth hook served as a reminder of the seedy side that lurks behind his sometimes deceptively upbeat music. Existing in a space somewhere between EDM and singer/songwriter avant-pop, Dear is an offbeat musical persona whose theatricality and general mysteriousness translate into a fascinating stage presence. On record, his vocals tend toward an unmistakable baritone, but live he employs a range that better suits his restless energy. He appears cordial and charming, dressed in a sharp suit and handing out roses to the crowd, but he can still freak you out when a particularly tense song calls for it. It’s a shame the Paradise was half-empty on this chilly Wednesday night; Boston missed out on a hell of a performance. Ben Stas (English/Journalism)
exuberant peak. Drummer Russ Lawton and bassist Tony Markellis provided a rock solid foundation while the horn section added background flourishes that Anastasio played off of. On other tunes, such as “Cayman Review,” keyboardist Ray Paczkowski hopped on the clavinet to lay down funk grooves for horn and guitar solos. The horns, comprised of trombonist Natalie Cressman, trumpeter Jennifer Hartswick, and saxophonist James Casey, showcased with complicated, intertwining arrangements on “Burlap Sack and Pumps” and “Simple Twist Up Dave.” The latter featured Cressman on an impressive solo that also displayed Anastasio’s comping skills as he was intently focused on Cressman’s playing, shooting musical ideas from her solo right back at her. The first set highlight, however, came with the closing “Push On ‘Til The Day,” which featured a brilliant, swirling solo from Anastasio that built until the band locked in for the powerful climax. This song showed Anastasio—normally relatively stoic on stage—dancing and spinning around while he was playing. The most visually entertaining member of the band was Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista. At any point in the evening, Baptista could be seen slamming on a towering contraption that hit eight small drums at once, dancing around with shakers, clapping flippers together (yes, the kind
made for swimming), playing the jaw harp, or shaking an instrument that appeared to be constructed from wood, panty hose, and sleigh bells. He would use an instrument from his seemingly endless arsenal for a verse and then haphazardly toss it aside and search for something else. The second set opened with the Traveler track “Corona,” another intricate arrangement that utilized small keyboards in front of each horn player. The most confident sounding and fleshed out songs in the second set were Phish crossovers “Sand,” “Gotta Jibboo,” and “First Tube,” but they took on a new form with the horns. Just as the first set had a clear highlight, so did the second—the band’s cover of Gorillaz’ “Clint Eastwood.” Jennifer Hartswick, who along with Casey and Cressman had been impressive on backing vocals all night, stepped into the spotlight for the rapped verses. Hartswick made the song her own, infusing sultry melody into the rap that triggered the crowd’s biggest reaction of the evening. The concert ended with the contemplative encore song “Show of Life,” in which Anastasio sings, “It’s a revolving cast, but it’s the same old game.” While some encores go for the blowout song, this one gave everyone the chance to bask in the shared experience—the same old game of groove, power, and guitar acrobatics that Anastasio brings to the stage with him every time. Dan Wilets (Journalism/Comm. Studies) 9
Local Photos
Matt and Kim House of Blues, November 2012
Ryan Kehr (English)
12
Oberhofer Warped Tour, Summer 2012
Ryan Kehr (English) 13
Dan Deacon (top)
13
Rita Orca (bottom)
Ben Stas (English/Journalism) Jenna Ross (Music Industry)
13
Feature
ODE to DECEMBEARD: A celebration of the best facial hair in the industry Written by Cara McGrath (Graphic Design) Illustration by Lacey Honda (Graphic Design)
Movember, Decembeard, Manuary, beyond, Guys grow their facial hair, To this I must respond. Tis the season right now, To celebrate the men, Who play awesome music, And whose hairs make top ten. While their music is chief, Their image matters too. So let’s count down the beards And ‘staches that they grew. Winter 2012
14
10
Dave Grohl FOO FIGHTERS Dave Grohl’s may not be long, And it may not be thick. But his goatee-chinstrap, Is sure to do the trick.
9
Justin Vernon
8
Matt Embree
BON IVER Vernon’s beard has some hype, With Bon Iver’s new fame. But who’d live in the woods, And return looking tame?
RX BANDITS Though not a real bandit, Matt Embree still looks tough. His beard’s so full and dark, But doesn’t seem too rough.
7
Eric Sean Nally
5
Alex Ebert
FOXY SHAZAM Mr. Eric Nally, Oh where do I begin? With his swirly mustache? Or the patch on his chin?
6
Jake Smith, THE WHITE BUFFALO Ron Swanson’s manliness, A burly angel’s voice, And a young Santa’s beard, Make Smith an easy choice.
EDWARD SHARPE AND THE MAGNETIC ZEROS A hippy with a beard, Who can sing a mean tune, Don’t stare at it too long, Or you’ll join a commune.
15
Angus Stone
3
Taylor Rice
2
Sam Beam
1
Sky White
Feature
4
He’s kept his fine, dark beard, Though now he sings alone. But still a handsome face, Is that of Angus Stone.
LOCAL NATIVES Sexual deviant? Or just a harmless dude? Taylor Rice’s pornstache, Is both splendid and crude.
IRON AND WINE Not too pre-pubescent, But not too long—just right. Beam’s beard screams manliness, Though his song’s in Twilight.
FOXY SHAZAM Unkempt and disgusting Is this keyboardist’s beard. But it works perfectly, ‘Cause his band is so weird. (title page)
SHAVED & GONE IN MEMORY OF: Now not all beards can last, Yes, some beards, they must die. Due to callous razors, We have to say goodbye.
Devandra Banhart His beard used to be full, Then just a ‘stache it was, But now in recent times, He hardly has peach fuzz.
Joe Michelini RIVER CITY EXTENSION Just this past October, This Jersey folk star shaved, Said, “It was a good run,” But it could not be saved.
Patrick Stickles
Winter 2012
16
TITUS ANDRONICUS A most upsetting day Left Stickles’ chin so bare. But let’s honor him for The beard he used to wear.
a primer on
The Mountain Goats have existed as a project, if not exactly as a band, since 1991. Over the past two decades, they have risen to prominence as one of modern folk music’s most unique and prolific acts. Mastermind singer/songwriter John Darnielle crafts compact, literate songs packed with mythological, historical and literary references; poetic short stories and character studies set to song. The project has spawned a total of 14 studio albums along with innumerable EPs, singles, cassettes and compilation appearances. Where, then, might the curious uninitiated want to start? It all comes down to what side you take in the lo-fi divide. Darnielle’s early recordings are raw and urgent, replete with tape hiss and mostly recorded on a partially malfunctioning Panasonic boombox. More recent years have seen him relocate to an actual recording studio with a steady cast of collaborators and a more carefully considered approach. Hardcore fans tend to preach the virtues of the early stuff, but the nature of those recordings can surely be off-putting at first. 2002’s Tallahassee and 2005’s The Sunset Tree are the most advisable starting point
for the polished Mountain Goats sound. Tallahassee is Darnielle’s first record in a studio, and his most direct shot at a concept album—a 14 song chronicle of two bitter, codependent alcoholics and the gradual collapse of their marriage. It’s not the cheeriest of subject matter, but still offers a set of resonant and achingly human songs complimented by the clean and nuanced production. Tallahassee is best absorbed as a whole, but the angry, booze-fueled rant that is “No Children” stands out as a quintessential Mountain Goats track. The Sunset Tree, a critical favorite, swaps out the troubled and chaotic lives of Darnielle’s countless fictional characters for a look at his own dark past. Stories of his childhood and teenage years with an abusive stepfather
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The project has spawned a total of 14
Where, then, might the curious
studio albums along with innumerable EPs, singles, cassettes and compilation appearances. 11. Going to Bolivia 12. Tollund Man 13. California Song 14, Snow Crush Killing Song
Winter 2012
Ben Stas (Journalism/English)
the mountain 1996
1997
1998
1998
1999
EN NOTHIN G FOR FULL JUICE FORCE GALE SBUR NEW G ASIAN CINEM ISOPANI A (EP SAD R ) ADIO HOUR Prote (EP) futur in sour e...no ce of w! (CO the Bitte MP) rm
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form the album’s narrative arc, but the songs often feel more triumphant than downtrodden. “I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me,” goes the chorus of the anthemic “This Year,” summing up the theme of hope amid endless despair that runs through the record. If you can dig the non-existent production value, All Hail West Texas is another perfect catalog entry point. West Texas would be the final record John Darnielle would ever make on a boombox, and many see it as a culmination of this early recording style. Its 14 songs are centered around a group of people in the titular state stealing motorcycles, starting death metal bands, falling in and out of love and generally making a mess of their lives. The characters are compelling, the lyrics are consistently brilliant and the concentration of classic songs is extraordinarily high. Other high-water marks of the lo-fi era include Zopilote Machine and The Coroner’s Gambit. It would be remiss to complete an examination of The Mountain Goats with only their official full-lengths, though. Part of the fun of this band is seeking out the rare and the obscure. The compilation CDs Protein Source of the Future…Now!, Bitter Melon Farm and Ghana offer excellent starting points for this end of the discography, compiling out-ofprint cassettes and 7”s along with previously unreleased songs. The quality control may not be as stringent as the proper releases, but there are still numerous gems to be found. Other fan-favorite obscurities include the “Jam Eater Blues” 7”, the Yoyo records 12” series (Isopanisad Radio Hour, New Asian Cinema and Devil in the Shortwave), and the Moon Colony Bloodbath EP - a weirdly poignant John Vanderslice collaboration centered on a moon-based organ harvesting colony. The Mountain Goats also happen to be a particularly taper-friendly band, meaning that a huge selection of live shows containing various rare and unreleased songs can be downloaded legally and free of charge across the web.
6. Ontario 7. Down Here 8. Twin Human Highway 9. Weekend in Western Illinois 10. US Mill
15. Grendel’s Mother 16. Song for Tura Satana 17. Alpha in Tauris 18. Going to Georgia 19. Quetzalcoatl Is Born
Flairs
1. Abide With Me 2. Born Ready 3. Cobscook Bay 4. Dutch Orchestra Blues 5. Psudothyrum Song 6. The Last Limit of Bhakti
5. The House that Dripped Blood 6. Idylls of the Kings 7. No Children 8. See America Right 9. Peacocks
a 14 song chronicle of two bitter, codependent alcoholics and the gradual collapse of their marriage
angry, booze-filled rant... [is a] quintessential Mountain Goats track a look at [John Darnielle’s] own dark past
1. You or Your Memory 2. Broom People 3. This Year 4. Dilaudid
goats' discography 2002
2002
2004
2005
2006
2008
2009
2009
2011
2012
exas SHOR TWAV E( ep JAM EATE ) R BLU ES (e p) t a llah we s asse hall e all b e hea led the su nset tree get l onely the l here ife o tic pr f the ide w orld moon to co colo me ny bl oodb ath (e all e p) terna ls de trasc ck ende ntal youth
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uninitiated want to start?
9. All Up the Seething Coast 10. Quito 11. Cotton 12. Against Pollution 13. Pigs That Ran Straightaway into the Water, Triumph Of
1. The Best Ever Death Metal Band 2. Fall of the Star High School Running Back 3. Color in Your Cheeks 4. Jenny 5. Fault Lines
in Denton
the lyrics are consistently brilliant and the concentration of classic songs is extraordinarily high
essential tracks and albums
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Editorial
Music V
U S R E
S
Industry
When bands and their labels feud
On Monday, October 1st, 2012, anarchistic rap trio Death Grips released their second album, No Love Deep Web. The album itself was less than noteworthy, but its manner of release garnered the group widespread attention. The typical new album declaration sees a band announce its record a few months prior to the planned release accompanied by a single, with one or two more singles to come later. Death Grips tossed this process out the window and uploaded their sophomore album to their website, where it could be downloaded for free. The events that followed earned Death Grips more hype and notoriety than they could have ever hoped for. Releasing albums for free isn’t unprecedented—popular bands like Radiohead and Gorillaz have done it—but Death Grips lacked the consent of their record label, Epic Winter 2012
20
Records. The ensuing fallout between the two parties was explosive. Death Grips accused Epic of shutting down their website and posted private emails sent by Epic online, and Epic in turn dropped Death Grips. While particularly incendiary, the clash between Death Grips and Epic Records isn’t an isolated incident. Record labels have been known to get antsy when a band’s release isn’t commercially viable, and bands don’t always remain loyal to their contracts. Here are a few of the more recent scuffles… Mike Doub (psychology)
Wilco vs. Reprise Records Situation: After recording their fourth album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Wilco sought to release the album with then-label Reprise Records, a subsidiary of Warner Brothers Music. However, Reprise was in a state of flux, and pro-Wilco President Howie Klein had just received a pink slip. Unhappy with the album and its noisedriven passages, Reprise allowed Wilco to escape their contract and gave the band the rights to its album for no charge. Later, Wilco signed to Nonesuch Records, another offshoot of Warner Bros, who released the album on April 23, 2002.
Why Wilco Won: Not only did Warner Brothers buy the same album twice, but Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is Wilco’s bestselling album to date and is regarded as one of the best albums of the 2000s.
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Frank Ocean vs. Def Jam Situation: Frank Ocean is now known as a breakout R&B artist, but his beginnings are much humbler. Ocean began his musical career as a songwriter for the likes of Justin Bieber, and was featured on the occasional Odd Future song. He was eventually signed to Def Jam Records, but found the label disinterested in taking further stake in his future. Frustrated, he recorded and released a free mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra, which featured backing tracks by the likes of MGMT, The Eagles, and Coldplay.
Why it’s a Tie: Nostalgia, Ultra brought Ocean critical and popular acclaim, and returned him to the attention of his label. Def Jam mended fences with the singer and gave his mixtape a physical release. Ocean released official debut channel ORANGE (a 2012 highlight) in July with Def Jam’s support.
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Nine Inch Nails vs. Interscope Records Situation: When Nine Inch Nails released its dystopian 2007 album Year Zero, label Interscope Records priced the album highly in Australia (approximate $30 U.S.). This incensed sole-member Trent Reznor, who determined that this meant “as a reward for being a fan, you get ripped off.” Reznor encouraged fans at his concerts to steal the album, and terminated his association with the label immediately after fulfilling his contractual obligations.
Why Nine Inch Nails Won: Nine Inch Nails hasn’t toured or recorded in years, but Reznor is on a roll at the moment. He won an Academy Award for his soundtrack for The Social Network, started a new band called How to Destroy Angels, and got married to Mariqueen Maandig. The best revenge is living well, they say.
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Local Talent
Local Talent Fat City Bird by Lauren Kovalefsky (Business)
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Fat City Bird Members Mike Bougas: Lead Guitar and Vocals Robin Buyer: Bass and Vocals Ryan Kershaw: Vocals and Rhythm Guitar Kyle Kornack: Keyboard and Vocals Mike Simpson: Drums and Vocals Zack Trahan: Percussion, Guitar, and Vocals Sounds like Blues and jazz inspired progressive rock. Related artists include: John Butler Trio, State Radio, Umphrey’s McGee, Phish, or Widespread Panic. Recommended Tracks “Town Crier” and “Laying Back” Upcoming Shows East Coast tour in January 2013
For the six members of the funkadelic jam band Fat City Bird, artistic creativity is the main priority. “I think we consciously make an effort to be a creative collective,” said rhythm guitarist and vocalist Ryan Kershaw. “I think that even though a song is usually sparked by one person bringing in a structure or a raw tune, we all flesh it out together.” Kershaw along with his other bandmates agreed that the diversity of musical influences among the group is what makes their music truly unique. Fat City Bird’s self titled inaugural EP released this past May is a testament to the group’s rich, groovy, texturized sound which the members have dubbed “spy-funk”. Mike Bougas, lead guitarist and vocalist who draws inspiration from rockers such as Jimmy Page and David Gilmour, said that the term “spy-funk” came from the mysterious, haunting tonal quality of their song “Town Crier”. Bougas and Kershaw met in high school and have been playing music together ever since, and funk and soul inspired keyboardist/ vocalist Kyle Kornack met them after playing in their reggae rock band his freshman year. Bassist/vocalist Robin Buyer played with drummer Mike Simpson in bands and jazz projects until meeting Kornack in a World Fusion ensemble at Northeastern, and finally percussionist/
guitarist/vocalist Zack Trahan completed the talented lineup from meeting the rest of the band mates through mutual friends. The men of Fat City Bird all have extensive backgrounds in music and said that their live shows are dynamic and unique in that they enjoy taking their material to a new level by just jamming onstage rather than perhaps sticking to a strict setlist. “We’re trying to work on putting out some rough live recordings just to give people a sense of our new material before we can get into a studio,” said Bougas. Fat City Bird has performed in the Boston area at venues like Church, Copperfield’s, and McGann’s as well as clubs in New York City and an outdoor show at Flint’s Farm in Mansfield, where the band played in front of a cornfield on the back of a hay trailer. Their east coast tour this January which includes a show at Arlene’s Grocery in New York City will start on New Year’s Eve and go through the end of the week. If you are interested in hearing more of Fat City Bird, check out their website at fatcitybird.com, their Facebook page, or their bandcamp at fatcitybird. bandcamp.com or try to get out and see them live. Mackenzie Nichols (Journalism/Music Industry)
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Local Talent
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Fat City Bird by Lauren Kovalefsky (Business) and Dave Tschiegg (Graphic Design)
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Local Talent Winter 2012
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Doctor Jeep by Lauren Kovalefsky (Business)
Doctor Jeep Members Andre Lira, DJ and producer Sounds like A combination of English dubstep such as Skream or Benga and American house innovators Armand Van Helden and Cajmere. Recommended Tracks “Level II” “Turok” and “Aztec” Upcoming Shows Together NYE Party @ Middle East Downstairs, Dec. 31 West Coast Tour in January Doctor Jeep, alias of DJ and producer Andre Lira, represents quite a different breed of modern electronic music. Lira’s interest in music from the mid 90’s has shaped his personal sound and makes it stand out from that of other present-day producers. His tracks are experimental and hypnotic and portray a journey through different textures, vocal samples, and beats. “The purpose of making music is to make you happy, not necessarily to profit,” said Lira as he began to describe what music means to him and how he wishes to portray his passion to his fans. The Northeastern senior has played guitar since he was 8 years old and was the bassist for a speed metal band during high school. He became interested in electronic music his freshman year of college and has been experimenting with the genre ever since then. His inspirations come from genres like U.K. Garage (a precursor to what is now called dubstep) as well as more forward-thinking club music, and he said that his productions stick to the roots of electronic music rather than temporary trends. He studies Behavioral Neuroscience at Northeastern and worked as a research assistant at Goldsmiths, University of London for his co-op this past January. He keeps in touch with the musical connections he made in London, and said that he is releasing his next E.P. in early 2013 through a UK label called Bad Taste Recordings. “I went to London because the music that
speaks to me most stems from there, and I wanted to live in a place where people my age grew up with this music,” he said. “My time there definitely shaped what I am right now.” Back in Boston he performs around the city with other local DJs and tries to balance his passion for music with his education as he finishes up his time here at Northeastern. His most recent EP, Turok, was released in October on the label Freshmore which is run by a friend. Along with Turok, Lira has a collection of other tracks which can be found on his Soundcloud. He has worked with local talent through his Banana Peel collective, which he co-runs with 3 other NEU producers/ DJs. Lira is passionate about performing and has played all around Boston, New York, and London and he has a west coast tour coming up in January in cities such as Vancouver, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. “What makes me really happy are those moments where everyone around you is as lost in the music as you are,” he said. “It’s almost kind of spiritual. The DJ is like the Shaman leading the experience.” If you want to check out more from Doctor Jeep, be sure to visit his Soundcloud atsoundcloud.com/drjeep or catch him at one of his live shows! Mackenzie Nichols (Journalism/Music Industry)
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Editorial
What It’s Worth Free online streaming may seem like the solution to music piracy, but how much are muscians actually making from services like Spotify?
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There’s no denying that the way the world listens to music has changed drastically with our generation. Even with the nostalgic resurgence of vinyl, online streaming services such as Pandora and Spotify are revolutionizing the way we listen to and value our music, but this revolution might not provide a step in the right direction for the music industry. We all know, due to some legal disputes with the notorious entities of Napster and LimeWire, that music has monetary value. Whether you like it or not, taking a song off the internet for free has the same implications as walking into your local record store and grabbing a CD off the shelf. But what about services with on-demand online streaming like Spotify? Free, legal, and rapidly growing in users amongst America’s youth since it’s installment in the US last summer, Spotify appears to be an unstoppable entity. Almost every day, I’m greeted by notifications that another one of my Facebook friends has decided to join and I can see whether they’ve discovered an up and coming artist that perks my interest, or if they’ve decided to listen to “Your Body” by Christina Aguilera 50 times in a row. The deal works out pretty well for the listener—nearly any song whenever you want to hear it completely free. Aside from interruptions from advertisers (a pesky problem that can be solved by subscribing for only $9.99 a month), there seems to be no drawbacks to simply selecting songs on Spotify rather than laying down $.99 per track on iTunes or about $20 for a CD in stores. But there has to be a catch. If Sean Parker, the genius behind Napster, has decided to jump on board the Spotify team and invest $15 million, we can assume they’ve got some get rich quick scheme up their sleeve. In this case, it’s the royalties (or lack thereof ) that Spotify pays to artists that should raise concern amongst music lovers everywhere. Last year, Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” reached 1 million streams on Spotify. While we can probably agree that Lady Gaga doesn’t need any more money to invest in meat suits or on stage antics, those 1 million plays only earned her $167. Of course Spotify rejected this, telling us that it’s more complicated than all that—yet they refused to
release any further information to clarify their finances. What we do know is that Spotify only paid an average $0.0041 per song play (with some artists reporting values per stream at as low as $.0000237253, depending on the song’s popularity), and about $.04 for playing an entire album. But that’s the old Spotify, they tell us. The new Spotify in all its amped glory generates more revenue that will find its way into artists’ pockets. They’re sharing the wealth as they’re earning it –fair and square –as they see it. But how much more do they deem fair? Major labels are shareholders with special and undisclosed deals, but independent labels don’t see the same benefits. Zoë Keating, Californian cellist and composer, earned $281.87 for 72,800 streams and Grizzly Bear lamented about only seeing $10 for 10,000 streams. Sure, that’s more than they paid Lady Gaga when the company was smaller, but I hardly think we can call that adequate compensation. For independent artists, the increase in pay per stream at the end of last year was a generous .001, making their earnings jump from a mere average of $.0041 to $.0051—half of a penny. If we look at Spotify as simply a promotional tool rather than a primary source of income for artists, it’s great. You can see what all of your friends are listening to, maybe even discover somebody new. But if you don’t take the initiative to purchase the music, it leaves those artists with little more than they had before you joined their fan base. With only a year under its belt in the US, it’s hard to tell exactly what implications Spotify carries for musicians. For household names, it probably doesn’t mean anything, but for an indie band who just released a debut kick-ass album over the summer, it could result in fewer sales. Spotify’s popularity begs the question, why do record labels (whose existence depends solely upon musicians and their success) let companies like Spotify give artists such a small cut? With the current Spotify royalty set-up, we see the rich get richer and the starving artist continue to starve. Record companies need to see their artists’ music as something worth selling and demand better payouts for musicians—rather than be bribed into practically giving it away for fractions of pennies. Amanda Hoover (Journalism)
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USIC M N I S O TATTO
Mackenzie Nichols (Journalism/Music Industry)
Rain Thomas
Chris Macintosh
Thomas said that her tattoo of The Beatles’ famous lyric “let it be” on her ribcage holds sentimental value because their music was the soundtrack to her childhood. She said that her family members also have this tattoo and that The Beatles’ music has always connected the family and brought them together.
Macintosh’s tattoo on his left bicep is a representation of the unity of his two passions, music and science. The whimsical design of the bass guitar with its neck depicting a DNA strand makes this particular tattoo very unique, and the Grateful Dead’s famous insignia at the center of the neck shows that Macintosh feels connected with that particular band as well. Macintosh said that the Dead’s music has defined his college experience, which is why he chose to add them to the design.
Sophomore • Behavioral Neuroscience
Senior • Biology
Shandana Mufti
Sophomore • Journalism Mufti’s tattoo is in tribute to her father who passed away last year. Since his name means “eagle” in Persian, she chose to have an eagle tattooed on her back. The lyric underneath the eagle is from the song “Sanctuary” by Paradise Fierce, and Mufti said that this particular lyric fit perfectly with what she wanted from the design.
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Photos by Steve Olimpio (Graphic Design) and Dave Tschiegg (Graphic Design)
Cover Story Winter 2012
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APOCALYPSE
JAMS by Dinorah Wilson (Journalism)
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Cover Story
Russian Bomber Hat? Check. Iodine Tablets? Check. Hunting Knife and book of edible plant life? Double Check. But what about your iPod? Are all your playlists in tip-top shape for the end of days? Everyone’s most handy music device, even with its insanely low battery life, may be the most unlikely ally should you find yourself in survival mode amidst an eerily quiet, mutant-infested, post-apocalyptic wasteland in 2013.
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“Carmina Burana—O Fortuna” carl orff “Idioteque” radiohead “Badman Flu” toddla t “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” dmx
“…And the World Laughs with You (ft. Thom Yorke)”
flying lotus
It’s well known that music serves as a coping mechanism for humans and animals, with the cute inclusion of plants as well, so why shouldn’t it be used in our most pressing time of need? Whether we’re ready or not, 2012 is near completion and if all experts on pre-Columbian Mesoamerican calendars are correct, this includes the end of existence as we know it. But not to worry: all of this should be perfectly fine, not to mention pretty badass, if you have the appropriate soundtrack to accompany the supposed destructive, transcontinental cataclysm that’s eagerly waiting around the corner for all mankind! For some inexplicable, antiquated reason, music has always been linked with moments of death and devastation, especially when associated with scenes of a world-ending nature. Titanic’s iconic scene of an orchestral quartet playing one last selection before the sinking of the ship resonated with audiences for a reason: music adds suspense, drama, sadness and on occasion relief in these adrenalinefueled instances. Scientific research seems to agree: The Franklin institute reports that “music decreases depression, fatigue and total mood disturbance,” all emotions one would assume would result from witnessing worldwide Armageddon in real-time. No doubt it’s pretty creepy to have an Ave Maria chorus blaring over your surroundings while attempting to flee a deserted London motorway in a taxi armed with only a machete and a few beers, but seeing as anything is possible in those last moments—from the clouds cracking open to reveal a host of angels to a futuristic cyborg hopping off a truck to your rescue—it might be a bit more uplifting if a Terminator clone saved you from a shower of bullets in that typical 80’s flare while old-school Guns ’N Roses is bumping from your
headphones. Or maybe you’d prefer to take a cue from Children of Men and arise Clive Owen-style out of rubble in the post-apocalyptic wilds to the sounds of some downtempo Roots Manuva or The Libertines’ maniacal German chanting. “If anything, it’d be Justin Bieber,” said Bill Shaner, currently studying Anthropology at Northeastern University, “I feel like he’d be the precursor to the apocalypse.” “I’d want it to be about me, not the world,” said Kateri Hooper, a Business major at Northeastern University, when explaining her choice of Beyoncé’s ‘I Was Here,’ “No sad songs for the end.” If hordes of birds falling from the skies, dead fish in rivers and the Sandy-style flooding of NYC’s subway stations are any indicator, you should get a move on it. If life’s supposedly going to start imitating every Jeff Goldblum film all at once, what’s the excuse not to make your own sweet soundtrack to the end? As you gather your survival kits and discuss alternative evacuation plans with your loved ones over holiday dinner this season, think of it as a team-building exercise. I’ll surely be in my private bunker with an engineer and a bag full of caribiners. In the meantime, check out a few personal picks, courtesy of Northeastern students.
“Swept Away” the xx “Arbeit Macht Frei” the libertines “Take Me Out” franz ferdinand “Sabotage” the beastie boys “N.Y. State of Mind” nas “The Beginning is the End is the Beginning” smashing pumpkins “Shadowplay” joy division “Stronger” kanye west “Teqkilla” m.i.a. “Jahova” rusko
Honorable Mention: “The Final Countdown” europe
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Album Reviews
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Flying Lotus Until the Quiet Comes Release date October 2, 2012 Label Warp Records Genre Electronic, Experimental Tasty tracks Sultan’s Request, DMT Song (Feat. Thundercat), me Yesterday//Corded
It’s near impossible to have a discussion about electronic artist Flying Lotus without bringing up his astounding pedigree. Born Steven Ellison, Flying Lotus is the grandnephew of Alice Coltrane, wife of the legendary John Coltrane, but also a superb jazz musician in her own right. Her recordings incorporated dreamy harps and brought the most mystical aspects of jazz music to the forefront. Lotus has made a name for himself in recent years as a massively talented and versatile electronic producer. He has collaborated with a laundry list of notables—Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, Odd Future members, and bass-playing peer Thundercat come to mind—and his previous record Cosmogramma was one of 2010’s
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finest. Cosmogramma showed Flying Lotus in complete control of his wildly extensive palette: thumping bass, Sega samples, hiphop beats, and sweeping strings. It’s easy to understand why Flying Lotus might have difficulty following up Cosmogramma—it’s so densely packed with sonic exploration that an attempt to respond in kind would come across as a rehash. So Lotus instead follows a different muse. With his fantastic fourth album, Until the Quiet Comes, Flying Lotus embraces his heritage and translates the ethereal jazz of his great aunt into an electronic context. These are sounds he’s dabbled with before (as in“Arkestry” from Cosmogramma) but here
the aesthetic persists throughout the album. It’s akin to sizing down from an everything pizza to just pepperoni, but Flying Lotus pulls off the shift with gusto. It doesn’t hurt that he has an all-star list of guests on the album. Thom Yorke, previously featured on Cosmogramma, comes back for round two with a phantom-like vocal take on “Electric Candyman.” Soul empress Erykah Badu also tries her hand, laying down a smooth howl on superb first single “See Thru to U.” Thundercat drops righteous bass grooves where they’re needed, and on “DMT Song,” his gorgeous tenor voice makes an appearance. (For future Thundercat fans, his 2011 The Golden Age of Apocalypse is highly recommended.) Flying Lotus is a master arranger, and his love of intricacy is what makes these disparate elements work. The shrill clicks and pulses that make up “Tiny Tortures,” for example, hiss in tandem with the song’s eerie synth melody. On the title track, quick handclaps and an ascending bass are paired to great effect. Elsewhere, you find your bangers—namely “Sultan’s Request” and “The Nightcaller”—but these don’t upset the album’s motif so much as quicken its ebb and flow. While Flying Lotus initially attracted listeners with genre-hopping bombast, his ability to weave sounds together like a patchwork quilt now proves his greatest asset. When critics listened to pre-release copies of Cosmogramma, it was a single mp3 file—no track breakdowns. More so than its predecessor though, Until the Quiet Comes feels like something meant to be digested in one piece. It’s a beautiful, quiet record, and one that deserves multiple listens. Auntie Alice would be proud. Mike Doub (Psychology)
If you would like to submit a review to be considered for publishing in print or online, e-mail: tmreviews@gmail.com
Soundgarden
King Animal Release date November 13, 2012 Label Seven Four/Republic Genre Alternative/ Grunge Tasty tracks Black Saturday, Rowing, Halfway There, Been Away Too Long
“You can’t go home, no I swear you never can,” Chris Cornell screams over the opening guitar riff of King Animal, Soundgarden’s first studio album to contain entirely new material since before the grunge gods split in 1997. Fans would certainly argue that the band has “Been Away Too Long,” but does their latest album prove that it’s too late foe them to come back home and relive their ‘90s glory after a fourteen-year gap? Right from the opening track the energy is there—that classic, unabated anger we expect from Cornell and company that cannot be placated by time. But how valid is that anger, and what place does grunge have in
Elbow Dead in the Boot Release date November 20, 2012 Label Interscope Records Genre Alternative Pop/Rock Tasty tracks Lay Down Your Cross, The Long War Shuffle, Buffalo Ghosts
With the rise of digital downloads, B-side tracks are quickly becoming a thing of the past as physical records are rarely used. When bands do come out with B-side tracks, the songs are almost always significantly worse than those snooty A-side, made-for-the-radio singles. Gone are the days when B-sides rocked, like The Smiths’ “How Soon Is Now?” which was later re-released as an A-side, or Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” (BOOM! Bet you didn’t see a Gloria Gaynor reference coming.) As for entire albums of B-side compilations? Well, those are just about extinct. That makes Elbow’s latest release Dead in the Boot the last of a dying breed, the musical equivalent to football’s three down running back. Guy Garvey, Elbow’s vocalist and resident raconteur, once said “An album should take people on a journey.” Boy, does Dead in the Boot nail that criterion. It isn’t a “greatest hits” compilation, A.K.A. a money grab, but an album of B-sides and other non-album tracks that were written at various times over the past twelve years. It shows the band at its most creative, free from the pressure to be catchy or anthemic. The oldest track is “None One”, which was originally released on The Newborn EP from 2000. The Peter Gabriel-esque “Buffalo Ghosts” was first released in 2011 as
mainstream rock today? A few tracks, such as “Crooked Steps” and “Non-State Actor,” are riddled with lackluster and cliché lyrics that leave listeners longing for the days of Superunknown. Here, we are forced to down lyrics like “Blood raining down/ Cuts a deep, deep river” or “You are the cure/ I am the drug” that sound tired and really don’t leave a lasting impression on the listener. Don’t get discouraged too soon—not every track of King Animal disappoints. “Eyelid’s Mouth” consists of those heavy, charging guitar riffs we remember with affection and Cornell’s lungs don’t sound affected by nearly thirty years of screaming. We even get to see another side of Soundgarden—one that’s evolved past raw anger to become more refined. “Halfway There” is a look back on love and life that yearns for a better future and dares to get political without becoming too preachy, while “Black Saturday” reveals a sense of vulnerability. On the last track, “Rowing,” Cornell claims that he doesn’t “know where I’m going, I just keep on polling, gotta row.” Apparently, fourteen years and numerous side projects
a vinyl single. With thirteen tracks spanning more than a decade, Dead in the Boot takes you on more than a journey—it chronicles the odyssey of a band that won the Brit Award for Best British Group in 2009 and produced the BBC’s theme for the 2012 London Olympics. Elbow is typically known for its grandiose style of alternative rock, but Dead in the Boot reveals a different side of the band stylistically. Garvey’s emotional vocals remain, but most of the songs are toned down. “Whisper Grass” is a haunting opening track. The song begins slowly. Garvey’s vocals are soft, initially coupled with restrained instrumentals. However, as the song reaches its chorus and Garvey sings of despair, it devolves from its meticulousness into an electronic heap of noisiness. The juxtaposition of these two is so difficult to pull off, but Elbow does so with such grace. Dead in the Boot gets off to a great start with a track that is at once both repressed and cathartic. From the outset, Elbow’s signature is evident on this compilation. The usual chilling vibes and emotive vocals are present, but there is also something setting Dead in the Boot apart from past Elbow works. The band’s previous albums always seemed to have some underlying melancholic qualities, but the calling card of Elbow was the ability to make sing-along anthems like “One Day Like This”. Dead in the Boot is noticeably darker. See “Lucky with Disease”; a track from 2001, in which Garvey laments, “I’m a better friend than I’ve ever been a lover / And that’s not saying much.” The third track, “Lay Down Your Cross,” is a touching dirge of lost love. Garvey begs and pleads to “let me love her again.” The emotion and anguish in his voice are palpable.
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weren’t enough for the band members of find themselves, and now they’re back to “rowing” on through life and mainstream rock together. King Animal might not be bringing Soundgarden back home, but it’s taking them somewhere new. Amanda Hoover (Journalism)
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Guy Garvey has always worn his heart on his sleeve, but never have his ever-weary vocals been so tender. Songs like “Every Bit the Little Girl” and “None One” are so reserved, so bare, that it’s hard to believe this is the same band that made the powerful theme to the London Olympics this past summer. That’s not to say the album dawdles along sleepily. It is certainly not upbeat, but “McGreggor” and “The Long War Shuffle” are two tracks that pick up the intensity a couple notches. Each song has its own touch of delicate beauty along with a heavy dose of Garvey’s honesty. Elbow has never been the type of band that seeks out commercial success, and the band has received plenty of critical acclaim as a result. But these B-sides are Elbow at its true, inspired heart. The results are stunning. Just put this album on, relax, and enjoy the bittersweet beauty contained within. Tom Doherty (Journalism) 35
Kendrick Lamar good kid, m.A.A.d city Release date October 22, 2012 Label Top Dawg/ Aftermath Entertainment/ Interscope Records Genre West Coat Hip-Hop Tasty tracks Backseat Freestyle, Poetic Justice
Reviews
As Dr. Dre’s newest protégé and the labeled “next big thing” in the hip-hop world, Kendrick Lamar has a lot of hype to live up to. Kendrick Lamar embraces this buzz on good kid, m.A.A.d. city, unfazed and unchanged, looking backward to his teenage years growing up in Compton. But unlike N.W.A.’s Straight Outta Compton that shook the hip hop world a quarter century earlier, Lamar is not sounding the alarm on the state of the city as a whole—what he gives us instead is an autobiography of sorts. He examines his coming of age with the level voice of a storyteller and the insightful rhymes of a rapper wiser than his years. We are introduced to the album through a more childish, fragile lens than most hip-hop artists ever allow themselves to be examined. Lamar reflects on his community—a city plagued by a lack of economic opportunity, tormented
Ke$ha Warrior Release date November 30, 2012 Label RCA Genre Pop Tasty tracks Die Young, C’mon, Only Wanna Dance With You
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The fiercest of pop’s current it-girls, Ke$ha spent a significant period of 2011 touring the world on what she called a “spirit quest,” swimming with sharks and rehabilitating lions (and possibly getting intimate with the supernatural). While attempting to analyze Ke$ha’s uniquely brash brand of electro-pop is probably an exercise in futility, Warrior is an exciting display of thoroughly modern pop music that is clearly better for her time off. Intro and title track “Warrior” serves as a mission statement for the album, but its abrasive sound thankfully isn’t exactly indicative of the rest of the album. Capitalizing on 2012’s electronic dance music arms race and Ke$ha’s indefatigable attitude, the glorious “Die Young,” Warrior’s first single, synthesizes influences from synth-rock to glam into a stomping, handclapping, rave-inflected package. “C’mon” is classic Ke$ha, if such a thing even exists, as she combines clever, hedonistic sing-rap
by police brutality, and torn apart by gang violence—but he does it through the narrator he knows best, himself. The subtitle, “a short film by Kendrick Lamar,” is appropriate. The personal nature of this album is evident at first glance. The cover art, a gritty Polaroid of baby Kendrick on his father’s knee behind a 40 o.z. and a bottle of milk, transports us back to watch Lamar’s saga of youth firsthand. It’s as if we’re looking through a family album. This tone of transparency and vulnerability is established immediately, the album opening with a prayer, almost pleading with fate, “Lord God / I come to you a sinner / and humbly repent for my sins.” Enter young Kendrick, in love or lust with a girl named Sherane (as in “Sherane a.k.a. Master Splinter’s Daughter”), borrowing his family minivan, getting berated by his mom in a long, droning voicemail, evoking the sense of entrapment that accompanies youth. From there, Lamar details the process of growing up. He tries out a series of personas, putting on a show of over-confidence in “Backseat Freestyle” and aging before his years in his ruminations on death in “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst.” But ultimately, it’s his relationships at home, with his city, his friends, and his family, that create Kendrick’s
(“Feelin’ like a sabre tooth tiger, sippin’ on a warm Budweiser, touch me and give me that rush better pack a toothbrush gonna pull an all-nighter”) with the sort of anthemic chorus that instantly signals a pop star at the top of their game. Other highlights include hilarious tell-off “Thinking Of You,” the shockingly restrained ballads “Wonderland” and “Love Into the Light”, and cathartic, life-affirming “All That Matters (The Beautiful Life).” Julian Casablancas and Fabrizio Moretti collaboration “Only Wanna Dance With You” comes as a surprise, both for its inclusion and the fact that it happens to be the best Strokes song since “You Only Live Once.” An album as varied as Warrior is always going to have lows, and there are a couple noticeable ones, “Crazy Kids” apes its beat obviously and awkwardly from Far East Movement’s “Like a G6” and “Supernatural” flirts with, but fails to commit to dubstep. Iggy Pop collaboration “Dirty Love” is supposed to be an example of Ke$ha’s style of “cock rock” but the age difference between the two makes the sexual content of the track inescapably creepy. Still, Warrior proves that Ke$ha’s talent as a songwriter and pop star cannot be overlooked. Runyon Colie (History)
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true identity and message on the album. The voicemails from his mother, that nag us lovingly throughout the album, summarize the album’s purpose in the end—to tell his story for kids like him. Kendrick Lamar follows his mother’s advice and offers himself up as a protagonist, giving his listeners an album of staggering intimacy and impact. Siena Faughnan (Criminal Justice)
Moldy
Stale
Edible
Fresh
Tasty
We publish album reviews online too! tastemakersmag.com
The James Franco Complex When actors cross over. Actor, author, director, teacher, artist, musician. Who can do all of this, you ask?
James Franco, of course. As a man far more superior than the rest of us average simpletons, Franco dabbles into all types of artistic mediums—and actually does quite well at all of them—whether it be poetry, film, or even music. In fact, Franco’s band Daddy, with partner Tim O’Keefe, just released their debut EP titled MotorCity this September, which emanated from Franco’s time in Detroit when he was filming Sam Raimi’s Oz: The Great and Powerful. Franco tells Rolling Stone magazine, “I know I do a lot of things. I’m very aware of that. I’m sure there are a lot of skeptical people, hearing about me doing music... To me, it all comes from a similar place. It’s like using different tools to express things in different ways.” Franco is right: skepticism is most people’s main reaction when anyoneespecially a celebrity- breaks from the norm and ventures into new artistic/professional areas. And while few share Franco’s hyperactivity, the actor-musician hybrid is one of the most common crossovers in entertainment. Nowadays, it seems like every actor can sing, and, just because they can, they all put out a CD or two. While several are flops, just as many, if not more, are successes. But what defines success, anyways? There are all those seemingly random crossovers that we all know and definitely don’t consider to be successes. Of course, there’s William Shatner, who has released several bizarre albums consisting of interpretive spoken-word. And there’s Bruce Willis, who actually spent 29 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart in the 80s despite poor reviews, but his musical escapades were seen as mere side-projects to his acting. Even, Scarlett Johansson, who has released two albums (both of which received bad reviews and were marked by Johansson being controlled artistically by her collaborating musicians) couldn’t hide her weak voice, causing her to default to her trite sexuality. There are others that are widely known and widely considered to be successful, the most popular example being The Lonely Island, a comedy-rap band composed of SNL writers Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, and Andy Samberg (come on, as if you don’t know). Their first album “Incredibad” spent
32 weeks on Billboard 200 and seven weeks as first on the Comedy Albums chart, along with numerous other accolades. It received excellent reviews, one reviewer even saying that the album “isn’t an afterthought but a fully committed comedy album. On top of that, it’s a hilarious comedy album that’s just as hip, inventive, and inappropriate as their digital shorts” (Billboard.com). Both “Incredibad” and “Turtleneck & Chain” are very intelligently done; Taccone, Schaffer, and Samberg’s wit, crafted absurdity, and collaborations with people like Michael Bolton, Snoop Dogg (oh wait, it’s Snoop Lion, now… ugh), and Natalie Portman make their albums not only great comedy albums but ingenious and excellent albums in general. The Lonely Island even amassed enough popularity to receive the honor of performing at the 2011 Emmy awards. In fact, several comedy crossover music albums are quite successful (think Steven Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, and the aforementioned Lonely Island), so some may
argue that actors not taking themselves too seriously as musicians could be their key to success (even though, how William Shatner can take his music seriously, I don’t know). But, just as the reviewer said, The Lonely Island’s music is smart and delivers on multiple levels, proving that they take their music pretty seriously. The key to success could be just that: taking the music seriously and approaching it with just as much artistry and thought as one who is a musician by training. For example, Robert Downey, Jr. released The Futurist in 2004 and made no mockery of the art, leading to good reviews and two weeks on the Billboard 200 chart. Zooey Deschanel, half of the band She & Him, has also amassed critical success, with her albums spending 13 weeks on
the Billboard 200 chart and topping the Rock, Independent, Alternative, Folk, and Tastemakers Album charts. Steve Martin takes his role in his bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers incredibly seriously. Their most recent album spent eight weeks on the Billboard 200 and topped all of the bluegrass charts. They are influential figures in the bluegrass world and have received several awards; Martin even awards the annual “Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass” (stevemartin.com). Martin has even temporarily put his acting career on the backburner for a while in order to focus on his music. Singular focus is the most proven and effective method for reaching popularity and mainstream success with crossovers. For example, think of all those music artists who started out as child actors: Fergie, Drake (Degrassi, anyone?), Kylie Minogue (who has actually been named as Australia’s favorite actor), Janet Jackson, and, of course, the slew of Mouseketeers and other Disney stars like Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, and, yes, even Lindsay Lohan (drug use and rehab, optional). The common pattern between all these actors-turned-musicians is that, when they started making music, they stopped acting and focused solely on building their music careers. Some of them, like Justin Timberlake, have recently returned to acting, but Timberlake appeared in movies after he adequately established himself as a musician, leading most of the general public to identify him as a musician first. In fact, there are very few celebrities whose identities are composed equally of two disciplines (maybe Will Smith is the one and only?). Maybe we shouldn’t treat crossovers with such skepticism. O’Keefe expanded on Franco’s earlier statement, saying, “The way we come at it is not to be a band creating a record, but from a wider artistic approach— looking at different genres of music, different periods of time, really studying it, and then creating work influenced and inspired by that.” Franco and O’Keefe are definitely getting at something significant here. We forget to consider that maybe our celebrities aren’t overpaid cash-whores and are actually people who need to fulfill their restless artists inside. And while some are better off with just sticking to what their good at, it doesn’t hurt for others to expand into different mediums of expression and tap into their very own James Franco Complexes. The world is a better place with more James Franco, after all. Elizabeth Johnson-Wilson (Communications)
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Born to be Cliché and Walking on Triteness: Editorial Winter 2012
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Why many soundtracks are not bad to the bone, just bad
When George Thorogood wrote “Bad to the Bone” in 1982, he probably didn’t envision it as the entrance music for a 12-year-old girl in a Disney movie scene. Sure enough, in the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap, Lindsay Lohan walks into a poker game—against herself —to this song. Between this and appearances in Major Payne, Joe Dirt, Megamind, Talk Radio, 3000 Miles to Graceland and Terminator 2, “Bad to the Bone” is one of cinema’s most overused tracks. And let’s not forget the people who thought they were being clever by putting a song with the word “bone” in Beverley Hills Chihuahua. One of the first uses of the song was in 1983’s Christine, an adaptation of a Stephen King novel about a sentient automobile. It plays during the opening sequence, when the car is being made, which fits with the song’s first lyric of “on the day I was born.” Still, it’s hard to watch the scene without the tainted image of Thorogood’s hit as “the song that’s in all those movies.” Is Hollywood single-handedly reducing the value of a song by putting it in far too many scenes, many of which hold little meaning? There are a number of soundtrackrelated diseases from which filmmakers suffer. In the case of “Bad to the Bone,” it is Need for a Vibe of Badassery Syndrome (NVBS). The use of Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild” is
also an effect of NVBS. Its first cinematic use was in 1969’s “Easy Rider.” With the image of motorcyclists on the open road in the American Southwest, the song is fitting. But then it was used in Coming Home, One Crazy Summer, Speechless, Wild America, Recess: School’s Out and Mr. Bean’s Holiday, among others. The most abominable abuse award goes to The Neverending Story 3, in which what can only be described as a half-man, halfrock sings a throaty cover. If filmmakers using “Bad to the Bone” or “Born to Be Wild” suffer from NVBS, then users of Katrina and the Wave’s 1983 hit “Walking on Sunshine” are ill with Need to Communicate Extreme Joy Disorder (NCEJD). In 2003’s Daddy Day Care, the song plays during the opening credits, as a little boy gets ready in the morning. He doesn’t look like he’s particularly walking on sunshine, unless you consider Sponge Bob slippers simpatico. (I know, it’s utterly shocking that an Eddie Murphy movie shows signs of being bad in the first few minutes.) The song—or a cover of it—has also been used in Look Who’s Talking, Bean, Herbie: Fully Loaded, Ella Enchanted, and The Secret of My Success, among others. We get it. The main character has fallen in love, or climbed the corporate ladder, or saved a dying puppy, or generally has a bomb of sunshine ready to detonate out his or her ass. But this is overkill. There are an abundance of songs that express joy, so
Illustration by Chris Bowers (Graphic Design)
producers should find another one. (But don’t even think of the also worn-out “I Got You (I Feel Good)” and “You Make My Dreams Come True.”) One of the better uses of “Walking on Sunshine,” though, is in High Fidelity, when the song is juxtaposed with “Seymour Stein” by Belle & Sebastian. It’s a humorous satire of both melancholy hipsters and upbeat mainstream-junkies, and let’s be real: finding a way to make fun of all parties involved is amusing. The opposite of NCEJD is NCEAD, or Need to Communicate Extreme Anguish Disorder. One of the key victims of this disease is Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” or any of its many covers. It has been used in Shrek, A Lot Like Love, Vinterkyss, When Night is Falling, and Lord of War. Perhaps the greatest controversy has surrounded its use in the Nite Owl-Silk Spectre II sex scene in Watchmen, with some praising the choice and others calling it a disgrace to the song. It’s a difficult line to tread, because many of the lyrics—which vary widely from cover to cover—can be interpreted as either sexual or religious. Catering to the latter, one of its more powerful uses is Joseph Arthur’s cover in the closing credits of the 2006 Academy Award-nominated documentary “Deliver Us From Evil.” It centers on Catholic priest Oliver O’Grady, who admitted to raping and molesting 25 children in the 1970s-90s. That, more than brokenhearted ogres or superhero intercourse, would induce the cry of a cold and
broken hallelujah. The song is beautiful, but it’s overdone, and a context in which the use does it justice—such as Deliver Us From Evil—is rare. The list of hackneyed songs in movies goes on and on. If the name “Cobrastyle” by the Teddybears doesn’t ring a bell, then saying your style is the “bomb-diggy-bomb-da-dangdi-dang-diggy-diggy” probably does. Then there’s the excess of animal movies that use “Who Let the Dogs Out.” Throw in there “All Star,” “Low Rider,” “U Can’t Touch This,” “Iko Iko,” and “Baba O’Riley,” and it’s just getting ridiculous. So why does the film industry insist on assaulting moviegoers’ ears with more of the same? The most probable cause is laziness, both on the part of the creator and the viewer. Filmmakers may not feel like taking the time or the effort to dig for the “perfect song” for a particular scene. Ideally speaking, they should bring in a music expert or aficionado to compile a soundtrack that is fresh. On the receiving end, many viewers are lazy—they go to the movies for low-thought entertainment, and hearing familiar songs lessens the amount of information to process. Occasionally, an overused song can be in multiple good movies; an example is Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” featured in Platoon, Back to School, Mystic Pizza and Forrest Gump. But more often, people have ruined some classic (or potentially classic) songs by putting them in a plethora of not-so-classic movies. Erica Moser (Journalism) 39
Documentary Reviews
When James Murphy officially ended LCD Soundsystem, his Brooklyn based Reviews
With this in mind, he invited Dylan Southern and Will dance-rock outfit, with a three and a Lovelace, two filmmakers best known for 2010’s Blur half hour finale at Madison Square Garden, documentary No Distance Left he knew that fans would want the opportunity to Run, to film the final show and the days surrounding to relive the event. it. The release of Southern and Lovelace’s resulting film, Shut Up and Play the Hits, continues a longstanding tradition of combining film and music; a tradition that allows fans to enhance the context and increase their investment in the music they love. From Martin Scorsese and The Band’s seminal The Last Waltz to this year’s widely acclaimed Searching for Sugarman, the story of mysterious singer-songwriter Rodriguez, music documentaries have provided must-see experiences for anyone interested in the stories of music. Good music documentaries allow fans to understand the process by which art is created, feel a bit of what it means to witness music being performed, and provide insight into the people who produce the music itself. This is by no means a comprehensive list, rather it is a personal collection of quality documentaries that deserve to be seen and heard by music aficionados everywhere. Runyon Colie (History)
SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS
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Inspired by LCD Soundsystem’s final show, Shut Up and Play the Hits comes with the benefit of being able to tell a story with a definite structure. Impressively shot concert footage is interspersed with shots of Murphy the day after the show, when he has to deal with the consequences of ending his band (he manages by walking his dog and making coffee), and a reenactment of an interview the day before with culture commentator Chuck Klosterman. Though Klosterman’s incessant need to insert his own opinions into his questions can be tiresome, Murphy’s intelligent responses provide the meat of the
film, offering an interesting discourse about the allure of stardom and the effects of aging to match the spectacle of the show footage itself. Some of the choices regarding which songs were featured (as there was no way to condense a 3+ hour concert into a less than 2 hour film) were odd, with the group’s cover of Alan Vega’s “Bye Bye Bayou” getting shown in full. However, the footage is impressive enough that it fits the film well; and it hardly matters, as the rest of the concert is available as DVD/Blu-ray extras.
THE SHIELD AROUND THE K While Seattle broke out on the national music scene with the grunge explosion of the 90s, a smaller youth movement had been going on in neighboring Olympia for a decade. K Records, formed by Calvin Johnson in 1982, became incredibly influential in DIY scenes around the country, with a strong anti-corporate culture and a number of popular twee pop and indie rock bands to its name. This admittedly low-budget documentary from Heather Watson was released in 2000 and included interviews with prominent
figures from the label and wider genres that the label was associated with as well as a number of rare live footage and music videos from the label’s most famous acts, including Johnson’s band, Beat Happening. Valuable for its historic content as well as its touching and entertaining stories of trying to work outside the box of corporate music and the beginning of indie music in the US, The Shield Around the K requires a certain dedication to the genres that it features but offers plenty of rewards to passionate viewers.
THE YEAR PUNK BROKE Featuring a veritable who’s who of independent music at the time, The Year Punk Broke is a chronicle of Sonic Youth and Nirvana’s late 1991 European tour. Filmed by David Markey, the documentary offers viewers a chance to get close to its bands through intimate, unprofessional scenes in a way that is rarely experienced. While the film’s show footage is exceptional, the backstage footage is revealing for its exposure of just how difficult it was already proving for its subjects to transition from punk obscurity
to mainstream acclaim. Thurston Moore’s too-cool shtick is difficult to watch and Kurt Cobain awkwardly mumbles and mugs for the camera every time it turns his way. While Sonic Youth is the subject of the documentary, and as one of the seminal bands of the last two decades they certainly deserve the spotlight, it’s Cobain who makes the film and knowledge of his impending suicide (only 3 years later) offers the documentary a surreal, emotional core.
NO DISTANCE LEFT TO RUN Despite initially defeating Oasis in the “Battle of Britpop”, the name given to the week in 1995 in which both Blur and Oasis released singles, Blur failed to make much of an impact in the United States (frontman Damon Albarn finding more success stateside with his sideproject Gorillaz). In Britain, however, they have remained popular, going so far as to headline this year’s alternative closing ceremony at London’s Hyde Park. No Distance Left to Run provides
viewers in both Britain and the United States insight into the band’s relationships and excellent live footage. Filmed during a semi-reunion period (the band’s official hiatus has been in question for years now), the film gives an admirable account of the band’s artistic integrity and goes a long way to reveal the heart of one of the most underrated and important bands of the last 20 years.
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Interview
INTO IT. OVER IT. A quick Q&A with Evan Weiss of
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written by Alexa Johnson
When Evan Weiss started his solo project Into it. Over it., he wrote a song a week for an entire year, comprising his first album, 52 Weeks. After several additional releases and being an acoustic opener on various tours, Weiss recruited friends to join him for a headlining, full band tour. Not a lot of bands undergo a transformation like this, so Weiss sat down with Tastemakers to discuss his progress with Into it. Over it. and the revamping of his project.
Tastemakers Magazine (TMM):
TMM: Do you think you will pick up
When you wrote your songs and recorded all of the various instrumentals by yourself, did you intend on acquiring other band members to play them? Or did you anticipate on Into It. Over It. remaining a solo project? Evan Weiss (EW): When I had initially written the first 52, I wasn’t even intending on playing shows. It was only ever supposed to be a recording project when it began. It was supposed to end after 52 Weeks. That, however, set the tone for the songwriting to come. I had/have no rules to my recordings. I do whatever I want. I hoped that one day I’d be able to play some shows with a band, but it was never a concern. If it was going to happen, it would happen.
permanent band members for future tours and albums, or will you continue recruiting friends on a temporary basis? EW: There will be a more solid band starting next year with people who can tour more frequently. The albums will remain just myself along with the help of Nick Wakim (who has played the drums on the last several IIOI releases).
TMM: Have the touring band members
headliner? And which do you prefer, headlining or opening? EW: They both have their merits. I’ll take headlining any day though. I can just relax at a headlining show.
added anything extra to the songs that you hadn’t thought of before? EW: Well, yeah. I’d never played these songs the way they were intended before. Live, the songs are much heavier. I think myself along with the three friends I brought set out to make that a point.
TMM: How has your fan base reacted to this
TMM: You’ve been an opening act for several
tours, do you think that all those tours were worth it in the long run? EW: I didn’t have to get a desk job during that time, so yes.
TMM: What is it like for you to be a
TMM: What is your dream tour? EW: Pearl Jam, Sunny Day Real Estate,
Anal Cunt
change?
TMM: What do you see as the future of Into
touring to come will still be solo. Doing these shows has been more of a treat than a change. All the same, everyone has been really excited about seeing these songs with a band behind them.
EW: Write songs, go on tour, write songs, go
EW: Well, for one, it isn’t a change. A lot of my
It. Over It.?
on tour, write songs, go on tour, write songs, go on tour, write songs, go on tour, write songs, write songs, write songs, write songs...
TMM: How do you think you have changed as a performer?
EW: I’ve just become more confident. I’ve
become more weathered. I’ve become a little less anxious and more at ease with being on stage no matter how big or small the crowd. It’s gotten easier.
Catch Evan at T.T. the Bear’s Place on January 17. 43
Feature
Brawlin’, Bawlin’ and Name Callin’ musician Meltdowns on stage Suzie Conway (Communications) and Emily Cassel (Undeclared) Illustrations by Wendy Schiller (Digital Art/Animation)
Hey, we get it. Life is rough for a touring musician. You’re in a new city every night, you’re far away from the ones you love, and you’re probably sleeping in a van that’s been on the road since before you were driving Hot Wheels. Add to that the constant scrutiny from journalists and photographers, and you’re bound to crack under the pressure once in a while. Everyone is allowed the occasional on-stage fuck up, but man, have there been some real doozies of late. And since we love watching a good train wreck as much as the next person, we’ve compiled some of our favorites here. From mid-set breakups to violent outbursts to poorly timed bodily functions, these are just some of the most outrageous on-stage meltdowns the 2000’s have seen.
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Frontman FREAKOUTS
Kings of Leon August 2011 Dallas, TX Fresh off of the Pigeon Poop debacle a few weeks earlier, where KOL had to cancel a show because birds were shitting on them, Caleb Followill ran offstage claiming he was ill, but that he’d still finish the set. He supposedly went to throw up and would head back, but he didn’t return. Brother and bass player Jared Followill tweeted later that “There are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade.” Clearly the tour could use some work if the show with fly-by shitting is the high point.
Ariel Pink April 2011 Coachella Indio, CA
The Ataris October 2012 Asbury Park, NJ
Green Day September 2012 Las Vegas iHeartRadio Festival Las Vegas, NV
Ariel Pink is notorious for exhibiting peculiar behavior both on and off the stage. So, it was not a huge surprise that while performing at Coachella last year, he turned his back to the audience, refused to look at anyone, and began mumbling incoherently. Ariel has owned up to his erratic behavior in when interviewed, like
in Spin when he said “That’s my talent. I make people uneasy.” Some audience members attending the performance later stated that it was part of the appeal, and that they didn’t mind him acting like a cry-baby. Well, apparently, you don’t need a multi-octave voice and big hair to be a diva.
To answer that burning question on no one’s mind of whether the Ataris were still around, they are indeed, and with plenty of baggage. Lead singer Kristopher Roe attacked his drummer, saying he is “fucking failing at it tonight.” He then threw his guitar at drummer
Rob Felicetti, and knocked his drum kit offstage. Roe accused Felicetti of being an alcoholic, and Felicetti has since quit the band. On the upside, at least it made The Ataris slightly more relevant again—party like it’s 2003.
Lead singer and perpetual man-child Billie Joe Armstrong went on a highly publicized on-stage rampage, cursing out the likes of Justin Bieber and the festival itself for not giving him enough time to perform. Green Day canceled the remainder of its tour, with
Armstrong seeking treatment for substance abuse problems. Presumably, guyliner sales continue on their nosedive from 2005. Green Day is, however, moving up the release of Tre! to December (up from its January release) to appease fans.
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Frontman FREAKOUTS Feature
Wavves May 2009 Primavera Sound Festival Barcelona, Spain
Courtney Love June 2010 Washington, D.C. (and countless others)
Josh Homme June 2008 Norwegian Wood Festival Oslo, Norway
Add a faulty soundboard, a 3 a.m. slot and a rowdy audience to Wavves’ already touch and go live show, and it’s no wonder that the band imploded during their set at Spain’s Primavera Sound festival. There was a lot of shoe-throwing and heckling throughout the night, which culminated in drummer Ryan Ulsh running out from behind his drum kit
and pouring a beer on singer/guitarist Nathan Williams’ head. According to Pitchfork, this was met with the most applause the band had received all night. Ryan then ran offstage, effectively ending the show. That's a lot of drama for a two-man band.
Courtney, Courtney, Courtney. Just when you thought Courtney Love may not completely ruin whatever is left of her pathetic self, she goes and does this. With offenses too lengthy to go into in this small space, here are the highlights: In the span of a three hour show (yes this went on for three hours), Love:
arrived an hour late, had an assistant film the show on an iPhone in the middle of the stage, let the audience sing her most popular songs for her, got racist, took an audience member’s bra to use as her own, and apparently stopped herself from having sex backstage so she could finish the set. She literally did it all. Props, girl.
It should have been an ordinary band-fan encounter. Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age called out a member of the audience, presumably for throwing something on stage. Instead of being a generally cordial human being, he proceeded to call him almost
all of George Carlin’s Seven Dirty Words. Classy. Homme blames his outburst on a 102 degree fever. Overall, the crowd didn’t seem to mind and proceeded to cheer Homme on.
Spending half of your set talking about how unhappy you are to be there is never a good way to win over your audience. Nonetheless, that’s exactly what Screeching Weasel frontman Ben Weasel did during the band’s 2011 South by Southwest performance. After numerous tirades, during which Weasel
called SXSW "a carnival of schadenfreude,” one female audience member was fed up enough to throw ice at him. He responded by punching her in the face—hard—and then punching the club owner (also female) when she tried to hold him back. And they say chivalry ain’t dead...
Bring Me the Horizon frontman and all around awful human being Oli Sykes has been involved in a fair number of scuffles, all of them extremely pathetic. His Salt Lake City “fight” is our favorite because he actually yelled, “Come at me, bro!” at his hecklers
like he was some tattooed frat star hopped up on testosterone and Busch Light. He then proceeded to throw a water bottle into the crowd before scrambling away to safety. What a badass.
Okay, so Akon didn’t technically attack anyone, but he was definitely being predatory at this 2007 show. Akon, who is just waiting for someone to give him the Worst Father of the Year award, brought a 15 year old girl on stage and proceeded to dry hump her. No way to sugar coat that. Akon lost a few sponsors
of his tour, but was not legally reprimanded. Though the video is still on YouTube and hasn’t faded from the public’s memory, Akon’s just still being Akon. At least he came out with the song “Sorry, Blame It on Me.” That can untraumatize a teenage girl, right?
When Artists ATTACK
Ben Weasel March 2011 SXSW • Austin, TX
Oli Sykes October 2011 Salt Lake City, UT
Akon Winter 2012
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April 2007 Trinidad & Tobago
When Audiences ATTACK
Jay Reatard April 2008 Toronto, Canada
The Mars Volta August 2006 Endfest Seattle, WA
According to a blog post by Reatard, fans jumped onto the stage and started throwing around equipment, and generally being dickish. Apparently, the venue was at double capacity and lacked any kind of crowd control. Jay was clearly pissed, but he ditched the rock star persona and actually refunded some
guests out of his own pocket. This kind of thing was clearly a trend at Reatard shows; Jay was attacked by fans in Austin where he had to defend himself with a microphone stand. Rest in Peace Jay Reatard, let’s hope your fans don’t freak out on the rest of us.
Some crowd members are clearly just looking to start something. The audience at EndFest thought it was advisable to throw bottles of urine at The Mars Volta. Omar RodriguezLopez offered money and a lifetime supply of Mars Volta tickets to any audience member to find the offender and “kick his ass” in
retaliation. The Mars Volta joined a long list of performers who have been “bottled” (there’s even a special wiki page for it), but the rockers have kept mum about it ever since. It makes sense that you wouldn’t want to remind people that your audience made it rain on you, and not in a good way.
Bodily MALFUNCTIONS
Fergie Pees herself July 2005 San Diego, CA
Justin Bieber Vomits September 2012 Glendale, AZ
Lady Gaga Vomits. Four times. October 2012 Barcelona, Spain
After having a few too many before a San Diego Black Eyed Peas concert, Fergie had a little accident on stage. It’s almost like she was trying to give bloggers a reason to use the pun 'Black Eyed Pee!' Even more hilariously, the Duchess tried to cover up the mishap by spraying champagne all over herself, which makes this seem like a real missed opportunity by champagne advertisers. “Perrier-Jouët: for locker room celebrations, New Years parties, and now those with bladder control problems.” Puking is pretty much always embarrassing, but earlier this year Bieber threw up on stage in front of a sold out crowd in an 18,000 person venue. It was also his tour kickoff show. And he barfed not once, but twice. Poor kid. Of course, after the show he tweeted, “Milk was a bad choice,” so he couldn’t have been too upset. Sad people don’t quote Anchorman. Not to be outdone by the Biebz, Gaga took the vomit show abroad when she barfed on stage in Spain a whopping four times. The songstress even tweeted a link to the video of her vomiting to her 31 million followers. Hey, if you can’t laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?
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Digital or Physical? If there’s one thing that I’ve noticed over the past two years, it’s that more and more people are getting back into listening to vinyl records and purchasing their own record players. In a Etcetera
world where everything is now readily available digitally, it’s surprising that people are returning to an old school form of acquiring and listening to music. But is this truly a popular trend amongst college students? To find out, I surveyed students at Northeastern University about how they listen to their music and where they get their music.
65/68
students surveyed rely primarily on digital forms of music Spotify
20%
80%
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iTunes, Windows Media Player, iPod, mp3 files
HOW DO YOU BUY? (% of students surveyed) 94.0 35.3 17.6 10.3
iTunes, etc.
Record Store
Department Store
Thrift Store
50%
22.0
of those surveyed obtain their music illegally
HOW DO YOU LISTEN? (% of students surveyed) Solely CD or vinyl
iTunes, etc.
2.9%
Combination of digital and physical music
Solely digital
28.1%
97.1 YouTube
69.0% Spotify
CDs
58.8
Vinyl
45.6
47.1
22.0
From the small sample of students surveyed here at Northeastern, it’s quite clear that the digital world is the dominant world for obtaining and listening to music. Perhaps we will see a rise in the number of people who return to purchasing and/or listening to physical copies of music in the future, but for now, it seems that the convenience and ease of access of the digital world is preferred. • Shea Geyer (Pharmacy) 49
SOPHOMORE
SLUMPS
Editorial
Scenario: Johnny New-Band puts out a debut album to great mainstream or critical success; maybe tours on that material for a year with a well-known act. Then it comes time to write and record the next batch of material. There’s nowhere to go but up, right? Wrong. Every artist who hopes for any kind of longevity knows that there is a huge obstacle in the way of continued success: the sophomore slump. Perhaps the group runs dry of creative energy. Maybe they get lazy after their first hit. Or maybe still, a centuries-old curse was placed on the collective music industry. Whatever the reason, the sophomore slump seems to be a recurring phenomenon in the realm of recorded music. Bands with a groundbreaking debut disappoint with their second release. Yet, some manage to overcome the slump and put out consistently good music. There are as many examples of victims as there are slump survivors, and this begs the question: “What causes the sophomore slump?” Joey Dussault (Journalism)
success
slump
If It Ain’t Broke Don’t Fix it
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This seems to be the most common cause for a sophomore slump. Some artists who experience early success are reluctant to experiment with their sound for fear of critical or popular backlash. Sometimes this strategy is effective, and the group is able to pull off a decent second album using the same formula as the first. More often than not however, the sound will go stale before then. Take folk phenoms Mumford and Sons: their sophomore record Babel is a solid effort, but follows the same songwriting formula as Sigh No More right down to the banjo picking patterns. The same holds true for Two Door Cinema Club’s Beacon—the group’s in-the-pocket approach to danceable indie tracks is noticeably less charming the second time around.
Left to Right Passion Pit - Gossamer Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better Nick Minaj - Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded Billy Talent - Billy Talent II Wolfmother - Cosmic Egg Mika - The Boy Who Knew Too Much Clap Your Hands Say Yeahh - Some Loud Thunder
The Fickle Thing The same way stylistic stagnation can shoot down a sophomore album, groups who experiment too early can set themselves up for failure. After just one album, most listeners are not loyal fans—they simply enjoy the style of music the band released. Releasing a radically different second album runs the risk of alienating fans of the first. New York indie outfit Fun had it right the first time with Aim and Ignite, an album that is equal parts pop and progressive. The band’s sophomore release Some Nights features a different band—one that is altogether more marketable but strikingly less exciting.
success
slump
Left to Right Hot Hot Heat - Elevator Say Anything - In Defense of the Genre MGMT - Congratulations The Kooks - Konk
Setting The Bar Too High Every band will preface a release with the statement, “This is our best work yet.” But what happens when it actually is? Sometimes a group will put out a debut so good that they can’t manage to follow it up. When Arcade Fire released their debut album Funeral in 2004, it was almost universally praised by critics as an indie classic. With their second release Neon Bible three years later, the group showed that they had more staying power than your average indie flash in the pan. Yet that same record, for all of its refinedness, is impersonal—a microcosmic Gilded Age that is only gold on the outside looking in. Most would be hesitant to call Neon Bible a slump, but if the album simply does not measure up to its predecessor, it might be cause to label it as such. The distinction to be made is that albums that fall under this category are not necessarily bad, but rather underwhelming in the wake of previous efforts.
Left to Right Zombina and the Skeletones - Death Valley High The Strokes - Room on Fire Bloc Party - Weekend In The City Meatloaf - Dead Ringer
The Self Doubter
Slump Avoiders
When a band has an already introverted songwriter, a personal take on writing is an enormous risk. The rawness and deeply personal lyrics of Weezer’s 1996 sophomore effort Pinkerton were derided by critics and fans who had grown accustomed to the pop-rock sensibilities of their previous singles. Frontman Rivers Cuomo wore his heart on his sleeve, and critics smelled blood and attacked. The album, now considered by some to be the group’s magnum opus, received no credit for this until the new millennium came around, and the band has been on the decline since. Much like the Pinkerton fiasco for Weezer, The Killers’ Sam’s Town was probably viewed so negatively after its release because it offered profound songwriting after the huge mainstream success of the pop-laced Hot Fuss. These seem to be the rare cases where sophomore slump albums are actually better than their predecessors, and are unsuccessful because they are ahead of their time.
Fang Island—Major Freelance Whales—Diluvia Tame Impala—Lonerism Florence and the Machine -Ceremonials Titus Andronicus—The Monitor Marina and the Diamonds—Electra Heart Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros—Here Chromeo—Fancy Footwork
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Feature
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From Dawn till’ Busk a taste of boston street performers by Leslie Fowle (English/Journalism)
photos by Dave Tschiegg (Graphic Design)
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you hear them on your morning commute through Downtown Crossing. You pass by them on nearly
Mad Blackbirds
every shopping trip to Faneuil Hall. It seems there’s nary a day you can leave the house without running into some sort of street performer in Boston. Indeed, busking (the Feature
official term for street performing) is an integral part of the city’s subculture—a part that legislation has protected, then attacked and then protected again. Today, most street performance is legal between the hours of 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., as long as buskers stay below 80 db at 25 feet with sound
performers’ names
Jake Bautista, Matt Sokol & Parker McAnnally (not pictured) where to Find Them
On Newbury Street or various subway stations
level, and do not block doors or entrances. Some coveted family hotspots, like Faneuil Hall, have special practices that require prospective performers to audition annually before being granted performing rights. As for the MBTA, specific locations are reserved for buskers, as long as they have applied for the necessary $25 permit and are carrying a badge. This isn’t bad compared to the $40 fee the town of Cambridge charges buskers yearly to perform in popular places like Harvard Square.
Then what’s in it for the performers? And just how
Instruments of choice:
Guitar, bass, drums Background:
Both members were or are currently students at the Berklee School of Music. They both hope to play music full time and eventually tour in New York and other cities.
often do you slip a dollar in a busker’s hat, or simply stop to listen in or say hello? Well don’t worry, because we at Tastemakers did the work for you. Read on to learn where you can find “the regulars” when it comes to street performing in this fair city.
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Plays:
Popular indie/punk music. Favorites include Pixies, Ramones, and Modest Mouse.
Ethan Anderson-Carter Where to Fin d H i m
Macy’s Downtown Crossing Instruments o f C h o i c e
Violin, piano and guitar Background
Anderson-Carter is a Berklee student who gets paid by Macy’s to play in front of their department store on Washington Street. Plays
Classical Related act s
The Thickest Thieves
Keny (with one n) Zulu Wh ere t o Fi n d Him
Park Street Stop
I ns t ru m en t o f Ch o ice
Keytar P l ays
Funk
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Pablo Mendoza W h ere t o F in d Him
Boston Gardens and Common Feature
I n s t ru m en t o f Ch o ice
Classical guitar P lays
Classical Mexican
Manny Medeiros Where to Find Him
Harvard Square
Instrument(s) of C h o i c e
Guitar Plays
A mean Simon & Garfunkel cover
Peter Podobry Where t o F i n d H i m
Part St. and Harvard Sq. station Instrume n t o f C h o i c e
Classical guitar Plays
Classical, instrumental Playing F o r
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Ken Hede Where to Find Him
On Washington Street in the Downtown Crossing area Instrument of Choice
Bucket drum set Background
Hede is a current student at the Berklee School of Music. He’s been bucket drumming for the past six months as a complement to his musical studies, saying that, “Buckets make you a stronger player on a real drum set.” Plays
Beats that make him stand out from your average bucket drummer Related Acts
Mad Max (band)
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Etcetera
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CROSSWORD ACROSS
6 Need to Communicate Extreme Anguish Disorder 8 Essential Mountain Goats’ album 10 Barcelona freakout 11 Shaved and Gone 12 Self Doubter DOWN
1 Requirement for apocalypse 2 What’s it _____ 3 Frank Ocean’s label 4 50% of NU students get music _____ 5 James _____ Complex 7 The Shield Around the _____ 9 Rain Thomas’ favorite band
ZOOMED Can you tell which four album covers we’ve zoomed in on here?
FIND BIEBER We’ve hidden Justin Bieber somewhere in this issue. Find him and maybe something cool will happen...
From left to right, clockwise: *NSYNC Home For Christmas, Mariah Carey Merry Christmas, She & Him A Very She & Him Christmas, Hanson Snowed In
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
Can you pick out the 15 differences between these two photos?
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