Melisma Fall 2006 | Issue 5

MELISMA Volume III, Issue 1

editor-in-chief MEREDITH TURITS senior editor/business director MARTY SATTELL submissions editor AMANDA BROWER assistant submissions editor DAN CASEY art director MOLLY LORENZO layout director AMANDA HART assistant layout director ALLISON TURRILL cover photo MEREDITH TURITS back cover photo NORA CHOVANEC contributing writers CARRIE BATTAN, AMANDA BROWER, DAN CASEY, RACHEL CHERVIN, ERIK DOUGHTY, JAMES FOLTA, MAX FURMAN, RICKY HARTMAN, AMANDA HART, SHANA HURLEY, TRAVIS LOWRY, MUFFIN MACGUFFIN, PETE MILLAR, SAM OBEY, JARED OLKIN, MARTY SATTELL, JAHN SOOD, MEREDITH TURITS, BOBBY WESTFALL contributing editors GEORGE DENFIELD, MAX FURMAN, ALEX GREEN, MEREDITH HASSETT, MICHELLE HOCHBERG, SHANA HURLEY, ALYSSA IRIZARRY, ALEX KITTLE, PETE MILLAR contributing artists ALYSSA IRIZARRY, MEREDITH TURITS

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layout engineers AMANDA HART, MOLLY LORENZO, ALLISON TURRILL layout committee AMANDA BROWER, GEORGE DENFIELD, AMANDA HART, ALYSSA IRIZARRY, MOLLY LORENZO, MARTY SATTELL, MEREDITH TURITS, ALLISON TURRILL

interested in writing, art or design? questions, comments, adulation or hatemail? melismamagazine@gmail.com

Melisma Magazine is a non-profit student publication of Tufts University. The opinions expressed in ar ticles, features or photos are solely those of the individual author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or the staff. Tufts University is not responsible for the content of Melisma Magazine . If you would like to submit a letter to Melisma Magazine , please send it to melismamagazine@gmail.com. Please limit your letter to 400 words or less.

from the editor When the torch has been passed to you and you’re left with little guidance on how to get something going (you know, like running a magazine or another silly thing), how do you take your experience and apply it to successfully mobilize and create? That was our challenge for putting out this volume’s first issue of Melisma, which at 36 pages is bigger, better and more extensive than ever before.

While piecing together this issue, utilizing a host of writing, editing and ar t talents from staff members (and, on a personal note, the talent of maintaining sanity – something to which I admit being over tly inept), I star ted to notice a common theme permeating through the pages of the magazine straight to our production lab.

It boils down to three letters – DIY (do-it-yourself). We’ve had to do everything at Melisma by our own devices, but we’re lucky enough to have the suppor t of a major university at our back.

However, take bands who have to record, release, tour and suppor t themselves with no substantial financial backing – now that’s what we call dedication. Melisma is honored to be able to suppor t the DIY community with our presence, and is thankful that, true to their ethos, DIY bands have made themselves available to us to help make this issue so stellar. We’ve cer tainly learned a thing or two to help us shape our own DIY ethic – and now the fruits of our labors taste all the sweeter.

Meredith Turits Editor-In-Chief

Left: Stephen Pierce of Ampere at Tufts University’s Oxfam Cafe Cover: Thursday’s Geoff Rickly commands the stage at the L.A. date of Warped Tour 2006

MELISMAfeatures

ampere

ROMANCING THE DIY STONE

by MEREDITH TURITS and RICKY HARTMAN photos by MEREDITH TURITS Quietly tucked away in Western Massachusetts, the low-profile college town of Amherst bears a not-so-low-profile band whose presence in the DIY punk and hardcore scenes is anything but hushed. Behold the members of Amherst four-piece Ampere, whose collection of short but aggressive tracks and raw, live intensity has brought the band to the forefront of the current independent music community.

On the cusp of their upcoming East Coast tour with allies Das Oath, Ampere guitarist Will Killingsworth and vocalist Stephen Pierce sat down with Melisma to relay what exactly resides at the core of the four-piece.

04

How did you end up working so closely with Das Oath?

Will: I first met Mark [McCoy] from Das Oath sometime around 1997 when he was in Charles Bronson and I would see him sporadically at shows. Some time passed without really being in touch, and through a demo tape I mailed to him, Mark came to put out a band of mine called Bucket Full Of Teeth in 2002. This put us more in touch and made us better friends at the same time. Around the same time, Jeroen [Vrijohef] from Das Oath was putting out [our drummer, Andy Skelly]’s old band, Wolves, on Coalition.

Then, in 2006, Das Oath had some material they had recorded but needed mixed and I was able to do what they needed at my recording studio (Dead Air), first for a compilation track (31G’s Release The Bats), then later with their MiniLP and now their upcoming 11” and our split.

Although we haven’t played many shows together (three total before this upcoming tour), ironically, Ampere’s first show was with Das Oath in Boston in 2002, and then we did a weekend together in late 2004. So it’s been a gradual process of just doing various things together as people, although

not directly with both bands together until now.

Spill some of the details on your upcoming split with Daïtro and current 12” split with Das Oath: Will: The split with Daïtro will be a split picture disc 7” and a split release between Pure Pain Sugar from France and Clean Plate (my label)…Daïtro’s side will be one song I think, and our side will be either two or three. The split 12” with Das Oath features four songs from them and five from us.

It’s a bit of a concept record, and as such, will be left somewhat of a mystery for the time being.

What’s your writing process like? Do you consider yourselves perfectionists?

Will: When we work on new material, I usually come up with some foundation riffs/ideas and then we all put our collective brain to work to structure it and make it the best we can. I like to think we are a healthy mix of perfectionists and realists, although I guess it depends what it’s in regards to. With song writing, we definitely tend to obsess over very small details. When it comes to recording the songs, or any performance, I think that to some extent the feel of a performance is

more important than being completely flawless.

To me, a lot of records being made in the current times, even by borderline underground bands, are over-produced in a way that the life of the songs are sucked out of them. Part of what makes a really raw recording great is that you can totally feel the energy. Trying to find the balance between these two sides is something I think is pretty interesting and hard to define in specifics.

Stephen: I’d hardly consider myself a perfectionist so much as a procrastinator, and as such, I don’t typically have one hundred percent cut-in-stone sure-thing lyrics until I absolutely have to. Though, I guess that has as much to do with pickiness and uncertainty as it does with procrastination. Either way, when we record a song, I usually haven’t had much time to mull over and dissect what ends up being the final lyrics. Mainly, though, that’s because the months or weeks or whatever leading up to recording are usually a long process of writing lyrics, crossing them out, writing new lyrics and so on. Maybe in that sense I actually am a bit of a perfectionist. I’d certainly never suggest that anything I’ve written is perfect!

How do you find time to balance actively writing, recording, and touring with Ampere as well as your outside enterprises, such as the labels you run?

Will: One thing that helps is that we have a regular practice day, once a week, which makes it easy to plan other things around. However, sometimes there is more or less going on in life outside of the band that makes it harder to focus/ progress then others. We certainly haven’t found any secret formula though, and if anyone has, I’d be interested to hear it.

Stephen: I’d hesitate to call my life balanced in any way. I’d like to think that I’m a good kind of busy, though.

Rather have too many things to do than nothing at all, and I’m lucky that I am busy doing things that I can feel good about. Sometimes I just want to take a week off from life and sleep, though.

as opposed to being content with mp3s. I know that I’ve personally become a little lazier in that regard.

What affect has Amherst had on the development of Ampere’s music, ethics, and following?

Will: Clearly to a degree the space where one lives effects the people you know and play with, and also affects the music you hear and are influenced by. I think to a large degree we are influenced by our friends who are making music in the greater New England area. As for Amherst

formation of Ampere?

Will: I think being in previous bands helps somewhat in terms of exposure, but to a large degree it is like starting over again to form a new band. You’re back to proving yourself no matter what, or at least in my experience. Most bands never tend to be fully appreciated until they’re gone in the DIY scene - it seems to me, anyways.

What current issues are you most passionate about? What drives you to use your music as a forum for your ethical voice?

Will: To be completely honest off the bat, I’m not the most politically-minded person. Mainly this is because I, like many people, I think, feel to a large extent helpless in the face of the huge machine that is the U.S. government. While I certainly don’t agree with many of its actions, I don’t know what actions I can take to directly institute a change, which is frustrating. I think that this is one of the reasons that I enjoy being vegan, because it is a political choice that I can make and directly feel a positive impact from in my life. By not eating or using any animal byproducts I can see and feel a difference by creating less suffering in the world.

If there were something I could do where I could see a direct correlation towards something like ending the war in Iraq, that would be amazing, but at the moment I don’t know what that would be, and I’m not sure it exists, which is somewhat depressing. Of course I realize that there is danger in just complicity sitting by while

: AN ESSENTIAL PART OF MODERN DAY PUNK IS A DESIRE TO OPERATE OUTSIDE OF THE CURRENT INDUSTRY THAT VIEWS MUSIC AS NOTHING MORE THAN A PRODUCT.

There’s a huge DIY apsect to your band. Because Ampere encompasses so many members from now-defunct DIY bands, you’ve been in the DIY scene for quite a while. How would you say that the DIY scene has changed, especially with tools such as the internet, MySpace, message boards, etc, becoming increasingly prominent?

Will: Modern technology has definitely changed and shaped the DIY scene, although I think its hard to quantify exactly. In some ways it is very beneficial, it’s easier to get the word out about tours and releases, easier to make new contacts and easier to discover new music. At the same time, this easiness also makes the end result a little less special. As with most things in life, the harder you work for something, the more you appreciate it in the end. I can’t say that it’s specifically better or worse than when I originally got into punk in the early/mid-’90s. It’s just different, and in a way that makes the modern scene a little harder to relate to at times.

Stephen: Things like MySpace and message boards can be either awesome tools for communication and networking or completely shitty wastes of time. Like most things in life, it all depends on how people use them and what they hope to get out of it. Our community has certainly changed because of it, that’s for sure; I mean, instead of mailordering a 7” because you read a good review about it in MRR or whatever, I think a lot of the younger kids aren’t as interested in putting in the effort to track down the record

specifically, I’m not too sure.

Stephen: Amherst isn’t really a town with a gigantic punk community by any means, [everyone who lives here works] hard to put as much into it as we would like to get out of it. I guess that living in a smaller, non-urban area has forced our hand in terms of creating and trying to sustain a community, rather than assimilating to one. I couldn’t really say that Ampere would’ve turned out any differently if it were the four of us forming the band in a different city, but I think that being based in Amherst keeps us working at making our community better.

Has your presence in past bands greatly affected your current following, or did you feel like you were starting from scratch again with the

MELISMAfeatures these things happen as well. Personally, I just haven’t found a way to work towards such goals without simply feeling frustrated. I think music has always been and always will be a great means of communication and has certainly informed me about many important ideas. I think the DIY community is extremely political by its very nature because it seeks to operate completely outside of mainstream society. We have our own music, our own publications, our own venues and gathering spaces, as well as various small businesses from printing presses, record stores, recording studios, etc.

Stephen: I spent a lot of my youth caring about how other people lived, wishing that others shared my ideals and my ethics.

At the end of the day, I would find myself frustrated that the world is still brimming with bullshit that I can’t do a goddamned thing about, other than complain. I guess you could say that I’m jaded, but I will put it this way my voice of protest is not what I talk about, but how I live my life.

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The word “scene” has a lot of connotations, both positive and otherwise. What notions does the word “scene” arouse for you?

Will: To me, “scene” is one of those words that I don’t like, but still use for lack of a better word. Although if I had to suggest one, I think “community” would probably be a better word choice in most cases.

Stephen: I feel like “scene” is as rotten a word these days as “emo” and “screamo.” All of those words make me think of people that I wouldn’t like to be around. I’m with Will in thinking that the word “community” is something better representative of the worldwide DIY infrastructure. I especially loathe the word “scene” when it’s used as an adjective.

If you had to play the role of music historian, where would you identify the beginning of “punk” music? In your opinion, what are the definitive aspects of modern “punk ethics?”

Will: Defining the beginning of any sort of

movement specifically seems rather tough. I think that the Ramones were probably the first “punk” band, but clearly bands before that influenced them to do what they were doing and there are earlier roots of punk. At the same time, a band like the Ramones is very different from a band like Ampere, in terms of DIY, etc….To me, an essential part of modern day punk is a desire to operate outside of the current music industry that views music as nothing more than a product.

There is an increasing trend in punk of bands and labels trying to get “bigger” and, in my eyes, simultaneously removing themselves from the real

underground community. I find this insulting, as it suggest that the only reason these people were in the DIY scene was just to get their start, or as a stepping stone. To me, one participates in the DIY scene because one wants to be a part of it, not because one is looking to climb up the ladder the first chance they get.

Stephen: Throughout history, there has always been art going against the grain in terms of cultural expectations and societal norms. Punk is simply an extension of this tradition. Musically, I think that the song “Misfit” by a Dutch garage band called The Outsiders is a punk song. It’s from ‘67. The Monks, too, had the whole “Punk before punk existed” thing going on, right down to song titles like “I Hate You” and “Shut Up.” I’d say that Can and Neu! could also be considered punk bands, but maybe my definition of punk is broader than it should be.

Which active bands do you most respect as both musicians and people? Which bands would you consider your closest friends?

Will: Sinaloa, Daniel Striped Tiger, Life At These Speeds, Wasteland, Tiny Hawks, Das Oath, Relics, Ringers, Death To Tyrants and I’m sure more that I’m forgetting.

Besides being members of Ampere, what other interests do you guys hold outside of the band?

Will: I record bands as my day job at a studio I have set up in our house. On good days it’s something I enjoy doing. Besides that, vegan baking, being somewhat of an amp and gear nerd and checking out new music.

Stephen: I run a record store called Distort. It’s both fun and endlessly frustrating, and one of those things that I just can’t stop thinking about, for better or for worse. I also play guitar in a band called Aerosols. Our 7” will be out maybe in November or December….Aside from that, I would be happy if all I ever did in life were ride my bicycle, which I am a complete nerd about.

And finally, the obligatory question: what records are you guys currently spinning?

Will: The Marked Men – Fix My Brain, Please Inform The Captain This Is A Hijack – Defeat Or Humiliate The United States Of America, Bonny “Prince” Billy – Superwolf, Master and Everyone, Koro – 7”, Make Believe, Tiny Hawks, Mind Eraser – Glacial Reign, Ringers – Curses The Germs – G.I., The Exploding Hearts – Guitar Romantic, Generation X – s/t, Armalite – LP No Hope For The Kids – LP and on and on…

Stephen: I am listening to Midwestern Songs of the Americas by Dillinger 4 [right this second].

It’s a record that has been relevant in my life since the first time I heard it, regardless of what other musical phase I was going through. Mika Miko’s LP is great. So is the new Repos LP, Pissed Jeans - Shallow, Vicious 7”. Just got Last Bomb - Retro Firing 7” which I’m pretty stoked to own.

Same with Systematic Death LP & two 7”s. And, after hearing them in a bar a few days ago, my love for Pavement has been revived. I could go on forever.

gearing into motion

JERSEY BOYS SKULL MOTION DO IT UP STYLE

by ERIK DOUGHTY

Asbury Park, N.J. is the mecca of has-beens and, concurrently, diamonds in the rough. Once home to the most coveted condominiums and picturesque beaches on the Jersey Shore, Bruce Springsteen’s heartland has since quickly drowned in gang warfare and drug related issues. From the passenger seat view, it’s a mere ghost town. However, Asbury Park, still know for the legendary Stone Pony, has remained a landmarks in rock-and-roll and is also home to one of the most genuine and talented local acts today - Skull Motion.

Taylor Allen, Mike Corvasce, Jesse Manna and Sean McKnight are veterans of the local scene. The group began performing together as New Direxion, a well-known, popular punk/ska band that shared the stage with prominent bands of their genre like Catch-22, Goldfinger, The Exit and Pepper. After splitting up this past April, the four reassembled to forge a rock confection under the name of Skull Motion. Although the band has only played two shows, they have already performed with esteemed Australian band The Living End. Skull Motion features an array of influences that lie beneath a sound they can truly call their own. ”I would best describe our sound as this: Bruce Springsteen and The Bouncing Souls are married for a few years and give birth to a child, but in reality Bruce was having an affair with Johnny Cash and The Souls thought that it was their child. It’s the child of Bruce and Cash raised in the household of The Bouncing Souls,” says guitarist Mike Corvasce.

This eclectic group of individuals each brings their own set of cards to the table, but the band definitely has found a few common foundations in the aforementioned artists.

Allen’s vocals are best described as raw, fierce and melodic. When listening, it’s as though one can feel each decibel of intensity rising out of his lungs. On the surface, it is clearly Allen’s voice that distinguishes Skull Motion from other bands; however, the assembled musicians, including Allen, who also plays the acoustic guitar, evoke a powerfully driven sound that also pays

homage to their talent and musicianship. The acoustic and electric guitars are interwoven smoothly and intelligently with particularly creative bass lines and tight, driving percussion. Additionally, there is a folk-like theme that seeps through both the band’s music and their lyrics. The hard punk and folk fusion is a creative undertaking that has been otherwise virtually unexplored in all of mainstream music.

Regarding what differentiates Skull Motion from the thousands of other bands at the local and mainstream level, Mike Corvasce says, “Well, to say what separates us from other rock bands is kind of tough because I could talk about how ‘unique’ and ‘original’ we are but in truth, we’re four dudes that like to have a good time and it shows through our music. Our music is passionate, genuine, and real - more passionate, genuine, and real than 99 percent of the other bands in music today.”

Skull Motion is planning to independently release their first EP within the next few months. Currently, their demo is available online for free download and the band has recently been playing around the Tri-State area. Upon the release of their EP, the band is looking to tour and hopefully reach destinations like Boston to expand their fan base.

As long as there remain bands like Skull Motion, so will remain places like Asbury Park. Both are symbols of passion, integrity and enjoyment and have the potential to endure the test of both time and trend. In many cases, it seems as though not only songs on albums run together and blur in monotony, but now entire genres of music. Skull Motion defies all labels or expectations seemingly without trying.

These guys make genuinely good music, have fun and hope to share their experience with anyone who is willing to listen.

Erik Doughty is a freshman planning to major in Journalism or Political Science. His love for music began with Coolio’s hit single “Gangsta’s Paradise.” Sadly, Erik really knows nothing about himself and hence, neither shall you.

MELISMAfeatures

wolf eyes

STRAIGHT INTO THE EYES OF THE NOISE

by RICKY HARTMAN

Maybe it’s not so far fetched to be slightly intimidated to approach John Olson, member of the reputable Michigan noise outfit Wolf Eyes – especially after being nearly deafened by the band’s rapturous hour-plus set at Allston’s Great Scott. When I finally stepped outside to talk with Olson, however, the multitasking saxplaying gong-hitting noise-manipulator was nothing but kind and open, revealing details that delve deep into Wolf Eyes’ sound and ethic.

When I listen to Burned Mind and Human Animal, I think of them as very cohesive works. Do you plan on producing albums as almost one large, major piece versus individual parts that are strung together?

John: Oh yeah yeah totally. We really like to jam a lot, you know. We toured a lot last year, so we had like a lot of rough ideas from playing, so we had January and February off, and so we had those ideas and we got our own studio so we were able to do those, and we did a bunch of demos of the record and then we get the flow, and then actually we were listening to it and we were like, “well this sounds like an old Western, like more of a coney-styled Western.” Have you guys seen like “Django” and…”For A Few Dollars More” and stuff like that? You know how it starts off not action-packed, but you know what’s going on. You know those people are heavy, you know what I’m saying. We were like, “Wow, it’s cool that it starts off slow and creepy,” and you get this idea of this human animal figure, and on side two you meet it. We always think about it in terms of vinyl because we don’t give a shit about the CD, so it’s like you flip the side. It’s like side one is what sets the space, but it’s not coming out and gaining [strength]. So we had those ideas so we just kind of morphed them like that. But yeah, we always mess with orders and flow and stuff like that because when we play it’s gotta be kind of like a conversation—it’s gotta be dynamics and space and stuff like that.

But all of the other homemade stuff is all of the sketches.

Is the approach any different?

John: Well, we don’t really think about the label so much as the fact that [it’s] going to be in print. Then you gotta have a figurehead of your work, so it’s kind of like the top of the mountain whereas every step is kind of building up to that.

I guess it would be like writing a bunch of essays and short stories and then finally working up to your novel. But if you really look at the essay like Camus—I just read “The Stranger” and I’m reading about the guy who moved the rock up, the myth of Sisyphus, and I think that that’s just as important as “The Stranger,” like where they got to, so that’s why all of the other stuff

because they put out such really strong records, and then when they played live it was a totally different thing. I think it’s good to have the record, and then live whatever happens, happens, you know. If you just heard the Velvets’ double live you’d be like, “This is amazing,” but you could always go back to the records. That gave a basis to kind of go off of. That blew my mind, so that’s why I’m like, “It’s always cool to do different versions of songs live and just kind of go with how you’re feeling.”

I know that you play sax. How much time do you devote to your playing?

John: Well my dad was a—I went to military school growing up—one star general, so I had to make my bed everyday, I had to exercise everyday, I had to answer the phone, I’d have to say, “Good afternoon, this is Colonel Olson’s residence, he’s not available, I’d be more than happy to take your call.” I had to say that every time the goddamn phone rang, you know [laughs]. So I had to grow up in a very regimented, disciplined way. I had to do three hours of homework every night, and if I didn’t have homework, I had to read out loud a book I was reading in a fucking room for three hours. So in retrospect that was cool because I practiced horn everyday, and all the other dudes practice every single day. There’s a difference between when a technician looks at a bike versus someone who is a professional bike rider. You don’t pay money to see someone talk about the mechanics of a bike, you pay money to see someone ride a bike beautifully, you know, like the Tour de France. So a lot of people, when they’re playing electronics, they get up there and they’re trying to figure shit out—that’s not how it goes down. You always gotta hear it—it gets to a point in any instrument that you’re playing where you hear it before you play it. You know what the people are gonna do and you can react,

: YOU GOTTA BE FREE FROM SOMETHING TO PLAY IN A FREE STYLE—YOU JUST CAN’T BE FREE. WE’RE REALLY INTO DISCIPLINE AND REHEARSAL.

08

So do you usually self release the jams and demos?

John: Oh yeah yeah, all day long [laughs].

Is the way you write when you guys are creating for a release that’s going to be on a major label like Sub Pop versus American Tapes different?

is important. You can listen to it, but you’re not getting the whole thing, you know. It’s like when you see Pollock’s splatter paintings, they’re not really that impressive, but when you see that he can actually draw what he went away from, it’s good to have a discipline to go away from. You gotta be free from something to play in a free style—you just can’t be free. We’re really into discipline and rehearsal.

It seems like when I eliminated the visual aspect—just closed my eyes and concentrated more on purely the audio—the music seemed to completely flow.

John: Well, it’s like when I was a kid one of my favorite records was, you know the Velvets’ record, the double live record? It blew my mind

so you’re not practicing on stage. When you get on stage—my mom played harp, and she’s like, “Don’t you ever get up in front of people when you don’t have anything to show.” We never have shit break—it’s about the discipline. Every day I practice. I got all of my horns set up—I got a soprano, tenor and everything, and my wife will be watching TV, and I’ll just practice scales and stuff with a sock and a bell, and I practice and everything like that. It’s just that we’re professional musicians, so that’s what you gotta do. I would never want to see a band halfsteppin’.

What got you into the whole electronic aspect? I read somewhere that it started with something like an equipment malfunction, and you guys just went out a got a bunch of different things.

John: Yeah. I had this band called Plants, and it was me and two other guys, and we would meet at 9 p.m. every night and play from 9 until 11, and whatever happened, happened, and we would record it. We used to smoke a lot of weed [laughs], and we were doing bong hits from a thing, you know—you’re young [laughs]. I’d learned on drums, that was my instrument, so I was like, “We were so stoned,” and for some reason I had two Gorilla amps and I accidentally plugged them in together, and they were feeding back on each other, and I was just like, “I fuckin’ love that sound,” you know what I’m saying.

There’s no bottom to that sound—I can never get all of the possibilities. So I started just playing that, and then I was like, “That and reeds, that’s all I need to do, man. That’s the sound.” I could do that all day.

So mainly when you manipulate the electronics, you’re manipulating the actual amps themselves.

John: Oh yeah yeah…there’s one pedal on stage, Nate’s wah pedal, that’s it. I like feedback, electronic feedback, because it’s really pure, you know. When you get pedals and stuff like that it’s not only an easy way out, but you lose purity of sound. We’re talking about the next step [being] actually playing the PA at a club, like plugging it in to each other and just playing the PA, so that’d be fucking cool [laughs]…no club owner would let us do that—but maybe sometime.

So then you’d have complete manipulation?

John: Yeah, that would be as pure as you could get, you know.

Are you guys ever going to do any side-projects

like Violent Ramp again?

John: You know Awesome Color, that band?

Michael and Allison are in that band, and Michael was the bass player in Violent Ramp, and Allison was part of our skate crew. But we just got too old, and we actually did a bunch of gigs, and the modern hardcore scene was so depressing that we just stopped. We had a bunch of killer gigs but whenever we’d play modern hardcore gigs, it was just so humorless and so retarded. None of those people in those bands are like fun or anything, so we were just like, “This is retarded.”

We played our last gig at our little skate park, and we played two songs and the cops came, so that was the perfect way to end.

Was the 7” a live recording, like the “grind the pigs” part?

John: I’m trying to think. I don’t remember, it was a blurry time. Lots of beer.

Speaking of scenes, what’s your feeling on the current Michigan noise scene as it’s pretty active?

John: Well, I can’t really get like an accurate judgment of it because I’m like smack dab in it.

We’re not really home that much, we never play in town. My wife plays in town a lot, and Dilloway plays in town a lot, but Wolf Eyes plays Michigan twice a year. The thing I don’t like about a lot of the younger kids is that they don’t seem to listen to other kinds of music, you know what I’m saying?

Yeah, one of the main reasons that I wanted to come out tonight was because at Tufts it’s really limited to kids that listen to straight one genre, like indie-pop.

John: That’s horrible. It’s like painting, you know. You gotta look at other painters, you gotta listen to other music. A lot of the Michigan noise kids only listen to noise, you know, and I meet kids and they don’t even like punk rock. That absolutely boggles my mind, like those Gastric Female Reflex dudes, they’re like, “Punk rock, whatever.”

How do you feel about achieving the most pure form of noise by making your own instrument?

John: Well, you gotta think about it

like, it’s all about getting an individual sound.

You make your own instrument to get your own sound. You do that to get your own sound. That’s cool when you do that, but a lot of people, like I was saying before, they think instrument first, sound second, you know. Not to sound weird, but the [night’s opening band,] Neptunes, they were playing, but it’s just regular music on weird instruments, and I don’t really understand that…

A perfect example is like the blues dudes, like they had a washboard and one string, and they made their sound cater to that...Even Neubauten, later on they did play normal stuff, but they heard the sound and then made it from the sound that it made rather than instrument first. Making your own instrument is amazing—we did that—but it doesn’t travel well, and you get to the point where it doesn’t matter what kind of horn you’re playing, it’s how you play it. Coltrane could’ve had a McDonald’s logo in his bell to make a weird sound, but it doesn’t really matter. It’s cool that people are doing that, but the best thing that you can have is a new way of music. A perfect example is Voice Crack, I don’t know if you’ve heard them, but they’re the Swiss people that make their own instruments, and it just sounds weird, you know. They have their own mode of playing, so the instrument doesn’t really matter.

MELISMAfeatures

quiet dynamite

THESE LOW-PROFILE HIGH-DELIVERY HEATSEEKERS WILL SEX YOUR COLLECTION

by MEREDITH TURITS ..

DAITRO

AURELIEN VERDANT - VOCALS SAMUEL MONCHARMONT - GUITAR JULIEN PAGET GUITAR/VOCALS GWENAEL GROSCLAUDE - BASS BENOIT DESVIGNES - DRUMS

It’s very possible Daïtro is France’s best-kept screamo secret. Hailing from Lyon in the country’s Eastern region, Daïtro has spread their name throughout Europe and Asia with their relentlessly active tour schedule. Since 2000, the band has left their mark on Japan, Austria, the UK and Germany (just to name a few). And, like Euro kindred spirits Raein and Amanda Woodward, Daïtro are now bounding their way to head-turning status in the States. With five releases, split between CD and vinyl, and several contributions to many compilations in the international arena, Daïtro has carefully utilized many outlets of exposure.

“We feel well and above all attached to the punk-hardcore DIY community because it stands totally independent from the rules the music business [has] set,” says guitarist/vocalist Julien Paget. “It challenges clearly our way to live, think and act as Western people, bringing a real social and political critique to our way of lives.”

The band’s full-length CD/LP, Laisser Vivre Les Squelettes (To Let The Skeletons Live), is a montage of uniquely thoughtful guitars with crafted lead lines and emotional assaults delivered straight from the gut of vocalist Aurelien Verdant. Recorded in Spain with producer Santi Garcia, the record presents a refreshingly resounding ambiance and is notably different in virtue of its meticulous construction. Daïtro controls their own intensity differently than many bands, harnessing their power in some instances and unleashing it again with the timeliest precision.

Further reaching than Daïtro’s music, however, are their ethics.

“The band wouldn’t be what it is if…we would not have been trusted and supported by a lot of people around us,” says Paget. “We’re extremely sensitive to the human values, that’s why the band always helped us to build solid friendships and relationships along the years [and] to be more sensitive and more reactive to what was surrounding us on a personal, emotional, social or political level.”

Next in the works for Daïtro is a 7” split picture disc with US allies Ampere, as well as a 12” split with France’s Sed Non Satiata, with whom the band will be combing France and Italy in the late fall. The 12” split will be a benefit release for organizations that provide food for those in need, such as Food Not Bombs.

Daïtro will also begin work on a second full-length and, come summer, will head to the US to conquer uncharted territory.

10

BOYSKOUT

LESLIE SATTERFIELD - VOCALS/GUITAR PIPER LEVINE - BASS STEVE STREHLER - DRUMS INGRID DAHL - GUITAR CHRISTINA STANLEY - KEYBOARD/VIOLIN

The entrancing croon of Boyskout vocalist Leslie Satterfield is almost inescapable. Satterfield’s sugar-sweet but concurrently raspy sound is the signature of this Northern California indie rock staple. The band, though independent, has built up a substantial following in their home state (and beyond) thanks to their vibrant presence in the Bay Area indie scene, as well as an appearance at independent music superfest South By Southwest in 2006. The primarily female band define themselves through their carefully calculated minimalism, a soft blend of slow, dreamy guitars and seductively smooth vocal lines punctuated with keyboards and tambourines. Boyskout’s current release, Another Life, is the highlight of their five-year plus history.

“We are all very excited about this record,” Satterfield notes. “It took us two and a half years to make. For us, the songs make themselves...I mostly write about experiences that happen in my personal life or about realizations that I make about life.”

The bare-all honesty of Another Life helps to distinguish Boyskout’s effort among their indie rock counterparts as being amiably mellow but still engaging. A distinctly ear-friendly venture, the disc will be the backbone for the band’s upcoming US tour slated for November.

MASS MOVEMENT OF THE MOTH

ADAM LAKE - SYNTHS, VOCALS ASHLEY ARNWINE - GUITAR JOEY DOUBEK - DRUMS CHRISTIAN BRADY - BASS, VOCALS

“We don’t try to confine ourselves in any way; we just play what we think is awesome,” says Adam Lake, vocalist and keyboardist of Mass Movement of the Moth. From simply dropping the needle on one of the MMM’s records, it couldn’t be easier to tell Lake’s statement is dead-on.

Presenting alluringly accessible and undeniably danceable releases, Lake and the other members of Washington, D.C. four-piece Mass Movement of the Moth have built up a far-reaching fan base in virtue of their steadfast commitment to the band since its formation in 2004 and inexorable DIY attitude throughout. The music they’ve released – six different ventures spanning several forms on vinyl, tape and CD – has clearly morphed over time, underscoring MMM’s diversified progression.

“In all honestly, we are just a group of four very weird individuals that just get together and play what we feel and what we want,” says Lake.

The band’s two most recent efforts, full-length Outerspace for Exotic Fever and Two Thousand and Six Six Six split with The Catalyst on Perpetual Motion, are MMM’s most all-encompassing releases to date. The band’s distinct sound combines elements ranging from aggressive vocals and intricate guitar lines of post-hardcore to basslines and energy signature to punk. The entire mix is accented with elements of indie structure and beat. A string of lively keyboard lines keeps a synthheavy sound at the core, and weaves in an experimental overtone that keeps the up-tempo, chameleon-like tracks strikingly cohesive.

“There’s always something [new] in the works,” Lake says of MMM’s agenda for future endeavors. Among the band’s plans are releasing Outerspace as a 12” and creating a concept split with The Max Levine Ensemble.

“The whole [Max Levine Ensemble] release will include not only music, but the art and the story. This is an idea we’ve been kicking around a while, but we’ve gotten together a few times and started work on the story.”

As always, the band will be actively playing shows in their local area in between tending to school and work. Yeah, we think they’re superheroes, too.

“I always get really excited about talking about future stuff because it’s just so much fun,” Lake notes. “Making music with these amazing individuals is quite an experience.”

SOUND OFF

ADAM LAKE of MASS MOVEMENT OF THE MOTH to be directing us, everything has a direct but yet indirect influence on how we play together. Not just in music, but in everyday life. It’s just natural MMM operates under classic DIY ethos, yet you’ve done a pretty epic progression; I’m excited to see where it will take us! job spreading your name coast to coast. To what do you attribute your high level of exposure ?

You made the unconventional decision to re-record a demo. Talk a bit about I am not quite sure how this has happened, but it’s really awesome that decision and what went into redoing Finale. that people are hearing about us and checking us out everywhere. I We have been through a lot as a band and had been through some think we just operate on a level that is comfortable to us and we still drummers and our sound was definitely going in a new direction. The first get to pretty much do everything ourselves. The labels that we do time we recorded Finale was with our first drummer Rick who was a crucial work with are just other DIY labels and we always work with them very dude but just didn’t work out for a multitude of reasons. We recorded it closely on all aspects of the record releasing…I think that people just originally just kind of impromptu. Since then the songs have definitely somehow identify with who we are and what we are trying to do. progressed - a song is like a living organism, when you record it you are You’ve put out three split CD/LPs and have another in the works. How do you end up teaming up with split partners, and what motivates you to release songs on a split as opposed to an individual project?

Doing splits is such a good way of sharing band love. It feels really great to…get involved in a project with a band that you are friends with and you respect. It’s inspirational. All of our splits have been with bands that we are close friends with and we have played with, and that we feel we have this cosmic “out of this world” connection with. So far we’ve done split 7”s with Sing Sing Prison and Polar. We also did a split LP/CD with The Catalyst, which is only a minuscule documentation of what we are together – one entity. I think we plan on making records with The Catalyst a regular thing in the future.

just capturing it at a certain state, but it eventually keeps transforming the more times you play it - and with Joey on board as our drummer they took on a new entity. Joey definitely has a huge impact on our music, our missing link in the lineup, and it makes it feel more natural. What really got us to re-record it was that we were talking to the fabulous Andrew Bowman at the time about working together on some things, and we threw around the idea of possibly re-releasing the demo, but I had mentioned we wanted to re-mix some of the tracks. We find it’s a far better representation of what those songs are, especially what they are today.

From where does the inspiration for the band’s aesthetic draw? How do you partner up with artists to create LP and other packaging designs?

Ashley, our guitarist, does most of the artwork. She has so many crazy ideas in her head and sometimes knows exactly how to output them in an Throughout your discography, your sound has progressed. What have awesome and pleasing way. Almost all of the artwork on our albums is hers, been the factors that have guided you in your current direction? with the exception of a few drawings Christian has done, and a few drawings Music evolves, people evolve. We’ve always just played music that feels our dear friend Ben Trogden has done. Benjamin is this amazing artist right to us and is natural. If anything, we’ve been going in a more who lived in D.C. for a while and really connected with us as people. He jamming direction, with heavy emphasis on riffs and melody, which is designed a couple shirts and a poster for us. As far as inspiration goes, a little bit different than how we are started out. But our music has I know Ashley draws a lot of it from what the songs mean to her and how always been a collaboration of the four of us together. We have never they make her feel. It’s pretty awesome to see what she comes up with felt like we had to play something that we weren’t comfortable with; sometimes, because it’s always something that just fits perfectly with what we just play what we want. We try to challenge ourselves and not we are trying to achieve. restrict ourselves to just one genre. Not one thing can be singled out

MELISMAfeatures

THIN DARK LINE

BRYAN BARNES - VOCALS MIKE BARNES - GUITAR/VOCALS BRENT KAMINSKI - GUITAR

The last thing the world needs is another generic act soullessly trying to ride the coattails of the latest wave of the pop-rock resurgence. That’s why Baltimore, Md., melodic-rock powerhouse Thin Dark Line leverages their personality, sincerity and striking level of musicianship to set themselves apart in a flurry of watered-down copycat bands.

“We just want to make the best music that we can make and share it with as many people as we can. We don’t try to be anyone but ourselves,” says lead vocalist Bryan Barnes.

The band, who have been claiming their stake in the mid-Atlantic region’s alternative scene since October 2002, pride themselves on their distinctively powerful yet sensitive brand of emotive rock, as well as their enduring perseverance through countless member changes, self-booked tours and other obstacles that often defeat smaller independent bands. TDL’s standout effort is their second fulllength, The Resolution, released with One Eleven Records. Produced by Matt Squire and Paul Leavitt, who have worked with the likes of Panic! At The Disco, Midtown and Over It among others, the 13-track concept album infuses perfectly crafted melodic guitar lines, smart lyrics and vocal melodies that are undeniably infectious.

“The Resolution was the first time we ever got to work with a producer,” Barnes said. “We put a lot more time into [it] and tried to think carefully about every detail. Every little inch of that CD is made up of a lot of thought from our band.”

TDL’s mature approach to a genre tired out by heavy hitters and imitation bands infuses a much-needed breath of fresh air to the emo-rock phenomenon.

SOUND OFF

BRYAN BARNES of THIN DARK LINE

The Resolution operates loosely as a concept album, but how? What was involved in the decision to go that route and what did you have to do differently when writing to accommodate the concept?

The Resolution isn’t a concept album like Coheed and Cambria writes concept albums. There are no specific characters, no specific actions. We wanted it to be a very open message, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a specific story in mind. The concept revolves around one man’s struggle to deal with the problems in the world. Some of the song track orders are mixed up, but generally, in the beginning, this person is feeling overwhelmed with all the negative things about the world and the ending tracks of the CD are his resolution - how he chooses to deal with these world problems. The choice to go this direction came when we all looked at the lyrics in their entirety and saw this common path between them. It was almost by chance that we could find this one thread to connect all of our songs. It took looking at our songs as a whole album, not just as individual rock songs – something we’ve never done before.

12

What does it feel like to know that there are people you may have never met in states you may have never been to listening to The Resolution right now?

Sometimes I don’t believe that people are hearing our music in places we’ve never been. Our friends in the band Valencia found our songs on a girl’s iPod in Japan. That’s crazy. I feel like we don’t deserve it. I feel like when I’m sleeping, I’m not working hard enough. We always had hoped it would grow to what it is, but we also [still] hope for so much more.

Talk a little about filming the video for “The Awesomeness.”

We shot the video for “The Awesomeness” on a cold, windy October day in beautiful Rockaway, New Jersey. We drove up the night before and met the producers from Grey Sky Films at their offices. The performance sequences of the video were shot right outside of their offices and the inside storyline sequences are actually in Grey Sky’s main office. The concept is basically a modern day Bonnie and Clyde or Romeo and Juliet story. The song isn’t really about that, but it seemed to really work out well.

We shot the performance scene for about four or so hours. There were 15 to 20 takes of the song with two camera angles each time. The storyline was all shot after we left Jersey.

The video ended up on Alternative Press’ website through One Eleven Records. One Eleven does a great job for their bands. I think that “The Awesomeness” ending up on the front page of AP added a lot more legitimacy to our band and song. People that saw it were like “Okay, maybe this band is for real.”

What have you found has been the most challenging part of being on an independent label?

The resources on an indie label are just fewer and [farther] between. We have a lot of competition, both with other labels, as well as bands on our own label for the marketing, advertisement, promotion, touring help, financial help, etc. We need as much help as we can get and most of the time we just end up taking control of our destiny and doing things ourselves. Not every band can get the biggest push, so we’re trying to make the most of what we’ve got. It’s easy to get depressed about not getting what another band may get, but if you just focus on being the best person you can be and the best band you can be, then it seems like everything will work out in the end.

What’s your biggest priority in the next year?

We’d like to get a manager to help us do all of the things that we are neglecting. We do almost everything ourselves and with the help of our friends. We’ve been touring so much and we’d like to see that start paying off with slightly bigger tours so that we might be able to actually afford to be on the road! We think our live show has come a long way, but as with all bands, the more you play, the better you get, so we look forward to becoming the best live band in town. We’d like to keep doing these long US Tours. Hopefully, kids will start to take notice and come out to support us.

MOUTHBREATHER

JOHN MARTIN - VOCALS JOHN HALL - GUITAR GENE BYARD - DRUMS BRANDON PECK - GUITAR/VOCALS TYLER WORLEY - BASS

SPARROWS SWARM AND SING

ELI COHN - CELLO SCOTT STEPHENS - BASS ROBERT MALLORY - VOILIN/GUITAR ANDY CLIFFORD - GUITAR/PIANO JASON FISKE - DRUMS ADAM MARCHAND - DRUMS

Ambiance and sheer might bleed from every corner of anything Sparrows Swarm And Sing touch, let alone build by their own devices. With structural brilliance, the band narrates their musical ventures through intensive and sprawling instrumentals that are more appropriately labeled as epics rather than songs.

SSS’ post-rock character is shaped most prominently by their utilization of a myriad of strings; cellist Eli Cohn provides the foundations for the lush undertones prevalent in SSS’ poignant sound. Violinist Robert Mallory is a master at shaping the maniacal highpoints of the band’s heroic voyages. It’s clear within just minutes with the band’s music that few acts can delve right into the center of the soul and manipulate the heartstrings of a captive audience quite like SSS can.

“The music and the reason we play together has everything to do with the friendships and relationships between the core group of people who make up the collective,” guitarist/pianist Andy Clifford says.

Though Clifford describes the band as “an accidental collective with people contributing, coming and going,” Sparrows Swarm And Sing’s nucleus is scattered throughout the Northeast Corridor. Despite member location making logistics slightly challenging, the band has managed five tours in roughly a yearand-a-half, bringing a live element to their larger-than-life records whose songs often span upwards of 15 minutes for a single track.

While the members of SSS are taking time to regroup their outside lives upon return from their most recent road excursion, they are looking forward to settling down and returning to practice. From there, horizons are boundless; we’re sure that whatever is next will speak volumes on its own.

PHOTO: CHRIS LACROIX

Pieced together from the ashes of big-name bands Wow, Owls! and The SetUp, Mouthbreather uses the dedication of veterans and zeal of newcomers to ignite their no-holds barred brand of posthardcore. As a product of the astoundingly active Richmond, Va., scene, the five-piece’s integration of intensely raw, unpolished vocals, high energy riffage and consistently solid song structure fuse together to create an abrasive yet accessible set of standout tracks. Though the band is only one demo deep into recordings, there should be no hesitation in marking Mouthbreather as a band you’ll need to know; the experience and maturity weaved into every fiber of the six-track jewel speaks for itself.

“We were able to hammer out all of the problems with our existing set of songs and become more cohesive as a band before ever playing in front of anyone,” guitarist and vocalist Brandon Peck says of the band’s smart approach.

Mouthbreather’s learned outlook and straightMARK THOMAS - VOCALS/GUITAR JONAS THOMAS - BASS/VOCALS up talent does the job better than most. We’ll be JARED MASTERSON - DRUMS JOSH MICKELSON - GUITAR/VOCALS/KEYBOARDS there to say “we told you so” when they take their place among other prominent kindred spirits and In the aftermath of member shuffling and name changes has emerged Denver, Colo.’s Young America. The four-piece, who knock your eyes back into your skull with their originally started as a trio under a different alias, has finalized promising passion. What’s next? Maybe world their lineup and, as a result, are bringing a fresh tone into indie domination - we wouldn’t put it past these guys. rock with their signature, emotionally-driven sound.

“The goal of this music is to ultimately portray life as accurately as possible, whether it is positive or negative,” guitarist/keyboardist Josh Mickelson says. “[We] are inspired by [our] surroundings.”

The band’s ambient soft groove is incredibly listener-friendly, which explains why Young America’s potential to strike it big with a large audience is nearly boundless. Young America’s greatest asset and appeal is in the raw talent of lead vocalist Mark Thomas, whose straight-from-the-soul vocal lines drip with honesty, heart and a distinctive coziness. His melody-driven performance soars through highs and lows on Young America’s tracks, concurrently channeling both soothing moods and powerful emotions. Strong instrumental layers created from dynamic percussion and well-formed guitar and bass lines also shape the mix.

Expect more from Young America when the band hits the studio to record their EP, slated to drop early 2007.

YOUNG AMERICA

MELISMAfeatures

brain candy BIG WORDS ARE DEAD SEXY

by MARTY SATTELL

Right now is, perhaps, the most inopportune time to whet student readers’ appetites for quality literature as we’re all up to our necks in “Candide” and other assigned scholarly ventures. Still, for those that are relatively better at planning their time and can accomplish the “unthinkable” by devoting their precious time to a good book, here are some titles to go straight to the top of the pile on your nightstand. These especially peaked my interest this past summer, when I, too, was able to read for pleasure.

,

“THE SHADE OF THE WIND”by CARLOS RUIZ ZAFON First, excuse the über-lame title of this book. I assure you, its original title in Spanish (“La sombra del viento”) is infinitely cooler and I will henceforth refer to it by this moniker. If you can ignore the risk of getting accosted for carrying a book around our campus with said title, then you will be infinitely recompensed by a vividly captivating bildungsroman.

“La sombra” is set in post-Spanish Civil War Barcelona, a city still recovering from the violence of the war.

Daniel Sempere is a boy of ten who comes upon a book entitled “The Shadow of the Wind” (cringe) by a mysterious author named Julián Carax. When he tries to find more information about the author or more of his works, he discovers that all of Carax’s other books have been destroyed. For roughly the next decade, Daniel is occupied by sleuthing Carax’s paper trail (no pun intended) and ultimately becomes inextricably involved in a somber tale of doomed love and murder that began long before he was born.

A rough translation of the back of the book calls “La sombra” “the greatest accomplishment of the Spanish novel.” I wouldn’t go as far as saying this, but then again I haven’t yet completed my doctorate in Spanish Literary Criticism. The book is best likened to the Spanish version of “The Da Vinci Code” - except that the former is wellwritten.

14

Author Match-Up Super Fun Game!

See if you can guess match each author with his book (answers are at bottom of opposite page)!

“KAFKA ON THE SHORE by HARUKI MURAKAMI Despite the title, Murakami’s novel has nothing to do with the twentieth-century Austro-Hungarian writer.

“Kafka on the Shore” is a magically realistic coming-of-age tale. The book relates the histories of both Kafka Tamura – a 15-year-old runaway from his overbearing father’s strange prophecy for him – and Satoru Nakata – a feeble-minded old man who can’t acquire higher brain function but is able to talk to cats.

The book starts, seemingly, as the fractured narratives of Kafka and Mr. Nakata, but they quickly converge into a complex, magnificently orchestrated plot. Throughout the rest of the story, the reader plays witness to murder, incestuous lust, and the occult. As if you wouldn’t want to reread such a tale of intrigue, Murakami explains that true comprehension of the book’s mysteries requires multiple readings. Looks like you won’t really understand the book upon a lone perusing, even with your B.A. in English, amigo.

“EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE”by JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER After insurmountable critical acclaim, commercial success, and even a movie deal borne from 2002’s “Everything Is Illuminated,” does it not seem impossible that fledgling writer Foer could surpass the power of his breakthrough novel? His response is “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” an equally conscious and even more evocative tome than its predecessor.

Much in the way of “Everything Is Illuminated,” Foer evokes admiration for his unconventional use of voice and different story arcs. Readers will come to admire a character as engaging and endearing as the verbose Ukranian youth Alex from Foer’s last book: precocious-post 9/11-NYC-child Oskar. The plot of “Extremely Loud” concerns itself with Oskar’s search for the lock to a mysterious key found in his father’s closet. In using a still-recovering NYC as the metaphorical backdrop for Oskar’s quixotic quest, Foer has gained the distinction as a prominent troubadour of the post-9/11 novel.

“SEX, DRUGS, AND COCOA PUFFS: A LOW CULTURE MANIFESTO”by CHUCK KLOSTERMAN Some people don’t seem to get Chuck Klosterman. They find his writing irritating, overly biased, tiresomely pompous or a mixture of all three. His wacky, unusual opinions often alienate readers, but if you can get past these self-avowed characteristics, his crass pop culture commentary will transform into an introspective and savvy cultural gem.

“Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs” is a collection of 18 of Klosterman’s essays – every essay dealing with a more obscure facet of pop culture than its predecessor. Whether it is the underlying social implications of being part of a Guns N’ Roses cover band or the novelty of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s infamous sex tape, no byproduct of American pop culture is safe from the pen of this tenacious critic. Not all of “Cocoa Puffs” concerns itself with such seemingly inane topics, however; many chapters deal with pressing social issues. Whether it is a discourse on race relations within the framework of the 1980s Boston Celtics/LA Lakers rivalry or addressing the role (or lack thereof) of political bias in the media, Klosterman presents himself as a knowledgeable and perceptive cultural observer.

SWM seeking female friendship and perhaps more must enjoy Kandinsky and dabble in Dalí favorite US President must be James K. Polk because he got us Oregon and that’s pretty tight knowledge of post-rock is a plus.

answers: A, Chuck Klosterman; B, Haruki Murakami; C, Carlos Ruiz Zafon; D, Johnathan Safran Foer

MELISMAreviews

the decemberists

THE CRANE WIFE (Capitol)

by DAN CASEY

“Oh no. They signed to a major label. They sold out. Time to go back to Pitchfork and scrounge for something I haven’t heard of.”

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Whoa there, hipsters, whoa! Turn that frown upside-down. The Decemberists’ major label debut (on “hot new indie Capitol”) will not disappoint. According to the press release, “The instruments chart a farflung course through multiple musical genres into a full-blown masterpiece.”

Sounds arrogant, right? Well, they’re not lying: The Crane Wife is the real deal.

Despite all the hullabaloo associated with a major label debut, frontman Colin Meloy and company stay true to their roots. Steeped in Japanese folklore and other such literary references (which is part of the reason they’re so damn endearing), the band’s fourth full-length takes some serious risks, especially considering our little Decemberists are growing up and joining the “mainstream.” In an interview with Billboard.com, Meloy described the record as their “weirdest yet.” It looks like the bigwigs at Capitol have faith in our troubadours from the American Northwest.

In interviews, Meloy has said that this album would be similar to 2004’s The Tain, an 18-minute long epic tale concerning a violent cattle raid in pre-Christian Ireland. Indeed, The Crane Wife follows this layout to an extent, with two epic song cycles and plenty of standalone songs, to boot. Like The Tain, The Crane Wife takes its title from a folk tale of the same name. After hearing the story, Meloy chose to adapt it into a song-set.

The gist of the story is that an impoverished Japanese man finds a crane on his doorstep, removes the arrow that pierced its fragile body and nurses it back to health. The man frees the crane and a woman mysteriously appears at his doorstep. The two fall in love and marry.

Because the pair is in dire need of cash, the wife proposes that she weave silk cloths to be sold at market on the condition that her husband never watche her as she sits at the loom. The inflow of capital from this venture enables them to lead a rather comfortable life although the wife’s health quickly begins to diminish. The man’s greed and obliviousness to his wife’s well-being eventually become so great that he disregards her wish. When he peeks in on her at the loom he discovers that it is a crane at the loom, plucking the feathers from its body and feeding them into the machine.

Upon seeing him, the crane flies away, never to return.

I don’t know about you, but that sends tingles and jingles straight to my loins. But, I digress.

Two tracks deserving mention are “The Island” and “The Crane Wife.”

The first is a 12-minute prog-rock odyssey laden with crunchy blues, psychedelic organ freakouts (think: Dark Side of the Moon) and vocal yawps the likes of which send Meloy hurtling toward hair-metal territory. But, fear not, it’s all in good fun – the song is one of the album’s best.

The sprawling splendor, multiple melodies and intricate arrangements of “The Island” grab hold for a grueling 12-minute journey and leave the listener both wondering “What just happened?” yet concurrently craving more.

“The Crane Wife,” on the other hand, is subtler. Based on the aforementioned fable recounting how the man’s greed dooms him to loneliness, “The Crane Wife” is a slowly building, acoustically driven masterpiece. Full of the kind of poppy hooks to which long-time listeners are accustomed, you may very well find yourself singing along. Sequenced anachronistically as the album’s first and penultimate tracks, The Crane Wife song cycle may very well be the most moving thing you will hear this year.

The Crane Wife is certainly a departure from the more pop-influenced Picaresque (for instance, there is no apparent radio single like “Sixteen Military Wives”), but this is by no means a bad thing. Musically, the album contains many more aggressive songs than previous releases. The major label debut hasn’t gone to The Decemberists’ heads; Meloy and company are grateful for having such a rabid, loyal fan base and they reciprocate in kind with a breathtaking, sweeping record steeped in gothic romance and 19th century balladry. From the twisted cautionary ode “Shankill Butchers,” which takes a page out of Sweeney Todd, to the historically inspired “When The War Came” (based on the siege of Leningrad during WWII), and beyond, The Crane Wife is 60 minutes of pure musical and narrative bliss.

Dan Casey is a freshman majoring in International Relations and Defense Against the Dark Arts. When not enjoying a nice, warm Butterbeer with his pals Ron and Hermione, The Boy Who Lived at Tufts is coming of age in 700 pages or less. The lightning bolt-shaped scar on his head is a reminder of the dark magic of Vegan-Super-Editor-In-Chief Meredith Turits. There is a movie deal in the works. Action figures, too.

these arms are snakes EASTER (JADE TREE)

by RICKY HARTMAN

Since their conception, These Arms Are Snakes have been releasing consistently excellent material; the This Is Meant To Hurt You EP and the Harkonen split, titled Like A Virgin, showed promise in the band’s earlier days, while the full-length Oxeneers or The Lion Sleeps When Its Antelope Go Home validated TAAS’ sound as no fluke.

The band’s latest album, Easter, retains the defining post-hardcore feel of past releases consisting of textured synths, bass layers and piercing guitar-work, blending it with fresh elements such as acoustic guitar use. For the most part, Easter stays true to the sound of Oxeneers. Songs like the opening track, “Mescaline Eyes,” and the second song, “Horse Girl,” verify this kinship. However, sci-fi guitar patterns in the song “Deer Lodge” and the spacey, Wurlitzer-like synth in “Desert Ghost” showcase a new and logical side to the band’s unique presence.

Frontman Steve Snare’s rich but unrefined vocals and shouts resonate throughout most tracks on the release, but are toned down to a heavily distorted slur in “Desert Ghost” and a very light drawl in “Perpetual Bris.” Snare’s signature snarls burst into unfettered yelling when songs climax, and are gradually eased by beautiful instrumental soundscapes reminiscent of Oxeneers.

When not skillfully manipulating the synthesizer, ex-Botch member Brian Cook creates basslines that are prominent and straight bumpin’. Percussion duties are performed by newly acquired drummer Chris Common, who succeeds in living up to the first release’s in-studio drummer – Erin Tate of fellow Seattle band Minus the Bear. Despite its star-studded cast, Easter does not have the same full range of guests like Oxeneers (which boasted appearances from Mark Gajadhar of The Blood Brothers, as well as the rest of Minus the Bear).

It's no surprise that a solid band like These Arms Are Snakes won an award from Seattle Weekly’s 2006 Music Award Polls for the genre of punk/hardcore.

It is difficult (and sometimes painful), though, to brand TAAS with a genre label. Existing fans will certainly appreciate this release upon acquisition, as it’s not a work that needs time to grow on the listener. Best band in the current Jade Tree lineup? Yup. Rocks in the vein of Minus the Bear, Drive Like Jehu and Big Black.

get set go

ORDINARY WORLD (TSR)

by RACHEL CHERVIN

The soundtrack from the first season of “Grey’s Anatomy,” which I may or may not have snatched from a friend, is costing me money. It has so many fantastic songs that I’ve started looking into the artists on it. As no exception, Get Set Go’s sweetly melancholic track “Wait” led me to buy their CD, Ordinary World.

GSG, led by prolific songwriter Mike TV, is a band that’s hard to pin down musically. Ordinary World is actually the band’s second album; their first, titled So You’ve Ruined Your Life, was a Green Day-style pop-punk outing.

Between the first and second albums, TV had a pretty dark period in his life. He emerged as more of a Pixies/Weezer hybrid, stripping his songs down to guitar strums and cooing softly about his depression. That’s not facetiousness; he seems genuinely sad about life. The acoustic, intimate sound of Get Set Go’s latest album allows TV to convey this sadness in a way that makes you want to take him out for a cup of hot chocolate and tell him it’ll all be okay.

My first impression dubbed the tracks “good music,” but nothing to write home about. However, one thing about Ordinary World is that it definitely has something for everyone. TV covers a lot of emotional ground from new-relationship hopeful in “Lift Me Up” to angry in “Die Motherfucker Die,” to the succinctly titled “Suicide.” On each track he applies a light, Jack Johnson-like buoyancy to his elaborately depressed lyrics. Some of the songs, such as “Music Makes Me Want to Die,” have Disney-tune beats and suicide-note lyrics, but overall the balance is intriguing and endearing.

But back to my first impression – the album is sweet and fun to listen to, but after a while it gets overwhelming. The buoyancy starts to wear thin, or the lyrics start to get you down; either way, this isn’t a CD that you’ll play over and over again until it melts, unlike the band’s track “Wait” from the soundtrack that I liked so much.

If nothing else, GSG’s incredible volume of material (21 tracks on Ordinary World, 14 on Life) guarantees that their music is probably a sound investment – you’re bound to like some of it through probability alone.

MELISMAreviews

ratatat

CLASSICS (XL Recordings)

by JAMES FOLTA

From the hard, sweaty beats of house music to the smooth, sensual notes of Kenny G, instrumental music evokes the extreme – dancing from the former, and nausea from the latter. The music of Ratatat is no exception; it demands many things - dancing, rocking and even sleeping - from its listener.

Ratatat’s new album, Classics, is more of what we’ve come to expect from the band – guitar driven, eccentric, beat-heavy tracks. And, while these new songs don’t sound extremely different from those on the band’s 2004 self-titled debut, this is still the solid music for which fans have come to love Ratatat.

The band comprises only two members, guitarist Mike Stroud and Evan Mast, instrumentalist and computer whiz. Writing and recording on Mast’s laptop in his Brooklyn apartment, the two started off as Cherry, only changing their name to Ratatat just before their tour with Interpol.

The band pioneered the laptop as an instrument; plugging guitars directly into a computer, Stroud and Mast recorded sections of guitar and interwove them with computer-created beats and samples. From this unlikely union, Ratatat’s unique sound was formed. 11 tracks later, Ratatat was completed and released on XL Recordings. The album met with both critical acclaim and commercial success. The band began a subsequent tour, garnering a slew of positive reviews.

Layering indie rock and dance riffs with electronic and hip-hop beats is the band’s signature move; Classics delivers just that. “Wildcat” is a head-bopping song that shifts and morphs multiple times before finally petering out in just over four minutes. The growl of a wildcat is by far the most badass part of this song and is one of the best samples I’ve ever heard. This song is so fun because it is so unpredictable; “Wildcat” changes its trajectory just as you’re getting used to where it seems to be going. The tension builds and falls, sliding from one riff to the next, while the drum machine keeps everything in line. A fantastic song, “Wildcat” is probably the strongest track on the album.

The songs on Classics boast as many as 70 different samples, making for a very interesting and rewarding listening experience. This is a step forward for Ratatat, as their first album became monotonous quickly. This is not the case with Classics, however. Although each song is very clearly Ratatat’s work, Classics is multifaceted and marked by a good degree of musical experimentation. New instruments are featured, such as accordions on “Montanita” and violins on “Tropicana” and there are new tempos, different beats. Oh, and did I mention that there’s a wildcat roar?

Blips and beeps aside, there are moments of fantastic melody here. These guys know how to write a great hook, and it shows. Each song features talented guitar tracks, but Classics also goes farther and includes melodies from an assortment of instruments. “Tropicana,” for instance, rocks a piano and synth section that makes for nothing but pure pop.

Ratatat’s finest record to date, Classics proves that the band is experimenting and pushing the boundaries of its sound. But while there may be new sides to Ratatat to be Stegosaurus, pterodactyl, raptor, how fun! Make them smile, make discovered on this disc, the band’s proven formula remains the same. For those who aren’t them run. Feed them goats, feed them Folta Folta...careful or you shall be struck down with a lighting bolta. -William Shakespeare already fans, this is a great place to begin your love affair with Ratatat. For those who –already are, Classics is more of the Ratatat you’ve heard before - and it’s still damn good.

18

have heart

THE THINGS WE CARRY (Bridge 9) by SHANA HURLEY The first time I saw Have Heart was at a small show in January 2004. Their demo tape had been around for a little while but I had found their music sloppy and obscure. Then, all of sudden, Have Heart was a Boston/Providence phenomenon.

Think Fast, a relatively new record label headquartered in Florida and Maine, picked up the band by summer of 2004. I was a little disappointed when Have Heart decided to re-record some of their older demo tracks for the October 2004 What Counts EP. How hard is it to write three more thirty-second songs that just cop the ‘88 sound anyway? Nonetheless, I couldn’t get the choruses out of my head. The EP grew on me, and left me anticipating their next release.

They delivered, finally, with their August 2006 debut full-length, The Things We Carry, their first release for mainstream label Bridge Nine records. It represents both a departure from their sound and a disappointing adherence to standards of modern hardcore. The new songs are typical of Have Heart’s anthemic style, with great sing-alongs and obvious emulation of influences like Bold and In My Eyes. “Old Man II” attempts a poetic guitar solo before breaking into the heaviest riffs on the record.

The lyrics cover standard fare with songs about being straight edge, being loyal to the core and staying true to oneself. There are breakdowns, clearly

pandering to tougher fans “gettin’ low” in Boston, plus tons of sing-alongs for finger pointing and stage-diving. The songs are catchy, even if predictable, and seem to be written for PosiFest nostalgia videos.

Given that many hardcore bands are endemic of such homogeneity, The Things We Carry especially offends because the songs are even typical of Have Heart’s own tunes: the bass line in “The Machinist” echoes the demo’s “Lionheart” and the lyrics of “Life Is Hard Enough” are eerily reminiscent of “What Counts.” Three of the 11 total are re-recorded tracks from their two previous EPs. One song is already making its third appearance. Seriously guys, how hard is it to write some new songs?

Despite the complaints, the record has some exceptional qualities. Highlights include Pat Flynn’s emotional vocals layered over well-produced drumming in “Song of Shame.” One can practically feel him spitting as he gut-wrenchingly shouts in “Watch Me Sink.” Surprisingly, Flynn’s lyrics refer to unusually sophisticated concepts although his content is rather typical. In “Watch Me Sink,” he inserts an E.E. Cummings quote, and in “Armed With a Mind,” he quotes Socrates. Flynn’s enthusiasm and sincerity help this record maintain some of its faltering integrity.

Additionally, the superior production on this record captures the richness of a live show and prevents the flatness usually imposed by studio recording upon hardcore records. Most of all, these songs are fun to listen to and will make for great live shows.

The first time I heard The Things We Carry, I thought it was Have Heart’s attempt at widening their appeal by charming the vast Bridge 9 fanbase of 15-year-old boys. With ample Shana Hurley is a freshman potentially majoring in Political Science or choruses, catchy hooks and predictable breakdowns, they’ll certainly succeed. Yet, The Things International Relations. On October 21, National Edge Day (Observed), she practiced biz as uze in the most positive fashion. She is enthused about getWe Carry is more than my initial judgment. It may be conventional, but it’s also good, and ting righteous, Boston style, in the rippinest town. Word. that’s what Have Heart have always done well. They have clearly earned their reputation as one of the best bands in modern hardcore.

easy star all-stars RADIODREAD (Easy Star)

by JARED OLKIN

The Easy Star All-Stars is a bit of a presumptuous name for a group that doesn’t have anyone famous in its lineup. But they definitely deserve it.

In 2003, artists from the New York City reggae record label Easy Star got together to put out an album called Dub Side of the Moon. In this album they recreate (without the use of samples) the entire Pink Floyd album Dark Side of the Moon, but with a heavy reggae twist. As soon as the music launches on “Speak To Me/Breathe” and the classic reggae beat drops, the disc takes on an entirely different vibe than the Pink Floyd version. Mixing both excellent musicianship as well as a keen eye for shaping a signature sound, the All-Stars give a reggae feel to all parts of the record.

While Dub Side has gained much support as it has spread – including spending three years on the Billboard Reggae chart – the All-Stars might just beat themselves with the recent release of their sophomore album, Radiodread.

Radiodread is, surprise surprise, a remake of Radiohead’s OK Computer. While people have commented on the connection (OK Computer is regarded as a contemporary Dark Side of the Moon), the Easy Star All-Stars have said that was not their motivation. Michael Goldwasser, who produced and arranged the album, said in an interview that “OK Computer has elements that are perfect - strong melodies, intense dynamics and trippy soundscapes…the more we looked at it, the more we realized that this was an album we had to do.”

One of the key questions raised about so-called “cover bands,” such as the Dark Star Orchestra or Zoso, is if they’re talented enough to replicate the original band, why don’t they create their own music? In order to answer this question both in general and as it pertains to the Easy Star All-Stars, I think it’s important to examine what makes a good cover. Really, there is no set formula to it – the artist simply has to make it his own. Think about some of the covers that last: Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along The Watchtower,” Joe Cocker’s “With A Little Help From My Friends” or The Gourds’ “Gin & Juice” (yes, that’s The Gourds, not Phish). All of them maintain a solid connection to the original, maybe excepting The Gourds, but they all give their own unique flavor and sound and, most importantly, feel, to the song. In doing so, they reveal something about the original work, as well.

With Radiodread, the All-Stars embrace this notion to the fullest. Reggae has always dealt with tough issues by presenting them with upbeat, optimistic tunes. On this album, the Easy Star All-Stars take Radiohead’s characteristically dark lyrics, and often dark music, and essentially give it a whole-body makeover.

While the core of the songs and the album as a whole remain the same as the original, the reworked versions take on a life of their own. Unlike the situation with many other covers, OK Computer does not satisfy a craving to listen to Radiodread, nor does Radiodread satisfy a craving to listen to OK Computer. They are completely separate entities.

Ultimately, those at Easy Star Records are working to achieve their goal – to make a modern reggae sound more popular and more accessible. Artists continue to produce Jared Olkin is a freshman from North Carolina and hates political correctoriginal material under the label, but recognize that they can reveal more insight and induce ness. He had to write his own bio (what you’re reading now) and found it very awkward. I mean, hey, writing about yourself is bad enough...but doing more publicity for both their style of reggae and the original albums by doing these covers. it in third person and pretending it wasn’t you? That’s just retarded.

The Easy Star All-Stars have taken two classic albums and written the equivalent of musical essays on them. Whatever is next is highly anticipated.

MELISMAreviews

coughs

20

SECRET PASSAGE (Load)

by RICKY HARTMAN

Will playing this Load Records release with your door open lure members of the opposite (or same) sex into your room? If they have a fetish for the explosive dual percussion, droning bass, crunching guitar, frantic sax and shrieking female vocals of Chicago six-piece Coughs, then the answer is a resounding “Hell yes.” Listening to Secret Passage will make you want to start a heavy percussion-based band so badly that you’ll run into the nearest kitchen and bang the shit out of everything in sight with a thick wooden spoon and soup ladle.

The first two tracks provide the listener with a generous handful of the steaming treats that Coughs has in store. If you end up liking the potent smell of the goodies, by all means keep sniffing and indulge. If you find the smell too pungent for your indie pop-accustomed senses, simply turn around. Abandon all hope for something calmer because by the end of the third track, “Dark Powers,” you will have been pelted mercilessly with viscous balls of delicious auditory sludge. Secret Passage takes the torch from previous effort Fright Makes Right and douses it in gasoline to start a blazin’ hot fire that the Rescue Heroes can’t even smother. Percussionists Seth Sher and Jon Ziemba keep the battle-tuned school bus constantly trudging through goblin-infested bogs with pummeling beats, rolls and crashes. Carrie Vinarsky’s grumbling-exhaust bass lines complement the explosive drumming and ceaselessly batter all internal organs. Warning siren pitches are provided by Jail Flanagan’s saxophone and keyboard duties and Vanessa Harris’ squeaking and crunching guitar work. Vocalist Anya Davidson’s throaty yelps offer the volatile ammunition that distinguishes Coughs as a musical star destroyer intent on incinerating everything in its path. The stellar quality of the album’s production successfully captures every rich boom, clank and screech emitted.

Secret Passage is packed with many delightful surprises -- elements like the unexpectedly smooth sax lines and vocal sections in “Fencing” are scattered amidst layers of percussion. Secret Passage is made even more enjoyable by Davidson’s lyrics, which humorously address topics of nuclear weapons in “Quinze Trous (15 Holes)” and the anthropomorphized rabbits of “Bunny Slope.” The esteemed award for best lyrics definitely goes to “Life of Acne,” in which Davidson describes a pimple that has hopes and dreams of achieving independence and freedom — “I have never experienced joy /I have never experienced pain /I will make my own body /Out of your dead skin cells.”

Despite the overall intensity of the album, consistent instrumental patterns make for a listen that is smooth in the way that makes noise music pleasantly numbing to some. Loud and passionate, Secret Passage is a Load release that does not disappoint.

Ricky Hartman is a freshman majoring in Pet Psychology. When he is not dubbing episodes of Knight Rider in his native Slovakian, he is writing his own emotional Battletoads fan-fiction and creating text-based RPGs on his TI-86. Catch Ricky with his homemade “Jedi Was Better” t-shirt and he’ll talk to you over a frosty “tall one” of cream soda.

sunset rubdown

SHUT UP I AM DREAMING (Absolutely Kosher)

by MAX FURMAN

Let’s get the introductions out of the way first. Spencer Krug is one of the vocalists for Wolf Parade. He’s the guy with the yelpy voice, and he wrote one of my favorite songs of last year, “I’ll Believe In Anything.” He also used to play keyboards for Frog Eyes. In addition to all that, Krug is the mastermind (and, until recently, only member) of a group called Sunset Rubdown. Their new album, Shut Up I Am Dreaming, is genius. It’s a peek into the mind of a brilliant little weirdo with a mustache who writes songs with really long titles about snakes, Spanish centaurs and begging to be loved or maybe just to be understood a little.

Krug writes lyrics that have specific and incredible emotional effects, even though they’re completely opaque much in the way of great songwriters yore (I’m thinking Morrissey, Cobain, old-school Bono). He pulls off the impressive task of conveying the universal through the impenetrable. Take, for example, “Us Ones In Between,” the third track on Dreaming. When Krug tells us of “creatures who eat their babies,” it’s sad, but two minutes later he moans, “So when you eat me/Mother and baby/Oh baby mother me/Before you eat me,” and it’s devastating. Almost every song on the album has a moment like that - sometimes more than one.

Krug writes the sort of songs that get under your skin, and that whisper secrets in your ear while running a finger down your spine. They seep into the cracks of your brain, their images and motifs nesting somewhere between childhood memories and involuntary actions, springing up when you least expect them. Each successive listen reveals new connections, repeated symbols that appear and coalesce.

But where Morrissey trafficked in sexual ambiguity, and Nirvana songs were mostly asexual, Krug’s songs exude an alternately creepy and endearing sexuality. The very first line of the album is “Can I lift my dress up for you?” – an eyebrow furrowing line no matter the gender of the singer. But he follows it up with “Can I lift my dress up/in the night?” and you almost feel bad for him, this man begging to expose himself, desperate to be seen. Then he gets going about “the white undersides of [his] thighs” and we’re back in creepy territory. It doesn’t get any less uncomfortable after that. Later, he reminds you that he’s “not that kind of whore,” and then advises you to run away from horsemen holding their cocks. Dude has some issues, but it’s fascinating to get glimpses that far into someone’s psyche.

Dreaming breaks down into three sections. The first part, encompassing the first four tracks, functions as a set of singles. That is to say, these are the simplest songs on the album, the ones with more standard structure and bigger hooks. In a world where weird shit like this gets on the radio, these would be the hits. Krug also establishes some of his themes right from the start: water, snakes, lovers and dead people. The bombastic opening track segues nicely into the bouncing “They Took A Vote And Said No,” which in turn sets up for the aforementioned emotional sucker-punch of “Us Ones In Between.” The Danny Elfman-evoking “I’m Sorry I Sang On Your Hands That Have Been In The Grave” follows, a lurching drum machine anchoring xylophone arpeggios and a simple piano melody while Krug maybe kind of implies necrophilia (“There are ones that lie/and ones that lie underground/ the first one’s mine/the second one I lie about…and I know your hands have been in the grave.”)

The middle third is basically padding around the album’s centerpiece, “The Empty Threats of Little Lord.” Solely Krug and an acoustic guitar, the song is intimate and builds from a hesitant Spencer warning us, “If I ever

hurt you it will be in self defense” to a passionate, uplifting finale. Here, Krug confronts the snakes that have been chasing him and overcomes his fear, at least for a little while.

The real high point of the album is its overwhelming final third, a suite of two songs with names that are too long to type out and the short interlude between them. In the first of the two songs, Krug tells us “the Casanova ran/ towards the distant land” but then begs us, “you have to ride away from him.”

“The men are called horsemen,” he says, “and I’m no horseman!” Krug is definitely threatened by the very sexual horsemen. But despite these feelings of inadequacy, he still wants the subject to stay with him, and not leave to go where the men are built like horses and are good-looking and don’t have weird, yelpy voices. “You’ve gotta ride me to a pasture,” he says, and it will be alright. But at the end of the song he has lost his (potential) lover and laments not just his own misfortune but also all of the twenty-first century’s sexual politics: “When someone says ‘Fuck me,’ someone else says ‘OK.’” I don’t want to write too much about the final song, the title track, for two reasons. First, I really don’t feel capable of adequately describing it. Second, I really want you all to experience it for yourselves; the end of the record has a great surprise that I don’t want to ruin. Needless to say, if what I’ve been describing sounds like a good time, then you need to go buy Shut Up I Am Dreaming. It will excite you, disturb you, inspire you and if you really let it get close and let it seep into you, you may just learn a thing or two about yourself.

And really, isn’t that why we listen to such strange music in the first place?

Let’s set the record straight. Max Furman already brought sexy back, way back in ‘04. Beyond that, Mr. Furman has spent the last few years reading, writing and telling sexy to go make him a sandwich. Mr. Furman is currently a freshman at Tufts majoring in Ennui and minoring in Rocking Out…you know, since the Sexy’s already taken care of.

MELISMAreviews

apollo sunshine

PARADISE ROCK CLUB 09/20/06

by JAHN SOOD

22

By the time I walked through the doors of the Paradise after a long ride on the crowded B-line train, the Self-Righteous Brothers, the colorful support act, was already on stage. The SRBs rocked a poppy, psychedelic sound, dancing between living up to their vintage instruments (a Gibson SG, Fender Jaguar and Gibson Thunderbird Bass up front) and bowing to their quirky, unpredictably experimental-sounding headliners, Apollo Sunshine.

Right away, I spotted Jesse Gallagher, Sunshine’s frontman and bassist.

He stood out with his full lumberjack beard, crooked and unrestrained smile, and his rhythmic pulse as he weaved through the crowd, clearly digging the SRB grooves. Sam Cohen, lead guitarist of Apollo Sunshine, made his first appearance on stage with the SRBs as he riffed over one of their more bluesy tunes on a pedal steel guitar.

When the Self Righteous Brothers finished their set, Apollo Sunshine took the stage, preceded only by a drunken, unofficial master of ceremonies who wandered out from backstage to let us know they were about to start. When the band began to play, “that guy” was still wandering around until he abruptly realized that he was in the middle of a rock and roll concert. Cohen nodded from behind his long hair and the show went on.

Sunshine’s first tune was on the heavier side of their repertoire. After playing the first few bars, they might’ve even been judged a punk band.

Gallagher slammed on his bass and picked sixteenth notes as his body buckled in and out, and Cohen rocked away, switching back and forth between his rewired Fender Strat (sporting a “humbucker” style pick-up, more typical on Gibson instruments) and the pedal steel, which he used for sweeping crescendos and slides. While Gallagher and Cohen banged away up front and fell into a seemingly calculated but still insane musical debacle, drummer Jeremy Black kept a steady pulse. Black seemed to serve as the backbone of the band in his typical, subtly steady way, saving the music from dissolving into

complete chaos.

Interestingly, due to a series of technical problems, from faulty direct boxes to broken keyboards and guitar pickups, Gallagher was forced to abandon his usual on-stage experimentation with electronic gear. In the studio, Apollo Sunshine is known for their liberal use of keyboards, synthesizers and unconventional recording techniques. In general, they pride themselves on being able to recreate this sound live, but tonight was a different story.

Reduced to bass, guitar and drums - a standard power-trio lineup - the band members had to express themselves a bit differently. The torch was then passed to guitarist Sam Cohen to bring on the outrage, and I was eager to see whether they would live up to the challenge.

While the show had some moments embodying the glory of rock and roll in its rises and falls, tight abrasive cuts and fiery guitar riffs, there were also points when, as a listener, I was lost in the long instrumentals that were glaringly melody-free and the breakdown of coherent songwriting.

For the closing song, Sunshine brought back their drunken master of ceremony, “that guy,” about 12 acoustic guitars, and the Self Righteous Brothers, reminding us that music isn’t a one-way phenomenon. They’re just a bunch of musicians sharing something with each other and having a good time.

Despite the technical difficulties and general musical chaos, Apollo Sunshine definitely made a connection with their audience. Throughout the set, their stage banter recalled the long drive that got them to Boston that morning. Driving without a break for forty hours in a rental van after their bus broke down outside Austin, Tex., they arrived in Boston at 9 a.m. the day of the show and spent the day sleeping on Black’s couch and floor. These guys were beating with Kerouac’s “IT,” arriving home after a long tour like the last living American pioneers would to an accepting group of devoted fans.

While this show at the Paradise may not have been a highlight in the history of the live-and-in-person Apollo Sunshine experience, it was definitely worth the trip. After all, even when the Green Line is running slowly, Park Street is much closer than Austin.

Jahn Sood is a junior and after two years riding the intellectual roller coaster, knows much less than when he started. He stands for all music that is raw and real and expressive, whether syndicated and known across the international art scene or recently created in some caffeine addict’s bedroom. You can access more of Jahn’s creations, both the rambling and the insightful on WMFO, at www.myspace.com/jahnsood and live in person at one of his many musical happenings. Read on with caution.

be your own pet

MIDDLE EAST DOWNSTAIRS 9/30/06

by RICKY HARTMAN

Going to a show alone at an unfamiliar venue to see a band with three openers that could potentially be awful usually leads to a night of shame, regret and restlessness. Despite the high probability of emotional and physical scarring from prolonged exposure to disappointing opening bands, I decided to drop an entire 12 dollars at the Middle East to see Be Your Own Pet, my current favorite fresh faces who have been known to throw down a show that can only be described as “sick.”

I had high expectations for the Middle East Downstairs because of its solid calendar of upcoming shows and its decent ticket prices. Also, the fact that it was called “Downstairs” led me to believe that I would be entering a dingy, poorly maintained environment suitable for a good underground scene and maximum crowd-to-band interaction.

Upon arriving at the venue, I noticed something that immediately put a crusty fingernail in my cream of mushroom soup—the stage was completely gated off from the audience! I cannot emphasize how enraging this aspect of the venue was for me—a riot squad-styled fence that could keep a band of sexually aroused gorillas at bay. Fences aside, the venue had huge floor space.

Eloquence aside, the first two openers blew.

The first opening act, The States, produced stale indie-pop ditties that forced me to search desperately for something else to do during their set, such as pulling posters off the walls and cleverly hiding them throughout the venue so that I could retrieve them at a later time. After giving the obligatory shout-outs to the other bands on the bill, The States exited the stage to the sparse applause of mostly single adults looking to get their drank and wank on. The only fan under the age of 21 was their devoted roadie, a Rancid faux-punker who found the need to violently flail his mohawk and slam dance ceaselessly by himself.

A crowd of shameless scenesters who looked overly eager to pose for “h0tT pics from t3h SHOW!!” announced the presence of the next band, a group of pretty boy American Apparel models who made it clear that receiving facials from the entire Victory Records lineup would equate to the “bEst nihgt everrr d000d!” The traumatizing 30 seconds that I witnessed of this aural and visual massacre was no better than the name of the band itself: Vie Perdu.

Out of pure curiosity and for the benefit of the reader (I am no French scholar), I decided to do a little research in translating the seemingly suspicious name from French to English. And oh, did I feel intellectually enlightened when I found that Vie Perdu roughly translates into “gaggle of dumbasses that attempt a pretense of sophistication but fail miserably when it’s revealed that their limited knowledge of French results in shit that makes less sense than the English on the side of a Hello Kitty blow-up doll.” Guys, if there is a slight chance that you are reading this, please tell your spiky-haired, wristband-equipped drummer that he is a complete tool. To the vocalist: your sappy, whiny voice cannot even harmonize with the music of my bowels.

The last opening act, The Black Lips, succeeded in achieving something that the other two openers were miles away from: a show. I had higher expectations for this band because they were actually on tour with Be Your

Own Pet, but then I remembered how dismal The Apes were when I saw them open for The Liars. Let me assure you, any sense of doubt about The Black Lips was erased from my mind as I watched the band set up—almost every member had a microphone, the bassist had a tight ‘stache and one of the guitarists seemed to be drunk out of his mind. When the grimy garage rock began, unrefined-but-humorous stage antics abounded. The bassist gave a shout-out to his dad, and the inebriated guitarist hocked many thick loogies at the ceiling—every last drop of juicy mucous found its way back into his mouth. As the set’s end approached, the guitarist summed up the fence situation with a single slurred question: “What are we—fuckin’ animals in the fuckin’ zoo?”

Watching Be Your Own Pet walk onto the high security stage immediately extinguished any chance of the intimate floor show I’d been itching to see; however, pushing my way through a moist curtain of brew-toting adults and Stanley Strangers yielded a piece of prime real estate in the front—steel bars for me, please! A lack of unnecessary equipment onstage and a very minimalist drum set foreshadowed a satisfactory, no-bull performance.

Guitarist Jonas Stein appeared first in order to make a few quick adjustments, but was followed shortly by the entire teenage crew—vocalist Jemina Abegg, bassist Nathan Vasquez and the newly acquired John Eatherly on drums, who seemed to fidget nervously as he took the crowd into view.

With a quick nod from Abegg, Be Your Own Pet jumped right into their blistering set.

The band delivered songs with the youthful energy of a high school garage punk band and the musical sagacity of a middle-aged hipster. While tossing herself about and screeching confidently into the microphone, Abegg captured the raw essence of punk music that seems foreign to the self-proclaimed Warped Tour “punkers” of today. Abegg’s stage presence clearly asserted her as “an independent motherfucker…here to take your money” and “steal away your virginity.” Likewise, her occasional spitting on stage indicated her utter lack of interest in the drunken pedo-sharks that lurked in the shallows of the bar. Eatherly, who smashed away at cymbals and pummeled the drums, did an excellent job in keeping up with Stein’s guitar hacks and Vasquez’s thumping bass.

By the end of what seemed to be a thirty-minute set, my sweatshirt was saturated with the rich funk of spilled Pabst Blue Ribbon and the hearty smell of body odor. Screw the mohawk, the denim jacket and the chains—Be Your Own Pet brought a sense of playfulness and youth to the stage that made me want to “fuck shit up.”

MELISMAreviews

a tribe called quest

PALLADIUM 9/29/06

by SAM OBEY

24

Worcester, Mass., is not the most exciting town. I’ll even go as far as to say that it is one of the least thrilling places to which I’ve ever been. Given this fact, I found it curious that A Tribe Called Quest, arguably the greatest hiphop group of all time, would choose the Palladium in Worcester as the venue to hold their New England appearance for their first tour after an eight-year hiatus.

Much to my chagrin, the seminal hip-hop group was headlining this tour in support of NBA 2K7, a basketball video game. Worrying that this would taint Tribe’s performance, I only reluctantly coughed up 50 dollars, for this might have been may only chance to see Tribe play a show again.

The show opened with The Procussions, an underground hip-hop group from LA on the Rawkus label. Despite their relative obscurity, they came out with a jolt of energy and really played an amped-up set of b-boy hip-hop. DJ Vajra also held it down in an impressive display of turntablism.

During this set though, I noticed the sound quality was pretty awful up front and the melodies would be muffled by the overwhelming amounts of bass. Despite the realization, I decided the experience of being close to the stage made up for any type of sound distortion. I made the right choice: Consequence, Tribe member Q-Tip’s cousin and vocal contributor to Tribe’s album Beats, Rhymes, and Life, made a short cameo set in between acts, further exciting fans anxious to see the headliner.

Rhymefest, a newly heralded MC from Chicago, followed with a very entertaining set of his own. Coming out to the Just Blaze banger “Dynomite,” and following with a string of songs off his recently released LP, Blue Collar, Rhymefest kept the crowd amused with his sense of humor and clever lyrics, shooting barbs like “Black people used to be strong, then they gave us crack and Mike Jones.” The highlight of his set was undoubtedly a free-style over “Simon Says” which led him to wander into the crowd. He also added to the plethora of free swag being thrown into the audience by signing and tossing

both of his sneakers into the crowd. I snagged two mix-tapes, four posters and a Rhymefest DVD – and I didn’t even make out that well compared to those near me!

A short intermission followed Rhymefest’s set and the anticipation amongst the crowd grew even stronger. Tribe is a group that has only gained popularity since their break-up, and for good reason: each of their five albums is full of innovative sounds, lyrics and themes, helping to define a genre of thought provoking, jazzy hip-hop that is still relevant today.

Eventually, each member made his way on stage, one by one, as the cheers of the crowd grew exponentially. Once Ali Shaheed-Muhammed, Phife Dawg and Q-Tip were all on stage, they embraced in a hug that might have been corny in any other situation, but for now just symbolized the joy everyone felt upon seeing this collective back in action.

Going right into their set without the customary introduction, Tribe played song after song from their expansive catalogue of music. The eight-year hiatus clearly hadn’t affected their musicianship at all; Q-Tip and Phife traded off verses with a smoothness that “was like butter baby.” Both Q-Tip’s distinct, nasally voice and Phife’s raspy flows sounded just as they had in the past.

Eventually, they took a break to introduce everyone, and as they did, the forgotten fourth member, Jerobi, made his way on stage to the surprise of the audience. They then went into “Find A Way,” one of their biggest hits off The Love Movement. They ended it by singing the chorus in unison, getting progressively lower and then bursting into a spontaneous beat-box session. It was divine.

Other notable crowd-pleasers were “Electric Relaxation,” “Bonita Applebaum,” and “Can I Kick It,” the last being perhaps the greatest calland-response song ever written. At one point during the set, Q-Tip informed the crowd that this tour, despite the NBA 2K7 moniker, was in honor of the late J Dilla, the production mastermind behind much of Tribe’s later work.

The crowd, who had “thrown their Js up,” was treated to a taste of J Dilla’s greatness with a short interlude of his productions. As the set ended and the Tribe departed from the stage, the crowd exploded into a chant for more –and more they would receive! A superb encore followed, featuring “Scenario,” “Check the Rhyme” and “Award Tour,” quite possibly their most famous song, as Q-Tip made his way down into the crowd to mingle with his adoring fans.

Sure, there was a booth where X-Boxes were set up with copies of NBA 2K7 and free games were even given out after the show. At one point, Phife Dawg boasted about how he “will be in the game” as a playable character, and that it promises to be hot. But you know what? After a show like that, I would be willing to go to a Tribe show in Toldeo supporting Tough Actin’ Tinactin.

Sam Obey is currently an undecided sophomore. He grew up on Strong Island, where he developed his strong hip-hop roots. He makes beats more fly than A.C. Slater, forcing the elderly to pack their respirators.

open mic at the burren SOMERVILLE LOCAL SCENE

By 3:45 on a Tuesday afternoon, musicians are already lingering in the hall that connects the Burren’s back room to its bustling street-front Irish pub.

The set-up is more typical of a Chicago rock club than a Boston venue. With a 100-plus capacity music room tucked away behind an active bar, the venue is a fountain of local music just waiting to be discovered.

Located on Elm Street, heading out of Davis Square, the dark red walls and dim lights of the Burren make for a historic atmosphere. Even though cigarettes have been booted from Boston’s night-life, the Burren’s “smoky” folk-and-blues atmosphere has managed to survive. As I make my way through the bar, the afternoon pub goers crowd into the battered booths around Guinness beers and burgers, ready for night to fall.

In the back, acoustic guitars come out of their cases and the local songwriters talk and trade tunes while they wait. Someone asks me what I am going to play tonight. I haven’t decided yet. This is the kind of scene where if you think you know what is going to happen, you’re wrong. I find a booth and sit down.

On the wall next to me, there’s a framed poster for a Boston bluegrass band that played here in 1972. I might’ve gone to see the show if I’d been around. There are still acoustic bands on the back room stage every Wednesday, but tonight’s different. The stage is open.

Promptly at 6:25, the host, Hugh McGowan, makes his way through the

by JAHN SOOD

crowd, guitar over his shoulder, unlocks the door to the music room, and turns on the stage lights. At 6:30, the sound is running and McGowan pulls up a stool to determine the lineup; the first person to arrive gets the first choice performance time. As the lineup shapes up, the spots disappear from the middle outward. The regular performers know that the best audience is in between 10 and 11 p.m.

Unlike at the Middle East’s open mic, where the typical performance is tightly arranged and pop accessible with “I’m trying to get signed” written all over it, or at Club Passim’s night where performers seek folk legend status, crossing the same stage where Joan Baez and Bob Dylan played early in their careers, the performers here at the Burren are regular people out to have a good time and connect to the lively Boston folk community.

On a typical Tuesday night at the Burren, one might see performances by Chiemi, a Hawaiian songwriter who leads a double life, practicing law by day and singing rock and roll by night, or by members of Parker, a band hailing out of Mission Hill whose lead singer is a social worker in Boston Public Schools and whose guitarist is a Harvard grad student. In any case, we are guaranteed something raw and exciting.

At 8:00, McGowan, an excellent performer in his own right, takes the stage and does one song to get things rolling, and then introduces the first act.

Each performer has a four-song chance to make a lasting impression.

AVALON 04/12/06

by JAHN SOOD In the last year, Clap You Hands Say Yeah! has become the quintessential indie buzz band – and they certainly know it. They started out playing shows in New York and, eventually, landed a weekly gig at Piano’s, a trendy club on the city’s Lower East Side. From there, CYHSY sold 45,000 copies at shows and out of their manager’s apartment, establishing themselves as publicity gods in the indie sector of the record industry. So, when I saw that they were coming to Boston, I had to see what the hype was all about.

When I got to the show, I realized that I wasn’t the only one who wanted to witness the wonders of CYHSY in person; the Avalon was packed. Listening to the excited fans, I could tell that the expectations were high. Lovers of the Clap Your Hands album praise the joyous feel of the disc, as well as the scattered melodies and weird keyboard sounds and, above all, frontman Alec Ounsworth’s untamed crooning.

Clap Your Hands began their first song without even a nod in our direction and plunged us into a pulsing wall of sound. Whereas the album is filled with funky counter melodies and electronic effects, the entire night of live Clap Your Hands was drowned in an indiscriminate blur of long-sustaining organs and soft, reverberant, overdriven guitars while the drummer beat two and four to death.

Even Ounsworth’s distinctive voice disappeared in the roar. After the first tune, Ounsworth addressed the audience for the first and last time, saying,“We’re Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! and this is our second song.”

In fact, that was the only time any member of the band even acknowledged the audience’s existence - except to say that the applause wasn’t loud enough to bring the lead singer back on stage for an encore.

This band, whose studio creations evoke such joy in their listeners, seemed so pained to be there on stage that many were silenced and taken aback. As for the element of surprise, Clap Your Hands broke that expectation, too. The entire night, their performances were arranged exactly as on the album save for a few droning, one-chord instrumentals that welled up before coming to an anticlimactic crash. Between songs, Ounsworth did whip out a few pleasing, bluesy guitar riffs, but during the actual tunes nobody played anything really notable on the instrumental front, and the lyric mouthing devotees never missed a single word. The one redeeming part of the experience was the recurring demand for carefully placed hand claps alluding to the band’s name. Though entertaining, that is not enough to make a great performance. While Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!’s debut album was popular enough to fill this relatively large venue, the live show didn’t live up to the buzz surrounding it.

My verdict? Don’t believe the hype.

MELISMAopinions GET OVER IT

by MEREDITH TURITS xASHLEYxEDGEx “Shake yr money maker!”

Richmond, VA 15 years old

26

AshleyxEdge, I really don’t care about how big your plugs are. I don’t want to see your rack and I sure as hell don’t appreciate that your embedded YouTube video for Fall Out Boy’s newest jam is eating up the RAM on my PowerBook. I don’t want to know that your favorite band to have sex to is Righteous Jams.

And I’ll buy everyone in the contiguous United States a beer if your other 1,417 “friends” care either.

Welcome to the world of MySpace, the Internet’s most frequented digital cesspool that swallows souls and spits them out on a daily basis. It reminds me a bit of Los Angeles. On the site, you can be anything you want any second of the day. Doesn’t seem so bad, does it?

I’m surprised if an hour goes by where I don’t get scrutinized for not having a MySpace account. To be honest, I don’t really blame anyone for making assumptions about me; as a professional web-crawling nerdtron with a nose ring and a taste for obscure, noisy music, I’m aware I fit the profile.

But to me, the digital popularity contest is just another manifestation of high school; except this time, the popular kids post half-naked photos and are even meaner as they sit behind the façade of a 15” display and an absurd moniker.

The day I crossed the stage at my high school graduation, I said goodbye to public school education, as well as to the 5’10” Mean Girls on the lacrosse team who made my life a living hell. Please, overbearing scene community, forgive me for not wanting to jump back into being judged on my photograph and ten of my top interests – especially by people I’ve never met. I have to save the world from poverty and famine during the week and also edit a magazine for fuck’s sake – the last thing I have time for is e-drama.

That being said, despite my angst-ridden outer-core, I’ve come to realize that perhaps there are a few redeeming qualities about the site that are worthy of stealing my bandwidth (and the time I should spend being social).

What’s secured my attention most about the MySpace phenomenon is the way in which the independent music scene has built an entire culture around it.

Between wasting hours on vinyl trading message boards and spending a few days on the Vans Warped Tour this summer seeing MySpace sponsor bands and an entire stage, it’s become apparent what an astounding presence it has. As much as I hate to say it, MySpace Music is an incredibly powerful networking tool for all types of artists – particularly those with a DIY ethos, and those who don’t have thousands of major label A&R dollars to back them.

A few years back, I received my first heads up about the MySpace Music movement when some friends with whom I had grown up in New York were taking their band to the Internet as their main form of publicity. All of a sudden, they had fans from San Francisco and St. Louis, places in which their means and logistical nightmares (also called “self-booked tours” on some

planets) never allowed them to play. When you’re a band with limited finances, regardless of whether you’ve inked a deal with an indie label or not, there are few options to avoid getting pigeonholed into the category of “scene bands.”

“Part of the appeal [of MySpace] is that people aren’t here just for music, but casual fans can find it here. Bands themselves can reach out and find fans. It’s really opened up opportunities for bands to promote themselves,” MySpace’s co-founder (whom you may know as the man with 114,772,015 friends and counting) Tom Anderson, told MSNBC.com in an interview last February.

As much as I fault Anderson for sucking humanity into a cyber vortex, the barely-30 walking goldmine (who’s making companies like Microsoft bleed jealousy with the size of his production’s constituency) is on to something here. It’s effortless to log on and hear a couple of quick jams from the embedded player on a band’s MySpace page, and even easier for artists to throw something together for kids to hear and respond to.

Beyond straight promotion, MySpace Music also encourages fans to be in direct contact with musicians of all statures, and allows the bands themselves to be in touch with each other. I’ve seen entire tours booked as well as valuable interaction between bands and potential labels regularly being made because of contact facilitated by MySpace. A fan base is not the easiest thing to sum up in a pitch to a label, yet for many bands, cult fan culture surrounding the music is almost as important as the product itself. MySpace Music pages provide an interesting perspective for labels, letting them have a first-hand view of fan reaction plastered upon comment walls.

While I appreciate MySpace Music for its ability to empower and enable, I have enjoyed its fringe benefits from the comfort of my own non-member status. Being too morally opposed (read: “stubborn”) to create my own profile, I see no reason to have a profile for “networking capabilities” when I’m not in a band, running a distro or trying to attempt to gather bands for a label.

Cue Rude Awakening 101: while gathering some contact information during research for one of my pieces this issue, I kept noticing many bands offering only MySpace URLs for contacting them, requesting that I shoot them a message via their MySpace profiles. I didn’t know whether to take these requests as A) an indication that the bands were too lazy to offer up a form of legitimate contact, B) a personal attack on me for not being “hip enough” to be on MySpace or C) a true testament to the networking capabilities of the site. When I realized the second option was just making me even more unreasonably bitter than usual, I moved on to thinking about the scale of the site’s influence. Of course, even after my deeply philosophical musings, I did not simply break down and get a profile, but rather wasted an hour combing the Web for alternative forms of communication. I conquered and found what I needed, just in case you’re keeping score.

So, the battle was won, but what about the war? Since my pathetic teenage angst is out on the table and I’m officially going to take shit about this piece for the next year or so, I’m currently trying to figure out how to make Melisma’s newest digital extension look slick. Nope, you didn’t just hallucinate – go friend us at our new MySpace profile. Remember, it’s just for networking …right?

Meredith Turits is a sophomore who, as a Philosophy and Linguistics double major, has no tangible skills, but can probably think you into oblivion.

She currently considers her life a great success because putting out this issue of Melisma hasn’t killed her and she has only been made fun of six times this week on the Viva La Vinyl boards.

off the hookah

WHAT IS THAT SMELL?

by PETE MILLAR

-”Do you smell that?”

-”What? Do you mean that enchanting vapor tickling my collegiate nostrils at the cusp of twilight?”

-”Yes, precisely. Could it be grape?”

-”No, it’s too tart; smells more like cranberry... or raspberry, perhaps.”

-”Wait, I’ve got it! It’s boysenberry! Tobacco smoke with a hint of boysenberry!”

Ladies and Gentlemen, there’s a storm a-brewing… a storm so awesome that it threatens to infiltrate our entire young-adult population, dorm by dorm, campus by campus, drum circle by easygoing drum circle… a storm called “Hurricane Hookah.” That’s right. Hookah. Break out your “in-list” and write that baby down, because that word (seemingly blurted out by Bill Cosby during an epileptic seizure), is the hip new scene and it’s sweeping the nation faster than poncho sales at a Phish concert.

“What is this hookah contraption?” you ask, “And why can’t the kids get enough of it?” Good questions. To answer them, come with me on a magical journey back to the year 1775 in the wondrous city of Calcutta. Watch with me as prominent British lawyer William Hickey (yes, that William Hickey), sits before a magnificent Middle-Eastern pleasure hose, packed by friendly natives with heaping mounds of tasty tobacco treat to be smoked at his leisure. This candlestick-looking device is what is called a hookah, and Hickey is the first English-speaker to ever be seduced by its warm, billowy embrace.

Over two centuries later, the passionate love affair between hookah and bro is now even stronger than ever. The hookah, also called “nargeela” or “shisha,” – just to name a couple of its rad aliases – has become an obligatory mainstay of today’s academic social scene. Its presence is welcome among any and all circles of those cultured sophisticates who have come to accept “What’s your flavor?” as pick-up line of choice.

To what serendipitous intervention may we attribute the fortunate arrival of this splendid trend? Why, one must look no further than the headline news to discover its primary source, the War on Terror. Naturally, rising numbers of American troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan, in tandem with the media’s constant focus on those regions, has piqued interest in traditional Middle Eastern culture back at home. Now our troops can bring back something useful instead of debilitating wounds and horrific trauma…hookahs! Rejoice!

So, friends, join me in taking some time to give thanks to the delightful Iraq War and the less observed conflict in Afghanistan. Our deployment in these countries has successfully served its one true purpose – that obviously being the intercultural diffusion of inhalant practices, and it finally deserves a little popular recognition for its valiant efforts. Thank you, War on Terror! We understand that some tend to frown on you, claiming you are an international “hornets’ nest,” but we know that you have much more to offer than meets the eye; we know you are really a blessing in disguise. For, without you, we Americans would be effectively hookah-less, forced to smoke from something that would be practical and lame, like a cigarette, cigar, pipe, joint, bong or

bowl. Praise God that we have you to give us something more fashionable!

As if it were necessary to make hookahs even more appealing, they’re healthy to boot! We all know how “in” healthy stuff is these days! Due to its intricate design, hookah smoke contains radically fewer carcinogens than…What’s that you say? It’s a lie?!... I’m sorry, I’ve just been informed that one single hookah session delivers four times as much tar and almost twice as much carbon monoxide as smoking nine (count ’em, nine) cigarettes consecutively. That’s actually… pretty… uncool. Hmm… I need to mull this one over. Perhaps I’ll smoke some hookah to restore my clarity. Let’s see: awkward smoking-tube, check; flavored tobacco stuff, check; water, check; coffee table, check; 15 square feet of clear, flat smoking space, check; charcoal, check; tinfoil… tinfoil…Wow! This hookah’s a pain in the ass! I never want to see another one again! Where are my Luckies?!

My apologies for freaking out back there. It seems hookahs may not quite live up to the hype after all. But let’s explore this matter a bit more, shall we?

Let me, if you will, touch on the subject of these avid hookah enthusiasts, or, simply, “hookthusiasts.” These are the individuals inclined to believe that their precious nargeela is the greatest revolution in oral stimulation since Juicy Fruit unveiled “Strappleberry.” Perhaps I missed the memo, but since when does sucking tutti-frutti flavor out of a complicated vase qualify as having a good time? I’m sorry, but I could throw a scratch ‘n’ sniff party any day of the week, yet you don’t see me parading my sticker collection all over campus like it were the autographed personal notebook of Charles Bukowski.

Even the more daring hookthusiasts who opt to bypass the “tobaccy” for the “wacky” may not be as bold as they appear. Traditionally, hookahs were designed for the consumption of opium: hard shit, not for your average reefer, no matter how dank your headies may be. Quite frankly, the forefathers of the hookah would consider this new generation a bunch of wimps; in fact, a bunch of rather gauche wimps.

Fortunately, I know in my heart that within a month’s time all my gripes with the hookah culture will effectively come to an end. For now all I must do is wait and pray for an early winter to drive all those hookthusiasts back into hiding. Thanks to recent efforts to reverse global warming, soon the icy chill of a Massachusetts November will compel the established Hookah Society of Tufts University to essentially disband, to retire their Birkenstocks, pack up their djembes, shelve their Jack Johnson box sets and keep their hookalicious ways where they belong: indoors, away from me. ‘Cause we all know that second-hand smoke is a killer. And so is bad taste.

Pete Millar is a werewolf double-majoring in “Suppression of Lycanthropy” and “Economics.” As a man, he likes simmering his own marmalade, collecting antique whaling harpoons and wearing argyle socks. As a wolf-man, he likes debating the socioeconomic implications of the Gadsden Purchase and being a ravenous killing machine. The efforts put forth in this magazine were a collaborative effort of the two. Much blood was spilled.

MELISMAopinions

death cab dies out

SHOVE THAT BANKROLL WHERE THE SUN DOESN’ T SHINE, BEN

by RACHEL CHERVIN

28

I used to think that there was no question more annoying than “So, what’s your favorite band?" It came up all the time when I was in middle and high school, and I never had an answer. I was at that awkward stage where I had only listened to my parents’ music (the all-Beatles station, of course), and I had just discovered that there was other music out there besides sing-along tapes. The idea of having my very own, favorite band was a little overwhelming. This was five years ago, and although I had started to listen to lots of different music, I just knew in my heart that there was good music out there and no matter what the local rock station tried to tell me, said music would not include the band Korn. As I was trying to fight my way through the glut of truly awful late-’90s early-‘00s pop rock to the promised land of music I figured had to exist somewhere, a friend made me a "Best of Death Cab for Cutie" mix CD just in time to rescue me from the doom of pop-punk land.

Now, I know what 95 percent of you are thinking: "Shit, I read that whole introductory paragraph to find out this is a Death Cab article? They suck!" And to you, you may be right. But I should preface this article by saying that this is not just an article about how great Death Cab is and how Ben Gibbard is the second coming of John Lennon – because he’s not. It’s about how I liked a band a lot, and then began to love them and call them my favorite band, and finally how they sold out. Not financially sold out, like the Rolling Stones have sold out (car commercials? really?), but artistically sold out their fan base to reach a larger audience. Death Cab took compelling, layered musical plotlines and dumbed them down so that even your basic MTV viewer could mindlessly enjoy them, and in the process broke up with me in a McDreamy-and-Meredith "We can still be friends" way that makes me even more upset at their creative missteps. I still like them, of course, but seeing them on TV and on iTunes shilling music videos and "Exclusive" recording sessions of low-caliber songs instead of offering them for free online like in pre-Plans days makes me distraught.

I should probably explain. Plans is Death Cab’s most recent album, and it marks their fall from my good graces. It’s also probably the only collection of

Death Cab songs you will have heard if you aren’t a die-hard fan of the band.

A brief discography, so you know what I’m talking about in the rest of this article: they started with a self-produced cassette called You Can Play These Songs With Chords, followed it with Something About Airplanes, then a pair of very solid, enjoyable albums called We Have The Facts and We’re Voting Yes and The Photo Album and finally hit their artistic peak with Transatlanticism, the album directly preceding Plans. These are the major ones - the albums that made me classify Death Cab as my favorite band. Chords as an album foreshadows almost everything they went on to record after it – it varies from songs like "This Charming Man" that presage the catchy guitar riffs of later songs like Airplanes’ "Pictures in an Exhibition," to songs like "Army Corps of Architects," whose melancholy quiet would fit well on Transatlanticism.

Despite this variation, their songs maintain a few key qualities. First, each song is a mix of guitar and vocals. If there is one thing I like most about Death Cab, it’s that their songs can fit any of my moods (except for maybe rage – indie music is rarely violent about anything). For example, after a breakup or a bad day I would listen to a quiet song like Transatlanticism’s "A Lack of Color." The song croons such lines as, "and all the girls in every girlie magazine can’t make me feel any less alone/ I’m reaching for the phone…/ On your machine I slur a plea for you to come home/But I know it’s too late/ I should have given you a reason to stay."

Even though I don’t read girlie magazines, I think the sadness and one-ina-crowd loneliness that the lyric conveys is pretty relatable. But after a while, I would be tired of feeling badly, so I would switch to another song on the same album, "Tiny Vessels," and let that song’s strong guitar part make me feel better. This was what I liked about Death Cab – there wasn’t a Weezerlike tendency for each album to express only one mood. The songs, among and within themselves, cover a wide emotional spectrum and have lyrics that, despite being occasionally pretentious, are still frequently relatable and real to the point of being a kind of modern poetry.

I’ll give you a short example of what Death Cab used to be, and why you

: OF COURSE, EXPOSURE IS NOT ALWAYS SELLING OUT, EVEN THOUGH EXPOSURE BRINGS WITH IT THE HALLMARK OF THE SELLOUT – FAKE FANS WHO THINK HEARING A COUPLE SONGS ON THE LOCAL POP STATION MEANS THEY CAN SCREAM AT CONCERTS. should buy Transatlanticism the next time you’re in a record store. My favorite thing about the album is the guitar chords that give the songs depth without taking away any of their impact. Listening to the instrumental beginning of the album’s title track, I get the feeling of looking out over the ocean from a beach while the single guitar chord pulses like a wave every ten seconds or so, crashing against the walls of the cove and out over the water. When the lyrics start, they’re practically in Shakespearian meter: "The rhythm – of my footsteps – crossing flatlands – to your door/ have been – silenced – forever more," and the last half of the song is wave-like, with vocalist Gibbard occasionally chiming in with the refrain "I need you so much closer." This is the kind of song that never tires and made me love the old Death Cab, my favorite band.

This brings me to current Death Cab, who have two problems. The minor problem is their choice of singles. The two singles currently getting airplay and being featured on "The O.C." are Plans’ "Soul Meets Body" and Transatlanticism’s "The Sound of Settling." The songs have also been used in other TV shows, movie trailers and other borderline-sellout settings. Of course, exposure is not always selling out, even though exposure brings with it the hallmark of the sellout – fake fans who think hearing a couple songs on the local pop station means they can scream at concerts. However, it is the choice of these two songs that irks me. First, "Soul Meets Body" embodies the weak lyrics that plague the album: "I let the sun wrap its arms around me/ and bathe my skin in water cool and cleansing/and feel, feel what it’s like to be new." What does that even mean? Second, "Sound of Settling" is by far the worst song on Transatlanticism. It’s whiny and seems misplaced on the album.

Of course, in the world of Top-40 pop music, something this simple is the only thing that can last more than a second, or sell more than a dollar.

To put this in more relatable terms, "Sound of Settling" is to "Jackass: The Movie" as "Transatlanticism" is to "Fight Club;" on the surface they’re both about guys getting hurt, but "Fight Club" gets taught in film theory classes while few non-teenage boys can watch more than three minutes of “Jackass.”

I can sum up the musical problem with this song and current Death Cab in general in one word: "Ba-baaaaaaaaa." This is the sound Gibbard uses to cover up any trace of music in the song, shoving it in to cover any inkling of musical interlude like he was paid to do it. Rather than trusting his music to develop naturally, as in "Transatlanticism," Gibbard brays awkwardly and lets the music jump around like a ten year old on too many PixieStix. To say the least, it’s not becoming.

However, "Sound of Settling" by itself isn’t that terrible. It’s a little annoying, but no one makes a perfect album. What bothers me is that of all the songs Death Cab has recorded - at least five CDs of excellent music that made them, albeit for a brief time, the true kings of indie rock - they (or the suits that they authorized) picked a shallow, jumpy, poppy song to make them

famous.

And of course, it worked. It made them rich big-shots who hire cool directors to make music videos for them not to play on MTV or stream on their website but to sell on iTunes for $1.99 each. It also made them record "exclusive" sessions in the Apple studios and then made their fans – people like me who have been sticking it out for years– pay more and more money just to get a glimpse of the band members. This is why current Death Cab makes me frown: they were making great music for a solid fan base and spreading the influence of indie music the old-fashioned way. Instead of continuing as they had been, however, they took the money and ran all the way to "The O.C.’s" Bait Shop stage.

If Gibbard ever took a break from counting his riches over and over again like Scrooge McDuck and decided to Google "ben+gibbard+college+ music+magazine" and found this article, I would say this: "Dear Ben Gibbard, Death Cab was my favorite band, but you sold out and broke my heart, and now I’m lost in the middle-school-aged wilderness of not having a favorite band. Please, take your money, put it in the bank or towards a low-risk investment (maybe in Atlantic, the huge record company you signed with after leaving your indie label like Johnny Damon left the Sox), and go back to making the kind of music that got you to the point that you could sell out at all. Bring back the melancholy lyrics and poignant instrumentals, and make Death Cab my favorite band again. I promise I’ll take you back, and I won’t even bring this up the next time we argue.

Love, Rachel."

If only he could hear me. Maybe Adam Brody will relay the message.

Rachel Chervin is a wildly original trailblazer majoring in International Relations with a possible minor in Chinese. She once worked at a paintyour-own-pottery place and can distinguish between 14 shades of blue paint, wet or dry. True story.

MELISMAopinions

supermanland

HEY, MA! LOOK AT M’CAPE!

by MUFFIN MACGUFFIN

30

It’s worth noting right off the bat that “Superman Returns” is hardly a traditional Superman movie. In terms of action, it pales in comparison to even the animated series. Lex Luthor was never much of a villain, and if you subscribe to the “Batman is not a superhero” school of thought, then Lex Luthor cannot be considered a super-villain. Therefore, Lex Luthor’s grand scheme to create a huge island made out of Kryptonite seems fairly dry. Yes, the movie is basically about Superman having to stop a balding middle-aged man and his fiendish real estate scheme – but that’s basically what makes it fantastic.

Early in the movie, Luthor rants to his girlfriend, Kitty, on the subject of gods: “Gods are selfish beings who fly around in little red capes and don’t share their power with mankind.” Since it is early in the movie, and we are establishing character, the first question that comes to mind is, “Why is Lex Luthor such a pissy guy?” At this point, we have gotten past accepting that a person is just plain villainous. Yes, Luthor is greedy, but that doesn’t explain his overall attitude. But in this instance, a rare occasion, Luther’s physical appearance actually tells us volumes about his personality.

Lex Luthor is a rather chubby, unattractive guy. His real appeal lies in his brainpower. He’s extremely smart, well read and cunning enough to be one of the few mortals that can always give Superman a hard time. These traits clearly did not come easily. He had to work hard to become such a genius.

Superman, on the other hand, just had to sit still long enough to be shot from his dying planet to Earth. Once on Earth, he’s not only super-strong and able to fly, but he also manages to be white, male and represent everything we love about America and mom and apple pie and repressed sexuality.

Luthor resents this. Don’t you, too, just a little bit? Once you graduate college, you have to get a job. Superman has a job just for fun. He doesn’t need to eat or sleep. This is the resentment towards superheroes that brews in all of humanity. The same issue is addressed in the Spiderman series. Why do you think J. Jonah Jameson hates Spiderman so much? Jameson’s son worked hard and studied hard, as did Jameson himself, but Spiderman still gets all the glory.

Lois feels the same way herself. When Superman left Earth for a while, Lois wrote an article for the Daily Planet entitled “Why the World Doesn’t Need a Superman.” When Superman confronted her, she admitted that she was resentful that he abandoned Earth when humans needed him most. This can also be viewed as a statement on American foreign policy; there are occasions when America’s military might is requested, but the American presence will still be resented. Within this thought lies the central issue of America’s Superman paradox: he certainly does great things for humanity, but why can’t he just leave us alone and let us solve our own problems? Most people react like Lois, clinging (resentfully) to Superman, hoping to be rescued at all times. A few react like Lex, trying to defeat Superman, displaying the same Nietzschean Will to Power that Superman himself demonstrates, but Luthor obviously lacks the power.

“Hollywoodland” works almost like a prequel to “Superman Returns.” It deals largely with the American reaction to the death of George Reeves, the man who played Superman on the original television show. Think of it as America’s reaction to Superman leaving Earth to check out Krypton. This movie also puts forth the notion that the Man of Steel is not the only hero, and that we can be disappointed by almost anybody.

Our own earthly hero, L.A. private investigator Louis Simo, played by Adrien Brody, is a hero in a very minor way; he is a father, and his son, like most little boys, views dad as the greatest person to have ever lived.

Simo’s son, also like many children in the 1950s, views Superman as the greatest alien that has ever lived.

When George Reeves dies - apparently by suicide - Simo’s son, Evan, is completely devastated.

Not only is Superman mortal, but he is a mortal who does not want to live at all. This is very painful; what appeals to us about Superman is that he is apparently like any one of us but without the stereotypical human shortcomings. With this infallibility in Superman’s character, what can we do but completely reject him? Why would we ever let anyone as dumb or as sad or as average-looking as the rest of us be our hero?

The obvious issue here is that Superman is not real, but that he is played by actor George Reeves, a human being with human failings. Reeves apparently did not understand the great responsibility that comes with the great power of playing Superman. According to the film, he frequently grew upset with his lot as an actor, as audiences could not view him as anything but Superman. Upset and frustrated with the pressure of being Superman, he left us, alone and without a hero.

Our parents, the heroes many of us know on earth, also possess human failings. As his investigation of the Reeves case goes deeper, Simo turns more and more to drinking and saying the wrong thing at all times. Evan, a young boy who has burned his Superman costume, begins to draw back in fear from his hero with his zipper showing. The parallel is clear; our parents take on the responsibility of being our heroes, but do not always understand the gravity of that role. Superman often displays the same problem. In the real world, in which two actors who famously played Superman have both died tragically, our best recourse may be to emulate Lex Luthor, and become the heroes we want to see on earth.

Muffin MacGuffin fast-forwards through the dialogue.

hip hop flava

BRINGIN’DA RUCKUS TO INDIE

by CARRIE BATTAN

During the cultural invocation of jazz in the 1920s and 1930s, the majority of the Western bourgeoisie described the musical phenomenon as “jungle music.” Jazz was viewed by many groups as a sort of cultural degeneration and a cause for large amounts of controversy between the conservative middle class and the urban youth. In our day and age, this notion seems unfathomable; jazz music is currently viewed as one of the greatest and most timeless musical movements in history. Jazz is to our grandparents’ generation what Mozart was to the eighteenth century. Yet, at the peak of its popularity, jazz was seen as a detriment to society.

To the hip-hop fans of today, this love-hate peculiarity is all too familiar.

The gap between those who insist that “You can’t spell ‘crap’ without ‘rap!’” and others who spend hours a day reciting Nas lyrics is growing smaller and smaller as hip-hop increasingly permeates every nook and cranny of society. Quality rap music is rapidly becoming the musical trademark of the new millennium (and, quite possibly, taking over the world), whether your mom likes it or not.

If you’re in doubt as to the magnitude of the recent rap explosion, take a step inside any coffee shop, clothing store or party. You won’t find the Ja Rule remixes that dominated middle school musical trends, but rather a pertinently eclectic mix of rap artists, spanning the mid-’80s up until now. Esoteric hip-hop slang is surfacing among urban and suburban youth social circles and establishing itself as the norm. Ghetto-fab garments are working their way into mainstream fashion trends. My uncle blasts Jay-Z while he drives his kids to preschool and college students participate in drunk-rapping instead of drunkdialing. For a culture that once deemed rap music as being strictly about money, cars and bitches, we’ve become incredibly receptive to its influence.

While it’s clear that hip-hop has reached a certain level of appeal for the average music listener, bumpin’ beats are also busting through the seams of a somewhat unexpected scene: indie culture. Indie kids everywhere are tuning their iPods to the latest in underground (or mainstream) hip-hop.

Madvillain gets played between sets at indie-folk shows while Wu-Tang Clan dominates most-listened-to lists. The lines between what is “rap music” and what is “indie” have blurred so intensely that the juxtaposition of bands like Islands or Belle and Sebastian with hip-hop acts like RJD2 or Jurassic 5 no longer comes as a surprise. This influence of hip hop on another genre isn’t an isolated incident; while hip-hop is currently leaving a prominent impression on underground, indie music, hip-hop is experiencing increasing popularity everywhere.

: FOR A MUSIC AS EY, CARS INCREDIBLY

Perhaps what people find most attractive about hip-hop is its ability to bridge gaps between virtually every genre of music. The hip-hop/rock hybrid dates back to Run-DMC and resurfaces with remixes like DJ Danger Mouse’s Jay-Z/Beatles tribute, appropriately titled The Grey Album. Jazz-rap crossover artists like A Tribe Called Quest and Digable Planets display a smoother, funkier side of hip-hop and exhibit the versatility of the lyric-spitting geniuses of our time. Increasing numbers of electronica artists, like Diplo, are citing hip-hop as a source of inspiration, incorporating rhymes and hip-hopping into their beat-making and trip-hopping. Additionally, British rap has spawned its own sub-genre of hip-hop with artists like Dizzee Rascal, MIA and Lady Sovereign spreading the recent London “grime” phenomenon worldwide.

Of course, there still remain throngs of hip-hop nay-sayers who will continue to insist that “Rap music is just a fad” and the unmistakable crowd that yells, “Play Freebird!” during Sigur Ros shows.

Fortunately, those of us who have indulged in the glory that is the hip-hop revolution know that such un-believers must learn to grin and bear the truth: hip-hop is here to stay. What was once an art form seemingly reserved for inner-city youths and looked down upon by most has evolved into a cultural dynasty that will reign supreme for years to come. In the words of Mos Def, “People talk about hip-hop like it’s some giant living in the hillside coming down to visit the townspeople. We are hip-hop. Me, you, everybody - we are hip-hop. So hiphop is going where we going. So the next time you ask yourself where hiphop is going, ask yourself...’Where am I going? How am I doing?’”

CULTURE THAT ONCE DEEMED RAP BEING STRICTLY ABOUT MONAND BITCHES, WE’VE BECOME RECEPTIVE TO ITS INFLUENCE.

Car rie Battan is a freshman who spends the majority of her waking hour s quoting YouTube videos, checking the contents of sketchy boxes of Lucky Char ms, and blasting Peaches on her headphones while standing in large crowds. Despite wielding a masterful sense of direction, she still has no idea where Boston Avenue is.

MELISMApulse

m.pulse

TURN IT ON AND TURN IT UP Yo La Tengo I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass (Matador)

In their latest and most ridiculously titled album, indie vets Yo La Tengo manage to combine each of their previously established (and widely varied) styles to create a symbiotic, 15-track sampler. Several tracks, particularly the 11-minute “Pass The Hatchet, I Think I’m Goodkind,” are reminiscent of YLT’s lo-fi days, featuring fuzzy guitars and raw melodies.

The trio also delves into their bouncier, piano-based alter-ego on tracks like “The Weakest Part,” allowing Ira Kaplan to showcase his hidden penchant for rockabilly vocals. This is schizophrenia at its best. (CB)

The Fixations Day For Night (Self-Released) Boston-area locals, The Fixations, sound like a fusion of post-punk and new wave on Day For Night. The six-track EP explores the sonic breadth of the five-member outfit in full. The opener, “High Illusion,” proves The Fixations can rock, whereas balladic “Memento” belies a more sentimental side of the band. The group’s music is best likened to a poppier version of Joy Division or a more audacious Cure. Nevertheless, The Fixations are no cover band; they have enhanced the aesthetics of these icons by employing modern-day technology and applying it intelligently. (MS)

Asobi Seksu Citrus (Friendly Fire)

32

Citrus is as bright and wonderful as its namesake. Sweet melodies, tangy guitar work and a colorful aesthetic all add up to make the album a potential favorite of the year, completely outshining their previous record. Citrus is dripping with contrasts - explosive songs nestle cozily next to genuinely expressive ballads. Loud, beautiful guitars send ornamental layers of sound jetting across a Pixies-esque rhythm section. Above all, singer Yuki Chikudate’s adorable and girlish voice croons over the juicy instrumentation. Citrus will leave you breathless. (MF)

Twelve Tribes Midwest Pandemic (Ferret Music) If there were a checklist of lame trends in metalcore records, Twelve Tribes’s Midwest Pandemic would nail every one. Poison The Well-style singing parts? Check. Overuse of double kick-pedal drumming? Check.

Every Time I Die-esque fragmented guitar riffs? Check. Sardonic song titles? Check. Bad hair and girls’ jeans?

Check. You’ll be finding this one on the shelves of FYE and Hot Topics in malls everywhere. Into unimaginative metalcore bands and typically banal ones at that? If so, give this album a shot. If not, move on. (SH)

MIXTAPEOLOGY

SONGS FOR HITTING THE BOOKS

Joanna Newsom Ys (Drag City) With Ys, Newsom returns with her signature harp but makes significant departures from her traditional sound. Her voice, less childlike and kitschy, has a new sophistication accented by string accompaniment. Although Newsom’s string-laden, lengthy tracks sometimes feel like the soundtrack to a bizarre movie, they function as a narrative for the listener. Newsom has matured both as a songstress and a storyteller; whimsical and beautiful, Ys wonderfully illustrates her progression. (SH)

Red House Painters - “Japanese to English” Horace Silver - “Song for My Father” The Sea and Cake -“Jamaican Rum Rhumba” The Black Keys - “The Lengths” D’Angelo -“Greatdayndamornin’/Booty” (MS)

Souvenir’s Young America Souvenir’s Young America (UndeRadar) The self-titled effort of Richmond, Va. instrumental trio Souvenir’s Young America leads you on an epic emotional voyage captained by an intensity that is fused with a rare brand of grace. The record’s most striking facet is its incredible eclecticism and breadth; in six tracks, SYA explores a myriad of different moods, treading through mania, depression, discovery and reflection all with skillfully crafted ambiance. The band’s clear musicianship is what brings the record to fruition, but the music’s atmospheric quality seems to have a mind of its own. Simply mesmerizing. (MT)

Heavy Heavy Low Low Everything’s Watched, Everyone’s Watching (Ferret Music) Heavy Heavy Low Low presents brutal, heavy metallic hardcore with a chaotic spin, alternating between spasms of desperate high-pitched screams and overused metalcore breakdowns with low-pitched bellows. It’s definitely in the vein of Converge, although the more frenzied, less metallic moments are more reminiscent of screamo. Lyrically, it’s mostly incomprehensible. The record might be intensely personal and expressive, but it comes off more like teenage angst posing as poetry. (BW)

Hella Acoustics (5 Rue Christine) With the Hella duo recently participating in a number of rad side-projects, the glory days of past releases seem to have been all but forgotten. We’re thankfully saved by Acoustics, a sixsong EP containing acoustic versions of the best pieces from the band’s first two full-lengths.

Although guitarist Seim plays acoustic and drummer Hill uses a muffled snare, de-emphasizing loud cymbal crashes, the intensity and technical complexity of these awe-inducing songs is not compromised. Fans of Hella will love the sheer novelty of the EP’s acoustic twang. (RH)

Death Cab For Cutie – “Transatlanticism” Pixies – “Where Is My Mind?”

Jack Johnson - “Brushfire Fairytales (Acoustic)” Sufjan Stevens - “For The Widows In Paradise, For The Fatherless In Ypsilanti” Get Set Go – “Wait” (RC)

Boards Of Canada - “Dayvan Cowboy” The Workhouse – “Ricketts” Xela – “So No Goodbyes” Induce - “Color Clouds Blue (Version 2)” Essell - “Daydream” (AB)

Red Sparowes – “Alone And Unaware” …Trail Of Dead – “Clair De Lune” Envy – “Chain Wandering Deeply” Isis – “In Fiction” Gregor Samsa – “Young & Old/Divine Longing” (MT)

MELISMApulse

B-SIDES

Beck The Information (Interscope) Just more than one year since his previous full-length release, the ever-evolving Beck has already managed to put out another enjoyable and creative album. With The Information, Beck gives listeners a more personal (but still accessible) collection by employing sparser instrumentation, heavier piano usage and slightly more relaxed melodies. The Information combines the fun and funk of Guero and Odelay with the lyrical maturity and mellowness of Sea Change. The Information is a great and eclectic album. (AK)

SONGS YOU DON’T KNOW BY BANDS YOU DO

TV On The Radio – “Modern Romance” Les Savy Fav – “I.C.Timer” Death Cab for Cutie - “The Army Corps of Architects” Team Boo – “Parachutes (Funeral Song)” Sufjan Stevens –“The First Full Moon” (TL)

The Rapture Pieces of the People We Love (Universal Motown) Pieces of the People We Love is not an Echoes reincarnate. As the playful cover (which is suspiciously reminiscent of the Rolling Stones’ Dirty Work) may suggest, the Rapture have dropped the grit, the panic and the twitch that had them pigeonholed as “dance-punk,” and have thus manufactured a new cliché for themselves: “funk-punk.” The record is quite stale. Its high points do nothing more than make the listener yearn for the band’s former frantic intensity, while the rest feels bland and subdued. Lyrics about driving, dancing and getting oneself “into it” feel awkward and, at times, forced. (PM)

Ambitions Question (Think Fast!)

Boasting a big-name lineup full of hardcore heavy-hitters, Ambitions blows away all expectations with the release of Question. Merging amazing Dag Nasty melodic segments with heartfelt lyrics and emotional sing-alongs, Ambitions captures all the catchiness of With Honor while leaving out its awkward abrasive moments. They traverse the high-bar set for them with a Jordan-like jump. You’ll have these songs stuck in your head for weeks. (SH)

Paul Simon – “Duncan” Little Richard – “I Feel Pretty” William Shatner – “Common People” Notorious B.I.G. – “Suicidal Thoughts” Felt – “Breaker Down Like a Shotgun” (MM)

Orbital - “Funny Break (Weekend Ravers Mix)” Rammstein –“Stripped” Trent Reznor –“Driver Down” Duncan Sheik – “Songbird” Collective Soul – “Crazy Train” (AH)

34 Maritime We, The Vehicles (Flameshovel) We, The Vehicles comprises 11 expertly-assembled pop songs, not factory-floor corporate music. The joyful, wonderfully humanist sound will have you humming when you least expect. From the inside-out ska of “Parade of Punk Rock T-Shirts” to the electronic bop “German Engineering” to the stuttering epic “Twins,” each song adds its own distinct flavor to the album. We, The Vehicles is strongly recommended; it’s bright enough to cheer up any cloudy Medford day. (MF)

Radiohead – “Talk Show Host” The Fugees – “Vocab” (Refugees Remix)” Outkast – “Git Up, Git Out” Sleater-Kinney – “One Beat” Nirvana – “Marigold” (JO)

Xiu Xiu The Air Force (Kill Rock Stars/5 Rue Christine) In a word, The Air Force will make you uncomfortable. It is an undulating ocean of sentimentality, and frontman Jamie Stewart serves as both skipper and sea monster. Less accessible than past records, The Air Force is an 11-song experimental foray into the high-school neuroses and emotional nether regions of Stewart’s psyche. The Air Force is William S. Burroughs’ “Naked Lunch” set to music, then intertwined with the sickly hues of Stewart’s own personal demons: bad love, suicide, domination, shattered friendships and rape. Feverish and distressing, The Air Force is an aural and emotional blitzkrieg, but ultimately cathartic. (DC)

New Found Glory Coming Home (Drive Thru/MCA Records) New Found Glory’s fifth full-length, Coming Home, goes back to the basics. The album’s polished vocals, exceptional tandem guitars and signature tone are genuine, not sappy. NFG still retains much of their old musical identity on Coming Home, but also exemplifies maturity. Several tracks showcase the underlying pop-punk flare and singsong melody characteristic of the band’s classic sound. Though the record is a departure from past NFG efforts, fans will be pleasantly surprised by the band’s ability to keep it simple while still exploring more intricate musical and lyrical realms. (ED)

Dirty Pretty Things Waterloo To Anywhere (Interscope) Dirty Pretty Things’ debut album, Waterloo to Anywhere, melds rowdy bar-rock with relatively slick production. The record sounds a bit like a pissed-off version of The Strokes, or nearly any current Philly band of the same genre. Songs are hit and miss on the album. “The Gentry Cove” is an upbeat anthem, and “If You Love A Woman” has a gleefully unhinged chorus. But songs like “Bang Bang You’re Dead” show that DPT are content to bash out power chords for three minutes and call it a day. Still, the majority of the songs are very likable. Snag the album before ita suppliers market. (MF)

Misery Signals Mirrors (Ferret Music) The title of Misery Signals’ new record sounds pansy to my punk rock ears, but they’ve found a way to make it work.

This record mixes bright, uplifting melodies with heavy rhythms, technical guitar work and growling vocals. Double bass pedal breakdowns abound. MS know how to ease up before crushing the listener with their sound by offering respite with melodic bridges. Lyrically, MS stick to themes of failure, betrayal and revenge, but occasionally shift to brighter subjects. (BW)

m.pulse Credits: (AB) - Amanda Brower, (AH) - Amanda Hart, (AK) - Alex Kittle, (BW) - Bobby Westfall, (CB) - Carrie Battan, (DC) - Dan Casey, (ED) - Erik Doughty, (JO) - Jared Olkin, (MF) - Max Furman, (MM) - Muffin MacGuffin, (MS) - Marty Sattell, (MT) - Meredith Turits, (PM) - Pete Millar, (RC) - Rachel Chervin, (RH) - Ricky Hartman, (SH) - Shana Hurley, (TL) - Travis Lowry

“The punk rockers picked up on that, the idea of scarcity and just using what you got. And maybe more of you comes through because there’s less outside stuff you’re sticking on all you got is you, so you have to make something out of it.”

- Mike Watt, The Minutemen