Monday, February 10th, 2003
God I love indie labels. I got my Rainer Maria order from Polyvinyl today, and it’s a a veritable loot bag of neat stuff. Let’s see, we gots:
1) A copy of Long Knives Drawn
2) A limited edition copy of the first Rainer Maria EP, New York 1955 (I have number 502, for the record)
3) A 7″ of the latest RM single, “Hell and High Water”. I understand why vinyl is the ultimate music geek fetish object. I really need a record player. And somewhere to put it.
4) A 14-track Polyvinyl sampler CD
5) A little Rainer Maria pin
6) A Rainer Maria sticker
7) A piece of Airheads candy
8) A Spongebob Squarepants valentine! Addressed to me, personally! It doesn’t get any better than that, let me tell you.
No band practice tonight as 517 is seeing his girlfriend in The Vagina Monologues and Brad got tickets to see The Pretenders – the perks of a wife who works at Chart. They know people who know people. Anyway, it means that I don’t have to rush from rehearsal to Lee’s Palace to catch Longwave at 9:45. AND I don’t have to eat Harvey’s for dinner! Huzzah. Plus, the less time I have to spend outside tonight, the better. That is a cruel, cruel wind out there.
np – Rainer Maria / Long Knives Drawn
Sunday, February 9th, 2003
In a curious little bit of synchronicity, I’ve added a new mp3 of the week and noted that on Jam! Music’s new release list they have an untitled Flaming Lips EP due out on April 8. Could it be the on-again off-again release of Yoshimi Wins! is back on again? It’ll make my exclusive little mp3 considerably less exclusive, but that suits me fine.
Matador is reporting a new Guided By Voices album this year, once again reaffiriming Bob Pollard’s position as THE most prolific man in rock. The title given is Live Like Kings Forever, but you can be sure it’ll change at least a dozen times before it’s released. That’s just too straight right now.
Pretty slow day, didn’t leave the apartment. Built a footswitch to turn the trem on my Traynor amp off, I was getting sick of the constant cyclic motorboating in the background. “Whub whub whub whub whub whub”. Errrrgh. Read more of An Illustrated A Brief History Of Time, confirming that I’m nowhere near as smart as I might have once thought I was.
Longwave tomorrow night. My first concert of 2003! And I’m only staying for the opening act. Go half-assed or go home. I will go home.
One more week… I WANT MY NEW GUITAR NOW. Grr.
np – Guided By Voices / Mag Earwhig!
Sunday, February 9th, 2003
The video for Johnny Cash’s version of “Hurt”, by Nine Inch Nails, is getting a lot of attention. There’s a lot being read into the elegiac tone of both his cover and the visuals, which comprise a very old and weary looking Cash performing the song, interspersed with footage of himself throughout his career as a much younger and vibrant man. The obvious intent is to contrast the man he was with the man he is now, and combined with the lyrical content of the song, the overwhelming sense is of regret, sadness and ultimately resignment.
With all due respect to Cash and his career, I’ve been wary of his recent output. The cynic in me regards his inclusions of unconventional covers (Beck, Depeche Mode) as something of a bid at novelty sales. I can just see the frat boys now, “I love Johnny Cash. His cover of “Rusty Cage” is the best”. And I shudder. But this interpretation silences that naysayer. Cash has taken a song I’ve always dismissed as shallow and sophomoric (Never ever liked Nine Inch Nails, still don’t) and imbued it with an amazing weight and emotional resonance. His performance in the video only underscores how remarkable it is – what could have come off as manipulative and crass is instead very real.
But I hope it’s not. I hope it is just a performance. I hope that at this point in his life, Cash is looking back on his works and his legacy and feeling pride, satisfaction, not the bitterness and sadness conveyed in the video.
Thanks to The Rub for bringing this vid to my attention and making me think. Even on a Sunday.
Saturday, February 8th, 2003
Someone in the apartment above me must be getting ready to go out clubbing or something. They’ve the phat beats going full throttle. I wish them ill.
Was out for a bit this afternoon with Kyle, got my Delgados tickets and picked up the Loose Fur record as well as the first EP from The Postal Service, featuring members of Death Cab, Dntel and Rilo Kiley among others. I was just going to wait for the album next week, but the EP was cheap and had The Shins doing a neat-o cover of one of The Postal Service songs, so I couldn’t say no.
The Loose Fur is going to have to grow on me. It’s pretty laid back and easy to ignore if you’re not paying attention. I think I was expecting something a little more forceful, at least based on the live Brooklyn show from last December.
Trying to come up with parts tonight for some of the new songs in the set was beyond futile. I just can’t get in the zone, my fingers feel clumsy and distracted. Unhappy.
At some point last night whilst stumbling home, I apparently decided to untie the remnants of police tape around the driveway and bring it home with me. I have about two metres of the stuff sitting on my bookshelf. I’ve always wanted police tape, but was too lazy to commit the requisite crimes to acquire it.
np – Loose Fur / Loose Fur
Saturday, February 8th, 2003
For some reason, the Wilco EP, Kamera, has been pushed back. It was supposed to be out on Tuesday, but the Wilco website now says it is a) titled More Like The Moon and b) with a pending release date. Track list is still the same, though. Curious.
I have just discovered M@B’s comics. It’s like a blog in comic strip form. It makes me happy to know I live in the same city that this guy experiences.
Hot damn. Metacritic has FINALLY finished renovations and is once again open for business. Looks good, but did it really take more than a month to get this done? Matters not, good to have them back.
Went out drinking last night for the first time in ages, after an excruciatingly long and exhausting day at work. It was either force myself to go out or fall asleep at 10pm. Mercifully I was able to get some sort of second wind and get through a couple of hours without succumbing to narcolepsy. First we went to The Tap for a few drinks then to the Dance Cave, where I haven’t been for almost a year. It’s still the same, except for the addition of doors. And a big bouncer.
Kevin has a new puppy. I’m jealous.
np – Doug Martsch / Now You Know
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