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Thursday, November 3, 2011

Guided By Voices- Bug House

Bob Pollard, the former schoolteacher turned indie-rock godfather, lifted off from Dayton, OH, charting a course for the ears of a generation of music fans who, to this day, are still trying to resolve the impact that his band Guided By Voices has had on the collective consciousness. Bob is a prodigious songwriter, and punk wordstock troubadour, who has always straddled a line between a Beatles pop sound and The Who's bombast. Bug House is a "sampler" of live and radio performances put together by Robert Gray, a GBV fan who has taken on the task of assembling many of Bob's radio performances and live sessions into a cohesive compilation. Interspersed with radio interview snippets are some wonderful versions of GBV songs: "Watch Me Jumpstart", "Hot Freaks", and "Tractor Rape Chain" from the 1-2 punch of Bee Thousand & Alien Lanes, a stripped-down version of "Bulldog Skin" from Mag Earwhig!, "Atom Eyes" and "Burning Flag Birthday Suit" from Under The Bushes, Under The Stars. Two tracks from the Do The Collapse record, "Surgical Focus" and "Dragons Awake", receive paradoxical treatment here. On the Rick Ocasek produced record, "Surgical Focus" is a busy, rousing anthem but is presented on Bug House as a delicate acoustic number with Pollard singing in a plaintive alto/falsetto voice. Conversely, "Dragons Awake" is a restrained acoustic number on the proper album, yet receives the full bombastic GBV treatment on this collection. Both Bug House versions are superior to the album versions, leading me to believe that Ocasek did a haphazard job of producing Collapse (which also happened to be GBV's greatest attempt at producing a radio-friendly record), failing to understand the dynamics behind Pollard's songwriting. Their are some rarities on here and the short radio interview segments are entertaining, and enlightening. Guided By Voices fans will be ecstatic to add this to their collections.

Buy this record if you're looking for treasure in the attic and grandma says it's ok to keep whatever you find.

gbvdb.com/bughouse.asp

Friday, October 21, 2011

Gauntlet Hair- Gauntlet Hair

A midwesterners version of a McCarren Park kickball game between Animal Collective and Yeasayer. It's a tough sell modeling your band after artists who left no lasting impression on the music culture. Kind of like cribbing your sound from a Nickelodeon jingle. Lots of reverb and delay, cathedral style vocals, pretty much a cacophony of echoes bouncing between your ears. The band name gives you a good idea of what to expect.

Buy this record to drown out the baby's cries.

www.gauntlethair.com

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Atlas Sound- Bedroom Databank Vol. 1

Home recordings from Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox. This was the first of four volumes that were "released" on his blog. It's a fairly sedate affair with acoustic guitars, harmonica riffs, pulsing rhythmic fills, flittering synth tracks with programmed drums, an instrumental cover of Kurt Vile's "Freak Train", as well as a spirited version of the Bob Dylan/Band penned tune "This Wheel's On Fire", which appeared on The Basement Tapes and The Band's Music From Big Pink record. I may be going out on a limb here but the Bedroom Databank series stands up with any of the other recorded material that Cox has released, and is essential listening for Deerhunter/Atlas Sound fans.

Buy this record for a rainy afternoon of TV soap operas and grilled cheese sandwiches.

deerhuntertheband.blogspot.com

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Hit & Shit with Void's Chris Stover

A conversation I had with Chris Stover, of the seminal DC Hardcore band Void, in anticipation of the Void Pre-Release Party happening this Friday October 21st at 1-2-3-4 Go! Records in Oakland, CA (event details below):

Q: Why did you start the band/ how did it start?
We did it as a reaction to seeing all the great bands coming out of DC. Bubba and I started jamming then Sean and John came on board. It all clicked after that point. A perfect outlet for a group of boys stuck in an all boys Catholic school.

Q: Did you have an idea of what you wanted the band Void to be when you started? Was the band's evolution a conscious decision?

When we started out, we wanted to be loud and fast as fuck. As we started to progress, we tried to focus on being tight , surprisingly. As the band started to splinter, the band became a weird recipe of our musical influences (Metal, Punk, & Rap) In the end, I am not sure the bands evolution was a crystal clear decision.

Q: The band has left a lasting legacy. How do you feel about that?

I'm stoked that their is a legacy at all.

Q: Do you think Void represents the skateboarding culture? What is/was the relationship between Void and the skating scene?

No. I skated and still skate. We played some skateboard type events. As a band, we were'nt skate rock, but we were involved in the culture and had alot of friends who skated.

Q: How would you feel about corporations wanting to use Void music in commercials?

Usually, all of these type of requests are communicated through Dischord. So we rely on Dischord to make the first call then us. So far so good....

Q: Would you be open to a Void reunion?

Given that Sean (RIP) is no longer with us, sure if everyone would want too. I think that we are getting a little to old to sustain anything long term.

7. Why do you hate freedom?

What kind of question is that? Who said I hate Freedom?

What: Void Pre-Release Party

Where: 1-2-3-4 Go! Records

423 40th Street

Oakland, CA 94609

phone: 510- 985-0325

web: http://www.facebook.com/1234gorecords

When: Friday October 21st, 2011

6pm-10pm

Free Admission

El Rego- El Rego

A meeting of the minds between respected Brooklyn, NY label Daptone Records (Amy Winehouse, Sharon Jones, Budos Band) and West African artist Theophile Do Rego. Daptone hand-picked and re-mastered a number of their favorite tunes from Rego's catalog. Rego was a stalwart on the Benin club scene in the late 60s and early seventies, pumping out 45 after 45 in a fertile musical region that included Nigeria, Benin, and Ghana. We've written about West African artists several times here on Buy This Record? so readers probably already know our feelings about this music. El Rego is steeped in the blues and progressive sounds of Western music and it flows through this spirited collection of cerebral rump-shakers.

Buy this record if you've hit a wall while writing your dissertation and need a little inspiration.

www.daptonerecords.com

Monday, October 17, 2011

Oneohtrix Point Never- Replica

Highly anticipated new release, at least in hipster music circles, by Brooklyn, NY electronic/ambient purveyor. Daniel Lopatin's music is sort of an organic answer to Tim Hecker or Christian Fennesz, incorporating found sounds and piano into his kaleidoscopic keyboard works. He's not reinventing the genre but he certainly makes it sound inviting.

Buy this record for that aquarium road trip you're planning.

www.pointnever.com

Friday, October 7, 2011

Void Reissue Party in Oakland, CA on October 21st

Don’t miss the Pre-Release Party for 80’s DC hardcore band Void! Celebrate the Dischord Records release of Void: Sessions 1981-1983, a new collection of demos and never before heard tracks from Void's early recording sessions which will be officially released October 24.

Spewing forth from the suburban malaise of Columbia, MD, Void anchored the seminal hardcore scene in D.C. (a scene that included Minor Threat, Bad Brains, and Scream). Void have been credited with bridging the gap between punk rock & metal and were named one of the Top 5 Hardcore Bands of all time by rock superstar Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Them Vultures).

This multimedia event from 6pm to 9pm on Friday, October 21 at 1-2-3-4 GO! Records in Oakland will feature artwork by Rich Jacobs, Tim Kerr & several notable artists, live music, and appearances by Void's own bassist Chris Stover and guitarist Bubba Dupree.