Gallagher Pt. 1

edit: the twitter account is fake according to Punchline, but who knows....

Anyone remember Gallagher? In the 80's he was well known for smashing watermelons onstage and that's about it. There are a couple of interviews archived around the internet in which he calls out everyone from Bill Clinton & Katie Couric to Michale Keaton, Leno & Letterman. In these interviews and a review of a show published in the Stranger a portrait is painted of a racist, homophobic old man bitter about how show biz passed him by. He recently did Marc Maron's WTF interview and when Maron raised these issues with him Gallagher was defensive and angry and eventually walked out.

His tweets are more of the same. I read through and was amazed. It is full of homophobia and more than a little racism. There is sexism and even some nationalism though most would read it as patriotism. There is a ton of patriarchal thinking and the whole thing is a mess. That said, it's also hilarious.

Before we begin, I'll share Gallagher's warning with you. In order. (Which is not how they now they appear on his page.) These weren't even in the first handful of tweets. This will seem more relevant later.

 Off to a great start eh? What's even better is his first tweet ever.

 

He follows it up with some good old fashion stereotyping and homophobia. Who doesn't know San Francisco is filled with gays...

That is quickly followed by a nice insult at Tracy Morgan, currently one of the funnier bits of 30 Rock, one of my favourite shows. Maybe I'm being sensitive but at the very least Tracy is really funny

 You know what makes a great follow up to racism? Homophobia! It's the same hate feeling with more hate filled undertones!

which is defended a tweet later with this gem:

I love it when old men yell get off my lawn over the internet.

Well that's all for now. Believe it or not there's enough material here for another post so part 2 will be coming soon.

Julie Doiron

Here's an artist that is criminally underrated. She got her start playing bass in Eric's Trip a seminal Canadan indie rock noise band. They were signed to Subpop back in the 90's and made a bit of a name for themselves though it seems like they're forgotten now.

After the dissolution of that outfit she started writing and recording her own music, her first solo stuff being put out under the name of Broken Girl, which rather aptly describes the music. She has been doing her thing solo for 14 years now, having done albums with a couple of other groups along the way. She did an album with Wooden Stars in 1999, was a part of Shotgun & Jaybird till that died and is now part of Calm Down It's Monday with Fred Squire. In which she plays drums.

On her own she picks up her acoustic and writes beautiful, gentle songs about the little things that make up life. Her voice is high and fragile and she writes songs that match it. She's a singer songwriter who knows her strengths and plays to them.

If you like singer songwriter stuff, this will scratch that itch. If you like deeply emotional music that proudly wears it's hearts on it's sleeve you'll definitely like this. And if you like Canadian folk music you'll hopefully like this.

She will be at the Red Dog on Wednesday February 2nd with Little Scream. Tickets are only $10, come down see an awesome canadian artist

Touché Amoré - 2009 - ...to the Beat of a Dead Horse

Touché Amoré is a mostly hardcore based punk rock band from Los Angeles California. One of the reasons I say they're a punk rock band is that their songs average a minute and a half. Jeremy shouts a lot. The guitars are usually raging and the drums sound like the guy is pounding down your door. They released their debut LP  in 2009 and after releasing 3 Ep's this year, two splits and live disc, signed to Death Wish records to record "Parting The Sea Between The Brightness And Me" with Ed Rose. Really looking forward to that.  But this long piece is focusing on their LP "...to the Beat of a Dead Horse".

   ....to the Beat of a Dead Horse grabbed me from the instant it started playing and never let up. It plays with the line between hardcore and screamo the best I've ever heard. There can be clear differences between the two or the lines can be blurred somewhat. Here they seemed to be blurred just a tad with melody and disquiet direct-able  at the society around Jeremy as much as himself

As much as I love hardcore punk there seems to me to be a lack of singers capable of writing lines like "I've got my own brand of patriotism. It comes with nights of emptiness, where I show my true colors. The real meaning of independence" and delivering it like his life depends on it like Jeremy does. The whole band plays like that, like a demon is on their trail. But if you read Jeremy's lyrics the demons seem to be inside us and the battle is somewhat pointless but we'll keep marching anyway.


One of the drawing points for people who care about things like this is the appearance of Thursday's Geoff Rickly and Modern Life Is War's Jeffrey Eaton. Geoff adds a really cool melody to "History Reshits Itself" and kicks into hyperdrive while Jeffrey Eaton doesn't do anything but add a gravelly voiced shout to the end of "Always Running Never Looking Back". 

This started off as a discography post then I started listening to LP again I have to devote more time to this album. It requires it. The emotional investment Jeremy puts in his lyrics picks up your head and connect. I could do nothing but quote his lyrics. Lines like "I've gotten good at hiding, when I feel like hiding. My mouth is great at running, when I feel like running. Now I'm biting the hairs on my arm like I do when I don't know where I am or what I should do. I've been blessed with these eyes that come with innocent questions like where I'm from." and the entire awesome piece that is Adieux really captivate me with cryptic poetic realness. There are layers to his lyrics. They can be read as literally personal but that limits them a little though the obviously romantic songs like Broken Records are among the best on the album. I am more interested in the  social and political implications of what he is screaming and shouting about.

The lyrics are full of disconnection and rage not necessarily aimed at anything in general. As Cadence clearly points out "I am marching to the beat of a dead horse" and like it or not he is a general leading his troops into battle. This touches on another interest of mine that is very understudied and not talked about, men displaying emotion. In order for a man to display emotion like this in a song he has to scream. But that's probably beside the point.

I do have a bit of a bone to pick  because the production completely kills one song. Maybe it's me but I've yet to hear a version of Cadence that's not from this album in which the spoken word piece in the middle is audible. It was not until the "Live At WERS" 7" that I was able to understand the lyrics. It's just too muddy which works for a lot of it but absolutely kills the song. Also, Jeremy does a little suffer from the same problem as the guy from La Dispute. He has a bit of a tendency to have the same tone of shout the entire time which can be a little flavourless. The amount of hooks make up for that though.

the differences between the this and Live At WERS are worth pointing out at least tangentially. What a difference production makes. On the LP the band sounds like a lumbering beast about to crush you with Jeremy darting around in front screaming about how the world is ending and we all carry on. But on the Live At WERS ep the production turns the band into a whiplash inducing hyper hardcore punk band. Their emotion and youth reigns supreme and the sound explodes constantly. You can hear the spoken word piece on Cadence and the turn on a dime nature of the music really becomes apparent. It sounds like someone shoved them into a small room and they have to explode it to get out.

So as you can probably tell I really like this album. To say that it has captivated me would not be an understatement. The replay value and investigation potential make this an awesome release. The emotional investment and the cryptic nature of the lyrics give it the ability to be obsessed over which I may or may not be guilty of. Anyway, listen and have your ass kicked.

Super Hero Hipsters

From College Humor

You'll Live - Things Would Change If You Heard This

I really wish emo wasn't a slur. That if you wanted to describe a band's music as emo it's because they deal with other emotions than the anger of hardcore and the out and out sleazy sexuality of rock n roll. But instead of awesome bands like Fugazi, Jawbreaker or Rites of Spring the term emo conjures up shitty mall punk post-hardcore bands like MCR or The Used. (Don't get me wrong I actually like some post-hardcore, early Alexisonfire and At The Drive-In are astounding)

If emo wasn't a slur then describing bands like You'll Live would be a whole lot easier. It's the kind of emo that usually stays in a rather calm, melodic moments though the singer never does anything close to singing. His voice is too rough for that, he sounds a lot like Gabe from Monument (who are an rough paralel to this band though Monument are a good ways ahead) but able to launch into a hair raising scream chaotic feeling scream.

The music is an interesting combination of that twinkly style of emo guitar mixed with melodic punk feel that owes an obvious debt to the post-punk school of songwriting, in terms of feel anyway. The material here can seem a little simplistic and that's probably because it's their debut ep but there is still quite an intriguing sound here. There is lots of melody in the guitar and almost always a cute little melodic riff nipping at the singer's ragged voice.

I'm not really sure why this grabs me but it does. There are lots of obvious touchstones here that  if I were better versed in this genre I would be more adept at picking. Suffice it to say this is a good coalescing of influences, now we wait and see if they can add some more personality.

found at Carried Out To Sea which is a really cool blog

Mother Of Mercy - IV: Symptoms Of Existence

A little while ago some people fused hardcore with metal, creating metalcore. Now there are varying degrees of the combination, they range from a little metal in your hardcore and a little hardcore in your metal to the two balancing equally. Coming at it from a metal perspective I've mostly listened to the stuff that's really metal with some hardcore thrown for flavouring. Which is why bands like Mother Of Mercy still tend to knock me upside the head. They play what would be some basic hardcore if it were not for the metal elements. That is not to say the metal elements are incredibly obvious but they are crucial to the sound

It's heavy and aggressive but not usually super fast. It's mid tempo without being boring as there are actual riffs. The guitars rip and destroy but always with a riff in hand, never just aimless heaviness. For the most part the riffs on IV: Symptons Of Existence are interesting and varied enough to actually be riffs. While there is still the insistence on rhythmic punishment hardcore brings to the table the riffs are strong and varied enough to not need to rely on simple aggression. I find myself comparing them to Touche Amore in terms of bands that are doing interesting new things with hardcore

This album seems like a good response to something I find myself saying about a lot of hardcore I heard lately. I find myself thinking "Great, you can play hardcore. Now what?" All the bands and songs sound the same. This album on the other hand takes the basic trappings of hardcore and ties them onto metal riffs that work better at mid tempo than a full on blast.

Aggression, speed and volume are all good and necessary but it is so much nicer when a band that has those bases covered can stretch out into some actual songs with interesting riffs that function as more than just anger releases. Thrashy hardcore tends to hit that sweet spot and this fits just right.

Blues

Over the few days I've been listening to nothing but blues. Mostly down  on the plantation delta blues and Howlin' Wolf & Muddy Waters. A little bit of the legend that is  Robert Johnson, a little bit of Willie "Big Eyes" Smith former drummer for Howlin'  Wolf now singer and harp player and a little bit of B.B. King's cousin Bukka White. There's a  little bit of Willie Dixon and a nice dose Big Bill Broonzy. Their folky country blues is quite amazing and impressing still. Speaking of impressive there's Blind Blake and Lonnie Johnson. Blind Blake, of whom there is only one picture plays ragtime guitar. Lonnie Johnson invented sing string solo's and his playing is jaw dropping. He's inventive and clever and his stuff was recorded in the 20's. If Bessie Smith's Graveyard Dream Blues doesn't bring tears to your eyes you have no soul. She's the empress of the blues for a reason. There is only a little bit of Son House but it is incredibly powerful. His a Capella version of John The Revelator is a spiritual revelation unto itself


http://www.mediafire.com/?h3ljjevfnwlkqv4

Howlin' Wolf

If there is one king of the Chicago blues I think the crown could easily be given to Howlin' Wolf. Cub Koda wrote that Cub Koda declared, "no one could match Howlin' Wolf for the singular ability to rock the house down to the foundation while simultaneously scaring its patrons out of its wits." For all of Muddy Waters talents he lacks an growl, a roar to his music that makes everything jump. Wolf's voice has grit to it, enough to drag you out of your chair and onto the floor while he's bellowing at you. Here's just a taste

Moanin' In The Moonlight - 1962  - his first two albums which have most of the songs he's known for, not quite so electric pure chicago blues
More Real Folk Blues - 1965 - more of that pure Chicago blues, lots of guitar, some piano and tons of harp

Howlin' Wolf - This is the New Howlin' Wolf Album - 1968  - psychedelic blues that foreshadows what would come with the london sessions a few years later. Has some weaker spots where the psychedelia outshines the blues but Spoonful comes alive with some ultra blistering guitar and Moanin At Midnight is awesome as a  stripped down minimalist electric song
London Sessions - 1971 - Recorded with Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Bill Wyman & Charlie Watts. Nuff said

Muddy Waters - Hard Again

Electrified Chicago blues. The legendary Muddy Waters on guitar and vocals. The legendary Pinetop Perkins on piano and the legendary James Cotton on harmonica. Need I say more?

Alternativ Newcombers 2011

Do you like screamo, hardcore and punk pop? Do you like jumping between those genres quickly without warning? Even if you don't you should check out this free compilation. If you like pop punk and melodic hardcore stick with the first half but if you prefer angry, somewhat chaotic music you'll probably gravitate towards the second half.

Things start off well with Caravels and Make Do And Mend. Neither songs are new or unique but they are a good intro to the compilation. Unfortunately things takes an immediate dive right there. Aside from a hardcore song or two and some quite intense screamo this comp is front loaded with pop punk. Bands like Hostage Calm and maybe Daytrader and perhaps even Dear Landlord are able to distinguish themselves but a lot of the bands playing either pop punk or melodic hardcore seem to blur together namelessly. The lack of distinction between those two genres on this album is a large part of why this portion blurs together.

The Pianos Become The Teeth song is a nice change and signals that there is more screamo to come. Things get quite  awesome for awhile. Tigers Jaw keep it at medium speed but manage to brighten things up quite a bit. Castavet do their shiny, shouty thing and Plebeian Grandstand absolutely destroy.

Ordo Ab Chao by Plebeian Granstand really should not be allowed to exist. The song is frantic and sludgy at the same time. It's mathy like Meshugga but a lot more limber and constantly turning on randomly thrown dimes. The vocalist sounds completely tortured and the music is not far from insanity itself. Quite intense. The Republic Of Wolves Greek Fire is also a really intense song but following such chaos it seems rather diminished.

The second half is much better than the first for someone who doesn't care so much for pop punk or melodic hardcore. There is much more hardcore (DANGERS), a nice dose of french screamo (Who Needs Maps) a bit of post rock and screamo (As We Draw) and even some dark screamo (Exhaustion). If you like angry music played faster than it should be, filled with bile and hatred usually played by bands that get described as unreasonably pissed off then the second half will bring many rewards.

There is only a little bit of pop punk on this end of the album and both RIVR and Stay Ahead Of The Weather are great, innovative punk pop bands.

If you're like me the first half of this album will leave you thinking "Ok, you can write a pop punk song. Good for you. Maybe do something unique and true to you?" But that is nicely balanced out by the inclusion of a bunch of screamo and other more original bands that play with different song structures and the like.

Optimus Prime

Their second (?) ep. The post rock influences are a lot more obvious and so the songs are longer. There are more twinkly bits in the middle separating the explosions of chaos. There are also more quick subtle build ups instead of just exploding into screamed insanity. The twinkly, supposedly melodic bits in the middle didn't grab me at first but slowly those bits are growing on me. I have no idea what these songs are about even in the slightest but that doesn't lessen my enjoyment of this intense music at all

No Talk - Leather Discipline

I get mixed singles from this band. Usually hardcore is not particularly open to sexual deviancy and this album has that in spades. The artwork is eye catchingly homo erotic and the gang vocals all throughout do nothing to dissuade that aura. The guitars are nice and thick, the riffs are smooth and catchy and the powerful growl of the lead singer offset by just a tiny bit of clean singing. Hardcore usually isn't this catchy either, the focus tends to be on simply pounding your head in. These songs hold back just slightly so there's room to dance and sing along and for the songs to worm their way into your head. The whole thing's done in just over 22 minutes, way too short for songs this catchy.

Monument - Goes Canoeing

Not every band is going to create something new and innovative. Sometimes it's enough to bring together disparate influences and create something heartfelt and personal. Which is exactly what Monument have done on their debut full length album Goes Canoeing. They gracefully combine twinkly emo, mathy indie rock and both Dischord style hardcore and post-hardcore.

The intro is the only waste of time on this album; thankfully it's over in a minute. It's also the longest you have to wait for a change on the entire album. If you don't like a song wait at most 30 seconds and it will change. Each song is filled to the brim with constantly changing parts that mutate into something that seems barely related to the previous part but is always a logical progression onwards. There is very little repetition on this album, with so many parts to get to that's expected and it makes the occasional repetition that much more powerful.

The first actual song sets the template somewhat for the rest of the album. Roots Run Deep shifts three times within the first minute. It starts off in a very post-hardcore, or if you prefer, post-punk vein. Both guitars are going full tilt, one picking out a twinkly melody over top some nice distortion while Gabe, the lead singer, shouts without forgetting about melody. After 30 seconds of that the guitar lines merge, the backup singers start and Gabe joins them in actually singing. This continues for another 30 seconds and then some horns come in. They blow chaotically for awhile, not really following a pattern or melody and then it's back to the energetic post-hardcore with all the melody in the guitar. This constantly changing style continues for the rest of the album. The songs never sit still which creates a real sense that these songs are crafted with care and attention, not just slapped together quickly without really thinking about it.

The next song Glass House has fewer distinct parts but is none the weaker for it. It's one of the best songs on an album full of great songs. The focus is clearly on the chorus; it is beautiful with alternating vocals between Gabe and the rest of the band. The energy put into it creates a very nice contrast with the chilled out verses where Gabe relates a story of playing in the winter. It's really hard to clearly define a genre for this band because of the constant changes. In just one song they go from soft ballad to epic rock chorus back down with lots of sparkling guitars all around. Most of the songs follow the standard verse/chorus/verse/chorus structure but playing musical cut and paste with their influences makes the songs interesting.

Gabe's singing is clearly one of the highlights of this band. The others include the supremely catchy melodies and the great gang singalongs. Gabe's voice is really versatile. He can go from whiskey soaked semi shout to soaring elegant singing on a dime and even when he shouts there is still a large amount of melody. He tends not to clean sing a lot, leaving most of it to the rest of the band, and when he does he has a slight whine to his voice. It's enough to put a sad tint on the music but never overbearing or obnoxious.

Generally speaking they combine twinkly emo, post-hardcore/post-punk, indie rock and no small portion of math rock. The guitars usually alternate between bright bursts of flickering guitar patterns and forceful, driving progressions that create a sense of constant evolution.

It should not be a surprise that this is a great album. Members of Monument have put time in with legendary bands like The Summer We Went West, Dawntreader and The Tasty Habits. This album is not so much a merging or melding of styles but a mixing of all these guys know and love into a unique, tasty new thing.