“Let’s Get Visual, Girl (I Need You T’night)”

OK, here’s the first installment of crappy cell-phone pictures. I’m doing this because:

A) I like taking pictures, but don’t have the money to keep getting film developed, nor the resources to develop on my own. This way is freezy.

B) Using my cell phone for picturers  is ridiculously easy, which is good because I also don’t have much time to give to photography.

C) I like the crappy image quality and the idea of using it for the forces of good.

OK, without any other ado:

     

     

     
 

 

Here are some that Max Two took (he knows more about my cell phone than I do):

 

   

 

 

My ma has been taking some good cell phone pictures as well, and posting them on her blog.

 

I’ll have a review of the next Chest Cavity tape up soon. I’ve been listening to it, and it’s good.

 

 

Chest Cavity #2 – Escape

I think it might be safe to say the tapes are chronological. While still jumping around stylistically, “Escape” definately has a more “complete” feel to it. It’s also a bit more serious in ways. The name “Fragile Charm” for the first one makes more sense in a context with the second: the first is much more of a loose congregation of song fragments that could be described as “charming” (all condescension aside, we don’t do that here.)

Most of the songs on Escape are quite long, and relatively formless in a way that has me thinking on many of them “hey, this would be good on a movie sundtrack.” It reminds me of an Eno definition of ambient music: something you can have in the backround without listening to, that sets an environmental mood, but that is also interesting enough when you actually pay attention to what’s going on. Of course, the songs aren’t that formless: they still are sets of specific chord progressions and all that, it’s just that they tend to wander without going anywhere.

This mainly refers to the A side. There’s still a fair amount of energetic rock and pop type songs, recalling for me a range encompassing later Thin Lizzy and the New York Dolls. Nic’s singing is damn, damn good and there, unfortunately, isn’t a lot more singing on Escape than on Fragile Charm. However, that just makes it so much better when he does sing. Well, I guess there’s more singing.

There’s a good deal of seriousness in that “Is This Real” way, like, for instance the first song. Also some good acoustic stuff. Also some of the Dirty Three kind of desert vibe (if you know what I mean?) and one song that is so damn early Judas Priest. Also a really good keyboard song.

Maybe I should start doing this bullet-style:

- A weird ass song with a disco-y (but hey, not crap) rhythm, in a very 80s subdued glam pop way. But it’s not very subdued. And he’s singing like Morrisey (however you spell that doude’s name.)

- A really long song based around a really sort of cute/pretty marsupial acoustic guitar line. I had a good time listening to it walking around in a sunnier moment of this green Eugene Spring.

- I already mentioned the New York Doll’s, but I’ll say it again. If the leads on Fragile Charm reminded me of Cheetah Chrome, then the leads on Escape remind me of Johnny Thunders. This is not to leave unnoticed the Ron Asheton in there.
- A really good song with the line “Rock and Roll never sleeps” (followed by “so why should we.) That line could easily be used for the forces of evil, but Nic does it right. His voice has an earnesty to it that makes it perfect for home-recorded rock.

OK, I don’t want to make this too winded. So far we’re 2 for 2 as far as these things being awesome goes.

Additionally: Nic has seen the first review, and I think has some corrections on some of my assumptions (I coulda just asked the guy in the first place) so expect for the next one, in addition to the same old same old, a good helping of Truth.

For instance: he’s actually selling them, at 20 bux for the entirety (a damn good deal.) I believe you can get them via this site.

Chest Cavity #1 – Fragile Charm

As mentioned, I will discuss the Nic Gusset Home Recording Tape Series (pictured below) one tape at a time.

 

But first I should mention: we the household got new cellphones and they have built-in cameras. I intend to milk this option of easily-accessible, crappy looking images shamelessly. That right, Terrainasaur’s going visual!

I should also say a word about the series, more in depth than I have. The first five, all the 90 mins, are under the name Chest Cavity. The sixth, the shorter one, is under the name Ghost Snail. Liner info is minimal at best, excluding song names, but including cryptic photocopied images, in the veign of much of the posters which adorned the wall of his room at his mom’s house when he lived there, which is, I think, where most of this was recorded. I could be wrong about that.

Nic is using his tape-copying machine to make copies as fast as he can. I don’t know if he’s selling them, he may just be giving him to those he knows, which would include all of Eugene, half of Portland and a good portion of the Greater Northwest.

Now to the first tape, entitled “Fragile Charm.”

This is, straight up, the music of an intelligent punk rocker with a cavernous record collection. Too smart to just pull out the oom-pa oom-pa thing for every song, we have here a guy who could easily go in any one of a thousand directions, which the tape alludes to.

I don’t know if the series is chronological. If it is, this variety would make sense. Also the sparsity of singing (aren’t we all petrified of singing?) Which is worth mentioning: the singing is damn good. Sometimes like Joey Ramone, somtimes like Richard Hell, but never like he’s trying to be either. It’s quiet on the mix in that way that makes you hurt to hear more.

The drums sound about how they should: they’re trashy and they put the punch in the right notes. On the stuff w/ a full three/four piece (bass, drums, rhythm + lead gtr) each instrument fits in where it should. Especially worth noting in this regard is the bass playing, which could be described as “tasteful.” Not too boring, but not too obnoxious.

I’ll break it down to some highlights. Since song names aren’t listed, I’ll just do it bullet-style:

- The first song is just two guitars, one doing a riff and one soloing. It sounds a lot like the guitar tracks heard on the Stooges’ first record.

- A good number of tough rock songs. The tape manages to remind me of Rocket From the Tombs at many points, especially some of the solos. He manages to get tone that sounds like Cheetah Crome, in a good way.

- There’s at least one very Polvo song.

- A damn good acoustic gtr + bass song

- A song called “Gimme Regression” which you can hear on the Chest Cavity myspace, linked above. It brought on the mist to my high-school eyes. Chest Cavity, at moments, perfectly expresses the manifold emotions of being a “kid.” Nic, says I, is one of those guys who will “always be a kid” in every way that counts.

- I know there are some covers on there, I just can’t tell which ones are. This is a testament to good songwriting.

- The general pervading sense of “I don’t care what anyone thinks” which is one of the valuable lessons that punk rock has to offer (and that many “punks” never learn.) This tape is just damn fun, when not being angsty (in a good way.)

- Some damn pretty pop songs.

OK, that’s all I’ve got right now. The end of the tape says something to the effect of “this is really just the beginning.” So it is. Things I’d like from future tapes? More singing, perhaps.

Tomorrow I’ll check out Chest Cavity #2: “Escape.” I’m excited.

our favorite punk rocker . . .

Earlier today Nic Gusset (a name which I and most people I know instinctively precede with “good old”) dropped off at my house his six-tape home recording series. Five
of the tapes are ninety minutes, and the sixth is, I believe, sixty.

That is exactly the kind of thing I love, the bedroom-recorded cassette tape type stuff. I don’t know why, but it really gets me (when done well.) He released it under the label name “Trough Raid” (which is a better name than rough trade, btw.) It’s got me nostalgic for the days-I-never-saw of tape only “DIY” labels.

I haven’t had a chance to crack the first one open. I’m going the hell to bed (after watching half of “Empire Strikes Back” with Jesse.) I plan on starting tomorrow. Maybe I’ll post a play-by-play on the series.

it’s just that demon life . . .

Can’t get enough of my blogging? Well, perhaps you oughta know about my other blog: laugh if you want, but it’s on the myspace for my “home-recording project.” It sort of fills out where I leave off here. None of this is to imply that my blogging life is very active, or that I say anything of merit.

I might be sitting in on the drums for the Valiant Arms at a festival in Anna Cordis (spelling) this summer, which would be fun. Also playing there would be the likes of Some Velvet Al and Beat Johnson.

I’ve been looking at colleges these past couple three days. Reed and PSU and Evergreen (the latter of whic appears to be da munny). I was going to do a big old play-by-play entry on them, but I don’t think I will. I’ll just do it like this:

the kenny: Reed

slightly better: Evergreen

slightly worse: PSU

I got a chance to see some Olympia, which was nice. Some kid was all into Polvo and Rodan in this record store, and I was like “yes, maybe I belong here.” It is, after all, the seat of the gods. Also had what was arguably the best americano I’ve had ever in a coffee shop there, which is saying something.

But there was this clothing store, right? I think it was called “dumpster values.” The clothes there was pretty cool, you know, exactly the kind of stuff I get from thrift stores or loved ones who (sometimes) no longer want them. But everything was, like, sixteen dollars! Come on! I mean, I look at this old, moth eaten button down shirt (you know me and my button-downs) and I’m like “okay, they probably want a couple dollars, maybe four. I look at that tag and it says “16.” WTF? sixteen cents, maybe? Agh. Those hipsters are suckers for the commerce.

And in totally unrelated news, everybody in the world should hear this song (you kind of have to scroll down to the little player at the bottom of the boring rant).

oh god. i just spent a good seven hours at the library with jesse. we were there until closing time. i’m still not done.

i’ll admit it was fun, and mandatory. i don’t want to get into the particulars of the ridiculous  assignment, because it’s been staring me in the face since 5:00 PM and will continue to do so until nigh on sunrise.

that’s right: Under Six Tonight. I’m drinking strong mate as we speak. it’s been a good couple weeks since this old game. not sleeping always provides extra time, which is good and can also make me weird in a way that can be the best if I embrace it. seriously: some of my best moments as a human being have come on days following sleepless nights.

unfortunately, the house doesn’t have any coffee except for some stuff that patricia evidently brought from costa rica, and therefore might be a gift for someone or something. i’ve broken unintentionally into somebody’s gift coffee stored in our freezer before, and wouldn’t like to repeat that mistake. so i must use the mellower caffeine-effect which mate provides.

i’ll say it here, for the world to hear: jesse is a damn good person to go through insane situations with. i can think of few worthier friends/allies.

my plans for the night

1. finish the damn assignment and do other homework

2. write some half-complete songs for maddy+emma+i’s potential band

3. take an LOTR bath (with “energizing” bath crystals)

4. tidy up my room a bit

5. maybe write some certain kind stuff

yeah, i’ma go all love supreme on this.

the old desert island game

the tribal wars forum had a section on “top twenty desert island albums” (IE: what you’d want to be stuck with on a desert island, besides a record player). I ran the gauntlet and
it came up like this:
1. Television – Marquee Moon (too much going on here to talk about)
2. Coltrane – One Up, One Down Live at the Half Note (could this be the highest form of music out there? it’s possible)
3. The Warmers – Self Titled (simple guitar has rarely sounded better, nor has complex drumming)
4. Palace – Arise, Therefore (people say Oldham couldn’t sing at this point. bah.)
5. Gastr del Sol – Camoufleur (“I don’t speak any French, do you mind if I record you lighting off these fireworks? No, I don’t know what time it is”)
6. Thin Lizzy – Vagabonds of the Western World (one of my all time favorite records. gotta love the trio-era)
7. Syd Barrett – The Madcap Laughs (this record pulled me through at least one winter.)
8. Miles Davis Quintet – Miles Smiles (such a good lineup. some of my favorite tony williams action)
9. Black Sabbath – Vol. IV (if only “changes” didn’t go on for thirty minutes)
10. Beat Happening – You Turn Me On (some damn pretty songs. by this point they had gotten really good at the wall-of-pretty-chord-guitar thing)
11. Guided by Voices – Propeller (one of those “full blast” albums)
12. Guided by Voices – Alien Lanes (I can an do sing this one all the way through, word for word)
13. Guided by Voices – Vampire on Titus (it was hard to pick just three, but this one makes it. could be my favorite in terms of Pollard’s singing)
14. Wu Tang Clan – Forever (best getting-pumped music out there. I defy you to give me a more epic hip hop record.)
15. Chavez – Ride the Fader (damn, these guys were good at what they did. arguably the best.)
16. Bonny Billy + Matt Sweeney – Superwolf (Sweeney’s guitar is the best combination of pretty and tough this side of . . . something.)
17. Faces – a Nod is as good as a Wink . . . (speaking of pretty/tough. these guys just may be the best 60s rock band. i will argue that point fiercely)
18. Six Organs of Admittance – Dark Noontide (I love the way this album “flows”)
19. John Fahey – Days Have Gone By (he’s not showing off his absurd fingerpicking skills, he’s using them for the forces of good)
20. Make Believe – Shock of Being (I love that the Joan of Arc family decided to do a “rock band” and that it rocks so damn hard. when intelligent music truly “brings the rock” it’s a force to be reckoned with.

it scares me the number of left off albums that have already come to mind. i need a new hobby. i need to write my essay now. bye.

welcome terrainasaur! bewcome bahbainabore!

my torso, legs, etc are sore from the basketball tournament yesterday. it was fun, especially the part where kevin maloney and stefan claxton are incredible. their team wiped us up and down the court, but that’s ok (old kinderhook) because we beat the “sea bears”
. twice.

On thursday I saw ratatat and rocked out arguably harder than I ever have at a show. there were a lotta eugene hipsters and south eugene dudes and dudettes. anna said “what pisses me off is that you can tell that all these people are painfully conscious of how they look at any given moment.”

but I’ll rock out even harder THIS SATURDAY if I can get up to the rosy city to see LIGHTNING BOLT. if not, I can still check the Blast Wagon, when they play at the saturnday market.

it’s the first morning back from spring break. i’ll have to write a paper tonight, which is kind of suck, but at least it’s about trade policy and is fairly open ended. that way it won’t be too boring.

yeah, so I’m just drinking coffee and waiting til the last minute before leaving for school.

i started reading lord of the rings again. and the origin of species. both of which rock, but require a more-than-usual amount of attention, and I’m not a very attentive reader. but attentive reading is not an inborn skill, so I will learn it with the help of these books.

ok i should get going before the going gets me.