Against Me! – White Crosses (8/10)

A raucous caricature of seasoned punk rock and roll, the follow-up album to 2007’s well-received New Wave is at times generic sounding but always unrelenting and unapologetic in its tone.  The album’s eponymous first track White Crosses is a microcosm for whole the album, where the intuitively hostile lyrics “White crosses on the church lawn, I want to smash them all!” are misleadingly played out in the fashion of a jolly Irish drinking song.

Suggested listening environment:  Gym or pub.  If you can find a hybrid between the two, please contact me at b@moetrainstracks.com.

The first night at Roo seemed fairly tame in comparison to years in the past.  The early Thursday lineup seemed weak, until Neon Indian at 8:30.  The crowds seemed very excited to be at any set on Thursday night, as their Bonnaroo dreams finally have been realized.

We checked out The Dodos at 9, and they had a great vibe going.  They give off a sense of being European, but they’re a “domestic product” of the good ol’ US of A.  The crowd was packed, and the side stage area was mobbed.  (I think the press and musicians had a bit of Bonnaroo Fever as well!)

The Dodos made us thirsty.  No, it wasn’t the steamy weather of Tennessee, but it made us want to pour some heavy libations.  So we did.  Quite a few.  As Excelsior chilled at our front row spot (again!) in front of the Bonnaroo Arch, we met and hung out with our neighbors and locals of Manchester.  Apparently, they have been camping next to us for the past few years, and one of the fine gentlemen offered us a few drinks of this fine “shine.”  We had a great conversation about the different types of “shine,” and how much it still paralleled the early days of prohibition.   From what I hear, we’ll be having another sampling this weekend!

So quite a few Moe-jitos later, we head off to The xx’s set.  MTT was slated to interview The xx, but unfortunately they had to cancel.  If you haven’t heard their album yet, I highly suggest that you get it immediately.  It’s a bit more chill than the tunes I usually listen to, but the album is top notch.  It’s a very stripped down and simplified sound, but the intimacy of the set was astounding.  They have replicated the sound of their album perfectly, and in the live setting, the sentiment of their music is magnified tenfold.  They are a must see if they swing through your area.

B and I finished up the night with Wale’s hip hop fiesta.  I just got into his music, and that guy can seriously throw down.  Great crowd command and high energy ran through his crew onstage.  His set was proof that you don’t necessarily need to be familiar with someone’s music to thoroughly enjoy their set.  I’ll definitely be adding Wale to my playlist when I get home.

By the end of the night’s music and mayhem, it was time to crash back at our tent.  The vodka induced slumber was poor, but at least we were getting a bit of rest.  If there’s one thing for certain, Bonnaroo is not for the weary or faint of heart.

Bonnaroo is a true test of will and strength.  Plain and simple, if you’re not a fan of the heat, roughing it, or mud, you shouldn’t be here.  It’s been steamy hot since we arrived, and mud is everywhere.  On Wednesday night, a monsoon hit Manchester, so we’re dealing with pretty harsh conditions.  I’m not complaining, but since there are a ton of first timer here this year, I’m just informing people to make the appropriate decisions when choosing festivals.

LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening (8.5 out of 10)

LCD’s third album is nothing unforeseen, another laser-inscribed lamentation from the reigning analog-meets-digital maestro.  Murphy once again transcends the dance-punk genre, a style in which he is now a perennial figurehead.

What to listen for:

-major Talking Heads influences, check out Pow Pow

-Dance Yrself Clean- one of 2010’s best songs to date

-my only caveat- some of the songs drag-on a smidge (the average track is 7 minutes), not something that has worked well with my unrelenting ADD

- B

Derek has had one hell of a first year hitting the festival circuit, and blew up the crowds at Bonnaroo, Rothbury, Camp Bisco and more.  His live performances along with his drummer Corey are an absolute must see.

Pretty Lights has been releasing free albums (with option to donate) on PrettyLightsMusic.com, so you definitely need to grab yourself some of his albums.  If you need a great soundtrack to drive around to on a beautiful sunny day, Pretty Lights is the way to go!

Be sure to check out the new MoeTrainsTracks.com for an all new Tracks experience…  So we bring to you… The man who moves the feet…  Derek Vincent Smith, from Pretty Lights.

Derek Vincent Smith (Pretty Lights) Interview on Moe Train’s Tracks

Monty Wiradilaga and Brian Kracyla (MTT)

Moe (MTT):  This is your first festival season right?  How’s it treating you?

Derek (Pretty Lights):  I had no idea what to expect coming into it.  I was very excited about it.  And to be honest, I’ve received nothing but love at all, it’s been really cool.  Even fifteen minutes before the show, when the tent’s empty and I’m feeling kinda nervous about if people are going to come check out the set, they’ve never let me down.  Everyone has been really cool, it’s been packed, lots of energy.  People obviously come to festivals to listen to music and dance and get down and I’m glad that I can help them do that.

M:  You guys run an interesting improv angle with your music, you always have an evolving sound.  How do you work to create an evolving musical journey throughout your set?

PL:  That’s a cool question.  A lot of people look at me behind a table and think that I’m a DJ, and to be honest, I’ve never spun a record in my life.  I could probably match beats with records, but I’ve never even tried it.  All the music is original, using original productions I should say.  I’m using software and different devices to trigger different parts and arrange it on the fly and to affect it and manipulate it and play some of the layers live on top, like melodies and samples and stuff like that.  But back to your question, how do I look at it as a set, as a whole, I try to think of it more as how a DJ would as far as tempos.  I really try to bring the energy up and back down smoothly.  Even if it’s a real hype hip-hop speed track, I don’t like to play it after some more up-tempo electric track because it just doesn’t feel right.

M:  Don’t want to burn people out?

PL:  Yeah.  Also I like to produce a lot of different styles of music, of a lot of electronic kind of music, but they also vary in energy a lot.  But rather than just have my live shows be all high energy dance music, I like to bring in some of the more organic down-tempo, more emotional kind of tracks.  It does take some consideration of where to bring that in and where to play it or not to play it.  Honestly, as I play more and more, I’m getting better at being able to do that. Because I never have a set list, the songs have a level of improvisation, but the sets are always improvised as far as the order.  Like last night, these people had grabbed a set list off the stage and I could see people were kinda arguing over it and I went down and said, ‘That’s not even my set list!  That’s the set list for the band that hasn’t played yet.  You better put that back up there, they’re not gonna know what songs to play.’

M:  Well you and Corey worked together in another band before this, so I guess you guys have a good chemistry going.

PL:  Yeah, we worked together before Pretty Lights in a band and actually when that broke up, when that kinda ceased to exist, that’s when I started writing the first Pretty Lights album.  There was really a period of time for about two years between when that band ended and when the first Pretty Lights show that I actually invited the drummer up to play with me.  I wanted that element live and I feel like it brings a certain kind of hands-on, live energy to the show.  Also, I like to be able to play off another individual.  So that’s when I collaborated with him and started doing the shows with a live kit.

M:  You basically formed a sort of sign language on stage, sort of tipping each other off on what’s going on?

PL:  Yeah.  When we first started playing it pretty much was only two hand signals, like ‘cut out’and ‘come back in’.  But as we played together more and I’ve written more music in a way that it can be performed differently each time, utilizing the different technology like Abelton Live with the different kind of features…

M:  Is that what you use?

PL:  That’s what I use live, yeah, in conjunction of a device called a monomer.  We use signals like, I have different hand signals to switch drum beats, or switch high-hat speeds, or switch to ride signals, or we’ve got one for switching to an off-beat snare pattern, or losing the snare and keeping the kick and high-hat, or different things for bringing the energy up or bringing the energy back down, and things like that.  It’s definitely evolved, the way in which we communicate on-stage.

M:  So how do you think the live performance brings your audience a different experience than what’s on your albums?

PL:  It’s all about the energy, about hearing the music in a different sort of setting.  It’s good car music, I think it’s good bedroom music but a lot of…

M:  Bedroom music, huh!  Getting the beds rockin’?

PL:  That’s what I’m saying, man! People have told me that I’ve gotten them laid.

M:  There you go, to your credit…  Put that on your resume, ‘Getting People Laid!’

PL:  (Laughing)  Back to that question, what I was trying to say was that it’s not all me, or us, the people on-stage, creating that live experience.  It has so much to do with everyone coming together and experiencing the difference of the live show energy but also within a congregation of people.  And it also has a lot to do with, nowadays, the light show and bringing the visual medium.  Which has evolved, but I’m looking to take it a lot further.

M:  Just an all encompassing experience.

PL:  Exactly, a multi-media experience.  A lot of people think that when I named it Pretty Lights that I named it exactly for that, some crazy laser light show, but that definitely wasn’t in my mind at all when that name kinda came to be.  It was more about personal experiences of pretty lights, I’m always on the look at for that kind of thing.  But I’m definitely trying to bring the whole live light/video aspect of the show to a whole ‘nother level, and just keep pushing that, keep pushing the production so that people can really have a cool experience that’s far different than listening to the record.

M:  We are doing a show on Michael Jackson.  How did he affect you, if at all?  With his passing, it hit us all in the music industry in one way or another.  Did he affect you at all?

PL:  Yeah, he did.  Not maybe at the same time that other people, especially at my age, might have been exposed to it or hit by it because, honestly, I grew up in a family that, when I was a kid, I wasn’t really exposed to a lot of music.  Being born in the eighties, I think a lot of people my age heard a lot of Michael Jackson growing up but it was a different experience for me because it didn’t get into to it until I was able to find it myself as a late teenager.  In junior high I was like ‘Oh, I know who Michael Jackson is, he’s the King of Pop’ but I wasn’t really exposed to his music.  When I really started getting into music, and getting into production, and really going back and listening to it with fresh ears, a lot of it is just unbelievable.  It’s just incredible music.  The records he did specifically with Quincy Jones, who’s one of my icons as a producer, have been very inspirational, not only in how I create music but also in a personal way.  That combination of artists was really able to create some pieces of music that made you feel.  And that’s what music has always been about for me, creating emotion and always having people be able to feel something from the music, inside.

M:  Where do you see Pretty Lights evolving to in the near future?

PL:  I have a lot of ideas that I want to manifest and to make happen in my career, wherever it goes.  Right now, and in the recent past, I’ve been doing a lot of collage sample producing, where I’m taking different snippets from vinyl and bringing them together to create pieces of music.

M:  Like Girl Talk style?

PL:  Not like Girl Talk at all.  Actually, nothing like that.  More like DJ Shadow, a big influence for me.  The whole idea is more obscure pieces of music and just little pieces of it.  So you can still really implement melodic creativity and create feelings and emotions that didn’t exist in the song that the sample was taken from because you’re getting pieces from all these different not only artist but different decades.  As far as pushing the project and the show and the music in general, I feel like the sampling phase of my career is kind of dwindling because I have the means to create that stuff on my own.  Before, in that two year period I mentioned between the prior band and Pretty Lights, I worked as an audio engineer in a professional recording studio and did a lot of records with, not only local bands, but some bigger artists.  I did some work with Lyrics Born and Greyboy Allstars and stuff like that.  I want to be able to capitalize on my experience as an audio engineer and working in the studio producing other musicians, just how we were talking about Quincy Jones.  I’m actually already looking into getting my own vinyl press and buying analog tape machines, so I can really create the sound that I want, which right now I’m getting by taking it from vinyl from other decades.  But I want to be able to create that in the present day.  As far as future records, I’m looking to work with networks of musicians and really utilizing recording techniques to hang on to that golden age of music where everything sounded so warm and awesome.  As far as my records, that’s where I’m looking to take things, but also I’m looking to make it very multi-media.  I do a lot of video editing and stuff on the side and haven’t been able to really bring that to the show yet.  So one thing that I’m looking to work on in the near future is also realizing audio/video compilation things, not just records but records and video accompaniments and the same time.  But, anyway, you’re letting me babble on, which I appreciate.

M:  That’s cool.  I asked the question.  Hey man, thanks a lot for being with us.  I appreciate it.  We look forward to your set tonight.

PL:  Yeah, me too!  It’s been a pleasure.   Thank you so much.

Music isn’t and shouldn’t always be mind-blowing, nor should it always be ground breaking or poetic. At times, even the most discriminant listener needs to let their guard down and enjoy certain albums for what they are: A good time. Party Rock by LMFAO is one of those rock/rap/old school/club albums.

Party Rock, produced by The Black Eyed Peas’ Will.i.am is a party wrapped into an album. True, it may be filled with tracks like “I Am Not A Whore” (which has got a killer beat), and “Shots (with Lil’ Jon.. Yyyeaaah!!)”, but this album is loaded with ridiculous and fun songs that will get the asses movin.

Is this album extremely niche-y? Sure.

Is it very well produced and catchy? Hell yeah…

So take this album at face value, pour a few shots of Patron, and have a good time.

- The Train

Related articles:

• LMFAO’s Sky Blu, Redfoo Talk Work And Play On The Road (mtv.com)
• LMFAO “Party on the Rock” returns to St John’s, Nfld, live April 13th 2010 (newswire.ca)

Hole – Nobody’s Daughter (1.3 out of 10)

I’ve heard some shitty albums lately, but nothing as absolutely horrendous as this “Hole album.”  I put it in quotes because this piece of crap sounds as though Courtney Michelle (not Love-Cobain anymore) sat in her living room, downed a bottle of pills, clicked on Skype and recorded the audio through her webcam mic.  There was a minute possibility that Courtney could have redeemed herself musically with a killer album, but she all but killed any chance to prove she still has it.

Sure, she’s a mess.  Physically and emotionally, Courtney’s gone through a lot.  There was potential for a very revealing and cathartic album, but she bombed.  Did she even have the same band at all?

As you can tell, I was disappointed.  I guess I shouldn’t have had such high hopes!  Have a listen, then recycle.

Related articles:

• Courtney is Love no more – call her Courtney Michelle (pbpulse.com)
• Love It Or Hate It: Courtney Love (imnotobsessed.com)
• Courtney Scolds Frances On Twitter (perezhilton.com)

We’re headed back to the vaults for an interview with Matthew O’Brian, the former lead vocals and guitars for the roots reggae and dub outfit called Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad. Although Matthew and the band have parted ways, this interview gives a great insight into the mind of one who has created a thriving and perpetually touring band

A big welcome to all you rastas and reggae heads.  We’re headed back to the vaults for an interview with Matthew O’Brian, the former lead vocals and guitars for the roots reggae and dub outfit called Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad.

Although Matthew and the band have parted ways, this interview gives a great insight into the mind of one who has created a thriving and perpetually touring band.  Have a listen as we discuss the vibe of their band, brushes with the great Toots of Toots and the Maytals, and their green stance.  We wish both Matthew and Giant Panda the best in the future, so be sure to check them both out when they hit your area!  So from the vaults, the Tracks bring to you… Matthew O’Brian, former vocals and guitars for Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad (giantpandadub.com).

Interview with Matthew O’Brian (Formerly of Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad)

Brian Kracyla and Monty Wiradilaga (Moe Train’s Tracks)

Moe (MTT):  We’re sitting back here with Matt from Giant Panda.  What’s going on, man?!  How are ya?

Matt:  Very well.  Nice to see ya, Monty!

MTT:  Awesome, great set today.

M:  Thanks.

MTT:  How is the Rothbury experience compared to your other festival experiences?

M:  We’ve gotten to experience it since Thursday night, we had a whole day and a half of anticipation for our own set.  Everything has been super-exceptional, super-clean, and the vibe is real strong.  The experience with the set was great.  We played first so we got an excellent soundcheck full.  We were ready to go, all dialed in before we hit the stage.  That’s better than most festivals where you’re rushed to get on.

MTT:  Your music draws from the roots, dub, but you guys also mix in improvisation.  How important is it for the band to take the listeners on a musical journey?

M:  It fulfills our own musical desires and our own creative desires to be able to take those risks in the live setting and really feel like we are pushing our selves and challenging ourselves.  For very many people, it’s apparently one of their favorite things they get to experience at the Giant Panda shows as well, the improvisation.  It’s been openly confirmed recently that we really want to bring that to every show.  We really want to have that experience of not knowing what’s going to happen next, no plan.

MTT:  So, you feel that your live show is really the bread and butter of your music?  Or do you feel it’s your recordings?

M:  We tour and do 180 shows a year.  Our live shows are our bread and butter.  The history of reggae is a studio history.  A lot of the sweet reggae we have heard over the years is all produced in the studio and rarer live.  We’ve sought to bring true roots-sound and that real vibration to the live scene as much as we can, that’s our contribution.

MTT:  Speaking of which, you’ve shared the stage with some legends.  How have they really influenced your sound?  Do you have any stories with the classics?

M:  Their sound influenced us for our whole upbringing.  Lee Scratch Perry was influencing our sound before we knew what recordings he had influenced so much.  You listen to the old Bob Marley and that was all black art, that was the finest Lee Perry productions.  Toots sets a wonderful example because Toots’ music is some of the most uplifting and positive of that roots era.  His voice is so rich, but he also is so positive and so giving of his own energy to his audiences.  He’s very, very musically disciplined and his band is one of the sharpest.  He really lives up to his reputation.

MTT:  Do you have any stories with him?

M:  We lived down on State Street in Rochester, NY and he was staying at the Crowne Plaza, directly across the street from our apartment.  We played with Toots at one of the biggest shows we’d ever done at the time, in Rochester, at a big outdoors jazz-fest thing.  Toots headlined and at the end of the festival blew it out in the street, and we got to open for him and then we were heading to Bonnaroo that night, the minute we were done with the set.  We were running late, running around, and we found ourselves back at our house getting our last things together as Toots was pulling into his hotel.  Dylan, our guitar player who’s met Toots before, ran over and said “Hey man, nice to play with you.  It was a great honor.”  And he turned to us with both of his hands in the air and just like (pumping both hand in the air), all the way as we were driving away he was pounding two hands in the air!  He gave us the best energy we could get to hit the road with.  We were just proud to be there with him, let alone the fact that he acknowledged us like that.

MTT:  Speaking about legends, we’re doing a show on Michael Jackson.  How has Michael Jackson influenced you personally or musically?

M:  Michael, to me, means quality, top quality from the time the public was aware of him.  He was five years old and making untouchable high quality music and it never wasn’t untouchable, high quality.  I have nothing but the utmost respect for Michael’s music.  I think that with somebody like Michael Jackson, the influence is so thick, so ingrained in everything, it gets taken for granted as a part of reality.  It’s a culture of his own.

MTT:  It was definitely a shock.  It felt like a part of our childhood was taken away, well not just childhood but our whole life.

M:  It is, its part of everybody.  He’d been there 45 years of his 50 years!

MTT:  The band (GPGDS) takes a very green stance.  Are you guys are participating in the (Rothbury) think-tank?

M:  We are participating in the think-tank.  They asked us to do that, I guess they picked up on the green stance.  We’re not too preachy about it or anything but we, in our own lives and travels, have made choices and changes.  The Sprinter runs on diesel and we’ve converted it to run on waste veggie oil.  It’s been a process getting to know the whole scene but we put a lot of thought and a lot of money into getting it real right.  This is the first summer, so we’re just getting it under way.

B:  How do you get the oil for it?  Do you go to restaurants and try to get what they let go of?

M:  More and more you can buy filtered waste veggie oil.  You can get waste veggie oil from places that preferably don’t use any fat.  Some places just fry tortilla chips or just fry potato chips.  You want as much of the clean stuff as you can get in the first place because then you have to filter it, let it settle out through all these filters, and then you put it in your van.  It goes through a little bit of a filter putting it in, but you put it in and then you burn it like diesel fuel.

MTT:  HOW MANY MILES TO THE GALLON DO YOU GET?

M:  I can’t say a specific number but to give you an example, Rochester, NY to Burlington, VT, one forty gallon tank of waste veggie oil.  That’s like a 8 hour drive sometimes.

MTT:  Where do you see the evolution of your band, where do you see your future?

M:  We see ourselves asserting our right to, you say we take a “green stance”, we take an “everything stance”.  We feel a responsibility to bring the highest that we can bring.  We feel the responsibility to give the audience, and give people that take the time to enjoy and experience music, the best of what we can give them.  We treat our lives that way and we try to keep ourselves in good shape, we make good choices with our bodies and with our lives, in our actions and with the way that we speak to people.  I hope that our band can keep reflecting that and keep getting more gigs like at Rothbury to reflect that and stay true to our roots.  We always want to be able to be who we are and maintain creative integrity and to talk to more people like you.

MTT:  Thanks very much for being with us.  We appreciate it.

M:  Yeah, thanks Monty!

———————

Matthew and Rachel (also a former member of Giant Panda) have started a new band called Thunder Body.  Check them out on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/THUNDER-BODY/111078485595149?ref=ts

POP MONTREAL ANNOUNCES 9th YEAR AND HEADLINERS

POP Montreal, the fun and lovable independent music festival is pleased to announce it’s 9th edition taking place September 29th to October 3rd 2010 with a sneak peak at some of its headliners.

Some of the highlights include the return to the stage after 14 years of the legendary post-punk band SWANS; the mysterious Canadian cult singer MARY MARGARET O’HARA; the producer/composer/musician VAN DYKE PARKS who has worked wih everyone from the Beach Boys to Grace Kelly and Joanna Newsom; perhaps the greatest gypsy marching band on earth, Romania‘s MAHALA RAI BANDA and the unpredictable and awesome DEERHOOF.

Other artists joining the party include: LIARS, DANIELSON, MARNIE STERN, FOL CHEN, BEAR IN HEAVEN, NAOMI SHELTON & THE GOSPEL QUEENS, SHONEN KNIFE, KARKWA, THE LUYAS, BABY DEE, TWIN SISTER and CLARE & THE REASONS.

In the coming months POP will announce more of its line-up, plus their always fantastic onslaught of film, late-night after-parties, panels and workshops, art shows and indie craft fair. So stay tuned!

For early bird passes check: http://ow.ly/1HW9Q

For individual show tickets please check: http://ow.ly/1IUlx

More info: http://popmontreal.com

A reggae legend not to be missed.  Look for Moe Train’s Tracks interview with Toots on MoeTrainsTracks.com soon!

It’s been an incredible year and half for Colorado-based producer and Pretty Lights mastermind Derek Vincent Smith. Starting out in 2008 performing in small clubs in his home state, Pretty Lights is now selling out 1000+ venues across the country, and was named one of NPR’s recommended acts for last month’s WMC (you can check out the piece here.)

Pretty Lights has now announced its biggest headline show to date, returning to his hometown on August 8, 2010, to headline the famed Red Rocks. Tickets on sale April 24^th at 10am MST.

Wondering what all the fuss is about? Check out Pretty Lights at Coachella this weekend. Or catch a show at numerous soon to be sold out venues across the country. With soulful organic vinyl samples on top of bass heavy electro beats, Pretty Lights lands somewhere between DJ Shadow and Daft Punk. But what sets him apart is his ambitious live setup that includes the addition of Cory Eberhard on drums and stunning visuals, making his live performances the stuff of legend.

PRETTY LIGHTS TOUR DATES

Dr. Dog – Shame, Shame (8.6 out of 10)

One of the best albums of 2K10 so far!  A mellow blend of folk, indie rock, and garage band which rouses reflections of the Flaming Lips and Arcade Fire.  Startlingly, it’s a coming out party from the most unlikely locale, good ol’ Philly baby!  I’m embarrassed that these hometown heroes have eluded me for so long.  Suggested listening: Shame, Shame will serve as fantastic summer-driving music; windows all the way down with the warm breeze fluttering your hair around.

Related articles:

• Hear Dr. Dog’s New “Stranger” From April LP “Shame, Shame” (rollingstone.com)
• New Albums from Dr. Dog & 3 More! (spin.com)

(I’m approx an hour and a half into it)

The film was moving along relatively linearly until a second ago when all lines of reality derailed.  The two women, Rita and Betsy, were at the opera and things started to get really weird.  Here we go: Alice down the rabbit hole!… Alright wait, she’s about to put the blue key in the blue box… um… the cowboy is talking to the dead chick and telling her to wake up… whoa, what a sec, okay, I’m confused… a different blue key is on the coffee table (possible metaphor?) … holy shit, maybe this chick’s just been on heavy narcotics and we’re living the dream with her…  okay, random titties and another lesbo make-out scene.  Naomi Watts is pretty delicious in this (both these chicks are)… so is this a jealous lover story?… Whoa, Naomi Watts is violently masturbating while sobbing, it’s pretty disturbing… still brilliant cinema… So, um, Diane was Rita who was actually Camilla and Betsy is actually Diane?… now, Naomi Watts is in the limo where Rita originally started in the movie… okay, so instead of the attempted murder like earlier, they are going to a random house party in the Hollywood hills.  Why is the landlady, Coco, at this party?  Now she’s the movie director’s mom?!… Everyone at the dinner table started talking in Spanish for a second for no reason!… guess Camilla (Rita) is banging the director… wait, one of the old suits is there: are they ever going to explain the ominous men who have been playing puppet master all story? Are they supposed to represent something (the influence of big studio execs)? … the cowboy just walked past in the background… I think we’re supposed to be experiencing Diane’s mental breakdown… WTF!! Now we are back at the diner?!  So, the original Camilla is actually just Betsy the waitress… blue key makes a reappearance on the coffee table at the apartment…  They never explained the relevance of the long-haired guy’s black book, or why he was killed for it… now we’re taken to an alleyway with the bum who’s covered in oil, not grasping the significance of this guy (what was up with the two men who were originally at the diner and what happened to the one guy when he saw the oil-bum in the back lot?)… Hahaha, this is ridiculous, 6 inch tall miniature men dancing around!!… either this bitch is supposed to be losing it or I am… whooooaaaa, the old people from the airport with the crazy smiles are chasing her down her hallway and freaking me outtt!!!!!!… Naomi Watts has now capped herself…  cut to the lady in the blue wig at the opera. “Silencio”…

Wow.  I have officially watched my first David Lynch film.  If what I typed made absolutely no sense to you at all then I articulated my thoughts perfectly, and, just so you know, I was stone-sober.

Art doesn’t have to make perfect sense though.  The whole point is for it to evoke emotions and elicit a cerebral response; and my brain was moving a mile a minute that whole time.  I was enthralled throughout this entire film and can now go to sleep with a greater appreciation for film as art.  I’m probably gonna have some crazy dreams.

*If you plan on watching this movie, you’ll have to excuse the bad acting, except for Billy Ray Cyrus who was exceptional as the pool boy.

Pearl: Thanks to the movie Jerry Maguire, to this day, I still answer approx 50% of my phone calls with, “This Cush’.”

Related articles:

• 16 reviews of Mulholland Drive (rateitall.com)
• A Sequel To Mulholland Drive In The Works?? (perezhilton.com)
• Finding the Funny in ‘Mulholland Drive’ (cinematical.com)

Usher – Raymond v Raymond (6.9 out of 10)

There’s a difference between an entertainer and an artist.  Usher is undeniably a really good performer and singer, artist not so much.  To be fair, Raymond v Raymond never claims to be something it’s not; it simply strives to be a top five Billboard album, which it will be.  Its chalk full of cheesy ballads and sweet-sweet love-making music, but that can be fun sometimes.

Stats: The word “baby” is used 61 times and the endearment “girl” is employed 66 times, yet the ever-dynamic “baby girl” is surprisingly utilized only once.  (Yes I actually counted)

Peak: OMG is a good time

Valley: The track Lil Freak contains quite possibly the worst rap verse of all time courtesy of Nicki Minaj: “I keep a couple of hoes, like Santa I keep a vixen.  I got that Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Dixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blisten.” …wow.

- B.

“Rokkervil” took me by surprise.  Admittedly, I have never been a huge fan of Okkervil River (I know, I know) or Roky Erickson.  Roky’s history of imprisonment and hospitals for schizophrenia, drug use and mail obsession were intriguing enough to garner a listen.  (Well, that, The Explosives,his team up with Okkervil, and the fact that it’s Roky’s first new release in 14 years.)

Roky Erickson (w/ Okkervil River)

True Love Cast Out All Evil (8.5/10)

“Rokkervil” took me by surprise.  Admittedly, I have never been a huge fan of Okkervil River (I know, I know) or Roky Erickson.  Roky’s history of imprisonment and hospitals for schizophrenia, drug use and mail obsession were intriguing enough to garner a listen.  (Well, that, The Explosives,his team up with Okkervil, and the fact that it’s Roky’s first new release in 14 years.)

The album opens with with the obligatory lo-fi recording (these days!), and expands into a sonically endearing and heartfelt performance.  Roky’s gravely storytelling backed by Okkervil River’s solid instrumentation makes for one of my largest musical surprises of 2010.  What began as a hesitant listen, became the soundtrack for the rest of my late night.

- Moe

Second opinion: I was highly skeptical of this album also, especially after reading about this guy’s story (which I encourage everyone to do).  His back story though is eventually what supports the authenticity of his candor.  Okkervil River provides the perfect atmosphere to showcase his gravel-pit southern vocals.  Easily one of the most intriguing albums I’ve heard recently.  I’m really excited about this record, thanks Train!

Related articles:

• Roky Erickson to release first new material in 14 years (guardian.co.uk)
• Roky Erickson & Okkervil River – “Be And Bring Me Home” (Stereogum Premiere) (stereogum.com)

Here’s part 2 of the MoeTrainsTracks.com transformation:

• Album Reviews: We know. “Everyone’s a critic these days.” MTT has always been independent and uncensored, and our reviews will remain that way. No long, drawn out, wordfests that you have to sift through just to hear if we thought the album was Excelsior or not. We’ll keep it short, so you can get to the listening.
• Tracks’ Tweets: Yeah, we use Twitter. You can follow Moe Train (@MoeTrainsTracks) and King B (@MTTracks_KingB) on your own Twitter app, or read our streams on the front page of MTT.com. We’re constantly updating our Twitter streams, so keep an eye on it to know what we’re up to at all times!
• iPhone App Reviews: Excelsior is a big fan of our iPhones, and we’ll let you know some of the apps that get us through everyday life (and those which you shouldn’t waste your money on!) This section will just be a small added bonus on MTT.com, but don’t worry, the tech geek side in us will stay pretty quiet.
• Music News: We’ll always have the latest world music news streaming on the right sidebar on MTT.com.
• Photo Galleries: Our photo galleries will feature photos that we’ve shot, as well as outside contributors’ pics. We’d like to showcase individual photographers, so if you feel that your pictures are especially Excelsior, contact us, and you may be featured on the site!

  

  Image via CrunchBase

Thanks again to our 130,000+ listeners worldwide, and the tons of readers who have stuck with us since day one. We have a blast creating new content for all of you, and will continue on the same path for years to come. Don’t forget! Festival Season is upon us, and we’ll be seeing you out on the road very soon!

To Excelsior!

- Brian “B” Kracyla and Monty “Moe Train” Wiradilaga

What’s goin’ on everyone? As I’m sure you’ve noticed, MoeTrainsTracks.com has had quite a facelift lately. We’ve had to rebuild everything from the ground up, but it’s all to make the site and show a much more interactive experience for everyone involved. Although Version 2 has taken a while to come to fruition, we promise that it will be worth the wait.

Here’s what the MTT.com upgrade will entail:

• All new design scheme: Version 2 of MTT.com revolves around functionality and interactivity. (It also looks pretty damn cool though, if I must say so myself!)
• More of our famous interviews: We have always prided ourselves upon the high quality of the musicians we have on the show, and the entertaining/informative aspects of the interviews. There will be quite a few of unreleased interviews to come out in the near future so keep an eye on the site. MTT hits artists from all genres. King B is our hip-hop/rap specialist, and Moe does most of the other interviews. We continue to double team every interview, as it’s certainly been a tried and true formula.
• New content at least 3 to 4 times a week: We’ve added new sections to the website to make the MTT experience a better one for our listeners/readers. The Tracks staff is still considering site contributors, so if you’re interested… Contact us.
• Excelsior’s Exclamations: King B + Moe Train = Team Excelsior. Excelsior’s Exclamations are our forum to say what we want, when we want, about anything that we want! (Ha.) Of course, the topics will mostly revolve around the music scene, but we’ll also be interjecting our thoughts on a whole slew of subjects (or whatever comes to mind the day that we’re writing!). If there’s ever anything that you’d like to hear us speak about, please feel free to let us know!

(Continued in Part 2)

Moe:  We sitting back stage her with Jeremy Stein, promoter and creator of Rothbury Festival.  Thanks for being with us.

Jeremy:  Fantastic being here guys, thanks.

M:  How did you go about putting together your vision of the Rothbury Festival?

J:  That’s good question.  I think it came together really over a course of years.  It’s funny, I was reading Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and there’s a big thing in there about taking 10,000 hours of work to really get a vision for something and think that’s what happened over the course of a decade.  We were putting on a lot of different events; 5,000 people, 15,000, 20,000, all over the world and also had a lot of different artists under our management firm who were traveling the world at festivals.

So I had this kind of rare experience to be able to go to festivals across Europe/Australia/Japan, and really make notes on all of them, and see what was working, and combining that with a general attempt to have a cultural event at Rothbury, and an art event.

Obviously music is a magnet, no question, but it’s so much more than that for everyone.  Some people even have trouble putting their finger on what that more is, but it’s so much more.  You combine all those factors and it almost surfaced organically.

M:  Last year, we called Rothbury ‘Festival of the Year’; for the lineup, for the atmosphere, for the people, the total experience.  How important was it for you to create an all-encompassing experience for your guests?

J:  The general idea is that it’s an immersive environment that people come to live at.  A lot of festivals, not for good or for bad but just the way they are, are generally daytime into the evening events and they shut down, and they’re not camping festivals so everyone goes home at night and they might come back the next day.  This kind of event is different.  Not only is it a big holiday weekend (4^th of July), and people are really looking forward to getting off work and they’re out of school and all those types of things, but they are living here for four days.  And when you’re living somewhere for four days, you get to know the people next to you, and you make some new friends out there.

Not only are you obviously here for the big shows and the big dance events and all that kind of stuff, but most of the time you’re not at a big show, you’re relaxing.  You can’t just be on level 11 for 24 hours a day. (Moe giggles)  So, that’s a big part of what the forest turned into, it’s a daytime lounge.  And when people can get that downtime in a shaded, cool environment with their friends, they have way more energy for the rest of the day and they’re not just totally burnt out at the end of the show.  That’s a pretty exciting scene.

M:  Did you take the forest idea from Fuji Rock?

J:  I’ve been to Fuji Rock a lot and there’s no question that we are kindred spirits.  Especially on their recycling.  They were doing that recycling before just about anyone else that I’ve seen out there.  They weren’t doing composting but the teams that we working at the cans and everything and having a strong green scene.  That was just more a part of the culture there than anything else but they were a little ahead of the curve.  I’m friends with those guys and it’s probably the closest relationship of a forested environment for a festival that I know of.

M:  In the future, what do you see for Rothbury and what is your perfect headlining act?

J:  Wow, that’s a tough question.  I think year to year, there’s no question that the headlining acts give a little bit of their own identity to what that year of the festival is, and some of them are available some years and just not another.  There’s no question either that there’s a top 25 names out there and we all know who they are, there’s no big secrets.  So, one year it’ll work for Rothbury and one year it won’t.  We just gotta go where the wind takes us.  I care just as much about the music, I’m not afraid about the music though, we’ll get the right music every year.

I think that now we’ve hit a critical mass where the industry knows what it is.  It’s just as exciting to the artist as it is to everyone else and they want to be here.  So, we’re gonna get there on the musical side.  I care as much about the community building, the interactive environment, and getting more people involved in the show.  The more everyone’s involved in the show, the more the entire grounds become the stage.  It’s not just you come to watch something, you come to be a part of something.  That’s what I’m after.

M:  Thank you very much for being with us.  We appreciate it.  The festival’s been killer.

J:  Great guys, good luck.  Have fun out there.

Related articles:

• Rothbury 2010 Canceled; Midwest May Gain Bamboozle Fest (rollingstone.com)

MGMT Interview on Moe Train’s Tracks

Andrew Vanwyngarden, Ben Goldwasser (MGMT)

Monty Wiradilaga, Brian Kracyla (Moe Train’s Tracks)

Starlight Ballroom – Philadelphia, PA

Here’s a great interview that was rescued from The Tracks’ vaults…  Back in early 2008, MTT caught up with Andrew and Ben from MGMT in Philadelphia, PA.

MGMT had just gotten a major break in the music scene with the widespread critical success of Oracular Spectacular.  Keep an eye on MoeTrainsTracks.com for tons of great new content!

Moe:  We saw you guys down at Bonnaroo for your set, it was a great way to open up the weekend.  I was a pretty epic show if I must say.

Andrew: Yeah, it was fun.  We had been to Bonnaroo before so it was good to see it from the side of the artist instead of the person in the crowd.  It was only our second festival show.

M:  Oh really, where was the first, Coachella?

A:  Yeah.

M:  So how do they compare?

A:  I don’t know, Coachella was crazier for us because we were more nervous.  Bonnaroo was a little more relaxed and cool.

M:  You guys just started tour together with a band right?

Ben:  We started practicing with them about a year ago.  I think we were kinda thrust into exposure a little too quickly for our taste.  We played on national television after we had only been touring with the band for a couple of months.

M:  Was that on Letterman?

B:  Yeah.

M:  You looked a little nervous.

B:  Yeah, we were very nervous!  But we’re getting more comfortable and we don’t have to think as hard when we’re playing, its kinda getting to be more natural.  We’re getting used to playing for crowds.

M:  Did you guys have sound problems at Bonnaroo in the beginning, what was going on?

B:  Yeah, well, the festival thing, we hardly ever really get a sound check so it’s always a little weird starting out.

A:  I think the monitors were pretty messed up.

M:  (to Andrew) Oh, by the way, you had on some pretty fucking crazy pants.  I remember walking up to set and saying ‘holy shit’, those bright blue ones!

A:  Tropical floral bellbottoms, yeah.  Really big bellbottoms. 

M:  They looked comfortable though!

A:  Yeah, they’re real comfortable.

M:  Saw you guys backstage, you guys looked pretty chill, pretty relaxed, so I guess you feel like you’re falling into place with everything.

B:  We’re good at hanging out.  We’re good at relaxing.

M:  Any standout moments yet from your recent successes?

B:  We just played at the Oxygen festival in Ireland and that was really crazy.  There were all these people climbing up the towers that were holding up the tent and we had to stop the show because this girl made it all the way to the roof of the tent so that you couldn’t even see her anymore and everyone was yelling at her telling her to come down.

M:  Did she take a spill?

B:  No, it would have been ugly if she had!  That was probably at least 60 feet up in the air or something.  It was pretty crazy.

M:  I saw a video of you guys at some festival in Scotland that you guys were playing and you were walking around the grounds, checking out the scene; Andrew you like the thrill-rides?

A:  As much as I’d like to keep the myth going that I like thrill-rides, I’m new to them.  I’ve been on like Space Mountain and most of the Disney rides, and I like those a lot.  I was like twenty when I started going on roller coasters, so I don’t think I’d go on the Slingshot thing.  I would vomit.

M:  You guys got together at Wesleyan, and you were actually making music that you thought would be annoying?

A:  We knew it was annoying.

M:  Just to fuck around, just playing, just to amuse yourselves?

A:  I dunno…  We were young and foolish.

M:  You were freshman?

A:  Yeah.

M:  So it was basically putting that freshman energy, that drunken and banged up energy back into the music.

A:  Yeah, exactly.

M:  What’s up with the clothing optional dorm?

B:  At some point it was designated a “clothing optional” dorm but there aren’t many people walking around naked there.  There were a few, and we were friends with most of them.

A:  I did naked calisthenics with Vin Popper on time.  (all laugh)

B:  Nice.

M:  Tell us about some of those early dorm session jams.  We used to do the same thing.  We’d go out to parties, get all fucked up and come back and just grab our instruments at like 2 o’clock in the morning and start jamming.  So what was it like with you guys getting together?

B:  It was a lot like that.  It’s was just kinda very casual, just having fun.  We had a lot of other friends that we played music with and we were both in other bands at the same time.  It wasn’t like we started a band in order to get successful and get fans and all that, we just started it for something to do and didn’t really care if anyone liked it.

M:  You guys just probably wrote the album for yourselves.

B:  In a way, I mean, we know we were writing it for other people because we had signed a record deal at that point, so we had a delivery date, so there was a little bit of pressure on us but when we were writing the songs we didn’t think that anyone was actually gonna hear the album, so it was pretty much just writing it for ourselves.

M:  So I guess its still a surprise with all of this going on?

B:  Yeah, its still a surprise.  And, I don’t know, it keeps getting crazier!

M:  When you guys were first recording you guys had a pretty gritty sound right?  I mean, if you were recording back in your dorms you’re going to have that unintentional gritty, natural sound.  Did you guys try to replicate that sound?

B:  In a way it was the other way around because we were doing a lot of stuff just on computers, so a lot of it was very electronic and very clean sounding.  I think we’ve tried to get dirtier.

M:  You had the producer who worked with the Flaming Lips.  Did you guys pick him because he had that psychedelic background?

A:  We kinda just chose him because we talked to him and we’re fans of the Flaming Lips and other stuff he’s done, like Sleater-Kinney and Mogwai.  He’s not the kind of producer that wants to mold the band into something, he kinda just lets them do their own thing.  So, he was good for us.

M:  So did the album come out exactly how you wanted it to come out?

A:  At the time I think it did, yeah.

M:  Looking back now, what do you think?

A:  I’m sure now if we listened to it a bunch, we’d probably change stuff.  But we think it’s good that we can’t because it captures that moment.

M:  I see you in a lot of pictures wearing sunglasses, you’re not becoming Bono are you?

A:  I hope to God not!!  If I am you should stab me…

M:  What’s your beef with him?

A:  Nah, I just don’t like him.  I heard he’s a great guy, and he seems like he’s got good intentions.  I think it’s really the sunglasses that piss me off the most.  So, now I’m never going to wear sunglasses again.

M:  Will you burn them in effigy?

A:  We stabbed an effigy at our senior recital.

M:  Ben, you said, “To give music meaning you have to have your back up against something”; What, you don’t remember?

A:  (laughs) You sound like Thoreau or something.

M:  Yeah, I guess you were being pretty introspective.

B:  I guess maybe just having some resistance kind of helps.  With us, when we got signed and we had to deal with all the kind of big-record-label bullshit for the first time, I think it kind of forced us to look at what we’re doing and try to give it as much meaning as possible and try to ask ourselves why we were doing it in the first place.

M:  So what’s your validation?

A:  I don’t think we’re validated.

M:  No?  What will be your validation then?

A:  If aliens approve of our music.  So, we’re waiting for contact.

M:  Waiting for the return in 2012 when the earth ends?  I know you guys are joking around about your future, about what will happen hen things will come, but we’re sitting inside of a big tour bus.  Obviously this is probably five times bigger than your dorm room was.  You said that when the fame comes around and you get the big label money that you would go get blow jobs, you would ride horses to your gigs, and go get castles.  What’s going on with the success?

B:  Yeah, we’ve both gotten blow jobs before, which is cool.  We’re working on the horses and the castles.

M:  What have you benefited from just by being in the business?

A: We get a lot of free clothes, a lot of free stuff.  And we both got haircuts for the first time in a long time.  We used to cut our own hair and now we can afford real haircuts.

M:  If you guys think that everything musically has been done before, how does MGMT stray away from the norm’?

B:  I don’t know if everything’s been done before…

A:  All the good stuff has.

B:  Yeah, all the good stuff’s been done before but pretty much…

A:  You could string your guitar with celery or something, but that doesn’t mean it gonna be good music.

B:  Any new good thing I think comes out of recycled ideas and using them in creative ways.  Rock and roll is a pretty basic, simple form of music but there’s so many possibilities with it.

A:  You don’t have to make up your own language to write a good poem.

M:  Who is it that does that again…

A:  Sigur Ros!

M:  Oh yeah that’s right.  Did you guys see them at Bonnaroo, what’d you think?

A:  I heard for somebody that it’s much better to see them in a wide open cathedral-type space, like an indoor space, and I could see how that’d be true.  It didn’t translate that well to the festival thing.

M:  Yeah, it’s pretty grand I guess.  So, what’s the future of MGMT, or have not realized the present yet?

A:  We have trouble comprehending what’s happening at all times.  But the future should hold good things.   We’re trying to get a cabin somewhere in the woods.  James is gonna cut firewood, I had a vision of him walking towards me with an arm full of firewood and I’m gonna smile and then our dog is gonna lick our faces.

M:  (laughing)  Alright guys, thanks a lot.