Summer Jamz

Hello, friends. Been thinking about and missing this old club and blog. Here's a little mix I threw together for a recent road trip out to Palm Springs.  Hope you enjoy it.

Also hoping to get the old gang back together soon, so stay tuned...

Summer Jamz 2012:
Download the Mix here


01. Tennis - Origins
02. Robert Pollard - Your Rate Will Never Go Up
03. White Fence - Allison Road (Gin Blossoms cover via Aquarium Drunkard: Lagniappe Sessions)
04. Cotton Jones - Photo Summerlove
05. Sonny & The Sunsets - I Wanna Do It
06. Girls - Summertime
07. Harry Nilsson - Don't Leave Me
08. The Byrds - It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
09. Big Star - The Ballad Of El Goodo
10. Teenage Fanclub - Baby Lee
11. The Replacements - I Will Dare
12. XTC - Ten Feet Tall
13. Lower Dens - Completely Golden
14. Beach House - On the Sea
15. Win Win - Interleave (feat. Alexis Taylor)
16. Holy Fuck - Super Inuit
17. The Avalanches - Close To You
18. Washed Out - Before
19. Pure Bathing Culture - Ivory Coast

Are They Not Men?

They may be The Ladies, but they sure ain't ladies.

Has anyone else noticed a recent rash of all-male or mostly-male bands with female names? Tell me if you've seen others:

• Parenthetical Girls
• Other Girls
• Religious Girls
• The Mint Chicks
• Girl Talk
• Garotas Suecas (Swedish Girls)
• Brazilian Girls
• Girls
• Women
• The Ladies

And it's worth noting that Brazilian Girls are not Brazilian. Garotas Suecas are Brazilian, but their name means "Swedish Girls."

This has gotten way out of hand.

A Legend and a Loon

Check out this four-part interview. Actually, Ian Svenonius sounds more sane than I ever expected him to sound. Coincidentally, I was listening to some Weird War just the other day. If you can't beat 'em, got to bite 'em.

Next Meeting/Bryan's bday party 4/19/09

From member, Bryan Lau:

"The next meeting of the Westside Record Club will be in conjunction with my birthday. It will be at my house (1119 25th St. SM, CA 90403) on Sunday, April 19th.

NOTE DATE CHANGE!!!

Come for lunch at 1pm. I’ll have the grill fired up. I’ll provide sides and soft drinks. Bring your own 'grillables' and anything else you want to drink. After everyone is good ‘n’ full we’ll be listening to an album of my choosing.

No need to bring presents…unless you really want to! Please RSVP to bryan_scott_lau@yahoo.com by April 15th."

A Sense of Self-Entitlement

I recently became amused by the notion of a musical act having a self-titled song -- or at least the act's name being part of the song title.

The examples I initially thought of, They Might Be Giants' "They Might Be Giants" and Soulja Boy Tell 'Em's "Crank That (Soulja Boy)," are pretty goofy. But as I went through my music collection, I was surprised at how many I found and how varying they are in style. Some are more on the "serious" side; some seem to be a sort of theme song for the artist; others don't seem to have anything to do with the artist himself/herself.

I put together a mix of some of my favorites and a list of the others I found. Some aren't exact, like the Raveonettes' "Let's Rave On," and some are indirect, like Flake Music's "The Shins" (explanation below). The ultimate -- and I was really hoping to find one of these -- is Buena Vista Social Club's "Buena Vista Social Club," which is on the album Buena Vista Social Club. Oh, the symmetry!

Note how many of these self-titlers are Scandinavian artists. (Although I do have a lot of music from that region, it's still a relatively small percentage of my collection.)

Mix: Self-Entitled
1. Monks - Monk Time
2. The Hives - The Hives--Introduce the Metric System in Time [Scandinavian]
3. Delta 5 - Delta 5
4. The Raveonettes - Let's Rave On [Scandinavian]
5. Annie - Anniemal [Scandinavian]
6. El Coco - Cocomotion
7. Röyksopp - Röyksopp's Night Out [Scandinavian]
8. Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club
9. Jens Lekman - Jens Lekman's Farewell Song to Rocky Dennis [Scandinavian]
10. Belle and Sebastian - Belle and Sebastian
11. Plastic Mastery - Shaggs' Own Thing [Shaggs cover -- I don't have the original, unfortunately]
12. All Night Radio - All Night Radio

Also:
Air France - Sweetness of Air France [Scandinavian]
Mr. Magic - Rappin' With Mr. Magic
Soulja Boy Tell 'Em - Crank That (Soulja Boy)
They Might Be Giants - They Might Be Giants
Love as Laughter - Sam Jayne = Dead [Sam Jayne is the frontman of Love as Laughter]
Flake Music - The Shins [Flake Music was the precursor to the Shins]
Patrick Wolf - Wolf Song
Howlin' Wolf - Howlin' for My Darling

Please share others that you guys can think of.

Some of you may have seen this video posted in an ESPN article recently regarding NBA trades. Honestly I don't think there's any reason the columnist posted it besides the fact it's undeniably awesome. Which is the same reason I post it here.
I really like the Storytellers style into.

The Blue White Album

I was daydreaming a bit here, and thought about wasting some time "researching" what is currently my favorite Beatles Album. It really is all over the place both in song structure, as well as cohesiveness - but I think that's what makes it such a great record. It's pop-y, prett-y, kitsch-y, rock-y (no pun intended), and at times just fucking weird. Some of John's best work is on here (both as a Beatle and as a solo artist). It seems that his time spent with the Maharishi in India yielded some 20 or so songs - ranging from the very personal to the very cynical. Anyway, definitely waste some time of your own reading the extensive and comprehensive wiki page. It is both informative and stimulating.

Current Favorite Songs (these are forever changing and in no particular order of favorite)

John - Dear Prudence
Paul - Martha My Dear
George - Savoy Truffle (I never noticed the dental implications on this one)
Ringo - Yeah Right (Just Kidding!) How about - Good Night

Random Note: Apparently the very interesting story of the Blue White Album (pictured above) was created from cheeky opportunism. Fucking Brits.

My Sister's a Medic . . .

That's the line according to one online lyrics repository. I could've sworn he was saying "My sisters are married." Either way, both true.

A Thought Experiment in Memory of Ron Asheton

Think of your favorite albums. Then look at this. Now, tell me: what record could actually persuade you to listen to an entire studio session? Bonus question: would the Chinese Democracy sessions fit onto more or less than 100 compact discs?

The Littles Ones & Plants and Animals @ Natural History Museum (Jan 9)

http://www.nhm.org/firstfridays/?date=20090109

Jan 9th, this Friday.
7:00pm-10:00pm, MUSIC:

Sponsored by 103.1, the first Friday of each month there's a science/nerd talk then a free concert following. I made a prior commitment or I'd definitely go. Might be a little dicey getting there early enough on a Friday evening to get in line and get in, but it's probably worth a try.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone.

Let's start planning the next meeting. I think our next selector will be B Lau. So we need a time and a place. Anyone up for hosting?

Louvin My Dog

I'm proud to say that last April at a Grimey's parking lot sale, this incredible man remarked that Soapy seemed like a real good dog. He was only kind of right, but I'll treasure that semi-conversation forever.

The Afterthoughts

Maybe that should be our name b/c we're not on the flyer, but I swear that Thom, Adam, and I are djing this NYE party. We'll be on between bands and, hopefully, will end the night with some dancefloor favorites. You should come out and support the cause. Both the Lincoln Bedroom and Ryan Harrison kill it live, and with the former pledging to play a cover-laden set, you're a fool to go to some crowded joint playing bad T-Pain songs. As for us, we pledge to only play good T-Pain songs, and Clint Black, and Sparks, and Pookey Blow, and Alphabeat, and Erasure, and Nate Dogg. Only those 7 artists. Come get down to that.

Christmas! The Mix

Enjoy the following mix during this holiday season. First, a few brief thoughts:

- Thanks to Thom for getting me hip to the Aislers Set song. Never has a song been more a Christmas carol without even knowing it.

- I think the Low 7-song Christmas album is essential holiday listening. "Just Like Christmas" is actually not that representative of the album, which dwells in pedal tones, reverb, and slow tempos. It doesn't sound cheery, but I vouch for its excellence.

- "Hard Candy Christmas:" It's ridiculous to bandy about such titles, but I think it deserves high praise, so I'll give it my highest: BEST. XMAS. SONG. EVER.

- "Joseph, Who Understood" was released by the NPs last December as an iTunes exclusive (at least, I think it was an iTunes exclusive). I remember going on a late night run through Centennial Park during last year's finals and just - no joke - weeping when this song came on my headphones (full disclosure: I was a little stressed at the time). It may be theologically daring or borderline blasphemous, but it's got an honesty that's refreshing and a typically catchy Carl Newman melody to match. #2 with a bullet!

Download Christmas! The Mix

1) Just Like Christmas - Low
2) Anorak Christmas - Sally Shapiro
3) Christmas on Riverside Drive - August Darnell
4) Hit the Snow - Aislers Set
5) Merry Christmas, Baby - The Beach Boys
6) Jesus Christ - Big Star
7) Sherburne - Alabama Sacred Harp Singers
8) Hard Candy Christmas - Dolly Parton
9) He Was Born in a Manger - Rev. J.M. Gates
10) Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses
11) Santa Claus is a Black Man - AKIM & the Teddy Vann Production Company
12) To Heck with Ole Santa Claus - Loretta Lynn
13) Christmas Is - Run DMC
14) Presents - Yo Yo Yo Kids
15) Be Your Santa Claus - Keith Sweat
16) Joseph, Who Understood - The New Pornographers
17) Calling on Mary - Aimee Mann

Carol of the Bells

Read founding member Thom McMahon's recently published interview with Benjamin Curtis of School of Seven Bells.

Memories in Music: Christmas 2007

During my last year in Nashville, I had the incredible opportunity to sing with Vanderbilt's Blair Collegium, an acapella chorus of 20 voices focused on pre-16th century and 20th century music. My short time with the group provided a number of profound experiences, the most memorable of which was learning and performing "Friede Auf Erden" by Arnold Schoenberg. Although we performed the piece twice, our first performance - last December at Westminster Presbyterian on West End - will likely remain the single most exciting musical venture of my life.

To put it mildly, I was lucky to be in Collegium Vocale considering my relative lack of choir experience and vocal training, not to mention my mediocre voice and range. However, due to a good sight-reading audition and the director's belief that I could sing the second tenor parts of that semester's material, I was accepted into the group and began rehearsing immediately. Prior to Collegium, all of my choir performance experience followed a predictable formula: learn the song in rehearsal and take the stage with a confidence that those routine rehearsals would result in nothing less (and, perhaps, nothing more) than a competent rendition of the piece. Rarely did a performance contain an ounce of spontaneity, and afraid of being branded a dork, I sometimes kept an ironic distance between myself and earnest performance in the form of irritating smirks and destracting inside jokes. "Friede" didn't follow the usual rules or allow for personal detachment. Every performance of the song was a crap shoot, each voice relying on every other voice to sing their part correctly lest the entire piece derail into (unintentional) atonal oblivion. Simultaneously, our director - quite rightly - equally emphasized phrasing and dynamics that mirrored "Friede's" violent but hopeful text. Like Schoenberg's score, this textual interpretation could not be expressed by rote memorization, but only by the concerted effort and full concentration of each choir member.

I remember taking the stage at that December concert excited by the gamble of performing such a difficult piece. I was equally excited to know that every single member of the choir was totally dialed in, sincerely committed to an evocative and honest rendering of the piece. When we had finished singing, far before I began critiquing that particular performance, I felt a profound sense of satisfaction knowing that, at the very least, we had succeeded in mustering and maintaining an intensity, focus, and vulnerability necessary to do the work justice.

Download "Friede Auf Erden"

Reuniting the Beatles

If you have an hour to kill sometime, check out this recent episode of 7 Second Delay on WFMU. Ken and Andy round up four guys sharing the names of the Fab Four for a once-in-a-lifetime telephonic reunion. In an effort to identify with these tragically famous individuals, Andy reveals something never before known to his listeners: he was originally named Warren Beatty. Included are discussions of La Leche League, vaginal childbirth, and an inexhaustive list of all people at least once termed "the 5th Beatle."

Keep It Like a Secret

Anyone familiar with Benjamin Curtis, formerly of Secret Machines, now of School of Seven Bells? Something he said in a recent interview sounds to me like an endorsement of the Westside Record Club. Take a look:

Interviewer: What is your ideal situation for listening to music?
Benjamin Curtis: Definitely not headphones. I really like to hear music in a room. I don’t really like when it’s too separated, with the subwoofers and the systems that are too ornate. I just like something really simple. A couple of speakers in a quiet room. Not blasting, but just loud enough so you kind of feel absorbed by it. Not so loud that if you want to lean over to your friend and say, “This song sucks,” or, “I can’t believe they did that — this is amazing,” you can still do that. My best memories of listening to music have been like that.

So the community element is a big part of it?
It’s different doing that, especially if the people you’re listening with are on the same wavelength with you at that moment — it feels like a special moment. It’s these moments with friends where you’re like, “Remember the first time we ever heard this? Wasn’t that great? Wasn’t that the perfect record to put on?”

Over and out,

T

Mitch Mitchell

Mitch Mitchell, the reason I play drums, died.  I hope we can all appreciate the impact he had on the music world.  His fluid fusion style inspired many drummers and he will be sorely missed.  I honestly wouldn't care about Jimi Hendrix if he hadn't been the drummer.  

Our next meeting

Our next meeting will be held at Daniel and Crystal's apartment this Saturday (10/15/08) @ 9pm
here's the address:

10480 National Blvd. #106
Los Angeles, CA 90034

This is what it looks like:






Morgan's choice. I'm pretty psyched.