The Mind Eraser

So I have made a hobby of making hypothetical supergroups of my favorite musicians. My interest in these sort of things was revitalized when the band Chickenfoot emerged, a collaboration between Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith (who was a constantly considered for the drummer in my theoretical bands) and Michael Anthony.

Anyway, when I make bands I usually like to pick musicians with similar styles or personalities so that they fit together. Now, Thom Yorke is one of my favorite singers/songwriters, so he is often a candidate for one of these imaginary supergroups. Flea, Red Hot Chili Peppers' over-the-top bassist, is another candidate. However, I would never think to put these two seeming poplar-opposites together.

But that is exactly what has happened. Today, Thom Yorke announced that he will be performing material from The Eraser with Flea, Nigel Godrich (Radiohead's producer), Joey Waronker (drummer for Beck), and Mauro Refosco (percussionist for David Byrne and Bebel Gilberto). They have two performances coming up in Los Angeles and, though they don't have a name yet, they will be playing some new material.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I'm sure that the music should be pretty good, but I'm worried how this will affect Radiohead and I wonder if this might be another nail in Red Hot Chili Peppers' coffin. If so, maybe Jonny Greenwood and John Frusciante could work together.

poor kitty

Jinjoism

Perspective

Once again this cartoon is very late. I've had trouble getting my scanner to work. This cartoon was more relevant about 3-4 weeks ago, when Fox News fixture Glenn Beck was going on and on about Van Jones being a communist and talking about all the poison he must be pouring in the President's ear. Thank God for Glenn Beck for running a dedicated and motivated advocate for environmental reform out of office.

Album Review: "The Resistance" by Muse

Well Muse is back at it again with another gloriously over-the-top album. While less stylistically diverse than 2006's Black Holes and Revelations, The Resistance is perhaps the most musically impressive release by Muse due to the widespread inclusion of orchestra parts. This album channels influences from glam rockers like Queen and composers like Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky. Lyrically, this album is political, as singer Matt Bellamy runs through the familiar fist-pumping rap we've been hearing since 2003's Absolution. Here are foot-stopping anthems about freedom and overthrowing oppression but overall the lyrics are too vague and generic to be truly impressive. Indeed, like many Muse albums, the most impressive thing at work is the music.

The album opens with the first single, "Uprising". UFO synths and hand claps are laid over a thumping bass-driven beat before bursting into a guitar and synth arpeggio-laden chorus where Bellamy lays out his revolutionary campaign promises of "They will not force us/They will stop degrading us/They will not control us/We will be victorious". If you listen hard you can hear Bellamy reaching impressive high octaves on the background vocals, much in 2006's "Knights of Cydonia".

The next track, "Resistance", is a lot more urgent, relying less on crunchy riffs but on galloping drums and echoey pianos. Originally an off-shoot of Black Holes and Revelations' "Map of the Problematique", this solid title track draws lyrical inspiration from the love affair in George Orwell's "1984".

"Undisclosed Desires" is the album's first stand-out track. Featuring a pizzicato string section, this song sounds almost like a straight-forward pop song, almost so much that I can imagine Matt Bellamy doing some sort of Justin Timberlake dance while singing it.

The glam rock really comes out in "United States of Eurasia/Collateral Damage (Excerpt from Nocturne in E-Flat, Op.2 No.9)" as well as a number of classical influences. Bellamy cited Maurice Ravel and Peter Tchaikovsky as influences, which definitely shows in the dramatic post choruses. The pre-chorus sounds like it was ripped straight from a Queen song, as Bellamy belts over a screaming guitar. After an operatic climax, the track settles into Frederic Chopin's Nocturne in E-Flat, played on piano with a string accompaniment over sounds of children and then sounds of warfare.

"Guiding Light" proves to be the only low point on the album, a tribute to 1980's stadium rock that's just too cheesy for it's own good. "I Belongs To You/Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix" brings some pop quirks to the album with a solid groove and some silly circus songs. An excerpt from Saint-Saens' opera Sampson and Delilah is included in the middle of the song and the whole thing is wrapped up with a playful bass clarinet solo.

The last three tracks are a three-part symphony inspired by Rachmaninov, Strauss, Chopin, and Pink Floyd. Part 1 sounds like a more melodic version of the Smashing Pumpkin's "The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning". Part 2 starts out like a softer throw-back to their 2003 track, "Butterflies and Hurricanes". Part 3 provides a sweeping climax before quietly cooling down in a reflective resolution.

Overall, this is an ambitious and exciting album. I bought the iTunes LP for $12 and it was definitely worth the price as it came with lining notes and bonus videos.

Movies: Inglourious Basterds

Coulda used more Nazi killing. That's all I'm saying.

Healthcare Reform Deformed

yeah, this is an old cartoon. It took me a while to post it. Though it was way more relevant two weeks ago, Sarah Palin did me a favor by bringing up "Death Panels" again so just pretend like I'm on top of my stuff.

Concert Review: The Flaming Lips in Boston, MA on 8-30-09

The Flaming Lips have a reputation for having pretty wacky concerts and I had great expectations going into the show this past Sunday. I was not disappointed. On the way to the show I rode on a bus filled with people who were obviously Flaming Lips fans. At the show I saw a man dressed as an Ewok, wearing a Oklahoma state flag, and another guy dressed as Beaker from the Muppets. I could tell it was going to be a good night

The venue was the Bank of America Pavilion. Located on the water, it was essentially a giant tent with open sides. The weather was beautiful and every now and then a breeze would waft through. Though the Pavilion is across the water from Logan Airport there was no noise from the airplanes taking off or landing. The Pavilion was spacious but not too big. Even the farthest seats had a decent view of the stage.

The opening bands were Star Death and White Dwarfs (headed by Wayne Coyne's nephew) and Explosions in the Sky. Overall, I felt that the opening band's sets went on too long, in comparison to the headliner's set which seemed kind of short. Explosions in the Sky really wore on my patience. They played instrumental guitar songs, transitioning back-and-forth from crunchy, hard-hitting rock to drawn-out ambient musings. While the sounds were often beautiful it seemed like the band was over-indulging themselves in their delay-and-reverb-heavy noodlings.

But soon after the opening acts the crowd began to get fired up as Wayne Coyne walked around the stage as the crew began setting up. He waved at the crowd, pausing every now and then to inspect this or that. Then the show started.

The giant half-circle screen lit up showing a naked woman dancing (there would be many images of dancing women, clothed and unclothed, throughout the night). The woman on her screen laid back and the camera zoomed in on her vagina (which was some sort of psychedelic rainbow void). The screen opened up and out came the band members as Wayne Coyne was kneeling in a deflated the plastic bubble. Now, you know you're in for a good show when the band comes out of a giant, electronic, psychedelic vagina (because chances are you're at a Flaming Lips show). Coyne's bubble was inflated and he walked out onto the ground. 

The concert had the kind of energy that only a Flaming Lips show can have. Confetti and balloons rained down as smoke machines blasted. Coyne spent a lot of his time on stage throwing balloons out into the crowd and shooting streamers into the air. There were dancers on each side of the stage. Stage right had guys in animal costumes and stage left had girls in skimpy space costumes. Eventually the guys were joined by a giant butterfly with a crown and a catfish wearing a captain's hat. The lights and visuals were amazing.

The band played materially spanning much of their catalogue, from Transmissions from the Satellite Heart to material from their upcoming album Embryonic. Their last albums, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and At War With the Mystics were the best-represented. They debutted "See The Leaves", one of their new songs which they had not played live before and some other material that I'm not allowed to talk about.

The crowd's excitement level was high and Coyne definitely fed off of it. He teased the crowd through slow, stripped down versions of "Fight Test" and "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1". The music would stop between phrases and he would wave his arms to try and keep the cheering going and insisted the crowd do karate chops for "Yoshimi". For most of the songs he either encouraged audience participation or encourage the crowd to sing a long and go nuts. 

One of the highlights of the show was when a giant balloon filled with confetti popped on Coyne during "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" causing him to say "fuck" instead of singing the lyrics. Another high point in the show was when Coyne held up a bugle to the microphone while "Taps" played behind him, before the band burst into "The W.A.N.D."

For the encore the band came out on stage and led everyone in singing "Happy Birthday" for a girl named Lindsay towards the front of the crowd (making "She Don't Use Jelly" only the second-best sing-along of the night). Finally, they wrapped up the show with "Do You Realize??", a cathartic end (a wonderful breeze came in just at the climax of the song) to a fun-filled night. The only way the night could've been better is if I had a seat closer to the stage, in range of the confetti and balloons.