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A Good Read A Good Listen and a Good Drink, Ben Cook, Wild Smiles

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It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.

Wild Smiles are from Southampton, England; this is the video for Fool For You, which is a perfect song for a summer crush and/or driving around in a convertible with the top down, and will probably get stuck in your head like it got stuck in mine.

And now, I’ll turn the floor over to Ben Cook (drums; on the right, in the picture below) of Wild Smiles, who joins us today to share a favorite book, record and drink.

Photo by Steve Gullick

Photo by Steve Gullick


A Good Read

As I’ve tried to avoid reading as much as possible since Literature A level, the book I’ve most enjoyed is Life, by Keith Richards. Seemingly an honest and surprisingly well remembered account of Richards’ and the bands’ road to success through to present day, close and not-so close shaves with the law, writing and recording and telling John Lennon the bathroom tiles are in fact not spinning. A recommended read for anyone interested in music not just Stones fans.

A Good Listen

Ty Segall – Melted (2010) – Skull-fucking San Francisco garage rock with catchy choruses, one of the first albums collectively loved by the band and a regular soundtrack in the van. Opening track Finger is a firm favourite.

Ty Segall Band - 'Finger'

A Good Drink

Wild Smiles are fuelled by Diet Coke.

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Late Night Listening: In The Valley Below, Hymnal

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Late Night Listening: a home for things that might be fleeting, might be soothing, might be weird, might be soothing and weird. The blogging equivalent of sitting in the garage twiddling radio knobs just to see what might be out there.

Or, okay, late night viewing, because the song – Hymnal, by In The Valley Below – is a dreamy masterpiece, but it’s the video that both captures and expresses the exact qualities of soothing weirdness that appeal to insomniacs everywhere.

In The Valley Below - Hymnal

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Tour Alert: Into The Sun, The March Violets

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Heads up, West Coast of America (and also Las Vegas), The March Violets are coming to visit you this June:

marchviolets

Yes, it’s really them! They’re back! They’ve got a new record, too! It’s called Made Glorious, and you can check it out at their bandcamp page. Here are some excerpts to whet your appetite:

And here is the video for Dandelion King, which features, among other things, a tremendously awesome headdress:

The March Violets - Dandelion King

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Video: Stromae, Papaoutai

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This is the video for Papaoutai, from by Stromae. It’s from his latest record, √ (Racine Carrée, or “square root”), and it’s about growing up without his father, who was killed in the Rwandan genocide in 1994 – Stromae, born in Brussels, is of mixed Belgian and Rwandan heritage – and I really don’t think I’ve seen more expressive and evocative dancing in a video this year or possibly ever. The song is awesome too.

He’s playing two shows in New York this year, one in June and one in September, and they are both already sold out. Everyone else: see if he’s coming near you, and get out and see him.

Stromae - Papaoutai

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The Wind-up Birds, Poor Music

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Poor Music by the Wind-up Birds

 

When I retired from NTSIB, I threatened to return with the release of the next album from the Wind-up Birds, the Leeds four-piece whose first full-length album, The Land, was dropped into my lap in 2012 and reminded me of why I started this blog in the first place. Well, Poor Music, which comes out on May 27th, gives me 17 tracks worth of fantastic reasons to make good on my threat.

 

They killed off all our favourite TV characters
So we became TV characters
We started off subtly by giving stupid answers on quiz shows
But then, we just took the whole thing over

 

And the musicians tried to keep selling us their past
So we trapped them and beamed them up
Into an infinite loop of knowing references
And made them perform their best album, in order, for ever

 

Opening with the power drill riff of “There Will Be No Departures from This Stand”, Poor Music asserts that, no, the Wind-up Birds are not going to start taking it easy on you now. Like The Land‘s opener, “Good Shop Shuts”, “There Will Be No Departures […]” calls us all to examine ourselves and our actions, and we can only nod in resignation as Kroyd points out all-too-astutely that “…we agreed that compassion was just one of life’s luxuries.”

But Poor Music reads less like a lesson book and more like a short story collection full of uncomfortable, and sometimes disturbingly familiar, situations, ranging in scope from global to personal – stories populated with characters, wandering in and out of scenes, who are sometimes allegorical, sometimes representational, sometimes biographical, and the lines blur between them. In “Addis Ababa”, the story of a young child’s sartorial mishap on a school field trip calls into question not only the real aim of the sometimes bizarre practices of educators but also the act of conforming that we seem to be called on to do from birth until death.

 

 

Like in the best books, the ones that stay with you, some of the characters of Poor Music will tear your heart right out, like the “non-gender-specified teen” of the three-part “Glue Factory” suite that is interspersed throughout the album, whose affecting story plays out against a sparse arrangement of organ chords as you watch the teen being torn down by growing up. Then there is the narrator of “A Song or Two” whose candid, raw chronicling of his madness spiral left me, for one, reeling from the too-close-for-comfort familiarity. (A personal thanks to the band for following up “A Song or Two” with the relief of “The Wind-up Birds Songwriting Workshop” dance party – which you can hear as a part of this month’s Feel Bad For You mix.)

But even the best book lacks Poor Music‘s biggest delight: the compelling, sometimes surprising, music. The sounds of Poor Music are bigger, brighter, more varied, and often more aggressive than those of The Land. I’ve already talked about the music of “Glue Factory” and “The Wind-up Birds Songwriting Workshop”, and songs like “The Gristle” and “Guy Ritchie” (both personal favorites) grab you by the neck and gleefully shake you around. The band continue to hone their chops to the point where individual moments will stick with you just as much as overall songs – Kroyd’s startling rage on “A Song or Two”, Oli Jefferson’s loose and funky drumming on the title track, Ben Dawson’s carousel-like (up, down, and around) bassline on “Two Ambulance Day”, the insistence of Mat Forrest’s sharp-edged guitar (with help from Ben Dawson on additional guitar) that grows near-transcendent through the last half of “Guy Ritchie”. (There are a ridiculous number of great guitar riffs on this album, really.)

 

 

I could go on about this album, but then I’d be writing a book myself. So why don’t you just tuck in yourself and discover the joys that I haven’t even been able to touch on in this post? You can download the single of “The Gristle” (with special non-album B-side “The Fun Never Starts”) right now and pay what you want, and you can pre-order the full album.

Additionally, the album is so good that it requires two launch shows, the first in London on release day, May 27th, and the second in Leeds on May 29th.

 

The Wind-up Birds Official Website

The Wind-up Birds @ Bandcamp

The Wind-up Birds @ Twitter

The Wind-up Birds @ Facebook

 

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Postcards from the Pit: The Bottom Dollars / Leroy Justice / Rhythm and Stealth, Brooklyn Bowl, 5/6/14

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Rhythm & Stealth, who on this occasion were joined by LaToya Kennedy, Illspokinn and Rabbi Darkside, are a complex musical stew, incorporating elements of funk, soul, jazz, ambient electronica and hip hop. Highlights of the set: amazing powerful drums; La Toya Kennedy’s magnificent supple voice; the bass drop that was as loose and wild as it was elegant. If you are standing still during their set, you are doing something wrong.

Leroy Justice were a little bit country, a little bit rock n’ roll and a little bit bluesy. They didn’t grab me at first but they got better as they went along.

The Bottom Dollars also played rockin’ country blues, but theirs had a harder, heavier edge than Leroy Justice, and there were more bursts of jammy psychedelia. They also brought two of my favorite things: some ragtime filigree, and heavy hypnotic drums. (Fans of the Felice Brothers and The Districts: This is a band for you.) They’ll be back at the Brooklyn Bowl again on June 11-12 with Talib Kweli and Res, for the Northside Festival. Check ’em out if you’re around.

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Postcards from the Pit: Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s / Empires / Kate Myers, Bowery Ballroom, 5/3/14

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Kate Myers: beautiful voice; flashes of songwriting brilliance; not a terrible way to spend half an hour.

Empires: The scrappy little band of my heart (Midwest division) has at long last come out of hibernation – their new record, Orphan, is due June 17 – and I’m pleased to report their garage rock grit is intact, but they’ve added some grown-up polish and flair. Their set was 100% new tunes – bold move! – so I was briefly concerned I had missed a record, somewhere along the line, but ultimately I didn’t really care because all of the songs were awesome. My final assessment: they are the aural equivalent of sex hair.

They’re back in New York on June 18 at the Mercury Lounge, and, special notice to Columbus, Ohio: They’re playing the Afterparty of the Fashion Meets Music Festival in your town, August 29-31, 2014.

Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s: They drift more towards the Eagles country-rock end of the spectrum; I gave them three songs, as I do for anyone, and when I decided I wasn’t feeling it I got off the rail so people who did love them could get closer.

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A Good Read A Good Listen and a Good Drink, Nicolas Snyder, 1, 2, 3

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It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.

Big Weather is 1, 2, 3‘s second record, and it is a double album. While listening to it, I decided the following: 1) If the name of your band is the same as the act of counting in, every song faces the challenge of being “4” – the, or at least a, point of ignition and 2) With Big Weather, 1, 2, 3 have more than met that challenge.

The name of the record reflects the place where it was made: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which I can tell you from experience surely does experience some big weather. But geography aside, it’s well named: it’s a big record, ambitious and diverse and compelling. It contains multitudes: several different flavors of pop and punk; the occasional burst of classic rock, country blues and jammy noodling; even some spoken word interludes, one of which (In the House of the Locust) was so unsettling I could only listen to it one time.

Example #1: Leave Me in the Sky With A Lawnchair, which is a punk-rock whirl through the feeling of just wanting to float away:

Example #2: Porch Swing Song, which a little slower and more reflective, almost lounge-like, but has what I love best: big rolling drums.

Example #3: When the Levee Broke at the County Broke at the County Fair, which is a jaunty romp about young love being foiled by an unexpected wall of water.

And now, I turn the floor over to guitarist/lead singer Nicolas Snyder (second from left, below) who has some book, music and drink recommendations for us:

Photo by Chris Miskis

Photo by Chris Miskis


A GOOD READ

Had someone asked me this question at any other point in the last ten years I would almost undoubtedly have recommended Cormac McCarthy’s classic gore-western, Blood Meridian, or possibly if in a lighter, yet, slightly cynical mood, George Saunders’ brilliant nuts and bolts satire The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil, but, in the last six months, I stumbled across a non-fiction book that I’ve already recommended more than anything I’ve read before. Everything from the way I daily interact with people to my personal definition of success has been impacted by An Autobiography of a Yogi. Written by the Yogic master Paramahansa Yogananda in the mid 1940’s, this book is a beautifully penned explanation of almost everything spiritual. Timidly posing as a memoir, this book is for meditation what prayer is for the Bible. Check out Ben Kingsley’s reading on Audible for a nice long mind blowing.

A GOOD LISTEN

When people talk about Mott the Hoople, they usually dwell on the glamish Bowie years. But, let’s not forget that the reason Bowie gave them All the Young Dudes and helped modernize their image was because he was such a fan of their prior work. This same work also prompted the Clash to hire wild man Guy Stevens to produce London Calling. Mad Shadows, in my opinion, is the best and most emotionally engrossing of the band’s pre-Dudes era. Comprised of only seven songs, the album’s presence is equally tough as nails and haunting. A band at the peak of frustration, debauchery and creativity. I Can Feel and When My Mind’s Gone are twin power-ballad nut-shots.

http://youtu.be/YP1uGjVmSVs

A GOOD DRINK

I like drinks with a purpose. I only drink coffee if I’m super tired. I drink hot tea to feel comforted and warm. I drink wine to relax, beer to be social, and whisky to get drunk. I rarely consume sodas or juices because, to me, anything physical or emotional to be gained doesn’t outweigh the negative consequences of the beverage. Negative number one being sugar. However, the concoction I’m about to relay contains both effervescence and fruit juice, and serves physical, emotional, and hopefully medicinal benefits.

Nic’s Elixir

Ingredients:
Unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1 Airborne or generic effervescent immune boost tab
Fresh Grapefruit
Fresh Ginger
Ginger ale
Vodka
Water

Okay, so this is intended for consumption in the midst of a cold or flu:

Get a mason jar.

Pour in a healthy two or three second glug of unfiltered apple cider vinegar.

Toss in one Airborne tablet (generics always accepted).

Squeeze one whole grapefruit in (orange or lemon works as well).

Add one teaspoon of freshly grated ginger.

Fill to the top with ice.

Stir it up, little darling.

Add half can of ginger ale.

Pour Vodka to taste.

Add cup of water if desired.

Feel the health burn through your innards.

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Postcards from the Pit: The Used / Taking Back Sunday / tonightalive. / Sleepwave, Best Buy Theater, 4/15/14

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Because better late then never, I guess?

Or just because this show took me a while to process.

Going in, I thought it might be an era ending, the last shot at getting near a pit before my janky spine forced me out into safer, less unruly pursuits. Or at least to attend shows in venues with chairs.

I say “near” because Best Buy Theater has three tiers, two stading, one seats, and there was no way I was getting on the floor for this show. I was still debating the issue with myself when I saw there was one last spot on the granny rail, between the seats and the real (soon to be constantly heaving) pit, and I took it.

Sleepwave were up first. Led by Spencer Chamberlain, formerly of Underoath, they’re so new they don’t have a record out yet – that’s coming later this summer – but they came highly recommended by the ladies at the front who had seen several shows on the tour already.

And they were indeed very good, playing the kind of gritty, grimy metal that is majestically uncomplicated, the kind of thing that makes the urge to bang your head curl tight around your spine, lighting up the centers of the brain attuned to primal roars. It rolled over me like a wave of relief. Music like this is why I fell in love with the roar of the big machine, why once I heard the high wild call of the electric guitar I did not look back.

tonightalive. were up next. They are from Australia and very bouncy; not terrible, but I didn’t fall in love with them. Mostly I appreciated their vigor and sass.

They were followed by Taking Back Sunday. This was actually my first Taking Back Sunday show. I didn’t know any of the songs but watching Adam Lazzara swing the microphone around was oddly comforting. The overall effect was something like walking into the kitchen when you’ve spent most of a party in the back yard. Suddenly you can actually see everyone you’ve been hearing in muted bursts of sound. Conversations you’ve only heard one end of make more sense on the other side of the door.

And then, finally, The Used. They have a new record out, called Imaginary Enemy, but they played a mixture of new stuff and fairly deep cuts. About half way through I realized why I had been suffused with wistfulness for the whole night: if I was about to go out, I was going out as I came in, because it was Pretty Handsome Awkward from Lies for the Liars (2007) that drew me back in to rock and roll in the first place.

And then they played Pretty Handsome Awkward and had the crowd do what used to be called The Wall of Death but has been renamed The Wall of Love:

As the they chugged through the opening bars I felt the surge of adrenaline and joy and scouring expiation of whatever curdled hurt I have been carrying around that I always experience, listening to that song. And I realized – while I still definitely wasn’t getting in the middle of that mess on the floor – I wasn’t quite ready to be done. Not with them, or the kind of music they make, or the scene they are a part of. Not with any of it.

I’m still in.

I’m not sure if this crossroads I’m at is the end of the beginning, the beginning of the end, or just a new beginning. But I’m not getting off the road.