RFC Article: Wiping Off The Dust: Ride - Nowhere

The following is an excerpt from my article for Radio Free Chicago.

Back in the waning years of the 80's, the music genre known as shoegaze had sprouted from the the roots of different bands, labels and movements. The beginnings can be traced through many different roots. The punishing pedal work and feedback of Jesus and Mary Chain, the delicate swirls of 4AD pillars Cocteau Twins and the distant harmonies of 60's British Invasion and psychedelica can all be excavated in this musical movement. The reigning champion of shoegaze was My Bloody Valentine despite putting out two LP's and a handful of singles and EP's. Of course, one of those albums was Loveless, which still is a tour de force in beauty and cacophony. There were many other great shoegaze bands such as Lush, Slowdive, Chapterhouse and later The Verve and The Catherine Wheel. So many amazing albums from the annals of Brit-pop that were birthed by shoegaze as well: Primal Scream - Screamadelica, The Charlatans UK - Some Friendly, Swervedriver - Duel and the self titled debut album from The House of Love all immediately come to mind. In my opinion, none of these bands or albums found that perfect balance in amazing songs, incredible musicianship and fiery passion that the Oxford quartet Ride captured on the 1990 album Nowhere.

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Read the rest of the article and listen to more tracks at Radio Free Chicago.

Pre-order the 20th anniversary edition of Nowhere here.

Ride - Taste

RFC Article: Wiping Off The Dust: The Feelies - The Good Earth

The following is an excerpt from my article for Radio Free Chicago.

Just a few scant days ago, I heard some tremendous and jawdropping news. The Feelies are releasing an album of all new material this coming spring. Obviously this may not garner as much excitement for anyone under 35 and from most of said age bracket it would most likely inspire a quizzical "Who?". Notoriously reclusive and frustratingly sparse in their material, they are putting out their first full length since 1991's Time For A Witness. That's 20 years, my friends. If you have only heard of this influential band, you may have knowledge of their much lauded debut LP Crazy Rhythms as it tends to land on any respectable critics best of the 80's list. If you were a child of MTV, perhaps you caught the video for single "Away" off of their 1988 LP Only Life directed by their biggest fan Jonathan Demme. Proof of this is evident as The Feelies always seem to get wedged into his movies and on their respective soundtracks. Nevertheless, The Feelies are one the connecting links between The Velvet Underground and what was coined as "college rock". Without The Feelies, there is quite simply no stage being set for bands such as the dB's, Camper Van Beethoven and R.E.M.. It is scary how dull would the indie landscape be without these godfathers of jangle pop and indie folk.

Read the rest of the article at listen to more tracks from The Good Earth at Radio Free Chicago.

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Purchase the reissue of The Good Earth here.

The Feelies - Slipping (Into Something)

Wiping Off The Dust with RFC: Pixies - Come On Pilgrim

My plan, along with the garden variety album and concert reviews, will be to wipe the dust off my old CD's and bask in the glow of fond memories. Hopefully, you can wistfully stroll with me and give these nuggets another spin. If you are one of the unlucky folks who have not experienced these "dusties", let my fawning praise inspire a listen and, perhaps, a future investment for you to make your own memories.
My choice for my first installment is a calculated one for sure. Often times when referring to one's music affections, one uses the phrase "biggest fan". My inner snob often snorts in disbelief in the face of such a superlative. This statement, I feel, is saddled with strict requirements. Examples are:

• owning copies of all albums, including many EP's and singles.
• seeing a band multiple times in concert, especially in smaller venues, if applicable.
• starting your fandom early in a band's career. (sorry, but the biggest Beatles' fans are at least 55 years old)
• having encyclopedic knowledge of the band's output. (e.g. knowing all song titles and their proper order on the album, reciting a song's lyrics while being able to state the song's meaning, knowing the place of origin of the band and it's members)

With these strict requirements imposed, I cannot claim "biggest fan-ness" with very many artists. However, I can definitely attempt to align with one group: Pixies. For those who don't know them, this four-piece group formed in Boston area filled the late 80's-early 90's with creative alternative (back when that word meant something) rock delivered with dynamic hooks. To call the Pixies influential is compulsory; many bands cite them as an inspiration including Kurt Cobain referring to Nirvana as "ripping off the Pixies".
And so we go back to me, circa 1987, a suburban teenager just starting to form his music tastes. I was consuming a heady diet of progressive sounds around that time: R.E.M., The Smiths, New Order, Echo and the Bunnymen. Luckily, I could buy most of these cassettes tapes (!) at my friendly neighborhood corporate record store without much fuss. Often, I would have to travel to downtown Minneapolis and enjoy the incredible amount of independent record shops to find the newest, most obscure cuts. However, that day I was at the mall, trudging through the alternative rock section when the album cover above caught my eye. Come On Pilgrim was stark and spooky, but not in your typical Iron Maiden/heavy metal way. There was art behind this creepy photo, and it sucked me in. Since it carried the moderate price of an EP, I gave it a whirl. That is how it all began.

Check out the full article with more listening pleasure included at Radio Free Chicago.

Pixies - I've Been Tired

Wiping Off The Dust: Supergrass - In It For The Money; Breakup Reported

Today is a sad day in the annals of Brit Pop as veteran band Supergrass has called it quits after 17 years. Their sound have evolved over the years from snot nose punk to reflective acoustic numbers while making frequent stopovers in that little, well-visited town called Beatlesque. Often in the same discussion with more well known bands such as Oasis, Blur, Pulp and The Libertines, Supergrass made their sound distinct by never being bogged down by taking themselves to seriously while effortlessly churning out album after album of infectious, joyful and catchy pop songs.

I heard of Supergrass like most people; their first singles "Caught By The Fuzz" and "Alright" were all over the charts in the U.K. in 1995 and reached the states through alternative routes. However, their second album, "In It For The Money" was the more mature, polished and expanded effort that set their sound in motion for their forthcoming albums. The raucous, revved-up fun was still there on the singles "Cheapskate" and "Richard III", using their new keyboardist effectively and employing a Theremin in the latter track, just for the hell of it. Nevertheless, it is always those songs that break new ground and expand into new arenas that garner new listeners and keep the present fans interested and happy. Mellow tracks like "It's Not Me", "Hollow Little Reign" and single "Late In The Day" begin their journey into maturity without losing that playful edge. The real gem here is the extended rocker "Sun Hits The Sky", a song so ready for concert encores that you can feel the crush and hear the sing-along of the crowd in that bouncing bass and uplifting chorus. Overall, there is no filler on "In It For Money" with each track having direction and it's own personality making it of my favorite albums of that period.

According to NME,  Supergrass has split while recording their seventh album "Release The Drones". There is no indication of when, or if, the album will be released, or if it is even finished. Their understated swan song will be a simple tour of four European concert dates. Nevertheless, Supergrass deserves high praise for being a British band whose retained their popularity without being splashed across gossip pages for interband brawls, publicized celebrity dating and drug abuse. Instead, Supergrass kept it simple producing great music while making it all look easy.

Tracklist

1. In It For The Money
2. Richard III
3. Tonight
4. Late In The Day
5. G-Song
6. Sun Hits The Sky
7. Going Out
8. It's Not Me
9. Cheapskate
10. You Can See Me
11. Hollow Little Reign
12. Sometimes I Make You Sad

Late In The Day



Sun Hits The Sky
 

Wiping Off The Dust: Come On Pilgrim - Pixies

My plan, along with posting my musings on the newest choice cuts, will be to wipe the dust off my old CD's and bask in the glow of fond memories. Hopefully, you can stroll with me and give these nuggets another spin. If you are one of the unlucky ones who have not experienced of these dusties, use my joyous prose to inspire a listen and, perhaps, an investment for your own memories.

My choice for my first installment is a calculated one for sure. Often times when referring to one's music affections, one uses the phrase "biggest fan". My inner snob often snorts in disbelief in the face of such a superlative. This statement, I feel, is saddled with strict requirements.

Examples are:

• owning copies of all albums, including many EP's and singles.
• seeing a band multiple times in concert, especially in smaller venues, if applicable.
• starting your fandom early in a band's career. (sorry, but the biggest Beatles' fans are at least 55 years old)
  
• having encyclopedic knowledge of the band's output. (e.g. knowing all song titles and their proper order on the album, reciting a song's lyrics while being able to state the song's meaning, knowing the place of origin of the band and it's members)

With these strict requirements imposed, I cannot claim "biggest fan-ness" with very many artists. However, I can definitely attempt to align with one group: the Pixies. For those who don't know them, this four-piece group formed in Boston area filled the late 80's-early 90's with creative alternative (back when that word meant something) rock delivered with dynamic hooks. To call the Pixies influential is compulsory; many bands cite them as an inspiration including Kurt Cobain referring to Nirvana as "ripping off the Pixies".

And so we go back to me, circa 1987, a suburban teenager just starting to form his music tastes. I was consuming a heady diet of progressive sounds around that time: R.E.M., The Smiths, New Order, Echo and the Bunnymen. Luckily, I could buy most of these cassettes tapes (!) at my friendly neighborhood corporate record store without much fuss. Often, I would have to travel to downtown Minneapolis and enjoy the incredible amount of independent record shops to find the newest, deepest cuts. However, that day I was at the mall, trudging through the alternative rock section when the album cover above caught my eye. Come On Pilgrim was stark and spooky, but not in your typical Iron Maiden/heavy metal way. There was art behind this creepy photo, and it sucked me in. Since it carried the moderate price of an EP, I gave it a whirl. That is how it all began.

Come On Pilgrim was the music of the counter-culture. It was smart and literate with lyrics, both in English and Spanish covering sex, nightmares, woodland animals and Lou Reed. However, it was that sledgehammer sound that shrugged off all of the Spandex-clad cock-rock that littered MTV at the time and one-upped them at their own game. It was visceral, sardonic and raw. Looking back, this was my Stooges, my MC5, my Ramones, my Velvet Underground. This was the time when a lot of things changed for me while the Pixies, in their own way, changed music. I am not sure if I am the Pixies biggest fan; I cannot justify purchasing their massively indulgent box set. However, if someone asks me "what my favorite band of all time" is, at least I have a quick go-to answer when I am not in the mood for a debate.

Tracklist

1. Caribou
2. Vamos
3. Isla De Encanta
4. Ed Is Dead
5. The Holiday Song
6. Nimrod's Son
7. I've Been Tired
8. Levitate Me

Purchase the album here.

Added bonus: click below and type in your email for a free sampler of live Pixies music released in celebration of their 2008-2009 tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their greatest album (and one of my all-time favorites), Doolittle.