Culture Blues

Clef Notes #2

Every Friday, or at least until his spectacular rock star flameout, Giovanny will be  dropping a week’s worth of music knowledge on you with Clef Notes, proof positive that he’s a one man music magazine.

NEWS:

Thank goodness for technology: It seems that someone out there just got Kanye West his own computer! Over the last couple of weeks, Mr. West has been blowing up all of the internets with promotional activities in support of his upcoming fifth studio record. First, there was the impromptu visit he paid to the Facebook headquarters (complete with a capella song debuts), then he joined and effectively became the only person on Twitter, and now he has graced us with his own Ustream feed. While waiting for a flight out of South Korea, Kanye answered questions from fans while broadcasting his particular brand of braggadocio. Among the topics being discussed during this world stopping moment were: his next single and video, his twitter (of course), and why (he claims) he is no longer an asshole:  "It's about the art. I'm not allowing my attitude to get in the way of my creation anymore." Who knows where this multimedia explosion will lead us? Maybe Kanye will become the Mayor of the entire Universe on Four Square, maybe he will get his own flash game on Facebook, or maybe Kanye will start his own internet, one where all links lead to a Kanye themed second life where we all simply try to curry his favor.

I bet he will hate the movie adaptation: Esteemed comic book legend Alan Moore has recently announced his involvement in a multimedia collaboration with Mike Patton, Stuart Braithwaite (Mogwai), Justin Broadrick (Jesu), and photographer Mitch Jenkins. The project (titled Unearthing) is said to be a spoken-word biography of one of Moore’s mentors, British comic book writer Steven Moore, with an accompanying musical score and a book of photographs. Hopefully, it will be as good as the surprising Dark Night of the Soul, the Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse/David Lynch collaboration that came out last year. As Moore is involved you should expect an intricate narrative involving dead gods, aging superheroes, the quiet darkness of human frailty, and an alien creature who is actually the forgotten king of our reality.

GOD DAMN IT!: Most of our readers are already aware of the special and personal feelings I have about Weezer (I despise them). It wasn’t always this way; like you, I was charmed by their debut, and Pinkerton, but everything after that is basically worthless (sure, you love that Beverly Hills song, but you suck). Naturally, when I read that Weezer was releasing a new album this fall my stomach seized in the fashion usually attributed to receiving only the worst of news. I tracked down the lackluster first single (meh), read the latest batch of Rivers Cuomo interviews (he is just awful), and started to glow with rage. Of course, all that was before I saw the album cover. Let’s be clear about something: this record has nothing to do with Lost. According to Cuomo: “I met and took a photo with Jorge Garcia, who was Hurley from Lost; he just has this amazing vibe and his expression in that photo seemed so right, so we just called [the album] Hurley.” In-fucking-credible. Could you see Bob Dylan, Jay-Z, or even Maroon 5 employing such an asinine album naming strategy? No, no you couldn’t.

Someone up there loves me: I will admit to all of you right now that there is no journalistic purpose for this story. This isn’t about keeping you informed, exposing sell-outs, or uncovering hypocrisies; instead this blurb is about Justin Bieber getting embarrassed and me laughing. All of us humble mortals were blessed this week as video surfaced of the Canadian born teen wet-dream getting hit in the head with a water bottle while on stage. It’s a moment of greatness that mankind will be able to savor for generations to come.

State of the industry: The number one record on the Billboard charts this week is (drum roll please) The Suburbs by Arcade Fire. Once you finish smiling and patting your bearded self on the back, keep one thing in mind... You didn't buy it. As a matter of fact, this week's number one sold fewer copies than last week's, which is absolutely absurd considering the promotional blitz that surrounded The Suburbs was massive and incalculably larger than Avenged Sevenfold's, not to mention The Suburbs was also heavily discounted on Amazon. So, is this a victory for Arcade Fire? Sure it is. After all, you and I don't have a number one record to our credit and, to be fair, it is technically an indie release, which makes it the second independently released record to be number one on the charts (but the other record was by Vampire Weekend and that makes my soul hurt).

REVIEWS:

Face it.  You and your friends have been playing that new MGMT record so much that your neighbors hate both it and you. It is time to move on to something else and, luckily for you, Wavves has released a record that is perfect for wasting the last days of August on a beach, at a barbecue, or by your pool (you rich scum). You may remember Wavves from our NXNE coverage earlier this year. I dug their live show, but it didn’t necessarily blow me away. Well, their new album doesn’t really blow me away either, but that being said, I do like it a lot. King of the Beach is a 12 track, 36 minute blast of lo-fi surf-rock noise-pop that isn’t particularly sophisticated but is still a very fun listen. Last year, singer/songwriter/guitarist Nathan Williams was best known for his onstage breakdown at Primavera Sound. This year he is trying to be the guy who capitalizes on the fact that it is suddenly indie to go the beach. He does a pretty effective job with songs like the title track and Super Soaker. Even the psychedelic cuts are decent if derivative, but I understand; the zeitgeist demands there be synths.

Best Coast’s Crazy For You is the kind of record that you can fall in love with. It is a sweet, sun-drenched, oh-so-California cool breeze that just so happens to love you back (most of the time). Sure, the songs all happen to be about the same things (boyfriends and summer), but they come off as genuine odes to both the surf-pop genre, and to their subject matter. Sonically Crazy For You aims more for a blast-from-the-past feel than it does a “post-” interpretation, and though the tonal palette is modern, the song structure of tracks like I Want To and Summer Mood are nice throwbacks, while the harmonies that permeate most of the record are pretty close to timeless. This record is a very strong debut for Best Coast; the album’s first single, Boyfriend, was chosen as Pitchfork’s track of the week a while back, and though it may not be for everyone, you will find yourself enjoying moments of this album... if you let yourself. Btw did you know that Nathan Williams from Wavves and Bethany Cosentino from Best Coast are, like, totally BFF! ZOMG <3<3<3

To say that the early stages of Ariel Pink’s career are shrouded in mystery is putting it lightly. The California based musical recluse has been recording and storing material since the late 90s (most of it remains unheard today), and over the years he gained a reputation as the ultimate outsider in outsider music, a freak-folk genius, and an avant-garde mensch. Ariel Pink is now on Animal Collective’s label (obviously), and has released records that, today, seem like precognitive quatrains detailing the shape of the modern vogue (albeit at a lower fidelity). His newest effort is Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti Before Today (long album titles are to today what being a “The” band was to five years ago), and not only is it the most glossed and polished of Pink’s records, it is also his absolute best. The way that this record synthesizes genres and influences into a unique, fresh, and inimitable sound is (dare I say it) genius. Just so we are clear, I am not even a particularly big fan of chillwave, but this is not about my tastes. This is about how songs like Round and Round, Bright Lit Blue Skies, and Menopause Man are exemplary compositions that demand proper renown, and how this record deserves some of your time.

16TH NOTES

It seems that this whole “streaming your concert for free” thing is catching on; next on the list to perform for the web Jay-Z... Katy Perry had a rough week as she was first threatened by the  Beach Boys with legal action over the lyrics in her single California Gurls, then flamed by Beach House for naming her album Teenage Dream. This is why it helps if you have your own ideas... A new Elliot Smith compilation was revealed this week. Just in time for the holidays!... My Chemical Romance has announced that they will be dropping an album this year. Also, they are killing music in their basement... Spaceman 3 are reuniting without Jason Pierce, but with some aide from THE Kevin Shields. Shoegazm... STP is out there touring again. They are engaged in a pension scheme battle with Soundgarden, only Scott Wieland is going to blow it all on heroin. My Morning Jacket is also rumored to be in the studio. You probably like them more than I do, good for you... Mogwai is almost done in the studio, and I can’t wait to once again hear the sound of the sky crumbling...

TOP TEN COUNTDOWN

Reviewing all of that surfy sunshine pop this week got me thinking about the best summer songs of all time.

10) The Boys of Summer - Don Henley

9) Summertime Blues - Eddie Cochran

8) Summertime - Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff

7) The Summer - Yo La Tengo

6) Nightswimming - R.E.M

5) Summer of 69 - Bryan Adams

4) Summer Babe - Pavement

3) Heavy Metal Drummer - Wilco

2) 36-24-36 - The Violent Femmes

1) Summertime Clothes - Animal Collecitve

TRACK OF THE WEEK

Glitter - No Age: This week's track is the first single off of No Age's highly anticipated upcoming record. The album will be called Everything in Between and is due for a late September release. If this is any indication of what the record will sound like then we should all be pleased this fall.

Here is your homework: 1) What is your favorite summer jam? 2) What artists would you like to see collaborate in a multimedia project (living or dead)? 3) Who do you think should be the next to start a Ustream feed?

Tagged as: Alan Moore, Arcade Fire, Ariel Pink, Best Coast, Hurley, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Lollapalooza, Paul is dead, Twitter, U-stream, Wavves, weezer