An Uncontrollable Urge

SNEAKPEEK, “Walk All Over Me” I enjoy this kind of shoegaze –...

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 08:56:23 -0400

SNEAKPEEK, “Walk All Over Me”

I enjoy this kind of shoegaze – the kind blended with a little bit of face-melting guitar work – but I wonder if they could pick up the pace just a tad? Maybe it’s the amount of caffeine I’ve consumed in order to stay up all night in order to write this* or something, but there’s something about each of the four songs over at SNEAKPEEK’s Bandcamp that makes me think they would rock ten thousand times harder if they snuck just one extra beat in every minute. But, hey, they rock pretty well already. It’s not my band. Jeez, get off my back already.

The above track, “Walk All Over Me” is a bit of a monster. Simple riff, vocal harmonies reminiscent of the Breeders, and, as mentioned earlier, some screamin’ hot steel (that, honestly, came out of nowhere; did Ron Asheton get lost?). Hope to hear more like it on the upcoming EP.

*Uh … and do other things. I didn’t stay up all night just for eight sentences.

Go Get Accordion Crimes to Make Their Record

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 09:45:00 -0400

Go Get Accordion Crimes to Make Their Record: Hey, remember that bunch of posts I did on...

The Young Rascals, “I’ve Been Lonely Too Long &...

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:00:05 -0400

The Young Rascals, “I’ve Been Lonely Too Long & Come On Up”

Okay, right off the bat I feel like I need to say that I think the Rascals are great. So let’s not have any arguments on what I’m about to say, because I mean it in the most positive way possible (which I know seems odd).

Watch this video, and tell me the guitarist and the tambourine player don’t look like complete jagoffs. For the first number, it’s mainly the guitarist. He’s all smiles and goofy faces, and it’s great.

But then, once they start “Come On Up,” tambo grabs a second skin, and goes off. I’ve never seen someone do what this guy does as a serious demonstration of ability, and basically, it’s the whole reason he’s in the band. He’s a professional dickhead.

Okay, like I said, I think this is awesome. I know basically every word I just used to describe these guys is most often thought of as negative, but I don’t mean any of the negative parts. They went all out with no regard for how completely silly they looked (or, I guess, would look in 50 years, since I imagine they didn’t look like a pair of horse’s asses in 1966 or whatever) and that’s great. And, above all else, they fucking rocked. Dino Danelli on the drums blew my mind. Why is nobody freaking out over how nasty that guy is? He’s like Keith Moon and Mitch Mitchell’s weird buttbaby.

The Downliners Sect, “Now She’s Dead” This is...

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 09:01:05 -0400

The Downliners Sect, “Now She’s Dead”

This is one of the weirdest songs I’ve ever heard. It’s so oddly dark in a way that I don’t think will ever happen again. I can’t imagine a mindset where you want to write a seemingly upbeat ’60s rock ballad, one that sounds like they would sing it with smiles on their faces if they were performing it on TV, but with lyrics like this. And those vocals, of course, are both haunting and goofy at the same time.

Just another reason to be a Sect Maniac.

Battles, “My Machines” So this new Battles video is...

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 19:26:38 -0400

Battles, “My Machines”

So this new Battles video is pretty great, right? Four minutes of a guy falling down an escalator - how could it not be?

I will say I am a little bummed that it looks like it’s not all one take, but I guess the guy might actually die if he had to really keep falling down a flight of grooved steel steps like that for that long, and they made it better with their editing and effects magic, so, fine then.

Song’s pretty great too, and the video really uses it well, especially toward the end of the video. The power! You’ll know what I’m talking about when you see it.

Fucked Up, “Queen of Hearts” I hate to be all...

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:37:34 -0400

Fucked Up, “Queen of Hearts”

I hate to be all “new media marketing” right now, but this is an awesome video. Making a music video for the web … you don’t really need to have the song in it at all, do you? That can easily be found through other means. The best way to get people interested is something like this, something that takes the song and does something creative of its own right with it. People get interested in the video because the video’s interesting. You don’t necessarily need to be out for new sounds - it’s just a good idea for a short video. But it makes use of the song in a new way, so if you are a person more interested in music than your average YouTube jerkoff, you’ll find something rewarding here too. Real well done.

Ahh, shut up, me. Anyway, I don’t see how anything could beat David Comes to Life for record of the year. I can’t stop playing this thing.

Here’s another video (“The Other Shoe”), not interesting in the same way as the one above, but it’s five minutes of some of my favorite sound ever. So, that’s pretty interesting (to me).

So, I'm doing another podcast...

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 10:37:54 -0400

So, I'm doing another podcast...: My sister and I have started a podcast. Check it out! Of...

Self Promotion (eh ... kind of)!

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 20:39:31 -0400

Self Promotion (eh ... kind of)!: So, obviously there’s not been a lot going on at An...

An Uncontrollable Urge Episode 2: Rock and Roll Kills the Blues

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 01:09:20 -0400

This week’s episode of the podcast, punk rockers and rock’n’rollers playin’...

An Uncontrollable Urge Episode 1: An Uncontrollable Urge Goes Surfin'!

Mon, 30 May 2011 16:06:00 -0400

Update (6/2/11 5:18 p.m.): It’s in iTunes. Subscribe to that shit right here. Things have...

Guitar Wolf / Cheap Time at the Kitting Factory

Sat, 14 May 2011 13:53:58 -0400

Huey Lewis was right you guys. Let’s take this in order. Cheap Time opened up last night at...

Video

Wed, 11 May 2011 21:17:29 -0400

Heavy Trash & Coffin Joe, “You Can’t...

Sun, 08 May 2011 22:43:31 -0400

Heavy Trash & Coffin Joe, “You Can’t Win”

I don’t really know what’s going on halfway through the song when Coffin Joe is jittering along in Portuguese, but it’s great anyway. Jitter on.

Parts & Labor, “Echo Chamber” When the video...

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 05:46:56 -0400

Parts & Labor, “Echo Chamber”

When the video started, I thought it would just be a bit of a rehash of the video from “The Gold We’re Digging,” since it employs similar film techniques. Nope. Way cooler.

How many takes do they have to do for a video like this? A million?

Sex Sux (Amen) - Ladyfest, Easthampton

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 06:22:19 -0400

Sex Sux (Amen) - Ladyfest, Easthampton: Two of my friends talking about stuff! It’s...

Sarah Lipstate & Lee Ranaldo at Roulette You may remember...

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 05:47:53 -0400

Sarah Lipstate & Lee Ranaldo at Roulette

You may remember reading about this performance here. How does it compare to the text?

Last minute! I will be DJ’ing at this (at noon), so you...

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 06:00:07 -0400

Last minute! I will be DJ’ing at this (at noon), so you should go. Plus, it’s the best record fair in the universe. So, eat it.

It is today.

The 5.6.7.8's - A new single, and a live album

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 11:00:07 -0400

Hey, Third Man’s put out a new 5.6.7.8’s single, and it fuckin’ rips....

Wire and Madensuyu @ Bowery Ballroom

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:45:46 -0400

Caught Wire playing the Bowery Ballroom last night supported by Belgium’s Madensuyu, and while...

Parts & Labor, “Constant Future” This...

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:34:07 -0400

Parts & Labor, “Constant Future”

This one’s from their show a few days ago in Allston, Massachusetts. These guys are on fucking fire every time I see them. Make a point to check ‘em out next time they come by your way.