Morrissey Sticks to His “Guns”

On February 26, 2013, in Music, by mugen

Stereogum has what starts out as a really informative article about Morrissey. (Full disclosure: I kind of hate Morrissey’s music, most of the time — can’t stand his voice, like every cover of a Smith’s song I’ve ever heard WAY more than the originals.)

But then it becomes the dumbest thing I think I’ve ever read, and really makes me feel like 1) I’m old, and 2) the current generation of music fans, no matter their taste, just “doesn’t get it.”

Writer Michael Nelson calls Morrissey out for sticking too closely to his moral stance on animal rights, in order to reach a broader audience. Maybe he missed the fact that the Smiths had an album in 1985 titled Meat Is Murder. Morrissey wouldn’t allow the rest of his band to be photographed eating meat at that time. He’s pretty adamant about this belief. (Full disclosure: I’m not a vegan or vegetarian, and while I don’t agree with any moral compunction against eating meat or using animal products, I understand the impulse and the belief and can respect it in others who don’t condemn my own behavior.) This is someone who publicly feuded with Robert Smith, another vegetarian who said, “If Morrissey says not to eat meat, then I’ll eat meat; that’s how much I hate Morrissey.” The guy has dealt with both the FBI and UK intelligence regarding his anti-government statements. He’s on record chastising the sitting Prime Minister of England for hunting stags.He’s been a vegetarian since he was 11 years old.

As far as “reaching a broader audience,” Morrissey’s first solo album debuted at #1 on the UK Charts. How many bands have covered “How Soon Is Now?” — it’s been the theme song to both a feature film and a prime time TV show. He has one of the most insanely loyal fanbases in all of rock music. The British music press has had a nearly 30-year fascination with the man, particularly NME.

In the meantime, it appears that the Staples Center has agreed to Morrissey’s request and will have only vegetarian vendors at his performance.

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LOUDNESS – Lightning Strikes

On February 26, 2013, in Japan, Music, by mugen

Another cool find from my first trip to Toxic Beauty Records in Yellow Springs:

A signed copy of Lightning Strikes by LOUDNESS!

LOUDNESS is a Japanese hair-metal band. I got into them by finding Thunder in the East (1985), Lightning Strikes (1986), and Hurricane Eyes (1987) at the library when I was in high school. Some great stuff, lyrics all in English.



The edges of the sleeve are all chewed to hell, so whoever owned this must have listened to it a lot, or at least moved it around a bunch. But the signatures made it worth the $5 I dropped on it.
Vinyl does have a certain satisfaction and allure to it that nothing else quite approaches. I have been really excited to find stuff by (for example) Scheer on CD because there were so many 4AD singles when that band was active, but it’s not quite the same. Still, sometimes buying brand new music on vinyl almost feels kind of like a posture. It’s very weird. Reissues feel kind of fake.

But I listened to Lightning Strikes on vinyl for the 4 weeks I had it, and then played my cassette copy over and over for about 3 years. Fun stuff. If you’re into Poison, Motley Crue, Dokken, and that ilk, and you’re looking for something “new,” this could be a nice discovery for your collection.

An aside: I lived in Japan in Nara prefecture for 5 years from 2006-2011. Apparently, the drummer Higuchi Munetaka (RIP, 2008 liver cancer) has family (a grandmother, I believe) from the next village up from where I lived. When I was in Fukuoka, I went to Jackie’s Bar, and the owner was friends with the members of LOUDNESS. Very cool that I was able to relate to people about this band while I was there, and to have their autographs is very cool.


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ELP – Brain Salad Surgery

On February 23, 2013, in Music, by mugen

On Sunday, while window shopping in Yellow Springs, Ohio (the cool hippie village up the road from where I live, home to Antioch College and Young’s Jersey Dairy), I stumbled into Toxic Beauty Records, an honest-to-god VINYL record shop. Chatted a bit with Josh, the owner/operator, about the new My Bloody Valentine album coming out soon (first release since 1991!) and poster art, as well as Japanese reissues of Beatles 7″ records.

As I flipped through the bins, I found a pretty amazing surprise, especially from a sci-fi nerd perspective. H.R. Giger designed the biomechanical look for the 1979 film ALIEN. Giger has also designed album covers and sleeves. I had found Debbie Harry’s “KooKoo” in a used vinyl bin back in the early 1990s, and had even hung the inner sleeve up on the wall, as a fan of Harry AND Giger.

One of Giger’s most famous (and interesting) album cover art designs is for the Emerson, Lake, and Palmer disc Brain Salad Surgery. The album features headshot portraits of all 3 band members on a foldout poster. The poster, if folded properly, overlays Giger’s biomechanical artwork around the band’s faces.

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“Fear of the Dark” – Iron Maiden

On February 18, 2013, in Music, by mugen

The top 5 songs by Iron Maiden on Spotify are “Run to the Hils” (of course!), “Number of the Beast” (I almost thought it’d be #1), “Fear of the Dark” (huh?), “The Trooper,” and “Aces High.” I was sort of surprised not to see “Can I Play with Madness” or “Powerslave” in there. But what’s really weird to me is that I didn’t even know when “Fear of the Dark” came out, or what album it was on, and I don’t think I’d ever heard it until today.

It’s the title track of the last album with Bruce Dickinson before he left to go solo for about 4 years.
It’s not bad.

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Top 10 of 2012

On February 10, 2013, in Music, song, by mugen

Last week I posted my “best of 2012” list from Spotify, in no particular order.

Here, then, is my countdown of the top 10 songs of 2012. This was hard to get straight, and rounding out numbers 9 through 11 was a little difficult. It was hard to limit it to 10, but I think I picked a pretty good representation of what I enjoyed and what I listed to. I also tried to work in the artistry at times, as well as the impact on music/pop culture.

First, some runners up:

  • Fun. The album Some Nights has some great songs on it. I only hope the follow-up comes close. This band is pretty impressive and innovative. I can’t tell if the taste for anthems is keeping this band afloat beyond their freshness date, but we’ll see.
  • Rise Against and Skrillex put out some good tunes in 2011 that got popular in 2012, but that didn’t really fit my criteria.
  • If “Locked Out of Heaven” didn’t sound so much like a Police song, I’d have included it, I think.
  • Both Imagine Dragons and AWOLNATION put out good albums with lots of good music. The standouts didn’t quite beat what I included here, though.
  • I fuckin’ hated everything I heard by 2 Chains. Just to be clear.
  • Silversun Pickups, Walk the Moon, and Grouplove also put out good stuff. I’m watching for more from all three, and digging back through what’s already been put out.
  • “Work Hard, Play Hard” by Wiz Khalifa is a great song, but I’m not a fan of straightforward frontin’ or weed songs. The production value was fantastic. I’m thinking I might want to try remixing this.

The Countdown:

#10 “Fuck U Betta” – Neon Hitch

The bad girl’s answer to “Call Me Maybe.” Totally danceable, amazing vocal quality, attitude in your face. I hope Neon keeps putting out good music. Her collaboration with Gym Class Heroes “Ass Back Home” is another standout.

#9 “Little Talks” – Of Monsters and Men

The Celt in me is drawn to this, even though the band is actually from Iceland. The ghost story elements of the lyrics, the haunted nature of the relationship, the questionable sanity of (at least one of) the voices – all make for a wonderful love story. I’m reminded of White Lady beach hauntings and “Brandy” by Three Dog Night. But the celebratory feel of the music is a nice counter to the deterioration of the relationship.

#8 “I Fink U Freaky” – Die Antwoord

The tempo shift in the middle and the speed of both Ninja’s and Yo-Landi’s raps is powerful and gnarly. The synth stabs preceding the choruses and punctuating the song are perfect. The video’s pretty keen, too, but not really part of my criteria. This tune is danceable and irreverent.



#7 “Burn It Down” – Linkin Park

I’ve never really been a Linkin Park fan. I have had a passing interest in a song or two here or there. But their new album is the first I’ve actually paid to own. Without any expectations about “their real sound,” I can just enjoy where the band is now. I’m digging their new explorations.



#6 “Defribrillator” – Angelspit

Probably the 3rd-best song this band’s ever recorded, after “Juicy” and “Skinny Little Bitch.” They’ve still got it, and their sense of humor remains. I wish I was more in-touch with this scene than the radio, but at least I found this one.



#5 “Gangnam Style” – Psy

Come on. If I didn’t mention this tune, it’d be a lie. This is pop gold, and the fact that it’s Korean is even more impressive. What floored me most was when I found out that this tune was on the juke at the local beer ‘n wings restaurant. Better, in my opinion, though, is the “reply” song by Psy and Hyuna “Oppa is Just My Style” – 오빤 딱 내 스타일


#4 “Heartbeat” – Childish Gambino

This whole album is worth buying. And yeah, it’s Troy from Community. But it’s more than just a comedy rap disc — it’s heartfelt but complex and smart hip hop.



#3 “Madness” – Muse

As successful as Muse has become, they keep pushing their own limits. The bass riff (and the instrumentation that lets them play the song live) is amazingly catchy and adds a surprisingly unique tone to the song. The vocal build near the end shows the range of the band, as well.



#2 “Genesis” – Grimes

I had this song and “Oblivion” both on my big list, and almost put both in the top 10. Grimes hits a weird chord for me (and apparently lots of other reviewers, too) in that her sound is weirdly stripped down but still techno and catchy and appealing, but I’m unsure why. I bought this album on vinyl and am glad I did. Grimes is a sort of throwback/posterchild to DIY alt.pop who will probably become one of the more interesting producers of around 2020 or so.



#1 “Somebody That I Used to Know” – Gotye

Yes, this was played to death once it was picked up on by mainstream radio. But its popularity takes nothing away from the soundsculpture songwriting method, the confessional lyrics, the vocal dynamism of both singers, and the excellent harmonies. I’m a much bigger Grimes fan than Gotye, and still — this is the better song.



Best of 2012 Playlist

On February 8, 2013, in Music, setlist, song, by mugen

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From Spipasucci

On February 8, 2013, in Music, song, by mugen

I’ve always learned lots about great tunes from Spipasucci – from back when we would play “name that tune/band/album” in his apartment with his hundreds of CDs to following him on Spotify.

So post some new stuff, Spip!

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Echo & the Bunnymen cover featured on The Following