Vinyl Vednesday 8/17/2011

[Vinyl Vednesday is a weekly feature about three favorite vinyl finds. It’s not meant to be a dick-measuring contest, but it usually turns out that way. As always, e-mail pelonej1@gmail.com with your own big finds!]

Records: Terence Trent D’Arby’s Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D’Arby (1987) on black, Gustav Holst’s The Planets, as performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra with William Steinberg, conductor (1970), on black with a sweet shiny, trippy cover, and the compilation The Right to Assemble Volume Two: A Hardcore Punk Compilation From New Brunswick, N.J. (2008) on clear.

Place of Purchase: D’Arby was purchased at Disc World (R.I.P.) in Conshohocken. Holst was obtained from Impact! Thrift Store back when it was still located in East Norriton. Right to Assemble came from my homies at Chunksaah Records.

Thoughts: While he burned himself out creatively pretty quickly, Terence Trent D’Arby put out one hell of a debut record. Yeah, it’s a little ’80s-ish in production, but the dude had a clean, soulful voice and a songwriting style that skipped along the border between pretentious and hilariously awesome (Sample lyric, from “Dance Little Sister,”: “GET UP OUTTA YA CHAIR GRANDMA! / Or rather, would you prefer to dance, grandmother?” This is a spoken word into, by the way. D’Arby loves spoken word intros). While the guy never quite topped Prince or Michael Jackson, he certainly had the confidence needed to try on this first album. Plus it’s got the super catchy “Wishing Well.” That song is so sparsely arranged but so infectious.

While I haven’t done this in a while, for a period of time I used to love digging through crates of vinyl at thrift stores. The success ratio was practically nil, but the few finds were so cheap that it felt validating. Also I love looking at all of the crappy Christmas records people donate. One day, a creepy dude saddled up to me and started going off about how classical is the best musical genre. He talked at me for maybe 10-15 minutes, long enough to scare my then-girlfriend, now-fiancée, Michelle. I was looking for classic rock and ’80s pop on the cheap, but this dude kept pushing Holst’s The Planets on me with a vengeance. I finally caved – it only cost a few cents anyway. Besides, hey, maybe I could dig classical too. While I’ve come to since love the orchestral works of Hans Zimmer, Planets is merely one of those once-in-a-while kind of albums. It has some amazing swelling moments. Those strings are, um, really stringy. Also, I kind of like the random looks it gets when people flip through my collection.

OK, back to the punk rock. Man, 2008 was a great year for Hub City Hardcore, and Right to Assemble boasts exclusive tracks from a ton of bands that I was obsessed with then: The Ergs!, The Measure [SA], Static Radio NJ. There’s a bunch of other shouty, distorted guitary type groups, and the whole thing is just a real fun listen. Throw in a cool zine and a download for the first volume of Right to Assemble, and you’ve got yourself a real deal in stereo. Punkrockneverstop.

Vinyl Vednesday 1/19/2011

[Vinyl Vednesday is a weekly feature about three favorite vinyl finds. It’s not meant to be a dick-measuring contest, but it usually turns out that way. This week’s edition is dedicated to The Measure [SA], a pretty nifty punk band in the process of breaking up. E-mail pelonej1@gmail.com with your own big finds!]

Records: The Measure [SA]’s seven-inch split with The Modern Machines (2007) on black, Songs About People… and Fruit N’ Shit (2008) on clear orange, and seven-inch split with The Ergs! (2009) on purple marble.

Place of Purchase: THE INTERNETS. I’m pretty sure all three came from No Idea Records.

Thoughts: While they only have two full-lengths to their credit, The Measure [SA] was constantly putting out material via seven-inches. This split with The Modern Machines is a good example of their style – “Portland” kicks off the release with pep and insight. The Measure was really good at covers too (They once joked that people always liked them more anyway). Here, they take on Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe.” It’s sloppy, silly, and totally rocking. I love when they switch to cut time near the end of the last chorus. So good. While they’ve since released a seven-inch collection (with a second volume promised for this year), “It Ain’t Me Babe” has never been re-released, so this baby is a treasured find.

My favorite Measure release, though, is Songs About People. It’s perfect at eight songs, and while the band was shitting gold at this point, I love that they chose not to mess with such a solid tracklisting. Side One is pretty catchy, with rockers like “Drunk By Noon” and “Drama-Free Youth,” but I prefer the flipside. “singleseriesnumberzero” is the rare political tune from the band (It’s anti-Bush, natch). I feel bad for “Roof Beers” because it’s nice, but it gets in the way of “Hello Bastards,” probably one of my favorite songs of all time. It’s about growing up and trying to find a place in the punk community that raised you, and it’s catchy as all heck. “practice jam” is half the speed and just as emotionally resonant.

The Ergs! broke up in 2008, but much like Notorious B.I.G., they keep putting out releases. While That’s It… Bye contains their final recordings, they recorded four songs for a two-part split with The Measure prior to that. They cover each other’s songs, with the highlight being “Workage,” a Measure tune. The original appears on the second seventh-inch. While The Ergs! turn it into a big rock production, thereby juxtaposing the sad lyrics, Lauren Measure just lets the words hit full force. The chorus is “It’s the winter streets that kill me / And all the bars we hide in / ’Cause I know you won’t be there / And I get so much more done now.” This song reminds me of a lot of people.

Lemuria and Mikey Erg at the Barbary

The fates conspired to keep me from arriving at the Barbary Sun., Jan. 16. But since Lemuria and Mikey Erg! (of Ergs! fame) were playing, my girlfriend and I braved the freezing temperatures and used some creative driving to get around the fact that the block of Frankford Ave. the venue sits in was closed. See, indie act Lemuria just dropped a mighty fine record by the name of Pebble. It makes me feel warm inside even though a lot of the songs are bitter. And Mikey Erg is on track to be revered as one of the greatest songwriters of all time ever and forever, like the Burt Bacharach of punk.

Ah, but the fates, they are cruel. They tried to demoralize me with the opening act, Byrds of Paradise. These Byrds dealt in lo-fi punk as only a Brooklyn band can. Their sound is fuzzy, murky and occasionally cool. But their lyrics about breaking up were boring and too on-the-nose. Frontman Jared Jones kept asking the sound guy to adjust the vox. Given that Byrds’ style depends on sounding like ass on purpose, that seemed silly. Also silly: When bassist Brenden Britz’s instrument stopped working, so he settled for stumbling around the stage with a dazed look. Byrds of Paradise had an off-night, but the kids seemed content with their sloppy brand o’ punk.

After an interminable wait, Mikey Erg took to the stage with a guitar and treated the crowd to solo renditions of Ergs! tunes. He ranted about Queen for a little bit before launching into “Introducing Morrissey,” one of the group’s best tracks. While some of the songs suffered from a lack of band dynamics, like “Books About Miles Davis” and “Anthem For a New Amanda,” it was still neat hearing Ergs! tunes one more time. Considering some of the songs were release posthumously, like “Amanda” and “Encyclopedia Self-Destructica,” it was a real treat.

I noticed something about the Ergs!, though. All those super fast, catchy songs about heartbreak are straight up depressing when slowed down with the lyrics forced to the front. Still, I got to hear “Running, Jumping, Standing Still” one more time. Erg also threw in a couple of new tunes, one from a split with Lemuria’s vocalist/drummer Alex Kerns on Asian Man Records and one from an upcoming Paper + Plastick release. Both were in the traditional pop-punk vein and should rock balls upon release.

The few new tunes Mikey Erg introduced fit in with his general sound. The same can not be said for Lemuria. The group made their name with catchy, cute songs about making out. Pebble is not any of those things – it’s slower and sadder. Wisely, the band chose not to play too many new songs, and the few tracks they busted out clashed greatly with the old material. “Hours,” from their split with Kind of Like Spitting, got the biggest reaction of the night, but then new tune “Gravity” sucked the energy right out of the room, for example.

Still, the new songs sounded great live, even if they do seem to come from a different band. The tracks off of Get Better sure succeeded, with opener “Pants” going over hugely. Lemuria is in a transitional period, but there’s no denying the energy between vocalist/guitarist Sheena Ozzella and Kerns. The duo, aided by a touring bassist, drew from the crowd and dished out amped up, poppy indie rock over and over for about a half-hour, with Ozzella headbanging quite aggressively. The audience in turn thanked them by dancing and, on one occasion, diving off of the Barbary’s tiny stage. Ozzella and Kerns were humble and funny the whole time; ask them about their “comfy punx” group sometime.

After a solid set, Lemuria bowed out to applause. I visited the merch table and then hit the cold head on.

Vinyl Vednesday 12/8/2010

[Vinyl Vednesday is a weekly feature about three favorite vinyl finds. It’s not meant to be a dick-measuring contest, but it usually turns out that way. This week’s installment celebrates the brief return of The Ergs!, a pop-punk act that may one day be just as revered as The Ramones or Screeching Weasel. Yeah, I said it. E-mail pelonej1@gmail.com with your own big finds!]

Records: The Ergs!’s 3 Guys, 12 Eyes seven-inch (2001) on black, “Blue” single (2007) on blue (a-doy), and That’s It… Bye (2008) on black.

Place of Purchase: 3 Guys came from Repo Records in m.f.-in’ Thrilladelphia. “Blue” was purchased at an Ergs! show, back when I still went to concerts. That’s It was mailordered, but I honestly don’t remember who I bought it from… I just remember leaving the country and, when I came back, there it was.

Thoughts: 3 Guys, 12 Eyes was my first physical Ergs! purchase. The Ben Kweller EP caught my attention; 3 Guys cemented my love. While they only released two proper full-lengths, The Ergs! wrote and recorded an insane amount of material, which is why I think they should be canonized as punk rock saints. I don’t listen to them quite as much as I used to, but I remember the glee I got from hearing each new seven-inch or attending a set. The Ergs! were a talented, generous band, and 3 Guys bears that out. It even comes with a comic! And how you could you not be moved by the emotional appeal of “If You Don’t,” or the guitarmageddon of “Bought a Copy?” Shit rules.

2007 was a great year for Ergs! fans. We got the fantastic full-length Upstairs/Downstairs, as well as a bevy of seven-inches: Splits with Lemuria and Grabass Charlestons, a single for “Books About Miles Davis,” and this little curio called “Blue.” The A-side is typical Ergs!. “Blue” is super catchy, pretty fast, and just generally great. But the song that makes the bigger impression for me is a cover of Nirvana’s “Blew.” They obviously did it as a joke, but it’s a great grunge cover. It reaffirms in my mind that The Ergs! were a great band, as they could take on a variety of styles with ease [Cue reference to that time people complained about Upstairs/Downstairs not having enough jazz references].

Yet for all my fandom, I have mixed feelings about That’s It… Bye. Maybe it’s because the band made a huge deal about it being their last recordings (While they’ve released other songs since their break-up, That’s It features the last three songs The Ergs! ever recorded). Maybe it’s because I never had a chance to bond with the recordings due to personal reasons. Maybe it’s because “Anthem For a New Amanda” is slightly slower. Whatever. Point is, this EP was slightly anti-climactic for me. While the members have gone on to other projects with varying success, I’ll always hold on to the years The Ergs! were together. That said, while I’ll probably never get to see them live again, I certainly look forward to hearing from their new projects. Whether or not they can rekindle that old Erg-y chemistry remains to be seen, but c’mon. Have you heard “Introducing Morrissey?”

Vinyl Vednesday 4/28/2010

[Vinyl Vednesday is a weekly feature about three favorite vinyl finds. It’s not meant to be a dick-measuring contest, but it usually turns out that way. This is the first installment in like a month that isn’t themed. E-mail pelonej1@gmail.com with your own big finds!]

Records: Band of Horses’ Everything All the Time (2006) on black, The Ergs!’ The Ben Kweller EP (2002) on black, and Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here (1975) on black.

Place of Purchase: BoH came from Repo Records (I think). Ergs! was an eBay find, although it was the first album that got me into the band circa 2006. Wish You Were Here was purchased at defunct comics/records/collectibles shop Legends in Plymouth Meeting.

Thoughts: Band of Horses may go down as the very last band MTV introduced me to. Well, actually it was MTV2’s Subterranean, but that’s close enough. The group went on the show to discuss their album and introduce their new video, a grainy black and white piece set to their extremely awesome song “Funeral.” “Funeral” remains one of the group’s best songs, all rocking and melancholic and what-not. Luckily, the rest of the album holds up too. “The First Song” never fails to pick me up, as does follow-up single “The Great Salt Lake.” Also this one of my favorite albums of the ’00s.

Oh man a theme is slightly emerging: The Ergs!’ The Ben Kweller EP was one of my favorite EPs of the previous decade. Tunes about girls and BK are two things I can get behind. I find it funny that the band broke up two years ago and is still putting out records. It’s even funnier because all of these songs were recorded before their send-off That’s It…Bye. We could be dining on Ergs! tunes for years to come and they’ll all still be older than an EP that dropped in 2008. This paragraph doesn’t have much to do with the EP, but what else can I say at this point?

I’ve been debating about launching a new column for this blog, tentatively titled “Asshole.” It’ll contain semi-ignorant generalizations about bands I don’t care about in the hopes of soliciting a discussion via the comments section. One of the subjects I’m mulling over is Pink Floyd. I tried to get into Floyd in high school, basically because that’s the kind of music my stoner friends gravitated towards. I picked up two of the group’s albums: Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here. Dark Side was shit. But Wish You Were Here actually grabbed me. I find this odd since one of my biggest criticisms against the band is that their songs are really repetitive and sound the same, and Wish You Were Here’s songs are literally so, since most of the album consists of the nine movements that make up song “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.” Yet I find myself drawn to all of the synths and cynicism. I’m generally turned off by songs about how evil the recording industry is, but I’m down with tunes like “Welcome to the Machine” and “Have a Cigar.” Despite my criteria for what music I like, Wish You Were Here is the amazing exception. Any suggestions on where to go next?