A Gudied Tour of Radio Free Tobias

Tonight at the Radio Free Tobias broadcast, I decided to take a bunch of photographs. Posted here is the result. Hope they please.


This is the group responsible for the delightful Radio Free Tobias. On the left is me, Stephen. On the right is Tobias himself. And in the middle is miss Mallory, bringin' the moxie since 2005.


Mallory, over the break, developed a stress fracture. Here she is showing it off. Big fan of the color scheme myself.


This is Tobias. He is peeking curiously over the top of his own computer as Mallory plays Oregon Trail and I laugh at both of them.

I promised Mallory that this embarassing picture would end up online. So here it is. But don't blame me... she took it.

So there it is... a peek inside the innner workings of Radio Free Tobias. As you can see, only the most important things ever take place. No time for games (like Oregon Trail.) Hope I have enlightened the masses.

Maritime bassist Eric Axelson calls it quits

Here's a little addendum to my We the Vehicles review.

Former Dismemberment Plan bassist Eric Axelson has left Maritime. He has been replaced by Decibully (who had releases on Polyvinyl) bassist Justin Klug. Eric sez:

I've been on the road a ton in the past 7 years of my life and wanted to stay closer to home. It's been nothing but fun playing with Maritime and we're all on good terms, I just wanted them to be able to tour as much as they felt necessary without me holding them back.

We will find out how much Eric helped Maritime not suck sometime next album.

Maritime - We the Vehicles Review

First Impression:
Final Rating:

At the risk of exposing myself as a fanboy, I must say that I was immensely disappointed with Maritime’s first full-length release, Glass Floor. The prospect of a marriage of The Promise Ring’s melody-machine Davey von Bohlen and drummer Dan Dider with Dismemberment Plan mad-bassist Eric Axelson was enough to make various indie nerds drool with anticipation. The result was unremarkable, and the tepid Glass Floor fizzled.

Enough, it seems, to warrant We the Vehicles being released in America a full six months after being made available in Japan and Europe. Maybe Flameshovel is hoping the Glass Floor backlash will be forgotten during this six months through smart publicity and buzz, and our international friends won’t be sophisticated enough to care. Supposedly it has something to do with difficulty finding a label stateside.

From the beginning of the record, it’s clear efforts have been made to amend the saccharine and hallow production of Glass Floor. Read, this mostly means von Bohlen’s wispy voice is carefully tucked behind instruments with electrical currents flowing through them, which is for the best. Stepping out of the acoustic-limelight, his voice takes its rightful place as a secondary instrument. This allows von Bohlen’s intelligent songwriting to shine, just as it did in [my fantasies] when this band was first conceived.

Axleson’s leash has been loosened and a spry 1980’s feel has been liberally applied to the bass n’ drums here -- complete with synths, a backbeat on “Parade of Punk Rock T-Shirts” and varied moving bass lines. It comes across as generally likeable and keeps things from bogging down without being classified as one of those “dance rock” records that we don’t talk about.

“Tearing Up the Oxygen” is a good example of all that. This great track is being groomed as the remedy for some of the remaining sour grapes. The combination of rhythmic precision and melodic talent drives this album, just as it should have in the first place.

That’s not to say this record is perfect. It didn’t blow me away. I kind of went back and forth on it (my initial reaction being an immense sense of relief, followed by a period of doubt and then recovery). Von Bohlen can’t sing, but that’s no secret and I feel unoriginal and a bit dirty for having mentioned it. Some of the melodies sound a lot like TPR’s swan songs with new sheep clothing, which is also to be expected.

However, the spit and polish applied to the pop deluge one can expect from von Bohlen is a welcome change of pace. Mr. Emergency is still chugging away, and We the Vehicles is a sign that the road is being righted.

“We are powerful despite our injuries,” declares “Calm”.

Past wrongs have been addressed and many patched up. I still love you, Davey.

Thank you for holding Davey accountable, Eric.

Keep the time, Dan. Nice work boys.

Non-Commuter's Mix-tape

As I mentioned a few months ago, the demise of my iPod has created the need for 'mix'-tapes. These 'mix'-tapes help make long drives more tolerable, and also keep me focused on the task at hand: not dying in a fiery car wreck.

Well since there is not a lot of music news right now, and I don't really want to make some up, here is a track list of my newest 'mix'-tape.

1. Death from Above 1979 - Turn it Out
2. The Dismemberment Plan - You are Invited (get it at Epitonic)
3. Further Seems Forever - Monechetti
4. Low Skies - The Cause of it All
5. Maritime - Tearing up the Oxygen (listen at Maritime's Myspace)
6. Pretty Girls Make Graves - Speakers Push the Air
7. Ted Leo - Me and Mia
8. Kings of Convenience - Brave New World
9. The Dears - The Death of All Romance
10. The Microphones - The Glow Pt. 2
11. Sparklehorse - Gold Day
12. Hotel Lights - A.M. Slow Golden Hit
13. Sarah Harmer - I am Aglow (Real Player music video)
14. Nick Cave - Breathless
15. R.E.M - Harborcoat
16. Braid - Breathe In
17. The Promise Ring - Tell Everyone We're Dead
18. Tiara - We Learned from the Best
19. Guided By Voices - I am a Scientist
20. The Eels - Dead of Winter
21. Stars - The Vanishing

...& et. cetera. Will try and update with a couple mp3's in a bit. The internet is treacherous with what appears to be viruses. Someone should fix that. Need to go make this mixtape.

Appleseed Cast - Peregrine Review

First Impression:
Final Rating:
The Appleseed Cast went off the deep end in 2001 released the two-volume experimental work Low Level Owl. Following a couple more digressions, including a folksy side project (Old Canes -- which I like), they’ve returned to the studio again. Peregrine is an appropriate title for their latest, considering all the musical meandering they’ve done.

From the onset, it’s clear what kind of beast this record is trying to be: a spectacularly overwrought one. Drum effects and triggering, lots of compression, synths, instrumental tracks – it’s all there. The liberal production is ambitious to the point of being masturbatory. The thing is, if you take away the clamor and clatter, the record doesn’t always have a lot of pop substance, while the more layered stuff doesn’t have the guns to compete with say, Mogwai or Sigur Ros. In fact, some of the aforementioned drum production is eye-roll worthy, particularly on “Woodland Hunter Part 2” and “Mountain Halo”. Whoever decided reversing the drum track is cool should contemplate taking a good look at the inside of a gas stove.

While a few tracks are effective, specifically “Here We Are”, and “Sunlit Ascending”, the dog-and-pony production diverts attention from the underlying atmospheric simplicity that made Owl so successful. Considering how heavily involved that production is on this album, it seems Appleseed Cast should consider having another identity crisis.

Sufjan Stevens Remixes (and others)

This is a little ahead of the times (Confabulators posted something about it last year), but being new to me, I thought I would share.

I have the time to find out about this stuff during my spring break since I have substantially less to do with myself. The results = me listening to techno remixes of folky indie-rock.

Illi-noise! - The Illinois remix by MC DJ.

It's something to do, anyways. There are some other remixes on his blogspot if you're that type.

Thanks to Mike Wynn for pointing this one out.

Arctic Monkeys buzz = word of mouth?

So I was browsing today's Cleveland Plain Dealer, as I often do, and I noticed a story in the Arts section about the South by Southwest Music Festival. If you are reading this blog and you don't know what this is, then that would make me severely confused.

The article talks about British invasion bands that are there and what not. This is where I will begin quoting directly.

The Arctic Monkeys were the hottest of them all. The line to get into their Friday night showcase at Austin's La Zona Rosa stretched for blocks. The group's debut album, "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not," is already a big hit in the U.K., and the group is starting to build real word-of-mouth in the United States, with its very British blend of muscular, working-class rock, shimmering pop and scenester cool.

That's all it said, one paragraph. However, this adds to the list of media outlets where I have read or heard about the Arctic Monkeys. This list includes WOXY, WOBN, CD101, People Magazine, Spin Magazine, CNN, various internet blogs, etc.

How does this constitute 'real word of mouth'? Sorry, this may make me somewhat jaded and/or guilty of snobbery, but still. What is the cutoff between an all-out media blitz and word of mouth? Whose mouths are we talking about here?

Anyways, I've heard the record and it's average. This should also read as no surprise.

Oh, and the article also included reference to our old friends:

We Are Scientists rocked an afternoon gig sponsored by Spin magazine at Stubbs BBQ. The New York outfit blasted through its herky-jerky hits from the new album "With Love and Squalor." The hipsters don't like 'em, but who cares.

ARGH! *Howard Dean noise* Who are these people? How have they infiltrated EVERY media outlet that has even a remote connection to music?

The article.

Former NBA player Paul Shirley's Top 21 Albums

Former NBA power forward (most recently with the Phoenix Suns) Paul Shirley listed his top 21 albums in his most recent ESPN column.

Shirley, who has averaged 1.8 points in 18 career games with 3 different NBA teams, rose to some notoriety when he began writing for NBA.com his blog, Paul Shirley's Road Ramblings. Let's just say he didn't exactly attract attention with his stellar play.

It makes a good read. I definitely feel his cynicism, although sometimes he's a little too much. For the most part though, I think he provides ground-level insight on a lifestyle populated by egotistical maniacs. He probably has a greater future in writing than he does in basketball.

He has, however, cracked my top 10 list of favorite basketball players. I will post this later if appropriate interest is expressed.

THE LIST:

1. "Achtung Baby," U2
2. "Lateralus," Tool
3. "Siamese Dream," Smashing Pumpkins
4. "Turn on the Bright Lights," Interpol
5. "The Downward Spiral," Nine Inch Nails
6. "Automatic for the People," REM
7. "Mer de Noms," A Perfect Circle
8. "Pack Up the Cats," Local H
9. "Decoration Day," Drive-By Truckers
10. "13 Tales From Urban Bohemia," The Dandy Warhols
11. "Spiritual Machines," Our Lady Peace
12. "Vs," Pearl Jam
13. "It Still Moves, " My Morning Jacket
14. "Purple," Stone Temple Pilots
15. "Superunknown," Soundgarden
16. "Chutes Too Narrow," The Shins
17. "The Battle of Los Angeles," Rage Against the Machine
18. "Ten," Pearl Jam
19. "Musicforthemorningafter," Pete Yorn
20. "Breathing Tornadoes," Ben Lee
21. "De-Loused in the Comatorium," The Mars Volta

Paul Shirley's Official NBA bio.

Neil Diamond - 12 Songs Review

Whenever someone says the phrase "Sweet Caroline," the immediate gut reaction of almost every person present is to say "doo doo doo." Try it. In a crowded room, just shout out that famous first line: "Sweeeeeeet Caroliiine..." and enjoy the results. It really is a pleasure.

Some hear the classic “Sweet Caroline” and think, "Neil Diamond is a tired hack that doesn’t make real music. He just wears sequined shirts." Most assume he is perpetually destined to be of the set of aging musicians who only record new albums to have more material for their overly-theatrical stage shows (Paul McCartney’s recent “Chaos and Creation in the Backyard” is the only thing that saved him from being one of these types of musicians).

Though part of the above description does fit Neil Diamond (sequins were a big part of Neil Diamond's early career, and I can only assume they still might be), he is anything but one of these tired hacks.

Case in point: the newly released album called "12 Songs." It came out last year and, by my accounting, is nearly perfect. From the unassuming first track, "Oh Mary," to the huge crescendo of "Create Me," finishing off with the poppy, fun "We," this album shows Diamond in a light I had not seen him in before: talented and often introspective songwriter.

Sure, simple masterpieces like "Sweet Caroline" and "Solitary Man" have confirmed his status as a mastermind of the pop genre, but "12 Songs" finds Diamond in new territory somewhere closer to singer-songwriter. The production is so simple, so pure, that the songs are essentially forced to stand on their own. That is what lets some of the real gems of this album shine.

One of my personal favorites is the almost haunting beauty of "Face Me." The song is an impassioned cry for a lover to just look you in the eye and be honest. No fancy gestures, no frilly words, just "face me." The plea, like much of the rest of the album, is supported by simple guitar frameworks and a small backing band. Percussion is barely evident throughout most of these tracks, only another detail that makes the songs work as songs, not as full blown theatrical numbers.

As I mentioned earlier, Paul McCartney was also moving ever increasingly into “hack” territory over the years, but his entirely out-of-left-field effort, “Chaos and Creation in the Backyard,” reaffirmed his role as songwriting mastermind. I believe “12 Songs” does the same for Neil Diamond.

This album is all about the songs. Neil Diamond hasn't released a collection of songs like this in what is probably a very long time. I won’t pretend to have been following his career this entire time, but I will say that some of the deeper, more brooding songs on this album still maintain the charm of the light poppy numbers he is famous for, but they are anchored in deeper emotion.

These songs have real emotional impact. And that is what makes this album feel nearly flawless.

Communique (ex American Steel) to release new EP

This is a press release issued by Communique:

We’re happy to announce an early May date for our first release since Poison Arrows. Sabot Productions, who’ve put out records for our friends in Against Me! and Lucero (as well as the vinyl for Poison Arrows) will be releasing a 3-song EP in both vinyl and CD format. We’ll update our site with artwork, song titles, and an exact release date as they become available, so check back often.

So, Communique is releasing a record on a non-Lookout label. The implications of this are... well, connect the dots.

I expect this to have a couple of the songs they have already recorded as demos. I will post more details as the come...

The Appleseed Cast at Bowling Green University

I made a quick reference to The Appleseed Cast in this post I made eariler today.

I'm not a huge Appleseed Cast fan, but their musical peers are quite excellent. Plus I liked Low Level Owl a lot.

Anyways, they are playing a show tonight at Bowling Green at their campus bar, Howard's.

Any readers from that area should definitely check it out.

Mates of State splash on Barsuk website

The Barsuk website always has a splash on it promoting an artist's new release, which is awesome. I'll give it to them, they really care about their roster (this is just one of the many effective and classy ways they promote their artists).

Most recently, they put up a splash for the upcoming Mates of State release, who have migrated from Polyvinyl.

I have very little constructive to say except that Jason Hammel looks like he is wearing a pound of facial makeup. I've always throught their voices were strangely similar, and the ambiguous gender roles in their relationship help explain that. Or at least the makeup is symptomatic.

Anyways, Mates of State's new album Bring it Back is due for a March 21st release (that's next Tuesday).

Interestingly enough, fellow Lawrence, Kansas musicians The Appleseed Cast is releasing a new record that very same day.

Song from New Built to Spill album streamed

You know, I hate being a reactionary cog in the blog machine, but sometimes stuff just happens to be worth posting. I just don't happen to get a lot of press releases delivered to me directly.

Warner Brothers has released a streamed track from the upcoming Built to Spill album You in Reverse.

The record is slated for an April 11th release.

I can't actually access the track due to my stellar network connection at school, but I'm sure it's great. And if it's not, it's hype. And sometimes that's good enough.

Lord knows where this story originated. Probably Stereogum.

Heck yeah

Woo!

Interview with Steev Richter

About a month ago, I sat down with Masnfield piano playing & singing musician Steev Richter in a coffee shop. He was accompanied by friend and bandmate The Skooder, who was wearing pajamas. I didn't use the interview because it was too hard to make out with the blues music playing in the background. The next time I saw them together, they were performing, and Steev was wearing The Skooder's pajamas, interestingly enough. I don't remember what The Skooder was wearing.

Anyways, I did a new, better, faster, stronger interview with Steev recently.

Steev Richter interview: 2.0

Here is an interesting excerpt:

What are some things you've heard said about your music?

I've heard that it's sappy chick piano BS pop music, but I think I'm the one that said it.

Steev Richter's Myspace

The Plot Thickens...

Kid Rock says Scott Stapp is an idiot.

Low Skies: All the Love I Could Find Review

First Impression:
Final Rating:

I'm not sure who holds the copyright here. I haven't signed any contract saying that my writing becomes the property of the Dispatch Media Group as far as I know. This is my review, published in the Columbus Alive newspaper.

Chicago four-piece Low Skies has the sort of downtrodden mystique that few artists can claim. There's a quiet rage to All the Love I Could Find that seems ready to combust, if only it could muster the strength. Morose and blues-tinged, if the characters described in the songs are going to hell, they're getting there on their own time.


"Stone Mountain," the opening track, describes how a person falls in love with a "boy from nowhere," only to cut his throat and leave him for dead. On "Sweet Young Girls," songwriter and lead singer Chris Salveter tells a former girlfriend, "I was hoping one day you would call my name in a car crash." The lyrics evoke minimalist authors like Raymond Carver, with characters that are usually morose and altered by substances. On "The Cause of It," Salveter's rich croon is complimented by organ and a three-part harmony.


Playing what critics are already gleefully dubbing "post-country," Low Skies explore familiar images of the Midwest, and all the dark, expansive places in between. While it has little variation in tempo and volume, this album boasts an almost otherworldly intensity. All the Love I Could Find provides a perspective on life for the off-the-wagon addict in all of us.

End Review -- This is already a serious contender for record of the year. I'm hard pressed to think of another album that aims for an aesthetic and nails it as dead-on as this one. This is a real winner.

Low Skies - Levelling.mp3
Low Skies - You Can't Help Those People.mp3
Low Skies - To Fail You.mp3

All The Love I Could Find on Amazon
Link to the review (until it's broken -- I don't think the Alive archives anymore)

Stappwatch continues...

Erm... former Creed frontman Scott Stapp had an interview with AP Radio where, among other things, he blamed the release of the video tape featuring he and Kid Rock engaging in sex acts with women (groupies? strippers) on saboteurs.

"Obviously someone wants to hurt me and doesn't want me to be successful in my solo career,"

Once again, he's trying to make himself a martyr for something. For what, I'm not exactly sure.

The writer for the Associated Press did a little bit of humorous editorializing in the CNN story.

The tape was not the only thing causing Stapp headaches. A day after his wedding, Stapp was arrested for investigation of being drunk at Los Angeles International Airport.

Apperantly the Associated Press is also trying to sabotage his career. At least God is on his side. And probably Jesus, too.

For the record, Radio Free Tobias is currently actively looking for ways to sabotage Scott Stapp's music career. Leave tips on the comment line.