Methadones----21st Century Power Pop Riot---Reinterpreting the 20th Century Masters

Happy 2014 everybody!

Hey, even inveterate punk rockers can feel the urge for the crunch of power pop. Though Chicago punks The Methadones are not talking about first wavers like Raspberries, Big Star, or Badfinger here. They mean "New Wave" classics, which is just the sort of music they are reverently honoring on 21st Century Power Pop Riot.

Don't Want to Argue, Don't Wanna Budge.....

Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, Nick Lowe, Paul Collins and the Beat, The Records. Bands they heard and were inspired by.

Yeah, covers. There seems to be a bit of this going on lately. The difference on this 2006 release from Red Scare Records is that is one of the good ones! Basically we have harder, more punked out versions of the originals. But they don't try to destroy what they love, the monstrous pop hooks remain intact. If you've heard Down By Law cover The Proclaimers' 500 Miles or Big Country's In a Big Country you get the spirit of this, of what my fuss is all about.

Dan Schaefer: Lead vocals, Guitar
Mike Byrne: Guitar, Backing Vocals
Mike Soucy: Drums, Backing Vocals
Pete Mittler: Just Bass



The whole record sounds inspired, like a fantasy bar band. In addition to the aforementioned bands, there are some groups that had one hit, like The Jags, Back of My Hand. Great song. My college band used to play a version of this also. Of course The Jags had other songs that were pretty good, but that's how they are remembered.

And there are bands that everybody should know more about, like Vancouver's Pointed Sticks. That band holds there own with the best punk bands of the era in my opinion. The Methadones do their magnificent Out of Luck. They cover a song by Minneapolis' Crash Street Kids also, into you. They are a band that made only one album in the 80's, which apparently has never been reissued! And Off Broadway's Full Moon Turn My Head Around. I never heard of them before, and now I definitely need to investigate.



One of the high points on 21st is their version of Scandal's Goodbye to You. I always liked that song, but wasn't thrilled with what music the Patti Smythe did later on. The Methadones hand the mic over to the capable Annie Soviette of The Soviettes on this, and she and the band absolutely crush. I like version 2.0 better than the original.

Other covers of note are their amazing take on The Record Starry Eyes, with a smoking hot guitar take on the classic riff. You can't really beat the original, but they do it justice. The same can be said on Nick Lowe's Heart of the City. Cheap Trick is represented here also, with crunching run through. He's A Whore. Not as memorable as Big Black's version, but not bad at all.




Nice song selections here, with a good balance of new wave standards and lesser known songs. The Methadones rip through this setlist with enthusiasm and heart. What more could you ask for?

The Thirteenth Floor Elevator of Romance--The Slugs---Get Hooked!

Some low-sodium romantic music from Chicago's Slugs. Guaranteed to make you melt. The original can be found on the K-Tel spoof of 70's covers made by Pravda Records, Twenty Explosive Dynamic Super Hit Explosions!!! Very fun stuff. Pravda made three of these!

Tortoise--Millions now living will never die....my personal sonic chiropractor

Tortoise's landmark instrumental record Millions now living will never die is a pretty cool record. It was not easy for me to get into at first, as my punk rock internal editor usually did not allow me to sit through any song that went on for much more than 4 minutes. But this is a great work, probably more revelatory for me because it referenced a lot of music that I had a lack of familiarity with, particularly German electronic music.
Except this music was made in Chicago, USA.

50,000,000 dead Elvis fans can't be wrong....

The term people use for this musical scene is Krautrock, which I kind of hate. It's just a stupid title which for some reason stuck. The only saving grace is that it takes what sounds like a bit of a slap but ultimately takes on a different meaning, because people recognized that something special was happening in this specific scene. It became simply an identifier of what the scene actually is, like branding. I think I'll just call it GEM for our purposes. Growing up I only knew about Kraftwerk because that was what crossed over to the mainstream, but little else. Still far far from any expertise on the topic, so perhaps a huge fan of GEM, dub, or jazz might not be as excited about this. But I think for a lot of music fans, this was a recording that opened up new sonic worlds, and influenced not a few musicians.

Millions now living will never die was Tortoise's 2nd full length, released on Thrill Jockey Records in 1996. Massive critical adulation ensued. Maybe even confetti. I think the kudos are justifiable. Entirely instrumental, the album is dominated by the 20+ minute composition Djed, which is apparently a reference to Egyptian mythology, about stability, continuity and rebirth. It comprises half the album. I will simply say it sounds great---Freebird for hipsters. Seriously, even though it is lengthy, there is a structure to the song, though not circular, more linear with ebbs and flows, ideas seamlessly integrated than faded out, as you would expect from a Jamaican dub track. All the musicianship is terrific, most noteworthy the percussion, but also the studio itself is like an extra musician in the room, seemingly a further leap forward in music technology.

After a hard stressful work day, I like listening to this album. It helps relieve my soul of some the venom that resides there. But it's not listening to music in an elevator--this is the sort of thoughtful, intelligent music that nourishes you instead of turning your mind to oatmeal. There is a lot of patience at work here. There are no quick fixes here, Djed is a journey. At times you have GEM propulsive beats and ostinato electro riffs, other times you have studio tinkering, with ghostly dub fades and organic found sounds; sometimes the music makes you feel like you are in your own movie soundtrack. Plus there are sections quite reminiscent of the Vince Guaraldi jazz that I used to hear on the Peanuts' holiday specials when I was a kid. I hear elements of world musics here also, with the percussive vibraphone and marimbas. It reminds me of Balinese Gamelan music. Sometimes the music ratchets down to a squeak, pulling the curtain back reminding us that there are a bunch of people doing this, in the way that an edgy film maker might do, tearing down the barriers between consumer and artist. The main gist is that these are guys who aren't afraid to try things, to take chances, and have the chops to back it up.



Tortoise was comprised of John McEntire, Dan Bitney, Doug McCombs, David Pajo, and John Herndon at the time. I'm not sure what they all do, as I figure they play a myriad of instruments. McCombs is the bassist for 11th Dream Day. Pajo was a member of Slint. Not a lot of info on the liner notes.

After the magisterial opener, the remainder of a album flies by rapidly. Glass Museum is a lovely prog sounding shoegaze tune with a big energetic vibraphone section two thirds of the way in. More of a conventional song as it returns back to the main theme throughout. A survey is a two minute duet of sorts of bass and crickets. The Taut and Tame is a jazz drone of a song interspersed with double time percussion. Grandma and Grandpa remind me of Eno and Byrne's trailblazing My Life in the Bush of Ghosts collaboration. This song teases a bit, as I keep thinking that the music is only any intro, and that a big disco dance beat is about to come crashing through.

Grandma and Grandpa segues into the somber Morricone homage Along the Banks of the River. If you've heard John Zorn's Big Gundown album, or his epic number Spillane, you have an idea of what this is. Tortoise are a decidedly worthy listen, but you just need to be patient. I like a quick payoff as much as the next ADDer, but sometimes an album of great subtlety can elicit equal rewards.

In many cases I write about music that might have fallen off the radar, about musicians who have not gotten their just due beyond critics and fellow musicians, or even groups that got some due but ought to be legendary. Tortoise are no great secret, but I just felt writing about them because I really enjoy this disc. If a few people find out about this disc via my post I would be greatly pleased. Admittedly I enjoy hearing a talented band that sounds a little like Big Star, Husker Du, or Ohio Players, but when you an artist or band doing something that no one else is attempting--well, hearing music like that is essential. Always interesting, ever courageous. The way bands ought to be.

Happy Easter from Chicago!! In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up for Ministry

I thought that today it would be appropriate to give a brief scream out to one of the most unrelenting live records out there, Alain Jourgensen and Ministry's In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up.

Just like a car crash

Ostensibly a six song ep, it is nonetheless 40 vitriolic minutes, and a lot angrier than most live albums. There isn't a lot more to say about this except that it captures the band during their 1989-90 tour. This is early in their career, not that long after they metamorphosized from a synth dance group to the sonic behemoths that we know and love. There was quite a scene in Chicago then, with great bands like Big Black, The Effigies, Naked Raygun, The Didjits (from Champaign), to name a few.

Being an old fart, and seeing so many bands follow in the wake of these trailblazers, I find that I have gotten too inured to this and the music seems samey. It must be fun to be up on stage strutting around with a bullhorn, but as a spectator the overwhelming angst makes me feel as though I'm the band's bartender, listening to all their problems, commiserating with them in their white hot rage. And I'm not as angry as I used to be, just saving it up for special occasions.

But I still give these guys credit--they really put it out there on this one. Alain is in raspy wicked form. And the band purees you down to hamburger with their vicious musical assault. And Jello Biafra is a special guest.

That's what friends are for. Another round of Trivial Pursuit.

"Alien" Jourgensen: Vocs, guitar

Paul Barker: Bass, Keys

William Rieflin: Drums

Chris Connelly: Keys, vocs

Mike Scaccia: Guitar

Martin Atkins: Drums

Terry Roberts: Guitar

Nivek Ogre: Keys, Guitar, vocs

William Tucker: Guitar

Joe Kelly: Background Vocals

Jello Biafra: Flag Pledge

The main reason I put this post together is because of the final song on the ep, the absolutely crushing 9 and a half minutes of Stigmata. It just reminds me of Spring and rebirth. I recall listening to this version of the song and it seemed like the noise kept ratcheting higher throughout the song, and of course the vocals are a giant furious middle finger to organized society.

So what better theme music to orchestrate your Easter Egg hunt to?

We're All Living On Goblin Time!!! Halloween Week Kicks Off With Goblin's Pride

America Reborn

Goblin Pride could be the greatest album ever. But it's too late for me. The Goblins have already taken over my home town. Save yourselves. Or maybe the best solution is to just submit to Goblin Mania and avoid annihilation. The mysterious Beau Grumpus, The Phantom Creeper, Dom Nation, Buh Zombie all do stuff and make songs. In a better world they would be filling Giants Stadium in New Jersey instead of Bon Jovi. Right now they are biding their time in the Windy City.....Like the Wyld Stallyns in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure they may just be that game changer, that wild card. I try to play their music every day, so that I can be prepared for the approaching New Goblin World Order.

They are clearly a band for the new millenium--their songs are adored by America's youth--they look to them in the same way young people idolized Bob Dylan in the 60's. The topics they address in their music touch on all the things Americans are most concerned about. The song Pride is about pride--why should we pay attention to anything else in the world. We've got our own problems, folks. Cutlass is about cars with a neat car horn solo, but there is a hidden message there regarding energy independence maybe. Giant Robot Rock N Roll is about the 2000K crisis and our nascent fear of being conquered by Robots. Selena is about the late tragic Tejano pop singer, but I think it also about the debate on immigration that is a big issue to some people in the US.

One of the highlights of this album is (The Police Are Just) Doing Their Jobs, and again there is that underlying issue again; how can we reconcile public safety with constitutional freedoms? The New Ordery tune Worst Brother Ever analyzes the complicated relationship between the Unabomber and the brother who ratted him out! I feel like I now see America's Civil War in a whole new light. Ken Burns should be ashamed. The songs are short but full of wisdom, like Haikus, or maybe Limericks. Their humanitarian side is unabashedly obvious here, I mean, have The Rolling Stones or Jay-Z written an anthem for the Special Olympics? But they aren't in the cutthroat world of Rock N Roll for accolades; they are here to teach us to be better.

One godsend are the autobiographical numbers included on this album. One look at the album and you will notice that these rock and roll superheroes keep their true identities anonymous. Who are these guys? You want to know everything there is to know about them and it eats you up in side when there is so little information available. Thankfully there are Living On Goblin Time, The Goblin Rider, and Goblin Girl to help fill in the blanks, so that we understand the unassuming men in the masks who are out keeping our streets safe so that bums like me can blog in peace. The first song makes it clear that we are Goblins. The Goblin Rider is an inside look at the fast paced world of rock icons like a sonic version of MTV's cribs. Goblin Girl uncovers the pain and frustration of being a Goblin, and is also a call for full female equality in our society.

This album may be the only thing that can save our planet from complete anarchy. Learn their lessons in the same way you have studied our American Constitution. Above is a Halloween Treat for you and your loved ones courtesy of the Boys. Below is one for the resistance.

Green's 1st Album reissued on CD!!

I'm very pleased to say that Green's eponymous album from 1986 is finally out. Some things are just hard for me to understand. I bought this album on vinyl when it originally came out based on a Christgau review in the Village Voice. Why this has not been available sooner is a complete mystery to me. As far as I know this Chicago band has only been out on CD in the Netherlands and that was many years ago.

This album is an indie pop tour de force, with tons of youthful enthusiasm, giant hooks, fantastic melodies--almost every song is excellent on this cd. Other albums followed this with great reviews, but this is my favorite. Some critics take too much stock in "production values" and use this as a way of being dismissive of this album at least in comparison to Elaine MacKenzie and White Soul lps. These songs are terrific in any form.

Gotta Get A Record Out is an over the top pop song which reminds me of being in a band and dreaming of fame and glory--it reminds me of that scene in "That Thing You Do" where the band and the big elf girl hear their song on the radio for the first time. (I still can't believe Liv Tyler gave up her immortality to go on tour with that one-hit band.)

She's Not A Little Girl Anymore is a classic pop song which sounds like it should have come out in the 1960's. The melody is just perfect. Curry Your Favor and She, Probably are also gems, two aching yearning ballads. For You is probably one of my favorite ballads, period. In descriptive shorthand the band could be stylistically described as a pop oriented Replacements, though certainly there are a lot of other influences going on here (Beatles, Kinks, Byrds).

Other Notable songs are the rave-ups Baby Why?, the excellent Better Way, Big In Japan, I'm Not Going Down (Anymore), If You Love Me, & I Don't Wanna Say No. Also included are 7 bonus tracks including their 1st ep.

I found out about this recently because they were advertising this on the website Parasol records and that was the first place that I had seen this release. And this Lion Productions LLC release has a copyright of 2009 on it. I'm kind of surprised that more hasn't been made of this, reviews in music magazines. Jeff Lescher and the rest of the band really made a terrific album here and people who love pop music will really love this release. Hopefully other Green releases will eventually follow.

Actually, it seems Green recently released their first new album in many years entitled The Planets. I don't have it, but it may be something well worth looking into also.