Dancing About Architecture 11.07.06
Posted by Ian Wright on 11.07.2006
Damien Rice, Sonic Youth (again), Snow Patrol, The Dirty Three vs. China.
The bit at the start
Hello, this week I intended on writing about the new Damien Rice album which was released in Ireland on Friday (out soon in the rest of the world). I got a job with 411 based on a counter review of O I submitted to Matt Biscuiti who was editing the music zone at the time.
So to some degree my "career" in internet journalism is down to him.
I had planned on writing at length about 9 but as I composed my thoughts on what's wrong with the record (oops, have I given the game away?), one which fans have been waiting 4 years for I figured out that I could sum it up in one sentence
"It's just not that good."
I really like 4 songs, 2 of the songs that I like live are big let downs and there are a couple of songs that I really dislike.
So there you have it, it's a shame I didn't need more to get to the heart of things as it's a slow news week (pretty much everyone in indie was at CMJ last week so there wasn't all that much in the way of news going on aside from such and such played here.) and I could do with filling things out but that's pretty much all there is to it, it's just not that good.
Anyway, time to mention an album that I do like.
Beg, borrow, buy, steal or download this album.
The Wrens - Secaucus
Finally due for re-issue on November 14th. You should pick it up.
You news, you lose
I suppose they're too well established now to change the name to Sonic Middle aged at this point. Part 2.
Following up from last week's mountain of Sonic Youth news the tracklisting for the upcoming rarities compilation, The Destroyed Room: B-sides and Rarities which is released on Geffen on December 12th. Only 3 previously unreleased songs.
Tracklist:
01 Fire Engine Dream [2003, previously unreleased Sonic Nurse outtake]
02 Fauxhemians [2001, from the Noho Furniture Sessions and the All Tomorrow's Parties 1.1 compilation]
03 Is It My Body? [1991, from the 2 x 7" Alice Cooper Tribute]
04 Razor Blade [1994, B-side from the "Bull in the Heather" single]
05 Blink [1999, from the Pola X soundtrack]
06 Campfire [2000, from the At Home With the Groovebox compilation]
07 Loop Cat [2003, from the You Can Never Go Fast Enough compilation]
08 Kim's Chords [2003, Japanese bonus track from Sonic Nurse]
09 Beautiful Plateau [2003, Japanese bonus track from Sonic Nurse]
10 Three Part Sectional Love Seat [2001, previously unreleased track from the Noho Furniture Sessions]
11 Queen Anne Chair [2001, previously unreleased track from the Noho Furniture Sessions]
12 The Diamond Sea [1995, LP version with alternate ending; B-side from "The Diamond Sea" single]
If those rumours are correct they're really aptly named.
Whilst not becoming the biggest Irish band in America since U2 broke Snow Patrol have been spending what little free time they've got pursuing other creative avenues (though I guarantee none of it will be as good as the wonderful Reindeer Section stuff Gary Lightbody did with members of Belle and Sebastian and Arab Strap).
Before I get to that they've digitally release their AOL session on iTunes (available now) which features live takes of 4 of their songs and 1 Bright Eyes cover ("You Will. You? Will. You? Will. You? Will.")
Additionally Lightbody is involved in The Cake Sale, the brainchild of Bell X1's Brian Crosby, which released an album here in Ireland last week. Lightbody teams with Lisa Hannigan from Damien Rice's band to sing a song by Bell X1's Paul Noonan. All proceeds from the album are going to Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign and it also features contributions from Damien Rice, the Cardigans' Nina Persson, the Thrills, Josh Ritter, the Divine Comedy, and Gemma Hayes. I picked it up on Friday, I like 2 songs.
Lightbody also contributes a piece of non-fiction to Extended Play a book which "examines the relationship in fiction and non-fiction between music and literature."
Sounds perfectly hellish.
They're not a band, they're very dirty boys.
Goodness me, a story about The Dirty Three which doesn't refer to their upcoming stint as curators of ATP.
The threesome (ha ha threesome) were recently on tour in Asia and had themselves quite the eventful trip. First off before they even got to China the government, according to Warren Ellis, "decided to cancel our performance permit because they thought we were a pornographic act due to our name. They asked that we change it to Dirt Three". The band were eventually granted permission to play when with just a few days to spare they were able to "seal the green light three days before the show, on the grounds that we were an important Australian cultural act and that we had no lyrics, so we couldn't be corruptive."
So all the kinks had been ruled out? Not a chance, the band's first gig in Shanghai on October 26 almost resulted in a riot when the People's Liberation Army, who owns the Yun Feng Theatre, "decided to move the show forward an hour" in order to accommodate an acrobatic performance "for local dignities and officials. James (Chen, tour manager) was told to take the offer or cancel the show," according to Ellis.
"The government has been closing down lots of venues and making it difficult for bands to play, and this decision to change the show was seen by the audience as another attempt by the government to curb their self-expression." So naturally (maybe? I don't live in a communist dictatorship with bizarre leanings towards free market economics, I don't know) the audience, made up of mostly students were a tad upset when "the theatre decided to light the house at 8 o'clock instead of 8:30 [and] then close the curtains, the audience stormed the stage.
"It was in the middle of 'Sue's Last Ride'. I had my back to the crowd. When I turned, I noticed some people climbing the curtains trying to pull them open. The audience was going crazy. Probably one of the most exciting moments I have ever had onstage. You could hear them screaming over the music, and we were playing very loud. In the wings, the acrobats were dancing and watching. Then a guy ran and jumped on me."
"By this stage, I had no idea what was happening, but our tour manager was white and shaking, holding people and the curtains back, assisted by others. There were people everywhere: crowd, security, and acrobats. It was fantastic. When we stopped, the place exploded, and James [Chen] grabbed me and said, 'Get the fuck out. The police are coming, and you may be arrested.' I asked why, and he said he couldn't explain. We packed and were shielded into a waiting van. The audience was chanting 'Dirty Three,' and the theatre staff shook our hands. Confusing? You bet."
"We were back in the hotel for half an hour, and my friend, guitar maker James Trussart, was at the show [and] called me and said all hell had broken loose, the people wouldn't leave and were throwing things at the officials and that it was announced we would do another show. Jim [White, drummer] walked back to the venue to see what was happening. He spoke to some people but didn't come back with any clearer picture."
"We played a second show that night in another venue. James Chen spent the whole night refunding people's money. I didn't know the price of the tickets. We do get involved in that sort of detail but really had no idea what was the norm in China, and you hope that your people represent you well. Dirty Three were not being paid for the tour, only costs and a token fee. [Chen] returned all the money he had. Then the theatre director felt sorry and gave him some to refund. Then a policeman gave him some from his pocket. I think they just wanted everyone to leave. He refunded 300 people and expected to refund the other 300 people over the following days."
Things went a bit smoother after that and according to Ellis "the rest of the dates were fine, maybe a little less exciting. We had a fantastic time and thank the people of China and Taiwan. A lot of these places don't have the infrastructure or the experience dealing with this sort of thing, and it's really part of the attraction of touring there: you never know what is going to happen."
If you can you should go to these gigs.
Dinosaur Jr.
11-28 Portland, ME - Big Easy *
11-29 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club *
11-30 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street *
12-01 New York, NY - Rebel *
12-02 New York, NY - Rebel *
12-05 Brighton, England - Concorde 2
12-06 London, England - Mean Fiddler #
12-09 Somerset, England - Butlins Minehead (ATP's Nightmare Before Christmas)
12-11 Dublin, Ireland - Temple Bar Music Centre ^
12-12 Galway, Ireland - Warwick ^
12-13 Paris, France - Zenith %
12-16 Berlin, Germany - Fritz Club (J Mascis solo) %
* with Thalia Zedek
# with Lou Barlow (solo acoustic)
^ with Giveamanakick
% with Sonic Youth
Writing under the influence
Without which this column would not have been possible:
Talk Radio
Damien Rice 9
Joanna Newsom The Ys
The bit at the end
The new Joanna Newsome album is fantastic. Not sure if it's as good as the first one yet. I suspect that it isn't.
I'm gonna be away next week so there'll be no column for 2 weeks.
If you happen to be seeing the Wrens in Los Angeles or San Francisco this weekend say hello to the hulking paddy who plays piano on "She Sends Kisses" with them.
