Dancing About Architecture 12.05.06
Posted by Ian Wright on 12.05.2006
Dinosaur’s on DVD, The Bridge School, Snow Patrol solo outings, Russia hates Razorlight and Blur to reform?
The bit at the start
This week this section was going to be about an Irish band that I really liked who played their final gig on Saturday. Then I realised that ¾ of them know who I am and that if they ever read something I wrote that completely sang their praises I'd be really embarrassed. So I'm not going to do that.
But I've got nothing else to start the column with this week so I'd better at least say this.
I'm saddened that the Coldspoon Conspiracy aren't making music together any more.
But they might reform in 19 years like these guys did …
Beg, borrow, buy, steal or download this album.
Mission Of Burma – Vs.
Continuing my recent run of Burma love.
You news, you lose
Yet another reformed 80's indie New England DVD.
Following Mission Of Burma's and The Pixies' recent DVD offerings comes Dinosaur Jr. and their own addition to the world of shiny plastic discs that play images. Dinosaur Jr.: Live from the Middle East will showcase the band performing 18 songs at Boston's Middle East Venue as well as NYC's Irving Plaza and a number of other locations from their 2005 winter tour.
There'll also be a host of interviews with the likes of Kevin Shields, Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Mike Watt, Matt Dillon, Steve Albini, Sonic Boom and the band themselves included on the DVD and is due out on May 8th. Tracklisting:
01 Gargoyle
02 Kracked
03 Bulbs of Passion
04 Little Fury Things
05 Lose
06 Forget the Swan
07 The Post
08 Budge
09 The Lung
10 The Wagon
11 Raisans
12 SludgeFeast
13 Mountain Man
14 Chunks
15 Freak Scene
16 In a Jar
17 Repulsion
18 Just Like Heaven [The Cure cover]
In other Dino Jr. news I'll be seeing them next Monday, this time I'll be bringing earplugs. Wait that's not news, this is news. The band have been in J. Mascis' home studio in Amherst MA for the past month working on a new album which is due for release next year. Mascis is producing the record with John Agnello and Justin Pizzoferrato engineering at various stages.
I only picked up Bug last month. It's stunningly good and if you don't have a copy of it then I highly recommend it.
Love can build a bridge.
The Bridge School is an NPO dedicated to assisting individuals suffering from physical disabilities and speech impediments in achieving their maximum potential set up by Neil Young's wife Pegi 20 years ago and every year since then her hubby has organised a benefit concert for the school which has attracted some pretty impressive names to play including Billy Idol, Bright Eyes, Emmylou Harris, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Ryan Adams, Smashing Pumpkins, Tegan and Sara, Thom Yorke, Metallica, Tom Waits, Wilco and Willie Nelson.
So there's probably been some pretty impressive performances over the course of those 20 years right? Well if the bootleg of Thom Yorke's solo acoustic set a few years back is anything to go by then the answer is yes.
Part of Yorke's performance is now available as part of a massive 80-song iTunes boxset which features performances from Yorke, Tom Waits, Young himself and a host of other luminaries. You can download individual tracks or you can go for the full set for $60 with proceeds (obviously) going to the bridge school. I'd give a tracklisting but I don't have iTunes installed on my machine and I can't find one on the web despite spending the last 20 minutes looking for one, google can find me pictures of Japanese midget hermaphrodites getting fucked by a Llama but it can't find me a tracklisting for this boxset.
I'm not sure what that says about the morals of our society.
Go (it alone) Patrol.
Snow Patrol will take a break from making really bland music together next year as 2 of them intend to record solo albums, which will probably be really bland.*
In an interview with BBC Northern Ireland's "Across The Line" radio show lead singer Gary Lightbody said, "There might be something in the sidelines in that respect, you know. I know Nathan wants to make an album of his own and I'm going to go off and do something on my own in January."
Lightbody went on to say that his album would have an electro feel while Nathan Connolly has said that his album would be "melodic" and that "I don't know what it'll end up as. It'll be melodic and tuneful but we'll see what happens when I finally get round to doing it."
* Perhaps I'm being unfair. As I've said before I really like the stuff Lightbody did as part of the Reindeer Section and he's always namedropping hip bands so freed from the commercial pressures of his band he might be free to come up with something genuinely interesting and good.
Couldn't they have dosed them with Polonium instead?
Incredibly shit band Razorlight (whose drummer wrote their biggest hit but had to give Jonny Borrell a writing credit on it because he threw a strop. I know, what a prick.) were stopped from playing a gig in Russia last month. The band were informed just hours before they were due to perform to a crowd of 4,000 people that they didn't have permission to play. The gigs promoters had believed that they had all the paperwork in order but, "At the last minute (the promoters) were cryptically told that Razorlight and the concert...could not go ahead as the 'government said 'No'.
"The permits were denied because, allegedly, in order for the gig to go ahead the 'government' required a further 'permit' costing an astronomical amount of cash."
I reckon they just heard their second album and thought "no fucking way are we letting those talentless wasters in", but obviously they said it in Russian.
I hope this happens
Graham Coxon has said that that he'd consider rejoining Blur having left the band 4 years ago during the recording of Think Tank. But following comments from bassist Alex James that he'd like to make one more album as a four-piece Coxon hasn't ruled it out.
Coxon told Pitchfork, "I haven't been approached about it. I think about it: would it be fun? Would it be a bit too scary? What would the dynamic be in a studio? Would I have to do promotion? Would I tour? You know, it's a lot of thinking. So I guess I still mull around and think about it every now and then."
Coxon is keen to stress that despite leaving the band he's still on good terms with the other members of the band.
"Alex will always be my friend," he explained. "I guess they all will be in some way, but it's somewhat strange."
If you can you should go to these gigs.
Mission Of Burma
If you've read my review of the Mission Of Burma documentary then you know how much I love this band
01-12 Chicago, IL - Double Door
01-13 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
01-19 New York, NY - Irving Plaza
01-20 Boston, MA - Paradise Theatre
Andrew Bird
12-01 Middlebury, VT - Middlebury College (Sepomania Festival)
12-30 Denver, CO - Ogden Theater *
12-31 Denver, CO - Ogden Theater *
01-13 Chicago, IL - Hideout
01-14 Indianapolis, IN - Music Mill
01-15 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
01-17 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
01-24 Melbourne, Australia - Northcote Social Club
01-27 Sydney, Australia - Basement
03-22 London, England - Bush Hall
03-23 Brussels, Belgium - Botanique
03-29 Paris, France - La Maroquinerie
03-30 Amiens, France - Musique de Jazz et d'Ailleurs Festival
04-21 Milwaukee, WI - Pittman Theatre at Alverno College
* with Martin Dosh, DeVotchKa
Writing under the influence
Without which this column would not have been possible:
Talk Radio
The Coldspoon Conspiracy – Cherry To Pony
Groom – All This Happened More Or Less
The bit at the end
Seeing as how much news I lift from them it'd be pretty crass of me to mention that last week I scooped Pitchfork on that Arcade Fire story wouldn't it?
Christ I'm tired, and I don't know why. Seeyez next week.
