Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Getting rid of some music.

Taking a cue from the recent note in the Ann Arbor/Ypsi community, I'm getting rid of some albums. Or maybe not, depending on what I can get for them. Make me an offer. And if anyone wants grab bags of local rock from yesteryear, lemme know. I can give you five local rock albums for five bucks if you want the real things, three bucks if you just want burned copies. C'mon, I got a sealed copy of Chain Reaction's Electric Playground (they either sent me two, or maybe I just didn't listen to it because of the Disney-cum-Rush cover). Hey, at least there are mp3s.

Cop Shoot Cop: Suck City EP
This brief EP is a mixed bag of double drum grit and gloom, with songs like Nowhere being vicious grinders and We Shall Be Changed sounding like mid-'90s WaxTrax sample assemblage. I've burned the album for myself, but rarely listen to it. Fans of Wolf Eyes might like it though. Nowhere.mp3.

American DJs: 03 Boston (Mike Traylor)
A decent mix of "underground" house music, or at least that's what the sticker says. Apparently, it's "deep progressive funk." Just another genre I never got into... Oh, and it's continually mixed, so you can have your own party where you pretend you're in Boston. That'd be wicked.
Lectric Workers- Robot Is Systematic

Phase Selector Sound: Disassemble Dub
Spacy dub from ROIR. I picked it up in a shop in NY when I had no time to browse and just wanted something before the train left. At the time, I really liked it. I think I smoked a lot more pot then. If I had a gallery, I'd play this in the background to make the space seem hip without giving people anything more than a groove. I put a song from this on a mix for a girl once, and it totally worked. Now I regard that as a failing: my current girlfriend has much higher standards for her mix tapes, and seems to really hate modern dub.
Sinewave

Chemical Brothers: Setting Sun
Pretty cool guitar riff that this song is built around. It was pretty cool when the Beatles did it too. Of course, if you're sampling the Beatles in the '90s, you need to have Noel Gallagher on there. Which they do, of course.
Setting Sun.


Gary Chapman: Circles and Seasons
Autographed copy from the guy who beat up Amy Grant until she left him! He came and spoke to our Music in High Places/ Priceless Edge workshop on independent music. His advice? Have a friend who works everywhere you need to put out an album. Chapman got someone to build him a studio in his basement for free, then got a friend to manufacture his CDs for free, then another friend to distribute them worldwide. Maybe that's easier in Christian rock. Oh, I didn't mention that this was Christian? Well, see, I've never really listened to it. I bet it totally gets you in with God though. Please buy it. Did I mention it's signed by the guy who beat up Amy Grant? If we can't support Christianity, can we at least support domestic violence? [No mp3.]

At the very least, download these and enjoy knowing that you're not buying the damn things like I did (mostly).

Monday, June 13, 2005

Went to Chicago, got music.

At Dusty Grooves: Silver Apples, Contact.
Various Artists, Wheedle's Groove (Best of Seattle Soul and Funk)
Various Artists, Tryin' To Make Ends Meet (Best of Rare Detroit Funk and Soul)
Ike Turner, Black Man's Soul
Chairmen of the Board, Skin I'm In.

There's another album on that Skin I'm In one, but it isn't very good. Skin I'm In, from the liner notes, the band hated. Too bad it's awesome.
The Seattle comp blows, aside from a funked up Auld Lang Syne. Which is kinda retarded. Oh, I guess there are a couple of the female singer tracks on there where they tear it up, but I'm just not a huge afficianado of instrumental funk. Which is why even though the Ike Turner album is really good, it's not really my bag. The three tracks with Tina Turner on 'em are really great though. I had forgotten how awesome she was.

At Out of the Past:
Grand Master Melle Mel and the Furious FiveL s/t
Odetta, I Been Down.

The Melle Mel album is Ok. It was kinda neat to find it sealed, but the version of White Lines is pretty crappy. However, World War III and We Don't Work for Free are pretty cool. Still haven't listened to the Odetta album. I think I like her more in the winter.

MICHAEL JACKSON TRIAL NEWS!

Oh my GOD! NOT GUILTY.

(Heh. Once again, Canada is like America's friend who stopped drinking, went to a state school, and has health insurance. Way to not care, guys!)