June 2010
ZE CATALIST'S 50 FAVORITE RECORDS
FROM THE FIRST HALF OF 2010
June 30, 2010
With albums coming yet in 2010 from Ze Catalist favorites like Radiohead, Arcade Fire, (possibly) Sufjan Stevens, Ryan Adams, Built to Spill, Panda Bear, Jenny and Jonny, Andre 3000, MIA, Sun Kil Moon, Andre 3000, Battles, Belle & Sebastian, Black Lips, MF Doom, Common, Fleet Foxes, Interpol, Lyrics Born, Of Montreal, R.E.M., The Strokes, The Walkmen, The Wrens, Slum Village, Kanye West and more, it feels almost silly to make a mid-point Albums of the Year list.
Of the records listed below, we’re pretty confident that the Top 5 stand a good chance of being on our Year-End list come December. Others we think have a chance include Sufjan, Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Ryan Adams, Built to Spill, Panda Bear, Sun Kil Moon, The Strokes, Andre 3000 and, mostly, The Wrens. Well, that is, if The Wrens ever do put out the album they’re been promising for years. Also, fingers crossed for Sufjan.
For now, here are our 50 favorite albums from the first half of 2010 ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
2003 ALBUM REVIEW UPDATE, PT. 2
June 29, 2010
The archiving continues! Today we posted reviews for the following album, all written in 2003: Ben Harper's Diamonds On the Inside; Kings of Leon's Youth & Young Manhood; Jay-Z's The Black Album; Grandaddy's Sumday; Kena's New Sacred Cow; and Guster's Keep It Together.
And, if you're wondering, since 2003, we at Ze Catalist have changed quite a bit. For example, we no longer care for Kenna, Ben Harper, Kings of Leon, Jay-Z or even Guster that much. Okay, Guster is alright. We do still, however, like Grandaddy (RIP) very much.
Click those links and get to reading!
Written by G. William Locke
2003 ALBUM REVEW UPDATE, PT. 1
June 28, 2010
For our ongoing archival project we've been posting reviews written back in 2003, back when we were first getting published. Like we've said before, the writing isn't so great, but the fandom is there, bright at blood.
Click on the following links to read our recently posted reviews from 2003: Outkast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below; Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks' Pig Lib; The Minus 5's Down With Wilco; The Microphones' Mount Eerie; Jesse Malin's The Fine Art of Self Destruction; and last but not least, Kings of Leon's Holy Roller Novocaine EP.
Stay tuned for more archival reviews from 2003 tomorrow. We'll also be posting out mid-year Best Of lists soon.
Written by G. William Locke
BUCK 65 MIXTAPES
(AS PROMISED)
June 27, 2010
Note: I didn’t include anything from the great, great Square album, because my copy is only cut into four long tracks. There are at least 15-20 actual songs on the record, but I don’t know any of their names and wouldn’t even know for sure where they begin and end. The record plays through like one long mix, and works very well in that way. I highly recommend finding a copy of this album before it’s impossible to get your hands on. Great album cover, too.
Also: I didn’t include anything from the Dirtbike albums because they only come in the form of one long track. Like Square, each of the Dirtbike records have 15-20 songs on them. You can download them for free at www.Buck65.com, so do that!
Lastly: I haven’t heard the album Buck 65 did with Sixtoo under the Sebutones moniker for years. I remember it being quite good, but can’t include anything on this mix because I can’t recall the details.
Also/Note/Lastly/etc.: I haven’t heard everything Buck has ever done. He has some EPs and singles that I’ve never heard. He has an album he did with another artist under the name Bike For Three that I’ve only heard once. I remember it being quite good.
Anyhow, before we geek-out you to death, here’s our three-part Buck 65 introductory mixtape. Awesome stuff ahead for sure …
BUCK 65 MIX NO. 1: THE LEFTFIELDING CENTAUR
1. “Leftfielder” (Talkin’ Honky Blues)
2. “Phil” (This Right Here)
3. “Up the Middle” (Man Overboard) ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
FEATURE: THE BLACK
DIAMOND HEAVIES
June 26, 2010
A few days ago I knew very little about East Nashville duo Black Diamond Heavies. I knew that Fort Wayne designer and promoter Jeff Anderson designed a T-shirt for them at some point and I knew that the cover art for their national debut, 2007’s Every Damn Time, was very much to my liking.
Now, days later, I know quite a bit about drummer Van Campbell and keyboardist/singer John Wesley Myers. Well, quite a bit, considering the following: 1) Their website no longer works; 2) an official bio for the band does not exist; 3) their record label offers little-to-no info about the band (including no press kits); 4) most publications who have written about the band focus on the same few facts - these guys play an often loud, always dirty version of rock that takes equally from punk and blues. Their sound is keyboard driven and, despite their minimalist set-up, they make a whole lot of noise. Those few facts, along with some rambling about how Mark “Pork Chop” Holder was once in the band, is pretty much what you’ll learn online about the Heavies.
Mostly, I learned about Campbell and Myers by listening to their 2008 sophomore record, A Touch of Someone Else’s Class, surely a future classic of the garage-punk genre. It’s brilliant, front to back - one of the best records ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
SCREENTIME PICKS SOME OF OUR FAVORITE OVERLOOKED FILMS
FROM THE NAUGHTS
June 25, 2010
Some movies never quite find their audience. Maybe it’s the marketing or actors or even simply the poster that does it, but, quite often, a great film just won’t get seen. So, with this in mind, we’ve decided to take a week to ramble about some of our favorite movies from the last 10 years that most folks seem to have either, A) never seen, or B) already forgotten. Some of the below selections came and went before they had a chance while others, we feel, have aged well - and thus deserve a second look.
Finding Forrester - Yeah, I know, Sean Connery’s famous “you’re the man now dog!” line still looms, weighing heavy on the opinion of any serious cinephile. But mute this single annoyance in what is our pick for director Gus Van Sant’s best commercial film and you have a nearly flawless downtown coming-of-age drama. All of the production choices are so spot on and beautiful, as is Mike Rich’s screenplay and the jazz-heavy score. Harris Savides’ cinematography work alone makes the film a must-see for any serious film fan. Without giving away too much, we’ll just say that, when the third act rolls in, you feel the mastery of both Van Sant’s direction and Rob Brown’s performance. It’s a tough few scenes, but Brown, here in his debut, makes the film feel as real as any dramatic Hollywood moment you’ll find. Why didn’t Forrester - a buddy movie at heart - get Oscar attention? Well, my guess is that the “young genius” storyline was a little too similar to Van Sant’s Good Will Hunting, which came out three years earlier. Forrester is the better film.
Human Nature - Almost everyone I know loves 2004 drama Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Michel Gondry. Most of those same people, I’ve found, are unaware of 2001’s Human Nature, also written ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
FILM STARTER GUIDE
June 24, 2010
Before we get started, let me just say that this feature might not do a whole lot for regular Ze Catalist readers. Below we feature the filmography of 20 or so directors, ranking and rating their work. A few of the filmographies are incomplete, as we haven't seen every movie ever made just yet. This is meant to function as something of a starter guide for future cinephiles - thus the reason this post may not do much for regular readers. Also, everyone featured below, save for the late Stanley Kubrick, is still making movies.
JIM JARMUSCH
1. Down By Law (1986) - A+
2. Mystery Train (1989) - A+
3. The Limits of Control (2009) - A+
4. Ghost Dog (1999) - A+
5. Dead Man (1995) - A+
6. Broken Flowers (2004) - A-
7. Night On Earth (1991) - B+
8. Stranger Than Paradise (1984) - B+
9. Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) - B
10. Permanent Vacation (1980) - C
STANLEY KUBRICK
1. Barry Lyndon (1975) - A+
2. A Clockwork Orange (1971) - A+
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - A+ ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
FILM REVIEW: JIM JARMUSCH'S
THE LIMITS OF CONTROL
June 23, 2010
Jim Jarmusch's The Limits of Control is one of the rare pieces of cinema that I consider to be fine art. Straight-faced, I’ll call it a masterpiece. Not just because of Jarmusch’s solid direction, the well placed cameos (read end of review for spoiler theory about the film's best cameo) and endlessly interesting location choices. Not just because of the epic/drone-y guitars (played by both Boris and Jarmusch himself) and Christopher Doyle cinematography, but, most importantly, because of the holes and hints and clues in the story we see unfold.
You can - nay, must - make up your own version of what's going on every time you watch The Limits of Control. I’m guessing that this is the reason why American critics, for the most part, hated this film. These are people who - more than in any other country - are paid to go into a theater ready to quickly judge art - it’s their job. They research and think ahead, knowing that they’re responsible for insightful ideas and opinions as soon as the credits roll. They must work quick, which is, in my opinion, no way to judge true art.
Most critics who last have found a way to play the game in a way that works. That said, some movies demand more; The Limits of Control is one of them. For this, Jarmusch’s tenth - and most beautifully photographed - film, you have to sit back and take in the atmospheres, visuals, mood and tone. You have to live with it for a week. You can follow a story and hope for resolution, but that approach will offer little-to-no satisfaction. Pay attention to the many clues and hints, but don’t expect them to ever makes the sense your practical reasoning needs them to make. For this story, Jarmusch wants you to fill in the blanks yourself. The ending is anticlimactic but interesting - our protagonist puts on a jumpsuit in a public bathroom then walks out the door. We hear a helicopter flying for no reason we understand. The acting is subtle yet effective, making small moments like this feel important.
Mostly, though, Limits is all about three key things: 1) location, location, location; 2) visual composition; 3) details and mystery. It’s not about good guys and bad guys or lost love or laughs. Christopher Doyle shoots each frame as if he’s trying to win a photography contest. His work here, as it is every few pictures, is fine art. Fine art made possible by how strong - yet subtle - all the locations are. Doyle makes every doorway, staircase, train and skyline look so perfect.
As for the story, well … Isaach De Bankole, who you may recognize from Ghost Dog, plays our protagonist, Lone Man ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
MORE FROM 2005
June 22, 2010
It's hard to believe that 2005 was five years ago. Back when M.I.A. was a cult thing and still on an indie label selling indie numbers. Back when Green Day was making a comeback and the folks at Ze Catalist were certain that Buck 65 was the "next big thing" (see below).
Remember when LCD Soundsystem was a new band and Mute Records was reissuing teh Can catalog? Underground hip-hop was fizzling out and there were still bands getting signed to major - and indie - labels as "the next Strokes." It was a good year. Not a great year. We at the ZC were all about the three albums Ryan Adams released that year, especially Cold Roses.
Anyhow ... we just posted 18 archival reviews on the site, eight from 2005. So get to exploring! Here are some links to the reviews from 2005: M.I.A.'s Arular; Green Day's American Idiot; Mars Volta's Frances the Mute; Magnolia Electric Co.'s What Comes After the Blues; Jack Johnson's In Between Dreams; MF Doom's Live From Planet X; Scott Matelic's Primitive Pessimist; and Mount Eerie's Seven New Songs of Mount Eerie. Enjoy! And be sure to check back often, as we plan to post lists of our favorite films and albums from the first half of 2010 before week's end.
Written by G. William Locke
ZE CATALIST INTERVIEWS BUCK 65, THE MAKER OF VERTEX, OUR FAVORITE HIP-HOP RECORD OF ALL-FREAKING-TIME!!!
June 21, 2010
While recently compiling a list of my 160 favorite hip-hop albums ever, I noticed a trend. Not only did Buck 65 take my No. 1 spot with his 1997 classic, Vertex, but a number of his records - seven, to be exact - made it into my Top 50 (two in our Top 10!) of all-time.
Is Richard Terfry, a 38-year-old ex-baseball-playing Canadian who looks more like one of the guitar playing twins from The National than Nas or BDK, one of the best emcees of all time? Oh yes, easily. Also one of the most inimitable. Not just that. Buck is a FANTASTIC producer and DJ. On the majority of his records, he writes, records, produces, rhymes, and mixes. He’s an auteur, and, most importantly, his records are unlike any other. They’re somehow both classic and boundary pushing.
Here’s how I’d rank my favorite albums from the 65er: 7. Weirdo Magnet (No. 50 on our all-time list); 6. Language Arts (No. 32); 5. Talkin’ Honky Blues (No. 25); 4. Square (No. 15); 3. Man Overboard (No. 13); 2. This Right Here (No. 7); 1. Vertex (No. 1).
So, all that in mind, I sent Buck 65 an e-mail, asking if he’d be up for an interview. He was! And the result is easily one of the highlights of my career as a writer/fan. Here we go
Greg Locke: Thinking back, what was the moment that propelled you into a larger spotlight?
Buck 65: To be honest, I think that having my name dropped by the guys from Radiohead back around the time when Kid A came out is what did it. The timing was amazing because everyone was talking about Radiohead and their new musical direction. So right at the peak of Radiohead mania, they were talking about me! So bonkers.
Greg: I remember hearing that you moved to Paris and maybe got married? What's the story? Are you in Canada? France? The US? I heard Colorado, even!
Buck 65: I moved to Paris right after I signed my deal with Warner - I guess that was 2002 or so. I lived there off and on for the next six years. I got engaged to a French girl named Claire. You can hear her on a few songs on Secret ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM REVIEW: DRAKE'S
THANK ME LATER
June 20, 2010
I became aware of Drake long after most. For me, it was that Sprite commercial they play before movies - the one where his body explodes with Sprite, then sucks all the soda back up. In said commercial, Drake raps six words over a solid beat before the commercial ends: “Last name ever / First name greatest.” The commercial worked: I cracked open a soda and jumped online to figure out who the greatest ever is.
Turns out Greatest Ever is actually a Canadian actor named Aubrey Graham who made friends with a load of American rap industry types once he left his comfortable child actor life in Toronto’s uber-wealthy Forest Hill neighborhood. The key friendship Drake made was with idiot/asshole Lil’ Wayne, who the world has clearly had enough of. Drake and Wayne started working on music here and there, with Drake releasing music for free on the Internet or in the form of half-polished mixtapes. The release of his debut, Thank Me Later, has been talked about for a while now, long before his body exploded with soda. Long before he claimed to be the greatest ever. There was a label bidding war for this guy (the next Jay-Z?), even.
So, is Drake the greatest ever? To his mother, I’d bet. To me, Drake is a finely tuned product. To coincide with the long awaited release of Thank we have a number of Drake-related ads - Axe, Wal-Mart, Sprite, etc. Very hip-hop or him, right? But how is the music? How does it sounds? Good? Bad? Greatest ever? Wait a second, I thought Eminem was the greatest ever? Or was it LL Cool J? At least those guys had proper records out before they were making such claims.
If you’re the type to think that being ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM REVIEW: BLACK LABEL SUMMER'S THE RISE + FALL OF JOSH HALL
June 19, 2010
There’s a strange but fitting twang to Black Label Summer frontman Josh Hall, known mostly for his Thunderhawk records and PBR loyalty. Maybe it’s the Fu Manchu stash he sometimes wears or the whiskey and heartache he so often sings about. Mostly, he’s an indie rock dude from Philly who has been trapped in the Midwest for 12 years - and now it’s showing. When Hall released Black Label Summer’s debut album, Dirty All-Star Band, last year, Thunderhawk fans were surprised by how convincingly he shifted styles. Not only did most ears seem to love Dirty, but many quickly considered it to be his best work yet. Once Hall himself caught wind of such reaction, he joked: “That’s so lame. Well, I guess I’ll do another one of those albums then.”
And so now, only months after the release of Hall’s Simple Twist of Hate (credited to Stun Guzzler) and Vodka Hysteria (credited to Thunderhawk) albums (plus the national release of Thunderhawk VI), Hall is releasing The Rise and Fall of Josh Hall, his second twang-y studio effort. Described by Hall himself as “a drunker, mouthier Old 97’s”, Black Label Summer play … well … drunk and mouthy alt-country. The songs talk about guns and girls and drink and drugs. While Dirty did sound quite a bit like the 97’s classic Too Far to Care, Rise doesn’t. It’s twang-y and mouthy and drunk, but also quietly sweet and personal - at least when compared to Hall’s non-BLS work. For example, Hall sings about a tender moment he shared with “Jay who’s my best friend,” when he told said friend about a girl who tried to get him in bed. Second later, when Hall sings “Tell me that you love me / Why the hell did you go” about another girl, you can almost smell the whiskey and pain through your speakers. He may curse this Black Label stuff, but it all seems strangely therapeutic.
Instant standout “The Fifth of July” is the new Hall classic, full of all the BLS trademarks - swear words, agony, twang, dreaming ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
FEATURE: PHILADELPHIA'S MARAH
June 18, 2010
The late 90s were a peak time for many things, including HBO and alt-country bands. Steve Earle had made a proper comeback, Whiskeytown’s live shows were consistently headline-worthy, Tony Soprano was gaining weight, Wilco were becoming the new Great American Band and The Jayhawks were suddenly a pop band to be reckoned with.
Others, too. Others, like the Ass Ponys, Carrie Bradshaw, Golden Smog, the Pernice Brothers, Nate Fisher and Marah, weren’t quite as big, but they were getting ink and ears. Just as the Drive-By Truckers were about to roll in and take over, Marah were following up their excellent debut, Let’s Cut the Crap and Hook Up Later on Tonight, with what became one of the most talked about records of 2000, Kids in Philly.
Kids, now considered a classic of the genre, made the band. Soon enough Marah were playing on “Conan,” touring the world, hanging with Bruce Springsteen and, eventually, working on a new sound. In between Marah’s third and fourth records I met local artist/musician/promoter Matt Kelley, who was then playing with Go Dog Go and running his One Lucky Guitar ad agency out of his kitchen. Some seven - or is it eight? - years later and Kelley is consistently booking some of the area’s best shows in celebration of OLG’s 10-year anniversary.
Recent OLG-sponsored Ike Reilly and Clem Snide shows were great - and great successes - but, from what I can tell ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
WOW ... AWFUL, AWFUL MOVIE ALERT
June 17, 2010
We'd like to recommend that you don't, under any circumstances, watch Clint Eastwood's 2009 film Invictus if you haven't already. It's very bad. The music selections set a new standard for cheese. I'm not sure who Eastwood hired for this task, but it's someone who is very, very out of touch. Also, the acting is not good. Why people think that Eastwood and Damon deserved attention for the jobs they did in this film is beyond me. They're clearly trying very hard, but neither pull it off. Both blow the accents and overplay the drama. Freeman's Mandela facial expressions are an embarrassment.
Mostly, the film is just incredibly cheesy and overly dramatic. There's no balance here between film art and storytelling. No way to connect to the story unless you are incredibly simple minded and easily manipulated. A shame, considering how good the source material is.
We're bummed because we typically like Eastwood-directed films. We loved Changeling and thought Gran Torino was a solid-as-hell after school special. Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby were pretty good, too. The later was maybe a little too cheesy at times, but not to the extremes Invictus reaches. Yikes. Do not watch this movie. F'real. Avoid it at all costs.
Posted by Mister Listerman
SCREENTIME TALKS KARATE
June 16, 2010
Tops at the Box: St. Petersburg Times writer Steve Persall, who loved last weekend’s No. 1 film at the box office, The Karate Kid, put it best, saying that the remake is a fun ride because it “embraces and vastly improves the clichés of the original. No, ScreenTime hasn’t seen the remake (and hopefully never will), but we’ve been made to sit through the trailer and can tell just from that small bit that last weekend’s top film, which brought in $56 million over its first three days, is a huge improvement from the awful original. Wait a second … are we saying nice things about The Karate Kid? Moving on …
More From the Box: Okay, one more good thing about The Karate Kid remake and then we’re done, I promise: at least the Kid kept stinkfest The A-Team from opening big. Starring a whole lot of people you’ve seen in big movies over the last two years, boasting a collection of popular film style gimmicks from the last couple of years (yet directed by the forever promising Joe Carnahan, director of Narc and Smokin’ Aces), and featuring a huge advertising budget, this action/buddy film based on the horribly produced/executed low-brow 80s television show, “The A-Team,” only made $26 million over its first weekend. This particular failure makes the ScreenTime staff very happy. Shrek Forever After came in at No. 3 with another $16 million over the weekend, upping its so-far total to over $200 million in the U.S. Meanwhile, the marginally amusing Get Him to the Greek took the No. 4 spot, taking in just over $10 million, bringing its 10 day total to just under its $40 million shooting budget. Romantic action stinker Killers, starring Ashton Kutcher and Isabelle Stephens, somehow managed to score another $8 million over the weekend. Huh? Good enough for fifth place last weekend, though the $75 million film likely isn’t going to crack the $50 million mark.
Opening this Weekend: This weekend’s two major openings ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
ARCHIVAL REVIEW: THE DRIVE-BY
TRUCKERS' A BLESSING AND A CURSE
June 15, 2010
What in the world happened to the Drive-By Truckers? In the years since their star-making Southern Rock Opera double album opus, the Truckers have been steadily increasing their reputation as “America’s Best Rock Band,” a label their spotless release, The Dirty South, warranted. With their sixth studio album, A Blessing and a Curse, the Drive-By Truckers have quickly become “America’s Most Overrated and Disappointing Band.” Closet good ol’ boys everywhere bow their heads in shame, redeemed only slightly on the closing track, “A World of Hurt,” as lead Trucker Patterson Hood sings about almost “blowing his brains out.”
Almost blowing your brains out in the closing seconds can’t redeem what may as well go down as one of the worst follow albums of all time. While much of the sparkling press the Trucker’s 2003 album, Decoration Day, saw might have been slightly superfluous, The Dirty South captured a band at the top of their game, thus setting the expectations high for whatever was to come next. A Blessing sees the truckers releasing their first batch of over-produced, non-road-tested songs. And did I mention that they’re crap? It pains me to say it, but let me reiterate: they’re crap. Crap.
With their lineup of three singer/songwriters/guitarists, the Truckers were once almost too talented to fit onto a single disc. Coming off of such classics as “Outfit,” “The Day John Henry Died,” and “Danko/Manuel,” Jason Isbell disappoints the most with his blatant wannabe radio hits, “Easy on Yourself” and “Daylight.” Patterson Hood’s Southern Rawk drawl sounds out of place under Blessings clean production, though his writing is ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
ARCHIVAL REVIEW: CHAVEZ'S BETTER
DAYS WILL HAUNT YOU
June 14, 2010
Chances are, you, the precious rock connoisseur have no idea how good Chavez really were. This is only (partially) your fault for a couple of reasons. First, the guys at Matador Records were far too busy promoting Guided by Voices and Pavement – two of the best bands of the 90s – to make Matt Sweeney (guitar, vocals), Clay Tarver (guitar), Scott Marshall (bass) and James Lo (drums) a marketing priority. Second, the band's two full-length albums, Gone Glimmering and Ride the Fader, have been out of print and unavailable for nearly half their lifetime.
The time since the demise of Chavez has seen Sweeney become somewhat of a pocket guitar hero, playing on numerous “classic” underground albums and even spending a short period of time as the lead guitar player in Billy Corgan’s quickly-defunct “best band on the planet,” also know as Zwan. This recent attention, along with the resonating fan love for Chavez’s very limited output – not to mention Matadors recent admittance of neglect – have led to a wonderful three-disc box set known as Better Day Will Haunt You.
Included in the set are both studio albums, tracks from a rare 7” single, an EP, b-sides, two juicy books, a ton of photos and, best of all, a DVD complete with videos, a full-length documentary film and a slew of extras. All this – along with it’s wonderful packaging and one of the best two-guitar assaults this side of Richard Lloyd and Tom Verlaine ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
THE ZE CATALIST EMBARRASSMENT
June 13, 2010
Not much to report today. Nothing big. Just a small, embarrassing update. While digging through our archives we found a few of the reviews we penned in 2003 - back when we first started writing about film and music at the, ahem, professional level. It's bad stuff. The intentions were good, but the writing was not.
Still, though, we felt it needed to be archived. So click on the little triangle next to the "Reviews: 2003" header in the contents section and read some of the trash we wrote over seven years ago (or, if you're feeling lazy, just click the below links). Much from from 2003 coming soon, unfortunately.
Reviews posted: The Drive-By Truckers' Decoration Day; The Flaming Lips' Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell and Fight Test EPs; Ben Folds' Speed Graphic EP; Erykah Badu's Worldwide Underground EP; and Cat Power's You Are Free. Apparently Ze Catalist was into EPs in 2003.
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM REVIEW: SHAME, SHAME
June 12, 2010
Before securing my purchase of Shame, Shame, the fifth proper studio release from Philadelphia's Dr. Dog, I noticed a sticker on the cellophane that featured a Rolling Stone quote. Something about how Dr. Dog are a classic rock band who have created "a new sound" or something similarly confusing and hyperbolic. I bought the record regardless, immediately noticing how similar the album sounds when compared to the Dog’s back catalog. Sure, the production is a tinge cleaner than before and maybe the songs are a bit tighter, but, really, this is just another Dr. Dog record. It reminds of The Band and The Beatles, though never too much. The mood is smoky retro and sometimes carnival bounce-y, not unlike some of the more adventurous McCartney cuts from his early solo career (think Ram, for sure).
Why the cleaner, tighter songs? Well, for the follow up to their breakthrough fourth record, the great Fate, the Dogs signed with Anti- Records, a sister label to Epitaph Records, making this likely the first time they recorded with an actual budget. And, of course, with a budget and big label expectations, you usually get some hired guns and louder shouts. The record, surprisingly mostly recorded outside the band’s self-built studio, was produced by Rob Schnapf and mastered by Greg Calbi, two indie rock legends who are arguable the best at what they do. Also, we get big-name guests, most notably My Morning Jacket’s Jim James and The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach. And you can certainly hear the perfection throughout, if only slightly. Mostly, I’d guess, the hired hands allowed the band to focus more on the playing and songs.
And so here we get some of the band’s best work to date, even if some of the material isn’t quite as immediate as they’re known for. The songs are noticeably more personal than their past work, with both frontmen - the raspy voiced Scott McMicken ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
ARCHIVE UPDATE: ALBUM REVIEWS FROM 2004 FINALLY START SHOWING UP!
June 11, 2010
OMG! Are you serious? No effing way. It can't be. For real? I gotta check Wikipedia on that one. Bullshit. Whatever.
Yep, it's true, we dug up the guts to post some of the album reviews we wrote in 2004. Are they good? Umm. Well. Hmm. Lemme think ...
No. Not really. There's passion there, but, mostly, they're embarrassing. Talk about hyperbole and poor use of the English language. But, hey, for the sake of archiving, there they are, under the "Album Reviews" header in the contents. Click on the "Reviews: 2004" sub-header, then the triangle next to that and you'll find eight freshly posted reviews that we wrote in 2004.
Here's what's up, for now: The Fiery Furnaces' Blueberry Boat; Bumblebeez 81's The Printz; Clem Snide's A Beautiful EP; Belle & Sebastian's Dear Catastrophe Waitress; Dosh's Dosh; The Drive-By Truckers' The Dirty South; cLOUDDEAD's Ten; and Buck 65's great Talkin' Honky Blues. Look for more reviews from 2004 - and 2003, even! - to start showing up in the archives soon.
Written by G. William Locke
SCREENTIME GETS ITS SUMMER ON
June 10, 2010
Growing up I never watched too much television. In fact, not until I was in middle school did I even put the baseballs and bikes and basketballs down until bedtime. But, once VHS tapes became affordable and my family got cable (circa 1993ish), everything changed. Suddenly, summers weren’t just about sports and sleeping in. I could watch movies late into the night. I could watch movies during the afternoon. My friends and I could be sneaky and watch R-rated movies while our parents worked. Also, I was lucky enough to grow up in a place where I could easily ride my bike to a theater (this back when movies were $4.25).
Since I like to think of most things in accordance to season, the warm weather of late has me thinking about all of those summers past. All of those summers and all of those movies. So, about two weeks ago, I started compiling a list of my favorite “summertime” movies. I quickly realized that a huge number of movies fall into this category. First, we have the big summer blockbusters - the popcorn flicks that cost tons to make and are usually panned by critics. These movies remind me of summer. Then we have the baseball movies, which, of course, definitely remind American me of summer. Teen movies that often take place over summer break or towards the end of the school year - you know the ones. And, of course, movies that just simply feel like summer - this likely because they’re shot in or around California.
And yes, before you say it, some of these movies are kind of cheesy. Who cares. And some of them might only remind me of summer because that’s when they came out. Who cares. And some of them are big, loud, dumb studio creations. Big deal. And no, we’re not saying that this is the order in which we regard these films. Not even close. These are our favorite films to watch on hot days (or when dreaming of hot days). So, here we go, ScreenTime’s Top 50 Summertime Movies:
50. Half Baked; 49. Can’t Hardly Wait; 48. Rumble in the Bronx; 47. I Know What You Did Last Summer; 46. Summer School; 45. Caddyshack; 44. Con Air; 43. Can’t Buy Me Love; 42. Grease; 41. The Blair Witch Project; 40. Armageddon (!!!) ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
FEATURE STORY: THOSE DARLINS
June 9, 2010
Halfway through my recent interview with Kelley Darlin, bassist for Murfreesboro, Tennessee-based outfit Those Darlins, my subject lights up. She perks after I awkwardly find a way to ask her about her influences without actually asking her about her influences.
“I’m glad you didn’t ask me who I’m influenced by, because that’s always changing. And it’s just kind of a stupid question to ask a musician,” the twang-y voiced bassist says, seemingly dead serious. “I’m an avid music lover, so I’m influenced by everything I hear. To limit that to one - or a handful - of artists doesn’t make sense. It depends on so many things - so much more than who the artist is. For example, it depends on what part of their career the artist is in. I like Elvis, but I don’t like all Elvis.”
Without taking a breath Kelley gets verbose, excitedly talking about - yep - her influences. And in a very thoughtful, telling way.
“I mostly like twang-y stuff and rockabilly, and I’m getting into more garage rock. Our first record was more twang-y than the new songs - it was influenced by old music, like the Carter Family and Hank Williams, but mixed with The Ramones and the Beach Boys. Those were the key influences on the first album. The new one, I don’t know. I think the other two girls are really influenced by newer garage rock ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
ZE CATALIST'S 160 ALL-TIME FAVORITE
HIP-HOP RECORDS
June 8, 2010
We could go on and on and on about hip-hop and our history with the genre. At one time the Ze Catalist office had over 1,300 hip-hop CDs on our shelves. We went to concerts constantly, hosted hip-hop radio shows, collected 12” records, wore Wu-Tang T-shirts, etc. We loved the genre dearly. Unfortunately, we’ve lost much of our interest over the last few years, and thus, this list might look a bit dated to anyone who keeps up. We apologize for that. We also realize that we’ve left quite a bit of the usual “Best Hip-Hop Albums Ever” staples off our list. Who cares.
160. Eric B. & Rakim - Paid in Full
159. Ultramagnetic MCs - Critical Beatdown
158. Wyclef Jean - The Carnival
157. Aceyalone - Accepted Eclectic
156. Sage Francis - Human the Death Dance
155. Quasimoto - The Unseen
154. Capone-N-Noreaga - The War Report
153. Nas - Stillmatic
152. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - E. 1999
151. Smif-n-Wesson - Dah Shinin’
150. RZA - Bobby Digital
149. Freestyle Fellowship - To Whom It May Concern
148. Rakim - The 18th Letter
147. Redman - Whut? Thee Album
146. Nas - The Lost Tapes
145. Sankofa - The Tortoise Hustle
144. Cypress Hill - Cypress Hill
143. Eric B. & Rakim - Let the Rhythm Hit ‘Em
142. Little Brothers - The Minstrel Show
141. Sage Francis - A Healthy Distrust ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
OUR 50 FAVORITE SUMMERTIME FILMS
June 7, 2010
This was a tough one. We tried to look everywhere while compiling our fifty favorite summertime films. We looked at the big summer blockbusters (Iron Man, The Rock, etc.), films set on hot summer days (Do the Right Thing, Dazed and Confused, etc.), hangout/stoner flicks (Half Baked, Friday, Pineapple Express, etc.), baseball movies (Major League, Eight Men Out, Sugar, etc.) and, of course, classic summertime movies like The Sandlot, American Pie, Stand by Me and more. We’re sure we missed a lot, but, for now at least, here’s our list of the fifty films that remind us most of summertime.
50. Half Baked (Tamara Davis)
49. Can’t Hardly Wait (Harry Elfont)
48. American Pie (Chris Weitz)
47. The Wackness (Jonathan Levine)
46. Clueless (Amy Heckerling)
45. A League of Their Own (Penny Marshall)
44. Crooklyn (Spike Lee)
43. Major League (David S. Ward)
42. Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg)
41. I Know What You Did Last Summer (Jim Gillespie)
40. Slacker (Richard Linklater)
39. Summer School (Carl Reiner)
38. Caddyshack (Harold Ramis)
37. Con Air (Simon West)
36. Can’t Buy Me Love (Steve Rash)
35. Grease (Randal Kleiser)
34. The Blair Witch Project (Daniel Myrick)
33. Armageddon (Michael Bay)
32. Encino Man (Les Mayfield)
31. Iron Man (Jon Favreau)
30. Mission Impossible (Brian De Palma)
29. Repo Man (Alex Cox)
28. The Rock (Michael Bay)
27. Iron Man 2 (Jon Favreau) ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
ARCHIVE UPDATE: MORE FROM 2005
June 6, 2010
Well, kinda boring update for today. We're still updating our album review archives, again focusing on reviews written in 2005. Today we posted eight more reviews, so far covering the A-L reviews we published five years ago.
Much more to come, so stay tuned. For now, flick on that "Album Reviews" link, then then the arrow next to the "Reviews: 2005" header. New reviews posted today include the following: Clem Snide's End of Love; Ben Folds Five's Whatever and Ever Amen; Ben Folds' Sound For Silverman; The Fiery Furnaces' EP; Diplo's Florida; Autolux' Future Perfect; Chris Stamey and Yo La Tengo's A Question of Temperature; and the 2005 reissue of Can's great Tago Mago. Variety!!
Posted by G. William Locke
ARCHIVE UPDATE: FLASHBACK TO 2005!
June 5, 2010
The archival updates continue! Today we uploaded ten reviews written in 2005. Lots of good stuff ... and much more to come! So click that "Album Reviews" link, then the "Reviews: 2005" triangle and get to reading! And, of course, stay tuned for much more.
Posted by G. William Locke
ARCHIVE UPDATE: FLASHBACK TO 2006!
June 4, 2010
The updating of this website's archive has by far been our most daunting task. We have an average of 50 feature length album reviews dating back to 2003, most of which have not yet been posted. All this work for nothin'. We're determined to get a good chunk of those reviews up on the site before year's end.
For today, we have six new reviews posted, all from 2006 and all from artists with A and B names. We'll continue updating if you continue reading. Here's what we added for today: Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine; Arctic Monkeys' Whatever People Say; All Nite Skate's Western Shame; Ryan Adams' 29; Built to Spill's You In Reverse; and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's Summer In the Southeast.
Not a whole lot, but certainly a huge amount of work on our part. Anyone interested in coming on as an unpaid intern to help with this task, e-mail us at gregwlocke@gmail.com. Now start clicking those links! Much more soon enough.
Posted by G. William Locke
ALBUM REVIEW: SUPERHUMAN TOMB
June 3, 2010
It sounds like guitarists Omar Afzaal and Bob Haddad, known mostly for their work in All Nite Skate and Castles, are having more fun together - and working harder - on Superhuman Tomb than ever before. If the songs weren’t so sneakily complex, you’d almost think they were just messing around, almost jokingly attempting to create a shoe gaze/indie pop hybrid. Playing around with their instrument collections at 3 a.m., maybe after a dozen or so beers. But this is the real stuff. It’s too labored-over sounding not to be.
At first House of Bread was a solo outlet for Afzaal, who did use the project as a way to kick back and not take his music so seriously. Two albums later Haddad, Afzaal’s longtime collaborator, asked to join the band. Apparently Afzaal at first declined, knowing that he was already hard at work on his third HoB record, Superhuman Tomb. Eventually Haddad joined, and now, something like three years (or maybe even more) after the home recording sessions began, we have Superhuman Tomb, the Bread’s first fully realized work.
Eleven tracks deep and housed in one of the coolest record covers I’ve seen - local or otherwise - in a very long time, Superhuman Tomb opens with a mood-setting instrumental track - titled “Nebula M43” - featuring Afzaal and Haddad’s trademark epic guitar playing (think Explosions in the Sky). But that’s not all. There’s much more going on here, including plenty of keyboards, blips and what appears to be a backwards guitar. It’s a big sounding palate cleanser that ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
SCREENTIME AMPS UP FOR SUMMER
June 2, 2010
Tops at the Box: Shrek Forever After continued to bring in that sweet sequel green over its second weekend, upping its nine-day total to $133 million with another $43 million. The film’s success is no surprise, considering the first three Shrek films averaged over $300 million per picture in the U.S. alone. So, for you Sequel History Majors out there, every three years, come mid-May, Dreamworks puts out a movie with an ugly green dude who talks funny and goes on some sort of adventure with a bunch of other uglies (who are actually cute) that talk funny. People go to these movies like clockwork.
More From the Box: The No. 2 film at the box office last week was Michael Patrick King’s Sex and the City 2, bringing in a disappointing $32 million over its first weekend and $46 million over its first four days. A longtime fan of the HBO program and so-so fan of the first film, ScreenTime caught this film on opening day and, as implied by the trailer, it was all kinds of awful. We could write a series of columns about why King’s second Sex flick is a major punch in the gut to the folks who looked to the now-classic series for more than cheap laughs. That said, if you like idiot humor, Sex and the City 2 might work for you … but it kinda broke our heart, it was that awful. Coming in at No. 3 last weekend was Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, also known as the movie that many of us feel like we’ve been dreading for years now. It’s finally here!! So far the film has made about $32 million in the U.S. and $115 million worldwide. Not bad, but hardly what ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
OUR 35 FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 1978
June 1, 2010
35. The Cars - S/T 34. Patti Smith - Easter
33. Willie Nelson - Stardust
32. NRBQ - At Yankee Stadium
31. Nina Simone - Baltimore
30. Led Zeppelin - In Through …
29. Blondie - Parallel Lines
28. Cheap Trick - Heaven Tonight
27. Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy
26. Paul McCartney - London Town
25. Brian Eno - Ambient 1
24. The Who - Who Are You
23. Devo - Q: Are We Not Men?
22. Bob Marley - Kaya
21. Townes Van Zandt - Flyin’ Shoes
20. Nick Lowe - Jesus of Cool
19. John Prine - Bruised Orange
18. Bob Dylan - Street Legal
17. The Clash - Give ‘Em Enough Rope
16. Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke