Archive
Holy Fuck – LATIN (due May 11, 2010)
As posted on Pitchfork…

Mostly-instrumental dance-rockers and festival mainstays Holy Fuck have a new album all loaded up and ready to go. On May 11, Young Turks/XL will release Latin, the band’s follow-up to 2007’s LP. The band announced the album’s imminent release yesterday via the deeply sketchy internet chat service Chatroulette. Supposedly first single “Latin America” is streaming on Chatroulette today, if you can find it. (It will be released as an mp3 next week.)
Artists of the Decade – 2000s (#21 to 25)
So, I can’t / won’t do a Top XX Albums of the Decade… it’s probably more “can’t” than “won’t.” There are so many great albums from the past 10 years… but, what I can do is recount the artists that have been my chief form of musical pleasure for the past 10 years.
But first…
Artist of the Decade – Special Mention

Dweezil Zappa only had a couple albums in the 2000s, but he gets a special call out for carrying on Frank Zappa‘s music since 2006. Dweezil & Co have toured for the past three and a half plus years, playing Frank’s music in a new setting each year. I hope this continues. It’s a fantastic tour, every time I’ve seen it.
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Artists of the Decade – Honorable Mentions
Tori Amos ~ In the 1990s, she ruled. I still love what she does, and she’s very important in the foundation of my musical interests. The fact that she’s still active with albums and touring all throughout the decade gets her an honorable mention.
Her best albums of the decade…
Celldweller ~ He’s only released one regular album in the entire decade… had he done more, he’d probably make the proper 25 list. Despite the one album, he has released a mostly instrumental soundtrack, a handful of internet-only singles and Eps and a skad of remix CDs and EPs. He’s been far from lazy. I look forward to the 2nd full length Celldweller release sometime in the 2010s.
His most excellent debut and instrumental “score” release…
Iron & Wine ~ I got into Iron & Wine mid-decade, but immediately fell in love with Sam’s flourishing vocals and interesting guitar work. He has a beautiful whispy voice, a penchant for storytelling, and a great eye for videos (prior to music, he taught film down in Florida, and the videos he’s produced for his band and other bands have been fantastic).
My favorite release of his this decade…
King’s X (and related solo & side projects) ~ Between the regular band albums, all three solo members’ albums, the side projects, the live albums, and the indie demo issues – there are probably close 30 releases in the 2000s. Prolificity abounds. This is one band that keeps on ticking, and for that, I am grateful.
A few gems from this decade…
Derek Webb ~ Creative and exploratory since leaving his first band, Caedmon’s Call, Derek continues to push the boundaries of what a singer-songwriter is supposed to do. His latest, Stockholm Syndrome, is a fantastic exit from the 2000s and entrance into the 2010s. Rumor is that he’s working on one (or multiple) Caedmon’s Call-related releases with his old band, too… should be interesting.
My faves from this decade…
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Artists of the Decade
25 ~ Ben Folds (solo)

The Five were no longer at the turn of the decade / century / millennium, which left the name sake on his own. Ben Folds was one of the first to ditch the full length and rapidly release several EPs all in one year. He saw the writing on the wall for the eventual, slow death of the CD format… and his solo albums (all in the 2000s) were generally fantastic – yeah, they are always a few tunes on each one that are doozies. He ended the decade with a cute (and enjoyable) acappella tribute album to himself from various college singing clubs. I was skeptical, but once I got it, I was very pleased with the covers.
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24 ~ Peter Mulvey

Peter Mulvey is one of my favorite singer-songwriters around. He’s a hard worker, touring all around from Alaska, the entire U.S. (including Alaska) and Europe. He’s put out more albums to count on two hands in the past 15 years. He started off the decade with the stunning The Trouble with Poets and ended the decade with the fantastic Letters from a Flying Machine. He’s a truly wonderful storyteller, and if he comes near your town… GO!
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23 ~ Opeth

From singer-songwriter to Swedish death metal… roar! Opeth came along with the “getting into prog band Porcupine Tree” period of the decade for me (check in later for Porcupine Tree’s position). The string of three Opeth albums produced by PT’s Steven Wilson rank among the BEST metal out there… ranging from melodic rock to sweeping progressive movements to the in your face “cookie monster” vocals. The first in the series, Blackwater Park, may be my favorite metal album of all-time (sorry, Dave Mustaine, you’ve been trumped).
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22 ~ dredg

I showed up early to a Coheed & Cambria show and was blown away by the opener… once I dug into dredg’s music, I really fell in love. They run a tight ship of well-crafted, melodic neo-progressive rock music. Gavin’s vocals and lyrics are a major selling point, too. Their latest album (The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion) is my favorite album of 2009 – hands down.
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21 ~ Holy Fuck

Starting out as a more experimental “live electronic” noise-jazz band and evolving into a more groove-oriented electronic jam band, Holy Fuck shot up on my hot list quickly. Their 2nd full length is superb, and their live show is not to be missed. Raw energy, dual keyboards, groovy rhythm section, crazy film-reel instrumentation, and uncanny dance-ability. They’ve also embraced the vinyl comeback… score!
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The rest of the decade recap to follow in the next few days… more musical variety awaits…
My Other Favorites of 2009 Recaps:
- Fave Concerts of ‘09 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave EPs/Vinyl/Live/more of ‘09 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave Vocal Albums ‘09 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave Instrumental Albums ’09 are *HERE*
- Old Years: 2008I, 2008V, 2008ep, 2008C, 2007V, 2007I, 2007C, 2006, 2005
~Dan – np: Charlie Hunter – Gentlemen, I Neglected To Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid

Oh, and for those who say that the decade ends at the end of 2010… meh. I’m starting with 0 and ending with 9 (like a LOT of people). Rationale: the 80s, the 90s… you don’t say the 80s went from 1/1/1981 to 12/31/1990 or the 90s from 1/1/1991 to 12/31/2000.
Favorite Concerts of 2009
Well, this year’s concert seasons were especially good to me… 365 days, 70 shows, 119 artists, 1 wine-tasting rock show, many long nights driving home, and a lot of photos…
My favorite concerts of 2009:
- Maynard James Keenan’s Puscifer (2 nights) :: Roseland Theater :: Portland, OR {14&16 Nov} [reviews with pictures – night #1 & night #2]
- Nellie McKay & the Aristocrats :: Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley :: Seattle, WA {20 Oct} [review with pictures]
- dredg :: Hawthorne Theatre :: Portland, OR {3 Apr} [review]
- Holy Fuck :: Doug Fir Lounge :: Portland, OR {4 Jun} [review with pictures & video]
- The Swell Season :: McDonald Theatre :: Eugene, OR {23 Nov} [review with pictures]
- Zappa Plays Zappa :: Hawthorne Theatre :: Portland, OR {2 Jan} [review]
- Flight of the Conchords & Arj Barker :: Arlene Schnitzer Hall :: Portland, OR {14 May} [review]
- SFJazz Collective 2009 with Dave Douglas, Joe Lovano, Miguel Zenon, and more focusing on the music of McCoy Tyner :: The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts :: Eugene, OR {19 Mar} [review with pictures]
- Opeth & Enslaved :: Roseland Theater :: Portland, OR {12 May} [review]
- The Melvins (2 sets) :: John Henry’s :: Eugene, OR {9 Aug} [review with pictures]
- My Weekend with Peter Mulvey & Krista Detor :: Alberta Street Pub/Sam Bond’s Garage :: Portland/Eugene, OR {7&8 Nov} [review with pictures]
- Hiromi’s Sonicbloom :: Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley :: Seattle, WA {16 Jun} [review with pictures]
- David Bazan (of Pedro the Lion) :: House Show :: Eugene, OR {25 Jul} [review with pictures]
- Madeleine Peyroux :: The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts :: Eugene, OR {25 Mar} [review]
- Patton Oswalt :: Newmark Theatre :: Portland, OR {13 Sep} [review]
Runners-Up: Emily Wells & PCP at Cozmic, UofO’s Percussion Ensemble Tribute to Frank Zappa, David Cross at Newmark, Porcupine Tree & That1Guy at Roseland (Portland), Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra at Hult Center, and Spinal Tap at Paramount (Seattle).
Biggest Disappointments: missing Zappa Plays Zappa in Eugene in late November due to them getting stuck in California due to snow, missing Tristeza in Portland in early December due to a bad sinus infection, missing Melt Banana in Portland due to freezing rain & fog, seeing Yann Tiersen play an utterly dreadful show in Portland, and not seeing Over the Rhine for the 2nd year in a row (we’ll have to make up for it in 2010).
And to end on a positive note…
My favorite concert photos of 2009: (in no particular order)
- The Swell Season in Eugene

- Sweethead, opener for Puscifer in Portland

- Carina Round and Maynard James Keenan behind their boxes for Puscifer in Portland

- Sin Fang Bous, opener for Múm in Portland

- Hildur Guðnadóttir of Múm screaming her heart out in Portland

- Nellie McKay in Seattle

- Aimee Mann smiles in Portland

- Sara Watkins of Works Progress Administration in Eugene

- Alice in Chains iPhone shot in Portland

- Gavin from dredg moves too fast for me in Portland

- King Buzzo of The Melvins in Eugene

- Zoë Jakes dancing with Beats Antique in Eugene

- Jerry Gaskill’s stick action with King’s X in Portland

- Brian Borcherdt of Holy Fuck in Portland

(all images are free to use under a creative commons designation, simply identify Daniel Temmesfeld with a photo credit and link to jazzsick.wordpress.com)
Past Favorite Concerts Lists:
Favorite music of 2009 will be coming the week of Dec 28th… EPs/DVDs/etc, vocal albums, instrumental albums, artists of the decade…
~Dan – np: Anthony Coleman – Freakish: A Tribute to Jelly Roll Morton 

Good :) & Bad :(

First, the good news… Brian Borcherdt of one of my favorite groups (HOLY FUCK) just released his solo album, Torches (along with the Ward Colorado demos). It’s available for free download over on his website… and if you like it, you can (and should) buy the CD or vinyl. Get the free album by going to his site (click the album cover below):
(click it and download the music free)
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And now the (probably) bad news… Apple bought Lala. OK, it may turn out for the best… but I really dug Lala when it started out as a CD sharing service (you mail off CDs you don’t want, get CDs you do want from others). It’s been a while since my peak use with them (I’ve run out of stuff to send), and they changed their focus away from CD swap to streaming about a year or more ago.
Anyway, I like Apple, I like Lala… but I dread what the acquisition will mean. I mean, pretty soon, are we gonna have to log-in to our iTuMyFaceChaseTube to check the video upload of our bank account’s status update with a free music download?
I just hope my indie bastion of hope, CD Baby, doesn’t get swallowed up by Apple or Amazon or Goodyear or Olive Garden… that would be a sad day for sure.
I’m mad at Bumbershoot’s schedulers

Bumber-shoot, indeed.
Sunday (9/6) at Bumbershoot… Holy Fuck, David Cross, Patton Oswalt, Michael Franti, and Jason Mraz are all playing. I would like to see all of them (in the order shown above). BUT… they’re all playing at roughly the same time. Balzac! If I caught all of Holy Fuck’s hour set (which I would be required to, due to the awesomeness that is Holy Fuck), I’d probably catch 15 minutes of Franti, 30 minutes of Cross, none of Oswalt, and about an hour of Mraz (but he’s the low man on the totem pole for me anyway).

Meh… the main draw for me is HF, David Cross & Patton Oswalt. I don’t think I can justify a $35+fee ticket and 6 hours of driving for HF and 30 minutes of David Cross. Oh well…

Anyway, check out the lineup over at bumbershoot.org. Maybe it works out better for you…
REVIEW: Holy Fuck @ Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR – 6/4/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
I love my job. I get to be in towns that quite often host artists I like to see… so I don’t have to drive up to make a special trip. Well, this time, it was for my second time seeing the instrumental, avant-groove, live electronic band from Toronto – – Holy Fuck. While their name may be offensive to some, their music is delicious. I tried to make the “gotta eat there while in Portland” stop at Blossoming Lotus, but downtown was PACKED – no parking to be found; so I crossed the River and checked out The Farm instead. Then I scuttled off to the venue to meet some Eugene friends and take in some great music.
Crocodiles went on first, and they played about a half hour. It was a singer & guitarist playing to a drum machine or tape. It wasn’t too shabby. Two man bands are usually more miss than hit, but these guys had some good songs and rocked out fairly well.
Holy Fuck took the stage around 10:15 and played a jam-packed hour or so. I forget how infectious these guys are, even when not playing something all that melodic (though they had plenty of groove last night as well). We got right up front, and I was able to snap some pics and a video or two (see below). I was glad to see the audience show up, too… at first, it was looking grim, like a 10 person crowd. By HF show time, the MFDF was filling up quite nicely. Much groove, much film scratchin’, oft screamin’ and looping, with a thumping rhythm section…
Songs are harder to distinguish when there are no vocals (i.e.- no official “setlist” here). I know they played The Pulse, Super Inuit, and Lovely Allen, and I’m pretty sure they played Milkshake, Safari, Frenchy’s, Jungle, maybe Royal Gregory. Those last five are just a guess, though. I do know that it was a bitchin’ show!! It’s great to see them in progressively bigger venues. First Newport, KY’s Southgate House “parlor” (i.e.- the very small room upstairs) to the real venue of Doug Fir Lounge as the headliner. A+… and I hope it’s not another 2+ years until I get to see them again.
Holy Fuck “The Pulse” @ Doug Fir Lounge, 6/4/2009
The videos are just “OK,” but not too shabby for a digital camera (not a digital video camera), if I do say so myself. Regardless of the video quality, quite frankly, this show is probably one of my favorite shows this year so far.
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Holy Fuck Online
- Holy Fuck on MySpace
- Holy Fuck review & pics from Brooklyn Vegan <— *great shots*
- Holy Fuck interviewed by Joe Walker (YouTube link)
- Crocodiles on MySpace
- Doug Fir Lounge
~Dan – np: John Zorn – Alhambra Love Songs
no torrent or free download available here
CROCODILES / HOLY FUCK PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
dredg, radiohead, dave douglas, and a holy eff bailout
dredg‘s new album, The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion, is gonna be good great. Their Portland show in early April was TOPS! I like “I Don’t Know” better as a lead off, but regardless of what I think, here’s the video for “Information“…
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Radiohead are hitting the studio again to follow-up the revolutionary pay-what-you-want album from 2007, In Rainbows. Colin said, “it was really good. It was really noisy and chaotic and really fun…. We’re at the stage where we’ve got the big Lego box out and we’ve tipped it out on the floor and we’re looking at all the bits and thinking, what next?” Read more on the BBC. I’d post a version of Radiohead’s “Just” done up in Legos, alas it’s been long removed due to terms of service blah blah blah.
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Trumpter Dave Douglas has a new album coming out with his Spirit Moves quartet. More info over at Greenleaf Music.
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Toronto instrumental rockers Holy Fuck have benefited from the auto bailout. I’d like to think of my tax dollars going directly to them being able to make album #3; so all-in-all, I’m happy about seeing their music as part of a Chrysler commercial:
~Dan – np: Dave Douglas – Spirit Moves (bonus tracks)
Dave Brubeck Quartet & Radiohead (plus more)
Dave Brubeck Quartet & Radiohead
“Take Five” meets “15 Step”
I don’t think it works as well as whoever intended it to work… but I suppose it’s OK as far as mashups go.
And in other music…
- Live electronic artists Holy Fuck have done a cover of Röyksopp‘s “Happy Up Here.” Check it out (streaming) over HERE.
- U2‘s new album, No Line on the Horizon, comes out… Tuesday. I totally forgot about it. Geez.
- Sufjan Stevens and Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) joined the Clogs and Bell Orchestre in joining the Brooklyn Philharmonic at the Brooklyn Academy of Music the other day. Check out Pitchfork for a review and pictures of the event, and the Brooklyn Vegan blog posted some pics and a review as well.
Shark Remixes & Holy F’s Mia Remix

Last fall, Asthmatic Kitty released My Brightest Diamond‘s Shark Remixes Volume 1 (by Alfred Brown). It is a great remix EP… yet, the initial press release said something about a Vol 2 in Nov and Vol 3 in Dec. Well, our Thanksgiving gift has now arrived…
Shark Remixes, Volume 2 is done by Son Lux. It’s only $1.99 on iTunes for four songs… you can try out two of the tracks for free over at Asthmatic Kitty’s website (right click links below, “Save As”):
- Inside a Boy (remixed by Son Lux)
- To Pluto’s Moon (remixed by Son Lux)
- the other 2 songs are on iTunes
Our Christmas gift (i.e.- Volume 3)… well, maybe March? Whenever it comes out, I’m sure it’ll be great…
EDIT / UPDATE (1/28/09): a 4th volume was just announced, and the four EPs are slated for a hardcopy release in the spring/summer.
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And, in true blog fashion, as I’m writing one up I stumble on some other good news…

Canadian live electronic / post rock band of awesomeness, Holy Fuck, have done a remix of Mia‘s “Paper Planes.” You can get a copy of the track over on Nialler9’s blog.
* Favorite EPs / Vinyl / Live Albums & more of 2008 *
Before I start… happy 68th birthday to Frank Zappa. You are missed. Ya Hozna!
This is sort of a precursor to my “official” Favorites of 2008 blog. Up later this coming week or two, I’ll post my favorite vocal and favorite instrumental albums of 2008. I’m still making my way through the re-listening phase. Yeah, I know, I’m slow (or dedicated? or certifiable?). I was waiting on a few to show up in my mailbox. Anyway, on with the music pimping…
My Other Favorites of 2008 Recaps:
- Fave Concerts of ‘08 are recapped *HERE*
Favorite EPs of 2008 (coincidentally all indie artists)
1 Ellery You Did Everything Right – http://www.ellerymusic.com/
2 Estradasphere The Pegasus Vault – http://www.estradasphere.com/
3 Glen Phillips Secrets of the New Explorers – http://www.glenphillips.com/
4 Kim Taylor The Greatest Story – http://www.kim-taylor.net/
5 Wussy Rigor Mortis – http://www.wussymusic.com/
Favorite Vinyl of 2008
1 Holy Fuck Lovely Allen 19″ single (7″+12″) – http://www.holyfuckmusic.com/
2 God of Shamisen The Science Fiction of Ray Bradbury Attack! 7″ single – http://www.godofshamisen.com/
3 Puscifer Dozo 7″ single – http://www.puscifer.com/
4 David Bazan (of Pedro the Lion) Jingle Bells / All I Want for Christmas (Christmas 7″) – http://www.davidbazan.com/
5 Puscifer Queen B 7″ single
Favorite Live Albums of 2008
1 Dave Douglas & Keystone Live at the Jazz Standard, April 2008 – http://www.greenleafmusic.com/ (this was 4 nights, 2 sets each night, 8 hours of music released as “instant live” within 24 hours of each performance… and fantastic)
2 Porcupine Tree We Lost the Skyline EP – http://www.porcupinetree.com/
3 David Gilmour (of Pink Floyd) Live in Gdańsk – http://www.davidgilmour.com/
4 Ani DiFranco Hamburg Germany, 10.18.07 – http://www.righteousbabe.com/
5 Tori Amos Live at Montreux 1991 & 1992 – http://www.toriamos.com/
Favorite Comedy Albums of 2008
1 Flight of the Conchords Flight of the Conchords
2 George Carlin It’s Bad For Ya
3 Mitch Hedberg Do You Believe in Gosh?
Favorite Reissues in 2008
1 Jurassic 5 – Jurassic 5 11th Anniversary
2 John Zorn, Bill Frisell & George Lewis – News for Lulu
3 John Coltrane – The Impulse Albums, Vol 2 (including John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman, Impressions, Live at Birdland, Crescent, and A Love Supreme)
4 Ahleuchatistas – The Same and the Other
5 Beck – Odelay (deluxe edition)
Favorite Debut of 2008
God of Shamisen‘s Dragon String Attack! -and- Ashes Divide‘s Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright

Favorite Internet Only Releases in 2008
Glen Phillips had his hand in both of them… and they’re both free…
Plover – Plover -and- RemoteTreeChildren – Veteran of the Loudness Wars


Favorite Internet Leaks in 2008
Ben Folds – Way to Normal (fake version of the album leaked by Ben himself) -and-
Sufjan Stevens – Songs for Christmas, Vol VIII: Astral Inter Planet Space Captain Christmas Infinity Voyage (he made it for family & friends… luckily one of those also let it loose for the rest of us)

Favorite Artwork in 2008
NIN – Ghosts I-IV – each song in the download version had it’s own unique artwork attached to it. Whether studio or nature or electronic, it worked well with this release.
Favorite Packaging / Design in 2008
- Sigur Rós – Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (deluxe edition)
Steven Wilson – Insurgentes (deluxe edition) – Both Sigur Rós and Steven Wilson came out with lush coffee table-sized books that housed the music. Call it an incentive to somewhat combat the illegal downloaders. I call it great art. - Ani DiFranco – Red Letter Year – Always a packaging visionary, this one was more subtle than recent efforts… the glow in the dark moon was a nice touch.
- Metallica – Death Magnetic – Not necessarily breaking new ground musically, their packaging for the return to form metal album evokes digging through 6 feet of fresh dirt to see if Lars Ulrich’s drumming sounds better than beating on a metal folding chair. Thankfully it does… this time.
- Secret Chiefs 3 plays John Zorn‘s Masada Book Two: Xaphan – I love what Chippy does for Tzadik Records. The Masada Book Two series artwork and die-cut Star of David with offset colors that poke through is some of her best work.


Favorite “Local” Album of 2008
OK, they’re from Cincinnati and Portland (respectively)… but local enough for me… I’ve got my ears in two locales (the Cincinnati/Dayton scene will probably always have a shot at winning in this category).
Noctaluca‘s Still the Wicked Rest -and- Talkdemonic‘s Eyes at Half Mast


Favorite Soundtrack or Score
Joss Whedon‘s Dr Horrible’s Sing-along Blog -and- Mike Patton‘s A Perfect Place

Favorite Concept Album
Noctaluca‘s Still the Wicked Rest -and- Zakarya‘s The True Story Concerning Martin Behaim

That’s all for now… more coming in the next week…
~Dan – np: Celldweller – Soundtrack for the Voices in My Head

Holy F**k in-studio & Derek Webb news
It’s not that I intend to bring together two disparate artists for my music news post. I mean, I surely do love it… but it’s usually just a function of me liking way too much music, and news comes in to me in spurts that are as controllable as a trying to plug the holes in a colander. This post is brought to you by a foul-named (but primarily instrumental) Canadian electronic band that totally pwns (Holy Fuck) and a contemporary Christian artist for whom I still have a lot of respect despite philosophical differences (Derek Webb).
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Holy Fuck first… needless to say, Holy Fuck is in the list of artists that whenever I hear news about them… up it goes. They’ve been an obsession since late ‘05 / early ‘06, and they just keep gettin’ better. They make what’s best referred to as “live electronic” music. They’ve got a 23 minute in-studio performance on UK’s Channel M. Due to WordPress video posting capabilities, I am unable to do the streaming thing (it only seems to work for me for YouTube). So, click the picture to be taken to Channel M’s website:
>> Holy Fuck – In Session on Channel M <<
They play The Pulse, Royal Gregory, Frenchy’s, interview segment, Super Inuit, and Lovely Allen.
Holy Fuck’s albums are rad, instrumental grooves of deliciousness – – two self-titled LPs, along with a self-titled EP. The 2nd self-titled album is the best, IMO. You can pick it up from the Beggars Group (USA) or Young Turks (UK). They’ve also got some split 12″ vinyl. One last year with the band Celebration (no longer available), and one this year with Foals where they each cover the others track (it’s on vinyl – but you can DL the mp3s here). You can also check Holy Fuck out on the MySpaces.
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Derek Webb, formerly of the folky / hip-with-the-college crowd CCM septet Caedmon’s Call, has continued to make compelling music (which is the opposite that Caedmon’s Call has done without him, IMO). Anyway, per a recent emailing, he’s working on his follow-up to The Ringing Bell.
He’s collaborating with long time friend and former Caedmon’s Call bandmate Josh Moore on what is rumored to be a more experimental, electronic album. Teasing with programmed and decidedly more ‘inorganic’ elements, the album called Stockholm Syndrome is shaping up to be Derek’s “most ambitious album to date.”
We shall see. It’s expected out by May 2009. More info on Derek at derekwebb.com.
nine inch nails / NIN
Monty’s Rockcast / Palin Debate Flowchart & Duck Hunt / Holy Fuck on CBC Radio Q
Well, three unrelated topics… Monty Colvin’s podcast, the VP debate, and Holy Fuck on CBC Radio Q…
Monty Colvin, bassist/ songwriter/ backing singer from Galactic Cowboys and multi-instrumentalist/ lead vocals/ songwriter from Crunchy, has a podcast. If you’re a fan of Galactic Cowboys (GC), King’s X, or guys who say “um” and “stuff” a lot… check it out. As a big GC fan, episode #2 was really good… great insights to the making of the self-titled debut. He’s only up to episode #3, but I look forward to more Rockcasts. Keep it up, Monty!
“And a great podcast fell upon the ground… hmmm…”
-Wylde Silas Tomkyn
Subscribe here: itpc://web.me.com/montycolvin/Site/PODCASTS/rss.xml
Check out his webpage: http://www.montycolvin.com/
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Speaking of podcasts (ok, I guess they were related topics), I just got through the 10/2/08 Vice Presidential Debate on my iPod (I wasn’t around to watch the debate) between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin.

Well, all I can say it… “you betcha” is starting to sound like a bad cartoon catch phrase, Sarah.

So, Dick Cheney‘s only bad decision was shooting his friend in the face? That’s what she said. Really, Sarah Palin?
Really?
No… really?
Sigh… I just hope this doesn’t turn out poorly… for us all… not just “Joe Sixpack and Hockey Moms.”
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OK, back to something that cheers me up… because as much as I like to hear my politicians mispronounce “nuclear” (it’s not new-cue-lar), I like hearing post-rock, organic-electronic band Holy Fuck MUCH MORE… they play “Lovely Allen” and “Royal Gregory” on Canada’s CBC Radio Q hosted by Jian Ghomeshi.

The CBC Radio Q podcast is located HERE (the 10/3/08 show is one with Holy Fuck playing live — they’ve been interviewed on it before, but as far as I know, not playing live).
Bleh… sorry for my run-on, parenthetical sentence (as I like to do)… the podcast link is HERE (iTunes link) or HERE (CBC web mp3-link).
59″ of aural pleasure
Some words on some recent vinyl added to my collection…
God of Shamisen The Science Fiction of Ray Bradbury Attack! 7″ (God of Shamisen)

From the Secret Chiefs 3 / Estradasphere connection, I first heard God of Shamisen on the MySpaces (http://www.myspace.com/gos). This white vinyl with red label in white sleeve should clue you in to its Japanese influence. The shamisen is a 3-stringed instrument that’s played with a big ice scraper-like pic (called a Bachi)and has a somewhat banjo-like quality. I saw Kevin Kmetz (aka the “God of Shamisen”) play with Estradasphere, and it melded well with their sound as well. If you’ve seen a recent Nintendo Wii commercial… well, you know what a shamisen sounds like.
This 7″ includes “The Science Fiction of Ray Bradbury Attack!” and “Strange Relationship Attack!,” both of which can only be heard here on the vinyl or at their MySpace. IMO, “Ray Bradbury” is worth the price alone. Their full-length debut CD should be out sometime later this year. Info about the band and the vinyl is here: http://www.godofshamisen.com/
Radiohead Jigsaw Falling Into Place 7″ (XL)

This 7″ includes “Videotape (Live from the Basement),” as opposed to the CD single version that includes “Down is the New Up” and “Last Flowers” (both also “Live from the Basement”). It can be gotten at Amazon.
Puscifer V is for Vagina 12″ -and- Queen B 7″ -and- Dozo 7″ (Puscifer Entertainment)



I got these mainly because I’m a Maynard fan. Most of what’s on them (ie- the remixes) can be found on iTunes (except for the Queen B Trip E Mix). If you do search out the vinyl… I’d recommend Amazon and not Puscifer HQ, though. Puscifer’s shipping charges are ludicrous… like more ludicrous than the Pope at a truck rally. Prior Puscifer limited editions weren’t available on Amazon; so this is a move in the right direction (IMO). I also got the Dozo DVD along with this shipment… warning: it’s got a damn annoying menu (it’s hard to find what you’re looking for… like the commentary… which may be Maynard, may be David Cross, may be my mailman).
Holy Fuck Lovely Allen 7″ -and- 12″ (Young Turks)

These were available a few months ago directly from Young Turks (a UK label), but again, horrid shipping and USD-to-GBP conversion. They became available stateside earlier in May from Beggars Group USA for a waaaay reasonable price (only $7 for all 19″ of thick, black… vinyl).
The 7″ includes “Super Inuit (studio)” along with the title track. The 12″ includes “Riton Rerub,” “Minotaur Shock (Broadmead Redevelopment Version),” and “No Age Remix” along with the title track. All of these are available on iTunes as well (check ’em out… or at least the first 30 seconds).
Oh snap… I just saw that the “Lovely Allen” and “Milkshake” videos are on iTunes. Click. Click. Rock.
That’s all for now… again, if you’re not a vinyl dweeb, check out the shiz on iTunes or whathaveyou…
It’s not how big you make it spin, it’s how you spin it…
~Dan – np: ethan winogrand w/ steven bernstein – tangled tango
PS- I forgot about the Lovage (Dan the Automator, Mike Patton, Jennifer Charles from Elysian Fields) Songs to Make Love to Your Old Lady By (Instrumentals) 12″ I got on Saturday at CD World here in town (they had a big 25% off all vinyl sale last wknd… woot)… so, I guess my new title should be 71″ of aural pleasure… eh… too late.
Holy Fuck’s Daytrotter Session -Free EP-
Holy Fuck‘s Daytrotter Session has finally been released (it was mentioned in a Daytrotter email, like, 2 months ago)… :)
http://www.daytrotter.com/article/1266/holy-fuck
Latin – a relatively new song. It hasn’t been released on anything yet and we’re not sure what will become of that song yet. We’ve been trying out different things on this one during this tour, and it’s starting to take shape!
Daytrotter does in-studio performances, and has MANY artists on their webpage. Some of the ones I’ve dug recently are My Brightest Diamond, David Bazan (of Pedro the Lion), and Erin McKeown… (and more, like The National, Death Cab for Cutie, et cetera)…

The Holy Linkage
http://www.myspace.com/holyfuck
http://www.holyfuckmusic.com/
~Dan
purty video
Holy Fuck’s “Lovely Allen” from Holy Fuck LP2
(it starts 20 seconds in… I don’t know why the gap…)
http://www.myspace.com/holyfuck
http://www.holyfuckmusic.com/
Post-rock brilliance… with a groove your grandma can dance to, but a name she won’t. ;-)
~Dan
* Favorite INSTRUMENTAL Albums of 2007 *
I do mainly music-related blogging. I like lots of different musics. If you want to subscribe to my blog, lick here. With your mouse, not your tongue.
My Other Favorites of 2007 Recaps:
Fav Concerts of ’07 are recapped *HERE*
Fav Local / Vinyl / Internet-Only / Podcasts of ’07 are *HERE*
Fav EPs / Compilations / Music DVDs of ’07 are *HERE*
Favorite Instrumental Albums of 2007
Most of what I’m really enjoying lately doesn’t include vocals. Maybe I’m getting sick of normal music, I don’t know. I still love a good pop song, but I’m definitely more into jazz and avant-garde the past two years. That’s why this “Instrumental” list keeps expanding and my “normal” Fav Albums list seems to be shrinking. Alas, here are my favorite instrumental (or largely instrumental) albums of 2007:
1) Holy Fuck – Holy Fuck LP2 – Brilliant groove-oriented “live electronic” post-rock. I saw these guys (almost twice) in 2007. Brilliant live show, excellent moving melodic-yet-avant-garde songs. Great stuff. Less than fortunate name, I know. Great music, though.

http://www.holyfuckmusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/holyfuck
2) Dave Douglas & Keystone – Moonshine – A new one from trumpeter/composer Dave Douglas. This CD also includes interactive stuff online (remix source tracks, videos, bonus tracks). Trumpet is one of my favorite jazz instruments, and Dave Douglas is at the forefront of melodic, compositional-meets-improvisational trumpet in the current era.

http://www.davedouglas.com/
http://www.myspace.com/greenleafmusic
3) John Zorn – Six Litanies for Heliogabalus – A completely powerful noise-rock onslaught from John Zorn’s Moonchild trio (Mike Patton, Trevor Dunn, and Joey Baron) plus a choral, electronics by Ikue Mori, keys from Jamie Saft, and John Zorn himself on saxaphone. This album is not for the faint of heart. It’s all over the place, but completely composed (hard to believe). I saw the trio in Seattle in Nov 2007. It was insane.

http://www.tzadik.com
http://www.myspace.com/theatreofmusicaloptics
4) Floratone – Floratone – This album is a wonderful jazz gem from Matt Chamberlain (who I’ve seen drum for Tori Amos and A Perfect Circle), Bill Frisell (jazz guitarist who needs no intro), Tucker Martine, and Lee Townsend. It also has guest spots from Eyvind Kang (Seattle violinist on my “fav” list), Viktor Krauss, and Ron Miles. This fits with the Barnes & Noble clientele, but it’s enjoyable to a fan of the lower eastside NYC/downtown music scene, too.

http://www.floratone.com/
http://www.myspace.com/floratone
5) Explosions in the Sky – All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone – I have a hard time defining “post rock,” but I know I like it. Ambient, wall of sound, momentous… anyway… Explosions in the Sky fits in well with other post-rock favs of mine like Mogwai, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Euphone, Boards of Canada, and even the borderline post-rock Sigur Rós. Anyway, EITS is a welcome addition to my collection. All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone is quality, moving ambient music.

http://www.explosionsinthesky.com/
http://www.myspace.com/explosionsinthesky
6) Antibalas – Security – OK, not entirely instrumental, but probably at least 90% instrumental. Antibalas is an afrobeat band in the mold of Femi Kuti, et al. Driving rhythm, multi-percussionists, horns, guitars, political lyrics (when there is singing). Quality live show, too.

http://www.antibalas.com/
http://www.myspace.com/antibalas
7) The Tiptons – Tsunami – A sax quartet with drums from Seattle. I just barely missed them when they came through Eugene, but I’ll see ’em next time for sure. Thanks to Jim Wilke’s Jazz NW podcast for getting me into these wonderful musicians.

http://www.tiptonssaxquartet.com/
http://www.myspace.com/tiptons
8 ) The Lithuanian Empire – The Lithuanian Empire – Funky horn-based klezmer jazz. Klezmer music is really interesting. I’m going to blame John Zorn’s Masada quartet and Tzadik label for my fondess. The Lithuanian Empire isn’t connected with Zorn in any business sense, but they connected with my ears. Great stuff…

http://www.thelithuanianempire.com/
http://www.myspace.com/thelithuanianempire
9) Ric Hordinski – The Silence of Everything Yearned For – Ric Hordinski knows how to put layers of guitar down that build slowly, smooth throughout, and hit you with a wall of sound when you’re not paying attention. He’s a true midwest treasure. I’m gonna miss him now that I’ve moved across country.

http://www.richordinski.com/
http://www.myspace.com/richordinskimusic
10) Incubus – Look Alive – OK, this was a shock. Incubus isn’t an instrumental band. They’ve got a fabulous vocalist, Brandon Boyd. This CD was merely a bonus CD with the concert DVD. It contains 11 tracks of musical joy (plus 6 bonus live tracks with vocals, which are good too). These 11 tracks really show off the band’s music writing. I knew guitarist Mike Einziger could write some great instrumental jams (based on 2003’s Time Lapse Consortium live album), and I’m glad he and the band are still up to the vocal-less challenge, even though they’ve got one of my favorite vocalists in rock music today.

http://www.enjoyincubus.com/
http://www.myspace.com/incubus
11) Method of Defiance – Inamorata – A flood of avant-garde mayhem unleashed by Bill Laswell. A mix of music collaborations (whether intentioned or illegal) from usual Laswell friends Buckethead, John Zorn (& Zorn’s Masada Strings), Bootsy… but also unlikely mixes with Herbie Hancock, Pharoah Sanders, and more… masterful and avant-garde, heavy industrial and ambient meets jazz.

http://www.myspace.com/methodofdefiance
12) Hiromi’s Sonicbloom – Time Control – Cutting edge piano-based jazz on the primarily classical Telarc label. Hiromi runs circles around her tight band. a very enjoyable disc… I’m almost embarrassed that I didn’t pay for it (the BMG club system = awesomes).

http://www.hiromimusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/hiromimusic
13) For a Minor Reflection – Reistu Þig Við, Sólin Er Komin Á Loft… – A band from Iceland that is on the same foreign label and same audio approach as another band from Iceland, Sigur Rós. For a Minor Reflection are one of my “best surprises” of the year. They even sent me the CD for free. I said I liked their sound from the MySpace player, and I think they were trying to break into the U.S. or something. I don’t know. I dig their sound a lot, though. Just don’t ask me to pronounce their album title…

http://www.myspace.com/foraminorreflection
14) John Zorn played by Marc Ribot – Masada Book Two: Book of Angels, Vol. 7 (Asmodeus) – A spastic take on new Masada tunes, not unlike Marc Ribot’s other guitar adventures on John’s Tzadik label.

http://www.tzadik.com
http://www.myspace.com/marcribotmusic
http://www.myspace.com/marcribotsceramicdog
15) Pocket Change – 4 – Blues based jazz/funk from Seattle. They play Eugene every once in a while, too… I hope I can check ’em out the next time they’re here.

http://www.pchangemusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/pocketchangefunk
16) Ned Rothenberg – Sync with Strings: Inner Diaspora – A moving set of Jewish music on Zorn’s Radical Jewish Culture category on Tzadik. This set also features string-masters Mark Feldman and Erik Friedlander (who are part of Zorn’s Masada Strings group, among other Zorn incarnations).

http://www.tzadik.com
http://www.myspace.com/nedrothenberg
17) John Zorn played by Erik Friedlander – Masada Book Two: Book of Angels, Vol. 8 (Volac) – A quite moving set of arrangements on new Masada tunes. I’m really enjoying the Masada Book Two songs and the concept of having different artists tackle each batch makes for some interesting listening. I’m still waiting for the Secret Chiefs 3 one, though… next year…

http://www.tzadik.com
http://www.myspace.com/erikfriedlander
18 ) Boris Malkovsky – Time Petah-Tiqva – Klez-classical, but hard-edged in spots (not heavy, though).

http://www.tzadik.com
http://www.myspace.com/borismalkovsky
19) Alex Kontorovich – Deep Minor – More klez-jazz. Again, it strikes my fancy. Sue me. :-)

http://www.myspace.com/deepminor
20) Kenny Werner – Lawn Chair Society – Piano based jazz with Dave Douglas on trumpet & Chris Potter on sax. You had me at Dave Douglas, and Chris Potter made me a fan earlier in 2007 when I saw a show at Raymond Walter’s College in a north Cincinnati suburb. Anyway, Kenny’s piano playing is quite a feast as well.

http://kennywerner.com/
honorable mentions:
Brian Bromberg – Downright Upright / Jonny Greenwood (of Radiohead) – There Will Be Blood -soundtrack- / Eyvind Kang – The Yelm Sessions / Medeski & Martin – Mago / Rob Price Quartet (with Trevor Dunn, Ellery Eskelin, Jim Black) – I Really Do Not See the Signal

myspace/brianbromberg – myspace/radiohead – myspace/eyvindkangeyvind – myspace/martinmedeski – gutbrain.com/
I feel bad due to some likely gems didn’t make their way into my basket this year… David Buchbinder‘s Odessa/Havana, Anat Cohen, et cetera… but I guess you gotta stop somewhere and just make a damn list (or at least I do…).
The “regular” list in a week or so… it’s slow goin’ this year…
Another Wave of Fave (2007)
My Other Favorites of 2007 Recaps:
* Fav Concerts of ’07 are recapped *HERE*
* Fav Local / Vinyl / Internet-Only / Podcasts of ’07 are *HERE*
Well, this “Round 3” is decidedly less flashy (sans pics)… I’ve got too much homework to do to be putzing around on my 2007 pontifications… :-) I have included MySpace links for artists represented on MySpace, whether officially or fictionally represented (just click their names and check out their stuff).
Favorite EPs
1) Porcupine Tree – Nil Recurring
2) Holy Fuck – Holy Fuck
3) Kelly Evans – Easy
4) The Album Leaf – Green Tour
5) Auragami – +/-
6) Sia – Lady Croissant
7t) Sarah Masen – Magic That Works
7t) Sarah Masen – A History of Lights and Shadows
7t) Sarah Masen – Woman’s Work is Alchemy
8 ) Múm – The Peel Session
Favorite Compilations/Re-issues
1) Secret Chiefs 3 – Path of Most Resistance: In History and Presence
2) Ani DiFranco – Canon
3) Sigur Rós – Hvarf-Heim
4) Peter Mulvey – Notes From Elsewhere : solo acoustic
5) Derek Webb – One Zero (Acoustic & Remixes)
hm) Nick Drake – Family Tree
Favorite Live Albums
1) Dave Douglas Quintet – Live at the Jazz Standard
2) Ken Andrews – Never Say Never – Tour CD
3) Ellery – What I’ve Said Out Loud
4) Dub Trio – Cool Out and Coexist
5) The Cracow Klezmer Band – Remembrance: Live in Warsaw
hm) Ani DiFranco – Boston, 11.10.06
hm) Over the Rhine – Live from Nowhere Farm, Volume Two
Favorite Music-related DVDs (huge tie for 5th, obviously a rigged election… or a sign of getting too many DVD for xmas from family)
1) Sigur Rós – Heima
2) Silverchair – Across the Great Divide
3) That1Guy and the Magic Pipe – Live in the Land of OZ (late-late 2006 release)
4) Ellery – An Evening with Ellery
5t) Ben Folds – Live at MySpace
5t) Estradasphere – Palace of Mirrors Live
5t) Incubus – Look Alive
5t) Kaada / Patton – Live
My final two rounds (Fave Instrumental & Fave Vocal Albums) should be posted next week or so. Yeah, I know. Whatever. :-)
<prelim.oh.seven.fav.list>
Well, my 17-day vacation/ holiday break/ hustle-and-rent-the-house-2,600-miles-away trip went well… alas, my oft “too time consuming” year-end list of all that is fantastic to my ears is not done/barely started.
Now that I’ll be back to school, I’ll have some time to re-listen to my 2007 music. Expect something in mid-to-late January (perhaps). In the meantime, for those that care (all 2 of you)… here are some preliminary choice tunes from last year (in no particular order, except for likely the 1st two):
2. Radiohead – In Rainbows
Wussy – Left for Dead
Ken Andrews (from Failure/On/Year of the Rabbit) – Secrets of the Lost Satellite
Puscifer (Maynard from Tool) – V is For Vagina
Elliott Smith – New Moon
Antibalas – Security
Explosions in the Sky – All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
Hiromi – Time Control
Holy Fuck – Holy Fuck LP2
Marc Ribot – Masada Book Two: Book of Angels, Vol. 7 (Asmodeus)
John Zorn – Six Litanies for Heliogabalus
Dave Douglas & Keystone – Moonshine
The Lithuanian Empire – The Lithuanian Empire
The full “Top ??” list will be jam-packed with more info, pictures, and links than you cared to know about said artists… as I would have it no. other. way.
~Dan – np: Gaston Zirko‘s experimental music on myspace
Favorite Concerts of 2007
Well, there are still some 2007 CDs that may or may not arrive in my hands before the year’s over (specifically Eyvind Kang, Dave Douglas, Greydon Square, Radiohead, Doug Pinnick & La Mar Enfortuna — all of which have Top 20 potential); so I’m not ready to post my “Best CDs of 2007” list, yet. Look for that one sometime in early 2008…
This blog is for my favorite concerts of 2007. I went to too many to recount in detail, but these are the tip-top ones…
- Music Now Festival 2007 (Pedro Soler, Bryce Dessner, David Cossin, the Clogs, the Havels, Osso, Amiina, My Brightest Diamond, Sufjan Stevens) at the Memorial Hall, Cincinnati-OH (4/5/07 to 4/7/07) my review
- Masada (John Zorn, Dave Douglas, Greg Cohen, Joey Baron) at the Rose Theatre at the Lincoln Center, New York-NY (3/10/07) my review
- Nellie McKay at the Shedd Institute, Eugene-OR (10/5/07) my review
- Silverchair at the Fillmore @ the TLA, Philadelphia-PA (7/28/07) review snippet
- Secret Chiefs 3 at the Bowery Ballroom, New York-NY (3/15/07) my review
- John Zorn’s Moonchild (Mike Patton, Trevor Dunn, Joey Baron) at the Moore Theatre, Seattle-WA (11/4/07) my review
- Holy Fuck at the Southgate House, Newport-KY (4/1/07) my review
- Antibalas at the Southgate House, Newport-KY (4/29/07) review snippet
- Noctaluca at the Taste of Cincinnati, Cincinnati-OH (5/28/07)
- Blackfield (Steven Wilson & Aviv Geffen) at the Bowery Ballroom, New York-NY (3/16/07) my review
OK, I guess I’ve still got coming up in 2007 Iron & Wine in Portland (12/2) and maybe David Bazan (Pedro the Lion) in Eugene (12/14); but the above concerts were my favorites of 2007…
Happy thanksgiving, yo! One thing I’m thankful for is definitely music… :-)
~Dan – np: npr jazz profiles (podcast) – duke ellington: the bandleader, pt. 1
12/24 Update: wow… I totally forgot the kick ass Zappa Plays Zappa show at Moonlite Gardens in Cincinnati, OH on 7/24/07. I think I forgot because I didn’t blog about it when it happened (gettin’ ready to quit my job and pack up and head west at the time)… but now reading this week’s CityBeat, tons of people listed it as a favorite, and man, I was at that show, too… Dweezil = awesomes! Ray White = awesomes! Frank on a big screen behind the band, singing and soloing with the live band = awesomes! 2nd time seeing the ZPZ tour in 2 years (completely different setlist, too). I think it needs to be a once-a-year thing… in perpetuity.





























































































