Some #longreads for your brief moments indoors as you beat the heat…
Rust Is Just Right is heading to Project Pabst up in Portland this weekend, but we are providing some reading materials for those who are unable to make the trek themselves.
Speaking of Portland, Isaac Brock from Modest Mouse had an interesting interview with the media in Poland that was reprinted in Willamette Week where he lets loose on the uglier side of “Portlandia”. After digesting that, be sure to read this extensive profile of Isaac, which documents the making of Strangers to Ourselves and proves that Buzzfeed can actually produce something of worth. Then you can top it all off with a quick look at the video for Modest Mouse’s latest single, the bouncy “The Ground Walks, with Time in a Box.”
The biggest news of the day is the much-anticipated release of Currents, the new album from Tame Impala. During our absence, record release dates have shifted in the United States and now they more closely follow the schedule used by the rest of the world, hence the Friday premiere. To help prepare you for Currents, check out Pitchfork’s feature on the man behind Tame Impala, Kevin Parker.
Finally, this week saw the AV Club start a new column called “Version Tracker”, where they analyze a song and the various covers that have been performed over the years. This is remarkably like our own feature, Covered. We do not claim any bad intentions on their part, since it is unlikely that deliberately took our idea. If however the AV Club would like to acknowledge our part in creating as the first comment on the piece state, “a damn brilliant concept for a feature,” we would appreciate that, if not some other sort of compensation.
Over the past decade, we have seen the internet become an integral part of everyday life, shaping and affecting not only our culture but many of our professions as well. This is especially true of journalism, and not only in the traditional cries of how the Web is killing Print. The very nature of online publishing has changed the way that journalists write stories and how outlets print them; the ephemeral nature of the media promotes a “shoot first, ask questions later” approach, with speed and clicks being the ultimate goal. After all, pieces and features can be edited seamlessly behind the scenes–with the web one’s mistakes do not always have to live on (at least without an extra bit of detective-work), unlike print.
The question then arises of when is it okay to use the powers of selective editing, especially since it can so often go undetected. The site RipFork lived up to its name in blasting Pitchfork for their handling of the new album from Sun Kil Moon, after catching their efforts in switching their review. I encourage you to read their piece, but for those searching for a quick and dirty rundown, Pitchfork clumsily substituted their review of Universal Themes after an incident where Mark Kozelek called out a journalist onstage in between songs, and the fallout left a lot of music critics with a sour taste in their mouths. In place of a presumably more positive review, Pitchfork ran a review which was less concerned with the merits of the particular album and instead conducted an inelegant meditation between The Artist and The Art. As a critique of the music itself, it was not much of one.
We have a different philosophy when it comes to editing posts. Our policy at Rust Is Just Right is to limit the kind of post-publication edits to only correct grammatical errors or make stylistic changes to clarify our points; otherwise, posts remain as written. We stand by what we publish, and any modifications we make are done purely to better serve the reader. For instance, we recognized Sun Kil Moon’s previous album Benji as one of the best of the first half of 2014, and we would never dream of going back and altering our decision.* And to think, we are not even real journalists!
This controversy brought to mind another instance of this issue that I personally discovered. At some point the site AllMusic substituted their review of My Morning Jacket’s It Still Moves, switching out one that gave the album a mediocre two-and-a-half stars with a more effusive four-star review. I had some difficulty tracking down any evidence of the switch, finding only a non-updated reference from Metacritic, and I only knew to search out the discrepancy based on my own memory of the initial review.
The discovery of this swap left me conflicted: on the one hand, I have always felt that AllMusic’s role has been to be that of an objective reference source, so I appreciate that the new review reflects the critical consensus of the album; on the other hand, we should not discourage opinions that break from the mainstream, and we are all better for reading heterodox assessments, so there is merit to leaving the original review in place. As much fun as I have with citing the fact that Robert Christgau still thinks In the City is The Jam’s best album and how he despises OK Computer, I respect the fact that he has not kowtowed to the majority and still supports his opinions. I am not saying we should reward people merely for being stubborn, but I have a begrudging respect for those that stick to their guns.
The best solution then is probably to at least have a policy of transparency–if you change a review, it is incumbent on the publisher to provide a notice to the reader that a change has occurred, and to give an explanation why a substitution was made. And since we are talking about the internet, it won’t even be a waste of ink.
*It is interesting to me that Kozelek received much more pushback for his comments directed at Snapes than the entirety of his “feud” with The War on Drugs. With one, he said that a woman whom he never met (he does his interviews through email) wanted to fuck him after she crossed a line by interviewing his family, and the other he over a series of months directed vitriol to a band with whom he had minimal contact, culminating in recording a song entitled “War on Drugs Suck My Cock”. One was considered a major sin by the music press, while the other was portrayed as mere bickering, despite the differences in degree.
Personally, the incidents with The War on Drugs left a sour taste in my mouth, and I stopped listening to Sun Kil Moon on a regular basis. This partly explains why we never reviewed Universal Themes ourselves–since we only review records we seek out and purchase, there was no need to go out of our way and publish our own take on the album. However, if we were professional music critics, rest assured we would actually do our job as professionals and review the album strictly on its own merits.
Covered is a feature where we examine the merits of various cover songs, debating whether or not they capture the spirit and intent of the original, if the cover adds anything new, and whether or not it perhaps surpasses the original. If we fail on those counts, at the very least we may expose you to different versions of great songs you hadn’t heard before.
I am approaching one of those awful milestone birthdays, so lately I have been even more self-reflective than usual (hard to believe, I know). As a result, as I pause to reminisce and take stock of my life, I have had LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends” running in my head as a constant soundtrack. That said, initially this article was outlined weeks ago and was prepared to be published during graduation season, so the case could be made that regardless of circumstance “All My Friends” is probably not far from my mind. we have previously named it one of the best songs of the last decade, so as problems go, having it stuck on repeat in your head is not a bad one to have.
The foundation of the song is a simple two-chord progression, A and D, which can be most distinctly heard by listening to the bassline. This I-IV progression creates a natural, unforced tension, as the progression makes sense when it moves from the I to the IV as well as from the IV to the I, but the way the chords are emphasized there is no real resolution. James Murphy then exploits that tension throughout the song, constantly ratcheting up the tension as the listener expects either a resolving chord or perhaps some sort of modification to the progression; instead, Murphy layers on additional instruments and rhythms, including a memorable looping guitar line and that indelible, repetitive keyboard figure that amplify the lack of resolution. The listener can sense an innate, organic build as the song plays, and this is the result of Murphy’s simple but ingenious sense of composition. Murphy’s musical genius is complemented by his incisive and affective lyrics, as he perfectly captures the various anxieties of aging. The mere fact that LCD Soundsystem created dance/electronic music with thought-provoking lyrics is to be commended, considering the history of the genre; practically every line in “All My Friends” is quotable, with each lyric dripping in both wisdom and humor.
Franz Ferdinand managed to brilliantly reconstruct “All My Friends” as a post-punk dance track, an effort that is all the more impressive considering the quick turnaround that was required to create their own version, since their cover appears on the single LCD Soundsystem released just a mere two months after the release of Sound of Silver. Franz Ferdinand’s music has long been characterized as a revival of the post-punk genre, but this is probably the first time that their sound recalls New Order instead of Gang of Four (though the coda provides a taste of those spiky guitars we have all come to love). The band emphasizes groove instead of tension with their cover, and though this causes the song to lose some of its power, it provides for a damn entertaining listen. There is the same attention paid to layering different instruments and musical ideas as found in the original, with guitars and keyboards floating in and out of the mix; if you listen closely, you can pick out a hint of the memorable piano riff from the original version poking through on the second verse. To top it all off, Alex Kapranos delivers an impassioned vocal performance with his distinctive style that even if it is unable to capture the angst of the original still manages to thrill the listener.
In the course of researching for this feature, I came across Australian radio station Triple J’s recurring series “Like A Version”, which provides musical guests with the opportunity to play a cover. Many of these covers straddle the line between passable and underwhelming, but there was one that stood out above the rest as a truly outstanding performance. I had never heard of the band Gang of Youths before, but their cover of “All My Friends” convinced me that I need to correct that problem immediately. Unlike Franz Ferdinand, Gang of Youths attempted a more straightforward cover, and do an excellent job of mimicking the feel of the original (though the use of chorus effect-laden guitars provides an interesting bridge between the FF version and the original). They push the beat with their insistent drumming and tap into the song’s inherent tension, and by emphasizing these components, the band is able to transfer their energy and restlessness into creating a memorable performance. It is clear that the group has a deep love and respect of the song, and that this is not a mere exercise in burnishing their indie credentials. Their passion really comes through in their performance, and is a key part of what makes this such a wonderful cover to listen to again and again.
The highlight of just about every trip I take down to Los Angeles is our visit to Amoeba Music. Usually it is a struggle for my friends and I to agree on something to do, but whenever a stop to Amoeba is mentioned, a consensus is reached immediately. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Amoeba, it is one of the largest independent record stores in the world, with hundreds of thousands of titles available for perusal to the discriminating music junkie. Not only will you able to find the latest album from even some of the most obscure artists working today, but there are aisles and aisles that are filled with rare EPs and singles that you did not even know existed. With this information in hand, you now understand why it is a must-see destination for every trip we take down south.
Usually one trip is enough, but on our journey back home we stopped in San Francisco for the night and had some time to kill before dinner, so we dropped in to that location as well. When all was said and done, the damage was twenty-one albums, EPs, and singles covering a wide variety of genres. For this go-around, my biggest score was picking up a wide variety of early post-punk albums that I previously had trouble tracking down because of limited pressings, and it has been a blast listening to all these lost classics since we returned.
Los Angeles is a hellhole, but at least it is a home to this wonderful oasis.
New videos, new music, and news as you get over the fact that the European Union is anything but that…
Well, it looks like the crew is back from their sojourn down in LA, so let’s dive right in and attempt to cover at least some of the stuff you may have missed since our last update.
We had been teased with a couple of glimpses into the making of this video, and Kendrick Lamar did not disappoint when he released the video to “Alright”, his latest single. “Alright” features some nifty effects and a strong political message, offering a nice rejoinder to the idiots who complained about his “controversial” performance of the song at the BET Awards.
In the lead-up to the release of their stellar album They Want My Soul last year, Spoon shared a strange animated video for the track “Inside Out”. Apparently, that was not the official video for the song, because the groups has now provided a more “conventional” video for the song, though by no means does that indicate that what you will see is entirely “normal.”
And because Spoon are a bunch of cool dudes, here is a story about the band showing up at a house party in Maine where a Spoon cover band was playing, and the real thing decided to join in on the fun.
Dream-pop purveyors Beach House are set to release their latest album, Depression Cherry on August 28, and have kindly decided to share the lead single “Sparks” to help build up anticipation. The video even features a visual representation of the title!
Low has announced that they will be releasing their new album Ones and Sixes on September 11 of this year. If you click the link, you can check out the new song “No Comprende”.
And finally, one of the most highly-anticipated albums of the year is set to be released this Friday, as Tame Impala’s new album Currents goes on sale. If you are on the fence (or just want an early listen), NPR has the album available for streaming.
Rust Is Just Right 