Interpol

Over the Weekend (July 14 Edition)

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In contrast to the relative paucity of links from Friday, we’ve got an avalanche of videos and news this week.  So here we go!

The music world lost another giant this weekend, as Tommy Ramone passed away due to complications from bile duct cancer.  Tommy was a vital part of the Ramones, anchoring their back-to-basics but give-them-hell attitude from behind the drumkit, but he also was an early producer for the band and was the main creative force behind many of the band’s most-loved songs, including “Blitzkrieg Bop”.  After he left the Ramones, he continued making his mark, including producing one of the greatest albums of all time, Tim by The Replacements.  Now is as good as a time as any to listen to that album along with any and all Ramones albums you may have, and be sure to read this great write-up by Jon Wurster in SPIN.

Interpol released their “first” official video from El Pintor, for the propulsive and upbeat “All The Rage Back Home”.  I put “first” in quotations, because that ignores the live video for “Anywhere” that previously was released, but is also understandable because at least this is a studio recording.

Here are some initial thoughts on the song: 1) I love it when Interpol goes for speed, and it works even better in contrast to the slow open; 2) The lead guitar in the verses, while a continuation of the first slow part, clash way too much with the chords once the song gets into gear; it’s a lot like when I was in jazz band in high school, and the director would point to me suddenly and go “you have the next 16 bars”–a lot of noodling on the upper part of the neck that doesn’t make any sense whatsoever; 3) In the video they have Paul playing bass, emphasizing that as a recording unit they’re a three-piece, but live they will have a more traditional lineup with Paul on second guitar; overall, Paul acquits himself quite well, though I hope on other songs he attempts to replace Carlos D’s ability to use space and off-beat rhythms and lines that were such a key part of the early Interpol sound.  In related news, Interpol announced today the details of their fall tour, with tickets for most shows going on sale on Friday.

Speaking of tours, the recently reunited Slowdive (and subject of one of the first pieces on our site) have announced that they’re going beyond an initial run of festivals and are going on a full-fledged tour.  I can’t wait to see them in November, as that month seems to be shaping up to be “Reunion Month” with Death From Above 1979 stopping by the Northwest a couple of weeks later.

We’ve mentioned before how much we’ve loved Hamilton Leithauser’s solo debut, and we’re glad to see that he’s released another music video, this time for “I Don’t Need Anyone”.  This one is pretty funny, and has a nice dark edge to it that’s perfect for a Monday.

Continuing with a theme of funny videos, Metallica cut a humorous promo for Sportscenter, fitting in with the latter’s long run of great ads.  In this spot, the band is looking for something to do now that Mariano Rivera has retired and so they no longer have to play “Enter Sandman” for his entrance music.

As there is the “Rule of 3’s” in comedy, so it is with funny music videos, as Weird Al released a video for his parody of Pharrell’s “Happy”, with the clever “Tacky”.  Yankovic gets some famous friends in on the fun, and those who have tired of hearing the original should welcome it. (Warning: Video autoplays)

And for your last video, if you need to come down a bit, there’s The National doing an interview over on Pitchfork that should help.

After some rumblings before, it’s now official that Radiohead will be heading to the studio to record their latest album in September, according to Billboard who listened in on a BBC radio interview.  As always, it will be interesting to see just what direction the band will take this time around.

Over the Weekend (June 23 Edition)

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Some videos to help you get over that heartbreaking…tie against Portugal.

Interpol just released the video for “Anywhere” from their upcoming album El Pintor, and it’s a live version shot in an “amateur” style from one of their recent shows.  Musically, it sounds like one of their usual busier, uptempo numbers, but it should be enough to get the crowd pumped at future shows.

Courtesy of the Everybody Loves Our Town Tumblr, we have footage from a recent Pearl Jam show that has gone somewhat viral over the weekend.  As per their usual, Pearl Jam tagged the end of “Daughter” with their cover of “It’s OK” by Portland punks Dead Moon, but this time Eddie sang a bit of the Oscar-winning song “Let It Go” from Frozen.  Since I do not have any children, this is the first time I’ve actually heard the song, so I finally have an idea what everyone is referencing; Eddie seems to miss a couple of notes, but hey, it’s a live improv and he’s fitting it to the chord progression of a different song, so I won’t bust him too much.

We mentioned previously that Soundgarden did a special show where they played Superunknown in its entirety, and here’s the audio of that full show, with additional interviews from the band.

And finally, SPIN has a couple of videos worth checking out: one is footage of Real Estate performing a stripped-down set which includes a cover of Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So”, and the other is a joke interview of TV on the Radio with SNL’s Vanessa Bayer.  If you go to the YouTube page of the latter, there should be links to other “Sound Advice” interviews.

Catching Up On The Week (June 6 Edition)

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Lots of news and profiles and interviews for a weekend of #longreads.

Interpol announced that they will be releasing their new album entitled El Pintor this fall, on September 9.  If you’re wondering about the name, yes, it is Spanish (for “the painter”), but if you look closely, you should realize it’s an anagram of the band’s name (the stunning cover art helps a little bit in making the connection).  It appears they haven’t officially replaced departed bassist Carlos D, as Paul Banks assumed bass duties for the album in addition to his vocal and guitar work.

We finally got official word that the new Spoon album will be released on August 5, and it’s to be called They Want My Soul.  We’re still not exactly sure what the “R.I.P. June 10” business is quite yet, but it makes sense considering the album title.  Check out this great interview that the band did with NPR.

If you didn’t get your fill of Soundgarden from our Feats of Strength analysis this week, be sure to check out these interviews with the band.  At Ultimate Guitar the band answered questions from fans covering a lot of the technical details of their playing, and at Consequence of Sound there’s a retrospective about the production of Superunknown that’s fairly illuminating.  And if that’s not enough, SPIN has an extensive oral history that looks at the making of the landmark album.

AV Club takes a look at Travis’s The Man Who for their Permanent Records feature through the lens of their influence on Coldplay, while making a case for the album on its own merits.  I have long been a fan of that album, not just for their adolescence-ready lyrical themes (is there a more universal sentiment than wondering at some point “why does it always rain on me?”), but also for some gorgeous guitar work.  The solo in “As You Are” has to rank among the high points of music in 1999, not necessarily for its technical merits but for its ability to capture the emotional climax of the song.

This week saw some big new album releases for indie rock, and we’ll be working our way through reviews soon, but in the mean time you can look at multiple interviews with Parquet Courts, one with the New York Times and another with Stereogum, and if you’re looking to get into the post-hardcore sound of Fucked Up but are not quite sure you’re ready for it, Stereogum’s top ten should provide a useful guide.

As I’ve said before, 1994 was a huge year in music, so there’s going to be a ton of retrospectives this year.  This week, the eyes of nostalgia turn to Stone Temple Pilots, as Stereogum celebrates the release of Purple, probably their best album (though contrary to their claim, the band never was and never will be better than Pearl Jam; let’s just acknowledge STP was better than their detractors claim and move on).

And finally, since the weather seems to have officially changed into summer, now’s the perfect time to check out this look back at the beginning of Warren G’s career and his influence on the rise of G-Funk, courtesy of Pitchfork.

Over the Weekend (Mar. 17 Edition)

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We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, with interesting stories and cool videos to start off your week, though we should note that not one of these items is St. Patrick’s Day-related.  We hope it’s an enjoyable holiday regardless of this fact.

The biggest news of the weekend was the announcement of a joint Soundgarden/Nine Inch Nails tour, a possibility that we mentioned previously.  That’s a fantastic double bill by itself, but the addition of Death Grips as the opener should definitely be an extra incentive to catch the show if it comes near you; unfortunately, with no Oregon show, I may have to make arrangements to head down the coast and see the spectacle somewhere in California.  I’m using the Pitchfork link just so I can point out that Pitchfork’s weekend writers apparently cannot spell “amphitheater” correctly.

Speaking of Soundgarden, many people are aware that drummer Matt Cameron had been splitting time between his old band and Pearl Jam.  With Pearl Jam still touring, Soundgarden needed a replacement and found…Matt Chamberlain, one-time drummer for none other than Pearl Jam.  Chamberlain’s stint with the band was very brief, basically just around the time the “Alive” video was shot, before he moved on to working with the Saturday Night Live band.  As Antiquiet reports, Matt is filling in on the early 2014 dates, and it is unknown who will be behind the kit for the tour with Nine Inch Nails.

Franz Ferdinand recently released the music video for their latest single from Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, for their song “Fresh Strawberries”.  The album didn’t seem to make much of a dent here in the States, which is a shame because it was one of my favorites of 2013.  Then again, I have had a greater appreciation for their post-debut work than most people.  Also, don’t miss the video for the b-side, “Erdbeer Mund”.  It’s German, and it’s bizarre–a bit redundant, I know.

Another band that had a huge debut in the early part of the last decade, Interpol, is putting together material for a new album to be released soon.  Pitchfork has video of a couple of the new songs that debuted last night here, though don’t expect the highest possibly quality that bootleg video can offer.  It’s good to hear Sam rip it on the drums again, as he does on the track “Anywhere”.

A couple of other short articles worth checking out are a piece questioning the purpose of SXSW and an interview with bassist Billy Cox, who worked with Jimi Hendrix both in the Experience and with Band of Gypsys.  The SXSW article raises a lot of interesting questions regarding the conundrums facing the festival as it continues to expand, and how it conflicts with their initial mission.  Left unsaid is whether or not is the significance of the festival in the digital age we live in, where it’s easier than ever to hear new music or even hear about new bands.  I’m not sure if there are any bands that actually break through at SXSW without initial buzz to begin with or a significant push after the fest.  As for the interview, it is always worth reading what a great musician has to say, especially one that spent so much time with Hendrix.

For your ridiculous news item of the day, I present to you the NFL.  Yes, the NFL is apparently still angry at M.I.A. for her “gesture” at the Super Bowl.  Not only that, Deadspin says they’re making a ridiculous claim for restitution, to the tune of $15.1 million.  There’s no way in hell the NFL could ever prove such losses, and to ask M.I.A. to make that kind of payment is insane.  There’s your quality legal analysis of the day.

Finally, let’s all get to work on fulfilling our nation’s greatest need: more mind-blowing guitar solos.   That should keep us busy through the week.