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The fine folks at Soundscreen have been producing an incredible pairing of music-inspired design and art in their Artist Music Journals. For their 10th release in the series, they called upon Brian Roettinger, the man behind the design studio Hand Held Heart.
In turn, they received something wonderful and unexpected - not only did Roettinger create the desired book of art, but he also created new music along with the band No Age, a group he is well known for collaborating with visually. That combination has led to Grammy nominations for packaging in the past, and now it gives back to the ears as well as the eyes, with an exclusive 10" record accompanying the book.
We had a chance to pair designer and author John Foster with Brian, to discuss the new release as well as his relationship with music and his design upbringing. Listen in. —Ed.
It's rare that a designer gets to have an intimate relationship with a label - much less a specific artist these days - yet you have this concrete bond with No Age - what brought you all together, and more importantly, what has tightened that hold as the years have moved forward?
Dean and I grew up in neighboring neighborhoods. I am a few years older then him. We were both into skateboarding and punk. He was in a band called Unit End and I was in a band called Phil's Throne (w/ Aaron Hemphill from Liars). Years later we would reconnect via shows at The Smell and he told me that he use to see Phil's Throne play.
The collaboration has gone so well because not only do we seem to share a very similar in interest in visual aesthetics, but that in each collaboration, much like conceptual art, the "idea" or "ideas" always takes precedence over the aesthetics. It's always the most important factor in the collaboration and to share that mode of thinking really bonds us together.
How did you decide to collaborate with the band musically and what surprised you about the results?
We spoke about it for awhile. Rather than design, let's try our collaboration on their side of the fence with music, and with the AMJ, it made the most sense, the joining of music and art. I've made music by myself as a side project and just as a general time waster, as I rarely keep anything or do anything with what I've made.
There is a strong theme in the black and white work here, as well as a ton of imagery - is this something you were working/ruminating on before the music portion came about or only after?
It really happened before, during, and after the music, but the general sense of how I wanted the music to feel and work with the book was always there as somewhat of a series of soundscapes or sound collages based on field recordings and samples we made or collected.
This is a change in your relationship with Soundscreen (you did their identity work.) What was it like coming in as an "artist" they are publishing as opposed to their "designer?"
My "design" and "art" process share similar responsibilities, in that my primary focus is about presenting an idea rooted from an idea, sometimes that is clear - sometimes it's not. What differs is that usually the design involves a client who, unfortunately in the end, has the final say. With my "art" and the AMJ, it was really up to me on what I wanted to do, or in this case, not do.
How did they respond to the idea of putting out a limited edition record to go with the book this time - the first time that has happened in the Artist Music Journal Series.
They were just as excited about it as we were, as long as it was affordable and the final piece was in the same price range as the others in the series.
Some of your work has a lot of production bells and whistles and then others seem to cling to a lo-fi application- with equal success - is that a budget (gallery vs indie band) or conceptual consideration?
It's a little bit of both, but more importantly, it depends on the basis of the project and presentation of the content regardless of its exhibition catalog, monograph or 7-inch record. The form and material, is for me, always a by-product of the idea - although I really enjoy and embrace the quality and "crappy printing" or lo-fi printing techniques like photocopying, Riso, screen-printing, newsprint (Webpress). These are all cheap modes of production that have become aesthetically pleasing regardless of budgets. Coming from a DIY background, I have always been budget conscious (Soundscreen would probably laugh at this) and very hands-on and involved in every step of the process from production, to making, to distribution.
Did you study under Louise Sandhaus at CalArts? What is it like being a student there and then returning as a professor?
Louise was my design instructor during my second year. The year most designers either make it over the hump or shit the bed trying, and transfer over to experimental animation. My first year of teaching I still felt like a student. I had only been out of school for a two years and was teaching a class that I took, in a studio that I spent 18 hours a day in for a year. It was my home away from home and to come back as an instructor was somewhat abstract.
(Super "inside" question - did you do any of the REDCAT posters while there? I will have to see if your work featured in an article I did on the program in 05. Might have just missed you.)
Yeah I did a poster in 2004. I think it was the first poster the museum produced. Here it is:
How much do you think that "CalArts" mode of thinking about typography influences your work even today?
I think, like most designers, the form typography takes and the importance of language is something that were all obsessed with and is a huge part of my process when it comes to design. This was even before CalArts, but CalArts taught me how to really look and understand with a critical eye.
How difficult has it been to stay small and nimble as a studio and what are the benefits and drawbacks to working that way?
It's difficult when you're on the cusp of having way too much work to do by yourself, but not enough work to be able to pay someone to be around full-time - so I have friends who freelance on projects every now and then. The unfortunate thing about having a lot of projects is that I spend a lot more time emailing and project managing than I do designing.
What does the immediate future hold for Hand Held Heart and who would be your dream artist to work with next?
Easy, if Dieter Roth and Joseph Beuys came back from the dead.
To wrap it up on a light note, everyone loves lists. Even random lists. Jon (who runs this operation over here) and I both love this game where you list out the first 5 songs to come up on random shuffle on your itunes/ipod - no cheating and eliminating embarrassing Vanilla Ice (the metal version, nothing embarrassing about those smooth raps.) Go!
Shit… 1. Lil' Wayne - Let The Beat Build 2. Def Leppard - Photograph 3. Syd Barrett - Wouldn't You Miss Me (Dark Globe) 4. 52nd Street - Cool As Ice 5. Run DMC - Son of Byford
____
Instead of just talking about the book and 10" you've got an opportunity to put one in your hands in exchange for your feedback in the comments to this post. Let us know why Soundscreen should send you above all a copy, and the best of the bunch nabs the book.
We'll give you a week to drum up the perfect response and remember to leave us a contact email address and by signing up for the giveaway, you'll also get to hear more about Soundscreen's awesome products! Contest closes at noon 9/27.
It's our weekly Twitter #MusicMonday recap of the tracks from last week that the folks in the press offices and PR firms want you to be hearing. We post—you decide.
OK, here's what I want you to do: Click the play button on this youtube video, close your eyes, and listen until the end.
Go ahead, I'll wait.
It's not that Fitz and The Tantrums aren't a stylish and attractive bunch—indeed they are. What you're hearing is something that I like to call timeless authenticity. Some bands simply have it - effortless soul, swagger and groove.
I close my eyes and it's the 1970's again. You know, when the real shit was going down.
Fitz and The Tantrums are currently on the road in support of their Dangerbird Records debut,Pickin' Up the Pieces. The tour stops Monday night in DC at the Rock and Roll Hotel and we've got a pair of tickets to put in the hands of one of you authentic souls.
And it's with this show and ticket giveaway that we're pleased to announce our partnership with our favorite DC arts website, ReadysetDC for all of our ticket giveaways going forward. We'll be sharing and cross-promoting both of our ticket contests so you can enter to win any and all either here at TVD or at ReadysetDC. (Yes, we're streamlining your evening plans.)
You have until Monday morning (9/20) at 9am to enter to win the pair of Fitz and The Tantrums tickets by leaving a response in the comments to this post, again either below or at ReadysetDC. Good luck and remember to leave us a contact email address!
"Several of my friends have pointed out that my more recent and more personal material like "Call Me Your Man" or "Tara" sounds much less like a character than the songs that make up our first record Brooklyn Hustle/Memphis Muscle. Re-watching the videos of Jump Back Jake on the Ardent sessions I can see so clearly who this character was.
Though only a couple of years ago, I looked and sounded so different than I do today. If I was playing a character, it wasn't simply a mask I wore for performances or recording, but a person I inhabited. I think I was trying to become a Memphian—perhaps an impossible task for a New York City born yankee like myself, but I did try.
I lived in a house with a huge back yard where I would throw massive barbecue parties on July 4th and Labor Day that usually involved slow cooking a pork shoulder on an oil drum barbecue smoker. I had a hound dog named Jim that I would walk around the neighborhood every day after finishing a shift at my job cleaning houses.
The day we recorded the Ardent Sessions was my 27th birthday and Jump Back Jake was a road weary soul band (we'd just come back from gigs in Shreveport and Little Rock) with a full horn section and a B3 organ player. This is one of the better documents of that moment in time before our music and lives changed.
Six months later, I would hit the road indefinitely with Francis and the Lights, returning home whenever possible to rehearse and record new material with the JBJ. The music borne out of that moment makes up the songs on our new EP, and there aren't any horns or keyboards on it. Just the four of us banging it out in Studio A with the knowledge that the next day I'd be on a plane not knowing when we'd all get together to play again.
But the idea to record live in that room with no isolation at all only doing a couple of takes was borne out of the experience I had listening back to our Ardent Sessions. I was on the road somewhere listening to a captured moment of what Jump Back Jake sounded like in November of 2008 and using it to construct a vision of what we might sound like in the future. Now we can listen to both recordings and figure out where to go next." —"Jump Back" Jake Rabinbach 9-12-2010
Enter to win Jump Back Jake's debut LP "Brooklyn Hustle / Memphis Muscle" on vinyl by simply leaving a comment, your name, and a contact email address in the comments to this post. We'll choose one winner each Friday for that week's giveaway which ALSO includes the entire Ardent Music catalog. (That's just 2 artists at this point, but hey, who's counting?)
To hear more great Ardent Sessions please visit Ardent Presents.
OK it’s “back to school” time for the Idelic Hour. Actually the playlist for this week’s Idelic Hour has nothing to do with school. It was really just back to school for my kids and thus; yours truly along with them for the ride.
Both my kids started new schools this week. My daughter is a hip teenager entering 10th grade at a new high school and my boy is two years old experiencing his day 1! One of the great things about having kids is getting to re-live childhood events. I love getting that nervousness that one gets on the first day of school—that mix of apprehension and excitement.
For this week’s Idelic Hour I thought I’d try and carry that “day 1 feeling” into my playlist of mostly new artists and releases. In many ways it’s just a cop out. The truth is I don’t always have a weekly music inspiration. That's ok, I’m cool to be purely inspired and blown away by watching my kids and grow.
Along with that the music is still pretty fucking cool! The list contains new songs from Black Mountain, Interpol, The Black Angles, Sufjen Stevens and more. Be forever young and hug your wife, kids and parents—and oh yeah, be free to make mistakes. It’s free form.
It's our last day hanging out with Those Darlins and in particular Linwood Regensburg who tackles one of those big, cosmic questions as he departs TVD HQ:
Best Album Ever? HA. | These sort of lists are a drag to try to make. How are you supposed to answer something like that anyway? I'm not gonna make that statement that these are the greatest albums of all time or even my favorites or anything like that. I just listen to them a lot.
The Young Rascals - "Groovin" | The Rascals don't seem to get the cred they deserve. So many great ones on this record, "Been Lonely Too Long","Find Somebody" "If You Knew" etc.
Iggy Pop - "The Idiot" | I like to put this on when I'm cooking. Nothing like hearing the drum beat for "Nightclubbing" kick in while you're smashing up garlic. I bet Iggy and David did plenty of cooking when they made this one. After all, they were in Germany.
The Ventures - "Ventures in Space" | Space Surf. Astronaut Rock. Whatever you wanna call it, the Ventures nailed it.
Alex Chilton - "Like Flies on Sherbert" | This album is a big mess and I love it for that. Especially the fire up tape roll sound they left on before some of the tracks. Alex does some great covers, especially amazing are Earnest Tubbs' "Waltz Across Texas" and Jimmy Newman's "Alligator Man." "Rock Hard" has some killer lyrics ....."rock hard...ripples, rock hard.....nipples...."
Rolling Stones - "Beggars Banquet" | I absolutely love the Rolling Stones. I guess most of the human race does at this point. Either way, neither Martin Scorcese nor classic rock radio can ruin "Sympathy for the Devil" or "Street Fighting Man" for me. The only track on this album I ever have to skip is "Salt of the Earth." I wish Keith would have sang the whole song, might seem more believable.
Sound Dimension - "MojoRockSteadyBeat" | A Soul Jazz reissue. These guys are like the Jamaican Booker T and MG's. Backing up whoever recorded at Studio One, and cutting lots instrumentals, the Dimension made what some might refer to as the "Jamaican" sound.
I’ve long felt that both the ‘70’s and the ‘80’s were both intensely fertile decades for music of merit. I’m not saying they were the best decades, mind you—just perhaps my favorites. (OK, maybe just half of the ‘80s.)
So, we’re delighted to offer up our new Thursday fix from the rare and obscure crates of 80’s vinyl to run in tandem with our ‘Class of the ‘70’s’ series that’s been appearing here for well over a year now. We’ll let our pal Gil fill you in on the specifics... —Ed.
"Each week I will review and bring to light an obscure out of print album from the 1980s that fell through the cracks and went unnoticed by the mainstream music media. I will endeavor to cover the myriad of alternative music genres that were prevalent during the decade of decadence. The genres covered will be new wave, minimal synth, power pop, electro, post punk, indie rock, goth, and synth pop.
There’s no better feeling for a vinyl collector when they find and add an elusive obscurity to their collection. My hope is that this feature gives you some interesting recommendations to ponder before you set off on the hunt...Enjoy."
THE TALK - New Language LP The Talk was an alternative new wave foursome who hailed from the Midwest in Missoula, Montana. Yes, there seems to have been an indie music scene in the outer reaches of the Midwest.
The band was formed in the early 80’s and created two albums. Both albums were privately pressed on Seal Pup Records out of the same town, Missoula. The first album, “Not Just Hearsay” was produced in 1982 and was essentially a power pop rock affair. The second and final album, “New Language” was produced in 1984 and had a more polished new wave approach with melodic arrangements, solid percussion and even some strategic saxophone playing in some of the songs.
There is also a more prominent role for the keyboards on this second album. The lead vocalist has a great voice that sticks out from his many mainstream peers of the day. It was clear that more time and effort was put into the production on this second album, and it’s heard in the overall final eight song product. A first rate new wave album by this talented indie band who should have garnered more attention in their time.
Don't you wish more bands did instrumentals? I have what would amount to an entire record's worth of instrumentals I recorded at Kathy Wariner's (Jessi's mom) art studio last Christmas. Jessi's 13 year old brother Oakley plays percussion on some of it. No one wants to put it out I guess. Which is fine. People are more into that Double Rainbow sound right now anyway. In the meantime I stick tracks on mixtapes and tell people it's some lost Joe Meek recording.
The T-Bones - "Balboa Blue" | I put this song on a mix tape I made for van time during SXSW 2010. Perfect for sitting in standstill traffic, knowing you're already 30 minutes late and probably won't arrive for another 45. Sorry.
The Routers - "Lets Go" | Everybody loves this one. Cheerleaders and cretins, together as one.
Al Casey with the K-C Ettes - "Surfin Hootenanny"| Lee Hazelwood wrote this one. Al was also a member of the "Wrecking Crew" and played on tons of stuff-Pet Sounds, "These Boots are Made for Walking", etc. AWWW CMMMON.
The Turtles - "Buzz Saw" | This is off the Battle of the Bands album. Way cooler than hearing them sing Dylan. Here they pretend to be The Fabulous Dawgs, and rip out some great Fuzz and organ sounds.
The Dyna-Tones - "The Skunk Pt. 1" | Flip this guy over and you get to hear "The Skunk Pt. 2."
Young and Wilder are a new Rock and Roll duo from Portland, OR. I had the pleasure of producing their debut EP in June at Hi/Lo studios in Memphis. This is a single of their song "Amadine" backed with "It's Wrong." Both tracks feature background vocals from Jake Vest and myself and "It's Wrong" has some sweet pedal steel courtesy of Memphis's own Rock 'n' Roll dentist, John Whittemore (Jack O. and the Tearjerkers, John Paul Keith and the 1-4-5s, Neighborhood Texture Jam).
It's always such fun to watch the way Memphis gets inside a group of musicians, filling them with intangible Rock and Roll secrets that you can't find in any other city in the world. Look out for these two. They are unstoppable. —Jump Back Jake
Remember 'Hurricane' with Denzel Washington? Well, there was this whole concept of "sometimes the book finds you." I feel like the angel of fate placed its hands on some 45s and sent them my way. Sometimes you get the feeling, and although you may know nothing, and all you gotta do is reach down, pick it up, take it home and baby it's you. These all came from a junk/western wear store in Corydon, Indiana.
Arthur Lee - "Everybody's Gotta Live" | Love is one of my favorite bands, but I've never really gone beyond "Forever Changes." This is from an Arthur solo album "Vindicator" released in '72. Arthur's screams kill me every time I put this one on. Was he reading Janov at the time? Do you think Lennon was jealous?
Jive Five - "Rain" | I really dig songs about rain. I really dig falsetto and heavy call back harmonies. You can really nail this one in the shower. In the 80's Nickelodeon hired the re-formed Jive Five to do some jingle work. "Nic Nic Nic Na Nic Nic Nic.... Nickaaaalooddeeaaawn!"
The Castells - "Echoes" | Love songs. This one's a little on the lite side, but sometimes you do need something to play for the grandparents.
The Casuals - "Hello, Love" | Sounds a lot like the Everlys. And I'm okay with that.
The Sopwith Camel - "Postcard from Jamaica" | The Sopwith Camel, was originally a World War I fighter plane that shot down more enemy aircraft than any other British planes. The band was the first from the San Fran scene to have a top 40 hit. Unfortunately they didn't make it past 67. Surrealistic Pillow may have sold more, but at least the Camel didn't try to convince the world they were the ones who built the city on rock and roll.
Nilsson - "I'll Be Home" | Nilsson singing Newman. I put this on when I want people to shut up. But in a good way.
Jets Overhead frontwoman, Antonia Freybe-Smith counts us off in 3's:
"I feel like I can describe my love affair with vinyl in 3 parts...
Part 1: Young girl of 12 discovers her parents abandoned LP collection in the strange-smelling cupboard of the rarely-used den of her parents strange house. Nana Mouskouri. The Mammas and the Papas. Simon and Garfunkel. West Side Story soundtrack. etc. Young girl is intrigued and digs out her Mickey Mouse record player so she can listen to the LP's in the privacy of her own room. The Mickey Mouse player is small (meant for playing bright blue Disney 45's) so her parents giant black LP's hang over the edge but still play fine. The young girl finds this set-up funny and charming and listens to the records over and over, then forgets about it when she gets her first Sony Sport Walkman, the red one, for Christmas.
Part 2: Young woman of 18 is spending a lazy Sunday with her awesome roommates perusing all the Victoria garage sales while they should be back a their cozy old house studying away. They find a record player, 2 decent speakers and 3 large boxes of LP's sitting off in a corner at a sweet garage sale on Moss Street. They snatch up the whole kit n' caboodle, and are quite tickled by some of the many gems they find in the 3 boxes (Bruce Springsteen Live Boxset 1975-85!!!!!). They enjoy a hip phase of record playing at their cozy house...but unfortunately abandon the player and the LP collection to other roommates when they graduate and scatter off to the wind in search of adventure and purpose (as one tends to do after spending a shitload on a University degree and then feeling rather lost afterwards).
Part 3: Slightly older young woman of 29 is recording the overdubs for her band's new record in downtown Victoria at an old brick building recently vacated by a local radio station. A relaxed, unhurried employee of the station is clearing out the last of the radio gear as we start our overdubs in a small studio in the building. The unhurried employee encourages us to take whatever we want when we inquire after all the leftover stuff. The slightly older young woman and her handsome husband/bandmate, Adam, proceed to unscrew a record player from one of the old booths, and remove a bunch of the hanging speakers. It isn't until the end of the overdub sessions that the slightly older young girl and her cool-as-a-cucumber producer, Neil Osborne, discover a small, windowless roomed crammed with LP's. Floor to ceiling shelves full of vinyl, organized alphabetically and in perfect condition (except for Dj notes next to the song listings - ie. written in pen next to the song Hotel California: "single?"). The slightly older young woman and cool as a cucumber producer go crazy like two kids in a candy store and walk out each night of those last days of overdubs with their arms ladened with sweet records. Beach Boys. Sergio Mendes. Dire Straits. Shirley Horne. The Glenn Miller Orchestra. Sinatra. CSNY. Pink Floyd. Bob Marley. Bach. A Nat King Cole record that the slightly older young girl ends up listening to over and over and over as if she's in a trance. So the slightly older young girl and her handsome husband/bandmate fall back in love with vinyl. They start buying new records on vinyl. They have big grins on their faces when their band's own record is pressed on vinyl. Slightly older young girl presents her band's LP to her parents who congratulate her proudly and then proceed to place it carefully in a strange-smelling cupboard in the rarely-used den of their strange house." —Antonia Freybe-Smith
One thing's for certain, around these parts if there's a 'blog takeover' we've got some stuff to give away—and the Darlins have indeed hooked us up. I'm going to quote a bit here from the press release first:
Those Darlins return from the wilds of Middle Tennessee with the brand new “Night Jogger/Funstix Party” 7” which offers just a taste of the gritty, rock 'n' roll direction these three mouthy ladies—plus one smirking drummer—are taking. Fans are hungry for more music after the band’s critically acclaimed debut, and Those Darlins will be supporting this 7” with an extensive headlining tour w/The Strange Boys, Gentleman Jesse & His Men, Turbo Fruits, The Soft Pack and Black Lips, including a performance at ACL Fest.
This southern garage rock band set out in 2006 to get folks off with their rowdy, cheerfully sarcastic, booze-fueled show. Where classic pop meets garage rock, with a telltale country drawl, Those Darlins' curious mix makes them one of a kind, eliciting queer comparisons like, "The Carter Family meets The Black Lips."
In 2009, the girls toured feverishly around their critically acclaimed debut, playing 140 shows and sharing the stage with the likes of King Khan & BBQ Show, Dan Auerbach (of The Black Keys), Deer Tick, Wanda Jackson, and MAN MAN. They made huge waves not sucking at SXSW, Bonnaroo, and Garage Fest. 2010 has already been full, with a Eastern headlining tour selling out many cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, Boston, Washington DC, St. Louis, Louisville, Birmingham, Nashville, and more.
We've got a pair of tickets for Wednesday night's Darlins show at the Black Cat (with Strange Boys and Gentleman Jesse & His Men) and the “Night Jogger/Funstix Party” 7” for one winner who suitably convinces us in the comments to this post that he or she should be the rightful owner of both the tickets and the 7." We'll choose one winner at 3 PM this Wednesday, the afternoon before the show. Get a move on and remember to leave us a contact email address!
Yes, we know you like to say that, but where did you grow up?
Question: Ok, sure we get it, you spend a lot of time on youtube, but are there other relevant websites you troll? What do they teach you about your life, career choices, financial future? Answer.
Question: "Jump Back Jake" is both your name as a person on Earth but also refers to the 4-piece band that records together and plays "gigs." Are you the leader? How does the band make decisions? When you make "final calls" that will make/break the future of the band, how do you find solutions to the "tough problems?" Answer.
Question: A lot of your recent material like "King of Romance" and "Call Me Your Man" deals with love and relationships. Do you find that people hear these bleak songs about your life and feel they need to "give you advice" about how to be happy in your life and find a suitable mate that will make you feel complete for your whole life? Who's advice do you take? Answer.
Question: We noticed that all of the answers to the previous questions were links to Amazon.com order forms. Why did you (if inadvertently) endorse them as the #1 retailer of digital music when itunes is clearly lapping them? Answer.
Question: This whole "only answering questions with links thing is a little cute and maybe a little antagonistic/condescending considering we are buying you lunch (do you always order a double scotch with your vegan burrito at 1pm?) and that you are sitting at the same table with us. But we understand that speaking only through an Apple designed interface is "forward thinking" and equally as effective as a conversation. That said is there anything you can tell us about your new EP, "Call Me Your Man" before we pick up the tab and exchange awkward goodbyes? Answer.
It's a wish list to the Big Man from Those Darlin's Linwood Regensburg... —Ed.
Dear Santa, Please bring me these 45's whenever you find the time. Luv, Linwood
The Caravelles - "Hey Momma You've Been On My Mind" | Girl group magic from Britain. 'New York' is the B-side.
Television - "Little Johnny Jewel" | Out on Ork Records, TV's first release. Best guitar tone ever on this one.
Houston - "Solar Light" | Sounds like it coulda been on "I hear a new world."
Ronny Kae - "Swinging Drums" | Kae did some time with Sinatra and Tony Bennett before knocking out a few amazing instrumental sides.
The Stratfords - "Never Leave Me" | This song is one of those "shoulda been a super hit" songs. It did though make Baltimore's top 40 charts in 1964. James Kelly, who wrote it, runs powerful karaoke empire in the greater Baltimore area these days.
Shadow Casters - "Going to the Moon" | The B side for "It'll Be Too Late" single. These guys broke up before they got out of high school.
Ervin Litkei - "Music to Play E-S-P BY" | Perfect to put on if you're interested in staring and thinking of absolutely nothing. Litkei who died in 2000, also wrote presidential marches for every president since FDR.
The Ultra Mates - "Pitter Patter" | This disc is pretty impossible to find. Help.
Today is #musicmonday, but there are two music-related trending topics right now besting that time-honored hashtag. One is #letshaveatoast, which, according to What the Trend, “originates from the song Kanye West sang at the VMAs 2010.” The other is #bornthisway, which is the newly announced name of Lady Gaga’s forthcoming album. I swear on my cat that I will not write about Kanye. This leaves Gaga.
(Bad argument alert! I just made it sound like the only alternative to writing about Kanye was to write about the Ga, but that’s mistaking a set for a universe. There are loads of other things to write about. I considered trying my hand at insight and analysis to say something about how #musicmonday is a pretty measly hashtag compared to the trending topics buzzing around superstars like Justin Bieber and superstar-studded events like the VMAs. I thought I might look into whether those bigger events had any bearing on what does trend in #musicmonday. But I’d just end up wondering, again, why there’s so much awful ‘90s nu-metal on Twitter, plus I was sort of hired to write snark, if you define “hired” looser than the jitterbug and also dig very deep into the conversations surrounding the birth of this column to find out what “hired to” might mean.)
So! Gaga! I have a heady sarcasm-n-worship cocktail to send her way. It’s like a martini and includes a plastic cup full of olives on the side. I’ll try to go heavy on the former, because worship, or at least respectful bewilderment, are cheap and sweet and I prefer my cocktails expensive and dry.
Worship first, because otherwise I’ll wind up doing a Seinfield imitation. “The meat dress! What is the deal with the meat dress?” (Full disclosure and revealing my age, if you hadn’t guessed from the fact that I’m writing a column about effing Twitter: I was a bit young for Seinfeld and base the previous sentence on other comedians’ imitations of Seinfeld.) While I agree with Gaga’s detractors that her provocative style borrows generously from Grace Jones and Madonna and the like, I think she’s filling an important AND AWESOME cultural function by bringing avant-garde art and fashion to a population that doesn’t live in a high-concept-saturated environment. Like, the burbs. Not that the burbs are devoid of art or fashion, because I would not touch that conversation on the internet with a pole, but as someone who grew up in the exurbs and now lives within a 5 block radius of no-kidding half a dozen galleries, there’s a level of effort required to see certain perspectives in certain places when those perspectives are impossible to avoid in other places. Um duh, hedging, let’s sum up: Dance Music + Crazy + Smart = Happy Allyson. Ok so really though: What is the deal with the meat?
First of all, we didn’t really need it twice. She already appeared on the cover of Vogue Hommes Japan dripping in raw red meat. And it’s not like no one saw that cover, even though it’s two adjectives removed from being Vogue Vogue—the Internet ate it up, so to steak. I mean speak. Besides, it had already been done ages ago on America’s Next Top Model. Specifically, Cycle 10, Episode 4, titled “Where’s the Beef?” Please do not ask me how long it took me to a) remember that photo shoot, or b) find the pertinent nitty gritty on it. The point is: ANTM has some awesome photo shoot concepts, but Gaga revels in making obscure references and Tyra Banks is whatever the opposite of obscure is. Second, the messaging is almost…obvious? Like, duh, meat is just a step removed from fur, or leather, I get it G, can you get drunk at a Yankees game again now ‘cuz that was fun.
Third: Baiting the PETA people is practically cheating. These are the same people who want you to drink beer instead of milk. Sort of. It’s complicated. But really, someone as completely bonkers as Lady Gaga should be able to find a more challenging target. Like, let’s try to outrage the people who choose the typeface for subtitles in foreign films or something next time. (“Slab serif? What is she trying to suggest???”)
Fourth: Wouldn’t prosciutto have been a bit more supple? Or any other thin-sliced deli meat, really.
Fifth: Did you know if you Google Image Search “Lady Gaga Meat Dress” it auto-corrects “meat” to “metal”? Now you know.
Sixth (sixth sixth): I worry that Lady Gaga is veering uncomfortably away from Madonna and toward Marilyn Manson. (666? Get it? Huh huh?) Even when Madonna was at her shockingest best, she was always fun to watch. (I know, I know, I already outed myself as being too young to have seen Seinfeld. A friend had a VHS tape of classic Madonna videos and I watched it obsessively in middle school.) Manson (who was hitting his stride when I was rewinding “Express Yourself” a million times) wasn’t trying to do much more than make people vomit, from what I remember. Gaga has proved that she can provoke without resorting to gross-out tactics, so a gory awards-show dress is a potentially Mansony new direction. And nothing says “meteoric rise followed by obscurity and irrelevance” like Marilyn Manson.
Finally, and about time: Where can she possibly go from here? Translucent deli meat might be a good next step, because it keeps the gore but adds some nudity. Maybe she’ll start dressing like a monk and riding a skateboard, although I have a friend who did that for a large chunk of college so that’d be weirdly derivative but also psychic. My educated guess is heavier body modification, but that gets us back to point the sixth: Shock for shock’s sake and the plummet to obscurity. Mainstream America isn’t ready for horn implants, I’m, like, 99.9% sure.
My #musicmonday pick: The opposite of shocking—I’m really digging indie/hip-hop/funk/soul darling Janelle Monae right now. Cold War and Tightrope are my oh-so-obvious picks.
It’s a crowded morning at TVD HQ, let me tell you...
As mentioned earlier today, Autumn isn’t merely for falling leaves, but dropping LPs—and one we and our friends at Ardent Music would like to put on your radar is the new EP from Jump Back Jake, ‘Call Me Your Man’ which hits your local record store shelves tomorrow, 9/14.
Jump Back Jake, aka Jake Rabinbach (who also plays lead guitar in Francis and the Lights) formed JBJ back in 2006 after jumping from Brooklyn to Memphis. The new EP is in fond memory of James Luther Dickinson, Willie Mitchell, Jay Lindsay, and Alex Chilton who all in some manner inform the recording.
As such, we’ve brought in guest reviewer Benjamin Popper for a proper review of ‘Call Me Your Man’ in advance of spending the week with Mr. Rabinbach (in addition to Those Darlins!)
TVD: we’re all sorts of taken over this week... —Ed.
The hard driving drums that open Jump Back Jake’s new EP, Call Me Your Man, don’t try to do too much. When the rest of the band jumps in a few bars later, the contours of a small recording studio emerge from the sound. It’s tight, focused, full of momentum. Jump Back starts singing, but the cadence is more relaxed then his older material. I think immediately of Kris Kristofferson when he gets to that line, “I’m sleeping in the next room doll / And all my shirts smell like you”. It’s understatement with an undercurrent, simmering on top of some rock and roll.
Where have all the horns gone? I remember Jake proudly rounding up aging Memphis brass, dragging them out of their retirement kicking and screaming, charming them with grand marnier and an unabashed love for the obscure records they played on decades ago. But the well curated soul sound that powered his first record, Brooklyn Hustle / Memphis Muscle, is over. And frankly I don’t miss it.
That Jake can still be found. The murderous metal riffs on Rose Colored Coffin (track 4) fall right into “I got a Loooovveee,” sung with the tone and melisma of a juke joint regular. But instead of trying to produce a modern soul record, Jump Back is putting those tools to work on compositions that defy easy categorization. There is something of Tom Waits in this track, a spooky gypsy, collecting the odds and ends of American music and stitching them up into an ill fitting suit that scares the women as much as it turns them on.
Records inform one another, and Jake’s new single, King of Romance, makes this new album make a lot of sense. “I remember when we first met,” he sings on that track, over a beat that could have been borrowed from Clipse. “And I took you down to Mississippi/ To see the cotton and the old cities/ Where it still looks like th 50s.” The cadence here is so startling, delivered half speaking with a rhyme scheme reminiscent of Craig Finn. And because of that, that distance from Memphis, from Stax, from soul arrangements and the rest, Jump Back’s love for the south comes across even stronger.
This music has excised the ghosts of influence. What makes the new record so exciting is not how good the musicians are, or Jake’s voice, those have always been good. It’s that he’s doing something novel, something that points forward more than back. It must be all that touring, the constant motion, the distance that makes the heart grow fonder, the pen sharper and the guitar sing.
Benjamin Popper is a journalist living in Brooklyn, NY. He has written for Rolling Stone, Vice, Men's Vogue, the Daily Beast, New York Observer, and the Memphis Flyer.
