Aural Fixation- Gavin B.'s Music Blog

Bulldog · 04-07-2011, 02:40 PM

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm vehemently against symbolism in any of its forms. After all, David Bowie's another one who uses a lot of it in his lyrics and it never bothers me at all. Surrealism in any form (be it in lyrics, poetry or avante-garde film) is something I can definitely enjoy, but it's a mood that I really have to work myself towards if you know what I mean. Plus, I never really pay an awful lot of attention to lyrics in any case.

Gotta disagree slightly with you over David Byrne's solo career as well. Look Into the Eyeball's a decent album, and I'm a huge fan of Rei Momo, but otherwise I agree - his solo output tends to be hampered by over-ambition, even if I still think there's the odd good song dotted throughout the rest of his albums.

Gavin B. · 04-08-2011, 08:17 AM

Preview Songs From the Feelies New Album

The notoriously non-prolific Feelies are finally releasing their first new album in 20 years this Tuesday.

After 20 years of fighting with record labels, breaking up, reuniting & periodically touring, Hoboken New Jersey's favorite sons, the Feelies have defied all odds and released a studio album. The nerdy, nervous and noisy band emerged as the best live band of the post punk movement in New York and earned their reputation on the basis of three album releases in the Eighties: Crazy Rhythms, The Good Earth & Only Life. Their take-no-prisoners live shows in the early 80s had the Feelies poised for future indie music stardom, along with their more successful musical peers like R.E.M. & U2.

The Feelies' fights with their record label over creative direction earned them a reputation as being "difficult" & instead of achieving rock stardom, the Feelies spent the last two decades off the musical grid. Now after two decades of near misses & false starts the Feelies have actually cut an album & are set to tour extensively.

Here Before is scheduled for release this Tuesday April 2 & here's three preview songs from that album.

The Feelies- When You Know

The Feelies- Should Be Gone

The Feelies- Again Today

music_phantom13 · 04-09-2011, 11:29 PM

Thank you for the previews! I love The Feelies and cannot wait for this newest release... I actually was lucky enough to see them a couple years ago at 9:30 club and they were phenomenal. They played extended rather noisy versions of lots of their songs, I remember a great version of The Boy With the Perpetual Nervousness. There's something about their music that gives it that something special, it's got a relatively typical college/alternative rock sound to it up front, but there's a skittish, nervous undertone in a lot of their songs that really sets them apart to me. And it often sounds like a burst of distortion will tear the music into something like The Wipers or Pixies, but it stays buried in the music. I loved that show because it absolutely came out, and I was one of the youngest people in attendance... most of the audience was probably late 30s to early 50s. But the thing I noticed was, I went to a Dinosaur Jr concert a bit later that had a crowd much more representative of my age group, early 20s, and the crowd at The Feelies must have been 10 times as into the music! Good stuff all around.

And thanks for the European Indie Pop, Sophie Hunger sounds right up my alley. I must admit though, I don't get jj at all. Despite the fact that it really seems like it should be something I would enjoy, I can't get into them.

Gavin B. · 06-19-2013, 05:46 PM

I'm wondering if I should revive this journal. It had a lot of readers before over it's 21 month lifespan.

I forgot about Aural Fixation when I left Music Banter for a year to deal with a family crisis. What do you think?

Trollheart · 06-20-2013, 04:59 AM

As long as you're able for the work there's no reason why not. Your output on "Warehouse" has been phenomenal and extremely well received. There's no reason at all why you should not run two journals, as long as you believe you can devote the time to them. After all, I'm currently handing four! My one word of caution would be to make a committment to update both reasonably regularly: there's nothing worse than starting a journal and then dropping it in favour of another, except for reviving that journal and then ending up having to drop it again.

More musical insight and fine writing from you can only benefit this forum. If you feel you can handle it, I'd say definitely go for it!

Gavin B. · 06-20-2013, 06:06 AM

I've thought about it and there really isn't any difference in the format of the two journals, so I'm probably better off concentrating on on just one of them. I've got some other journal ideas that are really different from the essay/review format of Aural Fixation and Warehouse of Songs and I think I'm going to concentrate on developing those ideas instead of resurrecting an old journal.

OccultHawk · 12-16-2019, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gavin B.

Song of the Day

Joseph Spence is perhaps the most strangely talented guitarist and vocalist I've ever heard.

Good Morning Mr. Walker- Joseph Spence The first time I heard Good Morning Mr. Walker, I ended up doubled over in laughter until tears were running down my cheeks. I'd never heard such a delightfully odd approach to music and it's still difficult for me to explain to the uninitiated just exactly what his music sounds like.

He often mumbled the lyrics of a song as if he'd forgotten the lyrics or began laughing right in the middle of singing a song. He was a brilliant guitarist and his unorthodox guitar playing was a profound influence on master guitarists like Ry Cooder and John Fahey. Ry Cooder recorded the song Coming In On A Wing and a Prayer in a manner that worshipful imitation of Spence's signature guitar syle. The chords to Mr. Walker are fairly simple but playing it in the same manner as Spence is nearly impossible because he deliberately open tuned his guitar to slightly off-key chord to make his playing sound dissonant. Thelonious Monk acheive a similar jarring musical effect on piano by deliberately hitting sharp or flat notes. Monk's use dissonant note and chords counterpointed the tonal perfection of his most haunting songs like Ruby My Dear and Round Midnight.

It would also be a challenge for anyone to successfully imitate Joseph Spence's unorthodox vocal style. The lyrics to Mr. Walker are totally wacked. In the first verse Joseph sings in a jolly sing-song voice :

After hearing Mr. Walker for the first time I couldn't decide if Joseph Spence was a musical genius or if he should to be chained to the wall of a locked ward in a mental hospital. Joseph Spence is my litmus test to gauge the tolerence of my friends and aquaintences for quirky music. I never trust the musical judgement of a person who hates Joseph Spence's music. Inevitably it's the most musically informed of my friends who appreciate the unorthodox and adventurous music of Joseph Spence.

Damn! Great post! Come back to MB!

Joseph Spence: The Complete Folkways Recordings, 1958 is a really great collection of some of his stuff

Plankton · 12-16-2019, 11:15 AM

For the other 2 or 3 curious people out there:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjd6ou1PvAE

04-08-2011, 08:17 AM	#302 (permalink)
Gavin B. Model Worker Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,248	Preview Songs From the Feelies New Album The notoriously non-prolific Feelies are finally releasing their first new album in 20 years this Tuesday. After 20 years of fighting with record labels, breaking up, reuniting & periodically touring, Hoboken New Jersey's favorite sons, the Feelies have defied all odds and released a studio album. The nerdy, nervous and noisy band emerged as the best live band of the post punk movement in New York and earned their reputation on the basis of three album releases in the Eighties: Crazy Rhythms, The Good Earth & Only Life. Their take-no-prisoners live shows in the early 80s had the Feelies poised for future indie music stardom, along with their more successful musical peers like R.E.M. & U2. The Feelies' fights with their record label over creative direction earned them a reputation as being "difficult" & instead of achieving rock stardom, the Feelies spent the last two decades off the musical grid. Now after two decades of near misses & false starts the Feelies have actually cut an album & are set to tour extensively. Here Before is scheduled for release this Tuesday April 2 & here's three preview songs from that album. The Feelies- When You Know The Feelies- Should Be Gone The Feelies- Again Today __________________ There are two types of music: the first type is the blues and the second type is all the other stuff. Townes Van Zandt

06-19-2013, 05:46 PM	#304 (permalink)
Gavin B. Model Worker Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,248	I'm wondering if I should revive this journal. It had a lot of readers before over it's 21 month lifespan. I forgot about Aural Fixation when I left Music Banter for a year to deal with a family crisis. What do you think? __________________ There are two types of music: the first type is the blues and the second type is all the other stuff. Townes Van Zandt

06-20-2013, 04:59 AM	#305 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	As long as you're able for the work there's no reason why not. Your output on "Warehouse" has been phenomenal and extremely well received. There's no reason at all why you should not run two journals, as long as you believe you can devote the time to them. After all, I'm currently handing four! My one word of caution would be to make a committment to update both reasonably regularly: there's nothing worse than starting a journal and then dropping it in favour of another, except for reviving that journal and then ending up having to drop it again. More musical insight and fine writing from you can only benefit this forum. If you feel you can handle it, I'd say definitely go for it! __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

06-20-2013, 06:06 AM	#306 (permalink)
Gavin B. Model Worker Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,248	I've thought about it and there really isn't any difference in the format of the two journals, so I'm probably better off concentrating on on just one of them. I've got some other journal ideas that are really different from the essay/review format of Aural Fixation and Warehouse of Songs and I think I'm going to concentrate on developing those ideas instead of resurrecting an old journal. __________________ There are two types of music: the first type is the blues and the second type is all the other stuff. Townes Van Zandt

12-16-2019, 11:15 AM	#308 (permalink)
Plankton Just Keep Swimming... Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: See signature... Posts: 7,766	For the other 2 or 3 curious people out there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjd6ou1PvAE __________________ See location...

04-07-2011, 02:40 PM	#301 (permalink)
Bulldog why bother? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 4,840	Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm vehemently against symbolism in any of its forms. After all, David Bowie's another one who uses a lot of it in his lyrics and it never bothers me at all. Surrealism in any form (be it in lyrics, poetry or avante-garde film) is something I can definitely enjoy, but it's a mood that I really have to work myself towards if you know what I mean. Plus, I never really pay an awful lot of attention to lyrics in any case. Gotta disagree slightly with you over David Byrne's solo career as well. Look Into the Eyeball's a decent album, and I'm a huge fan of Rei Momo, but otherwise I agree - his solo output tends to be hampered by over-ambition, even if I still think there's the odd good song dotted throughout the rest of his albums.

04-09-2011, 11:29 PM	#303 (permalink)
music_phantom13 Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 942	Thank you for the previews! I love The Feelies and cannot wait for this newest release... I actually was lucky enough to see them a couple years ago at 9:30 club and they were phenomenal. They played extended rather noisy versions of lots of their songs, I remember a great version of The Boy With the Perpetual Nervousness. There's something about their music that gives it that something special, it's got a relatively typical college/alternative rock sound to it up front, but there's a skittish, nervous undertone in a lot of their songs that really sets them apart to me. And it often sounds like a burst of distortion will tear the music into something like The Wipers or Pixies, but it stays buried in the music. I loved that show because it absolutely came out, and I was one of the youngest people in attendance... most of the audience was probably late 30s to early 50s. But the thing I noticed was, I went to a Dinosaur Jr concert a bit later that had a crowd much more representative of my age group, early 20s, and the crowd at The Feelies must have been 10 times as into the music! Good stuff all around. And thanks for the European Indie Pop, Sophie Hunger sounds right up my alley. I must admit though, I don't get jj at all. Despite the fact that it really seems like it should be something I would enjoy, I can't get into them.