Author: Steve Diguer

#FastSong 11: Big Takeover by Bad Brains. Hard to imagine this today but it’s coming…

 

Wow, I dare you to find anybody who comes close to this today. Forgive me for being a little nostalgic on a Retro Tuesday, but I’ve been waiting for all-out high energy aggressive angry rock and roll to make a comeback, and I’m getting impatient. Not dissing the current generation of bands out there. I hear new music I love everyday.

Modern Rock IMHO essentially flips between periods of being all about raw youthful energy – love, hope, frustration, hate, and lust (Mid to late 50s, mid to late 60s, late 70s to early 80s, all of the 90s) – to periods of studied, restrained cool, and good musicianship (every other period in between).

I really feel like we’re due for a period of just playing the s*** out of our instruments again, and not giving a f***.

Socially, the conditions are pretty ripe. The current crop of young people are working their asses off for very little reward, after a whole life of being told how each and every one of them is special, and that all they had to do was believe in a dream and work hard, only to be full out exploited by those same people. Surveys say that having no hope and realizing you’ve been lied to your whole life are the top two reasons for thrashing to angry violent punk. And watching your parents ride away on matching custom Harleys thanks to their fat, unsustainable pensions while you occupy your childhood bedroom and water the plants is right up there too.

I don’t think this crop of young people will be the ones to fight back though. They’re exhausted and hopelessly in debt. They don’t have the luxury of being angry and disillusioned. It’s the batch of kids after them that are going to clue into what’s happening and call everybody on their collective bulls***. And hopefully we’ll enter a new world of prosperity that’ll make disconnecting from college and a career less of a scary scenario.

In the meantime, holy f*** check out f***ing Bad Brains!! Here is the studio version:

#FastSong 10: Evil Friends by Portugal. The Man. Sexy Rock and Roll from Portland.

 

Now this I like! It’s the title track from Portugal. The Man’s seventh studio album, which will release on June 4. It’s their first collaboration with Danger Mouse and judging by this track it is really paying off. Beautiful mood with a slow sentimental start followed by an irresistible dancy groove and vocals that cut through like a sexy knife. Fans of #FastSongs in my lovely home town of Toronto can catch the band at the Phoenix on June 11. Sadly I will probably be somewhere in Ohio, a few days shy of completing my grand journey back home from LA.

Small dedication to my buddy Thérèse Pinho from Montreal with whom I spent an awesome week here in LA. We did a series of photos called “Angry Producer on Vacation” which I hope to post here shortly. She doesn’t know the band but she is of Portuguese descent.

#FastSong 9: Whittier Blvd. by Thee Midniters. Happy Cinco de Mayo!

 

I’m happy to say I’m a little relieved this blog doesn’t have a million followers yet, because I have to admit I know little about Cinco de Mayo and even less about the Midniters.  I did want to send you something in the Latin theme since I do plan on getting really wasted Saturday night.

If you live in the LA area, check out the Latin Ska scene which is really fantastic.  My personal faves are The Delirians who I’ve seen tons of times, and if they release a song in the higher BPM range I will totally feature on these pages.  Happy Friday!

#FastSong 8: Never Understand by Jesus and Mary Chain. In my college dorm, a girl once mistook this record for a vacuum cleaner.

 

Hard to believe it’s been over 25 years since Psycho Candy was released.  It was game changing at the time, and so ahead of itself that bands today are still trying to catch up to it.  At the risk of sounding like a punk rock Abe Simpson, this writer was in the room for the band’s first North American performance at the Montreal Spectrum back in the mid eighties (I’m gonna say 85, but I could be off by a year).

Some will remember that when they started, the guys were unbelievable brats, refusing to play for longer than fifteen minutes at their UK shows.  Much destruction of public property and personal injury ensued when aggressive hypnotized fans, who thought they found the best thing since the Sex Pistols, were left thoroughly unsatisfied and short changed and proceeded to trash the place.  So on their first North American tour, they were contractually obliged to play for forty minutes.  In Montreal, the promoters took no chances and lined up five opening acts, like Alien Sex Fiend, which just made for the most heightened mayhem and anarchy you can imagine.  By the time J&MC hit the stage, people went positively mental.

It’s hard to overstate how truly cool these guys were at the time.

BUT – Fearing their unique, feedback “Wall of Noise” had become a gimmick, they ditched it for the second album and everybody pretty much lost interest.  A friend saw them play earlier this year and said they were sloppy, forgetful, and generally mocking of the audience and event so it’s good to see some people never change.

True story!  I blasted Never Understand in my college dorm room, and when it was over, I heard a knock on my door.  When I answered, a girl I know stood there confused looking at the record in my hand and said: ” Sorry, I was gonna ask to borrow your vaccum.”

 

#FastSong 7: Such Great Heights by Postal Service. Some nice electronic chill on a Wednesday.

 

Such a pretty, melodic, soft sell this song has. The minimalist sound can’t help but evoke memories of Fischerspooner, then all the way back to that German guy who sang the 4321 Major Tom song in the eighties, then to Kraftwerk before that. Canadian fans of a certain age might be reminded of The Spoons’ Nova Heart, a really remarkable early new wave track.

I love electronic music and will try to make it an important part of this blog. Seeing Kraftwerk live about five years ago made me understand why. The computer does not judge. It observes human behavior… It collects data, analyses it, and tries to predict but it doesn’t judge. It is humble and likes to entertain. And it has a nice uncomplicated voice.

#FastSong 6: Hello There by Cheap Trick. Welcome to Retro Tuesdays!

 

Talk about a classic. My cousin played me this record when I was twelve and I’ve never been the same since. Something about that mix of glam, punk, new wave, and that 50’s rock and roll back beat. Cheap Trick, with it’s highly unlikely band mates (it was hard to imagine these guys at the same bus stop, let alone being in a band together) and its completely unselfconscious blend of pop and fm rock, was like a celebration of everything rock and roll had become by 1978. And Japan loved it. And I love it.

AND! Singer Robin Zander has one of the best voices in rock history.

#FSD 5: Death by Ty Segall Band. This is what life is all about.

 

What do you do when it’s Monday and you feel categorically unprepared to face the week?  Like you were dropped in the middle of a battle with no weapons, no plan, no armor, no clothes, and nobody’s got your back?  Just you, alone.  Do you look to the sky for inspiration?  Do you gently say good bye to your mother in a prayer?  Do you surrender in the unlikely hope that one of the swords pointed at your throat might go down but then make you its slave?

OR… do you scream like a psychopath and attack with everything you’ve got like there is no death, no eternity… only this critical moment you’re in right now, and your only hope is to take just one of the bastards out and prove that you belong on the winning team.

I felt slow, weak and powerless today until I listened to Death by the Ty Segall Band.  It’s a kick ass, wonderful track full of power, mystery, and surprises that freaks out and amazes at every corner.  I hope you give it a listen and feel great too.  NOW GO GET’EM !!

#FSD 4 Friday On My Mind by David Bowie: Anybody know if there’s a live version of this?

 

Sadly I don’t know if this amazing Bowie cover ever had a life beyond the time it took him to record it. I’m sure there are better remakes out there but I can’t think of any. Bowie just skins the Easybeats original recording on this one. I mean, if you ever want to know how it feels to be young, get paid, and have a whole world of freedom and a honey in the wings ahead of you, and not even care if there’s a planet to wake up to on Saturday, then for God’s sake throw in the Bowie Pinups tape.

So yeah, don’t hate a guy for doing the obvious thing… recommending a song with Friday in the title on a Friday. Like Bowie shows, if you’re going to do an obvious thing, just sing the hell out of it. Come to think of it, I have some bread, some friends, and I ain’t that old yet… I’ll post photos!

Crocodiles play “Sunday” live at the Troubadour, October 2011

 

Okay, try and listen beyond the horrible sound and picture quality from my phone – and keep in mind that being the opening act this song was probably their sound check – and imagine how good they sounded in person.  I am in love with those harmonies.  Really folky, authentic, and modern at the same time.  So what do you think?  Do you see how the album version strays from this?  Or am I an angry old f*** on a rant?

Happy Thursday! Lose yourself for three minutes in Sunday by Crocodiles

 

It’s only day three and I’m already feeling like Thursdays are gonna be psychedelic.

I caught Crocodiles last year at the Troubadour when they opened for Dum Dum Girls. Great show, great sound… way deeper and more compelling than the main act IMO whose shtick got old about three songs in. I fell in love with Sunday which had yet to be released.

I’m going to post some video of the show, and I think you’ll agree about the dangers of being over-produced. The melody and harmonies were so sweet at the show, the song drew me in immediately. You really felt like they captured something unique.

Yet the album version sounds so washy and generic in comparison that the song loses much of its character. So there’s a lesson for all you young producers out there… get the hell out of the way! And kids! Stop giving your bands boring-ass one word names that don’t define you! Stay tuned for the video… then you can tell me if I’m smart or a ranting Grandpa Simpson.

No it’s not too early… Cheap Beer by FIDLAR

 

Enough BS nostalgia! Cheap Beer by Fidlar is brand new – released in January 2013 – and about as good as it gets for yours truly. I mean, listen to it. It’s just all out. I’m loving the record… It’s classic garage punk with a little surf and though Cheap Beer is a stand-out track, it’s all really catchy. It warms my heart to hear the kids still embracing this sound with so much gusto. I feel like I have truly earned this record after taking in so many bland hipster acts in the last year. They’re playing May 16 here in LA and you can bet I’ll be there to bring you the news.

Fast Song of the Day Officially Launches! First track: All Nighter by Elastica

 

Why? Because it’s PERFECT! It’s fast, dirty, all-out, rock and roll with Justine’s one of a kind just-rolled-into-rehearsal-an-hour-late-looking-totally-hot-wearing-whatever-she-found-at-the-foot-of-the-bed vocals. It’s the best ever use of the word “garage” in a rock song; and going to the “guerij” for fags and tea seems like a pretty awesome waste of a day. It’s sensitive, melodic, teasing, cool, reckless, completely indifferent, and at 1:34, doesn’t have one unnecessary note or word… unlike this blog post. Turn it up! I hope this sets the tone. And welcome friends to the Fast Song of the Day!