Flatbasset

Friday, July 8, 2016

Album Of The Week: "Hell Yep" by Frankie Teardrop

Flatbasset Radio's Album Of The Week for the week of July 3rd-9th, 2016:

Frankie Teardrop - Hell Yep

01. Not A Love Song
02. Stay Dumb
03. It Flipped
04. Get It (Kelly)
05. Diet
06. Back To It
07. Convertible/Cig Death
08. Beauty Station
09. My Boys
10. Pissin' In The City
11. D.E.F.L.
12. Waiting For You

(Frankie Teardrop by Niya DeLa Pena)

Well, folks, welcome to one of the more morose entries in my Album Of The Week column. I'm sad to say that, this week, I'll be writing up Frankie Teardrop's final album. We all knew this day would come, of course, but not in July of 2016.

For those of you who've been following along with the blog & podcast, you likely know that MinneSarah & I have been huge supporters of Frankie Teardrop for a long time now. I've played their songs five times on the show and this week's marks the third time one of their records has appeared in AOTW. Hell, it was just two episodes ago that I was waxing nostalgic about their ten-minute performance of "Free Fallin'" at 10K Sounds Festial a couple years ago.

However, it all started rather inauspiciously. Here's what I wrote about Frankie Teardrop's song "Lines" back in March of 2014:

"I spent a week with Tough Guy a while back. It's a fine, basically enjoyable throwback sort of record. However, I've yet to see Frankie Teardrop live, which is evidently necessary to totally buy into what Frankie Teardrop's selling.

"Lines" is a perfectly serviceable, straight ahead rocker. That, however, is pretty much it. There's no great chorus to boost the song up, no crazy guitar solos, nothing particularly memorable. It just trucks along for a minute & forty seconds and then leaves. Even Frankie's lyrics about abusing substances and pushing things too far ring a little hollow when delivered in such a workmanlike manner. I don't know if it was MPR or the band that decided to push "Lines," but I know Frankie Teardrop can do better. Try giving "New Beverage" or "Killed A Man" a listen for a more interesting take on just what Frankie Teardrop is capable of doing."

Damn. That's pretty cold. Who would have thought that this band would go on to be one of the flagship bands of the blog?

I'd feel bad about that review, but Frankie Teardrop spent the next two years going out and doing exactly what I was hoping they'd do. Beginning with the Raiders EP they went from "serviceable" to a band that trafficked almost exclusively in crazy guitar solos and great choruses. It was thrilling to watch a band find their sound so quickly & so precisely.

Which brings us Hell Yep, their first and last full-length. The album opens with "Not A Love Song," which boils the Frankie Teardrop experience down to its essence. "This is not a love song, my heart just exploded..." sings Frankie Teardrop mastermind Jordan Bleau, and it's a quintessential FT couplet. They care too much, they don't care at all, here comes the hook, here comes the guitar. One song into the album and we've already got a classic on our hands.

The second track on the album, however, is the track that best explains how we got here. At 3:47 "Stay Dumb" is the longest song on the album by over a minute and with good reason. It's both mission statement and eulogy. It shows how the band has grown (check out the acoustic guitar/feedback/rolling drums intro) from delightfully simple garage rock band to power-pop geniuses.

"I don't wanna stay dumb..." Bleau sings in the chorus, detaching the line from anger or angst and weighting it to a melody that underlines his point. You see, here's the dirty little secret about Frankie Teardrop - they were never dumb. Sure, they may have been playing simple to make the point that there should always be a home for good old fashioned rock n roll music, but that "dumb rock" was never their calling. Bleau's guitar work in the jangling indie-pop band Gloss showed exactly what kind of talent he had. As half of the manpower/brainpower behind No Problem Records, he & Alex Uhrich have shown time & again that the last thing they want to do is release "dumb" rock music. "There's got to be more to life..." Bleau sings in the bridge, "I don't believe the hype..."

What makes the rest of the Hell Yep so much damn fun are the moments when the band shows just how smart they can be (without sacrificing any of the hooks). Listen to the keyboards that fill out "Get It (Kelly)," the drum machine intro at the beginning of "Diet" or my favorite, the absolute double pixie stick rush of the lead guitar & pre-chorus keyboards on "Waiting For You." Add up all those little flourishes and you'll realize that Frankie Teardrop has made one of the smartest "dumb" record you've ever heard.

At 12 songs in 22 minutes, Jordan Bleau & the boys have trimmed every ounce of fat from their sound and delivered a perfect debut LP. Everything about the band that worked in the past has been amplified while everything clumsy has been jettisoned. The whole thing's been given a pop sheen that makes it completely accessible for new fans, while still having all the personality that'll keep older fans coming back.

Twist those words a little bit, and you can see why Hell Yep also makes for a perfect ending point for Frankie Teardrop. They've pushed their sound as it can be pushed. All those little keyboard washes and acoustic intros I've been fawning over are clearly the work of a man who wants to push his sound further but feels he needs a clean break & a fresh slate to do so. To put it briefly, it's the kind of final statement that leaves you wanting more. And those are always the best kind.

I don't know what happens next for Jordan Bleau, but Frankie Teardrop made for quite an opening act. Boys, it was a hell of a run. Can't wait to see what comes next.

If you'd like to download Hell Yep or any of the other Frankie Teardrop releases, head over to their Bandcamp page.

For more TCDroogsma be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma). Previous episodes of Flatbasset Radio are archived on his Mixcloud page. Stop by Flatbasset Radio's Facebook Page & give it a "Like" if you have the time.

Friday, July 1, 2016

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #80 (Canada Day Special!)

"Like leaves from an old maple..."

Well hello again, everybody! Welcome to a very special episode of Flatbasset Radio!

Folks, if you didn't know, today is Canada Day! That's right, our brother to the North is celebrating today and we're here to celebrate right along with them. To be honest, there's a part of me that's surprised the same human garbage that uses Cinco De Mayo & St. Patty's Day as an excuse to get completely wrecked hasn't co-opted Canada Day yet, but their loss is our gain.

To celebrate, I've put together a whole episode devoted to Canadian artists large and small. We check in with some of Flatbasset Radio's favorites, some new artists, jangling indie pop, throwback hip-hop, hardcore, power-pop, and everything in between as we crisscross the vast expanse that is Canada. Along the way I manage to butcher the French language (again), attempt to explain how Minnesota's the bridge between Canada & the U.S., compare Winnipeg to St. Paul (minus the playoff hockey, of course), and somehow avoid playing Drake (it wasn't easy). All that plus the Cover Of The Week & Flatbasset Flatclassic!

As always, Flatbasset Radio is completely free. I've finally set up a decent downloading site, so if you'd like to download Flatbasset Radio: Episode #79 (with all the appropriate iTunes tagging), just click here.

If you don't have the time or desire to download the show, just click the Mixcloud player below and you're good to go.

Here's how Episode #80 plays out:

01. Still Life Still - Danse Cave

02. Buck 65 - Je T'aime Mon Amour

03. Fucked Up - Paper The House

04. Stars - Wonderful Life

05. The Everywheres - A Nightmare

06. Broken Social Scene - World Sick

07. Shad - Compromise

08. Sloan - 500 Up

09. Imaginary Cities - Bells Of Cologne

10. Ian Kamau - Say It Ain't So

11. Neil Young - One Of These Days

12. Wolf Parade - I'll Believe In Anything

There it is, folks! Enjoy!

Flatbasset Radio's 25 Most Played Albums: June '16

Well hello again, album art collage fans! Welcome to another edition of Shit I Listened To Last Month!

Folks, June is in the books and summer's in full swing. As always, I'd like to take a moment to thank everybody who stopped by the Flatbasset blog over the last month to read the album write-ups. An extra big thanks to anybody who took the time to listen to the podcast. Still love doing it, hope you like listening to it.

As per usual, I listened to a bunch of music this past month. Lots of great new stuff, digging into some old stuff.... you know how it goes.

Before I get to the stats, the usual reminder: Every song listened to counts as a "play." Seems obvious, right? So, for example, Garrison Grouse's excellent new record has 11 songs, meaning each time I listen to it all the way through it counts 11 "plays." As usual, all stats come from my Last.FM page. Give it a follow if you really want to stay up on what's getting the most plays around Planet New Basset.

Alright, here we go...

01. Metasota - #RUMDMT (91 plays)

02. Garrison Grouse - With That Said (77 plays)

03. The Counterfactuals - The Counterfactuals (63 plays)

04. Various Artists - An Earfull Of Sound Unseen (42 plays)

05. Clementine - Truth Mattress (38 plays)

06. Janis Figure - Damage Control (36 plays)

07. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (32 plays)

08. Capital Steez - AmeriKKKan Korruption (28 plays)

09. The Pooches - Splitting An Omelette With My Mother (27 plays)

10. Homeboy Sandman - Kindness For Weakness (26 plays)

11. Beck - Odelay (26 plays)

12. Kanye West - The Life Of Pablo (26 plays)

13. The Verve - A Northern Soul (24 plays)

14. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky (24 plays)

15. Astronomique - Astronomique (24 plays)

16. Badly Drawn Boy - How Did I Get Here? (22 plays)

17. Devata Daun - L o o k (22 plays)

18. Various Artists - Adult Simw Singles Program 2016 (22 plays)

19. Tony Peachka - Live On Radio K (2016) (22 plays)

20. Information Society - Creatures Of Influence (21 plays)

21. Ennio Morricone - The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly (21 plays)

22. Buck 65 - Talkin' Honky Blues (18 plays)

23. Vats - Today (18 plays)

24. Luna - The Best Of Luna (17 plays)

25. Drake - If You're Reading This It's Too Late (17 plays)

There it is, everybody. Stay tuned for more shows & words & stuff.

Image via Tap Music
Stats via my Last.fm page

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #79

"It takes strength to be gentle & kind..."

Well hello again, podcast fans! Welcome to Flatbasset Radio: Episode #79!

Folks, summer's officially upon us and, in tribute, I've got red-hot jams lined up for this week's episode. As per usual, sorry for the gap between episodes. I'm very lazy. Conversely, thanks to everybody who did check out Episode #78. My buddy Nick & I teamed up for that one and I think it turned out to be the best one we've ever teamed up for.

That, however, is the last episode. On this week's show I've got a jam from my favorite reunited punk band, a cut from an iconic soundtrack, a set for our brothers & sisters in England, a spotlight on Flatbasset Radio's Album Of The Week, some under-informed political talk, a check-in on some of our Twin Cities friends, a few anniversaries, a lot of sweating, even more swearing, and my absolute ultimate summer jam! All that plus the Cover Of The Week & one of the most classic Flatbasset Flatclassics ever!

As always, Flatbasset Radio is completely free. I've finally set up a decent downloading site, so if you'd like to download Flatbasset Radio: Episode #79 (with all the appropriate iTunes tagging), just click here.

If you don't have the time or desire to download the show, just click the Mixcloud player below and you're good to go.

Here's how Flatbasset Radio: Ep. #79 plays out:

01. Descendents - Victim Of Me

02. Joey Bada$$ - Brooklyn's Own

03. The Pooches - Rhythm Of The Rain

04. Sugar Ray - Fly (w/Super Cat)

05. The Jam - Going Underground

06. Primal Scream - Trainspotting

07. The Specials - Racist Friend

08. Clementine - Evergreens

09. Devata Daun - Be A Stranger

10. Dem Atlas - Grbge Trsh

11. Frankie Teardrop - Waiting For You

12. The Smiths - I Know It's Over

There you have it, folks. Drink lots of water.

Saturday, June 18, 2016

Album Of The Week: "L o o k" by Devata Daun

Flatbasset Radio's Album Of The Week for the week of June 12th-18th, 2016:

Devata Daun - L o o k

01. We Were Carried
02. Fascinate
03. Animal Instincts
04. Willow
05. I've Been Here Before
06. Subconscious Gestures
07. Tell Me Your Visions
08. Skeletons
09. Be A Stranger
10. They Say

(Devata Daun via Serene Supreme)

I was turned on to Devata Daun via Radio K's excellent Track of The Day program. Back in October of last year they featured Daun's (aka Nikki Pfeifer) Off The Record performance of "Animal Instincts" as one of their local tracks of the week. Radio K's TOTD program is usually pretty eclectic, but even after spending a week with the song (and repeatedly watching the "Skeletons" clip below), I still didn't know what to make of her sound.

Fortunately, shortly after her TOTD appearance, the picture slowly came into focus. Daun, Garrison Grouse, & c.Kostra (aka Ryan Olcott) announced that they were forming Pytch Records. Spending time on their Soundcloud pages led me to an array of stellar singles (Daun, Grouse, & Kostra have since had songs on my Flatbasset Radio podcast) and went a long way to galvanizing their sound. Jared Hemming's excellent City Pages write-up helped me wrap my head around what Olcott describes as their "lo-fi" & "pitch-deviant" sounds.

So, all of that background info aside, L o o k brings with it one obvious question: Can the Pytch Records sound stand up over the course of a full-length LP?

The answer, at least in Daun's case, is yes.

Opener "We Were Carried" is an excellent example of Daun's version of the sound. The elastic keyboards drift in & out of the mix like their batteries are dying at the end of each sustained note. Daun's sustained vocals are relatively stoic, belying a sneaky, simple melody that balances off those keyboards. The whole thing is held together by the percussion, which, seemingly immune from the keyboard's teetering sound, proves to be the album's secret weapon.

The studio version of "Animal Instincts" stands as an early album highlight. Over plinking, heart-monitor-esque keys that make it sound as if we're entering the scene mid-chase, Daun declares, "We are savage animals, you are my prey..." in a tone that's equally cold & sensual. The hunt gains pace via added layers of keyboards for the next 90 seconds before Daun sings "we don’t decide when the thirst takes over, lead me to the water along that rolling river..." as the song opens into a kaleidoscopic burst of keyboards. Just as quickly as it opens up, however, it closes and the hunt begins anew.

Lyrically, Daun tackles quite a few subjects on L o o k. Nature, consumerism, longing, confusion, dissolution of friendship, religion, um... skeletons, all of them are filtered from Nikki Pfeifer the songwriter through the prism of Devata Daun. Fortunately, the fact that Pfeifer prefers keyboards to acoustic guitars keeps the subject matter from sounding too self-serious. For example, give a listen to "Subconscious Gestures:"

"These disconnections are making me numb, yesterday we felt a bond so strong..." No doubt, this is a universal sentiment that would pass as little more than cliche in some songwriter's hands. In Daun's hands, however, it's laid right in the middle of a pulsing keyboard beat, and delivered with a matter-of-fact tone that somehow relieves it of both its weight its potential for cliche. In the context of that subjects tackled on L o o k, it comes off as merely another disappointing moment in a modern, digital-centric lifestyle that has only minimal time to spare on such things. It's both relieving & disconcerting, as if perhaps the pendulum of modern emotion has swung too quickly from dwelling to dismissive.

Late album highlight "Be A Stranger" tackles this same subject matter post-disconnection. At 2:22, the song is basically Pytch's version of punk rock. Daun asks, "Why don't you go now? What is there to be afraid of when you are the stranger?" while skittering drum-and-bass percussion forces the issue along so fast that no one has the time to let on that they're hurt. "Don't be afraid to be a stranger..." she sings playfully, one last kiss-off before shutting the door.

Despite the fact that I've spent the last three paragraphs discussing the album's lyrics, make no mistake, L o o k was always going to sink or swim on its grooves, and it definitely swims. Even if the lyrics are ignored completely and Daun's voice is treated as another instrument in the mix, these songs are filled with hooks & flourishes that make it an album that rewards repeated spins. Though L o o k is essentially a collection of singles that initially stood alone, it holds together very well as coherent piece of work and stands as a great introduction to Pytch's world.

Daun will be playing at The Triple Rock June 30th. If you'd like to check out L o o k for yourself, head on over to her Bandcamp page.

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Flatbasset Radio's 25 Most Played Albums: May '16

Well hello again, internet. Welcome to yet another edition of Flatbasset Radio's Top 25!

That's right, folks, it's the first of the month. Cash your government checks, pay your rent, and indulge me in a bit of instant nostalgia.

As always, a big, big thank you to everybody who stopped by the blog last month. My buddy Nick & I put together an epic episode of Flatbasset Radio just a couple of weeks ago and it's gotten a very nice response, so thanks to anybody who gave it a spin. If you haven't given it a listen, you really should. Matter of fact, you should probably go back and listen to the other 77 episodes of the show too just to make sure you haven't missed anything.

Anyway, let's get to this post. I listened to a whole bunch of new music this month. The new Radiohead is excellent. The new Aesop Rock is even better. Fog's new one is great. I finally got around to Kanye's new one (epic!). Frankie Teardrop's new (and final) record is a gem. The new Astronautalis goes in. Ditto fore Homeboy Sandman. All in all, good month.

Before I get to the stats, the usual reminder: Every song listened to counts as a "play." Seems obvious, right? So, for example, the new Radiohead record has 11 songs, meaning each time I listen to it all the way through it counts 11 "plays." As usual, all stats come from my Last.FM page. Give it a follow if you really want to stay up on what's getting the most plays around Planet New Basset.

Alright, here we go...

01. Aesop Rock - The Impossible Kid (107 plays)

02. Astronautalis - Cut The Body Loose (77 plays)

03. Frankie Teardrop - Hell Yep (70 plays)

04. Fog - For Good (56 plays)

05. Kanye West - The Life Of Pablo (39 plays)

06. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool (33 plays)

07. Tim Gadban - Vanishing Animal (33 plays)

08. Various Artists - ECS 100: Ecstattic Forever (A Compliation) (33 plays)

09. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Hearts Of Oak (26 plays)

10. Homeboy Sandman - Kindness For Weakness (26 plays)

11. The Hang Ups - The Hang Ups (25 plays)

12. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - All This Useless Beauty (24 plays)

13. Down By Law - Blue (24 plays)

14. R.E.M. - Eponymous (24 plays)

15. Tapes 'N Tapes - Outside (24 plays)

16. Lil' Wayne - The Dedication 2 (24 plays)

17. Ego Death - Daze (23 plays)

18. Paper Tiger - In Other Words: Part One (23 plays)

19. The Person & The People - Dark And Low (22 plays)

20. Various Artists - Meat Tape (22 plays)

21. The Replacements - Pleased To Meet Me (22 plays)

22. Thursday - War All The Time (22 plays)

23. My Bloody Valentine - M B V (18 plays)

24. Lunch Duchess - My Mom Says I Have A Rich Inner Life (18 plays)

25. Steely Dan - The Royal Scam (18 plays)

There it is, everybody. Stay tuned for more shows & words & stuff.

Image via Tap Music
Stats via my Last.fm page

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Flatbasset Radio: Episode #78 (Young Sandwich's Spring Mix)

"They gave out free records to the best couple..."

Well hello again, podcast junkies! Welcome to Flatbasset Radio: Episode #78!

Folks, I don't know if you've been outside this week, but spring is upon us here in Minneapolis. And what better way to welcome the rebirth of the city and return of the filth than with a new Young Sandwich Mix?

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Young Sandwich franchise, here's the story: Each time the season changes my buddy Nick hits me up with a USB drive or CD full of the jams he's been rocking of late. I then take those jams, sequence/tweak/add/subtract/generally nerd out over them, run 'em together, and present to you, loyal listener, an hour long, banter-free mix to blast through your car stereo.

That's right, folks, no banter! None of my nasally complaining about everything. Just an hour of straight music.

As you can see, this is Young Sandwich's Spring 2016 Mix. Nick's changed it up just a little bit. There's no old-timey jazz & no acoustic balladry. This spring mix leans heavy on electronics, dance music, independent hip-hop, a bit of classic rock, a bit of indie rock, and a Norwegian dance music hat trick! Hell, he even managed to work in a Cover Of The Week!

As always, Flatbasset Radio is completely free. I've finally set up a decent downloading site, so if you'd like to download Flatbasset Radio: Episode #78 (with all the appropriate iTunes tagging), just click here.

If you don't have the time or desire to download the show, just click the Mixcloud player below and you're good to go.

Here's how Young Sandwich's Spring Mix plays out: