Friday, November 30, 2012
Songs Of The Week #16: MinneSarah & TCDroogsma
(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY.)
School Of Seven Bells, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, & Dana Falconberry...
School Of Seven Bells, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, & Dana Falconberry...
Hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome
To Songs Of The Week 16!
For those of you who are unfamiliar
with Songs Of The Week, each week we ask two of our contributors to
listen to The Current's Song Of The Day podcast and tell us what they
think of the songs
The podcast is free and if you'd
like to play subscribe (which we recommend), please click here.
Enjoy the songs for yourself and play along at home.
This week we asked MinneSarah &
TCDroogsma to give the tunes a listen. What they have to say may
shock you. That seems unlikely, but we've never met you. Maybe
you're easily shocked? Regardless... there were only three songs
this week thanks to the Thanksgiving holiday. Slim pickins' thanks
to the fattest of holidays. Isn't that ironic? Don't you think?
As always MinneSarah & TCDroogsma have not read each other's comments prior to posting. Also, be sure to vote in the poll to the
right of the page for your favorite Song Of The Day.
Ready, set... Review!
01.
School Of Seven Bells – Secret Days (from the EP Put
Your Sad Down)
MinneSarah:
This is an upbeat little electronic song. The singer has a breathy optimistic voice, the vocal elements build on each other, and it's got a catchy electronic and drum beat. Lyrically, these secret days are gone and the song mirrors the rosiness of hindsight and nostalgia for days past. However, I didn't really get sucked in to the inner workings of secret days, it just seemed really pretty.
TCDroogsma:
School Of Seven Bells is one of my all time favorite "shuffle" bands. What I mean by that is their songs are all great, but taken all together I get oppressively bored. I went and saw them at 7th St. a while back and even got bored then. Taken out of the context of an album (or, rather, shuffled to on my iPod), however, they all sound like gold. For 3-4 minutes at a time the combo of drum machines, ambient vocals, and just the right amount of hooks add up to something great.
If I were reviewing a whole SOSB album it probably wouldn't get a very high score. However, "Secret Days" as a single is pretty solid. I like this band a lot more when the guitar is prominent and that's not the case here. This almost sounds like a female-fronted version of Depeche Mode. I'll call that a win.
Final Score:
MinneSarah -3/5
TCDroogsma -3.5/5
02. Benjamin
Francis Leftwich – Atlas Hands (from the album Last Smoke Before
The Snowstorm)
MinneSarah:
Whoa dude, you've inspired me to go by
my full name always - it's a shame most people don't.
Plenty of
acoustic guitar-ness going on in this song! While this guy
tries to put some gravel into his voice, it doesn't seem like he's
really up to the task. This half gravel voice plus a female
counterpart on the final chorus actually sounds alright. With a
song title like “Atlas Hands,” I thought he would be talking
about holding the weight of the world on his shoulders, but the
lyrics are clearly more straight forward as in a geographical book
that will take him back to a place he loves. The delivery is a
lot more genuine and heartbreaking than the actual lyrics, but in all
honesty, that is what really counts.
TCDroogsma:
If I didn't know better, MPR, I'd swear you were trying to turn me against all people named Ben. After two straight weeks of Ben Gibbard warbling we get Benjamin Francis Leftwich, who clearly spent too many lonely nights with Transatlanticism.
"Atlas Hands" isn't necessarily a bad song. It's melody is agreeable enough and lyrically it... well... maybe it is a bad song. "I will remember your face because I am still in love with that place..." Ugh... Just follow her into the dark already, BFL.
Final Score:
MinneSarah -2.5/5
TCDroogsma - 2/5
03. Dana
Falconberry – Crooked River (from the album Leelanau)
MinneSarah:
This song is part nursery rhyme, part
grown women on acid pretending to be fairies in the woods. I'm
sure that the group's other offerings are not as completely
unbelievable. However, in this song, the mix of the singer's
baby octave, the harp, and the cutesy anthropomorphic lyrics about a
river doing it's adorable little thing are so over the top. I'm
actually incredulous that this is a serious offering, but I have
never professed to be in on the wood nymph movement. Watch how
I'll be saying I love this song after my initiation.
TCDroogsma:
I was trying to place the sound of this song and the first two acts that came to mind were The Magnetic Fields and Joanna Newsom. That's not a great way to start.
The more I listened to it the more it seemed skew former rather than latter. Still, there's just something a little too proper about this song. It's a little too meticulously done and it has that same stupid dueling-vocals-that-aren't-words thing that turned me against that Django Django song last week. Also, oddly, the more I listened to this song the more I thought it was about menstruation. I got problems, though. Scary problems.
Final Score:
MinneSarah -1/5 (Is there less than one?)
TCDroogsma - 1.5/5
Well there you
have it, everybody, a brief holiday-week's worth of songs listened
to, reviewed, and filed away forever. It will be a quick turnaround
for Songs Of The Week this time around, as we're moving the column to
its new home on Monday afternoon. Until then...
For the record, Newest Industry and its contributors are in no way affiliated with Minnesota Public Radio, The Current, or any of the artists above. We're just people with computers and a little too much free time.
For more of the always charming MinneSarah, she can be found on Twitter (@MinneSarah). Follow her if you enjoy discussions about whether or not 1994 was better than 1996.
For more TCDroogsma, he can also be found on Twitter (@TCDroogsma) or rambling along on his own blog Flatbasset. He also hosts our weekly Flatbasset Radio Podcast, which you should listen to if your favorite records came out in either 1994 or 1996.
Newest Industry Presents: Flatbasset Radio - Episode #5
(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY.)
This was my dream... playing a rockin' routine...
Well hello again, music fans! TCDroogsma is back with Flatbasset Radio - Episode #5!
For those of you stopping by for the first time, TCDroogsma is one of our regular contributors. He typically sticks to the twin indulgences of food and music. Each week we have him put together a podcast of roughly an hour's worth of music broken up sporadically by his nasally banter.
As you can see, Tuesday night is now going to be the new home of the podcast. We realize that this puts Flatbasset Radio up against Tuesdays With Lazerbeak and Tuesday Morning Quarterback. We're hoping that you'll soon consider Flatbasset Radio in the same breath as those two internet institutions. Call it the Tuesday Hat Trick.
Anyway, this week found TCDroogsma in a rather sour mood. Fortunately he managed to talk himself back into a better place by leaning on loud guitars, hometown jams, asian women, Twin Cities ex-pats, yet another stroll back to the 90's, and a Minneapolis icon. Click the embedded player to have a listen or click the title to download the podcast and take it on the go.
Flatbasset Radio - Episode #5
Here's how the podcast breaks down:
01. Deerhoof - Milk Man
02. Kudzu Wish - We've Got Big Hands
03. DJ Abilities - Kastdaddy 4 President
04. BNLX - 1929
05. The Hold Steady - Magazines
06. Yak Ballz - Gas Galaxy
07. Menahan Street Band - The Crossing
08. Superdrag - Sucked Out
09. Murs - Eazy-E
10. Longwave - No Direction
11. Depeche Mode - Waiting For The Night
12. Paul Westerberg - All That I Had
There you have it, everybody! Give it a listen! Download it! Free music! Tweet it! Tell a friend!
For more of the kind of emo TCDroogsma he can be found on Twitter (@TCDroogsma). He also maintains his own Flatbasset blog, though it mainly consists of the work he does here. If you ever meet him in person don't let his beard throw you off, he's not a handsome man.
Of course Newest Industry also lives on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1). Give that a follow to stay up on all the work being done by our contributors. More importantly we also have a Facebook page. Stopping by and giving us a "like" is the best way to support this blog without any sort of financial obligation. If we get to 50 likes we're going to make TCDroogsma shave his beard.
This was my dream... playing a rockin' routine...
Well hello again, music fans! TCDroogsma is back with Flatbasset Radio - Episode #5!
For those of you stopping by for the first time, TCDroogsma is one of our regular contributors. He typically sticks to the twin indulgences of food and music. Each week we have him put together a podcast of roughly an hour's worth of music broken up sporadically by his nasally banter.
As you can see, Tuesday night is now going to be the new home of the podcast. We realize that this puts Flatbasset Radio up against Tuesdays With Lazerbeak and Tuesday Morning Quarterback. We're hoping that you'll soon consider Flatbasset Radio in the same breath as those two internet institutions. Call it the Tuesday Hat Trick.
Anyway, this week found TCDroogsma in a rather sour mood. Fortunately he managed to talk himself back into a better place by leaning on loud guitars, hometown jams, asian women, Twin Cities ex-pats, yet another stroll back to the 90's, and a Minneapolis icon. Click the embedded player to have a listen or click the title to download the podcast and take it on the go.
Flatbasset Radio - Episode #5
Here's how the podcast breaks down:
01. Deerhoof - Milk Man
02. Kudzu Wish - We've Got Big Hands
03. DJ Abilities - Kastdaddy 4 President
04. BNLX - 1929
05. The Hold Steady - Magazines
06. Yak Ballz - Gas Galaxy
07. Menahan Street Band - The Crossing
08. Superdrag - Sucked Out
09. Murs - Eazy-E
10. Longwave - No Direction
11. Depeche Mode - Waiting For The Night
12. Paul Westerberg - All That I Had
There you have it, everybody! Give it a listen! Download it! Free music! Tweet it! Tell a friend!
For more of the kind of emo TCDroogsma he can be found on Twitter (@TCDroogsma). He also maintains his own Flatbasset blog, though it mainly consists of the work he does here. If you ever meet him in person don't let his beard throw you off, he's not a handsome man.
Songs Of The Week #15: MinneSarah & TCDroogsma
(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY.)
Menahan Street Band, Body Language, No, Ben Sollee, & BNLX...
Menahan Street Band, Body Language, No, Ben Sollee, & BNLX...
Hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome
to Songs Of The Week #15!
For those of you who are still
somehow unfamiliar with the SOTW posts, each week we ask a couple of
our contributors to give us their thoughts on the previous week's
songs given away by MPR's The Current. To download the Song Of The
Day podcast for yourself (which we highly recommend), click here.
Playing along at home is fun for the whole family! Especially if
your family likes pretty average indie music!
Make your voice heard by voting in
the poll on the right of the page. This is serious, serious business
people. Whoever wins the contest gets... er... some level of
validation, we suppose.
This week we asked MinneSarah &
TCDroogsma to have a go at the songs.
Kids, what'd you think?
01.
Menahan Street Band – The Crossing (from the album The
Crossing)
MinneSarah:
So this band is an instrumental soul
group complete with horns and an organ. The absence of vocals
is actually refreshing - as it's hard for a lot of these soul funk
revival bands to pull off all the elements - adding a singer is just
another thing to have to worry about fitting in to the mix. This
song features some prominent string plucking over the top of
signature horns and downtempo funk, which makes the song seem a
little more modern than revivalist. Also, this group has been
sampled by Kid Cudi and 50 Cent, so there is a slim chance Kanye is
sampling this song as you read this review.
TCDroogsma:
Honestly, when I saw "Menahan Steet Band" in the downloads this week I set my expectations pretty low. Even though I've really been into instrumental music lately, that tends to be more in the hip-hop instrumental vein and not, y'know, a "supergroup" form Brooklyn consisting of Antibalas and The Dap-Kings.
And yet, I loved "The Crossing." Instead of using the "MSB" moniker to indulge in musical masturbation this song is actually tight. None of the instruments go off on their own and the whole thing is held together by a pseudo-hip hop rhythm. The horns are bright but reserved. The guitar is somehow both celebratory and mournful. This is a perfect soundtrack for strolling around downtown MPLS on a brisk November night.
Final Score: MinneSarah -3/5
TCDroogsma - 4.5/5
02.
Body Language – I'm A Mess (from the EP Grammar)
MinneSarah:
This song is an example of the
funk/soul revival that is not really working. The cadence of
this song reminds me of that Mayer Hawthorne hit a few years back, so
if you liked that song, you won't be disappointed by an even more
hipster version. The singer's voice is not faux soul, and thus
stands out by not trying to be something it's not - however, the
lyrics are cloying and hackneyed. If you like to hear
pining lyrics served over electronic soul revival lite, this song is
a ten. I'd like to make a joke about how this song was written
without you and is a mess unto itself, but that's just not true.
It's pretty tight yet overly pedestrian.
TCDroogsma:
I know I spend a lot of time here making fun of synth-pop bands, but know that those jokes have more to do with how many are in MPLS and not the genre in general. So, that being said, I really did enjoy this one.
"I'm A Mess" is an ode to co-dependency soundtracked by Paul McCartney's keyboards from "Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time." I mean that as a compliment. Although, if you're a co-dependent guy who spends his time listening to old Paul McCartney records I would imagine the only body language you're used to is crossed arms and rolled eyes.
Final Score: MinneSarah -2/5
TCDroogsma - 3/5
03.
No – What's Your Name? (from the 7” What's Your Name?)
MinneSarah:
Is this The National? This band
has gotten that question so many times, they just named themselves
No. They then named their single - What's Your Name, as that is the
question they got after they responded that they weren't The
National. Okay, maybe that didn't happen, but then again maybe
it did.
While I feel like this is a National song when I listen
to it, it does evoke a little more optimistic moodiness. The
song is broken up a little with bouts of whistling, and punches of
percussion. The lyrics talk about what people are wearing,
which is pretty much what caught my attention. Although I feel
like the singer sounds a bit generically indie, the song
is interesting enough to get catchier the more often you
listen to it.
TCDroogsma:
This song is like indie rock Madlibs. Kind of a piano song, kind of a guitar song. None of the lyrics add up to any kind of coherent whole, but rather they all sound like the first line from a different band's song. "See the sun turn round and run away..." is Lou Reed. "Turn around now, I can't stay" - Julian Casablancas. "Shut the gates if I don't show, I'll send dogs to let you know..." Paging Paul Banks. Paul Banks, please pick up the red phone. What's your name, indeed.
Final Score: MinneSarah -3/5
TCDroogsma - 3/5
04.
Ben Sollee – Unfinished (from the album Half-Made Man)
MinneSarah:
So remember last week when I said that
I was born in Kentucky? Guess who else was born and raised in
my birth town? Why Ben Sollee, of course. This music isn't bad,
but once again, it's not really my style. The song is
alt-country nouveau, with the inclusion of the cello - which does add
quite a depth. Ben's vocals sound almost Bruce
Springsteen-like. Overall, hometown be damned, I am extremely
conflicted whether or not I can recommend a song by a
singer/songwriter who has done a bike tour of Kentucky. Seriously.
That could be the most awesome and inspiring or soul-crushingly
hipster thing I've ever heard. Can't decide. Luckily, as
the song indicates, this isn't the last we've heard from Ben Sollee.
TCDroogsma:
I guess I wouldn't think you could build a whole career around recreating the Billy Bragg tracks from Mermaid Avenue. I learn something new every day.
Final Score: MinneSarah -2.5/5
TCDroogsma - 2/5
05.
BNLX – Vibrant (from the album BNLX)
MinneSarah:
Upbeat guitars, hyper-enunciated
vocals, slight electronic backdrop. I like how clean the song
sounds amidst punctuated rouge (or not) guitar. There is a lot
of order in this song, almost formulaic but in a way that works!
Basically I love anything upbeat and eighties sounding and will
justify that any way I see fit. Although this isn't the most
exciting song I've heard this week, there is something comforting in
its design.
TCDroogsma:
I went on an extended rant about BNLX earlier this week when I reviewed their track "1929." (cough... Singles Mixer #3... cough... scroll down... cough...)
Oddly, I don't necessarily like this song as much as that one. My point in that review was that getting a slightly political angle out of Ed Ackerson made for an interesting listen. It gave me a fuller picture of who he is regarding his Polara/BNLX bands. "Vibrant" is a pretty great track, don't get me wrong, but this one sounds more like Polara with a drum machine. Still, you all know I'm a sucker for boy/girl hooks and really, who's arguing with a song that sounds like the love child of New Order & Dinosaur Jr?
Final Score: MinneSarah -3.5/5
TCDroogsma - 3.5/5
Blaow! There
you have it, everybody! Another week of songs listened to, reviewed,
and filed away.
As always we'd
like to mention that neither this blog nor its contributors is in
anyway affiliated with MPR, The Current, or any of the artists
reviewed. We're just people with iTunes & free time.
For more of the always charming MinneSarah give her a follow on Twitter (@MinneSarah). For even more MinneSarah be sure to mention nail polish & vegan donuts.
For more TCDroogsma he can also be followed on Twitter (@TCDroogsma). He seems like he should probably eat more vegan donuts too.
Of course
Newest Industry is also on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1). Give us a
follow to stay up on all the work being done by our contributors.
More importantly, we also have a Facebook page here. Stopping by and
giving us a “like” is genuinely the best way to support this blog
short of buying us donuts.
Newest Industry Presents: Flatbasset Radio - Episode #4 (Thanksgiving Special!)
(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY.)
"Fruits, veggies, rice, beans, fryin' the tofu..."
Well hello again, free music fans!
Our old friend TCDroogsma is back with his Flatbasset podcast. This week TCDroogsma puts together a whole episode with a Thanksgiving theme! Or at least, he tries to, and that's really the best we can hope for the young man.
Click on the embedded player below to listen to the podcast. You'll get to hear TCDroogsma struggle to find a common thread between Jeff Tweedy, Kanye West, John Lennon, & Milo Aukerman. You'll also get to hear reason #530 why Minnesota is better than everything. He also calls out the Ying Yang Twins & Kendrick Lamar, places football above family, and lusts over the way things were back in 1996. Good times all around.
Of course you can click the below to download the podcast so you'll have something to listen to while making the long drive to your parents' house for the holiday.
Flatbasset Radio: Episode #4
Here's how the podcast breaks down this week:
01. The Shins - Young Pilgrims
02. Dosh - The Indian Bells
03. Brother Ali - Sweet (Potato Pie)
04. Kanye West - Family Business
05. Descendents - I Like Food
06. MF Doom - Fillet-O-Rapper
07. John Lennon - Cold Turkey
08. Golden Smog - Pecan Pie
09. Alanis Morissette - ThankYou
10. Pixies - Levitate Me
11. Antony & The Johnsons - Thank You For Your Love
12. Guided By Voices - Redmen And Their Wives
13. F. Stokes & Lazerbeak (w/Mike Mictlan) - Blessings
14. Descendents - Thank You
There you have it. Give it a play. Give it a download. Tell a friend. Tell two friends...
If, for some reason, that's not enough TCDroogsma he can be followed on Twitter (@TCDroogsma). He can also be found rambling on over at Flatbasset, his personal blog. There's a 45% chance that he's already holiday drunk, so don't take any of his ramblings TOO seriously.
Of course Newest Industry also lives on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1). Give us a follow to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors. More importantly, we have a Facebook page here. Stopping by and giving us a "like" is honestly the best way to support the blog short of just throwing money at us. We'd all be awfully THANKFUL if you gave us a "like." (See what we did there? Pertinent, right?)
"Fruits, veggies, rice, beans, fryin' the tofu..."
Well hello again, free music fans!
Our old friend TCDroogsma is back with his Flatbasset podcast. This week TCDroogsma puts together a whole episode with a Thanksgiving theme! Or at least, he tries to, and that's really the best we can hope for the young man.
Click on the embedded player below to listen to the podcast. You'll get to hear TCDroogsma struggle to find a common thread between Jeff Tweedy, Kanye West, John Lennon, & Milo Aukerman. You'll also get to hear reason #530 why Minnesota is better than everything. He also calls out the Ying Yang Twins & Kendrick Lamar, places football above family, and lusts over the way things were back in 1996. Good times all around.
Of course you can click the below to download the podcast so you'll have something to listen to while making the long drive to your parents' house for the holiday.
Flatbasset Radio: Episode #4
Here's how the podcast breaks down this week:
01. The Shins - Young Pilgrims
02. Dosh - The Indian Bells
03. Brother Ali - Sweet (Potato Pie)
04. Kanye West - Family Business
05. Descendents - I Like Food
06. MF Doom - Fillet-O-Rapper
07. John Lennon - Cold Turkey
08. Golden Smog - Pecan Pie
09. Alanis Morissette - ThankYou
10. Pixies - Levitate Me
11. Antony & The Johnsons - Thank You For Your Love
12. Guided By Voices - Redmen And Their Wives
13. F. Stokes & Lazerbeak (w/Mike Mictlan) - Blessings
14. Descendents - Thank You
There you have it. Give it a play. Give it a download. Tell a friend. Tell two friends...
If, for some reason, that's not enough TCDroogsma he can be followed on Twitter (@TCDroogsma). He can also be found rambling on over at Flatbasset, his personal blog. There's a 45% chance that he's already holiday drunk, so don't take any of his ramblings TOO seriously.
Songs Of The Week #14: MinneSarah & TCDroogsma
(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY.)
El Perro Del Mar, California Wives, Django Django, Lost Brother, & Gloss...
Hello again, MP3 junkies, and welcome to Songs Of The Week #14!
El Perro Del Mar, California Wives, Django Django, Lost Brother, & Gloss...
Hello again, MP3 junkies, and welcome to Songs Of The Week #14!
If you're looking at your computer
screen wondering just what the hell “Songs Of The Week” is, let
us break it down for you:
- The Current gives away a free song each weekday as a download.
- At the end of the week we ask two of our regular contributors to give us their thoughts on the songs
- They submit those thoughts to us without having read what the other thinks.
- We post them.
- You listen to the songs and read the thoughts
- You laugh and/or think up a snarky comment.
- You vote in the poll on the right side of the blog.
- That's pretty much it.
This week we asked MinneSarah &
TCDroogsma to tell us what they thought. If you'd like to download
the songs for yourself and play along at home (highly recommended),
click here to be brought to MPR's “Song Of The Day” page.
So, thoughts?
01. El
Perro Del Mar – Hold Off The Dawn (from the album Pale
Fire)
MinneSarah:
“Perro del mar” means “dog of the sea” - that is adorable. I would expect nothing less and that is what I received. This song is very Tegan & Sara served with a little eighties new wave and peppered with lasers. The mixing reminds me of some old school Madonna, which I say as an utmost compliment. One of the lines is "no need to talk about the future." That sums up this song perfectly. If you can remix the past so skillfully, why bother?
TCDroogsma:
I really like this song. It's not the most memorable song, either lyrically or musically, but it's definitely one that's going to come up when the iPod's shuffling and I'll immediately remember, "Oh yeah, this is a good tune.
The lyrics are something about not worrying about the future and worrying about the present, though the desire to, "make a new past," makes this sound like the theme song in Winston Smith's nightmares. Regardless, this one goes down smooth.
Final Score: MinneSarah -3/5
TCDroogsma - 3/5
02. California Wives
– Blood Red Youth (from the album Art History)
MinneSarah:
This song starts off pretty boring, and then, BAM - Replacements guitar. Nice. The lyrics are about coping mechanisms for what "those people did to you, in your blood red youth." Consider me as intrigued as I was during the Radiohead video for "Just," wondering what the hell is going on that would call for such dire reactions. I don't want to give it away - hey, did anybody ever figure out why those business folks were just lying on the ground?
TCDroogsma:
Wives in California must still be listening to indie rock from 1998. Seriously, this song is very good more for what it isn't than what it is.
With so many of these SOTD's, you have the skeleton of a great song. However, because it's 2012, most of the artists decide to the Moe Sciszlak "po-mo" route ("y'know, weird for weird's sake). California Wives does a great job of taking a hook and building around it with some brilliant female harmonies, a fantastic lead guitar hook, atmospheric keyboards and some determined vocals. I have no idea what, "those people did to you in your blood red youth," but I'm glad it didn't include things like "listening to Kid A" or "learning 6/8 time signatures."
Final Score: MinneSarah - 2/5
TCDroogsma - 3.5/5
03. Django Django –
Default (from the album Django Django)
MinneSarah:
Full disclosure - I already liked this song and have listened to it extensively for the past two months. Django Django is an up and coming British-ish band with spunk. This song is catchy, has non-annoying psychadelic elements, and the singer's voice is solid. I've genuinely liked the originality of everything I've heard from them, and I'll jump on the NME bandwagon and say, yeah, I've got a hard on for these guys. Also, they've got to be better looking than Django Reinhardt.
TCDroogsma:
Speaking of weird-for-weird's-sake, Django Django (2013 is going to go down as the "Year Of Django") is just an example of what I'm talking about. Somewhere in here is a very good song. It builds on some really simple riffing that, while threatening to take off, never quite gets their.
In place of the rock we're treated to some computer manipulated vocals and a swirling keyboard that adds almost nothing to the song. It's not quite Alt-J levels of stupid, but it's certainly unnecessary. I really wish Jamie Foxx was somehow involved in this.
Final Score: MinneSarah - 4/5
TCDroogsma -2.5/5
04. Lost Brothers –
Bird In A Cage (from the album The Passing Of The Night)
MinneSarah:
I'm not a fan of American roots music (although, I'm a big Roots fan, go figure), but this song isn't terrible. More disclosure - I was born in Kentucky. While I know that this may ruin my MinneSarah cred (I was conceived on White Bear Avenue, bitches), it makes me think of the kind of music I may have been more tolerant of had I grown up in my birth town. The simplistic lyrics are sort of refreshing compared to the first world problem bullshit seems to permeate most songs these days. I can relate to lyrics like, "Gonna dig me a hole to put the devil in." Why the hell didn't I think of that? This song gets points for being upbeat and featuring saloon piano, but it's nothing I'd ever want to listen to on my own time.
TCDroogsma:
Listen, we've all had our battles with the bottle. Sometimes it seems like having a drink is the only way to cope. You know what's never the answer? Banjos.
Seriously, this band should be called Mumford's Sons Of The Lost Avett Brothers. If the goal of the song is to jauntily explain how hard it is to turn down a drink, mission accomplished. This song would only sound tolerable if I was drunk in at a East Tennessee Jambaroo.
And no, I am not the guy on the right. I'd have given myself at least a 2/5.
Final Score: MinneSarah - 2/5
TCDroogsma - 1/5
05. Gloss – Front
Porch (from the single Front Porch)
MinneSarah:
So you like Johnny Marr too, Gloss? This song is a treat, as it combines a lot of elements that made the eighties an exciting time musically. Marr guitar , echoey deadpan vocals, and an upbeat supporting actor in the drums. Britpop will nevah die!
TCDroogsma:
Over the last couple of weeks the SOTD's Friday Minnesota entries have been Robust World (jangly stoner pop) and Gospel Gossip (jangly shoegaze). Well, MPR gets the jangle (or "djangle") hat trick with "Front Porch" and I'd say it's the best of the three.
Let the record state that this is some world class jangling, though. I'm not going to compare this to Johnny Marr, since that's the highest praise there is, but I'd like too. Would you settle for Peter Buck on his best day? You'll have to. Couple the guitar work with some vocals (and lyrics) that invoke Paul Banks drunk at a karaoke night and you've got yourself a nice little number. Pretty great for a debut single.
Final Score: MinneSarah - 4/5
TCDroogsma - 3.5/5
Well there you have it, everybody! Another week's worth of singles listened to, reviewed, and filed away, never to be heard from again.
As always we would like to mention that this blog and its contributors are in no way affiliated with Minnesota Public Radio, The Current, or any of the artists above. We're just music fans with keyboards.
For more MinneSarah be sure to give her a follow on Twitter and/or Instagram (@MinneSarah). When MinneSarah is not contributing to the blog she is, evidently, living at The Science Museum Of Minnesota.
For more TCDroogsma be sure to give him a follow on Twitter and/or Instagram (@TCDroogsma) or head over to his personal blog Flatbasset. When TCDroogsma is not contributing to the blog he's probably asleep.
Newest Insutry also lives on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) and you should give us a follow to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors. More importanly, we have a Facebook page here. Stop by and give us a "like" if you find yourself just sitting around killing time on Facebook. C'mon, you know you're doing that... Like, right now...
Well there you have it, everybody! Another week's worth of singles listened to, reviewed, and filed away, never to be heard from again.
As always we would like to mention that this blog and its contributors are in no way affiliated with Minnesota Public Radio, The Current, or any of the artists above. We're just music fans with keyboards.
For more MinneSarah be sure to give her a follow on Twitter and/or Instagram (@MinneSarah). When MinneSarah is not contributing to the blog she is, evidently, living at The Science Museum Of Minnesota.
For more TCDroogsma be sure to give him a follow on Twitter and/or Instagram (@TCDroogsma) or head over to his personal blog Flatbasset. When TCDroogsma is not contributing to the blog he's probably asleep.
Singles Mixer #3: "1929" by BNLX
(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY.)
"Hoping that the truth just might be drowned out..."
Oh hello again, music fans!
Local bedrock BNLX released their debut full length, appropriately titled BNLX this week. To celebrate they're hosting a two night BNLXFest at Cause this weekend.
With all of that going on we thought we ask TCDroogsma to give us his take on the first single from the album, "1929."
TCDroogsma, thoughts?
Hello again, everybody. Before I get into this song, I, regrettably, feel obligated to go into a little background for those of you who somehow may not know who BNLX is.
They're a three-piece operation consisting of Ed Ackerson on guitar, his wife Ashley on bass, and David Jarnstrom on drums. Ackerson is probably best known as the ringleader of the alterative pop band Polara, who were nearly flawless.
Now, I mentioned I regretted bring all this up because initially BNLX went to great lengths to avoid being known as an "Ed Ackerson Project." That seems to be a reasonable request considering his longevity in the Twin Cities scene. Presumably they didn't want anybody to hear the name "Ed Ackerson" and dismiss them out of hand simply because they didn't like Polara or had a bad night at a DJ night that Ackerson was hosting.
Again, all of this seems understandable. However, given how seemlessly "1929" would fit on to a Polara album it all seems kind of unnecessary.
1929 by BNLX
The song opens with a beautifully fuzzed-out, poppy guitar line that sounds straight out of 1994 (which is, in my world, a great compliment). Ackerson opens the song with the line, "You're a hazard to yourself..." which, if you didn't know any better, you'd easily mistake as the opening of a jilted-lover song.
However, as the first verse gives way to the bridge (and Ashley Ackerson's lovely vocals turn up), the "we" of "we're moving on up..." makes it clear that this is no boy-done-wrong song, but rather a statement of a collective. When the chorus kicks off with the line, "Everybody in the house just sings along..." it becomes clear that the "we" is everybody and that this song is meant to be taken as a statement.
The titular "1929" is a reference to the year before the stock market crash that led to The Great Depression, and Ackerson implored us to draw the parallel between those good times and our modern times. To finish the line from the last paragraph, "...hoping that the truth just might be drowned out by the desire to throw down like 1929."
As a political statement, Ackerson seems to be sounding the siren a couple years late. I don't know anybody who's still "throwing down" like a young F. Scott in his hey... It should be noted, however, that if you're buying a BNLX album for its politics you're likely missing the point.
The brilliance of this song as a single has almost nothing to do with the lyrics. BNLX work up a perfectly distorted, reasonably dancy pop gem. Like something along the lines of early Fountains Of Wayne if they enlisted Peter Hook & Stephen Morris as their rhythm section. And then got Steve Albini to "record" it. I realize that's a lot of stupid things to try to add up, but, in my mind at least, it adds up to something brilliant.
I hate to say it (and Ackerson may hate to hear it), but a working knowledge of who Polara was and a loose knowledge of Ackerson's DJ nights actually helped me to appreciate this song. Even though I likely would have been sold on it regardless (those boy/girls vocals get me everytime...), knowing that this was the same guy who used to pen those brilliantly blurry pop gems made the political slant of the song seem more like a compliment to the work done earlier in his career than a stand alone political rant.
If you're new to BNLX, this is an excellent jumping off point. If you're already familiar with the Ackerson sound, this is a welcome addition.
Final Score - 4/5
There you have it, folks. Four stars...er, points? We're not totally sure. Still, four of five is pretty solid. Again, BNLX will be playing two nights this weekend (Nov. 16-17) down at Cause. Each night has a unique lineup (headlined by BNLX) and starts reasonably early at 9:00.
For more TCDroogsma he can be found on Twitter (@TCDroogsma) or over on his personal blog Flatbasset. He doesn't throw down like a young F. Scott Fitzgerald, but he certainly has a taste for the brandy.
For more Newest Industry we can also be found on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1). Give us a follow to stay up on the work being done by all of our regular contributors. More importanly, we have a Facebook page here. Stop by and give us a "like" before the stock market crashes and "likes" are rationed out by the government.
"Hoping that the truth just might be drowned out..."
Oh hello again, music fans!
Local bedrock BNLX released their debut full length, appropriately titled BNLX this week. To celebrate they're hosting a two night BNLXFest at Cause this weekend.
With all of that going on we thought we ask TCDroogsma to give us his take on the first single from the album, "1929."
TCDroogsma, thoughts?
Hello again, everybody. Before I get into this song, I, regrettably, feel obligated to go into a little background for those of you who somehow may not know who BNLX is.
They're a three-piece operation consisting of Ed Ackerson on guitar, his wife Ashley on bass, and David Jarnstrom on drums. Ackerson is probably best known as the ringleader of the alterative pop band Polara, who were nearly flawless.
Again, all of this seems understandable. However, given how seemlessly "1929" would fit on to a Polara album it all seems kind of unnecessary.
1929 by BNLX
The song opens with a beautifully fuzzed-out, poppy guitar line that sounds straight out of 1994 (which is, in my world, a great compliment). Ackerson opens the song with the line, "You're a hazard to yourself..." which, if you didn't know any better, you'd easily mistake as the opening of a jilted-lover song.
However, as the first verse gives way to the bridge (and Ashley Ackerson's lovely vocals turn up), the "we" of "we're moving on up..." makes it clear that this is no boy-done-wrong song, but rather a statement of a collective. When the chorus kicks off with the line, "Everybody in the house just sings along..." it becomes clear that the "we" is everybody and that this song is meant to be taken as a statement.
The titular "1929" is a reference to the year before the stock market crash that led to The Great Depression, and Ackerson implored us to draw the parallel between those good times and our modern times. To finish the line from the last paragraph, "...hoping that the truth just might be drowned out by the desire to throw down like 1929."
The brilliance of this song as a single has almost nothing to do with the lyrics. BNLX work up a perfectly distorted, reasonably dancy pop gem. Like something along the lines of early Fountains Of Wayne if they enlisted Peter Hook & Stephen Morris as their rhythm section. And then got Steve Albini to "record" it. I realize that's a lot of stupid things to try to add up, but, in my mind at least, it adds up to something brilliant.
I hate to say it (and Ackerson may hate to hear it), but a working knowledge of who Polara was and a loose knowledge of Ackerson's DJ nights actually helped me to appreciate this song. Even though I likely would have been sold on it regardless (those boy/girls vocals get me everytime...), knowing that this was the same guy who used to pen those brilliantly blurry pop gems made the political slant of the song seem more like a compliment to the work done earlier in his career than a stand alone political rant.
If you're new to BNLX, this is an excellent jumping off point. If you're already familiar with the Ackerson sound, this is a welcome addition.
Final Score - 4/5
There you have it, folks. Four stars...er, points? We're not totally sure. Still, four of five is pretty solid. Again, BNLX will be playing two nights this weekend (Nov. 16-17) down at Cause. Each night has a unique lineup (headlined by BNLX) and starts reasonably early at 9:00.
For more TCDroogsma he can be found on Twitter (@TCDroogsma) or over on his personal blog Flatbasset. He doesn't throw down like a young F. Scott Fitzgerald, but he certainly has a taste for the brandy.
For more Newest Industry we can also be found on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1). Give us a follow to stay up on the work being done by all of our regular contributors. More importanly, we have a Facebook page here. Stop by and give us a "like" before the stock market crashes and "likes" are rationed out by the government.
Meal Time! #4 With TCDroogsma: The Bad Waitress Diner & Coffeeshop
(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY.)
Nice game... bitches...
Hey food fans!
TCDroogsma's been spending too much time holed up writing and talking about music lately, so we cleaned him up and sent him out into the world to find a nice hot meal. He managed to walk a whole six blocks from Planet New Basset to The Bad Waitress on the corner of 26th and Nicollet.
TCDroogsma, thoughts?
Alright, let me say right off the bat that I was already plenty clean when I was sent out to find this meal. Admittedly, though, it was nice to eat warm food. Variety's the spice of life, they say...
Now, this wasn't my first time going to The Bad Waitress. It was my second. However, it was my first time going their without nursing a pretty solid hangover. Sobriety's the spice of life... wait, nobody's ever said that.
Annnyyyway, as you all hopefully remember, I stay all vegan everything. As far as breakfast in the Uptown area goes, their are only a few decent options. On my first trip to The Bad Waitress I indulged in something called "The Heavy Pedal," which was essentially scrambled tofu, hashbrowns, and vegan sausage. Since I've already done two tofu-based reviews I thought I'd have a go at some other breakfast food. But what else would make for a good vegan breakfast on a kind of frigid November morning?
Well, the place wasn't too busy, so, out of habit, I pulled up a seat at the bar and had a look at the menu.
(Pro Tip #1: Be careful sitting on this side of the restaurant early in the day. The sun comes pounding through the storefront at just the right angle to incubate the bar. Add in the hot coffee and I found myself sweating like Michael Beasley during a routine traffic stop.)
Now, on to breakfast.
Pancakes. Mufuckin' pancakes.
Boom! I'm in. For those who've never been to The Bad Waitress before, the name is actually a bit of a misnomer. You don't even really have a waitress. You write down your order on a piece of paper from the ordering pad, bring it up to the counter, and pay all at once.
Essentially, you're the waitress. And, as noted, the expectations are low. Just something to ponder as you wait for your food. Notice that the top of my card reads "Black Panther." Each seat has an accompanying card with the picture of a superhero or monster on it. Obviously, it's important to note which superhero or monster represents you so that an actual waitress knows where to bring your food.
I have no idea who or what the Black Panther is. Is he a superhero? Is he a monster? An outdated relic from a more racially-charged era in American history? More importantly, does he represent me as a hungry patron?
After a quick Wikipedia search I've determined that The Black Panther was, "the first black superhero in American comics" and got his power from a meteorite made of the fictional material 'viabranium' that crashed into his home country, the island of Wakanda. As the leader of the Wakandans he is, "entitled to eat a special heart-shaped herb which, in addition to his
mystical connection with the Wakandan Panther god, grants him
superhumanly acute senses and increases his strength, speed, stamina,
and agility to the peak of human development."
So, yes, he is a superhero and not a monster. And yes, this is arguably the most accurate portrayal of me as a hungry patron. Fuck that Batman shit.
Now that we've established that I am the ginger-bearded, blogger equivalent of a righteous black superhero, let's get down to business.
(Cue the horns)
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, The Bad Waitress's Vegan Cake!
So here's the story so far:
Location: The Bad Waitress Diner & Coffeehouse on the corner of 26th & Nicollet
Time Of Day: 'Bout noon on a Tuesday
Level Of Sobriety: Romney
Racial Status: Conflicted
Meal: Vegan Cake
To The Side: Sizzurp
Beverage: Coffee
Menu Price: Pancake: $5.25, Coffee: $2.00
Total Price (w/Tip): $10.00
Admittedly, I was a little put off by the sheer quantity of pancake in front of me. I mean, look at that damn thing! It's bigger than the plate! I even made a point of getting the sizzurp and coffee in the shot for scale. I'm as hungry as the next Vibranium-addled, island nation-leading, mainstream-averse guy, but how could I eat so much damn pancake?
My only hope for eating such a quantity of pancake was that the cake would be light and fluffy. Hopefully as much air as actual cake. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
I gave it the old college try, but I found the pancake to be too, too doughy, and too chewy. Like a high-quality sponge, a good pancake has enough airy-ness to be able to absorb the syrup. Again, this was not the case with the vegan cake. The syrup never melded with the cake, but rather just sat on top of it. Each bite became an exercise in balancing fluid on solid rather than the sticky, sweet explosion in my mouth that I was hoping for.
Wait, what?
Double entendres aside, this was a lackluster pancake. It was filling, but by the time I was halfway through it I had definitely taken on the mindset that I was eating it out of obligation.
(Pro tip #2: For an extra $1.75 you can add blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, bananas or chocolate chips. Now, you all know that I'm the last person who would ever advocate eating fruit. However, in this case, it's probably a good choice. It would at least break up the monotony.)
So, that was the meal. Let's break this thing down:
Flavor: 3/10 - Bland and doughy. The only flavor involved came from the syrup. It would have gotten a 1, but the coffee was excellent.
Filling: 8/10 - Under threat of physical violence I could have maybe finished this whole thing. Fortunately, it didn't come to that.
Price: 6/10 - $5.25 is a very reasonable price for pancakes bigger than dinner plates. When you factor in the fact that, one, it's not delicious, and two, you'll probably only eat 3/4 of it... well, it doesn't seem so reasonable. Add in the (delicious) coffee and the tip though, and I would say that this is not the best way you could spend $10.
Ambiance: 7/10 - As mentioned, it was a little warm on the bar side. They do have a jukebox that plays standard 30 year old hipster standards ("Song 2," "Hungry Heart," "Here Comes Your Man..."), which, as a 30 year old hipster, I can definitely get behind.
(Quick jukebox sidenote: At one point the jukebox played "Where Is My Mind?," after which one of the waitresses turned to the other and asked, "Who was that?" It was both adorable and heartbreaking.)
Service: 8/10 - Since I took on half of the waitressing duties I'm going to go ahead and say that I was awesome. I was prompt, polite, and flirty (but not overtly so). I would have given myself a 10 if I wasn't so shabbily dressed. Still, a pretty great job.
If This Meal Was A Guest Rapper On A Kanye West Track It Would Be: 2 Chainz. For some reason people really seem to love The Bad Waitress, and I guess I wouldn't say it was bad, but it was really just kind of... meh.
How Many Times Would I Eat This Meal Per Month If I Could Afford To: Sadly, probably never. If I'm fucking with vegan pancakes I'm going to head down to French Meadow for their far superior corncakes. And if I'm returning to The Bad Waitress I'm definitely going with the aformentioned Heavy Pedal.
Final Score: 5/10. I don't mean for this review to reflect negatively on The Bad Waitress in its entirety. I actually dig the place. I do mean for this review to reflect negatively on the vegan pancake, though. Doughy, chewy, non-absorbent... that's that shit I don't like. If you find yourself at The Bad Waitress, stick with the omlette-tofu-sausage options.
Well there you have it, food fans. An unsatisfactory experience chronicled and filed away.
For and look at the menu & more information on The Bad Waitress be sure to stop by their website here. Or just swing by 26th & Nicollet. Vegan & non-vegan options abound. And they have booze.
For more TCDroogsma you can give him a follow on Twitter and/or Instagram (@TCDroogsma) or stop by his personal blog Flatbasset. He was lying up above. His flirting was forced and clumsy.
Newest Industry also lives on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1). Give us a follow to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors. More importantly, we also have a Facebook page here. If we get enough "likes" we'll pick up some less shabby clothes for TCDroogsma.
Nice game... bitches...
Hey food fans!
TCDroogsma's been spending too much time holed up writing and talking about music lately, so we cleaned him up and sent him out into the world to find a nice hot meal. He managed to walk a whole six blocks from Planet New Basset to The Bad Waitress on the corner of 26th and Nicollet.
TCDroogsma, thoughts?
Alright, let me say right off the bat that I was already plenty clean when I was sent out to find this meal. Admittedly, though, it was nice to eat warm food. Variety's the spice of life, they say...
Now, this wasn't my first time going to The Bad Waitress. It was my second. However, it was my first time going their without nursing a pretty solid hangover. Sobriety's the spice of life... wait, nobody's ever said that.
Annnyyyway, as you all hopefully remember, I stay all vegan everything. As far as breakfast in the Uptown area goes, their are only a few decent options. On my first trip to The Bad Waitress I indulged in something called "The Heavy Pedal," which was essentially scrambled tofu, hashbrowns, and vegan sausage. Since I've already done two tofu-based reviews I thought I'd have a go at some other breakfast food. But what else would make for a good vegan breakfast on a kind of frigid November morning?
Well, the place wasn't too busy, so, out of habit, I pulled up a seat at the bar and had a look at the menu.
(Pro Tip #1: Be careful sitting on this side of the restaurant early in the day. The sun comes pounding through the storefront at just the right angle to incubate the bar. Add in the hot coffee and I found myself sweating like Michael Beasley during a routine traffic stop.)
Now, on to breakfast.
Pancakes. Mufuckin' pancakes.
Boom! I'm in. For those who've never been to The Bad Waitress before, the name is actually a bit of a misnomer. You don't even really have a waitress. You write down your order on a piece of paper from the ordering pad, bring it up to the counter, and pay all at once.
Essentially, you're the waitress. And, as noted, the expectations are low. Just something to ponder as you wait for your food. Notice that the top of my card reads "Black Panther." Each seat has an accompanying card with the picture of a superhero or monster on it. Obviously, it's important to note which superhero or monster represents you so that an actual waitress knows where to bring your food.
I have no idea who or what the Black Panther is. Is he a superhero? Is he a monster? An outdated relic from a more racially-charged era in American history? More importantly, does he represent me as a hungry patron?
So, yes, he is a superhero and not a monster. And yes, this is arguably the most accurate portrayal of me as a hungry patron. Fuck that Batman shit.
Now that we've established that I am the ginger-bearded, blogger equivalent of a righteous black superhero, let's get down to business.
(Cue the horns)
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, The Bad Waitress's Vegan Cake!
So here's the story so far:
Location: The Bad Waitress Diner & Coffeehouse on the corner of 26th & Nicollet
Time Of Day: 'Bout noon on a Tuesday
Level Of Sobriety: Romney
Racial Status: Conflicted
Meal: Vegan Cake
To The Side: Sizzurp
Beverage: Coffee
Menu Price: Pancake: $5.25, Coffee: $2.00
Total Price (w/Tip): $10.00
Admittedly, I was a little put off by the sheer quantity of pancake in front of me. I mean, look at that damn thing! It's bigger than the plate! I even made a point of getting the sizzurp and coffee in the shot for scale. I'm as hungry as the next Vibranium-addled, island nation-leading, mainstream-averse guy, but how could I eat so much damn pancake?
My only hope for eating such a quantity of pancake was that the cake would be light and fluffy. Hopefully as much air as actual cake. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
Wait, what?
Double entendres aside, this was a lackluster pancake. It was filling, but by the time I was halfway through it I had definitely taken on the mindset that I was eating it out of obligation.
(Pro tip #2: For an extra $1.75 you can add blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, bananas or chocolate chips. Now, you all know that I'm the last person who would ever advocate eating fruit. However, in this case, it's probably a good choice. It would at least break up the monotony.)
So, that was the meal. Let's break this thing down:
Flavor: 3/10 - Bland and doughy. The only flavor involved came from the syrup. It would have gotten a 1, but the coffee was excellent.
Filling: 8/10 - Under threat of physical violence I could have maybe finished this whole thing. Fortunately, it didn't come to that.
Price: 6/10 - $5.25 is a very reasonable price for pancakes bigger than dinner plates. When you factor in the fact that, one, it's not delicious, and two, you'll probably only eat 3/4 of it... well, it doesn't seem so reasonable. Add in the (delicious) coffee and the tip though, and I would say that this is not the best way you could spend $10.
Ambiance: 7/10 - As mentioned, it was a little warm on the bar side. They do have a jukebox that plays standard 30 year old hipster standards ("Song 2," "Hungry Heart," "Here Comes Your Man..."), which, as a 30 year old hipster, I can definitely get behind.
(Quick jukebox sidenote: At one point the jukebox played "Where Is My Mind?," after which one of the waitresses turned to the other and asked, "Who was that?" It was both adorable and heartbreaking.)
Service: 8/10 - Since I took on half of the waitressing duties I'm going to go ahead and say that I was awesome. I was prompt, polite, and flirty (but not overtly so). I would have given myself a 10 if I wasn't so shabbily dressed. Still, a pretty great job.
If This Meal Was A Guest Rapper On A Kanye West Track It Would Be: 2 Chainz. For some reason people really seem to love The Bad Waitress, and I guess I wouldn't say it was bad, but it was really just kind of... meh.
How Many Times Would I Eat This Meal Per Month If I Could Afford To: Sadly, probably never. If I'm fucking with vegan pancakes I'm going to head down to French Meadow for their far superior corncakes. And if I'm returning to The Bad Waitress I'm definitely going with the aformentioned Heavy Pedal.
Final Score: 5/10. I don't mean for this review to reflect negatively on The Bad Waitress in its entirety. I actually dig the place. I do mean for this review to reflect negatively on the vegan pancake, though. Doughy, chewy, non-absorbent... that's that shit I don't like. If you find yourself at The Bad Waitress, stick with the omlette-tofu-sausage options.
Well there you have it, food fans. An unsatisfactory experience chronicled and filed away.
For and look at the menu & more information on The Bad Waitress be sure to stop by their website here. Or just swing by 26th & Nicollet. Vegan & non-vegan options abound. And they have booze.
For more TCDroogsma you can give him a follow on Twitter and/or Instagram (@TCDroogsma) or stop by his personal blog Flatbasset. He was lying up above. His flirting was forced and clumsy.
Newest Industry also lives on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1). Give us a follow to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors. More importantly, we also have a Facebook page here. If we get enough "likes" we'll pick up some less shabby clothes for TCDroogsma.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Newest Industry Presents: Flatbasset Radio - Episode #3
(YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE IT, BUT THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY. YEAH, AGAIN. CHECK THAT BLOG OUT!)
"Feelin' as hard as Vince Carter's knee cartilage is..."
Hello again, free music fans! Welcome to the third episode of Flatbasset Radio!
For those of you who are new to the podcast, it's roughly an hour of music put together and given away each week by our regular contributor TCDroogsma. It's typically about 10 songs broken up by TCDroogsma's rambling stories.
Click 'play' on the embedded player to give it a listen or click on the title below to download the podcast so you can listen to it at your own time.
This week finds TCDroogsma going on about his new favorite record label, discussing, Joy Division vs. New Order, finally getting on board with the best new rapper in the game, pimping another blog, and just straight pimpin'...
(He made us write that last line. He does not actually do any pimping. In fact, he gets a little emo at the end.)
Flatbasset Radio - Episode #3
Here's how the podcast breaks down:
01. I Am Dynamite - Stereo
02. Earl Sweatshirt - Chum
03. Baby Dayliner - You Push, I'll Go
04. Open Mike Eagle (w/Illogic & MarQ Spekt) - Nightmares III
05. Cars & Trains - The River Lethe
06. Astronautalis - Secrets On Our Lips
07. New Order - Temptation
08. Justin Meyers - Adult World
09. Young Jeezy & R. Kelly - Go Getta
10. Jets To Brazil - Autumn Walker
Download that one and give it a listen while scraping the snow of your car.
For more TCDroogsma, he can be found on Twitter & Instagram (@TCDroogsma) and on his personal blog Flatbasset. Know that wherever he is right now he's likely shivering.
For more Newest Industry be sure give us a follow on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) to stay up to date on the work being done by all of our contributors. We also have a Facebook page here. Stop by and give us a 'like' if you have a chance. We're also shivering and the only thing keeping us warm is your virtual validation.
"Feelin' as hard as Vince Carter's knee cartilage is..."
Hello again, free music fans! Welcome to the third episode of Flatbasset Radio!
For those of you who are new to the podcast, it's roughly an hour of music put together and given away each week by our regular contributor TCDroogsma. It's typically about 10 songs broken up by TCDroogsma's rambling stories.
Click 'play' on the embedded player to give it a listen or click on the title below to download the podcast so you can listen to it at your own time.
This week finds TCDroogsma going on about his new favorite record label, discussing, Joy Division vs. New Order, finally getting on board with the best new rapper in the game, pimping another blog, and just straight pimpin'...
(He made us write that last line. He does not actually do any pimping. In fact, he gets a little emo at the end.)
Flatbasset Radio - Episode #3
Here's how the podcast breaks down:
01. I Am Dynamite - Stereo
02. Earl Sweatshirt - Chum
03. Baby Dayliner - You Push, I'll Go
04. Open Mike Eagle (w/Illogic & MarQ Spekt) - Nightmares III
05. Cars & Trains - The River Lethe
06. Astronautalis - Secrets On Our Lips
07. New Order - Temptation
08. Justin Meyers - Adult World
09. Young Jeezy & R. Kelly - Go Getta
10. Jets To Brazil - Autumn Walker
Download that one and give it a listen while scraping the snow of your car.
For more TCDroogsma, he can be found on Twitter & Instagram (@TCDroogsma) and on his personal blog Flatbasset. Know that wherever he is right now he's likely shivering.
For more Newest Industry be sure give us a follow on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) to stay up to date on the work being done by all of our contributors. We also have a Facebook page here. Stop by and give us a 'like' if you have a chance. We're also shivering and the only thing keeping us warm is your virtual validation.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Songs Of The Week #13: MinneSarah & TCDroogsma
(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY. PLEASE VISIT NEWEST INDUSTRY FOR ALL KINDS OF TWIN CITIES RELATED STUFF.)
P.O.S., Dark Dark Dark, Benjamin Gibbard, Allen Stone, & Gospel Gossip...
Well hello again, mp3 junkies!
Welcome to the thirteenth
installment of Songs Of The Week. If you're somehow still unfamiliar
with what this column is, each week we ask two of our regular
contributors to give us their thoughts on the five songs given away
by The Current via their Song Of The Day podcast.
This week we asked MinneSarah &
TCDroogsma to take a break from being the sexiest 30-somethings in
the Twin Cities and give us their thoughts. They have not read each
other's criticism prior to posting.
As always, we highly recommend that
you visit The Current's website and sign up for the podcast yourself.
Playing along at home is fun for the whole family!
To the right of this post you'll see
a poll. Feel free to vote for which of the five songs was your
favorite this week.
So, 30-somethings, what'd you think?
01. P.O.S.
(w/Justin Vernon) – Where We Land (from the album We Don't Even
Live Here)
MinneSarah:
P.O.S. is a MN treasure. This is an indisputable fact, especially if you have listened to his last two albums. Go buy We Don't Even Live Here!
The last P.O.S. album provided me with immeasurable comfort when I was slogging it out in Vancouver, so getting this album on my home turf is especially satisfying. The tight lyrics and delivery are still here, but this song shows that P.O.S. can still keep it fresh (was that ever a concern, folks?). I especially appreciate how the lyrics are about the things we cannot change, but must accept. "Fuck it, it's what I got so I'll trust it." P.O.S. knows life can have more downs than ups, but lyrics like these embrace both ends of the spectrum. Hell, he makes that dude from Bon Iver sound good.
P.O.S. is a MN treasure. This is an indisputable fact, especially if you have listened to his last two albums. Go buy We Don't Even Live Here!
The last P.O.S. album provided me with immeasurable comfort when I was slogging it out in Vancouver, so getting this album on my home turf is especially satisfying. The tight lyrics and delivery are still here, but this song shows that P.O.S. can still keep it fresh (was that ever a concern, folks?). I especially appreciate how the lyrics are about the things we cannot change, but must accept. "Fuck it, it's what I got so I'll trust it." P.O.S. knows life can have more downs than ups, but lyrics like these embrace both ends of the spectrum. Hell, he makes that dude from Bon Iver sound good.
TCDroogsma:
To the surprise of absolutely nobody, I've really been digging this
new P.O.S. Record. I love everything that's going on in “Where We
Land,” the problem is that there's just too much going on. The
first ¾ of the song are absolute gold, but the Vernon verse near the
end seems unnecessary. Plus, every time I listen to the song I end
up with Fall Out Boy's “Thnk Fr Th Mmrs” in my head.
Final Score:
MinneSarah -4.5/5
TCDroogsma - 4/5
02. Dark Dark
Dark – Tell Me (from the album Who Needs Who?)
MinneSarah:
I'm not super familiar with Dark Dark Dark, but I feel like I could rock this walking down the streets of Portland (sorry, dated reference, we all know Portland is now Minneapolis-lite). The redemption here is the singer's ability to capture sadness in her voice. The lyrics are about a relationship not living up to expectations, which is not the most original sentiment, but the singer sells it. Pairing crunchy guitar with a solid piano line is a good move, but it's the singer who really carries the song. As far as hipster old world meets Americana, this is a much better specimen than most of those type of bands on the market.
I'm not super familiar with Dark Dark Dark, but I feel like I could rock this walking down the streets of Portland (sorry, dated reference, we all know Portland is now Minneapolis-lite). The redemption here is the singer's ability to capture sadness in her voice. The lyrics are about a relationship not living up to expectations, which is not the most original sentiment, but the singer sells it. Pairing crunchy guitar with a solid piano line is a good move, but it's the singer who really carries the song. As far as hipster old world meets Americana, this is a much better specimen than most of those type of bands on the market.
TCDroogsma:
All the songs I've heard by Dark Dark Dark in the past have been
slow, moody, and meticulous. When I read that Nona Marie Invie &
Marshall LaCount (the principle songwriters in the band) had broken
up... Well, let's just say I wasn't expecting this song.
Honestly, “Tell Me” is a surprisingly upbeat, dare I say, pop
song. Not only that, it's actually an incredible love song. “I
want to live in the time when you cherished me, oh, to go back to the
place when your hands moved over me...” Jesus Christ! That is a
soul crushing line. I have no idea how they could play this song
together without just collapsing. Just a brilliant single.
Final Score:
MinneSarah -3.5/5
TCDroogsma – 4.5/5
03. Benjamin
Gibbard – Hard One To Know (Live at the KEXP Studio)
MinneSarah:
This guy again? Live acoustic performance? Don't get me wrong, I love when girls sing about bad relationships - it's sort of our birthright. But when guys whine and whine, it's not sexy. I guess it works sometimes - a Sean Na Na lyric comes to mind - "All those little diary guys with their doe-ey doe-ey eyes - are programming their radio shows like a mix tape for your thighs."
The lyrics are pretty much - "girl you're so special; sometimes that annoys me; sometimes I feel lucky; you are a wild card but ultimately you make me feel bad; does anybody else want to date a sensitive guy holding a guitar?" Also, Current, you had to take this one from Seattle's KEXP? Playing Ben Gibbard every hour for the past two weeks hasn't lured him to your studios for a live performance? For those who don't know, KEXP does it's own song of the week podcast, and I have discovered a wealth of music from that free resource.
TCDroogsma:
This guy again? Live acoustic performance? Don't get me wrong, I love when girls sing about bad relationships - it's sort of our birthright. But when guys whine and whine, it's not sexy. I guess it works sometimes - a Sean Na Na lyric comes to mind - "All those little diary guys with their doe-ey doe-ey eyes - are programming their radio shows like a mix tape for your thighs."
The lyrics are pretty much - "girl you're so special; sometimes that annoys me; sometimes I feel lucky; you are a wild card but ultimately you make me feel bad; does anybody else want to date a sensitive guy holding a guitar?" Also, Current, you had to take this one from Seattle's KEXP? Playing Ben Gibbard every hour for the past two weeks hasn't lured him to your studios for a live performance? For those who don't know, KEXP does it's own song of the week podcast, and I have discovered a wealth of music from that free resource.
TCDroogsma:
Ben Gibbard recording live at a Seattle radio station? I'm surprised
they were able to stop jerking each other off long enough to actually
record a song.
Listen, Benjamin, I'm sure breaking up with Zooey Deschanel sucked.
She's ultra foxy. But, “you tell me to stay and then you tell me
to go...” Not sure if you're aware, Benny, but bitches be crazy.
Frreal, though. If this is your attempt at an “angry kiss off”
type-song then you're failing. Badly. I hate any situation that
leads to me advocating a spinning of Blood On The Tracks, but
this, “I just don't understand what you want from me!” pose isn't
a good look. Grow a pair.
Final Score:
MinneSarah -1.5/5
TCDroogsma - 1/5
04. Allen Stone
– Sleep (from the album Allen Stone)
MinneSarah:
If you haven't fallen asleep during that last song, get ready to wake up. Allen Stone is pulling at that old school R&B revival, but get this - he looks like Beck's cousin. If that doesn't still count for something these days, then I am completely out of touch with the kids (this point is debatable). Upbeat songs are always awesome. Chronicling tales of woe associated with insomnia is usually not interesting, but Allen makes it enjoyable. There is a section of call and response where his friends and or family (or singers he's paid) try and offer cures, but he's just not having that. If you see a guy who looks like Beck's little cousin with dark circles underneath his eyes, for the love of cats, go pat him on the back.
If you haven't fallen asleep during that last song, get ready to wake up. Allen Stone is pulling at that old school R&B revival, but get this - he looks like Beck's cousin. If that doesn't still count for something these days, then I am completely out of touch with the kids (this point is debatable). Upbeat songs are always awesome. Chronicling tales of woe associated with insomnia is usually not interesting, but Allen makes it enjoyable. There is a section of call and response where his friends and or family (or singers he's paid) try and offer cures, but he's just not having that. If you see a guy who looks like Beck's little cousin with dark circles underneath his eyes, for the love of cats, go pat him on the back.
TCDroogsma:
I would rather listen to 50 Ben Gibbard outtakes than this "New Motown" shit. I blame Cee-Lo.
Final Score:
MinneSarah -3/5
TCDroogsma - 0/5
05. Gospel
Gossip – Atlantic Blue (from the EP Atlantic Blue)
MinneSarah:
Shoegaze is back! 'Bout time? Listen to this song and discuss amongst yourselves. I don't have a lot to report about this song. It is sort of Sigur Ros meets My Bloody Valentine. It seems a lot longer than 3:41. Even the tambourine is subdued in a sea of reverb. Hey, Allen, I've got just the thing for you!
Shoegaze is back! 'Bout time? Listen to this song and discuss amongst yourselves. I don't have a lot to report about this song. It is sort of Sigur Ros meets My Bloody Valentine. It seems a lot longer than 3:41. Even the tambourine is subdued in a sea of reverb. Hey, Allen, I've got just the thing for you!
TCDroogsma:
I wouldn't say I love Gospel Gossip. I mean, I don't own any of their albums and the one time I saw them I thought they were.... meh. And yet, this is the third song I've really listened to from them and I find that I certainly appreciate them. The reverbed guitars and somewhat indifferent vocals don't sound like 90's posturing so much as they sound like Gospel Gossip genuinely still thinks it's 1996. I can definitely get behind that.
Final Score:
MinneSarah -2/5
TCDroogsma – 3.5/5
There you have
it, everybody! Another week of songs listened to, reviewed and filed
away.
As always we
would like to note that this blog and its contributors are in no way
affiliated with The Current, MPR, or any of the artists.
For more
MinneSarah she can be found on Twitter & Instagram (@MinneSarah).
Be patient, she's a good follow.
For more
TCDroogsma he can be found on Twitter & Instagram (@TCDroogsma).
He can also be found on his personal blog Flatbasset or on this blog
yammering like an idiot on his Flatbasset Radio Podcast.
Lastly, this
blog has a Twitter home (@NewestIndustry1) which you should follow to
stay up on all the work being done by our contributors. We also have
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