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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

     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.

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!

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 a Facebook page here. Stop by and give us a “like” if you happen to find yourself bored and killing time on Facebook. Which you're actually probably doing in another tab right now.

Singles Mixer #2: "To Young Leaders" by Guante & Big Cats!

(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY)

"We are more than the sum of our parts..."

Hello again, music fans!

It's election day and we thought it would be appropriate to do a write up on one of the most politically charged tracks to come out of the Twin Cities this year (which is really saying something).  We put TCDroogsma back on the case and asked him to give us his thoughts on the first single from the new Guante & Big Cats! album You Better Weaponize.

TCDroogsma, what'd you think?

First things first, I'm not super familiar with the work of Guante & Big Cats!  I know (and love) their single "The National Anthem" from a couple of years back.  I'm also kind of familiar with Big Cats! production work.  That track, "Get Gone" by Homeless, and "1" from his solo album For My Mother is pretty much the extent of my knowledge.

All that said, let's dig in to this new single.

The Twin Cities hip-hop scene has been wearing its politics on its sleeve all year long.  "To Young Leaders" definitely has more in common with the anarchist vibe of We Don't Even Live Here than with the "we can fix this broken system" message of Mourning In America.  Unlike the aforementioned "The National Anthem," which was more of a lamentation of a broken country, "To Young Leaders" is a cry to finish breaking what's already broken and start the rebuild.

Guante's MC style definitely has its roots in his career as a spoken word artists.  It's not hard to imagine that this song would carry nearly as much weight even if it was presented a capella

"Remember, a poem is worth more than a prayer
A prayer is a quiet conversation
A poem is an incantation
A fireball from your fingertips
It's something out of nothing..."

To that end, the similarity between his rapping style and the style of Sage Francis (another MC with roots in spoken word) is clear.  It becomes evident when, rather than a hook, the chorus of the song finds Guante abandoning his flow to speak directly to the listener, capping it off with the rallying cry, "You better recognize, you better weaponize..."

If the goal of the lyrics is to inspire anger at not only the political system, but at the capitalist American system that feeds our culture, mission wholeheartedly accomplished.

Big Cats! does his part to soundtrack this anger by digging deep in the low end.  I don't mean to compare this song to "The National Anthem" again, but it's hard not to notice that, production-wise, "To Young Leaders" picks up where "The National Anthem" left off.  That track was built around some dusty piano samples and those same sounds open this track.

However, when the piano drops out and the keyboards and bass come in, it's the aural equivalent of the feeling many people have felt over the last couple of years.  No longer concerned with the dusty concept of "fixing the system" from within, the focused, pointed keyboards and fuzzed out bass indicate that the time for talk has passed and the time for action is now.

If "To Young Leaders" is indicative of the what we can expect from the rest of You Better Weaponize then this is going to be a banner year for righteous anger in hip-hop.  Who says the Minnesotans are passive-aggressive?

Final Score - 4/5

You Better Weaponize, the new album from Guante & Big Cats! is out today and available via Strange Famous Records. They'll be playing at record release show November 9th at Hell's Kitchen.

Thanks to TCDroogsma for stopping by and giving us his thoughts.  For more TCDroogsma he can be found on Twitter and/or Instagram (@TCDroogsma) or on his personal blog Flatbasset.

Newest Industry also has a home on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) which you can follow to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors.  We also have a Facebook page here which you can stop by and "like" if you, umm... like us.

Most Played Albums: October '12

Newest Industry Presents: Flatbasset Radio - Episode #2

(THIS PODCAST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY.  CLICK ON THAT LINK NOW.  LIKE, RIGHT NOW.)

I don't wear rubbers and I don't wear sunscreen...

Well hello again, music fans!  Welcome to the second episode of Flatbasset Radio!

For those who are unfamiliar, Flatbasset Radio is a podcast put together by our regular contributor TCDroogsma.  Typically they're about and hour long and feature TCDroogsma playing songs and prattling on like a lunatic.  True to form, he does not disappoint in Episode #2.

This week on Flatbasset Radio TCDroogsma gets all bro-mantic about one of his friends, puts Cat Power on blast, propositions a pop icon, and goes on a lo-fi bender. 


As you can see, you can click the embedded player to give the podcast a listen or you can click the title below to download it for your very own.

Flatbasset Radio - Episode #2

Here's how the mix breaks down:

01. Big Cats!
02. Why?
03. Handsome Boy Modeling School (w/Cat Power)
04. Taking Back Sunday
05. Sixo
06. Madonna
07. Meat Puppets
08. Buck 65
09. Husker Du
10. Sage Francis vs. Dashboard Confessional

If, somehow, this isn't enough TCDroogsma he can always be found on Twitter and Instagram (@TCDroogsma) or on his own blog Flatbasset.

Of course this blog also maintains a Twitter account (@NewestIndustry1) which you should follow to stay up on all the work being done by our contributors.  More importantly, we also have a Facebook page here.  If you have the time please stop by and give us a "like."  We'd really appreciate it.

Songs Of The Week #12: MinneSarah & TCDroogsma

(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY.  PLEASE GO VISIT NEWEST INDUSTRY.)

Jason Lytle, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Pinback, Solid Gold, & Robust Worlds...

Hello again, mp3 junkies! Welcome to the 12^th Edition of Songs Of The Week!

For those of you unfamiliar with SOTW, it's a weekly column in which we ask two of our regular contributors to give us their thoughts on the five songs given away via The Current's Song Of The Day podcast. Be sure to follow this link to download the podcasts yourself so you can play along at home.

Be sure to vote for your favorite of the songs in the poll to the right of the page.

This week we asked MinneSarah & TCDroogsma to review new songs from Jason Lytle, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Pinback, Solid Gold, & Robust Worlds. They have not read what the other has written about each track prior to posting.

Kids, what'd you think?

01. Jason Lytle – Get Up And Go (from the album Dept. Of Disappearance)

MinneSarah:

     A lot of songs seem to be recorded on the steps at the Science Museum.  Either that, or I've been making music by walking since I was 7.  This song is not complex - it sounds like a loop from a Semisonic outtake with inspirational lyrics over the top.  This song sounds like a Stuart Smalley affirmation, BUT, I dare you to not feel better after listening to this song.  Two minutes of saying "you can do it," and "everything is going to be all right" (and yes, that is the extent of the lyrics) has got to leave you feeling a little bit better. 

TCDroogsma:

     Admittedly, I was a pretty casual fan of Grandaddy, but I really dug what I knew of them. I even saw them at First Ave. once and came away pretty impressed. I don't know what the general consensus is regarding Jason Lytle's solo work, but I know that the single, “Yours Truly, The Commuter” from his first album was a gem. A perfect mix of resilience, Casio keyboards, and hooks.

     “Get Up And Go” seems to lack much of the subtlety that made his earlier stuff so interesting. Honestly, it kind of sounds like the soundtrack to a Samsung Mobile commercial. Evidently the sentiment, “Get up and go, you can do it, everything's gonna be alright...” doesn't apply to writing verses. It's catchy and beautifully produced, but Christ, there's just not much here to work with.

Final Score: MinneSarah -3/5

                  TCDroogsma – 2.5/5

02. Black Moth Super Rainbow – Gangs In The Garden (from the album Cobra Juicy)

MinneSarah:

     Yes, Daft Punk followers are now old enough to make their own, um, fill in the blank...art?  Everyone knows that black is already a super rainbow, so add a moth, and this is what you get.  I like anything electronic and this is catchy.  It's got some interesting elements, some distorted strings, very distorted vocals (don't try and be a Bob Dylan), panting, and it's not too long.  Score.


TCDroogsma:

     What the fuck is this monster of a song? Never has a band's sound so mirrored their name, as this sounds like what a Black Moth Super Rainbow would be. All the distorted vocals give it a slight sense of dread, but at least the backbeat indicates a hip-shaking type of impending doom. I mean, if we're all going to be killed by some sort of color-vortex insect we may as well go dancing.

Final Score: MinneSarah -3/5

                  TCDroogsma - 3/5

03. Pinback – Proceed To Memory (from the album Information Retrieved)

MinneSarah:

     Pinback is my favorite 90's band that started in the 2000's, I think.  The vocals are always present and meaningful.  This song is no different, but it lacks some of the urgency of their other songs.  This song is a good example of what is good about Pinback, in a quiet way.  It's a very sweet song, but it isn't something I'd put on repeat.  Pinback is great though, seriously.


TCDroogsma:

     If Duncan Sheik had sex with Motion City Soundtrack while members of Constantines yelled at them from the next room to shut up it would be this. Just process that for a second.

     I actually really liked this song. Of all this week's songs it was the one that I found kicking around in my head the most. Of course, timing is everything in life and listening to a song that includes lines like, “And then the seasons get you down...” and “Out the window looks like all the colors, all of them melting down...” during the last week of October may have given the song a bit of extra weight.

Final Score: MinneSarah -3/5

                  TCDroogsma – 3.5/5

04. Solid Gold – The Pendulum (from the album Eat Your Young)

MinneSarah:

     Solid Gold is the chameleon of the Twin Cities music scene.  I wouldn't go as far as to call them a Mitt Romney... but I did just type that.  They seem to be talented enough to jive into whatever is popular at the time. However, I haven't forgiven them for that "More to explore in Minnesota" travesty.  Ugghgh.  This song is very 80's - I always mean that in the best possible way.  I like the sweeping nature of the vocals and the background synths. However, I would never be able to hear a Solid Gold song on the radio and pick them out.  This is a good and a bad thing.  In this case, this song is good.  Next time?  Who knows.  Work on your Liam impression, dude.


TCDroogsma:

     Land of 10,000 Lakes? More like Land of 10,000 Synth-Pop bands, am I right? Wait, I already made that joke on this blog? Hmmm....

     It's been a little while since we've had any new Solid Gold material. Musically, the keyboards will kick around in your head for a while, but even after half a dozen listens the lyrics haven't stuck at all. Clearly they didn't spend the off time reinventing the wheel (though they were great in that “Exploret Minnesota” commercial). Here's the deal, Solid Gold, I'm giving this one a 3, but if you can introduce me to that Asian woman doing the Mary Tyler Moore impersonation I'll bump it up another point and a half.

Final Score: MinneSarah -3/5

                  TCDroogsma – 3/5

05. Robust Worlds – Best Wishes (from the album Emotional Planet)

Best Wishes

MinneSarah:

     There is nothing bad about this song, however, it is not good either.  It rides the beachy, acousticy guitars that everyone has a hard on for these days and adds some whispery vocals over the top.  It is boring.  This is hipster waiting room music.  Pass.


TCDroogsma:

     I've never been much of a fan of echo-y, psychedelic pop and that was pretty much what came to my mind each time this song started this week. “Oh yeah, that echo-y one.” The hooks aren't sharp and the vocals have a bit of a stoner haze to them, but the whole thing does have a pleasant vibe to it.

     I had to do a little bit of Google work to find out that Robust Worlds is the new band from Chris Rose of Vampire Hands. Seeing as how most of that band's output was definitely of the “grower” variety I'm willing to give “Best Wishes” the benefit of the doubt. Admittedly it did seem to get better as the week went on. If I smoked pot I'll bet I would love this song.

Final Score: MinneSarah -2/5

                  TCDroogsma - 3/5

Boom! There you have it everybody. Another week's worth of tracks downloaded, reviewed, and filed away.

As always we'd like to note that Newest Industry and its contributors are in no way affiliated with the artists, The Current or MPR. We're just music fans with keyboards.

For more of MinneSarah be sure to give her a follow on Twitter and/or Instagram (@MinneSarah). Hopefully she's not still mourning the cancellation of the Morrissey concert.

For more TCDroogsma be sure to give him a follow on Twitter and/or Instagram (@TCDroogsma). He can also be found ranting like a lunatic on his own blog Flatbasset. He's clearly not over the cancellation of the Morrissey concert.

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