Before the events of the past seven days become a distant, hazy memory, TRACER takes a look back at the week that was. Join us for a trip down short-term memory lane. This is your musical round up for the third week of October.
MYLYNDA NELLERMOE (contributing writer): I absolutely cannot get enough of the recently released Atmosphere album, When Life Hands You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold. In general, hip-hop is one of the genres I enjoy least. However, Atmosphere duo Slug and Ant have really outdone themselves on this record, upping the ante with better than ever lyrics and improved musicality. Plus, as a Minneapolis native, I’m practically required to like Atmosphere. Hopefully it makes up for my distaste for Prince (there, I said it). Go to www.myspace.com/atmosphere and listen to "You."
Please, don’t bother the TRACER editors with your indignant messages about the fact that I don’t enjoy Prince. What you should do, though, is check out Damien Rice’s cover of “When Doves Cry.” In fact, you can listen to it yourself right here. It is another current obsession of mine. D.T. TOBIAS (contributing writer): There are several big shows coming through Cincinnati this week. The National and The Breeders played a free show last night on Fountain Square, local favorites The Seedy Seeds host their CD release show at the Southgate House tonight, and Brooklynites TV on the Radio are set to lay down some funky dance grooves at Bogart's tomorrow night. Some tasty live tunes arriving just in time to usher in that fall weather.
CHRIS GREEN (senior staff writer): After its release in early September, I am still listening to Horse Feathers like he's a wise man from some legendary golden age. Frontier Folk Nebraska is playing at the Southgate House this coming Tuesday, which I will most certainly attend. And, Why?'s Alopecia can make the softest guy feel like the biggest badass.
AMANDA CARNES (reviews editor): In the past week or so, I've been listening to plenty of new music, namely Mount Eerie with Julie Doiron (Lost Wisdom) and some of Blitzen Trapper's new full-length, Furr. The former is a subdued, introspective, slow-burner that offers mostly lost love musings and poignant reverie. Furr is one of the most ethereal, almost experimental, takes on alternative country I've ever heard, and I'm really enjoying it. I'm digging the wintry, organic, haunting sound of the music, along with the observant and brilliant, even succinct, lyrics. Check this one out if you haven't already. ROMAN TITUS (creative director): WHY MUSIC SUCKS RIGHT NOW or “WE’RE ALL FUCKED”—My beef with music right now is that it is largely being taken over by art school kids who, like many “artists” do, are putting absolutely no feeling into the music, but rather trying to make something neat-o that no one else is doing. Let me explain: Damien Jurado struggles with issues in his life, issues that every person deals with and he writes incredible songs about those issues from the deepest places of who he is as a person. You watch him sing the songs and know he feels them, and you feel them too as he sings. Then you turn and look at a band like… okay, I’ll say it, The Dirty Projectors, God love ‘em. I think they make some interesting music, but I don’t feel it at all and I don’t think they appeal to humanity and real life or anything… and everytime you turn around there’s someone else going to the next, uncharted area of music until it’s so fucking shitty that we’re left with the shallow, lifeless, hallows of music that are, to me, equivalent to an iChat exchange.
Compare it to photography. When photography first was discovered, people were trying to make their images look like paintings and now we’re doing it again, taking the reality and humanity out of art. Open any magazine and you’ll see photographs that are so retouched, that they look like illustrations. The reality is gone, and I for one think, that it’s because we’re running from the reality of reality. Buck up, swallow the pill and face the music… reality is hard, why can’t we acknowledge and embrace it rather than sugar coating our music, photography and everything else. I am DEEPLY against art for art’s sake and that’s what I feel is sweeping the indie music scene right now, and I don’t like it. CURT WHITACRE (editor-in-chief): Here we are, another week come and gone. At this time last Friday, I was eagerly anticipating the Black Keys' knock-down, drag-out show at The Madison Theatre in Covington, Kentucky. The Akron, Ohio duo put on a hell of a show, despite an unnecessary interruption by the Madison's fire alarm, and Northern Kentucky's finest public servants, a scant three songs into the Black Keys' show. Alas, the alarm was false and, after a completely disorganized evacuation, the show went on.In stark contrast, this Friday I'm eagerly hoping that the vicious flu that's currently ravaging my body will eventually find someone else to torment. There's nothing like a case of the flu to confirm that fall is definitely here. Luckily, I've had Blitzen Trapper's fine new LP, Furr, to keep me company throughout the ordeal. In essence, Furr takes everything that worked on Blitzen Trapper's last album, Wild Mountain Nation, and makes it better. The band's country/folk/pyschedelic/funk/punk/lo-fi/hi-fi combo has never sounded more coherent, or more natural, than it does on the new album. Do yourself a favor: buy Furr on vinyl and toss it on your turn-table at some point this weekend. There's nothing like some country-fried indie rock to keep you warm on an autumn evening. That's all for this week. For those so inclined, check out the Seedy Seeds and TV on the Radio in the Greater Cincinnati area this weekend. We'll be back on Monday with another installment of our "Conversations" series. TTFN,TRACER Magazine
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