/|\(;,;)/|\ There's an ocean of music, and I'm swimming as hard as I can. I use this blog to post music & commentary; I hope you find something here that does it for you. Peace!
This may be the coolest idea for a compilation album EVER.
Last year, John Dwyer’s label Castle Face Records released “The Velvet Underground & Nico” by Castle Face and Friends, which covers the entirety of The Velvet Underground’s debut album, in sequence, with a different band covering each song. Which may sound like a stunt—hell, it is a stunt—but it works. There isn’t a soggy patch to be found on this record (except maybe “Run Run Run” covered by White Fence). Great bands covering great songs, and their interpretations are brilliant enough they’ve made me listen to the original Banana Album again, hearing innovations and possibilities I hadn’t noticed before.
Here’s Ty Segall’s take on “Femme Fatale.”
The next time your friend says “They don’t make good music anymore”…
I still hear people say this now and then. And I always ask them: Do you know what was the top-selling single of 1969?
No, it wasn’t Zeppelin or the Stones or Black Sabbath or any of the other awesome music you’re thinking of. It sure as hell wasn’t “I Wanna Be Your Dog” by The Stooges. It was “Sugar Sugar” by The Archies.
That’s right. Fucking “Sugar Sugar.”
So far as I can tell, the best-selling music of any era is the music sold to teenage girls. Why not? They’ve got expendable income, and they tend to form a rabidly eager fanbase around their media idols. You can see why it makes business sense for the major labels to throw their promotional machine behind someone like Taylor Swift or Justin Bieber. And yes, this has grown more pronounced over the years: Back in the day, major labels used to hire “company freaks,” music-obsessed kids who would tell the old businessmen what’s hot right now. But styles come and go, revolutions fail, what’s hip today seems trite tomorrow, and genuinely brilliant artists like Lou Reed and Iggy Pop made amazing records that failed to find a wide audience. Artistic successes are often commercial failures, and the major labels—who were in the business of making money, mind you—fired all the “company freaks.” They decided it was a more reliable business model to spend more money on advertizing and simply tell the kids what to like. It’s not an evil plot, it’s just business, and if you feel disappointed with the CD selection at Target and the shit they play on Top 40 stations, it’s not because music is in decline, it’s just that you’re not part of the lucrative 14-year-old-girl market. Or maybe you’re a 14-year-old-girl with peculiar tastes. And there’s nothing wrong with having peculiar tastes—just look at my own record collection, for chrissakes—but it means you’re going to have to look a little harder for music that appeals to you. And fortunately for you, we’ve got this thing called The Internet.
We didn’t have the World Wide Webiwhatsit when I was a kid, but I’m insanely grateful for it now, and anytime someone younger than me complains that “they don’t make good music anymore,” I want to respond: “You know, your computer is for more than just porn.”
Here’s a few records I’ve been excited about in just the last few weeks. Don’t tell me they don’t make good music anymore, because I’ve never been more excited to have two functioning ears.
“Would You Be My Love” by Ty Segall
When Ty Segall put out Goodbye Bread, the critics were relieved that he’d finally grown up.
But when Ty put out Twins, the rest of us were insanely grateful he’d done no such thing.
“Standing At The Station” by Ty Segall
From the Lemons album he did for Goner Records.
“Diddy Wah Diddy” by Ty Segall Band
Ty Segall covering The Sonics covering a Bo Diddley record (composed by Willie Dixon, of course). This track is multiple layers of awesome.
Oh, CLICK HERE for The Sonics’ take on this song.
pissingonmyfeet asked: Excellent bit of writing sir. I wish I could write as well. In any case, you summed it all up, distilled all that needed to be said into just enough words to complete the thought. You managed to not ramble and muddled everything. That my friend takes talent, something few writers in the rock world have. I think your essay deserves a wider audience, so I'll be reposting soon. Charles
Thank you, you’re making me blush. I’m kinda embarrassed now to admit that I typed it all up while stoned as shit and listening to a Fathers And Sons Of Garage Punk comp turned up loud enough to irritate my girlfriend. But I do think we’ve got something like a new genre building steam. And Garage Rock is only a provisional label. It’s got roots in The Gories and Oblivians and The Mummies, sure, but the records I’m getting in the mail are sounding less and less like that every day, so a few years from now the current (and exciting) chaos may resolve itself into something totally unpredictable.
And I’m still amazed this Garage thing hasn’t broken wide open already. I live in a midwestern college town, and this one kid who works in the local record store, Adam, kept stocking records by Ty Segall until he realized I was just about the only person buying them. (Every time I find Adam in the store we shake our heads and marvel that their copy of Thee Oh Sees’ Carrion Crawler EP is still collecting dust up on the display shelf.) I’m really not sure how this is going to turn out. In many ways, classic 70’s Punk self-destructed after the Industry tried (and failed) to cash in, but this generation of Garage Rockers seem to have grown up listening to Hardcore and I doubt they EXPECT to make it big—this thing might spend YEARS percolating “underground” before some guy does what Kurt Cobain did for Grunge/Alternative/Punk-under-any-other-name. Or maybe that happened already, so far as the Industry is concerned. The same way my neighbors used to say “You mean like Blink 182?” or “Green Day?” whenever I mentioned Punk, with Garage Rock I’ve had a couple people ask me if I’m talking about Jack White. (Except I LIKE Jack White’s records, but you get the idea.) So, yeah: I’d love to see Ty Segall on the cover of Rolling Stone, but it ain’t gonna happen anytime soon. I just hope he doesn’t up and die like Jay Reatard—THAT dude might have gone ALL THE WAY.
Now I’m rambling and muddling everything just like you warned me not to. Peace, dude, & thanks for writing—
Doc Shoe
PS: What do YOU make of all this? Actually, I’m going to go ahead and publish this response, so let me ask: What do ALL OF YOU make of this? Here’s my Ask link. And here’s that essay, Outrunning The Hyenas: Thoughts On Garage Rock.
“Bikini Babes” by Ty Segall & Mikal Cronin
“Cherry Red” by Ty Segall
“You’re the Doctor” by Ty Segall
From Ty Segall’s new album, Twins. Can’t recommend this record highly enough.
Doc Shoe in Thee Garage
I wish I were a radio DJ.
As in, back when radio didn’t suck. I’d love to travel back in time and have Alan Freed’s job. I’d kill to switch places with someone like Johnny Otis. Sure, you could be harassed or even arrested for playing Rock & Roll back in the day, but the reality today is somehow more depressing: massive media conglomerates own the airwaves, and for the most part they won’t even hire you unless you’re content to shill for the major labels and play the same tepid shit as everyone else.
Fortunately, we’ve got The Internets.
This Thursday, October 11th, we here (that is, me here) at Doc Shoe’s Music Blog will devote the entire day to posting an irresponsibly massive goddamn Garage Punk marathon. Forty-odd tracks, all killer/no filler, from a whole slew of bands who specialize in being loud, fast, and rude as shit.
It’s big. It’s bad. It’ll bruise your eardrums and fuck the teeth out of your sister’s mouth. Best of all, it’ll startle the hell out of people who forgot what Rock & Roll sounds like. It’s Doc Shoe’s Irresponsible Goddamn Garage Punk Marathon.
So don’t touch that dial, folks. Be here for aaaaaaaall the lo-fidelity fury, right here at Doc Shoe’s Music Blog, where we’ll be spinning the platters that matter.
Listening Now
What are you listening to today?
“I Hate The Kids” by Ty Segall & Seth Sutton
Remember what I said, how I wish Ty Segall would make another straightforward head-banger of a record?
Well, he did. Did he ever. With Seth Sutton of Useless Eaters (a new favorite of mine, just remind me to post something from their album C’est Bon!)
This song is so amazing I’m fucking speechless. Just listen.
“My Sunshine” by Ty Segall
Don’t get me wrong: I love Ty Segall’s recent developments. With Hair and Goodbye Bread he showed he could be mature and play more complex Pop arrangements. With Slaughterhouse he proved he can still make your ears bleed. But I hope he makes more records like this one, where all he wants to do is make you bang your head.
“I Bought My Eyes” by Ty Segall Band
Critics praised his album Goodbye Bread for its “maturity.” Ty Segall’s response is this record. He still likes being a noisy brat. Which is why there’ll always be room on this blog for Ty.
“Time” by Ty Segall & White Fence
Naturally I’ll listen to anything Ty Segall does, but White Fence is new to me. avoidinghardwork wholeheartedly recommends him, saying he’s got a real taste for ’60s Garage Rock and Psychedelia, but with less of a Punk leaning than Ty. It shows on this record: If you’re looking for rough-and-tumble Lemons-styled Garage Rock, Hair might not be the record for you. But if you liked the more deliberate pace and complexity of Goodbye Bread, and maybe you’ve listened to a lot of Dylan and The Beatles, you’ll love this record.
