Ancient History

In an ongoing bout of nostalgia, I have just released some old music onto the wild frontier of tubes we call the internet.

The Castaway EP (30mb zip file)by Superficial Hero is 6 tracks of hissy, sloppy, 4 track indie rock from my old band, circa 1999-2000. The ultrafine bass playing you will hear if you download this is by Mr. Monkey Robot Army himself, Reed Raymond. I’ve had this on cassette for ages, and a track or two has floated around in digital form before, back before MP3.com was sued out of existence, but for the most part, this is making it’s digital debut tonight.

While prepping this for upload, I checked on the domain name www.superficialhero.com, out of curiosity. I had once used that domain for the band, but that was in my naive days. I registered it through a third party “free website with ads” service, and they managed to sneak ownership of the name away from me. Lesson learned. I thought I’d never have a chance to re-register it, but lo and behold, it was available! I snapped it up in a hot second, of course.

I hope you enjoy this little gem of Sonoma County indie rock history. Since I own the domain now, there will probably be more content showing up eventually. Your eyes? Keep them peeled.

Looking Forward to Looking Back

I started writing somewhat free form year end lists a couple of years ago, recapping my own thoughts on the music of the year in an informal, personal style. Astutue readers may notice I skipped that tradition at the end of ‘07. I’m not exactly sure why. It just wasn’t a massively inspiring year for music in my opinion, and the thought of struggling to put together a few paragraphs of coherent thought on a subject that could basically be summed up by the word “meh” just didn’t appeal to me. Sure, there were the usual highlights (In Rainbows) and near misses (Volta), and old rediscoveries, but not enough to resemble an actual list.

So why am I writing this? Because this year is already way different.

There has already been a full list’s worth of inspiring, fascinating music, and there’s promise of even more on the way. I started off the year obsessed with the new Why? album, Alopecia, and it has yet to lose it’s quirky, neurotic charm. Re-arrange Us, by Mates of State, was released at the perfect time to become the soundtrack of my summer, and finds them expanding their sound to much grander dimensions, without losing any of it’s affectionate appeal. Then there’s Efterklang’s brilliant Parades, technically a 2007 release that I didn’t hear until recently. I’m still kicking myself for skipping their show at Nectar recently. Dosh put out a great new album that’s been in heavy rotation, and Daedelus has become some sort of pop chameleon on his latest record. I’m still digesting a glut of new music from Autechre (one album, one bonus remix album, and an hour and a half of downloadable remixes!), and a small serving of Joan of Arc songs (one album, but lyrically layered so deeply it feels like 4).

I’m actually looking forward to looking back on this year, especially with some of the promising upcoming releases that are impending (Mogwai, Ratatat, Venetian Snares, Beck?). 2008 has been exciting so far, and shows no sign of slowing down.

All Muxed Up

Since the Internet at large is going all ga-ga over this Muxtape business today, I figured I’d try it out. It’s pretty awesome. A little quirky and slim on features for the moment, but definitely useful, and if it improves as promised, I can see it becoming an internet fixture. Assuming it doesn’t become too big for it’s own good first.

Anyways, I threw together a muxtape featuring music I’ve made, in bands or on my own, over the last 8 years or so. I don’t have any music available from my first band from high school, Leviathan, or I would have a track from each of our releases (So What? and Alarmingly Stylish) up. I don’t have any tracks from my old (possibly resurrected) electronic duo Car Stereo Destroys Michael Bolton Tape either. But other than that, there’s something from pretty much all my musical projects represented here. The post-Leviathan indie rock band Superficial Hero, the solo 4-track project The Sigmund Fraud, my electronic project Miniature Airlines, and even a (thankfully) unreleased rehearsal track from the short-lived three piece The One Two Three Foes. It’s roughly chronological, and it’s a wide range of stuff, from tape-hissy demos, to full band recordings and all-digital creations.

Maybe someday I’ll get ambitious and track down some Leviathan material, rip some cassette recordings, and make it truly representative of my musical “career”. Until then, enjoy what’s there.

A Week In The Dark

I just finished my first week of work at my new job. It was hectic and stressful, but not because of the job itself. More so because my key broke off in my ignition on what was supposed to be my third day. What seemed like a simple matter for a locksmith to deal with turned into an ongoing ordeal involving a new ignition, a $1000 bill, a bus trip from Redmond on Friday night, and a lost day of work. Things start looking up, and something has to come along and rain on the parade, I suppose. Hopefully I’ll get my car back today.

On a more positive note, I’m really enjoying the new Hot Chip album. Almost as much as the new Why? album. And I’m still wrapping my head around the new Autechre. Every time one of their albums comes out, it takes repeated listening over several weeks to really get inside it and understand what’s happening, musically and technically. By the time my copy of the limited edition version arrives, I should be ready to take on the bonus disc…just in time to go see them in April.

As for now though, I’m gonna watch some participatory democracy in action at the Central Library, then do some relaxing and try to forget the whole car ordeal. Music will probably help. So will red wine.

*Headdesk*

Oh man, this is probably the most astute takedown of Sony’s plan to renounce DRM you could possibly read. I mean, you see a headline that reads something like “Last Major Label Holdout Ditches DRM” and think it must be a good thing, right? Then you read their actual plan, and it’s like your forehead is involuntarily drawn towards your desk at an excessive velocity. Thud! Idiots! Is it even physically possible to have a lesser understanding of your market?

Maui, Bitches

That’s where I’m heading. Flight leaves at 10:30. Got In Rainbows all up on my iPod and a bag full of swim trunks and beach towels. You can find me on the beach with a Mai Tai in my hand for the next 5 days. Peace out playas.

In Rainbows

I guess we finally know what’s up with the 7th Radiohead album. After a lot of speculation (are they still on contract to Capitol/EMI? When will it be released? Will “Big Boots” or “Nude” be on it?), the band have announced the impending release of In Rainbows.

Of course, leave it to Oxford’s boys to make a simple album release announcement a much more interesting affair.

The album appears to be self-released by the band. Odd enough for a band this large, but not unheard of (see: Prince for example). Strangely though, it will be released first as a download only, on October 10th, followed by a hardback book/2xCD/2xvinyl /bonus tracks and artwork laden $80US monstrosity in December. Even stranger: They mention that the Discbox is made to order. Stranger still: you choose your own price for the download.

So. No label. Digital only initial release with no fixed price. Custom, made to order physical format 2 months later.

This should get interesting.

Champion

I’m sitting here listening to Graduation, the new Kanye West album and “Champion,” the second track is built on an awkwardly looped Steely Dan sample. It’s so insane that it totally, totally works.
It’s so insane I just had to stop and acknowledge it in writing somehow. As you were.

Short Notes

Tickets to Albuquerque are purchased! I’ll be making my inaugural trip to the Southwest later this month. Can’t wait. I’ll finally get some traveling done.

Speaking of traveling, my Canadian passport finally arrived. At the end of April, a full month after I actually needed it. Siiiiiigh. Oh well, there has been tentative talk about using it for a New Year’s trip. And of course, there’s always Japan, which needs to happen soon.

Heard a bit of the new Smashing Pumpkins single on the radio at work today, and it’s not the total trainwreck that I was expecting. Which is not to say that it’s any good, but still. Low expectations are the key to avoiding disappointment, I suppose.

I’ve been working on a new website, sort of a companion to this here blog thing. I’ll tell you what it is once it goes online (which should be soon). I’d say it’s about 90% there.

If anybody has any good get rich quick schemes, pass them along. That is all.

More later…

Jukevox

I’ve been neglecting my Vox account a bit lately, since I redesigned this site here. I just wasn’t sure where another blog fit into my online life, so to speak. but I finally figured it out.

My Vox will now feature a new song each day, and a few words about that song. I’ve been doing it for about a week already, but wanted to see if I would keep it up for that long before I made an announcement about it. I’m trying to focus on some rare stuff, or artists people may not have heard of, but I’ll probably throw in some really familiar stuff along the way. I’m trying to find some sort of interesting tidbits that go a little bit beyond “here’s a good song, listen to it.” So check it out if you’re so inclined.