april's rymblr

24, she/her, PNW, indie-rock ~fourths on RYM

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The Beatles and Motown

The Beatles with Mary Wells. The Fab Four and Hitsville USA made a great combo, as Kit O’Toole recounts in this expanded version of an article published in Beatlefan #250. When The Beatles first co…

cool article I stumbled on today diving into the history of the relationship between Motown and The Beatles!

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where are YOU on the indietronica alignment chart??

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Japancakes’ sixth full-length album is a cover tributary to Loveless, yes, but one recorded after two whole waves of post-rock had crested and fallen, as a third was well underway. absent the harsh distortion of shoegaze, we're left with the indie rock equivalent to easy listening: slow-to-midtempo instrumentals with shimmer-swirling dream pop guitars and keyboards, augmented by upswelling chamber pop instrumentation (cf. Sigur Rós). also present throughout is a distinctly Southern alt-country flair, owed in large part to the strong presence of pedal steel alongside the cello and electric guitar.

the melodic, sleepy sound of this rock-a-bye–ambient pop suite is a pleasant listen, not quite on par with the original but definitely close. I'm not too surprised, but m.b.v.'s colossal oceanic guitar-rock seems to be well-suited to this softer, more conventionally textured approach that emphasizes acoustic instrumentation and splashes of bright, clean, spaced-out electric guitar. consequently this cover provides a more Beautiful experience geared towards background listening, but with enough depth in its atmosphere, arrangements, and overall sonic palette to merit a closer listen.

I'm very glad both versions exist, and hearing this one allowed me to go back and hear the original anew, discovering and rediscovering elements in its more unconventional, harder-to-(parse? pierce?) textures. I haven't heard the rest of Japancakes's discography yet, but this album and the fact that they're both Kindercore kids and Darla darlings has definitely put them on my list of artists to look further into.

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punk-funk

not all projects are meant to be, it seems... I spent quite a bit of work on a genre submission for RYM recently that wasn’t able to make it through the queue, as many people thought it may not be well-recognised as distinct from its parent genre, dance-punk. I, however, think this is a really unique and interesting style within the development of post-punk and early blending between post-punk and alternative music with dance elements... so here is the description I submitted:

Punk-funk is a style of dance-punk which is based around incorporating funk rhythms into the minimal, angular sound of post-punk. Consequently, compared to other styles of punk, punk-funk is typically slower and groovier with a strong focus on the rhythm section, in particular emphasizing instrumental interplay and the bass guitar as a lead melodic instrument. Electric guitar is used more sparingly, typically played in a scratchy and rhythmic disco-influenced style. Some punk-funk groups also incorporate other rhythmic influences outside funk, most commonly the offbeat rhythms of reggae and dub; the complex percussive style of Afrobeat was also influential on some artists, most notably Talking Heads. Though less common, some punk-funk groups have also incorporated horns or saxophone. The punk-funk style emerged effectively simultaneously on both sides of the Atlantic in 1979, in large part out of a desire to break from the white cultural norms (and racism) within the existing punk movement by prominently embracing Black musical influences. British punk-funk was primarily developed by Northern bands like Gang of Four (Leeds), A Certain Ratio (Manchester), and The Pop Group (Bristol), with a more reggae-oriented variant emerging from London's The Slits. Also notable is Public Image Ltd's "Death Disco" single; its title and "funk noir" became alternate names for the genre in the UK, emphasizing its darker tone compared to the dance styles it was inspired by. In the US, punk-funk emerged out of the art punk scene and closely related No Wave movement in New York City, with artists like James Chance and 99 Records' ESG and Liquid Liquid serving as a more rock-oriented counterpart to the mutant disco trend, which punk-funk sometimes crossed over with (earning it the nickname "mutant funk"). NYC scene mainstay Talking Heads swiftly incorporated a less angular variation on the style into their arty brand of new wave, serving as a major influence to bands in the emerging Athens, Georgia scene like The B-52's and Pylon. Interest in the punk-funk sound declined by the mid-1980s, by which point many of these groups had broken up or moved onto new styles, but at the same time it was a major influence on New Order's emerging alt-dance tendencies and the proto-funk metal of Red Hot Chili Peppers (whose self-titled debut was produced by Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill). Happy Mondays, innovators of the baggy sound later in the decade, also started their recording career as a punk-funk group. The style was revisited in the early 2000s by a number of groups associated with the post-punk revival and electroclash scenes, leading to the innovation of newer forms of dance-punk that build on and diverge from punk-funk with an array of influences from contemporary electronic and dance music to the aggression and intensity of post-hardcore and sasscore. However, some groups in this dance-punk revival like !!! still emphasized funk influences and can be seen as a modern continuation of the punk-funk sound. (fin)

you may espy the submission, discussion, and sourcing if you have a RYM account by accessing this link; the information primarily comes from Simon Reynolds’ Rip It Up and Start Again (2005) and Tim Lawrence’s Life and Death on the New York Dance Floor (2016), along with a smattering of web sources. both books are great, and I’d highly recommend checking out them or the listed artists if this music is of interest to you!

to end this, here’s a song from the LP that spurred me to look into this little movement in the first place, Pylon’s 1980 album Gyrate:

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another cool lookin’ tape I haven’t heard! this one is a demo by Caustic Resin, a Boise indie-rock band with Brett Netson of Built to Spill, circa 1990.

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sometimes I just like to cut out pretty letters and graphics

(from this 1981 kaseko 12″)

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Some weeks ago I decided to try to get a better hang of the concert/venue system on RYM - it’s still super underutilised, and it hasn’t been updated in forever so a lot of it is jank and way out of date. Regardless, it’s interesting to think about the way it’s structured right now, and the incentives that creates: all concerts have to be tied to a specific venue, in a specific city, even before you add the artists or anything. 

Given the incomplete nature of the venue database, any given band’s tour might require someone to add more than a dozen venues individually, going city by city. (I have, in fact, done this when I was adding Spacemen 3 concerts. I gave up halfway through, though I might someday get back to it.) It’s tedious, and requires jumping back and forth between different types of research, making the process rather inefficient. There is a certain logic to centering the venue - after all, people would likely be adding concerts for their local venue that they might attend. The issue is with shows that no RYMer (let alone one who would add a concert) will be attending - those are far more likely to be added by fans of a band than regular venue attendees. We can’t begin to start really filling in the concert database until we have a system that allows for easier input of a particular artist’s gigography, without having to go city-by-city to search for if a venue exists in the database yet. (And, often you have to look at the address too, because some are listed under completely different alternate names!) Plus, what about house shows or other non-traditional venues?

All of this is a lot of words to say - probably the best system for concerts would be one that allows you to input a city without tying it to a specific venue, with the venues being more additional organising information (like a label on a music release). Of course, the concert system would also need to be more visible to get people to actually use it... but one thing at a time :)

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Kumari, How to Pop, How to Punk cassette, March 1997 (Clover Records, Japan)

(I dunno where to hear it - I have not - but if the cover is any indication I’m sure it’s fantastic and adorable)

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1st pic: the 2001 self-titled album of west coast indie/noise-rock band Trumans Water, released on CD by Emperor Jones.

2nd pic: the official CD promo for the same album?? what??? this is so inexplicable that discogs even explicitly confirms in the description T_T

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and I’ll get over this album soon, I promise... 

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haven’t listened to this album and likely never will, but Gin Blossoms’ 2018 album Mixed Reality has one of the most atrocious looking CD/vinyl sleeves I’ve ever seen. it looks like they designed a fancy box set for it, realised they didn’t have enough money to make it, so just printed the mockup image on the CD. unbelievable. 10/10.

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a bit ago, my dear Sasha shared with me Plays John Cassavetes by Ekkehard Ehlers, a minimal and very pretty twenty-minute 12″ from 2001. I don’t listen to a lot of slower, quieter music – my first love in music was, of course, guitar-pop – but this really fits the more low-key and contemplative mood I find myself in today. I said, while we were listening, that it felt like it was moving, gently... it’s not still, just swaying, hovering, showing little signs of life.

the first side (A) is fuzzy, but not warm. not quite cold, either, just... in between. it feels transitory in a way that embraces that feeling. waiting without waiting for. I have been here before, I think, maybe...? (were you with me?)

the second side (B) that I’ve linked above is beautiful and – au contraire  – warm, with strings sliding back and forth with but-a-stutter as the loop snaps back to the beginning again. I feel like I’m being encircled by the melody, all tied up with knots in my heart-strings. it almost makes me want to cry... no, it makes me want to study it and learn the best way to cry to it. I don’t know. it’s good :)

the 2 tracks are compiled on 2002′s Plays. I want to hear more of it.

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been listening to a lot of You Can’t Hide Your Love Forever, the 1982 debut by Orange Juice, as I’ve been thinking about jangle (again, again). I really only just started to appreciate it; like many, I was absolutely filtered by Edwyn’s voice on “Falling and Laughing” (A1) at first, but... a little getting-used-to and really it’s perfect. perfect in the way that the best voices for indie-pop are, pleasing enough for the sweet little melodies but just rough enough around the edges for that ‘punk authenticity’. this song, “Consolation Prize” (B5), is probably my favourite of Edwyn’s on the album, not just for its upbeat pop shuffle at the beginning or its dorky Roger (godfather of jangle-pop) McGuinn reference, but for the brilliant second half beginning at 1:37. for me, this is perfect psychedelia, shimmering waves of guitars spiralling in chords you can only just make out, repeating the same lines over and over. it’s no wonder so many of my favourite songs are this way, huh...

two other songs I have thoughts on for now: “Untitled Melody” (A2) is another Edwyn track right at the beginning, a lumbering low-key song with just two simple verses and a refrain. really it’s not that simple, what with sophisti-pop guitar/bass lines snaking over each other, but the slow tempo and and brief, matter of fact lyrics really sell it as a nice little track-two comedown.

and man, sorry James, I really just haven’t gotten that much into your songs yet... with the one major exception being the brilliant “Wan Light” (A3), resplendent disco/soul/punk perfection with Motown horns and wobbly jangle-guitar lines bouncing back and forth. I can tell I’ll be repeating this one for a while.

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also 4 fun, this cd was not made in canada.

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cover of The JAMS 45 Edits, cleaned up by me for RYM. luv when the lines are so clean and sharp; makes it easy to clean up, but also at first I mistook the text on the right side of the bottom as black when it’s really a dark grey, lighter than the text next to it.

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thinking about actually using this as a music blog maybe