White Stripes White Stripes The Hives The Hives

FOE #419 DECEMBER 2007
www.frankfoe.com
[email protected]
WORDS ON MY MIND
2007 is turning out to be a fantastic year for music.
There are so many great records out there right
now, I know it is going to be ridiculously hard to
come up with a year end Top Ten.
The great year in music, is definitely helping my
mood. Sometimes I forget how connected I am to
something as simple as music and to deny oneself
of that can be quite devastating.
Welcome to FOE.
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WORDS ABOUT RECORDED MUSIC
White Stripes
“You Don’t Know What Love Is/A Martyr For My
Love (acoustic)” 7” Warner Bros 2007
By now you know the rock n roll that is the White
Stripes. The A Side is one of the Stripes best
songs. Great groove, great music, great lyrics,
great hook… great rock n roll. The B-side is the
acoustic version of “A Martyr…” and is truly worth
the price I paid at Hot Topic for this 7”. Exceptional,
especially with headphones on. No hype, just a
great record by a great band.
WORDS OTHERS SAID
Music expresses that which cannot be said
and on which it is impossible to be silent.
Victor Hugo
Take a music bath once or twice a week for a
few seasons, and you will find that it is to the
soul what the water-bath is to the body.
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Without music, life would be an error.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Music washes away from the soul the dust of
everyday life.
Berthold Auerbach
Any good music must be an innovation.
Les Baxter
Music doesn't lie. If there is something to be
changed in this world, then it can only
happen through music.
Jimi Hendrix
Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe,
wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and
charm and gaiety to life and to everything. Plato
The Hives
“Tick Tick Boom/Hell No” 7” Polydor 2007
“Tick Tick Boom” is on the CD “The Black and
White Album”. “Hell No” is not. Ahhh, if the New
Bomb Turks would have made a left instead of a
right… This is kick ass punk rock, head bangin’
groove. MC5, New Bomb Turks, Kinks… you know
all the punk and rock references, all revved up. I
love the Hives! B-side is hella worth finding this 7”.
It has kind of an old, vintage Devo feel, yet updated
Hives style.Ecstatic and erratic, if you know what I
mean.
Bloc Party
Queens of the Stone Age
“The Prayer/England” 7” promo only Vice 2007
“3’s & 7’s” 7” Interscope 2007
red cover version
The bonus track on this 7” (“3’s & 7’s” and “Sick,
Sick, Sick” appear on both) was written by Tom
Waits and is appropriately scary! “Goin’ Out West”
sounds like it could have been the soundtrack to an
execution in Pulp Fiction. This song was definitely
good enough to be on the CD, so you’ll want to get
a hold of this.
WRETCHED ONES
“Make It Happen” CD Headache Records 2007
www.headacherecords.com
www.wretchedones.com
Bloc Party has more versions of their records than
Depeche Mode, and that is saying something if you
happen to collect Depeche Mode 12”s like I do. I
love BP as much as DM. “The Prayer” is another in
a long line of new waveish, alternative rock n roll
that Bloc Party keep churning out. Great songs,
great grooves, innovative sounding. Sort of like a
European Get up Kids meets DM meets… I
dunno… Bloc Party. The non-LP B-side is worthy of
an A-side. A bit dreamier, fantasy, kick back and let
the mind escape sort of song.
Queens of the Stone Age
“3’s & 7’s” 7” Interscope 2007
green cover version, gatefold sleeve
Two of the tracks are from the latest CD “era
vulgaris”. They are typical great QOTSA rock n roll.
QOTSA has an original sound, producing songs
that have great structure, multiple layers, and
complete with great vocals. I’ve become quite a
fan of this band and am always excited about which
corner they will turn next. The remix, non CD track
is a remix of “I’m Designer”, which picks a nice,
layered groove to explore. It works as an exclusive
track.
Another fantastic installment of the Wretched Ones
simple, fast, furious, fun punk rock. A dozen track
rip through in just under 23 minutes. It’s all good,
it’s all raw, it’s all real, it’s the Wretched Ones! You
know I’ve only set up a few gigs in my time, and the
Wretched Ones was one of the bands I chose to
set up. They continue to provide some of the
coolest straight up punk out there.
Jennifer Gentle
“The Midnight Room” CD Sub Pop
Released June 19, 2007
Italian spooky sounding project. If the Cramps
(minus the rockabilly sound) attempted to do the
soundtrack for Nightmare Before Christmas it might
sound something like this. “The Midnight Room” is
dark, lo-fi, twangy, sparse and weird.
Black Dahlia Murder
Joy Division
“Nocturnal” CD Metal Blade released 9/18/2007
I am a fan of this Detroit death metal band’s brand
of mayhem. It is fast, chaotic and brutal. I love the
use of two styles of vocals. There is a guttural, low
bellowing style and the contrasting lunatic sounding
higher range. Black Dahlia Murder at least equals
the success of their previous discs “Miasma” and
“Unhallowed.” “Nocturnal” seems faster than the
other discs. This is a demented disc, but yet BDM
are fun. Don’t believe me, find their video for “What
A Horrible Night To Have A Curse” on myspace.
“An Ideal For Living” 12” Anonymous 2007 Reissue
on blue vinyl with the Scaffolding cover.
If you are unaware of this record, you have no idea
how excited I was to find out this record was
reissued. While I have the music elsewhere, this
was Joy Division’s debut in 1977. The song
“Warsaw” is one of those songs I heard many years
ago that changed how I thought about music. This
is dark, eerily aggressive and just, well, worthy of
the status that is given to this record & Joy Division
as revolutionary.
The Go! Team
“Proof Of Youth” CD Sub Pop
Released September 11, 2007
Arch Enemy
“Rise of the Tyrant” CD
Century Media released September 25, 2007
First time I heard the first track on this disc, the
hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up. I am
not exaggerating. “Blood On Your Hands” is indeed
hair raising! I have been a fan of Arch Enemy, as
the guitarist was in Carcass, on of my favorites of
the genre. Also the female vocals add an extra
“how the hell does she get that sound” effect. “Rise
of the Tyrant” seems more classic metal influenced,
especially on tracks like “I Will Live Again.” From
blazing to rocking to majestic, this CD has the
power and chops to handle all of the genres they
melt together to come up with their sound. A
mighty metal release.
The phrase “pop experimentalists” comes up when
you deal with this band. It is definitely a pop
collage. Part Sonic Youth sonic guitar, part hip hop
party, part 60s hullabaloo, but the key is that it all
sounds like it is going on at the same time. The
collage artwork on the CD cover goes double for
the music. Layers of pop sounds to create a sound
so dense, it fits in with our 2007 lifestyle of so much
going on at the same time. The soundtrack to
driving while drinking a Red Bull or Rockstar, while
talking on the cell phone, while listening to Public
Enemy, while you can hear cheerleaders from the
high school field you just passed, while thinking
about updating your myspace, while the car next to
you is blasting the Beach Boys and you suddenly
remember you really like BIS. Chuck D does the
vocals for “Flashlight Fight.” Seriously.
Joe Sh*thead Keithley
and His Band of Rebels
“s/t” CD Sudden Death
www.suddendeath.com
Released June 18, 2007
Legendary front man from the Canadian HC band
DOA explodes his rock groove on these 14 tracks.
It is catchy, rockin’ and you’ve got to give the man
credit for doing his thing, no matter what the HC
punk nation would want from him. The rock genre
is explored to include a variety of styles and there is
even some saxophone! My favorite track is
“Armageddon Time,” a reggae song with a big rock
build up.
Throwdown
“Covered With Venom” 7” Trustkill 2007
“London Dungeon”/”Planets Collide” white vinyl
I love Throwdown’s hardcore and metal
conglomeration. Heavy and just technical enough
to not take away from the power. Much like
Pantera. The cover of the Misfit’s “London
Dungeon” is punishing and doomy. Very heavy and
very angry and makes the 7” worth owning on it’s
own. The Crowbar tune is slower and moodier than
most Throwdown. Kind of a Tad meets Pantera
groove.
AGNOSTIC FRONT
“For My Family” 7” Bridge Nine
www.bridge9.com
Released 2007
DOA
These 3 tracks seem to be a return to the hard and
heavy side of things, rather than street punk
anthems. Two of the tracks, “For My Family” and
“Dead To Me” will be on “The Warriors” album
released Nuclear Blast Records. There is an
exclusive track, “Break the Chains” and this 7”
comes in 3 formats; silver and gold colored vinyl
(500 copies), silver with red splattered vinyl (1,000
copies), and red vinyl with silver splattered vinyl
(1,000 copies). I love this record! The hardcore,
metal crossover sound serves this band well. This
is tough sounding and I hope it takes AF to a new
level. I heard a track on Hard Attack on Sirius radio
the other day. It made my day! I have been a fan of
this band, no matter what style of hardcore, punk
and metal they blend. I still remember when I was
in a HC band and got to open for them back in the
80s. Highly recommended plus the exclusive track
rips!
“Punk Rock Singles 1978-99” CD Sudden Death
2007 www.suddendeath.com
The first track might have the uninitiated scratching
their head. “Disco Sucks”? Remember, this was
1978. DOA was one of the first bands I got into way
back in the day. This band has many mandatory
records; “War on 45”, “Bloodied But Unbowed” (one
of the only records I have that is autographed),
“Hardcore 81”, “Greatest Sh*ts”… Anyhow, this is a
great summary of DOA, another mandatory
recording. I’m still a huge fan of the 1978 – 1984
era, but this gives me the opportunity to realize I
missed some great songs like DOA’s version of
“Folsom Prison Blues”, “Dead Men Tell No Tales”,
and “Beat Em Bust Em”. I remember seeing DOA in
Catasauqua PA and Philly PA in my youth… some
of the most memorable gigs I ever attended!