- FILTER Magazine

THE SMITHS
•
KAISER CHIEFS VS. MORNINGWOOD
•
CAESARS
•
GOMEZ
ISSUE #6 • JUNE/JULY ’05
We Love You...Digitally
HELLO AND WELCOME to the interactive version of Filter Mini. We’re best viewed in full-screen
mode, so if you can still the top of the window, please click on the Window menu and select Full
Screen View (or press Ctrl+L). There you go—that’s much better isn’t it? [Mini stretches, yawns,
scratches something.] Right. If you know the drill, go ahead and left-click to go forward a page; if
you forget, you can always right-click to go back one. And if all else fails, intrepid traveler, press the
Esc key to exit full-screen and return to a life more humble.
Keep an eye on your cursor. While reading Mini online, you will notice that there are links on
every page that allow you to discover more about the artists we write about. Scroll over each page to
find the H-O-T-T hotlinks, click ’em, and find yourself at the websites of the artists we cover, the sponsors who help make this happen, and all of the fine places to go to purchase the records you read about
here.Thank you for your support of this thing we call Filter. Good music, as they say, will prevail.
-Chris Martins, Editor-in-Chief
Letters, inquiries, randomness: [email protected]
Advertising and suchlike: [email protected]
SEAM
U
T
L
AL
KKEM
TB
L
MAR BAS
NALL-STA
E
H DIE
US
PL
P
IN
E
AN
S
T
SDRAFT
HEAR IT AGAIN
FOR THE FIRST TIME
A SPECIALLY PRICED 2-CD SET
INCLUDING THE NEW ALBUM SATAN’S CIRCUS
& THE BONUS DISC
“LIVE AT THE BRIXTON ACADEMY”
motown classics reinvented and regrooved
INCLUDES THE SINGLE:
EIN FUR DIE DAMEN
(THIS ONE’S FOR THE LADIES)
//Z-TRIP//
//THE RANDY WATSON EXPERIENCE//
//DA PRODUCERS//
//DJ SMASH//
//SALAAM REMI//
//MOCEAN WORKER//
//DJ JAZZY JEFF & PETE KUZMA//
//GROOVE BOUTIQUE//
//TRANZITION//
//EASY MO BEE//
//FUTURESHOCK//
//HOTSNAX//
//DJ SPINNA//
//KING BRITT//
//DJ GREEN LANTERN//
al Brothers”
nk & The Chemic
“Rivals Daft Pu H H H H RIP & BURN
—
rd to date”
allenging reco
“Their most ch
— MOJO
and alluring”
d. Malevolent
“It’s dead-eye
— NME
IXTON ACADEMY
LIVE AT THE BR vital.”
“The bonus disc
st
mo
at their
captures them
— WORD
also available
Death in Vegas
vinyl LPs
motown unmixed
original versions
Available May 24th, On THE
LAB.
www.fuel2000.com
www.continorooms.com
z
5
/
www.motown.com www.motownremixed.com
C2005 Universal Music Enterprises, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
In Stores Now!
Available At
© 2005 Converse, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
“Revival” by David Choe
“Revival” by Converse
To see more of David’s work, visit www.davidchoe.com
So many images cloud his head, David Choe must work fast and furious to
get them all out. His “Revival” is a chunk of memory about growing up in
Los Angeles. Our “Revival” is the EV Pro 2K5, a freshly redesigned classic.
What will you revive? ConverseGallery.com.
Converse © are available at: Jack’s – Orange County, CA Fluid Surf and Sport – San Clemente, CA
EV Pro 2K5
South Coast – San Diego, CA O’Neil – Santa Cruz, CA Beach House – Santa Barbara, CA
CONTENTS
SPOTLIGHT
6
7
CAESARS, SUBTLE
BRITISH SEA POWER, OKKERVIL RIVER,TEAM SLEEP
SCENE
8
9
11
On the Road with GOMEZ
ANDY ROURKE Spins THE SMITHS
LONG-VIEW’s Guide to Manchester
D E L U X E
PUBLISHERS:
Alan Miller & Alan Sartirana
Edition
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:
Chris Martins
ENDTRODUCING.....
ART DIRECTOR:
Tom Manning
ASSOCIATE EDITOR:
lesley Bargar
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT:
12
FILTER FASHION
FEATURES
14
16
20
Pond-Hopping: KAISER CHIEFS vs. MORNINGWOOD
FOO FIGHTERS Turn Ten: the Decade of Dave
Pickin’ and Rollin’ with Coach STEPHEN MALKMUS
REVIEWS
22
23
30
ONE-LINERS
CD REVIEWS
FILTER RECOMMENDED RADIO
FR0M THE EDITOR:
Six issues in and this just keeps getting better: more music, more issues, more caffeine
and booze-fueled editorial benders, more
celebratory big-mag bonfires, more original
stories… Seriously, where else are you going
to find yourself partying in the desert with a
guy named “The Devil” (Issue 5––“The
Eagles of Death Metal Guide to Palm
Desert”), or imaging the sweaty consequences of Thurston Moore and Seal entering the NBA under the leadership of Stephen
Malkmus (read on)? If you missed the last
issue (Gorillaz, Mercury Rev, Tim Burgess vs. Tegan & Sara,
Constantines...), download it for free at www.filtermini.com. And
remember, if Filter Magazine is a perfect fit for your coffee table (it is),
then Mini was made for your pocket. Good Music Will Prevail.
ON STANDS JULY 1 – FILTER ISSUE 16
FEATURING COLDPLAY
Join us on “Planet Coldplay,” high
above Chicago (seen here: Filter
Photo Director Steven Dewall shooting our world-exclusive photos) as
we plot global domination with the
biggest band on Earth: Filter
Magazine’s first returning cover
artist, Coldplay. Plus, all the great new music and wacky surprises
you’ve come to expect out of every issue!
SEND ALL LETTERS TO:
[email protected] or 5514 Wilshire Blvd, 4th Floor, L.A., CA 90036
Erin Broadley
SCRIBES:
Catherine Adcock,Todd Berger,
Erin Broadley,Ben Bush,CHZA,
Steven Leckart,Jack McGrue,
Pat McGuire,Bernardo Rondeau,
Michael Suter,Chi Tung, Louis Vlach
THE MODERN CLASSIC REVISITED
AND EXPANDED TO 2 CDS!
MARKETING:
Danielle Allaire, Mike Bell,
Bryan Chenault, Pamela Coady,
Penny Hewson, Pat McGuire, Mark
Mueller, Paul Moore, Gur Rashal, Eli
Thomas
/ 14 previously unreleased and rare recordings
/ Full Project Participation by DJ Shadow
THANK YOU:
Heather Bleemers, John Brown, Tom Christie,
Steven Dewall, Charles Fleming, Grafton
House, Mikel Jollett, Gregg LaGambina, Rich
and Diana Martins, the Oakland Bay Area,
Baillie Parker, Stephen Randall, Marc Slott,Yoni
Wolf, Jeff Fiorentino, Brian Roberts, Melvin
Mora, Neil Marks, Sharon Lord, Momma
Sartirana, the U.K. Sartiranas, Joseph Johnson,
the Ragsdales, the Masons, Wendy, Pete-O,
Rey, the Paikos family, Chelsea & the Rifkins,
Barry Hogan, Shalyce, Wig/Tamo and the S.F.
crew, Shappsy, Phamster, Pipe, Christian P,
Holly Adams, Nikki Hirsch, Shari Yoder, Tony
Rovello, Sidney Ponson,Adrian Martinez, Mike
Manning, Stacy Chaloeicheep, the Bargar Fam,
Adam Leff, Michael Suter
/ Liner notes and detailed songography
by DJ Shadow
/ Essay by noted author Eliot Wilder
/ Expanded packaging with
deluxe booklet featuring
new photos and images
/ Exclusive excerpts from the
upcoming book ENDTRODUCING
nearly three months in advance
of the book release
EDITORIAL INQUIRIES:
5514 Wilshire Blvd 4th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90036
[email protected]
In Stores Now!
ADVERTISING INQUIRIES:
[email protected]
West Coast Sales: 323.930.2882
East Coast Sales: 646.202.1683
Filter Mini Magazine is published by Filter
Magazine LLC, 5514 Wilshire Blvd. 4th Fl,
Los Angeles CA 90036. Vol. 1, No. 6,
June/July 2005. Filter Mini Magazine is not
responsible for anything, including the return
or loss of submissions, or for any damage or
other injury to unsolicited manuscripts or
artwork. Any submission of a manuscript or
artwork should include a self-addressed envelope or package of appropriate size, bearing
adequate return postage.
© 2005 BY FILTER MAGAZINE LLC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
FILTER IS PRINTED IN THE USA
WWW.FILTERMINI.COM
WWW.FILTER-MAG.COM
ALSO
COVER PHOTOGRAPH BY SUZUKI K
FLASH
REMASTERED & EXPANDED:
NINE INCH NAILS
THE DOWNWARD
SPIRAL
SONIC YOUTH
DIRTY
VELVET UNDERGROUND
VELVET UNDERGROUND
& NICO
i
z www.djshadow.com
/
C2005 Universal Music Enterprises, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
To learn more about parental advisory program, go to www.parentalguide.org
WEEZER
WEEZER
THE WHO
MY GENERATION
Available At
SPOTLIGHT
British Sea
Power
SPOTLIGHT
by Ben Bush
Edging out the Spanish Armada for the number one
spot on the nautical pop charts, British Sea Power
are known for immersing their live shows in the
elemental power of nature.With a diligent interest
in horticulture, the band travels with a pair of
pruning shears inside their guitar cases. They trim
the local flora, decorating the stage with tree
branches. Their lyrics concur: “Drape yourself in
greenery/Become part of the scenery,” and they’ve
been known to play concerts from the prow of a
boat, bringing their music to the English coastline
and isolated islands. Their latest album includes a
love song for a disintegrating Antarctic ice shelf.
Instead of chopping wood or beheading, British Sea
Power take an ax to the frozen sea within.
Caesars
Subtle
[Subtle was involved in a road accident in February
that left keyboardist Dax Pierson paralyzed.
Contributions to his recovery fund can be made at
www.daxpierson.com.]
6 FILTER
mini
Okkervil River
OKKERVIL RIVER PHOTO BY MARY SLEDD
by Chris Martins
The Subtle sextet is an odd group—six American
musical wasteland wanderers who found enough
of a home in the Oakland Bay Area to settle down
for a minute. Now they make music distinctly out
of step with anything you’ve ever heard. With an
arsenal of instruments—drums, samplers, electric
cello, guitar, bass, sax, keys—Subtle wage artful
war on cancer, money, dentists and egos.
Vocalist/poet Adam “doseone” Drucker is a showman of the weirdest order (in the celebrated
Hunter S. sense), and the music is pure gorgeous.
2004’s A NewWhite explored the farthest reaches of
rock, hip-hop, electronic and prog, and rumor has
it—after a Beck remix and session with Mike
Patton—that something wickedly new this way
comes in the fall.
CAESARS PHOTO BY FREDRIK WENNERLUND
by lesley Bargar
I gotta start eating a lot more fish. And seriously,
so should you and every aspiring musician in this
country. Why? Consider all the kick-ass Swedish
bands out there (especially iPod “Jerk it Out”
commercial vets the Caesars). And then take it
one step further and figure hey, you are what you
eat right? And the Swedes eat a lot of fish. So, I figure eat fish, be awesome. Like, I bet childhood
friends and Caesars’ bandmates Joakim Ahlund
(guitars) and César Vidal (vox) eat something like
15 trout a day. And let’s not even start on the gillmunching capacities of fellow Caesars David
Lindvist (bass) and Nino Keller (drums). Just listen to the Kinks-style ’60s psychedelic pop freakout that is their latest and third full-length Paper
Tigers. Making the ultimate summer soundtrack—effortless, classic songwriting, beachy
harmonies and a Doors’-record worth of electric
organ—don’t come without a shit-load of
Omega-3s and an unholy consumption of canned
mackerel.Trust me.
by Ben Bush
You know how Yankees are, always trying to make
rock intelligent and fancy. Well, leave it to southern mystic, country-punk art-rockers Okkervil
River to make it visceral again. In their hands it’s
carnivorous: talk of talons, claws and farm animals
bleeding from the neck. Critics have compared
them to Neutral Milk Hotel, and I won’t be the
one to stop them. Final dress rehearsals for Black
Sheep Boy, their fourth album, occurred in an unair-conditioned, tin-roofed shed, and recording
was done in a jerry-rigged house. The single, “For
Real,” is entangled word play and blasts of guitar.
Singer Will Sheff, a New Hampshire native, was
adrift until he expatriated to Austin and learned to
live his life as a disaster epic. We should be grateful he has sung us a documentary about it.
Team Sleep
by Todd Berger
No, it’s not the newest superhero team here to use
their cosmic slumber ray on insomniacs and misbehaving children.Team Sleep is, in fact, the eclectic side
project of the Deftones’ Chino Moreno and longtime
friend Todd Wilkinson, and their self-titled debut is
finally hitting the streets (with a little help from
Pinback singer Rob Crow, Helium’s Mary Timony,
Hella’s Zach Hill, bassist Rick Verrett and DJ Crook).
More melancholy than Chino’s other band, Team
Sleep eschews the soul-shredding hard-rock nightmares for something more akin to an ambient dream,
somber and darkly pretty. In 2001, an unknown dastardly villain leaked a few unfinished songs to Internet
and radio, nearly causing the premature demise of the
Snoozy Seven.Why they still haven’t invented a cosmic slumber ray is beyond us. F
FILTER mini 7
SCENE
SCENE
Andy Rourke Spins the Smiths
by Louis Vlach
Ahh, 1982. It was a good year, wasn’t it? I was born, for one. But more importantly (to you, at least), the Smiths
arrived in a blaze of self-infatuation, gladiolas, guitar rock and celibacy. Trumpet blasts sounded, and it was
known: this wispy cacophony was the death knell of new wave; the synthesizer was living on borrowed time. Of
course, we now know that said demise was more akin to a 20-year hiatus, but the respite was appreciated
nonetheless. Between Moz and Marr, there wasn’t much room for a third ego, so it makes sense that Smiths
bassist Andy Rourke is now searching for that (spot)light that never goes out. With a memoir in the works, a
Smiths documentary just around the corner, and a new band preparing to record (Rourke, New Order’s Hooky,
and Mani of Stone Roses/Primal Scream—dubbed Free Bass, naturally), Andy’s busier than ever. Thankfully,
Filter Mini was able to catch up with him on the eve of his U.S. DJ tour. In honor of the outing, we asked for
Rourkie’s perfect Smiths mix.
On the Road with Gomez
by Pat McGuire
If you think for one second that life on the rock and roll highway is all early morning “Tiny Dancer” sing-a-longs
with super-tramp groupies, think again: you gotta stay clean out there, baby. They swear they’re not a jam band,
but British roots-rockers Gomez have been on the road enough to know what’s important: scrubbing and grubbing. Filter Mini sat down with singer/guitarist Ian Ball before a recent Los Angeles show in support of Out West,
their new live double disc recorded over three nights in San Francisco at their favorite venue, to get tips on what
to pack, where to bathe, and how to catch whichever asshole’s been jacking your shirts. And remember, if your
amp doesn’t go to 11, you can always blame the tour manager.
And whose fault is that?
It’s always the tour manager’s fault, whatever the problem is.There’s been some dodgy catering going on, and
if there is no catering then you’re really at the mercy of
the elements. Once you’re clean and fed it’s about 4
o’clock soundcheck, then it’s drinking and that’s all
there is to it.
What fictional depiction of a road trip is the
most accurate to you?
Definitely not Almost Famous. That’s the worst. I think
the best are the interview sections of The Last Waltz––
you can see it in their eyes. Spinal Tap had it down, what
it’s like to be in a band. It’s truly nuts.
What spots do you look forward to in the U.S.?
The perimeter of this country—that’s where we’ve had
our best times. The further inland you venture, the
8 FILTER
mini
................................
Andy Rourke’s Smiths Mix...............................................................................
Top 5 venues to play in the U.S.:
“Rubber Ring” (Louder Than Bombs, 1987)
I remember being really proud of the bass line on this
track. It bounces along and sits really well with the guitar and vocal.
1. The Fillmore, San Francisco
2. Red Rocks, Denver
3. Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia
4. St. Andrews Hall, Detroit
5. Greek Theatre, Los Angeles
“Hand in Glove” (The Smiths, 1984)
This song will always be special to me as it was our first
single. It has an urgency and passion to it, and a quality that
we used as a marker with everything we recorded after.
................................
greater the chances that Subway is your only meal
option.
What are the most important things to pack?
Phone charger and shower gel. Those two things are
fucking difficult to keep hold of. Usually it’s kind of a
scramble up and down the bus through all the crap that
has been bought or given or found that nobody wants to
take home, it piles up and you just try and find your
things.
Do you have a luggage limit?
No, some people’s suitcases are the size of a sofa.You’ll
never leave a tour with all you brought. Looking at photos of the band, it’s always interesting to see what
clothes you’ve lost. “Look, there’s Olly in my fucking Tshirt!” F
“William…” (Hatful of Hollow, 1984)
We recorded this one in an 8-track basement studio in
Chorlton, Manchester for no money. The record company took it to London to remix it, but couldn’t better
it. I also play glockenspiel on the song—if you listen
carefully, you’ll hear it.
PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER WRAY-McCANN
What does a day on tour consist of?
You wake up after noon, or else you’ve got a really long
day ahead of you. The trick is to get as drunk as possible the night before so you can sleep all day. The first
thing to establish is where you are, and next are the
location of a shower and food. One in every 10 venues
has got a good shower.This tour has been all about trying to keep alive, because the nourishment factor has
been so low.
“The Queen is Dead” (The Queen is Dead, 1986)
This song shows us at our peak, I think. Mike’s drum
intro and Johnny’s searing guitar parts dominate. We all
had lots of fun making this record.
“How Soon is Now” (Meat is Murder, 1985)
This song broke us in the U.S. and was a favorite with
fans at gigs around the world. The star of the show for
me on this one is Johnny. That vibrato guitar line is a
killer. I remember when he recorded the wailing
part—he overdubbed it 20 times.
“Bigmouth Strikes Again” (The Queen is Dead, 1986)
This is just an amazing record. It has so much energy; it
never lets up. Great fun to play live, this one.
“Barbarism Begins at Home” (Meat is Murder, 1985)
Again, with this song…full of energy. Mozzer’s lyrics
are the star on this.The bass line isn't bad either!
“Last Night I Dreamt…” (Strangeways,HereWe Come, 1987)
I think everyone plays a blinder on this one. Steven
Street’s production turns this track into an epic.
“That Joke isn’t Funny Anymore” (Meat is Murder,1985)
Mozzer’s lyrics on this track are only surpassed by his
vocal performance—first time I heard it, the hairs on
the back of my neck stood on end. Very special to me,
this one.
“There is a Light that Never Goes Out”
(The Queen is Dead, 1986)
Quite simply, a classic. I think this song sums up what
the Smiths were all about. (And I’m very proud of my
bass line on this too.) F
FILTER mini 9
SCENE
Long-View’s Guide to Manchester
by Erin Broadley
There is a certain nostalgic pungency about the early ’90s that wafts of flannel, the Fresh Prince, slap bracelets,
and the peak of the two most potent rock scenes in modern musicology—grunge in Seattle and “Madchester” in
Manchester, England. In 1991, while Kurt Cobain was smelling like Teen Spirit and writing songs about how much
reality bites, Ian Brown was overseas savoring the success of the Stone Roses’ debut and coddling his muse in a
cloud of ecstasy-fueled hedonism. But by 1994, Cobain’s suicide fated slacker chic, and a disappointing follow-up
from the Roses hinted that the Mancunians’ serotonin levels had dipped. Seattle may never recover, but in
Manchester, the escapist rock of the Happy Mondays and Stone Roses gave way to the retro-romanticism of the
Doves, Elbow, and (ahem) new kids on the block Long-View. Filter Mini caught up with Long-View guitarist Doug
Morch on the tail end of the band’s stateside tour in support of their U.S. debut, Mercury, to get clued in on the
Manchester vibe without watching 24 Hour Party People for the umpteenth time.
e Be.............................................................................................................
…music venue to sneak in a whiskey ask?
I think you could do that anywhere. Security’s not too
particular about searching your pants, you know? I’d say
a place called the Roadhouse, just off Piccadilly
Gardens. I used to work there—it’s like an underground, dive sort of venue.
…place to buy a life-size cardboard cutout of David
Beckham?
You know, I don’t often buy those. Maybe Trafford
Center, which is just outside of town. It’s soulless. A
hellhole! It’s a massive, horrendous shopping center.We
went bowling there one night with these girls and one
of them got really drunk and threw up in my car. I was
really pissed off.
…spot to check out old “Free Ian Brown”graiti?
There’s some down where I used to live, in Willington.
There was some Ian Brown graffiti on a massive building down there. It was all down Oxford Road, but some
killjoy might have scrubbed it off by now.
“Blister in the Sun.” My old flatmate runs it, and it’s
next door to the venue the Academy, so all the bands
that play end up drinking there afterwards.
I read that the Latin word for e original city of
Manchester translates to a “breast-shaped hi.” So, like,
what’s e best strip club around?
Going to a strip club is not a common thing to do, especially for people like us. People don’t really do that in
Manchester. There’s Fantasy Bar but only weird businessmen go there.
…place to get a bowl haircut?
[Laughing] I dunno. My friend Mark’s wife cuts my hair.
She cuts everyone’s hair around Manchester.
What’s the worst store to get caught shoplifting a Smiths CD?
Probably a big chain record shop like HMV or Virgin.
But you definitely shouldn’t steal from a place like
Piccadilly Records because it’s the best indie record
shop around.
…pub to get completely tanked in when you get sacked …street to find yourself in a bloody brawl?
Aidan [Banks, bassist] got punched in the face on
or find out your girlfriend has been shagging your best Oldham Street and ended up on Matt’s [Dabbs, drumfriend?
mer] doorstep with a kebab and a bloody face. Oldham
We always go to a place called Big Hands on Oxford
Road. It’s named after the Violent Femmes song,
Street is really rough…lots of meatheads.They sniff out
a fight anywhere they can. F
FILTER mini 11
FLASH
Filter
Fashion
...........................................................................................................................
TANK FARM:
www.tankfarmclothing.com
xe.com
oxdelu
www.f
,
y
a
w
e
re
FOX: F
AUDIOPHILE:
available at Urban
Outfitters
and www.audioph
ileclothing.com
Boot
FRED PERRY: Table Tennis
www.fredperry.com
NO STAR
CLOTH
Liquor T-sh ING:
ir t
www.nosta
rclothing.co
m
12 FILTER
mini
Pond-Hopping
KaiserChiefs vs. Morningwood
14 FILTER
mini
excuse that they’re friends with Jack White.
Chantal: I apologize profusely on the behalf of the
American record industry.
Ricky: But it was the best thing that ever happened to
us.We’ve had to write songs twice as good.
Mini: Numerous British bands have been striking it big here lately—why is this happening
now? Even with Brit-pop, even when it was
huge in the mid-’90s, its success in the States
wasn’t what it was in the U.K. How has the climate changed?
Ricky: We actually had to pull our fingers out of our
asses and write songs better than we were capable of
doing. But none of us knew each other existed at the
time—Franz Ferdinand was in Glasgow, we were in
Leeds, Bloc Party in London—so no one was copying
anyone else, we were just making really good albums at
MORNINGWOOD PHOTO BY HELLIN KAY
Mini: Ricky, your Kaiser Chiefs have been
dubbed the latest U.K. “it-band” to cross over
to the United States while Chantal, you’re
attempting the same with Morningwood and
the U.K…
Ricky: We get asked a lot, “So you’re trying to break
America?” but America is just another place, the world
is just another venue.When you start traveling and playing every night, you discover that people are pretty
much the same everywhere.
Chantal: I just find British men very charming
[laughs]. It’s sort of become a standard practice—I
think it’s important to go to England first.
Ricky: A couple years ago we couldn’t get anyone to
notice us in the U.K. because there were so many
American bands here that couldn’t make it on their own
soil. The industry was sending out shit bands with the
KAISER CHIEFS PHOTO BY JASON KELVIN & STEVIE DEAN
by Chi Tung
When Shania Twain went from country to KOST 103.5 stalwart, the whispers began.When Outkast traded their
Southernplayalistic funk for Polaroid pictures, it was a deafening roar. Crossing over, the rabble declared, is selling
out. And selling out is what you do when desperation sets in and the people keep demanding more, more, more.
The truth, however, is that crossing over is a many-splendored thing, with bands like Kaiser Chiefs and
Morningwood showing us that sometimes, all that glitters is, in fact, platinum gold. That’s why lately, instead of
hearing us yammer about the Strokes, you’ve no doubt gotten a healthy dose of Anglophilia instead. On the other
side of the Atlantic, the British rags break from plugging Keane to go gaga over Morningwood’s chanteuse, Chantal.
But it doesn’t end there. Keep on the look out for NY2LON, which in addition to being a cute acronym (it stands
for New York to London), also pits the best of both sides of the pond on one compilation (and in various events).
All of which sets the stage for the coolest three-way since Neve, Matt and Denise.That’s right, the Kaisers’ Ricky
Wilson, Chantal Claret and Filter Mini—all together, getting our transatlantic groove on.
the same time. And then we got our record deals and it
just made British music really healthy.
Mini: So does it irk you when we the media
lump you together into scenes or trends or
what-have-you?
Ricky: There’s an old phrase I like, “If you can see the
bandwagon, you’ve already missed it.” There’s no point
in fitting into a scene…when we first sent out our
album, everyone hated it because they didn’t have any
reference point, and now the same people from the
record company are saying how much they love it, and
it’s like, “Well, why didn’t you love it when you had it in
your hand and you could’ve signed it for 500 quid?”
Chantal: People need a point of reference, with anything. “New York City…you guys are like, ‘funcore!’”
Any sort of niche they can put you into. But being from
New York City doesn’t make you similar.
Ricky: Location is not a genre.
Chantal: That’s what weirds me out most. It’s like,
“Oh, they’re a London band—they all sound like that.”
It doesn’t even make sense. I have a question for you,
Ricky. What’s the British equivalent of a jam-band, like
the Grateful Dead?
Ricky: I don’t think we really have that. I don’t really
like that kind of stuff anyway…
Chantal: No, no, I hate it—you’re lucky, and you’re
smart. I don’t think anyone likes that stuff over there.
You guys don’t take the Dave Matthews Band over the
border—customs doesn’t accept them.
Ricky: Or Hootie and the Blowfish. No idea what they
sound like, or Dave Matthews. But the second half of
our album is actually produced by the guy who produced Dave Matthews. But he’s also done U2…
Chantal: By the way, we recorded in London at WAC
Studio. It’s really nice.
Ricky: We never get the chance; we always go to grotty places like the countryside. I wanna have that really
posh studio experience...catering and bedrooms and all
that.
Chantal: Yeah, I went from gold-tapped faucets and a
chef to asking my brother if I can crash on his couch in
New York. We wanted to leave the city to record
though, it’s so distracting.
Ricky: It’s weird—I feel really at home in New York,
but I don’t like being in London. It’s really depressing…too big, sprawling.
Chantal: I think New York gives off a false sense of
homeliness.
Ricky: It’s really small though.
Chantal: Suffocating.You call it small; I call it suffocating. But it’s great for writing.You should try writing in
New York—you’re constantly inspired. But don’t
record there; it’s just endless pressure and distractions.
And if you’re not living well, it’s really hard to get by
there.
Ricky: That’s why I like living in Leeds.You don’t have
to be rich to enjoy yourself.
Chantal: I’m moving to Leeds then.
Ricky: I’ve got a spare room now.There’s no bed in it,
it’s totally empty, and I’m never here.
Chantal: Set it up, I’m flying over. F
FILTER mini 15
FOO FIGHTERS
TURN
TEN
(THE DECADE OF DAVE)
by Steven Leckart
Dave Grohl can hardly sit still as he rattles off the debauched tales of his former bandmates. No, not Nirvana.
Scream, the hardcore act that gave a
skinny 17-year-old suburbanite his first
break in the late ’80s. Apparently one
of them used to hook up with a dreadlocked squatter chick who could roll a
joint despite missing three fingers. Say
what you will about the Foo Fighters’
commercial leanings and those quirky
videos where Grohl appears in drag or
pigtails—his roots are relatively badass.
For a moment though, let’s forget
about that loud and grimy scene where
Grohl first drummed in bands with
names like Freakbaby and Dain
Bramage. Forget about the 1990s, that
whole grunge thing, and how the rise
of “alternative” somehow helped that
dreadlocked douche from Soul Asylum
pull Winona Ryder. (Perhaps he rolled a
really good joint?)
16 FILTER
mini
It’s 2005 and we’re nestled deep in
the armpit of Southern California’s
San Fernando Valley. A 15-foot gate
surrounds an inconspicuous twostory building. We push “call.” The
gate opens. We enter through Door
#1, where we’re greeted by a woman
who takes us through the less imposing Door #2, and points to the nearest seat in a waiting room of sorts. A
lacquered plaque glimmers from
beneath a coffee table—it’s an award
from a drum magazine declaring
Grohl the “Up and Coming
Drummer” of 1992. All around, the
walls are covered with a decade of
staggering history—the Foo Fighters’
four platinum records, a photograph
of Grohl alongside Elvis Costello and
Bruce Springsteen, a gold record
with a photo of the Nevermind baby
blown up larger than life. As if the
idea of that album (recently added to
FILTER mini 17
Nevermind
the Everlong:
...........................................................................................................................
a discography in brief with Dave Grohl
1995
1995 Foo Fighters
(Roswell/Capitol)
“The first one was a fluke.
It was a demo tape.”
1997 The Colour and
the Shape (Capitol)
“I was really proud we
actually went in and made
1997
1999
2002
a record. Then everyone
fucking quit.”
to shoot hoops, BBQ and
beer bong.”
1999 There Is Nothing
Left To Lose (RCA)
“It didn’t even seem like
an album-making process.
We’d go in for a month,
then take three weeks off
2002 One by One (BMG)
“Did it, scrapped it, did it
again in two weeks. Half
of it sucks cocks. Worse
than getting caught beating off in high school.”
2005
2005 In Your Honor
(RCA)
“When I listen to it, I’m
so fucking charged.We’ve
made something where
we can keep going unrestricted.”
...........................................................................................................................
the Library of Congress alongside Pet Sounds) isn’t
intimidating enough, baby’s now rather immense
unit makes the task of confronting what’s behind
Door #3 all the more intimidating. This is 606, the
studio the Foo Fighters constructed about a year ago.
We’re here in the midst of all this history not merely to pay homage to Grohl’s elaborate sonic resume
(though it is impressive: Queens of the Stone Age,
Tenacious D, Probot, Cat Power, and of course,
Nirvana). Instead, we’re here to figure out how 10
years from the band’s inception, after picking up a
few Grammys and weathering that period where
concertgoers pelted them with Mentos, the Foo
Fighters sacked up and created their most dynamic
record to date.
18 FILTER
mini
“When I was 14,” says Grohl, “I thought for sure I
would die before I got my driver’s license, ’cause it just
seemed too good to be true that I wouldn’t be dead by
that time. Then, when I was 17 I thought, ‘There’s no
way I’ll live to be 21, because then I’ll get to drink—
legally.’ And what a fucking dream come true. I don’t
know if this is fatalistic, but it’s kind of that same feeling with albums, where you just think each time, ‘Well
God, it’s been so long. Maybe this is a good way to send
it off.This is a good last album.’”
After polishing off four “last” albums in roughly
seven years, the Foo Fighters built 606 and set out to
prove they can sound tougher than the Eagles (Grohl’s
comparison), but without abandoning that head-bobbing sense of melody that made “Big Me” an unexpected
Top 40 hit in 1996. Their latest sendoff is a “schizophrenic” double record called In Your Honor, the first
disc of which boasts some of the loudest, most hectic
songs the Foo Fighters have ever done.
“When I was writing the Probot songs, people would
say, ‘Are those new Foo Fighters songs?’ And I’d go,
‘Noooo. Those are too heavy for our band.’ But then I
started thinking,‘Well, what the fuck is that supposed to
mean? Why can’t we just do whatever we wanna do?’”
Thus, on the other end of their punk-metal doublekick opus is a disc of acoustic tracks shorn up by harmonica, string sections, piano (a lá Led Zeppelin’s John
Paul Jones no less) and guest appearances by Josh
Homme, Petra Haden and—oddly enough—Norah
Jones. Yes, Norah Jones—the smooth jazz vocalist who
garnered a duffle bag of Grammys and made all of your
dads’Top Ten lists in 2003. Something tells me that if the
circa-’88, high school-dropout Grohl could magically
travel through time, he’d beat down doors one through
three and kick his own ass, or at least scream out what
we’re all thinking: What the hell?!
“That’s bullshit. If you truly love music, there shouldn’t
be any sort of boundaries.When we listened back to the
track, for a minute I got kind of worried and thought,‘Is
this too fucking weird?’ And Nate [Mendel, the Foo
Fighters’ bassist] said,‘That’s exactly why we should put
it on the record.’As men grow older and you start to get
gray hair coming out of your fucking ears and you’ll fart
in front of anybody—you just don’t give a fuck anymore. It just feels so good to be able to do everything,
rather than just one thing. And it does almost come
down to that feeling of like,‘OK, how much can we get
away with now?’”
For a minute I thought, “IS THIS
TOO FUCKING WEIRD?” And Nate
said, “THAT’S EXACTLY WHY WE
SHOULD PUT IT ON THE RECORD.”
Granted, that single song’s bossanova vibe seems
entirely counterintuitive to anything on disc one (let
alone everything Grohl’s previously released), but hey,
this is 2005—the age of iPod Shuffle and the musical
culture clash.We’re not only tolerant of complete artistic randomness, we’ll actually shell out cash to get it.
And in that sense, perhaps, the Foo Fighters are poised
for their biggest success thus far. One can trace dozens
of tangential lines out from the sonic nucleus that is just
Dave Grohl—they’re all over the walls. But at the end
of the day, at least this day, we’re sitting in this building
where Grohl’s begun to etch his own drastic tangents
within the one single, solitary project that has always
been closest to his heart. After 10 years of living in the
shadows of untouchable credibility cast by his former
band, and nearly two decades since those days of just
beating the living shit out of a drum kit (though always
with impeccable time), Grohl has finally relinquished
that defeatist attitude of simply trying to get out another “last” album.
“This is like square one. In 10 years when I think
about when and where we started becoming the band
we’re capable of being, it will be right now, here in this
place. And I bet you in 10 years we’ll be sitting at this
table talking about another fucking record.” He looks
around and realizes everyone in the room is laughing.
“Tony Robbins, thank you very much.” F
FILTER mini 19
DOUG MARTSCH
POINT GUARD
KATHLEEN HANNA
SHOOTING GUARD
Stephen Malkmus’
STEPHEN MALKMUS
SMALL FORWARD
WeSweat
OnYous
JOSH HOMME
6TH MAN
THURSTON MOORE
POWER FORWARD
SEAL
CENTER
Pickin’and Roin’
with Coach Stephen Malkmus
20 FILTER
mini
Judd. He might be good; I don’t think anyone wants to
guard him. He may not be very durable is what I’m worried about—he might have fragile ankles or something.
Thurston Moore is pretty tall. He’s not very athletic, but
he does wear sneakers. He’s still wearing sneakers at 40.
I know Thurston—although he’s a rangy, skinny guy, his
ankles are little tanks. He’ll last. He can play power forward. He has to become a banger though; he just needs
to get under there and clear the boards.We’ll take that. I
need a shooting guard—that’s an important position, a
big provider. That’s a tough one…I don’t think anyone’s
worthy. We need a scorer. That’s our problem—Doug
can shoot, but he’s gonna get torn up on defense. Maybe
we should get a woman in there.
How About [Le Tigre’s] Kathleen Hanna? She
wears sneakers.
Ha, yeah.You know who I’ll take is that guy Josh Homme
from Queens of the Stone Age, he’s really tall. He seems
like he might be coordinated, not like one of those guys
in high school who was really dorky and then got into the
guitar.You can tell he’s pretty jocky, his guitar playing is
JOSH HOMME PHOTO BY STEVEN DEWALL, DOUG MARTSCH PHOTO BY TAE WON YU
So we wanted to do something a little different
with this. Let’s make two fantasy teams: one basketball team made of musicians, and one band
made up of basketball players.
Well I know Built to Spill’s Doug Martsch is good. He’s
short and he’s got a beard, but he can still shoot.
I imagine he would shoot two-handed set shots
for some reason.
Well he does shoot set shots but he hits them. It’s hard to
shoot from 20 feet. I don’t do that. I imagine myself to be
like Pau Gasol [power forward, Memphis Grizzlies]—a
long-armed passer, an all-arounder with a couple blocks.
I’m not one of those up and down people. I lay back, but
there’s less cherry picking if I’m on the court. I’ll play
small forward, but I’d rather be a point guard. I think Seal
can play center for us.
He’s not gonna want to play anything now with
his new wife.
Sheryl Crow, right? No wait, who is it?
Heidi Klum.
Right. She can come to the games and cheer like Ashley
MALKMUS PHOTOS BY ROGER KISBY
by Pat McGuire
So Stephen Malkmus has a new solo record out. And yeah, it’s great, and yeah, we love him, and yeah, chances are
you do too. But when Filter Mini got the chance to chat with the underdog-loving indie prince himself, we didn’t
waste our time together talking about songs or influences or any other inconsequential trifles. No, we had more
important things to discuss: hoops. SM—headmaster Jick, Pavement pioneer, and ravenous b-ball fan—took a
break from his upcoming tour preparation and his own fantasy basketball league (with members of Sleater-Kinney
and former bandmate Bob Nastanovich) to indulge us in our true fantasy: the Malkmus indie rock and jock draft.
pretty coordinated. He can be the sixth man super sub.
What’s your team name?
The WeSweatOnYous.
I’d let Kathleen Hanna sweat on me.
I’m sure she smells like patchouli oil or whatever expensive essences the Beastie Boys can buy her.
Now let’s pick a fantasy band made up of basketball players.
The drummer needs to be solid and dependable—
someone who plays every game, doesn’t sit out like a
sissy. So the great iron man from this year…it definitely won’t be Shaq. I’ll take Jamal Wilkes. He was graceful. I’ll take “Sleepy” Floyd on bass. He went to
Georgetown. He’ll be a little behind the beat if he’s
sleepy, and it sounds like he could be a bluesman with
that name. It could be a Pink Floyd-style cover band. If
he’s on bass, then I’ll need someone a bit more up on
the drums, like Michael Ray Richardson; he can bring
the drugs, because that’s what drummers do. I’m
switching from the dependable drummer to the druglaced drummer.That’s better. So far it’s kind of a Miles
Davis, guard-of-funk heavy band, but that could change
with the singer anytime. I want a white singer. Nancy
Lieberman. No, she can’t sing. Umm…I’ll say Kyle
Korver, he’s on Philadelphia, he looks like an indie rock
guy. He’s got long hair and he’s an incredible threepoint shooter, which is always important in a front man.
You don’t want to go shitty ’90s grunge with
Scott Pollard?
Yeah, he looks the part. I’d like to have one Pacer on my
band. Steven Jackson looks like he could be a sexy dude,
kinda skinny, and he’d look ’70s if he had a moustache.
We’ll say Steven Jackson with a moustache can play
rhythm guitar. All I need is a lead guitarist—I need a real
bruiser, someone pretty cool. I’ll say Jamal Magliore.
He was a big cokehead in college, always getting
arrested and stuff. He’s a Canadian also.
He could be good then.There’s a big history of Canadians
making it big in the music world—Joni Mitchell and Neil
Young, and those are very similar to Jamal Magliore. It’s
pretty obscure to have a 7-foot center on lead guitar, but
throw in some of that trouble he got into, and he can connect with Michael Ray.
It’s like Living Colour all of a sudden. So which
player would you liken most to your career?
Maybe Reggie Miller—he’s still going, he could play
another year and it wouldn’t be pathetic.There are some
things you have to do when you get older, if you still want
to do it. I need to talk to a therapist, or some other person who’s my age and still good, because you don’t want
to be sitting there with a drum machine and, like, the
Dust Brothers at 40.Then again, you can just do whatever you want to do and fuck the rest. Of course, Michael
Jordan…when he came back it was totally pathetic. I’m
more like Ray Allen, towards some middle-late point in
my career. But still scoring a lot.
FILTER mini 21
REVIEWS
REVIEWS
One-Liners:
A miniature take on selected Filter Magazine reviews
...........................................................................................................................
CD
Reviews
...........................................................................................................................
(Go to Filter-Mag.com or pick up Filter Magazine’s Spring Issue for full reviews.)
87%/86%/93%
Seventeen Seconds/Faith/Pornography
Rhino
Rhino reminds us of a time when Robert
Smith made us frown for all the right reasons.
Morrissey
88%/91%
…Manchester DVD/Live at Earl’s Court CD
Attack-Sanctuary
Moz shows that while time and audience
demographics may change, an ego never does.
Spoon
90%
Gimme Fiction
Merge
Earth will now transmit Spoon’s raw-edged
pop through space—true evidence of intelligent life.
Super Furry Animals
90%
Songbook:The Singles Vol. 1
XL
A disorganized best-of befits a schizophrenic band’s decade of making pop go crazy.
Oasis
88%
Don’t Believe the Truth
Epic
The band we love to hate loves to let us,
proving us all daft cunts for doubting they still could.
Quasimoto
88%
The Further Adventures...
Stones Throw
Madli—err, Quasitmoto’s beats give grit,
jazz, funk, soul, and an earful of sensual bruises.
Hood
88%
Outside Closer
Domino
Surprise! Britain’s got tumbleweeds too, and
they bounce and float across Hood’s most realized landscape yet.
Stephen Malkmus
87%
Face the Truth
Matador
Our disinterested ’90s prince finally captures the best of Pavement, proving he meant it all along.
Sleater-Kinney
87%
The Woods
Sub Pop
The SK beat keeps that magnificent,
22 FILTER
mini
fuzzy, powergirl rhythm, while our tomboy-tennies tap
on in approval.
British Sea Power
87%
Open Season
Rough Trade
BSP leave their huge, icy atmospheres
to the new kids, and opt for clean, if transcendent,
simplicity.
Fischerspooner
84%
Odyssey
Capitol
NYC’s tongue-in-cheek electroclash
gurus pull the tongue partway out, but that good-time
taste lingers on.
Autechre
83%
Untitled
Warp
England’s subterranean cyborg duo
stumbles through lines of blip and code on a perfectly
askew dancefloor.
e Raveonees
80%
Pretty in Black
Capitol
Who says channeling Hank Williams, Elvis
and the Ronnettes means you’ve got a retro fetish? Oh,
we do.
Télépopmusik
78%
Angel Milk
Capitol
Trip-hop dinner party music for sure—
but only your cool friends are invited to this out-oftime soiree.
e Soundtrack of Our Lives
78%
Origin,Volume 1
Capitol
If after five albums, you’re just at the
origin, then you might wanna leave the space-pop to
Oasis.
Sloan
91-100%
81-90%
71-80%
61-70%
Below 60%
¬
¬
¬
¬
¬
a great album
above par, below genius
respectable, but flawed
not in my CD player
please God, tell us why
92%
A Sides Win: Singles 1992-2005
Vagrant
When Canada is the center of the music
scene, not only do we start worrying about losing to a
country with pony-riding police, but we’re reminded of
all the other cult Canadian bands we’ve almost forgotten. And when Sloan releases a near-perfect singles collection in the U.S.—showcasing the best of their timeless, kitschy, indie-pop purity—the fans pull down
their furry parka hoods to reveal that the so-called
American cult is much more a sensation.
LESLEY BARGAR
Bebel Gilberto
84%
Remixed
Six Degrees Records
Banana Republic executives rejoice! For
this record might be the greatest pants-buying soundtrack ever! Shit, I haven’t been so pumped about wellcut, overpriced corduroys since I first heard OK
Computer at the Gap in ’99…that album made $85
cargo pants with pockets on the crotch totally sensible,
and this sexy Brazilian music makes you feel rich, more
organized, more together. Remixed is good martinis, and
better herb by a sunny pool, except the pool is in the
middle of the mall.
MICHAEL SUTER
Fruit Bats
88%
Spelled in Bones
Sub Pop
Sub Pop has become the de facto home of
sublime, homespun folk-pop, so it’s no surprise that
Fruit Bats’ Spelled in Bones oozes hazy, delicate beauty
from its pores. “Silent Life” would make for a great
soundtrack to Thoreau’s Walden; the banjo-effect in
“Canyon Girl” is like some strange fruit that begs to be
picked.Try filing this record next to your Folk Implosion
and Death Cab for Cutie—you’ll go batty for it.
CHI TUNG
101ers
FILTER
ALBUM
RATINGS
e Cure
91%
Elgin Avenue Breakdown
Astralwerks
Never mind any of that I-can-totally-seethe-future-of-the-Clash-here stuff. That’s just wankery.
Joe Strummer’s pre-Clash band stands tall without the
name check—swaggering around all blues-rock-like,
with Joe Strummer’s inimitable vocals and protopunk
sounds marking the twists and turns. It’s exactly the
record you would make if you grew up listening to
Chuck Berry but were really angry. On the intro to
“Gloria” a strained voice yells, “Fuck the discos!” Fuck
the discos, indeed.
CATHERINE ADCOCK
e Perishers
85%
Let There Be Morning
Nettwerk
Finally, a band from Sweden making
their North American debut! But seriously folks,
don’t be fooled into thinking you’re up for some
cocky garage jams just because of these soft-rock
crooners’ heritage and “The” band title. Listen to
every other band from Sweden to party on Saturday
night, then listen to the Perishers to recover on
Sunday morning. A bloody-mary-breakfast Sunday, but
a Sunday nonetheless.
PAT MCGUIRE
Prefuse 73
90%
Prefuse 73 Reads the Books
Warp
Prefuse 73 Reads the Books, interpreted for
both musicologist and hip-hopper:This EP is a brilliant
collision of organic and electronic. [Damn yo, the banjo
never sounded so crunk.] It’s spun glass meets woven
wicker [nod your head to the cello, money—shit is mad
ill], as Prefuse gives the Books’ material the old postmodern treatment. [Oh snaps! Did you hear that beat?
Dripping water and shit.] The two collagists form an
alliance the likes of which hasn’t been seen since Eno
and Byrne. [Yeeeaaah boyeeeeeee!]
JACK MCGRUE
Nations by the River
89%
Holes in the Valley
Astralwerks
Thank Adonai the popular music world is
finally learning to appreciate the awesome awesomeness of singin’ traditional Hebrew songs! Okay, so it’s
only one part of one song in the midst of a slew of intimate, folky,Appalachian-style country jams from members of the Sleepy Jackson and Gelbison. Hey, don’t ask
me how these Iron and Wine-style minimal acoustic
numbers—let alone a Klezmer band hit—came out of
a bunch of guys from Down Unda, but Shabbat has
FILTER mini 23
REVIEWS
never sounded so good!
LESLEY “half-jew, but the right half” BARGAR
e Crimea
87%
Tragedy Rocks
Warner Brothers
You ever throw a Valloween party? On
February 13, the night before Valentine’s Day, invite all
of your single friends over to wear black, get drunk and
celebrate being alone. And kinda scared. Be sure to pop
in Tragedy Rocks, which will be a Valloween staple for
years to come. When British rockers the Crimea sing
(and sometimes talk) about misery and despair, they
seem to be under the impression that it’s the best topic
on earth. Nothing wrong with some healthy brooding
and candy.
TODD BERGER
e Secret Machines
79%
The Road Leads Where It’s Led
Reprise
Backing the title track—a big anthemsized chunk of space rock—are a handful of covers,
defanged and fuzzed-up. Van Morrison’s “Astral Weeks”
boards a Champagne Supernova while Dylan’s “Girl
from North Country” floats in slo-mo slipstream. The
soul-stomper “Money (That's What I Want)” is thinnedout to seven minutes and even Krautrock legends
Harmonia are honored as their celestial “De Luxe
(Immer Wieder)” soars. Unfortunately, the Secret
Machines have turned their dials from scorch to simmer.
BERNARDO RONDEAU
Lungfish
80%
Feral Hymns
Dischord
So Lungfish are a legendary Dischord
emo band, and how dare I do anything but sing their
praises. I’m not going to pretend I’ve been swimming
in the Lungfish bowl for the last 15 years. Listeneing to
this album was the first time I’d ever heard them. And
the whole thing sounds like…“War Pigs.” Five listens
later and it still sounds like “War Pigs.” Redundant dirge
riffs, retching vocals, abstract lyrics. I kinda liked it.
Neighbors didn’t.
PAT MCGUIRE
e Herbaliser
84%
Take London
Ninja Tune
If you thought trip-hop and breakbeats
died with Shadow, you haven’t heard the Herbaliser. If
you thought the art of femcee’ing perished with MC
24 FILTER
mini
Lyte, the only Jean Grae memorabilia you own is an XMen comic.This is a wake-up call for both; its production alludes to blaxpoitation-era funk, ’60s lounge-pop
and yes, Shadow. And then there’s Jean, taking London
by storm as she growls, spits and pummels her way
through four of the album’s strongest cuts. Cyclops
who?
CHZA
Can
92%
Soon Over Babaluma
Mute
BABALUMA! Exotic space-utopia among
the desolate tundra of Nimbus—or is it Europa?
Stereolab rents a place a few doors down, but Can are
the stone-landlords of said celestial province where
beats no longer disintegrate into ambient clouds, but
rather pump and pulse, all with fuzz violin that would
make John Cale throw up his rush. Drum-machine or
drum-kit, moog or guitar, 1970s or 2070s? A must-own,
devoid of minute-long transitional silences to fuck up
your three-disc shuffle.
MICHAEL SUTER
Mayday
82%
Bushido Karaoke
Saddle Creek
The third full-length from Ted Stevens’
(Cursive guitarist/head of now-defunct
Lullaby for the Working Class) Mayday is Saddle Creek.
By which I mean it’s got Mogis slide guitar, soulful
country pop jams, raw and personal lyrics, and an overall multi-instrumental richness. Good, for sure. But,
and maybe this is the downside of being a part of such
a label/community, Ted lacks something that the other
Nebraska headmasters keep pumping into our system,
leaving Mayday a bit lost in the shuffle.
ON
INCLUDES AN ADDITIONAL
45 MINUTES OF EXCLUSIVE
BONUS FOOTAGE
FEATURING SOME OF THE BEST MC’S TO EVER BLESS THE MIC!
www.freestylethemovie.com www.organicfilms.com
“HEAVEN SENT! IF UNIVERSITIES EVER START GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN ROCK
STARDOM, DIG! WILL SURELY BE A CORNERSTONE OF THE CURRICULUM!”
- THE NEW YORK TIMES
2-DVD SPECIAL EDITION
over two hours of bonus material
* band member & filmmaker commentaries
* deleted and extended scenes
* music videos * live performances
FEATURING THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE AND THE DANDY WARHOLS
LESLEY BARGAR
Shout Out Louds
88%
Howl Howl Gaff Gaff
Capitol
It takes a certain skill to sound apathetic about rocking someone’s face off. As
if you just noticed you were in front of a microphone
and holding a guitar. “What? Am I supposed to play
this or something? Fine, whatever.” Shout Out Louds
have mastered this skill, belting out enjoyably somber
indie-pop tunes over the course of their debut LP and
never breaking a sweat. “What? You want more rocking?
Okay, I guess…”
TODD BERGER
WWW.DIGTHEMOVIE.COM
WWW.PALMPICTURES.COM
REVIEWS
Kinski
83%
Alpine Static
Sub Pop
Martian by way of the Pacific Northwest,
the instrumental quartet Kinski run the intergalactic
gamut on their second Sub Pop long-player. Alpine
Static’s nine riff-riding, fiery comets singe only to be
soothed by the occasional cosmic balm brewed from
loose flutes and pedal drones. Like Mogwai minus the
soma, Kinski careen on elastic guitar strings and kit
propulsions. Part muffy Humbucker roar, part spikey
jangle mesh, the band’s voiceless rock is well-versed in
head heritage.
BERNARDO RONDEAU
Statistics
81%
Often Lie
Jade Tree
Listen, we’ve all got musical skeletons
lurking between our slacks and sweaters. So, while I
know Often Lie by Statistics is a generic My Bloody
Valentine appropriation with some serious Built to Spill
and electronic gesticulation tossed in, that won’t keep
me from queuing it up on my iPod. Of course, I might
have to hide the screen while I'm on the subway.
CATHERINE ADCOCK
Lali Puna
80%
I Thought I Was Over That
Morr Music
I think remix albums suck. Having said
that, there are some artists that beg to be remixed,
either because their sound is so mutable, or because,
well, the original version sucks. Lali Puna is Sir Re-MixA-Lot, so it makes sense that I Thought I Was Over That is
exactly that—songs that reenter your consciousness,
for better or for worse. Enjoy it while you can, cuz
remixalitis is right around the corner.
CHI TUNG
Augustana
77%
All the Stars and Boulevards
Epic
Let’s play a game. Close your eyes and
imagine it’s the summer of ’95. You’re cruising
down the highway in your brand new Saturn on the
way to see that adorable Sandra Bullock in While You
Were Sleeping. The Goo Goo Dolls and Sponge blare
from a mix tape and you’re getting super stoked
for the big Gin Blossoms show this weekend. Now
open your eyes. Was that fun? Well, about as much
as All the Stars and Boulevards. Nostalgia’s got its
limits.
TODD BERGER
A Band of Bees
90%
Free the Bees
Astralwerks
Man, it was freaky. I was sitting in my
comfortable porch swing, wearing a puffy vest, and
this crazy old dude with a shock of white hair rolled up
in a Delorean and told me to get in. He threw in this
CD by A Band of Bees, but he wasn’t sure if he got it in
1955 or 2005. I told him it sounded like Revolver, and
he said it sounded like Sam & Dave, and when I said
that I love Van Halen, he pushed me out of the
Delorean.What a dick.
PAT MCGUIRE
e Redwalls
86%
De Nova
Capitol
If it sounds like the Beatles, talks like the
Beatles…it isn’t always the Beatles. True, the Redwalls
have the whole effervescent-harmony-thing down pat,
and if they sound a little too in love with the idea of
being in love, well, that might be because “I Wanna
Hold Your Hand” is such an ideal template. Lyrically
though, these young gunz could stand to use more
later-Beatles nuance—sounds like the Beatles, but
reads a little more like the Wonders.
CHI TUNG
Xiu Xiu
83%
La Foret
Jade Tree
Oh Jamie Stewart, explain to me the
unpredictable complexities of love.Your latest makes
me want to slap you backhanded, only to follow that
with a dose of Xanax.You’re self-indulgently shocking
while tragically self-exposed. La Foret is at one point
the experimental and edgy Xiu Xiu we heady types
love, but then it dishes out the easy pop for everyone
else to fight over. I find you both obnoxious and
attractive, and even that I love to hate. Good thing you
don’t like chicks.
CATHERINE ADCOCK
Can
93%
Future Days
Mute
The first album in the second-wave of
remastered reissues from Germany’s most versatile
groovenauts, Future Days begins with the shades
drawn, and by the last throb of “Bel Air”’s voyaging
20 minutes—a brave new world indeed is found.
No longer a mere rock group at this (altered) state,
Can re-invent wholesale psychedelia into morphing,
rhythmic layers of collective sound. As Damo
Suzuki’s last album with the band, Future Days finds
him already dissolving in the gorgeous lysergic
drift.
BERNARDO RONDEAU
Dredg
76%
Catch Without Arms
Interscope
Despite high hopes for romantic progrockers Dredg after 2002’s El Cielo, the band’s latest
puts them back on the bland wagon, embracing
anthemic rock like it’s going out of style (oh wait…it
is). Dredg’s darker take on power rock almost rescues
it from the throes of recent U2 and late-’90s Creed,
but besides the haunting standout “Sang Real,” Catch
Without Arms (Wide Open) spends less time experimenting, and far too much time loitering on nü-rock
nostalgia lane.
ERIN BROADLEY
TUNE IN!
Filter Mini is proudly distributed by the following stations:
The Filter Recommended Radio Chart is Filter’s compilation of our favorite college, indie, modern rock and adult album alternative stations around the country that
we know will always bring you what Filter loves best: Good Music. This list of top-20
singles of the week is made up of the most played songs of our select stations. Read on,
and check filter-mag.com every week to see what Filter and the in-the-know programmers across the country deem best.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
SPOON: “I Turn My Camera On” (Merge)
SPOON: “Sister Jack” (Merge)
THE WHITE STRIPES: “Blue Orchid” (Third Man/XL/V2)
COLDPLAY: “Speed of Sound” (Capitol)
THE DECEMBERISTS: “16 Military Wives” (Kill Rock Stars)
FEIST: “Mushaboom” (Cherry Tree/Interscope)
AIMEE MANN: “Going Through the Motions” (Super Ego)
MIKE DOUGHTY: “Looking at the World from the Bottom of a Well” (ATO)
DAVE MATTHEWS BAND: “American Baby” (RCA)
BECK: “Que Ondo Guero” (Interscope)
BECK: “E-Pro” (Interscope)
HUSKY RESCUE: “Summertime Cowboy” (Catskills/Minty Fresh)
GORILLAZ: “Feel Good Inc.” (Virgin)
EELS: “Trouble With Dreams” (Vagrant)
THE DECEMBERISTS: “We Both Go Down Together” (Kill Rock Stars)
FEIST: “One Evening” (Cherry Tree/Interscope)
THE GO-BETWEENS: “Here Comes A City” (Yep Roc)
AIMEE MANN: “Dear John” (Super Ego)
THE RAVEONETTES: “Love in a Trashcan” (The Orchard/Columbia)
THE MOUNTAIN GOATS: “This Year” (4AD/Beggars Group)
Chart based on electronically monitored airplay data of the week of May 18th 2005 provided by
www.mediaguide.com for the following commercial and non-commercial radio stations: KCRW - Los Angeles,
CA, KDHX - St. Louis, MO, KDLE/KDLD - Newport Beach/Santa Monica, CA, KEXP - Seattle,WA, KITS - San
Francisco, CA, KOOP/KVRX - Hornsby/Austin,TX, KXLU - Los Angeles, CA, WAWL - Chattanooga,TN,WDBM
- East Lansing, MI, WDET - Detroit, MI, WFMU - East Orange, NJ, WFPK - Louisville, KY, WFUV - New York,
NY, WKNC - Raleigh, NC, WKQX - Chicago, IL, WRAS - Atlanta, GA, WRGP - Homestead, FL, WRVU Nashville,TN, WTMD - Townson, MD, WXPN - Philadelphia, PA, WYEP - Pittsburgh, PA.