Fluxblog 453: 100 art rock classics!
Plus new songs by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Activity, and Erin Durant
This week’s playlist is 100 ART ROCK CLASSICS, which is basically just 10 hours of arty bangers by artists from the 60s up through the present. The vibe here is best summed up by a run towards the beginning that goes from Wire’s "Map Ref 41 Degrees N 93 Degrees W" into Brian Eno’s "St. Elmo's Fire" into Neu’s "Hallogallo" into Television’s "Marquee Moon" into Pink Floyd’s "Interstellar Overdrive” into Stereolab’s “John Cage Bubblegum.” You get the idea?
[Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube]
Sink To The Mechanical Beat
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard “Deadstick”
One of the most interesting aspects of the more recent King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard records for me is that all six members of the band take turns singing. Not in a “this is a Joey song, this is a Stu song, this is a Cooky song” way, but more in a rap posse cut way with different members jumping on the mic for different sections of the same song. It makes the songs more dynamic – different personalities, different vocal strengths, contrasting vibes.
Stu Mackenzie remains the focal point of the band and Joey Walker is a rock and roll leading man, but the breakout star is most definitely Ambrose Kenny-Smith. Amby is part soul man, part heavy metal trickster, all oomph. He’s essentially the Ol Dirty Bastard of KGLW, and a short list of top shelf King Gizz songs where he steals the show includes “Gila Monster,” “Le Risque,” “The Dripping Tap,” “Field of Vision,” “Hot Wax,” “Iron Lung,” and now “Deadstick.”
“Deadstick” is one of the most elaborately produced King Gizzard songs yet – a groovy rocker with 70s big band backing, like a more playful and carefree version of Steely Dan circa Countdown to Ecstasy and Pretzel Logic. Stu sets it off, Joey turns up the heat, and then Ambrose comes in like a fireball on the breakdown. He’s singing as a pilot trying to manage a crash landing, bringing panic and passion and a confident “let’s do this!” swagger as the song plummets to the ground. They’re calling him the Sully of rock.
Buy it from Bandcamp.
I Can Lie To Anyone
Activity “In Another Way”
Activity’s first two albums both had a dense, dark atmosphere and general sense of unease, but their third, A Thousand Years In Another Way, feels a bit different. This time it’s more like a formless malevolence engulfing and permeating the music, encroaching from all angles and totally inescapable. It’s basically a record about trying to live with that evil presence – how it drags you down, how you push against it, how you try to get rid of it.
A lot of this comes down to guitarist Travis Johnson’s distinctive palette, largely produced using effects pedals he created himself for specific effects. Listen for the severe digital decay that arrives around the 4 minute mark of “In Another Way,” evoking cell phone interference, corrosive acid, and a slow, dull scrape. It’s contrasted with a far more delicate lead part, like this massive wave of indifferent destruction up against a small, plaintive melody that doesn’t quite have the strength to cohere into a proper solo. That’s the record in a nutshell, a weak and weary display of humanity standing up to careless cynicism and devastation.
Buy it from Bandcamp.
You’ve Got Me In A Knot
Erin Durant “Alone With You”
I don’t love leading with “recommended if you like” when discussing relatively unknown artists, it can feel like I’m diminishing them, but in the interest of being a service to you, a possibly impatient reader: If you like Joanna Newsom, you will almost certainly like this. I can’t imagine that Erin Durant is not a big Newsom fan; it seems difficult to arrive at a song like “Alone With You” without that being a crucial influence. And obviously this is 100% praise, because writing and singing like Joanna Newsom is a very high bar to clear. And other comparisons are similarly flattering: her vocal style is closer to that of Nanci Griffith and Sandy Denny.
As with a lot of Newsom’s music, “Alone With You” is almost too beautiful to handle. The production by TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone is dry, earthy, and understated, but there’s something inherently fancy about this type of melody. To play it too often would be like the musical equivalent of always eating off the fine china. There’s an intense feeling in this music, a love that burns so bright that it hurts a little. But sometimes that’s exactly how you feel and this is what you need.
Buy it from Bandcamp.
LIVE LIVE LIVE LIVE
I saw Spill Tab and Allie Kelly at Baby's All Right. Claire Chica is very charismatic, more so than I was anticipating, and her band is tight. “Assis” is one of my favorite songs of the recent past and it was excellent live. I was pleasantly surprised by Kelly’s choice to cover Genesis’ “Throwing It All Away.”
I also saw Activity, w0rmh0les, and Doom Flower at Union Pool. I’ve seen Activity a few times now and every time they’re just a little better – I strongly recommend making the effort to see them, particularly as they don’t tour a lot. I was impressed by w0rmh0les, who are very much playing in the mode of Scout Niblett and Cat Power circa Moon Pix, which is a vibe I will always love.
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🔴 Zach Schonfeld reported on the troubles with the boutique vinyl reissue company Vinyl Me, Please for Stereogum.
🟠 Rob Sheffield is on this week’s episode of Pop Pantheon discussing Elton John’s early body of work with DJ Louie! I’ve been waiting for this to happen for a while and it’s great to hear two of the world’s greatest pop fans together.
🟡 Chris Deville on the evolution of rock festivals and his hope that Primavera can avoid the “gentrification” of festivals.
🔵 Ryan is back with a new Antiart post about the clever media savvy of Sabrina Carpenter.
🟢 RIP Brian Wilson, one of the great geniuses of popular music. There’s no shortage of obits for the guy, but if you really want to get a sense of the man and his creativity, I strongly recommend listening to the handful of A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs episodes about Beach Boys songs, including the one for “God Only Knows.” Andrew Hickey is excellent on any topic, but Wilson is pretty obviously his favorite artist and his affection and the depth of his fascination comes through in those episodes.