Solid State

I know a lot of Deerhoof fans in Vermont are psyched that the band's new disc, Friend Opportunity, comes out on January 23. Guess what? I've already got it. Allow me to say nyah-nyah!

I haven't had much of an *opportunity* to listen, but what I've heard sounds like Deerhoof. You know — spazzy and melodic with a non-infuriating cuteness. There are a few new elements, however, such as acoustic guitar and more prominent electronics. It's got glossier production than previous efforts, but that doesn't detract from the songs, which are as strange as ever. Here's a juicy new track for your enjoyment:

Deerhoof — "Choco Fight"

In somewhat related news, a bluegrass trio called The Toughcats are coming to  the Middle Earth Music Hall on Friday, Jan. 19. What's the tie-in, you might ask? Well, the band — which hails from the tiny Maine island of North Haven —  once performed Deerhoof's Milk Man as part of a third-grade ballet recital. The event was attended by members of the 'Hoof, and reported by those tireless arbiters of hip, PitchforkMedia, last October.

Watch a clip of the ballet here.

Don't forget about the Charles, Dead or Alive? show at the Firehouse Center tonight: 7 p.m.; $7. Read more about it in today's issue.

I used to own this book. Wonder what happened to it?

There's an all-star Madonna celebration at Radio Bean on Sat. that I didn't have room to mention in the print edition. So I'll just post the (raw) details from the organizers:

Got some news for this week's column if you have space.... A Madonna night at the radio Bean! Several area musicians are performing their versions of some of Madonna's hits...some solo and some groups performing.. Looks like it will be mighty interesting and
fun.... Musicians are: Caroline O'Connor, Peg Tassey, Home Items, Teresa Lorenco, Jenny Martin, members of the Ryan Power Band, Marie Claire, Leanna Incalzco, Cccome?, Nick Gorgeous, Matthew Miner, Nicole Seligson, Johnny Aquadora, Children of the Night and Josh Martin. Some sets will be complete with back-up singers and maybe even dancers(?).... Plenty of surprises are in store. Show starts at 9:30 on Saturday Jan 13th and will probably go late. As of yet there is no Material Girl look-alike contest scheduled....

So there you have it. I personally can't stand Madonna. OK, OK — I like "Crazy for You". But this event looks pretty fun, in a high school talent show kind of way. Burlington, you're just soooo precious!

I've got a real bad sore throat, so I'm just hangin' in there. Apologies for the lack of posts.

I've never been shy about my love of the band Deep Soda. They're nice guys, talented musicians, and complete fucking weirdos.

The band's previous album, Jongles: Collected & Destroyed Vol. 1, was excellent, but didn't showcase the full range of their talents. That's probably because the songs, inspired by ad jingles, were so damn short.

Well, I just got an advance copy of the sequel, Pose Dead: Collected & Destroyed Vol. 2. It's presents a better example of the DS dynamic, while retaining the queasy bravado that made their last effort so compelling.

There are gross synth sounds, sick shredding, vocal melodies that range from tender to psychotic, kick-ass percussion, fat friggin' bass and even some Spanish guitar. Oh, and I think the whole thing works as an invocation to daemonic entities. Added value!

The release party is on Jan. 19 at Metronome with Cccome? and White Raag, a tabla-sitar duo featuring DS drummer Tim Sharbaugh. Should be an awesome show. But don't forget to pick up the album — headphones are the way to appreciate this band.

Now enjoy yourselves a teaser:

Deep Soda — "Leviathan Hades"

UPDATE: I Just had to post one more song, because it's even more awesome. I hope they don't kill me for giving away their music. "Now put on the Nikes and drink the Kool-Aid!"

Deep Soda — "Viy"

I've been having intensely vivid dreams lately. They involve everything from 18th century tales of familial vengeance to modern espionage scenarios. Peripheral aspects include religion, suicide and plane crashes.

This Clipse song suits how I've been feeling:

Clipse — "Nightmares"

Minus the bits about slingin' crack cocaine, of course.

Brooke and I spent NYE in an undisclosed location. It was wonderful. Hope everybody's parties and shows went swimmingly.

Unrelated:

Remember my post about self-styled psychedelic visionary Daniel Pinchbeck and his views on the Great Reckoning?

Well, I'm also reading a more scientific book called The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology, by Ray Kurzweil. His empirical post-futurism (can you even say that?) provides a fine counterbalance to Pinchbeck's subjective flights-of-fancy. I'm totally ready for the Upgrade. Where do I sign up for beta testing?

Candleblog has posted semi-regularly about the Singularity concept. Here's something I jacked from their recent linkdump.

Embarrassing confession:

Our Christmas Eve flight from DC to NYC was horrible. We encountered heavy turbulence, and I had a serious panic attack. My legs were thumping up and down, I couldn't breathe, etc. I've never experienced an involuntary reaction like that. But one little girl puked, so at least I wasn't alone.

We spent an hour at LaGuardia deciding whether or not I was fit to board the plane to Burlington. It was a tiny, 15-person propeller craft. Considering the previous flight, there was justification for aborting the mission.

Instead, I ate a small fistful of Benadryl and boarded the damn thing. After taking our cramped seats, Brooke turned to me and said, "I don't think this is going to work for you." So we made them let us off the plane. I felt ridiculous, but relieved.

We called our Big Apple-based friend Mirela, who looked at the train schedule and found us a hitch to Rutland. the downside? It would be leaving Penn Station in about an hour. But there was a happy coincidence, provided we could make the train: Mirela's boyfriend (and my best pal) Ethan was in Rutland already, visiting family. He said he'd be glad to give us a lift back to B-town.

So we hastily summoned a cab and managed to catch the choo-choo to VT. It was a really fun ride; we drank booze, read and joked about what a psychological mess I am.

And it was fantastic to see my friend.

Now I have to go to a meeting.

New Year's Resolutions:

#1: Be nicer.

#2: Get ahead.

#3: Read more.

#4: Relax.

#5: Explore.