2 posts tagged “stephen merritt”

Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele - Meet Me In The Garden

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Dent May knows he sorta-kinda-maybe sounds like Jens Lekman, thank you very much.  He also gets the Stephen Merritt reference, and although the mild-mannered Mississippi native is flattered by the association, it’s obvious he wants to distance himself just enough to establish his own niche.  It makes sense, though, the comparisons; all three artists share a tongue-in-cheek humor that glorifies a very specific eccentricity—a silly reverence for serious subject matter and an almost-cutesy collection of cultural references.  On top of that, May plays a ukulele, one of four instruments that are funny simply by existing (the other three are the kazoo, the recorder and the rain stick; the keytar was also hilarious until hipsters embraced it). 

A.A. Bondy - American Hearts

Dent May opened for A.A. Bondy on Thursday at the 400 Bar.  It’s an interesting pairing:  May with his magnificent ukulele and songs about Michael Chang; Bondy with his average-sized guitar and songs about heroin.  When May stepped on stage he looked like a used bookstore employee/lover of Tron; when Bondy stepped on stage he looked like maybe he’d had a rough night.  A 21^st century odd couple, wherein May’s neurotically specific prose complements Bondy’s sloppy-sad loner blues, and the rest is beautiful history.

After all, who writes about Michael Chang (“God Loves You, Michael Chang”)?  Obviously, the same person who bemoans the banality of being an understimulated intellectual stuck in a small town (and stuck in apathy):  “college town boy get off your ass and do something / college town boy, how does it feel to be nothing?”  It hurts in a familiar way, doesn’t it?  I remember when I graduated college with a stupid art degree and was forced to get a “real job” and, as a result, essentially wasted four years of private education to collate paper.  This must be why May’s music is appealing to us average, middle-class Midwesterners:  we’re the new breed of Benjamin Braddock—dissatisfied with life for no valid reason; bored because we have too many options, none of which require much effort or struggle (the idea of blood, sweat and tears is romantic, but getting our hands dirty is gross).  When May sings “I’m over, being sober / I’m an alcoholic / I think I’ll get drunk tonight” (“I’m An Alcoholic”) it doesn’t have the same weight as when Bondy sings “Sweet, sweet heroin / won’t you be all mine / I don’t want to feel a thing / want nothing on my mind” (“Vice Rag”).  This is my one criticism of May:  occasionally his kitschy wit borders on tacky; and while satire is always a little derisive, it’s more effective if the satirist is truly a part of the group he’s mocking, and May seems just on the outskirts of authenticity.

However, believability aside, May certainly charmed the crowd, what with his adorable smallness, dorky-cool spectacles, crazy stage antics (jumping!  While holding his ukulele!), and a genuinely feel-good aura.  By the time Bondy took the stage and strummed his first bleak note, the small standing room was full and the overall mood had changed.  I was immediately reminded of that period in my life when I would drive around the lakes late at night—one continuous loop around and around, chain smoking, listening to Dusty in Memphis, and doing a lot of non-thinking thinking (you know, when your brain totally mellows but you still feel anxious); watching Bondy brought back those feelings, which sounds far too emo to take seriously, but I’m serious.  I was there, man.  I think this explains my current infatuation with “new” Americana/gothic alt-country folk (some day I’m going to find a perfectly succinct term for “new Americana gothic alt-country folk”; not this day).  Although lyrically Bondy describes a world-weariness that comes with painful experience, the honesty and blunt poetics are capable of tugging even the purest heart.  Ignoring the fact that Bondy used to front the Nirvana-esque grunge band Verbena, I’ll say this too:  where May lacked some hard-luck legitimacy, Bondy completely pulled off the “I caught my wife cheating on me, my truck broke down, I have $2 in change, how much for a swill of the cheap stuff?” look.  Perhaps it was the disjointed between-song rambling; rambling never implies a confident, sober, emotionally sound psyche (I wish I could remember, verbatim, the unintentionally amusing things that came out of his mouth).  Whatever the reason, thank you A.A. (and also thank you, Dent) for helping me to confront cheerless self-realizations and loserish tendencies.  It’s like discount therapy (with beer).

Dent May + magnificent ukulele are currently on tour with AC Newman (through mid-March) followed by SXSW and a mini-tour with Animal Collective (!).  Unfortunately, for Bondy fans, it seems his only upcoming show is Bonnaroo in June.  For more information on either musician, see links to their respective websites and Myspace below.

Addendum:  my concert date, Kate, would like it to be known, throughout the e-world, that she would not refuse sex from any of Dent May’s band members, if they offer.

Top 5 Albums of 2008

Beach House - Heart Of Chambers

Beach House

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1.  Beach House – Devotion

Their first album was nice.  Occasionally heavy-lidded and aimless (as in, the mind wanders when listening), but nice, certainly a curious take on dream pop.  Then Devotion came out and it was like Beach House even further demented the dreamy stargaze domain, in, you know, a really, really attractive way.  With Victoria’s sad, velvet voice (not at all, never ever cute, for godsake), the off-putting pace, the hollow beat, the moodiness, the sometimes romantic/sometimes painful lyrics, the harpsichord, that Daniel Johnston cover…it just works.  How often do all the pieces fall into place?  It may never happen again.  Enjoy, Beach House.

2.  The Raveonettes – Lust Lust Lust

So the Raveonettes are getting fuzzier and less defined, and moving further from those neo-noir 60s Phil Spector-inspired melodies into darker territory.  Darker, louder territory.  Like, seriously loud.  I’d probably be less impressed with this album if it wasn’t for the sheer enormity of sound.  Every song has a kind of feverish build-up; by the end it’s bye-bye future hearing, hello creepy weird aural enlightenment, or something.

3.  Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks – Real Emotional Trash

What I like about Real Emotional Trash is that it combines the best of the Pavement core—bizarre/absurdist lyrics and sprawling noise/extended “jammin’/freak deaky guitar rifts.  This album sounds very Malkmus; it isn’t the work of a middle-aged rocker desperate to fit in one last reinvention and prove to the twenty-somethings that he’s “still got it.”  No, Malkmus hardly seems concerned with too much change; he may choose different directions with each of his solo albums, but there’s always a comfortable familiarity.  (And, for the record, he’s definitely still got it.)

Santogold-L.E.S Artistes The Magnetic Fields-Too Drunk to Dream

4.  Santogold – Santogold

Let’s just get the obvious out of the way:  yes, she reminds you of M.I.A.  Sure, Santogold sings through her nose, loves a crazy beat, and is scarily supa fly (intimidating to the average-looking), but if you actually listen to her album you’ll realize that she ain’t no M.I.A.  Which isn’t to say that Santogold ain’t fabulous.  Au contraire, it’s perfect downtown club music (for the mild, hip and white).  You can bump, grind, convulse, jump, rapidly move your hands in front of your face, remain mostly still while nodding your head, twirl, whatever.  Also, with the absence of any kind of political message you don’t even have to pretend that you care about real things.

5.  The Magnetic Fields – Distortion

What an aptly titled album.  I’m found of aptly titled things.  I wish Animal Collective and Xiu Xiu would take note and start naming their albums “Weird Crazy Things That Sound Like Woodlawn Creatures and Kitchen Utensils.”  It would be convenient for writing reviews. Anyway, Distortion is Stephen Merritt doing distortion, which means fuzzy, drone-y guitar that lovers can still swoon to, and sad/silly lyrics like “sober, you’re old and ugly; shit-faced, who needs a mirror” (“Too Drunk to Dream”).

Top 5 Songs of 2008

1.  Beach House – “Heart of Chamber” (Devotion)

Honestly, I could have chosen any song from Devotion, but “Heart of Chamber” is the one that gives me the strongest heart palpitations (like remembering a teenage night that never happened).  As I said before, it works, and who needs solid logic?

2.  Beck – “Walls” (Modern Guilt)

My relationship with Beck is similar to my relationship with thrift shopping:  99% of the time I leave the store irritated and resentful; however, maybe once a year I find something absolutely stunning, like amazingly, disgustingly perfect that I forget about all the previous disappointments.  “Walls” is my disgustingly perfect gold lamé romper that I will never wear again.

3.  Okkervil River – “Lost Coastlines” (The Stand Ins)

Apparently there are (self-proclaimed) straight men out there that would “go gay” for Will Sheff.  Who knew.  I cannot make that same declaration, but I will say this:  Jonathan Meiburg’s voice keeps me comfortably heterosexual.

Lucinda Williams - Jailhouse Tears

Benoit Pioulard-Brown Bess

4.  Benoît Pioulard – “Brown Bess” (Temper)

His name is Tom (hint:  he’s not French).  Tom taps into those same otherworldly arrangements that Zach Condon used to convince hipsters that foreign music could be edgy too.  “Brown Bess” is just too pretty to ignore.  I don’t know what he’s singing (it’s in English; he mumbles, I selectively listen), but similar to hearing a beautiful French phrase, do you even care?

5.  Lucinda Williams (ft. Elvis Costello) – “Jailhouse Tears” (Little Honey)

The whole album’s kind of a mess:  a few old-school bluesy ballads, some terrible angry rockers, and a truly frightening AC/DC cover (Lucinda, no).  However, this duet with Costello makes me smile because I think Lucinda’s being a bit cheeky, no?

Top 5 Bands to Think About in 2009

Sybris-Oh Man Alina Simone - Half My Kingdom

Jumbling Towers-Gamble 1 comment The Pharmacy-Little Toys On A Shelf Doomtree-Dots and Dashes

1.  Sybris

What:  Anti-twee indiepop
Where:  Chicago, IL
Think about:  “Oh Man!”  (Into the Trees, 2008)
More!  http://myspace.com/sybris

What:  Halloween-voiced lad + pop music + geek beats
Where:  St. Louis, MO
Think about:  “Gamble” (Classy Entertainment EP, 2008)
More!  http://myspace.com/jumblingtowers

3.  Alina Simone

What:  Folk/punk
Where:  Brooklyn, NY
Think about:  “Half My Kingdom” (Everyone is Crying Out to Me, Beware, 2008)
More!  http://myspace.com/alinasimone

4.  The Pharmacy

What:  Dirty rotten indie rock
Where:  New Orleans, LA
Think about:  “Little Toys on the Shelf” (Choose Yr. Own Adventure, 2008)
More!  http://myspace.com/pharmacy

5.  Doomtree

What:  White-friendly (read: non-threatening or “not too ghetto”) “smart” hip-hop

Where:  Minneapolis, MN
Think about:  “Dots and Dashes” (Doomtree, 2008)
More!  http://myspace.com/doomtree
Note:  Doomtree is extremely popular within their home state of Minnesota, but have they crossed the border?  Let me know.