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Ladies & Gentlemen is/was/is an all-encompassing arts magazine. It started as a physical release in 2001, accompanied with 12" record and screenprinted covers. It's been 4 years since it was last published, but don't let that stop you... buy one now!
Earlier this week, we kicked off our obligatory year-end coverage with the 10 best songs of 2010, as decided by, well… me. As promised, we continue today with the much-anticipated “Part Two” of that post. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Best Records of 2010… also decided upon by me (in case that wasn’t clear). Enjoy.
Best Records of 2010:
10. Games – That We Can Play
Can I put an EP on my “Best Records of 2010″ list? Of course I can, it’s my list and I make the rules. Games‘ That We Can Play is 5 tracks of vintage ’80s synth-pop bliss (plus a remix). The observationally astute amongst you will recall “Strawberry Skies” was already #2 on my Top Songs list. It’s the clear jam of the bunch, but the remainder of the EP isn’t too far behind. While the duo, Daniel Lopatin of Oneohtrix Point Never and Tigercity’s Joel Ford, clearly play in the throwback end of the pool, their sound can’t be mistaken for anything but contemporary. It is as much 2010 as it is 1984. Also, rumor has it that Games will be recording a 2011 full length in Jann Hammer’s studio (yes, he of Miami Vice theme song fame), which, in a weird and awesome way, makes a lot of sense.
9. Buke & Gass – Riposte
Because I just wrote about Buke & Gass for a Lagmag piece, I’ll let my earlier self do the talking here for a bit: “Yes, that sound you hear coming through your speakers (or from that stage) is made by two people. Granted, these are peculiar sounds, but it’s the complexity that belies their true number. To an extent, the peculiarity can be attributed to their self-built instruments. Arone Dyer plays the “buke” (a modified six-string baritone ukulele), and Aron Sanchez the “gass” (a guitar-bass hybrid), which are both filtered through various invented pedals and amps. Combined with complex percussion (played simultaneously with their feet, of course), Dyer’s intricate vocal melodies, and other miscellaneous hand-claps and snaps, and you start to see where this impressive racket comes from.” Fair warning, that impressive racket digs into your brain and doesn’t let go, and you’ll eventually start hearing Riposte loops in your head. The only remedy? Putting the record back on.
Pick Three is semi-regular feature in which we ask an artist to pick three songs from their new or upcoming record, and give us their thoughts, stories or insight for each. Think of it as a director’s commentary track that you have to read.
Believe it or not, Brooklyn-based Buke & Gass (pronounced Byook & Gace, since I know you’re wondering) is a duo. Yes, that sound you hear coming through your speakers (or from that stage) is made by two people. Granted, these are peculiar sounds, but it’s the complexity that belies their true number. The peculiarity can be somewhat attributed to their self-built instruments. Arone Dyer plays the “buke” (a modified six-string baritone ukulele), and Aron Sanchez the “gass” (a guitar-bass hybrid), which are both filtered through various invented pedals and amps. Combined with complex percussion (played simultaneously with their feet, of course), Dyer’s intricate vocal melodies, and other miscellaneous hand-claps and snaps, and you start to see where this impressive racket comes from. In an attempt to gain some further insight into their process, we asked Dyer & Sanchez to talk to us about three tracks from their recent release, Riposte.
The supreme party posse otherwise known as Gayngs kick off their tour tonight at Milwaukee’s Turner Hall. To celebrate/get you excited for a potential stop in your town, the MPLS TV’s City of Music posted this rehearsal video of Faded High, live from April Base Studio in Eau Claire, Wisc.
As you can see, the crew is stripped down from the 200 or so people that performed live at The Last Prom On Earth back in May, but if this footage is any indication, the lean(ish)/mean crew has no trouble pulling their weight. It also appears that tour-mate Glasser will be joining Ryan Olson and company on stage (at least for Faded High).
Go see Olson dance around awesomely in the back left-hand corner of a stage in your town. Check the tourdates over at Gayngs myspace page.
Pick Three is a new feature here at Ladies & Gentlemen. We ask an artist to pick three songs from their new or upcoming record, and give us their thoughts, stories or insight for each. Think of it as a director’s commentary track that you have to read.
photo by Greg Schaal
Minneapolis’ STNNNG has been honing their brand of chaos for 8 years now. Aggressive dueling guitars, spastic drumming and thundering bass lay the groundwork for vocalist/wordsmith Chris Besinger’s fitful rantings. It’s combative and contentious, but it’s also cathartic. There is an immense amount going on within every song, but it never sounds overwrought. If you break it down and listen closely, every member of this band is doing something insane and mind-blowing throughout. It’s a dizzying array of talent. It’s been four years since they released Fake Fake, and lucky for everyone, the drought is about to end. Smoke of My Will will be released in October on Modern Radio in a vinyl only edition. The aforementioned Mr. Besinger was kind enough to kick off our Pick Three series and discuss three songs from the new record.
Do you work with anyone in a band called Bongripper? Well, I do, and yesterday he walked in and handed me a copy of this:
While Satan Worshipping Doom is Bongripper’s sixth release, it’s the first they’ve released on vinyl, and art-wise, they took full advantage of the extra inches. It is a brutal (in the best way possible) full-color mess of blood, fire, demons, goats, tentacles and all manner of other evil shit. Continue reading »
Tomorrow, I’m headed out to California for a little R&R (and drinks), so this post is sort of an “awesome things I’m going to hit up while in California for the next week” post. If you are in California, great (we’ll get drinks), if not… well…
First off, the Torrence Art Museum is hosting a Rich Jacobs curated show called “there is xerox on the insides of your eyelids.” It showcases the world of xerox art and skate zines from the 1980’s, featuring art and printed matters from the “original makers / xerox tweakers / stamp lickers / mail artists, and what they do now.” It’s been traveling for a bit, and all the photos have looked pretty insane, and I can only imagine the crew that will represent at the Torrence stop.
Well folks, I’m kicking off a new series here at Lagmag called “Song of the Day.” Chances are you’ve figured out the basic premise already, but I’m going to go ahead and talk it over anyhow.
From time to time, we’ll showcase a song (still with me?). It’ll be something we’ve recently discovered, rediscovered, enjoyed, or are generally obsessing over. It may not always be a new song, but it will always be a hot hit we think you, our beloved readers, should hear.
The first such post, features Heaps of Sheeps by Robert Wyatt. Wyatt was a founding member of influential Canterbury band Soft Machine in the late 1960s, but by 1970, he had left the band and released his first solo record, The End of an Ear. He has released 10 (mostly) amazing solo records since, including most recently, the widely lauded Comicopera.
Heaps of Sheeps is the leadoff track on his 1997 solo record Shleep. It’s the only song on the record produced by Brian Eno, whose influence from both a production standpoint and synth work on the track is readily apparent. The track is phenomenal, not only because it leads off one of my favorite Wyatt records, but also as a perfect collaboration between two of my favorite musicians.
The always fantastic Andy Kehoe released 3 new limited edition giclee prints late last week, and as per usual, they are both rad and affordable.
As a sweet double bonus, he announced his “Punch The Economy In The Balls” sale, dropping the prices on a handful of his older prints. So, for all interested parties, now seems to be the opportune time to head over to his Etsy shoppe and take a look around.
Additionally, those of you unable to secure a Kehoe original over the years, I suggest following Mr. Kehoe on the ol’ Twitter. He has been known to announce on-sales for new original paintings there as well, rewarding the quickest amongst you with a great chance to finally get your hands on your very own piece.
Unless you don’t ever read about music, you’ve undoubtedly seen Oneohtrix Point Never (aka Daniel Lopatin) written about pretty much everywhere the last few weeks. He has a new record out on Editions Mego, an Invisible Jukebox in the new issue of The WIRE, hell even Pitchfork has jumped on board with their signature brand of uh, praise.
Yes, Returnal is great, and I highly recommend checking it out if you like your soundscapes synth-heavy, off-kilter and occasionally bleak. But, it’s not what I’m selling today people. Lopatin recently contributed a mix to the FACT mix series, and it’s literally all I’ve been listening to for two days. I’m a huge fan of artist mixes, because I think hearing where musicians are coming from as listeners gives me a better context of where they are coming from as artists, and this one is no exception. In fact, I’ve actually enjoyed both Returnal and Rifts more after spending time with it.
Those of you reading this in LA are some lucky, lucky bastards. You have the opportunity to see some brand new Richard Colman work at New Image Art. The show,”Keep Out the Light,” is his first solo show in LA in like 3 years, and the preview shots are as insane as you’d expect. The show will feature new paintings, sculptures and even a few site specific installations… so seriously, you better fucking go. Show info and a more previews are below.
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