Random Rules: 12/10/08

1. Broken Social Scene: “7/4 ((Shoreline))”

For a pretty steadfast consumer of “indie” music, I really took my sweet time coming around on BSS. Part of the problem is the inherent flaws of this age of digital music consumption; my first impressions of the collective were colored by the fact that I was trying to gauge whether or not I liked them based on 30-second soundclips, and while this is generally enough time to hear at least one verse, chorus, and a handful of hooks in the average Britney Spears single, regardless of at what point in the song the clip starts at, this model doesn’t really work for a more free-form group of musicians like BSS. So I finally took the opportunity to give whole songs a listen a little over a year ago after being pleasantly surprised by head BSS-er Kevin Drew’s solo album Spirit If… in my local record shop. While roughly 50-70% of the tracks on all BSS albums proper are still a little too meandering and amelodic for my tastes, they do have a handful of gems, including this one.

2. The Jesus & Mary Chain: “Walk And Crawl”

This track is one of the b-sides/rarities recently compiled on the box set The Power of Negative Thinking. Beyond that, there’s not much else to say; it’s a JaMC track. Lots of feedback, a simple, undeniable melody, and some vaguely sinister lyrics about drugs/sex/violence, buzzing by in under three minutes.

3. Wilco: “Pot Kettle Black”

A deep cut from their famously rejected Yankee Hotel Foxtrot album. It’s pretty straightforward, and relatively no-frills…could be justifiably mistaken for a Summerteeth b-side, but with less pristine production. Reminds me of The Cure’s “In-Between Days” for some reason.

4. Kaiser Chiefs: “Everyday I Love You Less and Less”

One of the two strongest tracks off debut disc Employment (the other being “I Predict a Riot”.) Big comparisons made between these guys and Blur when this album came out. I can definitely see the similarity, but this is 100% artifice (not that Blur were particularly “authentic”) and sounds like a deep cut off Parklife or The Great Escape; it’s inherently catchier than anything off of Modern Life is Rubbish, if only because Blur had grown more accomplished at their craft, but still not close to the level of an iconic track like “The Universal” or “Girls & Boys”. As much as I’d like to believe Kaiser Chiefs have a classic album, or even classic single in them, I just don’t feel like they do.

5. The Smiths: “Stretch Out and Wait”

A very flimsy, tossed-off b-side that somehow is still better than 99.999% of anything anyone else has ever produced in pop. It’s a lighthearted exhortation to forget one’s cares, because the end is nigh, but it’s presented in such a sprightly package that it’s hard not to want to hop in a hammock with a cup of tea and wait for the bomb to drop.

6. My Bloody Valentine: “When You Sleep”

Probably the most “accessible” track off of the epic Loveless album. Somewhere, in an alternate universe, this is held in the same regard as “I Want to Hold Your Hand”.

7. The Walkmen: “Long Time Ahead of Us”

This year’s You & Me album was a pleasant surprise. It’s a return to form after the flat and tuneless A Hundred Miles Off. There’s a lot of quaint romanticism on this album, perfectly reflected in the art that graces the sleeve, depicting the false innocence of a by-gone age that we all know was never innocent at all, but that we can’t help but feel wistfully nostalgic for.

8. Husker Du: “Everything Falls Apart”

As much as I love this (and many other) Husker Du songs, all I can hear usually is the lack of discernible low-end. These guys were post-punk White Stripes before the White Stripes even existed, but they actually had a bass player!

9. The Meeting Places: “Turned Over”

One of those perpetually unfashionable “nu-gaze” bands that never seems able to expand their fanbase beyond people waiting around for that Slowdive reunion that will never come. It’s dreamy pop, with lots of layered, effect-laden guitars, but you can actually tell what’s being sung!

10. The National: “Slow Show”

A great song from an album chock full of them. Every time I listen to these guys, all I seem to focus on is the drumming. It’s just so integral to the success of The National’s tunes, not merely setting the pace, but really coloring and adding depth to what are seemingly simple songs. And of course, Matt Berninger’s voice is up there in the phone book pantheon*.

*Meaning, I’d listen to him sing the phone book without complaint. Others include Richard Hawley, Evan Dando, Mark Lanegan.

No. 6: New Orleans Saints

Saints' fleur de lis

Admittedly, I’ve never paid much attention to the Saints. They’re a small-market team from a city I’ve never been to in a geographical region I tend to loathe. Honestly, I often forget that they’re even in the same conference as the Redskins. But as logos go, this is pretty solid. It’s a single graphic element that immediately associates the team’s location with its French roots. There’s a bit more universal iconography at play here than in most other sports logos, which is probably a good thing, as that off-sets the regionalism of the franchise. Not the most original logo in the world, but it’s still a powerful symbol that is instantly recognizable.

This is the first entry in what I like to refer to as the “muddled middle”, a grouping of logos that are clearly good, but the relative merits of each are so negligible that they make actual numeric ranking a tricky proposition. It doesn’t get really great again until the top two. Also, I realize that the AFC is very under-represented on this list, appearing only four times, and in the case of numbers 9 and 10, representing only three different franchises. Part of the problem is that a lot of AFC teams are just “newer” in the grand scheme of things and don’t have the same storied history as older NFC franchises that were established, in some cases, back in the ‘teens of the 20th century. Also, AFC teams just seem to re-design their logos with a lot more frequency, which makes it difficult for an icon to establish any sort of identity.

On “The Big Sleep”: I’ve never been so excited about dying!

FACT: If I’m enshrined in a Yankees urn or casket, I will assuredly come back as a zombie and eat your brains.

No. 7: Washington Redskins

Chief Z

OK, in the interest of full disclosure, I’m a life-long Redskins fan. I’m not going to get mired into the argument of whether or not the name of the team is culturally insensitive/offensive (it is.) That being said, this list is about logos, not names. And as a visual representation of a sports team, this is one of my favorites.

Like I said in my Tampa Bay Buccaneers entry, I usually am not a fan of “character” logos—they’re overly-busy and don’t communicate visual information very quickly. There’s a lot more detail to take in, and when you’re talking about a high-energy sport like football, immediate impact is key.

First off, I love the colors. Burgundy and gold aren’t what you’d call a very intuitive pairing, but they work so well together. The gold circle and tail feathers create a beautiful frame around the Native American head, almost like a stylized dreamcatcher. The illustration of the Native American himself is a little problematic. While nowhere near as unrepentantly offensive, cartoonish, or poorly executed as the Cleveland Indians’ Chief Wahoo or the Chicago Blackhawks’ Native American mascot, it still makes liberal use of cartoonish visual cliches associated with Native Americans—the “red” skin, the large nose—and I can easily understand the indignity it foments. However, the facial expression of the Native American is, to my eyes, mesmerizing. Every time I look at this logo, I see this perfectly balanced, subtle combination of pride, dignity and sadness. Maybe I’m reading too much into it. Maybe my (admittedly) overwhelming “white guilt” is creating visual signifiers that aren’t there as a way to rationalize my fandom. Maybe it’s just a logo. I just don’t know.

Ultimately, as much as I love my team, it’s the twenty-first century. Do we really want to continue marginalizing swaths of our “society” (no matter how steadfastly we tried to disenfranchise and/or eradicate this particular segment over the last 400 years), even if it’s disguised as innocuous sportsmanship? I think it’s long past time for a change. But please—don’t pussify it like you did to my beloved Bullets!

People get ready!

It’s almost 2009! That means every music magazine in existence either has already presented or is going to present their best-albums/songs-of-the-year lists in the coming weeks. I myself still have one or two last-minute purchases to make before I can comfortably assemble my own list. A lot of stuff came out this year, but I’m beginning to come around to the idea that the long-playing album is more or less dead. Meaning, it didn’t used to cause me a migraine to think of an album that wowed me from start to finish. No such luck this year. How these magazines can stretch out their lists to 20, 33, or even 50 (alternate) selections just baffles me. I buy way more than 10 albums every year, but I can truthfully say that there is rarely a 12 month period that produces more than 10 “classic” albums, and that number is most likely going to dwindle as we move forward into the iTunes age. I’m still something of a purist, prefering to use mp3s as a tool for discovering artists and albums that I may want to own an actual CD of. I like liner notes and sleeve art; I’m a graphic designer—sue me. But as quality long-player output continues to wane, I can already sense the impending, inevitable shift to a more digital musical diet. Progress! (Right?)

On Astronomy: Come on, Apocalypse!

popgirlsetc: Well, we’re fucked.

dischorddesoto: WHAT THE FUDGE?!?!

dischorddesoto: That’s so lame.

dischorddesoto: GO TO HELL, SPACE.

popgirlsetc: Dude…GAMMA RAYS. We’re all gonna be Hulks!

popgirlsetc: Billions of people smashing.

dischorddesoto: I hope I’m Purple Hulk.

popgirlsetc: I hope I’m the Gray one. I need my intellect.

dischorddesoto: He was a dick!

popgirlsetc: Dude was a bodyguard/enforcer. Hulk’s gotta eat.

dischorddesoto: True. In Vegas.

No. 8: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bucco Bruce!

Bucco Bruce!

I’m not a big fan of “character” logos; they tend to be less impactful than a simple, streamlined icon utilizing universal visual signifiers. But Bucco Bruce, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ logo from 1976 to 1996, is just too great. It’s completely over-the-top and flamboyant, which matches the team name perfectly. When people hear the word “pirate”, they immediately envision dirty, quasi-emaciated degenerates with scurvy that lay waste to government property and spend their off-days raping and pillaging. But “buccaneers” are glamourous! They don’t rape, they “ravish wenches”. They don’t pillage, they “re-appropriate”. And they’re such snappy dressers! The dandies of the pirating world!

Ultimately these distinctions are semantic quibblings, but the fact remains that carrying daggers in one’s mouth is bad-ass, the red-and-orange color scheme perfectly references a gulf coast sunset, and that wink would make even the burliest defensive lineman come hither. Here’s to you, Bruce.