The new Calexico album "Carried To Dust" - Justice @The Treasure Island Music Festival - Young Jeezy "The Recession".
Hello. It has been quite some time since I have been given the opportunity to get up on the Fecal Face blog, but it's finally happening! I hope you're excited, as I have an earful.

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Calexico - "Carried To Dust"

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Awhile ago now I was saddled with the task of reviewing the new Calexico album "Carried To Dust". Honestly I'm not a fan, in that I have always been initially turned off by their album art work alone, but this just means I have never really listened to their music. I do, however have the vague recollection that they are an adult contemporary outfit with a Latin flavor (Latin flavor denoted by aforementioned low rider style "I got an air brushed/puffy paint t-shirt at the county fair" album covers). I listened to the album a few times and it turns out that Calexico are indeed an adult contemporary band with a Latin flavor (that is, there is a brass section and they intermittently sing in Spanish). This is really not my bag at all but I imagine (with the risk of sounding too presumptuous) that anyone who has already established him/herself as a fan will not be disappointed by this offering, conversely I don't think Calexico will be winning any new fans either. If they do, I foresee the make-up of proposed crowd as persons who have just given up trying to dig for more interesting stuff and are content to be pleasantly serenaded as they sip their after work glass of white wine (is that the quintessential facet of adult contemporary?).

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Young Jeezy "The Recession"

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Moving on, when asked to do this review I coincidentally had other items of new and old stuff in mind I wanted to write up as well, so I did.

First off is the new Young Jeezy "The Recession". Too be entirely honest I have been waiting for this disc since his last one "The Inspiration" came out in 2006. Jeezy had not been on my radar after the 2005 single "Do It For My Hood" because it reminded me too much of T.I.'s "Rubberband Man" which confusingly enough I think is a great song. The similarity was the actual track, which is rife with an upbeat major scale which I have little tolerance for in hip hop. Jeezy got it right though on his second offering "The Inspiration", with it's continuous anthemic horns and strings being firmly held down by double time and triple time shuffling hi-hats coupled with an unabashed utilization of 80s throw back toms and kicks. Also, if I recall correctly, there are no smooth hip hop/r & b crossover fuck ballads on the disc which is the second thing I have no time for in hip hop. In the same re-hash style of the Calexico album, 2008's "The Recession" is a continuation of "The Inspiration" with it's like-minded production. I doubt it will convert any new fans but will for sure satisfy the old ones. One differentiating mark to "The Recession" however, is that Jeezy attempts some mildly political themes (title denoting said motivation), that is to say that 1) at the beginning of "Crazy World" he chuckles and says "y'all better vote for Barrack O'drama, a black president and shit", hmm...yes 2) the actual CD is a grainy black and white picture of an American Flag as well as Jeezy being draped with one himself on the cover and 3) the tray art has a grizzled hand held out with an assortment of loose change. A photo poignantly indicating the idea of a recession? I suppose. It's no Dead Prez or anything but cooking up a grilled cheese to this record gets you super pumped about eating a grilled cheese, so I would imagine weighing bricks of cocaine to this record probably gets you pumped about selling cocaine, and that's all Young Jeezy's really trying to do right?

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Lora Logic's solo album "Pedigree Charm"

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Moving on, if you happen to be one of those people who keeps a running list of records to be on the look out for, I have two more candidates for you:

One, Lora Logic's solo album "Pedigree Charm" on Rough Trade circa 1982. This record took me a couple listens to dig but it is well worth it. Lora Logic was the sax player for X-ray Spex briefly, left that band and started her own project Essential Logic who only recorded one album before dissolving. "Pedigree Charm" followed and it's a super solid strangely orchestrated funk/punk record with Bat mitzvah sax and Logic's syrupy crooning all over it. It gets music nerd bonus points for including Charles Hayward of ridiculously fantastic British experimental post- punk band This Heat drumming on the majority of the songs as well. I also read (who wikipedia'd Lora Logic?) that an early incarnation of Essential Logic included William Bennett of Whitehouse (whom all the kids seem to throw their friends down the stairs over) on guitar. Believe me, this record needs to be owned by you. Although, if you just need the actual songs and not the fetishized 12" long player, Kill Rock Stars released a 2 CD collection of Logic's recordings which includes "Pedigree Charm", the Essential Logic album and newer songs demos etc. I'm sure that's fairly awesome too.

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Polyphonic Size

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Secondly, In accordance with all this 80s French synth and dark-wave material that is slowly being re-released on various collections I would like to throw in my two cents: Polyphonic Size (Size silly, not Spree). They are sorely absent from these aforementioned collections, namely because (I believe) they are Belgian not French, though they sing in French and English but are by far a better example of the scene these comps (that is "Bippp", "So Young But So Cold", "Des Jeunes Gens Modernes" etc.) attempt to conjure up than a lot of their actual offerings. It appears most PS records were produced by Stranglers bassist JJ Burnel (whose solo track "Euroman" was a stand out on the "So Young but So Cold" comp (and his entire record "Euroman Cometh" is pretty much perfect)); the tracks perhaps shine brighter due to this man's hands at the controls. Polyphonic Size's album "Live For Each Moment" or "Vivre Pour Chaque Instant" is a brilliant submission in the international new wave/experimental genre. Disaffected male and female vocals trade off over steady melancholy synths and bare bones drum patterns. There is literally not a bad moment contained within as you will flip the record over once to the B side and then upon it's conclusion flip it back over to the A, and repeat. It's kind of like washing your hair, but only if you dance like a robot, get caught dancing like a robot, which in turn gives way to you being mistakenly ridiculed for practicing a new mime routine and not just dancing like a robot all the while you still have suds on your scalp which are slowly dripping down your forehead and making a break for your eyes. Your eyes begin to sting but the propulsion of Polyphonic Size's beat won't let you halt your herky jerky gyrations, and there you are dancing like a robot with a hair and face full of soap. Pretty awesome, right?

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Treasure Island Music Fest

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In the present world that isn't flooded with the early 80s but is sometimes flooded with sequencers and the like, I was able to get some tickets to the Treasure Island Music Fest that took place a few weeks ago. It was probably the best experience I have had at an outdoor music festival for the following reasons:
1) free tickets, free ride, free parking pass
2) the timing could not have been more perfect in that my friends and I arrived right before Justice played, who were the only band I was really interested in seeing
3) Justice were great

Taking in the crowd was a whole other experience all together though. As I stated before we arrived about 8:30 pm, most of us having just come from work. The majority of the people I saw however, had shuttled over there around noon (when the event actually started), and appeared from this time on to have been taking liberal advantage of the outdoor/unsupervised aspect with healthy doses of drugs and booze. I swear looking around during one of the many climaxes of Justice's set that the crowd encircling me were all peaking on acid, ecstasy, assortments of pills or maybe a little bit of all of the above as I witnessed many eyes rolling into the backs of skulls. Somehow I doubt it was the euphoric sonic peaks and valleys being poured out of that giant P.A. system, that's for sure. Just to my right a very intoxicated couple were trying to coax each other into migrating back to the bus which was taking folks back to San Francisco post festival. The only thing being accomplished however, was the boyfriend making his best attempts to prop his girlfriend up as she continuously slithered through his arms, and then cursing her for getting too high. Now multiply this small scenario by I don't know, two thousand and then add in raining glow sticks from the sky coupled with intoxicated rave dancing and that is exactly what that night was like. Here are some photos Carlos Arrieta took:

V.I.P. parking area

This man is driving you home tonight.

Don't get on their bad side.

A "green"-minded music festival. Between performances one of the staff members would get on the mic and implore people to pick up their trash. "No can-do, I think I've just achieved the perfect high underneath my drug rug".

Justice moves the crowd completely equipped with 9 by 9 stacks of hollowed out under-lit Marshall cabinets.

Long wait home for some.

Return to the V.I.P. parking Random stuff:

Clarion Alley Mural Project Block Party is upon us yet again next Saturday October 25th. A bunch of bands are playing and other types of hip revelry are to be had. It starts at noon and goes until early night (9/10 pm-ish?), plus it's free!

Also:

My house-mate John Dwyer, and I did an interview for L.A. Record a month ago so check that out. {moscomment}

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