scene&heard

I saw Ani DiFranco in concert once. I was a little girl, and my mother had taken me to a folk festival in upstate New York. All the ex-hippie parents were cheering wildly for Ani as their face-painted kids scampered happily in the grass. DiFranco ascended to the stage, grabbed the mic, and bellowed, “FUCK!”

For eighteen years, Ani DiFranco has channeled this unapologetic fierceness into folk songs wearing punk clothing, ardently championing her liberal, feminist ideology. “Canon,” a career retrospectivce, does a praiseworthy job of selecting songs from DiFranco’s substantial repertoire. The two-CD best-of divides her music into two vague categories. The first CD nicely sums up her earlier, more conventionally folk-y period, starting with the song “Fire Door” off her first CD and venturing into more exploratory territory towards the end with the spoken word track “Fuel.” The second CD continues to chart her experimentalism, from increasingly politically charged lyrics to instrumentation with drums, horns and unconventional harmonies.

“Canon” also contains its fair share of live recordings, including some tracks from her live CD “Living in Clip,” which are vibrant and full of energy. In the songs “Gravel” and “Untouchable Face” we can hear DiFranco playing to her adoring crowd, laughing, sighing and practically spitting her words out. The sounds of the audience’s adulation are also a nod to DiFranco’s extraordinarily devoted fan base and her status as something of a cult figure.

Unfortunately and inexplicably, “Canon” also includes a track called “Distracted,” a recording of some of DiFranco’s stage banter, including the following phrase: “And so now, like, now it’s so funny, like, all the, you know…”

Despite this single unpleasant detour from DiFranco’s otherwise sharp and thoughtful songwriting, both CDs are strong throughout, and perhaps even sufficiently varied to keep the listener engaged for the two-plus hours needed to listen to the whole thing. For devoted fans or those just discovering her, “Canon” is a commendable compilation of some of DiFranco’s best work.

In Johnathan Rice’s newest album “Further North,” the 24-year-old singer/songwriter successfully combines granola folk music with a head-bopping rhythm that is easy to groove to.

He continues the use of avant-garde sound effects begun in his previous album “Trouble is Real,” utilizing the sound of a camera winding to set a beat in the first single of the album, entitled “Stay at Home.” In the beginning tracks, Rice successfully draws the listener into his groove with lyrics such as “I took a camera on vacation to put Miami in a frame.” His words are not lost among the instrumentals, which are soft enough to underscore his vocals and complement Rice’s raspy voice — which recalls both the softness of John Mayer and drawling, elongated style of Dave Matthews Band — complements his folksy lyrics and soft rock appeal. The single “We’re All Stuck Out in The Desert,” while suffering slightly from the monotonous repetition of the title line, perfectly exudes Rice’s left-of-center viewpoint, with lyrics such as “an investment banker started something so I broke his neck.”

The lyrics and beat of most of the tracks are intriguing enough to arouse the curiosity of most soft rock aficionados, while accessible enough to appeal to many mainstream music listeners. The final half of the tracks on the album tend more towards the rock end of the musical spectrum, as Rice’s voice hardens and evolves with the tracks to a completely surprising end with the tracks “Hard to Believe” and “It is Best to Keep it All Inside,” depressing and cynically self-pitying creations which seem unbelievably anti-Rice. An evolutionary album for the artist, Johnathan Rice’s “Further North” is certainly worth a few listens.

Listen to Johnathan Rice at www.myspace.com/johnathanrice

The comments made by Curtis Jackson (a.k.a 50 Cent) preceding the release of his latest album, “Curtis,” indicate that he’s stressed out. His big talk about halting recording if Kanye West beat him in sales just shows that America’s favorite Candy Shop gangster feels threatened by his “non-confrontational” teddy bear friend.

One look at the album photograph gives the impression that he’s been pulling all-nighters for months working on a dissertation in hip-hop dominance. Is this a plea for sympathy? Yes, probably.

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Simian Mobile Disco is all about the synthesizer, to the point of naming their debut album after one of its parts, the ASDR envelope. The tracks on “Attack Sustain Decay Release” are electronic to the point of occasionally sounding like four-minute monologues by R2-D2. Condensing Simian Mobile Disco’s repertoire from hundreds of songs and mixes into forty minutes simultaneously highlights flaws in the duo’s music and leaves the listener feeling cheated.
Simian Mobile Disco, composed of James Ford and Anthony Shaw, is a production and remix team who broke from the “electronically enhanced psychedelic folk band” Simian on a US summer tour in 2005. Leaving behind the rock elements of Simian, Simian Mobile Disco is more pop and dance-oriented, and do DJ sets with other groups like Justice. Shaw and Ford dropped a number of singles and did notable remixes of bands like Air, Muse, and The Go! Team before the release of “Attack Sustain Decay Release.”

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Regrettably, summer 2007 is already little more than a blur with only a few things standing out:

1) I read many blogs at work, though what was discussed in said blogs, I cannot recall

2) Michael Vick

3) The abomination that was the “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” Epilogue

4) Buying my very own metallic blue Fender P Bass — my very first eBay transaction that did not involve American Idol tickets

Though I’ve yet to join a band, I did support several other bands this summer - not by legally purchasing their music, but by purchasing a ticket to their summer tours. Here are some of the highlights…

The warm up: Coachella Valley Music Festival, Indio, CA, April 27-29

Nothing complements rock n’ roll like a sweltering sun. For three days, I braved gridlock traffic, 110+ degree heat and every LA-area prep school hipster to feast on a veritable pantheon of music styles and genres. The acts were as diverse as Hot Chip, Manu Chao and Lupe Fiasco, the performers as old as Willie Nelson and as green as Lily Allen and the set lengths anywhere from Air’s 20-minute disappointment to Rage Against the Machine’s too-long reunion set.

James Murphy and the rest of the LCD Soundsystem joint took the prize for the best set of the weekend. Though they performed in the “rave” tent, complete with spinning disco balls, flashing lights and ecstasy, the most arresting song of the evening was the mellow finale: “New York I Love You But Your Bringing Me Down.” Following LCD that evening were the Brooklyn punks of The Rapture, who kept the beat strong and the limbs shaking. Other standouts include Arcade Fire, Kings of Leon, Lupe Fiasco (all three of which performed on the main stage) and Ratatat (who blew everyone away).

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Projekt Revolution Tour 8/26/07 Hartford, CT 3:15 p.m.

Between sips of Red Bull and long drags on three (I counted) Marlboro Lights, Brian Molko, the lead singer of Placebo – the best of six main stage acts at Linkin Park’s 2007 Projekt Revolution tour — acted calm and cozy less than two hours before show time. I found Molko, once infamous for pushing the envelope with androgynous costumes and irreverent lyrics, surprisingly normal. He carried the conversation in much the same way he lead Placebo onstage: with an old soul’s mix of humor, maturity and impatience.

Scene&Heard: How did Placebo get to be one of six main stage acts at this year’s Projekt Revolution?

Brian Molko: We’re here because Linkin Park invited us. Chester [Bennington] and Mike [Shinoda] are fans of the band.

S&H: How would you describe the dynamic between all these different bands?

Molko: It’s a really good vibe backstage. Linkin Park are very approachable – not only are they approachable but they approach you. There are no big egos floating around – it’s great… I was kind of expecting there to be a lot of people running around backstage with bottles of Jack Daniels and ruby sluts hanging off their arms… But it’s been really cool. It hasn’t been that rock-and-roll cliché. Which I’m really happy about, because I’m not a particularly big fan – not a fan at all – of that rock-and-roll cliché.

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While the first thing that pops into mind when the words “Oklahoma” and “evangelicals” are uttered are television preachers from the buckle of the Bible belt, the trio of singer Josh Jones, bassist Kyle Davis and drummer Austin Stephens that makes up Evangelicals are anything but. Hailing from Norman, Oklahoma—origin of the Flaming Lips, Chainsaw Kittens and Starlight Mints—the band’s debut “So Gone” received universal critical acclaim and launched the band on a nationwide tour last fall, during which they made a stop between shows to spend a night at Yale. Davis spoke to scene&heard about Yale girls, the new ‘gelicals record, and their plans for visiting the Elm City again.

Scene&Heard: How did the tour go last year? Lessons learned?

Kyle Davis: Last year was awesome. We ended up circling the country about two and half times. Drink “Emergen-C.” Avoid Plano, Texas.

S&H: What was your favorite city to tour in?

KD: It’s hard to say best…but I love Montreal. Seattle, Portland…New York. All good. Anytime there are people there to see us we’re pretty fucking excited.

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Last year, the Yale hip-hop scene was defined by the over-the-top lyrics and antics of rap group 108 Tongues, whose song “Fuck Harvard” generated massive backlash across the Ivy League community, leading some to conclude that
hip-hop simply could not be done at Yale. As the new school year begins, however, two members of the class of 2010 are quietly pursuing careers in the hip-hop industry. Ben Ogilvy, of Boston, and Ben Flores, of Idaho, draw from similar artistic influences and have both dealt with the awkward problems that
come with being white middle-class males making music that is deeply rooted in African-American culture. scene&heard sat down with Ogilvy and Flores to discuss their creative processes, the lackluster Yale music scene, and the transition from being a hip-hop fan to being a hip-hop musician.

Sophomore Ben Flores, hailing from Moscow, Idaho, may have only been seriously interested in hip-hop for four years, but in that time he has turned from casual fan to serious listener to self-made MC/producer. His beats are made from far-ranging samples: he’s drawn inspiration from Modest Mouse, nursery rhymes (”Mary Had a Big Old Motherfuckin’ Beat”) and public service announcements. He collaborates with other Yale musicians and is looking to release an album sometime this year. He talked to scene&heard about the jump from listening to hip-hop to making it, the lackluster Yale music scene and the “Fuck Harvard” controversy.

S&H: When did you first get turned onto hip-hop?

Flores: I was first turned onto hip-hop when I heard DJ Dangermouse’s “Grey Album,”…so when I was in tenth grade. I listened to hip-hop before that but strictly what was played on the radio. It wasn’t one of my favorite genres. I really liked the Beastie Boys before that, but I didn’t really have any interest in creating [hip-hop]. I’ve been in a couple bands before, so I got into it as a joke…with a couple friends, and I made a beat entirely out of loops on Garage Band and we wrote a song, the three of us fancying ourselves after the Beastie Boys. It was ridiculous. We made a video for it, my friend was wearing my fur jacket, I had basketball clothing on, my other friend was wearing a clock around his neck. We called ourselves Thug Conspiracy — just a mockery you know? As we started to do more songs which I created the beats for and did all the writing for…we started to get more creative with our patterns and what not. I was genuinely interested in the form as opposed to seeing it as an easy way to channel comedy. I started to treat it seriously.

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Scene&Heard: What is Ghost Notes?

Ogilvy: We’re a production team. Basically, we make beats for rappers. We officially began in the summer of 2005, but before then my cousin and I had played music together for a long time. He’s about to finish his masters in piano performance at Wesleyan, and I’ve drummed for jazz and rock combos for most of my life. So far, we’ve made beats for local rappers and some people on the LA underground hip-hop scene. Of Mexican Descent used one of our beats for their song “All Turn Native.” It’s on our MySpace.

S&H: What kind of music do you make?

O: We make hip-hop. We aim for classic-sounding, jazzy, worn-in, gritty hip-hop, and we work only with samples. Only by sampling old records can you get the crackly, old funk sound that we want. Records have their own character and you cannot mimic it. You have to let the things age. Basically, we sit down at a computer and turntables. We go to a stack of records, pick one out, put the needle down until we find something we like, either texturally or melodically, and then we record it into a computer. That’s sampling. Slowly we layer and build-up these sounds into a beat. We make hip-hop from a jazz and soul grounding. We make driving beats. We sample because we want it to sound as if the dust has settled on the records.

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