Baybeats 2007: Friday - Plainsunset

Plainsunset closed the Nokia Arena on Friday night in front of a large crowd. By large I mean when you see it from afar, you see a large brown glob of sago-looking mess. Isn't it something to know that humans in large quantities often look brown, as in like brownies.

Playing a mixture of oldie goldies such as the karaoke-ready 'Find a Way' and newer cuts like 'Interference' from their upcoming fourth album, Plainsunset clocked in a by-the-numbers set with plenty of the monkeying, watered down. There was little of those 10-feet leaps, the newer cuts appeared a little choppy at times and they certainly take themselves far too seriously these days.

Rating: 6.7

Plainsunset - Find a Way (from Love Songs for the Emotionally Wounded)

Baybeats 2007: Thursday - Mercury Rev

"Spacey!" she exclaimed.

I looked at my friend, a tad confused. You saw Kevin?

"That's the word I was looking for!" she continued. "I'm trying to think of a way to describe their music. So it's spacey!"

Ahhh. Fair enough. But looking for and interstellar parallel to Mercury Rev's music surely requires one to head beyond the Milky Way, and into the nether regions of Eagle Nubula NGC 6611 or thereabouts. It's got that kind of dimension, and their Thursday night performance at the Esplanade Theatre was pretty much that kind of fantastic voyage. The mix was a little loud, and backing visuals that accompanied each song sometimes bordered on uppity pretension. But hey, they played six songs from Deserter's Songs and one of my All Is Dream favs 'The Dark Is Rising' (though they left out 'Spiders and Flies'), so who's to complain? Plus, when else can you get a chance to recreate a journey through the cosmos without having to leave those plush, cushy chairs?

Rating: 7.2

Mercury Rev - The Dark Is Rising (from All Is Dream)

Aye aye lads, we meet yet again

Ye three pirates have returned to our murky shores, fresh from a sumptuous outing of 'ayam penyet', some bargain raids and four solid days of ear-chomping music.

The next few days, we will be bringing you non-stop reviews, fresh from the coffers, uncut, purely for your dastardly enjoyment. There will be plenty of blood spilled but also many a lagger to cheers on.

And just so its clear, I am not the one in the middle.

Good seas then.

To Baybeats we go!

The sails are up. The wind is a-blowin.

The pirates are taking to the sea for an Esplanadean long weekend of making snide comments at emo bands, quasi-drunk shouting at local heroes (and by local, you know what we mean), raiding bargain bins, robbing HMV and eating multiple crates of mos burger.

We also have four cool chicks in the chest.

Three pirates. Four chicks.

Trust me. It adds up.

Rarity on the rarity: I Like A Boy In Uniform (School Uniform)

B-side of the week takes a break this... err... week... Instead, here's a rarity on the rarity, a new feature that shows up unannounced and... not... often.

The Pipettes
I Like A Boy In Uniform (School Uniform)
Unpopular Records

Rare factor: Standalone 2005 single with only 500 copies ever printed.

On every plane, there is one air stewardess whom you want to lean over you to serve orange juice to the repeatedly thirsty bloke sitting by the window.

In every hospital, there is one nurse whom you want to take your blood pressure, because it feels so good when she squeezes that rubber thing and your arm tightens up.

In every chateau, there is one french maid whom you want to dust the lazy chair that you're on, especially if the lazy chair is the kind with the propelling hidden foot-rest that can trip someone into falling onto the chair.

At every camp-site, there is one girl guide whom you'll let tie all the knots, because there's nothing nicer sometimes than letting a girl pull all the strings.

At every netball game, there is one player whom you hope will score all the goals, because eventhough she has to lift one leg in suchaway that reminds you of male canines leaking, it's still a lot more entertaining than lawn bowling.

Because it's all about the uniform.

At every classroom, there is one girl who looks better wearing school uniform than wearing anything or nothing else.

The Pipettes - I Like A Boy In Uniform (School Uniform)

Who's Who at Baybeats 2007: City On Film (US)

Who in blazing tarnations is City On Film? Well it's the new moniker for ex-Braid/Hey Mercedes frontman Bob Nanna.

Part rock band, part DJ combo, this act should appease not only fans of straight balls out emo rock but perhaps a few who like it sprinkled with something a little tastier.

And yes, that is his real name and not some gag I made. I mean, if I wanted to make a gag I usually make pretty damn sure it looks like a gag. Like why would I go with something as unfunny as Bob Nanna. That's about as serious as names come. It goes well in the military ("General Nanna, should I give the order to launch that 100 ton nuclear warhead sir?") or politics ("President Nanna, you shouldn't be looking at your intern that way.").

Man the name is so serious, I feel like putting on a tie even when I am just saying it.

City On Film - King Leer (Morrissey cover)

Look what I found in the bargain bin

Hidden Cameras
Mississauga Goddam
(Rough Trade)

Price: RM37.90

She hesitates. Stabs at her keyboard one more time. Wishes she could stab it one more time.

Quiet commotion. She calls the manager. System error? But I just sold Olivia Newton John's album to that 55-year-old lady a second ago, she claims.

Meanwhile, he's standing on the other side. Smug. Like a mug. There's nothing quite like finding an imported album that has been wrongly price tagged, so that what usually goes for the upper regions of RM70 is now about to be sold for the lower regions of US$10.

More quiet commotion. She gives him a cursory glance. He gives her an extended one. I dare you to ask me to pay more, he stares. I double dare you...

She sighs. Deletes the original price from the system. Punches in the new price. Heads will roll tonight, and his will bop and wiggle to the harmonies of Canada's Beach Boys reincarnate.

Will that be all, she asks.

All.

The Hidden Cameras - We Oh We (from Mississauga Goddam)

Who's Who at Baybeats 2007: They Will Kill Us All (M'sia)

If there is a highlight for me in the coming Baybeats it would be to watch the warm fuzz tones of They Will Kill Us All magnified on a large stage.

With an album looming and tons of street cred from tireless gigs and a rich indie lineage (Couple, Polythene, Custom Daisy and OAG are just some of the bands that the members of They Will Kill Us All have been a part of), they should be sharp enough to take Baybeats Sunday's almost-closing slot with a gentle swipe of their large sword.

Yes sword as in a large blade. And no I wasn't trying to be tongue-in-cheek nasty. I really meant a sword. As in the type I use to chop vegetables at home. What? That's a knife? Of course it isn't. It has a Thundercats insignia on it which blinks when I press a button below the handle and it's made of plastic. Damn right it's a macho sword. Though a knife would be better to chop vegetables with seeing as I have not been able to chop a single vegetable since I started using it. Maybe it's too sharp or something.

They Will Kill Us All - Secret Episodes (from Junk CD 10)

Fad of the land: Playlouder

With an obese amount of online music zines out in the world at the moment, it's kinda tough to pick a select few to pledge your tastemaking allegiance to. I mean, how can anyone possibly say with absolute confidence that a vote of approval from PopMatters is more trustworthy than a sneer of disdain from Tiny Mix Tapes? Or how does a 4-star rating from Slant outweigh a C- from Stylus?

Yeah, it's tough. The possible answer: read them ALL!!! Like a greedy wombat. Like me.

So anyways, Playlouder is one of those sites that I regularly dip my tongue in. I thank them for exposing me to 65 Days of Static, and sparing me from The Stills. Plus, they've got that ragtag, renegade look to the site (complete with GIANT, BOLD ARIAL FONT) that kinda makes it the music equivalent of movie site Ain't It Cool News. Which in a weird way, adds to their appeal.

Nevertheless, they've been undergoing a site redesign lately, in line with some broadband service offer their running in the UK. They have allowed anyone who receives an invite to access it. Problem is, you can only get an invite if you know someone who is involved with Playlouder, or who already has an invite—y'know, the whole thing Gmail did when it began.

So, given that I don't know anyone who falls in that category, I resorted to option 2: asking them for one. So here's the email I sent:

Hello,

Can I have an invite? I'm all the way in Malaysia, so poor lil' me has little to no chance of knowing someone over in the UK who is involved with Playlouder. Google has failed me, as has Hype Machine, Technorati and my pigeon Nigel. Any chance you can help?

And here's the reply:

I definitely think you deserve one after trying that hard on your own! I'm sending you an invite now, and I hope you like the beginnings of the new Playlouder, even though it's obviously still a work in progress!

cheers,
melissa

So I got one.

And so far, I am happily gallivanting across the site's new look and features. It's certainly more streamlined than before, which could work against them if readers are bored of the glossy, eliter-than-thou fronts of many other zines. That broadband offer thingy I mentioned earlier is called Playlouder MSP, which is (quoting them) "the world's first ISP network to license from music companies the right for its subscribers to download and stream music from other subscribers". Unfortunately, it's only available to UK-based peeps.

So what's in it for the rest of us? Hmmm. Well, I like the whole 'stash' concept, which allows you to pick tunes from albums they sell in their online store and listen via their player. Plus, the writing's still itchin' to be bitchin'. Which means that while it won't win any awards for prestige or poetry, it does enough to draw in the non-graduate who listened to way too much Velvet Underground during his uni days to bother with the Economics paper, and is now working in the neighbourhood laundromat scrubbing the crap off his high school crush's eight-year-old son while she smooches the high school jock who wedgied him every three hours—but who will never trade his 42-year-old LP collection for just one more snog. He's the real music fan, and kudos to Playlouder for remembering him.

Link: Playlouder.com

65 Days of Static - Retreat! Retreat! (from The Fall of Math) [BUY]

Tragedy befalls Bottom Of The Hudson

Brooklyn band Bottom Of The Hudson have lost their bassist Trevor Butler (second from left) in a van accident on Sunday. The accident occurred as the band were returning home from promotional activities for their new album Fantastic Hawk. Drummer Greg Lytle (second from right) was also badly injured and is currently in ICU.

Tragic stuff, 'specially for a band that makes such delectable indie rock. Thankfully, the band's label, California-based Absolutely Kosher, have set up a space on their homepage to donate to the victims and family. Visit www.absolutelykosher.com for more info and updates.


Bottom Of The Hudson - Bee Hive (from Fantastic Hawk)

Look what I found in the bargain bin

Fountains of Wayne
Welcome Interstate Managers
(Virgin)

Price: RM10.00

Fountains of Wayne are an enigma. Signed on a major, making bubblegum pop but yet retaining enough interest to warrant a review on snobby-wobbly sites like say, Pitchfork.

And they're funny too. I mean not quite as funny as me, but you know, they get by and all that. Like there was once, I was asked to do this stand-up act for some wedding. I mean, even before I got on the bloody stage, people were laughing. I stood up there and everyone was laughing so hard, they were rolling on the floor. Then most of them started laughing till they were puking. Some of their guts started ripping and there was half digested food everywhere. Then the bride's head exploded as well. And I was told 'Show's over son.'

And I haven't even said a thing yet.

Man I'm good.

Fountains of Wayne - All Kinds of Time (from Welcome Interstate Managers)

Funeral For A Friend in Singapore: Tickets on Sale Now

If this keeps up, Singapore will be swimming in piss by the time these bed-wetting emo rock bands are done touring through it.

Yes, here comes another one, straight out of Ryan Giggs' country, otherwise known to him as 'the crappy footballing country I chose to play for instead of England'. Welsh bands in itself are rather rare. Cause they all speak funny there so no one can understand them. A Welsh emo band is about as rare as satay celup that's halal. Why? Cause they just don't wear their hair that way there.

Funeral for a Friend has just released a concept album titled Tales Don't Tell Themselves. It's about some fisherman that gets lost at sea and how he's fighting to get back so that he can see his loved ones. Touchy-feely story. Only one problem. Every song sounds the same. Unlike previous concept albums where there are peaks and valleys, this one seems to be an unending flat line. But perhaps that is the band's intention. To show how boring a fisherman's life is. Or maybe, it's an attempt to show how cool the fisherman is. 'No tension at all, lets just cruise this baby through this 100 hurricanes, 1000 whirlpools and 10,000 million crocodiles and we'll be home before you know it'.

What? There are no crocodiles in the sea? What books have you been reading? The one I have been reading tells me that crocs can live in sea, on land, fly and occasionally shoot missiles. Its called A Beginner's Guide to B-Movies. Just look under the entry 'Crocasaurus Rex 4'.

I rock so hard.

Details:

Date: September 8, 2007
Time: 8pm
Venue: Glass Pavilion, Far East Square, 28 China Street

To get yourself a ticket, go here

Funeral for a Friend - Into Oblivion (Reunion) (from Tales Don't Tell Themselves)

B-Side of the Week - I Gots The Magic

Lucky Soul
I Gots The Magic (from the Ain't Never Been Cool single)
(Ruffa Lane)

What do you do if you're a band from Greenwich? Get stuck in timezones, right? Right. And what do you do if you start your career opening shows for the Pipettes? You get stuck in that 50s girl group thing, right? Yeah, you're a smart-ass reader. More questions. What are you likely to get when you put all that Shangri-Las and Ronettes action against a more contemporaneous sound? What? You don't know who the Shangri-Las are? What's wrong with you? And how old are you anyway? Twelve? Guys, they don't know who the Shangri-Las are! What? You don't have their records? But you're both Pirates! What? Oh you're questioning MY record collection now? What do you mean I have no black metal records from the 70s? I gots tons of them! No, I will NOT name you five tracks from Black Sabbath's Paranoid. Look, why da heck are we talking about black metal anyway? I'm trying to talk about 50s girl groups and how Lucky Soul are carving out a niche for the genre's 21st century relevance. No, I do not just blog about the stuff I like. Yes. So what if I'm obsessed about 50s girl groups? No I am not. I am not. Say that one more time and I'll give you and your sexuality something to think about. Shut up you prick. The Shangri-Las were seminal. The Ronettes were seminal. Oh you're just saying that because Mr Wall of Sound Phil Spector produced their records. Man, you guys are such fascist dicks. What? You can't swear on this blog? Screw you. Lucky Soul kicks all your Flaming Lips ass back to Saigon. Oh I'll start shit on Wayne whatever. Yeah, he or anyone in your army. Yeah, you go ask him to pull out a b-side from his third single and I'll bring mine on. Mine on, you jerk. I'll bring I Gots The Magic. It's a b-side. That's my column. Yeah. We'll see who's gots the best damn b-side this side of the millennium. Oh whatever. You guys are losers. And yes, I know that it's called Ho Chi Minh City nowadays. Jerks.

Lucky Soul - I Gots The Magic

Word for the week: Damn

Because...

I was this close to getting time off work because of suspected appendicitis. But a trip to the doc revealed that it wasn't (otherwise I wouldn't have been able to make the trip to the doc). Okay fine, so it's a good thing. But couldn't the lady have at least given a half-day MC? Damn.

John Butler Trio - Damned To Hell (from Sunrise Over Sea)
Saw JBT live three years ago; since then, I'm convinced that this enviro-freak can stop global warming, cure cancer and repair my computer.

Damn Dirty Apes - In Tents (from Ape Kill Ape)
Defunct Penang-based post-rockers and their razor-sharp guitars make fairy dust out of tarpaulin.

Be Your Own Pet - Damn Damn Leash (from Be Your Own Pet)
Four-piece punkers sound like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, have done a Queen tribute and are touring with Arctic Monkeys. Namedrops keep falling on my head...

Rupee - Do The Damn Thing (from 1 On 1)
Barbados-originating soca muso lent this song to Desperate Housewives. Which is a crappy show, by the way.

Avril Lavigne - The Best Damn Thing (from The Best Damn Thing)
I was smirking the other day as a radio DJ struggled to find a way to say "Damn" when talking about this album during some family-friendly slot. Tough job.

Fad of the land: HBO Voyeur

It's probably no secret that HBO produces the greatest TV serials. You've got the given critical darlings like Sopranos, The West Wing and Six Feet Under, and then you've got the unsung ones like Entourage and The Wire.

Now, I personally can't confess to liking every single HBO-produced show (like, Deadwood? Like, Rome? C'mon). But what the studio has done with Voyeur has simply blown me away. It's basically a bunch of 5-minute clips only viewable online, which center around a New York apartment building. There are eight stories, all interlinking, and each one is told with that HBO trademark of a rich, dense plot with Shakespearean complexities and Hitchcockean intrigue. And, get this, no dialogue (thus sidestepping another HBO hallmark, how gutsy). Which means that we basically stare through windows and watch a wife plot the butchering of her husband, or an elderly couple dance with their underwear, and wonder what they're all on about.

Best of all (to me), you get to pick your soundtrack to match the story, from a list that includes M83, Dean and Britta and Interpol bassist Carlos 'D' Dengler.

It's brilliant. I'm tired of calling HBO shows that (because it's not always true), but this one deserves it.

Link: HBOVoyeur.com

Interpol - Pace is the Trick (from Our Love To Admire) [BUY]
M83 - Safe (from Before The Dawn Heals Us) [BUY]
Dean and Britta - You Turn My Head Around (from Back Numbers) [BUY]

Who's Who at Baybeats 2007: Azmyl Yunor & the Sigarettes (M'sia)

"Who cares about fashion man?", drawls Azmyl Yunor. "What does fashion have to do with art?" The crowd is divided. The passers-by are unsure about what they're gonna get but the regulars know he's on form. "Do you think Robert Johnson cared about his hair? HE DIED man! He died for his art. F*** the AIM man. All they know about is... hair."

Now, Azmyl Yunor is a funny guy. He's as funny as they come. And depending on what version of Azmyl Yunor you get when he shows up at Baybeats, you might either find him funny or mega ultra super funny. Like that day when he closed his eyes and played the verse of Coming Home a few times and never eventually made it into the chorus. Or that day when he was having so much fun, someone had to strap his guitar on for him while he bantered before the first song.

Ok so you don't know which Azmyl Yunor you'll get. But the one constant with Azmyl is that it'll be a bloody good time. Armed with his harmonica, mic-stand lifting antics, and the tendency to at some point roll of the floor, Azmyl and his non-smoking backing band the Sigarettes are this close to pulling off a showstopping, folk-rocking, Dylanesque-drawling festival debut.

So remember to shout during 'Makan Gaji'.

Azmyl Yunor - Makan Gaji (from Tenets EP)

Gig-gles: Bodysurf Music 10th Anniversary

So it's no Carling Weekend at Leeds and Reading or anything, but I reckon Malaysia's equivalent of the whole two-city party thing isn't exactly a shabby substitute. It's happening this weekend for Ipoh indie label Bodysurf's 10th anniversary, and the line up includes three bands from Southeast Asia's music capital Indonesia (including Bandung shoegazers Polyester Embassy, a pretty slick bunch), plus some of Malaysia's creme de la creme. And you don't have to pay a month's worth of nasi lemak to attend. Plus, if anything, it's like a middle finger flash to those big types who think that indie labels in this region have no future. Flash away, I say.

DETAILS
Kuala Lumpur
Venue: The Annexe, Central Market
Date: Friday, 27 July
Time: 7pm
Admission: RM15
Line up: Polyester Embassy (Bandung), Harmacy, KLPHQ, Furniture, Televators, Couple, sforzando! (after party at Loft, Zouk featuring Twilight Actiongirl and Poptastic! Army)

Ipoh
Venue: Babyface
Date: Sunday, 29 July
Time: 2pm
Admission: RM18, Pre Sale RM15 (limited to 200 people)
Line up: Polyester Embassy (Bandung), Cherrycola (Medan), Muck, Elmkids, The Rhaman, Myra, He-Libra, Hujan, Free Love, Harmacy

Polyester Embassy - Polypanic Rooms (from Tragicomedy)
Cherrycola - Berdegup (from upcoming debut album)

Let's get lyrical, lyrical: Ferns - I Won't Forget

Dearest I'll break this word in two
And give a syllable to you
Dearest This heart's reserved for two
I'll share my seat and more with you

So I won't forget
These giddy feelings
And all the good things I see you
I won't forget My one true calling And all the meaning I draw from you Dearest Wasn't it obvious An awkward boy should fall for you
If you would not mind I'd sooner steal a kiss than rhyme

So I won't forget
These giddy feelings And all the good things I see you
I won't forget
Our sweet endeavours And all the wonders I dream in you

Why don't we Try to be all we can be Why don't we Try to be all believe
Love is all that's truth to me

I've never been a sappy yappy. I mean what's the bloody point. No one in the last 2 decades has managed to do sappy as well as Air Supply. I mean what's more romantic than two big-haired dudes with exposed chest manes singing about two less lonely people in the world? Better still that one of them has a high-pitched wail while the other a low grunt. Woo hoo.

But Ferns, now Ferns have managed to restore some class into romantic sap. The first line qualifies as one of the smartest/sweetest thing ever said on any record. I would know, I am a sub-editor and I can honestly say, to break a syllable is not easy. In fact, it's downright impossible. Like how Tom Cruise can kung-fu kick his gun up from a pile of sand and take down the baddy. Or like how Singaporean food can sometimes taste good.

And love should be impossible, like breaking syllables. Who wants a two dates per-weekend kind of romance anyways. One should have a ninja-fighting/nuclear bom-defusing romance every week. What is love without some explosions and gunshots anyways? Haiyaaaaahhhh ... I love you. Die sucker ... let's go have dinner. Look out behind you ... yeah we can watch a DVD after that.

Damn cool right?

Ferns - I Won't Forget (from On Botany)

Word for the week: Trip

Because...

The other pirates (and some pirettes) blindfolded me and hauled me to Malacca last weekend, where we ate five meals in 10 hours and gallivanted 'round the rustic town a lil'. I could live there.

Sonic Youth - Eric's Trip (live) (from Daydream Nation: Deluxe Edition)
The song's original demo, also included on this reissue, had Thurston Moore, one guitar and decipherable lyrics. Screw that; give us that atonal, wailing, shrieking racket, like this live version.

Kasabian - Last Trip (In Flight) (from Empire)
Brit dance rockers cook the Beatles in a primordial soup called Cream of Pink Floyd.

Stereolab - Extension Trip (from Aluminium Tunes)
Breezy, effortless and waltzing with more charm than a witchdoctor; why can't all trips be like this?

Tommy Emmanuel - Lady Daytripper Lady Madonna (from Great Tommy Emmanuel)
Just had to put this in. The bloke's performing in Singapore this weekend, and I'd have made the trip in two blinks if I hadn't already seen him perform. Twice.

Who's who at Baybeats 2007: Kate of Kale

The first time I saw Singaporean punk band Kate of Kale, it was in a brightly lit church in Bangsar. It was a Friday night and them and Pension State were in town for some good-natured punkalicious goodness. They were quite good. In a punk kind-of way. You know? The whole jumping like my ass is on fire thing. Or the whole I must keep a constant power chord downstroke action or the world could be destroyed thing. Or the whole I seriously need to pierce my nipples to prove I'm not gay thing. Yeah you know, things like that? Good in a punk kind-of way.

Though saying a punk band is good in a punk kind-of way is about as good as saying that KFC is nice in a fried chicken kind-of way. Or that Starbucks is good in a overpriced coffee kind-of way. Or that Conan is gay in a barbarian kind-of way.

Kate of Kale - On that Day (the Three Letter Sessions B compilation)