"Day & Age" by The Killers - A Music Review by DJ Octoon

DJ Octoon runs a radio show on UCLA Radio where he is constantly surrounded by hipster undergrads. That should explain something. -KV

Dear Hipsters,

I heard you berate Interpol when they started to sell some records. I was there when you thought Modest Mouse had sold-out because they wrote a catchy tune called "Float On." And now all I hear from you is, "You like The Killers?" with astonishment, or ironic astonishment (I can't tell which one).

But, to answer your question, yeah, I like The Killers.

"You know their lead singer is named Brandon Flowers?"

Yeah, I know. I also know that if you were around when The Beatles came on the scene you would have dismissed their music as "too poppy," or "for the masses."

No, I'm not comparing The Killers to The Beatles. I'm just saying; be careful of criticizing bands for being too popular. Or catchy.

Catchy is key. Why do hipsters hate The Killers? Because they're catchy. Something so catchy, so dancy, so light, can't be good. It's too sweet, like candy.

But fruit is sweet, too.

And so are marshmallows.

Where am I going with this? Back to The Killers, I suppose.

The newly relased Day & Age is The Killers's worst album. That said, you gotta hear it.

"I ain't in no hurry, you go run and tell your friends I'm losing touch / Fill their heads with rumors of impeding doom / It must be true."

That's from "Losing Touch," a nice start with lyrics that seem to attack people who are quick to criticize. The saxophone is a bit much, but that's pretty much my main complaint for the whole album. A little sax goes a long way.

"Human" - Berated by PitchFork for "not making sense," because the Flowers dares to play with grammar and ask, "Are we human or are we dancer?" in reference to Hunter S. Thompson's assertion that Americans are turning into a nation of dancers. I have to disrespectfully disagree with PitchFork and say, hey, that makes a lot of sense, actually.

By the way, if you're going to hate songs because they're lyrics don't make sense, I've got some Pixies tracks for you.

With the third track, "Spaceman," the band picks up the pace and returns to the "Somebody Told Me," days. But with higher vocals.

"Joy Ride" sounds like a lost track from a Wham! album with too much sax. Don't know Wham!? You gotta know Wham! The thing about Wham!...they knew when to take it easy on the sax.

A friend of mine says "A Dustland Fairtale" is his favorite Killers song of all time. I know, I didn't write "The Killers." He still likes it. And I can see why - it crescendos into something great, lets you taste it, then ends. It also sounds like a song from Sam's Town. Like Flowers said, "No, no, let's save that one for the next album."

But my friend is wrong - "I Can't Stay" is the best song from The Killers. At least on this album. (It's no Mr. Brightside) But it does have a Bossa nova (yeah, you read that right) beat, some well-placed-but-still-excessive saxophone work, strings, and some sweet bass work.

And with that, I ask all hipsters to put your fedoras to the side and give Day & Age a listen. If it helps, imagine it's a band from LA that you heard first, struggling to get a residency at The Echo.
See, I can talk the talk. Now give The Killers a chance, dammit.

Seriously.

-DJ Octoon

Check out his show: "I'm in Band.." - The BEST in Unsigned Music
Sundays 8-10 PM Pacific (Yes, this Sunday)
Only on UCLAradio.com

And if you're an unsigned artist, or know any, or want to hear new music, friend him on myspace! (yeah, he made us write this)
www.myspace.com/iminabandandsoami
..
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The Literary Brothel's Top Ten Songs of the Year

The Top Ten Songs I Heard in 2008
Klaus Varley

When not listening to the Pixies, I manage to hear some new music, but not enough to write a top 10 albums list. Instead, here’s a list of ten songs on ten albums released this year.

10. “Orphans” – Beck feat. Cat Power, Modern Guilt
Tracks like “Gamma Ray” ensure Modern Guilt a solid ranking in Beck’s catalog, but it’s “Orphans,” the Beatles-esque, big-beat hippie groove that rocks the popsicle shop.

9. “Loose Lips” – Kimya Dawson, Juno
Yeah, Juno – the movie – was 2007, but “Loose Lips” makes the list on the soundtrack released in 2008. Even if you’re tired of the movie, tired of the soundtrack you’ve heard 1000 times already, tired of Michael Cera (never!), this track lasts.

8. “Half Man” – Black Francis, Svn Fngrs
This seven track taster from Black Francis (formally Frank Black of Frank Black and the Catholics after he was formally Black Francis of the Pixies. He was, however, always Charles Thompson) is inconsistent at best, but in “Half Man” Black is back to his “Teenager of the Year” roots, sounding closer to legendary solo tracks like “Abstract Plane” than he has in years.*

*No research. I know these this stuff like the back of my hand.**
**White skin, veins, hair.

7. “For the Birds” – Earlimart, Hymn and Her
If you don’t know Earlimart, they’re what Wilco would sound like if told they were only allowed to play in the shoegazer genre. Hymn and Her is not quite as good as 2007’s Mentor Tormentor but hell, both albums are freaking fantastic.

6. “J'aime vous voire quitter” – Islands, Arm’s Way
No idea what this song is about, only that it’s an American indie-rock song with a French title.

5. “Great Beyond” Aimee Mann, @#%&*! Smilers
For those who still appreciate the good ol’ singer-songwriter stuff, Aimee Mann is hard to beat. Her new album is solid as hell, and so is this track.

4. “You” – Atmosphere, When Life Gives you Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold
Atmosphere’s wordy, uplifting raps are reminiscent of the stuff coming out in the early 90s before Dre, Snoop, and Biggie took gangstas to a new height. Yeah, I know there’s a dearth of hip-hop on this list. Coincidentally there’s also a dearth of hip-hop in the “New Music File” at UCLA Radio.

3. “Four Provinces” – The Walkmen, You & Me
For a group that is Bob Dylan with worse lyrics but better back-up band, I’m not sure why The Walkmen aren’t more popular.

2. “Girls” – Walter Meego, Voyager
“Everything I do, I do it for a girl, I do it for a girl, I do it for a girl.” Meego keeps it simple and dancy. If this track doesn’t get the booty off the chair, nothing will.

1. “Body” – Mother Mother, O My Heart
This is probably the best album of 2008 and “Body” is its top tune, nudging out “Body of Years” (what’s with all the bodies?), “Wisdom,” and the title track, “Oh My Heart” (holy smokes, this whole album is about bodies!) because lyrics like “I’ve grown tired of this body / cumbersome and heavy body” not only sound real, but feel real. And the music is great too. For real.

---
Why isn’t your favorite song of 2008 on this list? Probably because I didn’t hear it.
So which tracks did I leave out? Comment, or heck, send the song to me – literarybrothel at gmail dot com.

Be legal.

Whatever that means.

-KV

Jacaranda (the band) by Mary Allen

ed. note: We used to do music reviews here at The Literary Brothel, remember? This was an early piece from Mary Allen about a band named Jacaranda. They're still around; I linked their MySpace (which did not exist at the time of this article) at the end of the piece. To think, there was life before MySpace... -KV

ed. note 2: Yes, the piece is now called "Jacaranda" even though it was originally titled "Shawn and Jac A. Randa," whatever that means. -KV

Shawn and Jac A. Randa
by Mary Allen

My two favorite memories of Shawn from those 'good ole days' are something that I still tease him about.

The first was Shawn's description of how he "blazed some girl's trail." I laugh about it now, but back then, I nearly had a heart attack from his comment.

A year later, he told us his step-mother was a Playboy Playmate in the early 80's. He took great pride in relaying that to us and gleefully showed us the spread (literally). Apparently, she's had a couple of plastic operations and such done, so she no longer looks as good now as she did then.

Early this year he started sending me emails about this band he was in, Jacaranda. He said he did some vocals and played the banjo. At that point, I decided there was no way in hell I was going to catch the act. How many of us have friends who are in "bands" and have gone and supported them in an incredible display of camaraderie, only to discover too late that their friend's band is horrific and there isn't one positive thing you can say about the whole experience? That's what I dreaded. And the question kept popping up--how could a banjo improve a rock band?

But I decided to go. Thursday, 10 PM at a place called "The Garage" in the Valley. Excellent. So at 9:20 I leave my apartment, stop at the ATM, and take my sweet time. Thankfully, I hit every red light on the way. I almost turned back when the helicopters circled in the vicinity of where I was headed. "Why oh why did I come? Why didn't I bring any one with me?!"

After finding a parking spot and running to The Garage, I sized up the joint. Painted comic book orange red flames licking up the outer walls, people smoking out front and a jumbo billboard advertising Tecate beer to the right of the establishment were not welcoming signs. Shawn sees me upon entering… and I'm stuck there - with the news that they go on around 11:30, not 10.

I chat with Shawn for a bit, let him buy me a drink. He circulates with his other friends and I ask the others who they are there to see. "Jacaranda," "the last band, Jacaranda," "my friends' band, Jacaranda - they're great!"

That's a good sign. I ask them what makes them so great? (They have a banjo after all, ya know.)

"Oh, the energy, the good times, the 70's funk feel they transmit, and of course - they're my friends!" Alright. I can take that. However, this was countering all of the cool phrases that I was coming up with for a nascent article ripping them apart.

After waiting through a decent punk band, and a horrendously bad trio, Jacaranda finally takes the stage.

Tonight's theme was Pimp night - a previous theme that was fondly remembered was the Muppets - and the group fit the part well. Ostentatious gold chains, tight wildly decorated shirts, floppy felt hats, and sexy attitudes were seen in all 6 members. After previously hearing the terms "banjo," "70s funk," and "friends," associated with Jacaranda, then checking out the attire, I was even more nervous about what to expect.

After the first song, "Chewbaca," it was over for me. I knew I had to readjust my thinking. I'm a fan. I can admit it quite openly, actually. I'm a diehard punk fan, listen to opera, dig jazz, and was bowled over by a band that cannot adequately be labeled by one genre named Jacaranda.

The six members gelled in a way that surprised me considering they've only been around for a year and a half. They displayed an amazing melodic complexity that was a joy to hear.

I don't have much experience with 70s funkadelic grooves, aside from the occasional Blackspoitation movie, and now I want to go out and buy all kinds of Isaac Hayes CDs. And they not only did funk well, but early 50s rock/blues rhythms, a Southern religious revival style, and back again.

The guitar players were incredible, not in trying to outdo each other, but in complimenting each other's abilities. The vocal textures- from multi part harmonies to each singer's unique talents- employed on most songs were something that you don't hear every day and were impressive.

In addition to the rotating six players they have on the stage (Jason and Bob switch between lead/rhythm guitar, keyboards, drums, and vocals, Luis does lead vocals, tenor sax, and rhythm guitar, Shawn plays the banjo, dances and occasionally sings, Tom plays an awesome funk guitar, and Tony plays the bass), they brought up the occasional guest singers.

Nathan did a great job assisting on a number I believe is called "Sex in the Cineplex." Amy, a previous Jacaranda member, now residing in New Zealand, was on hand and led the group in "I Love Trees." The antics that Luis, Jason, and Shawn performed during their self described "boy band homage" - "Well Hung Boys" - kept the audience alternately singing along in mock celebration of teen pop and laughing out loud with the dance routines.

If you have a spare evening, I highly encourage you to see Jacaranda. Even if it is midnight. Even though they have a banjo and they have Theme nights. Very rarely do you get the opportunity to not only watch a great band perform, but get to carry on in the antics along with them.

Yes, the majority of their followers are friends who ALWAYS show up to EVERY show. But that says something about the band itself. They are truly a fantastic band to experience. Especially if you have the cool lighting effects guy that was at the bar tonight.

After leaving punk concerts, I feel the need to get the rage out and drive fast. Driving home from the Jacaranda show, I had an insouciant and delightful feeling of having spent a couple of hours by being entertained by a great group of new found friends. I have a spot of two vacant in my car if you want to join me next time. Check them out at myspace.com/jacaranda

-MA