And no, it’s not just any album, my friends. It’s a “visual record”. I can’t tell you what a mess I’ve just made of my chair. Really, I can’t. I’m pretty sure it would be illegal without some kind of age disclaimer.

Anywayz, they’re making it with Danny Perez, who also directed this video:

This so awesome. SO AWESOME. That is all.

Seriously, America, HOW is gay marriage a problem to you? Get a life, guys.

Anyway. Without really talking about it it seems both Jocelyn (the gang leader), Sergio and myself have agreed on that I have a post in me to write here, namely the one on the Jesus and Mary Chain. And who am I to disappoint my gang? So without further ado, here it is. Head on.

History lesson, listen up! So in the early 80s two of your weirdest and coolest scottish lads - brothers at that - start the band Jesus and Mary Chain (jamc in short). They were rebels! Played distorted feedback, mumbled lyrics and crashed their sets. They had big hair-dos and sunglasses. And refused to compromise. In 1985 they got their record deal, released Psychocandy and the legend was born.

You have probably heard jamc at some point without realizing it, and if you haven’t, you’ve probably heard someone cover a jamc song. One of the more famous of which, I guess, is the Pixies’ version of “Head On”. with Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation from 2003 their song “Just Like Honey” from Psychocandy got a little revival, which was only fair cos it’s a damned good song. And so perfectly fitted into the movie. Here it is:

With lots of feedback, simple beats and unexpected songwriting skills they impressed the world, or at least messy indie kids, people like Rob Gordon and the then bored music press. Since then they have released a number of albums, singles, eps and compilations. Until sibling rivalry, or the inability certain young (and not so young) men seems to have to stay together without fighting, got the best of them and they split up mid-way through a gig in 1998. (Well, alright, not really. But brother William did leave mid-set and left the tour, so they might as well have. rock n roll myth! Come on!)

My personal relationship with jamc started around 1994 when I by accident stumbled upon their Honey’s Dead (92) and Stoned & Dethroned (94) albums on our town’s public library (which by the way was the same place I found Juliana Hatfield! Yay for public libraries!). I was in love right there. Back then there was no internet, the media coverage on indie music in Sweden was what you would expect - unless it was hip! - and unless you were of age and/or lived in Stockholm you were pretty much fucked. So I counted myself lucky and a year or so later I bought Psychocandy, one of my favorite records to date.

They certainly cleaned up some of the feedback along the way, but there’s still a laziness to their sound that somehow manages to shine through even the more produced of their songs. The same sense of I-don’t-care that characterized their early sound. From Psychocandy and partly Darklands (1987) they could have gone goth, like the Cure and the rest of the hurting young men dressed in black singing about rain and heartache, but instead they went rock n roll and it was a wise choice. Their music survived time even though they didn’t.

It’s rock n roll. And i love it!

Now some treats for you. Here’s “Happy When it Rains” from Darklands. (I can’t help wondering if Shirley Manson is paying homage to her fellow Scottsmen with the Garbage song with the next to same name..)

“Head On” from Automatic (1989)

also from Automatic , this is “Blues from a Gun”

“Reverence” from Honey’s Dead.

“Sometimes Always” with Hope Sandoval (from Mazzy Star) from Stoned & Dethroned.

The Raveonettes - Blush (2008 - live at Manchester City Centre Social)

The Raveonettes - Dead sound (2007)

As I wrote a few months ago here, on a midsummer night a car gently smashed into my Ford Fiesta left parked in the street. Noone noticed the noisy event, me neither (it was a good hit indeed: I had my car back from the autobody mechanic a month and a half later).
The morning after I was waken up by the ringing of my doorbell: it was the driver who, embarassed, admitted his guilt.
Well.. I don’t know how the things usually work there, in Canada / Usa, but here in Italy.. I mean.. I probably met the one-in-a-million HONEST italian guilty driver.
I was so dazzled, so happily overwhelmed by all this integrity / uprightness to declare “Sooner or later, dear wannabe stuntman, I’ll be knocking at your door with a.. car-accident commemorative cake”.
And so.. here it is, pictured above.
A few days ago I paid him a visit, and I brought that chocolate and cream jewel with me.
A promise is a promise.
(for the record: after we gobbled up two generous slices each, we had some laughs while sipping a coffee)

I’m so ignorant about songs from the 60s and the 70s, thus I’ve never heard of this song by Burt Bacharach (that I know and like) as sung by Dionne Warwick.
Ok, it’s not a video.. but this song is sooo gorgeous. So take this slideshow and shut up!
Enjoy



Burt Bacharach / Dionne Warwick - Promises, promises (1968)

(* “bonus malus” is ancient Latin. It’s a formula. You have not been guilty of any accident in the last year? Good. This is a “bonus”. Thumbs up! You move from, like, level 4 to level 3, and next year you’ll pay a little less for your car insurance. You’ve been driving like a drunk mole on acid and you destroyed a police car? You receive a “malus”. You fall from level 4 to level 6. And next year you’ll have to sell your mama to get the money to pay your insurance broker).

He is Bugo (pronounce it like Boogle, without the “L”), he’s Italian and he’s such a weird guy.
He doesn’t fake it.. he is genuinely.. (dictionary! dictionary!!) ungainly? awkward? He’s so touchingly out of place: everytime I listen to him being interviewed, I feel so embarassed for him. And it seems that the shift to a major in 2002 hasn’t changed him at all.
On average, of each of his albums I love 2 or 3 songs, but I’d gladly scratch a good five or six tracks out of the cd with a knife.
He plays (played?) a sort of.. lo-fi (sometimes) folky distorted songwriting pop. Or an alt-folk with buzzing synths. Mmm.. somewhere between Beck’s “Mellow Gold” and “One foot in the grave”, sort of.
(Just to get the idea.. this is 2002 “Casalingo“. Coolest uncool video ever).
Lyrics are intriguing, stupid, crooked, smart, shit and.. pure genius. Often in the very same song.
His last album, “Contatti”, is far away different from what he created in the past: no more lo-fi attitude, or crunchy guitars. It’s plain retro electro pop, now, mixed with his innate talent for melody (I don’t like this version of Bugo that much, actually).
This is the third single from “Contatti”. As addictive as dark chocolate. So childishly and filthy commercial.
And I can’t really help whistling it.
Enjoy



Bugo - Nel giro giusto (2008)

November 12, 2007: First post ever. Also, worst post ever. Andrew Bird is still rad though.

December 8, 2007: The Spice Girls rock my face off.

December 14, 2007: Two important firsts: my first interview (with The Last Dinosaur), AND my first post using capital letters. Truly a momentous occasion.

December 16, 2007: Possibly the awesomest thing I have ever written.

February 1, 2008: I say nice things about Kimya Dawson.

April 24, 2008: I offend CocoRosie. Oops.

April 26, 2008: Luke’s first post. Notice the new website. Nice.

May 1, 2008: Sergio’s first post.

May 5, 2008: I say mean things about Kimya Dawson.

May 9, 2008: Willirob’s first post.

May 28, 2008: My sister’s first post. It’s pretty much hilarious. She gets that from me.

June 14, 2008: Sergio permanently cements his position as my favourite person ever. Actually, ever since he did this post I’ve been secretly referring to him as “My Italian Boyfriend“. Don’t tell him though.

June 22 - July 4, 2008: EXTREME MUSIC VIDEO FACEOFF!! First, Luke posts a bunch of shitty videos, then I post some awesome shit, then Lauren’s all “I’m cute!“, then Will posts the video I totally knew he was going to post, then Sergio posts some weird shit, then some more weird shit and Justice, then I have another go, then Luke’s like “Oh yeah? Well I’m going to post “The Scientist!” TOP THAT!!!”, then Will posts another ace vid, then Will posts the acest vid of all time, therefore kicking all of our Coldplay-loving asses and winning the contest. Go Will.

July 1, 2008: Some douchebag commits blasphemy against Animal Collective, and I piss off a bunch of Wolf Parade fans.

July 4, 2008: This post is not a highlight. I just love this video a lot. 

August 11, 2008: An exercise in bad taste.

August 30, 2008: Segio is single-handedly responsible for my newfound love of The Spinto Band.

September 2, 2008: Nothing illegal going on here.

September 22, 2008: I totally punked Will and he still has no idea.

September 25, 3008: Sergio is awesome.

September 29, 2008: I posted this awesome video, which isn’t actually a highlight either, but then I totally interviewed the same band for The 405. Check it.

October 21, 2008: HAHAHAHAHA!

November 5, 2008: Obamarama!

So, that pretty much brings us up to speed. Like I said, it’s been a good year. And now, I leave you with this:

P.S. If you’re bored some time, you should try to count how many posts mention Animal Collective. I bet it’s a lot.