Blitz My Brains

Decade Top Ten

2009-11-09T20:16:42Z

Also, for what it's worth, here's my final decade top ten list. Yeah, I cheated a bit. Eat it.

LPs

OOGA BOOGAS – Romance & Adventure (2008; Aarght!)
This has spent so much time on my turntable over the past year or so, it was a shoo-in. My current go-to when I don't know what else to put on. It may be too new to enjoy the same status as some of these other long-term go-to records, but I predict it'll hold up well over the years.

BAD TIMES – s/t (2001; Therapeutic)
Ahhh, the Memphis/Lousiana super-group record. The band that was never meant to be. You got Mr. Reatard, Mr. (E) Oblivian and Monsieur Louie. They wrote some songs, played one show in Illinois, recorded an album and that's it (until they played the Horizontal Action Blackout in Chicago). Live fast/Die young. In and out. Ferociousness via rocknroll. "Streets of Iron" stands as one of the best songs of the decade. So tough.

FM KNIVES – Useless and Modern (2002; Moo-La-La/Broken)
Simple and catchy? Definitely applies to FM Knives, though they're a bit more of the kind of band whose songs sound simple to the layperson's ears, but really have so much going on in them. And the lyrics. Fuckin' genius stuff there.

PIRANHAS - Erotic Grit Movies (2002; In the Red)
Could've just as easily listed self-titled album. These two are kind of like a continuation of a long, weird dream you don't want to wake from. One of the most interesting bands to come along in a while. Not just weird for the sake of being weird. The music is solid, way ahead of its time.

LITTLE KILLERS – s/t (2003; Crypt)
Remember how it was kind of a big deal when this came out? It was the first record by a new band that Crypt had done in years. Reports came in of Tim Warren losing his shit after seeing them for the first time. This record took a little time to really grow on me. It's simple, but catchy, just like a great record should be, as far as I'm concerned. Everytime it comes on I have fond memories of stomping around Belgrade…this album was my soundtrack for that trip. TURN UP THE VOLUME.

CLONE DEFECTS - Blood on Jupiter (In the Red)
Another exceptionally tough call. I mean, I knew the Clone Defects would be on this list, but which record? I could've just as easily gone with "Shapes of Venus" or any of their singles. A consistently great band.

FINAL SOLUTIONS - Disco Eraser (Misprint)
At the time everyone talked about how this was "Jay's new band." Well, sure, he was in the band, but really Zac, Justice, Tom and later Quinn made this band. Lotsa bands have tried to go for the "KBD sound," whatever the fuck that is, but Final Solutions managed to sound punk, in the most basic, raw, no bullshit way. Whatever. Their first album just rips. "Deep Six," "Eat Shit Hologram," "Can't Sing Through My Fuzz Pedal." all killer, no filler. Got to see Zac's new band SECTOR ZERO at Budget Rock this year. Not quite a continuation of the Final Solution formula or anything, but I suspect they might be making my 2020 list.

A FRAMES – s/t (2002; S-S)
My first time seeing the A Frames was in Ypsilanti, Michigan where they played a sorta redneck bar with the Piranhas (my first time seeing them too). It was one of those shows that will stick with me forever. Floored by the A Frames, who capped their set with a monstrous cover of X's "Batman." I've seen 'em many times since and everytime has been great, but not as great as that first time, you know? And while I'm into all their albums, their first still stands out for its stark simplicity and repetitiveness.

HUNCHES – Yes. No. Shut It. (2002; In The Red)
Mind-blowing. Loud and fucked up, but not just loudandfucked for the sake of it. Chris Gunn is one of the most fun guitar players to watch, and just one of the best around. That, plus the thoroughly solid rhythm section grounds what could easily be a total fucking mess of a band.

Runners up: LOST SOUNDS – Black Wave (2001; Empty), TYRADES - s/t LP (2003; Broken), MASONICS - Masonic Machine Turns You Up (2002), BUSY SIGNALS - s/t (2007; Dirtnap), NO HOPE FOR THE KIDS - Størkenhavn (2004); MYSTERY GIRLS - s/t (2002; Trickknee), HEX DISPENSERS - s/t, EDDY CURRENT SUPPRESSION RING - s/t (2006; Dropkick), PISSED JEANS - Shallow (2005; Parts Unknown)

7”s

HENRY FIATS OPEN SORE – Gnarly (2000; Wrench)
HFOS at their finest. Fast, funny, smart. "Gnarly" includes the absolute classic "Dee Dee Ramone," followed by "3.5 Revolution." The HFOS albums are all also great, but they hold up most memorably on 7"s. Breathless.

HUMAN EYE – Rare Little Creatures (2007; Disordered)
What I wrote for the Clone Defects applies for Human Eye. The "Rare Little Creatures" single makes this list partially because I wanted to make room on the LP list for a non-Timmy Vulgar band and partially because Rare Little Creatures is one of those exceptional song that just lodges itself in your brain and sticks there for years.

HEX DISPENSERS - Lose My Cool 7" (2008; Alien Snatch)
If I had more room, their first LP would've made the album list. As it is, I have to settle for the Hex Dispensers' awesome "Lose My Cool" 7".

BASEBALL FURIES – I Hate Your Secret Club (2004; Estrus)
One the last for the title song alone. The other songs are decent, fairly standard fare, but "I Hate Your Secret Club" had the almighty Baseball Furies leaning in an unexpectedly poppier vein than they showed on their earlier records. Foreshadowing a bit of what would come in the Tyrades. Still tough, but catchy. A perfect combination.

RIVER CITY TANLINES – Black Knight (2005; Misprint)
Alicja Trout's post-Lost Sounds endeavors have gotten less attention than her former bandmate's. Too bad. She's a killer songwriter and the band she put together for River City Tanlines helps prove it. The bass in "Black Knight" is not to be fucked with!

CARBONAS – Frothing at the Mouth (2004; Douchemaster)
Fast, catchy as hell. Sure the Black Lips became the darlings of Atlanta, but for my money, the Carbonas take the crown. Not always the most exciting live band, they made up for it in spades on record.

NO HOPE FOR THE KIDS – Das Reich (2004; Backwards Masking/Hjernespind)
Yet another single that gets included at least in part because there wasn't enough room to include their album. I think people more into hardcore have mostly written off NHFTK, but suckers like me who like their hardcore with a strong dose of melody (think Toxic Reasons), I still can't get enough. The flip side of this, "Secret Police" wins out as one of my favorite songs of the decade. Great songwriting all around.

ANGRY ANGLES - Things Are Moving 7" (2005; Shattered)
Yes, the "He Hit Me (and It Felt Like a Kiss)"-like song that wraps up this single is fucked up, especially given the outcome of the Angry Angles. But, like "He Hit Me," "You Call It Love" is a really good song. All four songs here marked the transition out of the synthy Lost Sounds style and into what would become Jay Reatards more poppy solo career. The transition is key. Just stripped down enough, just raw enough.

DRUID PERFUME – Goat Skin Glue (2009; Italy?)
From the ashes of the Piranhas…one of my favorite new bands, and new favorite bands.

LOST SOUNDS – Don't Bother Me (2001; Solid Sex Lovie Doll)
I love their Black Wave album, and Memphis is Dead, and Rat Brains…hell, for such a prolific band they had far more hits than misses, but this record is really a perfect 7". Four great songs, in and out, capped off with the killed "What'd I Say." Unfortunately expensive and incredibly hard to find. Just ask Mitch Cardwell. He spent years tracking down a copy, and that guy is connected! Worth it though.

barfday

2009-11-09T18:24:46Z

Hey, Robert Frank is 85 today. Happy birthday Mr. Frank! And it's the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down. Happy anniversary! And hey, it's my birthday. I'm 35. Half way there. Woo hoo.

White Castle Cake!

2009-11-07T21:29:44Z

My birthday cake. Three sliders and an order of chicken rings!

Object(s) of Desire(s)

2009-11-03T21:48:02Z

I've severely cut back on buying, well, everything. But photobooks have taken a big hit in the last year or so. I used to scour Moe's, Half Price Books and other places (Amazon, Powells, Abes, etc) to pick up new, used, remaindered photobooks. Not so much any more. I get a few freebies through work, but rarely anything exceptional. I have to hold out for not just the random collectables, casually cool-looking books and hit on the books with severe substance. The last one I bought was the expanded edition of Looking In Robert Franks' The American. I've barely scratched the surface in reading/looking at it. Maybe a little too much heft to it.

Anyway, my next photobook purchase is going to be Japanese Photobooks of the '60s and '70s (Aperture). I was on the fence until going to the SFMOMA today and taking a peek at it. Beyond the insanely awesomeness of the book designs show in it, the photos...oh man, the photos are gorgeous. Daido Moriyama is a photo superstar for a reason. Sigh. I can't wait to get it.

Runners up include:
Christopher Anderson's Capitolio
Susan Meiselas' In History
Daido Moriyama' Farewell Photography
Anders Petersen's French Kiss

and...well a lot more. So many good photo books. Magnum's Georgian Spring, Jim Goldberg's Open See, I Tokyo by Jacob Aue Sobol, Jason Eskenazi's Wonderland (just missed buying a copy of that...now they're going for hundreds of dollars, bummer), and on and on...

drake, again

2009-10-22T23:44:36Z

Yeah, I've said it before, but I totally love Carolyn Drake's photography. So good. (sigh)

Daido Moriyama

2009-10-21T18:27:03Z

A small bit of sunshine (so to speak):

A short (10 min) piece on Japanese street photographer Daido Moriyama.

bad/uses

2009-10-14T21:56:27Z

Thanks to Aya for pointing this out to me: eBay seller using my Teengenerate photo to sell some of his records...

$6k

2009-10-13T18:38:18Z

Wow. A test pressing of Minor Threat's "Out of Step" (sold by Jeff Nelson) just went for almost $6,000. Fucking crazy.

Buried

2009-10-05T23:32:55Z

And an old photo...this one from Venice, about five years ago.

Venice
October 2004

New Inhuman Eating Machine

2009-10-05T23:21:06Z

Video version of Torta Justice (part 1):

icki @ 2009-09-29T11:35:00

2009-09-29T18:38:55Z

Downtown San Francisco
July 2009

Achy and tired and man, I could really go for a bag of those cheap, shitty, delicious powder donuts right now...

Speaking of donuts, it is ridiculous there are NO fresh donut shops in downtown SF. Not that I've found anyway. The donuts from 7-11 just don't cut it. Overpriced and stale, and that's coming from someone who really isn't very picky about donuts (see above craving for packaged donuts).

/media notes/media notes/

2009-09-28T19:05:07Z

I'm not a big Terry Richardson fan, I don't buy into the cult shit around him at all, but I really appreciate his approach to shooting: "I make it up as a I go along." Walking into a big deal photo shoot with a point-n-shoot because that's what he likes shooting with, sticking to his guns and making something outta that. I totally respect that.

Here's a little clip of him talking about that.

Also...on a heavy '70s jag, fueled largely by Third World War...finally getting around to hearing the Deviants and Pink Fairies...looking for MP3s (and original vinyl, naturally) or Terry Stamp's solo album Fatsticks.

rye

2009-09-25T20:44:47Z

Union Square
San Francisco, CA
August? 2009

Zog's

2009-09-24T22:25:43Z

Market/Montgomery
San Francisco, CA
August 2009

This Weekend

2009-09-14T23:50:39Z

Friday: Blue öyster Cult (at Santa Cruz County Fair)
Friday: Sex/Vid (at Balazo Gallery)
Saturday: Sex/Vid (at Hemlock)
Saturday: David Cross (at the Warfield)
Sunday: Giman Swap

Decisions need to be made.

Not Fucked Enough

2009-09-14T21:43:07Z

Just stumbled across this old blog post on some German's blog called "The Art of Record Covers."

Rad.

LEICA M9

2009-09-03T22:22:51Z

Full-frame digital Leica to be announced Sept. 9.

WANT IT.

I'd even consider selling most of my Nikon gear if the hi ISO could match the D700. Though at a rumored $8,000 - $10,000 (body ONLY) I don't think I'd have enough Nikon gear to come up with that kind of money.

myopic/ charles harbutt

2009-09-03T16:33:19Z

Awesome set of photos by Charles Harbutt, someone I had never heard of until this morning. Turns out he's a former Magnum photographer, current professor at Parson's. Not just good photos, but a really great edit.

Gimme Something Better

2009-09-01T22:02:20Z

I just got handed a review copy of Gimme Something Better: The Profound, Progressive and Occasionally Pointless History of Bay Area Punk.

It's an oral history of Bay Area punk, a-la Please Kill Me.

Stay tuned...

Spidey Senses

2009-08-31T19:36:02Z

Woah. Disney bought Marvel. I'm not much of a comic person anymore, but still, woah.

Mayyors/SF Chron

2009-08-27T18:38:39Z

Got a (tiny) photo in today's SF Chronicle, for the write-up of the upcoming Mayyors show.

woot

teenage hate

2009-08-17T23:46:28Z

Shit like this never ceases to amaze me.

Big, fat Jay Reatard feature in the New York Times.

King of...

2009-08-17T17:00:41Z

Pissed Jeans
Pittsburgh, PA
June 2006

For what it's worth, my review of the new Pissed Jeans album, King of Jeans.

Rabies is a Killer!

2009-07-31T18:04:06Z

Agony Bag, from 1980. SO incredible. Over the top and just awesome.

City Slang

2009-07-30T02:47:28Z

Small triumph: I finally got an original copy of the "City Slang" 45 by Sonic's Rendevzous Band. I consider that song/record my favorite. Got a copy of pretty cheap. I can listen to this song overandover, endlessly.

If course, it's not the numbered version with the red ink cover, but still an original.