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Dusted Features
Every Friday, Dusted Magazine publishes a series of music-related lists compiled by our favorite artists. This week: Thee More Shallows and Languis.
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Listed: Thee More Shallows + Languis
Thee More Shallows
Thee More Shallows released one of the better unheard records of 2005. It must hurt to hear that if you’re in the band, but it’s pretty much the case. More Deep Cuts didn’t get the attention it deserved. This trio from San Francisco’s Mission district churn out pop in the Yo La Tengo vein, right down to the meandering instrumental tangents. More Deep Cuts took three years to complete, but the stubbornness paid off in songs like “Freshman Thesis” and “2 am.” The cerebral lobe behind the trio is Dee Kesler, vocalist, guitarist and songwriter, with Chavo Fraser and Jason Gonzales sharing duties on drums, samples, keyboards and bass. The band just finished a tour of Europe and have a new EP out on Turn Records, Monkey vs. Shark, which collects the scraps from the Cuts sessions and features an Al Green cover. They’ll take the stage at Bottom of the Hill in their home town on May 25. Kesler took part in this week’s Listed.
1. Why? - Elephant Eyelash (Anticon)
Why? is headed by one third of the now-defunct cLOUDDEAD. He's still writing some of the best lyrics being written ("Pull apart the double helix like a wishbone/always be working on a suicide note") but now he's choosing to couch them in ever-catchier pop settings, courtesy of his monster drummer brother and a cast of amazing multi instrumentalists.
2. Minmae - Licensed to IL (self-released)
Minmae sounds like Smog, Willie Nelson, and Dinosaur Jr. glued together with a perfect sense of humor. "Licensed to (Kim Jung) Il" is a CDr-only compilation that pairs nineteen released and unreleased tracks together for one of the greatest records I've ever heard.
3. Pavement - Westing (By Musket and Sextant) (Drag City)
"All this album is, is noise, dont buy it. I like different kinds of music, and i like Pavement, but this album is HORRIBLE! If you really want to experience good pavement CD's buy or listen to Crooken Rain Crooked Rain or "Brighten the Corners"..both are superb 5 star albums. The only people who claim to like this album claim to like it because everyone who is honest hates it. It's probably cool to like this album but i guarantee that this CD sits and collects dust on anyone's shelf who owns it. Please, stay away from this one, I WARNED YOU! SPEND AT YOUR OWN RISK" -- Jay C. Wright Murfreesboro, TN
4. Can Cun Vegetarian Burrito w/ Black Beans - Can Cun Taqueria
5. David Thomas Broughton - Live at the Luminaire, London
DTB has a beautiful, deep, unique voice, and his songs (and sets) fall somewhere between tortured and hilarious. At his last show he stuffed nearly an entire microphone cord into his pocket, but he appeared to have no idea it was happening. Near the end of his performance he jumped off stage, barged his way to the bar, jumped up on it, and carefully selected a lemon quarter out of the cocktail tray. Then for a full minute he stood there chewing on it absent-mindedly.
6. Wire - Chairs Missing (Restless Records)
This record is my favorite from Wire. It retains has the energy and rawness of their punk beginnings, but has a sophistication and sonic-inventiveness as well.
7. Black Pudding - The English
8. The Chap - Ham (Lo Recordings)
The Chap make insanely catchy electro pop that, unlike most of its genre, shows more and more depth with each listen.
9. Odd Nosdam - Burner (Anticon)
This record will change you permanently you if you listen to it all the way through on headphones. It's what Boards of Canada should have been if they kept pushing themselves.
10. Julian Cope - Fried (Universal)
I read "Repossessed," by Julian Cope, on our last tour, and became obsessed with him. So I went out and bought three of his records. Of the three, this was the best, but it still sucks. I do, however, recommend his autobiography. It combines truly insane tour stories from his youth with really touching, insightful ideas about remaining creative and bettering yourself as a human being as you get older.
Languis
Languis, a duo comprised of M. Chloca and A. Cohen, has been working together since 1991. Their new album, which brings their shoegazing pop to new levels, Other Desert Cities, is out on Pehr Records.
Ale's favourites
1. The Orchids - Unholy Soul (Sarah Records)
This record was a birthday present from my friend Marco Paul. He said it reminded him of Languis, and it's true. Sometimes I wish this was a Languis record. My favorite track is "Waiting For the Storm."
2. Strawberry Switchblade - Since Yesterday (WEA International)
Best girl band I can think of. This is a reissue of their original self titled album but with a lot of extra songs, including my favorite SS song, "Trees and Flowers." It would‚ve been great they would have married Jim Reid and William Reid, they kind of seemed made of each other. In my world they are up there with The Field Mice and Shoes.
3. The Field Mice - Where'd You Learn to Kiss That Way? (Shinkansen)
They are like the Beatles to me. John knows Bobby pretty well, I met him once after a show and told him I really like his songs. I listen to them constantly, what else can I say.
4. The Hollow Men - Cresta (Arista)
This is one band that I think has been so unfairly forgotten. They are part of the Madchester era/scene. Great songs, vocals and guitars, everything. I wonder what happened to them. My favorite song from that record is "Pantera Rosa," but the whole record is so good.
5. The Cure - Carnage Visors (Fiction)
This is in a b-side of the Faith cassette edition that came out back in the day. John brought this tape for the tour and we listened to this long 40 minutes soundtrack piece over and over. The music is very atmospheric and moody, it was perfect while driving through the Dakotas.
John's favourites
1. Morrissey - Ringleader of the Tormentors (Sanctuary)
This was a hit on the tour van. We played 'you have killed me' until we should have been sick of it. None of us are huge Morrissey fans, and maybe that's why we dug this one so much. very un-Morrissey in it's celebration of sex and hedonism against a stage of grandiose rock guitars.
2. Mezzanine Owls - Mezzanine Owls
A newly finished record by some friends of ours awaiting distribution. Produced by Andy Lemaster... your friends' records are always a little scary at first. Can you get past it if it's crap? How long can you avoid the topic? Does 'tight' apply to recordings too? With our first listen of this through Montana in the middle of the night we all let go a breath of relief. On my second listen somewhere in the south perhaps... I stopped on the 4th track 'Lightbulb' and hit repeat for the next two hours. You have killed me, guys.
3. Straightjacket Fits - Melt
"Down In Splendor" may be one of the greatest songs ever recorded. If you don't believe me, go and find this record discarded in some used bin for 99¢ and see for yourself. It's one of those Once In A Lifetime As Good As The Beatles Major To Minor Chord Downbeat But Uplifting Killing Moon Perfect Songs you'd retire after writing. Me and Ale took this to San Francisco one weekend and listened to it so much, that we had to make a pact to not tell anyone. The rest of the album is nowhere near as good, but it really doesn't matter.
4. The Orchids - Striving For the Lazy Perfection
Ale got a copy of Unholy Soul from Marco Paul and listening to that, as good as it is gave me hankering for the follow up record, so when I got home I dragged it out and I don't know if it was just nostalgia, or it aged well, or I'm still into what they were going for but itjust hit the spot. In some ways it could be construed as a Sarah band trying to 'make it' with big studio sounds and more mature songs, be we all know better. No Sarah band was ever going anywhere ;) The CD version comes with 'Thaumaturgy' single and is out on LTM now i think.
5. XM Satellite Radio - Channel 44, Fred
Did you ever wonder what would happen to your music tastes when you got old? Would you keep trying to keep up on new bands, and end up like Martin Gore championing shit like She Wants Revenge, or be resigned to cruising oldies stations for 80s hits? Well, I don't really care either way, because in last half hour listening to this station, I've heard With Sympathy-era Ministry, the Waterboys, Public Image, and they play tons of Bunnymen that's not "Lips Like Fucking Sugar." If this is going to be our oldies radio, I'll happily become my mom.
By Dusted Magazine
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