the fyrehaus

I love a well-made documentary, especially the kind broken up into convenient 45 minute bites. So I’ve watched a few “history of rock” things on MTV and VH1 before. But the BBC/VH1 Classic “Seven Ages of Rock” was really fascinating, especially because it’s unapologetically British in point-of-view. They certainly don’t ignore the American scene, but it is really only important in its relation to and influence on the British scene, all leading up to the apotheosis that is contemporary British Indie Rock, cockily titled, “What the World is Waiting For.”

In case you were wondering the ages are:

1. The Birth of Rock: The Who, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix (the BBC didn’t pay for worldwide rights to the Hendrix footage, so he’s largely missing from the VH1 cut)
2. Art Rock: Pink Floyd, The Velvet Underground, David Bowie
3. Stadium Rock: Led Zepplin, Queen, Kiss, Springsteen, U2
4. Heavy Metal: Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Motley Crue, Metallica
5. Punk Rock: Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Television, Patti Smith, The Clash
6. American Alternative: Nirvana, REM, Black Flag (Actually, more like, the story of Kurt Cobain and some other guys. But really interesting.)
7. British Indie: The Smiths, Oasis, Blur, Stone Roses, The Libertines, Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand

I’m still trying to figure out how this story is missing Factory Records, other than a passing reference to dropping E at the Hacienda, though I suppose one could argue that is the story of Tony Wilson, and not any of the bands or the music. It’s a very linear story they’re trying to tell, so if you don’t quite fit in to the story, I guess they cut you. I’ve also confirmed yet again that I like punk, and generally hate metal. (Except for Master of Puppets and Enter, Sandman? Metallica can leave me alone.)

I’m terribly happy that there was a disparaging remark about Coldplay, whom I hate. For Sarah’s reference, the interviews with Damon Albarn and Alex Kapranos (and Dave Grohl, for that matter) are totally adorable, and Noel Gallagher comes off like a prat. A very rich prat.

You can go to VH1 Classic to see video footage of all the bands, including some that got left out, and keep your Tivos peeled for the reairing.

In order to make it onto our year-end list, one of us needs to hear and like an album. This is why there’s not a lot of polka, say, or Gregorian chant on the list; we just don’t encounter it. Here, then, is a partial list of albums that I did encounter, and still cannot be considered, because I didn’t feel like listening to them, and why:

• Arcade Fire - Neon Bible: Pure laziness! I will try to actually listen to this.
• Band of Horses - Cease to Begin: I was busy falling in love with their last album, Everything All the Time.
• Bjork - Volta: I liked what I heard, but wasn’t sure I could take a solid album full of it. It would ruin the whole thing.
• Dntel - Dumb Luck: Oh my God, the beeping. I listened to two songs and couldn’t go on.
• Editors - An End Has a Start: Oversight. My apologies.
• Feist - The Reminder: Too twee. Can’t take a whole album of that.
• The Go! Team - Proof of Youth: I couldn’t stand them last time around.
• Hard-Fi - Once Upon a Time in the West: Dude, there’s a new Hard-Fi album? I kind of tuned out for a while there.
• Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala: I am told this album is amazing and beautiful, but I can’t work up the excitement.
• Kings of Leon - Because of the Times: Megan’s department.
• Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future: I hate the Klaxons.
• The National - Boxer: Another one I’m told is great. Another one that I can’t get the energy for.
• Rogue Wave - Asleep At Heaven’s Gate: You may remember me being helplessly in love with Descended Like Vultures. I heard a couple of tracks off of the new one and it just didn’t grab me at all. I was sad.
• Radiohead - In Rainbows: I have no idea. I guess I just didn’t care.
• Scissors for Lefty - Underhanded Romance: I have the EP, Bruno, and they’re just so much better live, that it’s like listening to the Cirque du Soleil CDs and not seeing the acrobats.
• Spoon - Ga Ga Whatever Stupid Title: Indie girls love Britt Daniel. Except me, I guess. I find their music basically cool, but not up to the hype.
• White Stripes - Icky Thump: Meh.

The Sounds show on Thursday was so awesome our friend Lana felt her panties had been rocked off. I’ll say that’s why it took me until Saturday to have the pictures ready for y’all even though Shana got them up on Popnography yesterday.

Here are three to whet your appetite. The rest are over on my flickr..

I’ve been on Maximo Park’s mailing list since, well, I think since shortly after they started a mailing list. Backwhen they only had the “Apply Some Pressure” single (or so I thought) and throwing that into my order would get me discounted shipping on a passel of vinyl from the UK.

I don’t feel I need to say much on the brilliance of their music, it really stands on its own. If you haven’t given it a shot, just take a browse around their website. I’d recommend registering for the site for the behind-the-scenes video and the mailing list, since it’s one that manages to balance being true to the band while still clearly managed by the label. I never expect band members to have time to code or handle distribution lists, even though sometimes they do!

What brings my fingers here today is Paul’s earnest, heartfelt, handwritten end-of-year message.  It’s endearing, written on Best Western stationary after he’d finished a dj set, and definitely conveys the ups and downs of the past year as Maximo have grown after releasing their sophomore album.

Maximo Park played a homecoming show in Newcastle on December 15th. There’s something about England that inspires hardcore hometown devotion. Newcastle Ale for the second time ever asked an outside entity to design a special label, prompting Maximo Brown Ale. 

It’s always a pleasure to discover that a band is not only good at, y’know, making music, but also at both giving invigorating live shows and communicating with fans. Maximo Park do all incredibly well. I actually own the Live in Tokyo cd set, ok? Even though I already had the album in digital format.

I’m not a music person. I love music, but I’m a theater person by love and trade, and that includes musicals. Believe it or not, Mamma Mia! (yes, the Abba musical) is a very well-done piece of theater. In my opnion, it’s the best that a jukebox musical can be, possibly because the music is so lame in itself that you can easily fit it into your made-up plot. There’s only 1 or 2 songs in the entire thing that don’t really flow very well within the book. I suspect this is why the Bob Dylan musical, (Times They Are A-Changin) and the Johnny Cash musical (Ring of Fire) crashed and burned so hard, the songs are already so loaded with meaning.

So I was very excited to hear they were making a movie of Mamma Mia! I was even more excited when they cast Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth. I was a little concerned about Amanda Seyfried (Veronica Mars, Mean Girls, the truly horrible Wildfire) as the daughter, but the trailer has erased all concerns. This trailer has even made the totally jaded Megan and Sarah (who hates musicals) want to go see it.

Plus, shirtless Dominic Cooper (The History Boys) is a reason to see ANY movie.

Have we been watching VH1’s “100 Greatest Songs of the 90s”? It’s so much fun. I’ve always loved countdown shows, but I actually know 98% of the songs on this and have my own memories of them. Go check out the list yourself, and you know if you like countdown shows, it’s exactly what you expect.

They also made (mostly) good choices on commentators. Whoever got Jai Rodriguez and Clinton Kelly are my favorites. (Apparently Jai had big-girl rage when he found out Martha Washington wasn’t in C+C Music Factory’s “Gonna Make You Sweat” and Clinton cried when he heard “My Heart Will Go On” in a diner after seeing Titanic.

The best part is that no one is hating. The closest thing to saying they didn’t like something was, “I wanted to dislike it, but I couldn’t!” To (mis)quote Sir-Mix-a-Lot, “Don’t play like you didn’t buy that record. You LOVED that record.” (Said in relation to “Mmmmm Bop,” but can apply to about half this list.

Aside: the Hanson brothers are all married? 2 have kids??? Freaky. And for the pop lovers in the audience, Christina Aguilera < NSync < Hanson < Britney Spears < Backstreet Boys, at least on this list.  And how are the Backstreet Boys higher than MADONNA?

We saw The Sounds, it was completely awesome. Like, five stars, A+, etc. The opener, DJ Tommie Sunshine? 2 stars, D+. Continue Reading »

Industry insiders tip who they think will be huge in 2008. The consensus is Vampire Weekend (who L magazine loved in their “NYC bands you should be listening to” feature) and the Foals, among others.

Bonus: If you’d like to download free Christmas pop songs, the Guardian points you to the sources.

Our dear friend Shana over at Popnography posted a really interesting interview with Maja Ivarsson of the Sounds this afternoon. Maja’s charming and interesting and kickass, and it is really hard to find interviews with her or profiles in English. Please take a moment out of your busy day to read it!

(See me being a cool, restrained blogger and not just screeching and pointing and fainting? You’re welcome.)

Alan McGee tells you what bands he thinks will hit in 2008. I’m interested in Glasvegas, which look to be a wee bit too arty, but I think I might love them anyway.