the fyrehaus

I was thinking about it last night, and you just don’t hear a lot of albums anymore with a song of the same name. I had trouble even coming up with a recent example (but I did. Placebo’s Meds). As I look back at the new music of 2007 and the years before, what I find instead is a lot of albums with names involving lyrics instead. This is trouble for me, because when I see the album name as I’m scrolling through my library, the song gets stuck in my head.

For example, here are the recent albums with title songs that I can think of straightaway:
-Metric, Live It Out
-Rilo Kiley, both The Execution of All Things and Under the Blacklight
-Goldfrapp, Black Cherry

Here, then, is a partial list of albums that use lyrics for titles, which then get stuck in my head, forcing me to listen to the damned thing:
-The Sounds, Dying to Say This to You (from “Ego”, which is playing in my head as I write this)
-Maximo Park, A Certain Trigger (from “Once a Glimpse”)
-Lily Allen, Alright Still (from “Can’t Knock ‘Em Out”)
-Beastie Boys, Hello Nasty (from “Puttin’ Shame in Your Game”)
-The Used, Lies for the Liars (from “Hospital”)
-Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fever to Tell (from “Man”)
-Muse, Black Holes and Revelations (from “Starlight”)

And I bet I could come up with lots more, if I wasn’t dying for a grilled cheese sandwich.

Also! Please check out the new track from She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward) over at Stereogum. It’s delightfully sultry 1960sy pop!

Elisabeth suggested the title of this post, comprised of words uttered by a terribly dressed hipster chick as she got on stage to join in with the The Teenagers on their song “Homecoming,” and the dry reply by singer Quentin Delafon. (Elisabeth, did you know his name is Quentin Delafon? Could there not BE a better name for this guy?)

Click on the photo for more images of Quentin and The Teenagers crew. It was a rather lovely evening, as Elisabeth and I both got to hear our favorite songs (sample line from my fave: “F*ck, Nicole is out of control / Call Nicole and f*ck Nicole;” sample line from Elisabeth’s #1: “I f*cked my American c*nt / I loved my English romance”). We also decided that Quentin is the French version of Alan Rake from The Rakes, as he pretty much does the exact same dance moves, just a wee bit smoother. A bit of Parisian flair as opposed to British gawkiness. Also, they are both the width of pencils.

Bear Hands opened, who were very good and obviously from Brooklyn. Their lead guitarist, Ted Feldman (again, a wildly appropriate name) looks to be about 12 and was possibly lured into the band with the promise of comic books and Bazooka Joes. The pun of their name did not dawn on me until we left the show. I fear I am slipping in my old age.

What I have been listening to today:

-I’ve been worrying over how to describe Goodbooks’ album for our 2007 wrap-up list for days. Control is really stunning, especially coming from kids who can’t yet legally drink in the US. A bit like Editors, a bit like The Rakes, really, really tight stuff. Definitely pick it up. Or, if you want to dance, you can hear the remix album, Control Freaks here.

-N.E.R.D. is back! (Ask Megan sometime about the weekend she almost contracted heatstroke seeing them in concert.) You can hear the first single, “Everybody Nose” here. Best 80s hip-hop throwback dance track about cocaine-snorting celebutantes ever. (And a brief explanation of why the bathroom attendant goes crazy if I blow my nose in the bathroom at Webster Hall.)

I can’t believe I just said that.

NME reports unsubstantiated rumors (that are probably false, but oh so delicious) that Blur and Oasis are not only no longer fighting, but the Gallagher brothers and Damon Albarn are joining forces with Alex James to make a special cheese for next year’s Brits.

The tabloid’s ’source’ also reveals that the Gallagher brothers have long been fans of cheese.

Apparently, the two gangs are creating an extra-strong Stilton, which will be offered as a dessert at the awards ceremony next month.

Perhaps they could call it ‘Brie Here Now’…but with both lots currently very busy with musical projects we doubt very much a Blur and Oasis reunion through cheese will come about, but still it’s a lovely thought, isn’t it?

ETA: The Guardian chimes in with some ripe puns:

“If only Blur and Oasis had cracked open the Babybels in the Nineties, Britpop’s biggest feud might never have happened.”

Fair point, no? We too have often thought: “Give cheese a chance”, so we’re pleased that Alex James, once of Blur and now a dairy entrepreneur, has decided to put his new farming skills to good use and end his band’s long-running (or entirely made-up) feud with Oasis by joining forces on a limited-edition Stilton.

“Elegantly wasted Alex has invited the Mancunian monobrows and All-Bran to his Cotswolds cheese factory to start work on the smelly olive branch, which they will call A Country Roll (With It).”

Arctics side project is mind-bending. Apparently, Alex Turner is exploring 70s psychedelia, and is NOT a one-trick pony.

Joey McIntyre denies NKOTB reunion rumors

Silicon Valley’s hippy values ‘killing music industry’ You’ve heard this all before, but this time, U2 manager Paul McGuinness is saying it.

The top 4 sentences from [Sunday's] Vampire Weekend profile that made me vow to never read another story about them again. I told you all, Columbia men are not datable. And the features about Vampire Weekend just demonstrate why. (If you’ve read the feature, there’s a fucking article on the wall of Mill Korean talking about its history.  He’s not super smart, just kind of a know-it-all tool, though so am I, since I have also read it.  Though shows good taste for liking Mill Korean, it is delicious.)

Everyone loves a shortlist. I’m pulling for The Cribs, but I’m friends with an awful lot of My Chemical Romance fans who will be happy (or not) to see these (only the categories I remotely care about excerpted):

Best British Band
Arctic Monkeys
Babyshambles
The Cribs
Klaxons
Muse

Best International Band
Arcade Fire
Foo Fighters
The Killers
Kings Of Leon
My Chemical Romance

Best New Band
The Enemy
Foals
Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong
The Pigeon Detectives
The Wombats

Best Live Band
Arctic Monkeys
The Cribs
Kaiser Chiefs
Muse
My Chemical Romance

Best Track
‘Fluorescent Adolescent’ – Arctic Monkeys
‘Flux’ – Bloc Party
‘Men’s Needs’ – The Cribs
‘Lord Don’t Slow Me Down’ - Oasis
‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’ – The Wombats

Best Video
‘Teddy Picker’ – Arctic Monkeys
‘Flux’ – Bloc Party
‘D.A.N.C.E.’ - Justice
‘Golden Skans’ - Klaxons
‘Teenagers’ – My Chemical Romance

Best Dressed
Pete Doherty
Noel Fielding
Kate Nash
Alex Turner
Gerard Way

Worst Dressed
Johnny Borrell
Pete Doherty
Mika
Gerard Way
Amy Winehouse

Worst Band
30 Seconds To Mars
Fall Out Boy
The Hoosiers
My Chemical Romance
Panic At The Disco

“I like Gwen Stefani but then I like stuff that will only sell three records. I won’t not listen to something because it’s commercial. That’s a weird idea that you enjoy a band but then the moment they become more palatable to more people all of a sudden they’re not as cool. There’s something almost elitist about it, like you’re only into bands that are part of some secret Masonic thing - free masonry - secret handshake, the way you fold your letter when you send your demo to the press. Popularity’s good, it means we get to eat, otherwise we’d be washing dishes - the more pop kids that like our music the better.”

- Yannis Philippakis of Foals

If you’re in NYC, catch Foals at Bowery Ballroom on February 12. I can say this because I already have a ticket.

Doherty plans Wiltshire pet sanctuary. Like so often with My Fair Pete, we can’t make this shit up.

The rocker was reportedly inspired after he rescued a three-legged hedgehog from the road-side, which he has named Mrs Tiggy-Winkle.

Page: ‘No Zep tour until September’

Beyonce to play Etta James in movie. Sigh. Because there is apparently only one black actress who can carry a tune.

Art Brut let crowd pick setlist at London return

One thing that consistently annoys me, like a toothache, is famous people whinging around about how they don’t WANT to be famous. Tim Jonze of the Guardian clearly agrees with me.

“It’s horrible. I feel all this hype does is expose the conglomerative, sadistic nature of the music industry.”

These are the words of Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong. Nothing wrong with hating hype, you might say. But then, if they genuinely feel this way, why do interviews and photo shoots?

They’re not alone, though. On 6Music news the other day, Adele was claiming “the hype” was a bit of a pain, but that there was “nothing” she could do about it. Apparently, she’d only done a “couple” of interviews, the rest just came out of nowhere. That’s odd, as the magazines I work for have been bombarded with requests to do features on her. Is the press office going against their client’s wishes?
. . .
It’s fashionable to hate the establishment, to want to represent the alternative… but if there’s nothing to back this up, who are they kidding? I suggest they all either take a leaf out of the Arctic Monkeys’ book (who made it a right pain in the neck to get an interview and refused to bow down to radio and TV station demands even before they were signed) or admit that, deep down, they secretly love having journalists frothing at the mouth over their unique ability to play a bass guitar in time with the drums.

…Perhaps music?

(I’m always a little nervous being the new kid at school. I’m Rae, fyrehaus has adopted me as someone to provide some photo evidence of noteworthy music events. Maybe a little writing too, we shall see if they like me enough for that. I’m a scorpio, a music industry jerk, and eternally in love with my 15 dollar rice cooker. Hi, nice to meet you.)

Now that that’s out of the way…

Last weekend I went out on the great adventure of following that wonderfully titled dance-pop tour, The Really Really Ridiculously Good Looking Tour, featuring Cobra Starship, Metro Station, We The Kings, and The Cab. Sold out almost everywhere it’s touching down across the US, and the northeast sold exceptionally fast, so we knew it was going to be…something. Familiar faces at each show, stages without barriers so everyone was falling down to get a little closer to the cobra, mobs chasing the band to their bus thanks to lack of security, teen centers, the fact that Alex DeLeon from The Cab can get his hair SO straight while living out of a dirty van (I can’t do it and I have a full bathroom!), Metro Station invading our brains with their dance music about sleeping with underage girls, Gabe making out with a Derek Zoolander cardboard cut-out, children reaching for Gabe and sending their parents with presents like he’s some kind of deity — surreal, but also awesomely fun. I think I’m going to go do it all again, only on the west coast this time.

I put together a small photo set of my favorite shots from the weekend. Click the picture to enter:

Cobra Starship Weekend — blurintofocus@flickr