Six Word Sunday

You actually can go home again!

New Wave for the New Week #122

Imitation, they say, is the most sincere form of flattery.  If that be the case, then the Talking Heads should have been overwhelmed by the flattery heaped upon them by Washington, DC's Urban Verbs.

That lead singer Roddy Frantz was the younger brother of Heads drummer Chris Frantz helps to explain Urban Verbs' nearly direct imitation of the older sibling's band, although to listen to his vocals, you would not be shocked if his last name were Byrne.  His delivery, inflection, and tone were nearly identical to David Byrne's, and the Verbs' skittish, claustrophobic music and paranoid lyrics were a more than fair approximation of just about everything on the first few Heads albums.  The duplication was so impressive as to have been a major hindrance: they were quickly dismissed as clones, when in fact they were a damn good band.

Behind Frantz, the Urban Verbs were rounded out by guitarist Robert Goldstein, bass player Linda France (say, wasn't there another band with a female bassist?), drummer Danny Frankel and Robin Rose on synths.  Beginning in 1977, Urban Verbs were regulars on the DC club circuit.  Goldstein was the main booker for The Atlantis Club, giving the Verbs a regular place to play; in 1980 The Atlantis would change names to become The 930 Club - the main venue for Punk and New Wave acts to play in the DC area.  Talk about being in the right place at the right time!

It was at The 930 where Urban Verbs were spotted by Brian Eno, who so enjoyed the band that he offered to help record a few demos for them.  That connection brought them to the attention of Warner Bros. Records, who signed them up and issued both Urban Verbs albums, Urban Verbs and Early Damage, within a twelve month span between 1980 and 1981.

Despite generating a lot of interest and underground airplay with the single "Subways" from the first record, neither album sold well, thanks in large part to the "Talking Heads clones" tag.  Taken on their own, however, both are solid, well-played records that bear - and endure - repeated listenings.  Fans of that more well-known band are advised to proceed without caution - you'll love them.

This week's NW4NW entry is an audio-only clip of "Subways" - try to listen past the obvious and discover the gem hidden here.  Enjoy!

Six Word Sunday

Happy Mother's Day to moms everywhere!

New Wave for the New Week #121

Many moons ago, I picked up a goofy record while picking through the quarter bin at a random thrift shop somewhere.  It was a 7-inch that contained six different variations of the old Rice Krispies jingle ("It's fun to put snap, crackle, pop into your morning!"), each done in a different genre: rock, country, pop, etc.  The one that my friends and I laughed at most, however, was the one labelled "New Wave," which was nothing more than a generically slick MOR-style take liberally sprinkled with staccato stuttering: "Sna-sna-sna-snap! Cra-cra-cra-crackle! Pa-pa-pa-pop!" THAT was what they thought New Wave was? Why they must have only ever listened one New Wave song, "Computer Games" by the band Mi-Sex.

Mi-Sex formed in New Zealand in the late 70s, and amalgamation of cabaret singer Steve Gilpin and assorted refugees from a hippie-ish prog-rock outfit called Father Thyme.  Adding the rhythm section from local hard rockers Think, they called themselves Fragments of Time (a nod to the band that Fathered them) and stuck to trying their best to sound like every other long-hair-and-mustache hippie band of the era.  Quickly realizing that was getting them nowhere but lost in a crowd of like-minded groups, they cut their hair, shaved the 'staches, put on leather pants and black tank tops, nicked a name from an Ultravox song ("My Sex"), and jumped on the New Wave bandwagon.

Their first album, Grafitti Crimes, was released as the 70s came to a close. Despite their best efforts to be cutting-edge, the aura of decade-old hippiedom was hard to shed.  The album veers from bland pop to mildly interesting pub-rock, but also contains Mi-Sex's one fantastic contribution to the New Wave genre, the aforementioned "Computer Games."  Somewhat affected and certainly self-aware, the track sounds a bit forced today, although it remains undeniably catchy.  With its precisely placed vocal hiccups, typical computer bleeps and whirrs, nagging synth line and that staccato-stutter chorus, this is paint-by-numbers stuff.  But, in this case, it works - so well that the single went to number one in New Zealand and Australia, and got the album released in the States, with new cover art and and renamed Computer Games.

The follow-up album, Space Race, appeared a year later.  The same sort of sounds pervaded this record, again with one stand-out single, "People," which did chart in their homeland but certainly was nowhere near as successful or enjoyable as "Computer Games."  Two more albums would follow - Shanghaied in 1981 and Where Do They Go? in 1984.  To call those two records underwhelming would be kind.  With that, Mi-Sex was no more.

Their vinyl is all out of print these days, although you can pick up a two-fer-one CD pairing Computer Games and Space Race. There is also a best-of, The Essential Mi-Sex, for those who find them appropriately appealing.

Our entry this week, naturally, is Mi-Sex's nifty "Computer Games."  Turn up the volume and party like it's 1979...

Six Word Sunday

A door closes. A window opens.

Goodbye, Poly

Those of you who follow this blog's Facebook Page or Twitter account saw two announcements yesterday: one, that this week's NW4NW post was being postponed to today; and two, that there had been an unconfirmed rumour that Punk legend Poly Styrene had passed away just three weeks after the release of her comeback album.

I had hoped to make this week's NW4NW a celebration of that album, Generation Indigo.  Less than a week ago I received a nifty package containing a copy of the album on vinyl, a limited edition CD issue housed in a beautiful book that also included five prints of Poly's graphic art, and a pin and tote bag each sporting Poly's logo.  You know that I have been talking about her comeback and the impending release of this album over the past few months, since it was first announced with the release of her holiday single "Black Christmas" last November, so you can imagine how excited I was to have the album in hand!  It has been on high rotation here in Ruttville since its arrival. The album certainly lives up to expectations, and I wanted to review it for you here.

Sadly, the rumour of Poly's passing was confirmed this morning.  At the far too young age of 53, Poly Styrene (born Marianne Joan Elliott-Said) fell victim to breast cancer.  She had made the shocking announcement of her diagnosis on her own website and on her Facebook page in February; two months later, she is gone.

In lieu of a NW4NW entry this week, I'd rather simply take a moment to say goodbye, Poly. I still want to tell you how great the album is, but I don't have the words right now - I am shocked and saddened by the sudden loss of one of the more creative and trailblazing female voices in all of Punk Rock/New Wave/whatever-the-hell-you-wanna-call-this-stuff.  She will be missed.

Six Word Sunday

Wishing Happy Easter to you all!

My New Favorite Chair

The comedienne Rita Rudner has a funny bit about what she refers to as one of God's great practical jokes: men reach their sexual peak around age 18 - 20, while women reach theirs closer to age 35 - 40.  Therefore, she clarifies, women are reaching their height of sexuality around the same time we men are discovering we have a favorite chair.

In my typical style, I am reaching this particular furniture-based male life event a couple years late, but as of yesterday morning there sits in my living room a brand new La-Z-Boy recliner (the Forte Reclina-Way model, to be specific), and in the short 24 hours it has been in the house, it has most assuredly claimed the title of My Favorite Chair.

Plush, sturdy, and sizeable, it is more comfortable than I can describe to you in words.  It has already made all of the other furniture in the living room noticeably jealous, as it is not only a thing of beauty but also a thing of functionality.  It is the perfect TV viewing chair; it is quiet reading area; it has proven its worth already as a prime napping spot.  Why, set me up with a mini-fridge within arm's reach and there would be virtually no reason at all to ever get up!

Since we do live in an era filled with overly-litigious morons who require the most common-sense concepts to be spelled out for them lest they sue for damages caused by their own stupidity, a page of warnings came with my wonderful new chair.  Just how dangerous can a recliner possibly be?  You'd be surprised:

• WARNING! To avoid tip-over, do not throw your weight against the back of the unit. (That's right, there will be no moshing in this chair.  I just pray for my own safety that I'm not overcome by full-body spams or violent seizures while reclining in luxury.  Actually, that last sentence is true even without the phrase "while reclining in luxury...")

• WARNING! Keep hands, fingers and body parts away from the mechanism. (First of all, don't know about you, but I always consider my hands and fingers body parts themselves, not separate entities.  Goes to show what I know! Also, how in the blue hell are people getting body parts, specific or generic, caught in the mechanism - which is beneath the chair - while seated in the chair?  Who is that unfamiliar with how a recliner works?)

• WARNING! Only the occupant should operate the unit. (Damn, there goes my idea of hiring a harem of beautiful, scantily clad women to recline and unrecline the chair for me.  Sorry to announce, applications will no longer be accepted for that position...)

• WARNING! To safely exit the unit, bring the back upright and close the legrest. ("Safely exit?" Wait, did I purchase a recliner or a roller coaster? Do I need to install a sign that says "you must be this tall too sit here?")

• (My favorite:)  DANGER! To prevent suffocation keep plastic bags away from children. (Well, yes, this is good advice, but this is a chair, not a bag of groceries.  It was delivered not only with no bags whatsoever, but with no plastic wrapping of any sort.  This warning seems to have been added to the list just as a general reminder.  Unless there are folks out there who get themselves comfortably reclined and holler out, "Hey Maude, I'm awfully relaxed here! Hows about going and getting me a plastic bag or two and I'll really do this up right!")

Regardless, the new recliner is mine, mine, all mine, and is hereby named as My Favorite Chair.  I will defend my chair with same vigor that Archie Bunker defended his.  I will luxuriate in its comfort, I will happily snooze in full reclination (it's a word, OK?), I will proudly take this first step into old-man-hood: the rest of you are on your own to find your own comfort!

Oh, and risks be damned, I still like the harem idea.

New Wave for the New Week #120

The old Punk Rock slogan "The kids will have their say!" was never truer than in the case of first wave Londoners Eater.  Formed in 1976 by school chums Andy Blade (vocals), Brian Chevette (guitar), Ian Woodcock (bass) and Dee Generate (drums), they initially drew attention for their ages: Blade and Chevette were 16, Woodcock was the old man at 17, and Dee Generate was easily the youngest regularly working musician in the Punk scene at the time. Depending on the source you choose, his age was reported anywhere from 13 to 15.  They went to school during the day and played Punk Rock at night, often in clubs which they were not old enough to legally enter had they not been the band; they wrote their earliest singles, "Outside View" and "Thinking Of The USA" (which was named one of the most essential Punk singles of all time by a 2001 UK magazine poll) while they should have been paying attention in chemistry class; they said Johnny Rotten was "too old" back then!

Yeah, they were snot-nosed kids, but man could they play.  Their sonic buzzsaw attack was not without merit, despite reviews at the time that dismissed them out of hand as more novelty act then legitimate band.  Their originals were certainly less lunkheaded than many of their contemporaries' songs, and real pop structures lurked beneath the lound-n-fast black leather fuckitall pose.  Their choices of cover songs were telling: Alice Cooper's "18" (smartly reworked as "15"), Lou Reed's "Waiting For The Man" and "Sweet Jane," David Bowie's "Queen Bitch."

All of these were included in Eater's 1977 album, The Album (released, naturally, on The Label), along with the excellent "Lock It Up," which was one of the earliest Punk Rock singles to catch my ear back when I was but a kid myself.  They followed a year later with a four-song EP called Get Your Yo-Yo's Out, but by 1979 they called it quits.

Eater's material aged far better than anyone at the time would have expected, and has been collected numerous times over the years in various compilations, all of which essentially recycle the same song list.  The Compleat Eater, released in 2004, is the currently available version, and well worth picking up.

For this week's NW4NW entry, enjoy these two audio-only clips: first, the classic "Thinking Of The USA," and then the wonderful "Lock It Up."  Enjoy!

Six Word Sunday

Ponder: What is a rhetorical question?