one trick pony: the radio's hot sun

We had a pretty good 9/11 party last night, getting hyphy with Jenni, Stevens Seagalll and Devin. I was sippin on some grape drink and Stina let me fondle her weave. Somehow the night went from shaking our dreads into a pretty serious Krug party. We were sitting on the couch listening to "Shut Up I'm Dreaming", silently contemplating the meaning of whatever when I turned to Stina and said, "Question: what's more romantic than a guy telling you to shut up?"

She shook her head and smiled a soft, distant smile. "Nothing."

So, pretty much needless to say, we are suffering from another outbreak of krugfluenza. Ever since he shook his fever (or hangover, I'm not a doctor) sweat on us at the Wolf Parade show, we have been infected. I'm pretty sure there's no cure except more Krug. Unfortunately, neither Sunset Rubdown nor Wolf Parade have deigned to include California in their fall tours. At first I was kind of offended but now that I've had some time to think about it, I understand. After all, it's fire season. Nobody wants to go on tour in a land of flames, especially not a bunch of Canadians who've never seen a fire outside of their own rustic hearths. What do they know of blazes that burn uncontrolled for days and watching the sun rise blood red in an ashy, hateful sky? What do they know about fire? To quote the drunken man I once tried to save from self-immolation in a fire pit on the patio of a local bar, I've been on fire all my life.

When I say krugfluenza, I mean my throat hurts and I haven't really left the house today except to buy kitty litter and pick up my paycheck.

I had a dream last night that might have been a fever dream about the movie theater where I had my first job. I don't remember a lot about the dream except for running around empty theaters and secret passages. A couple years ago I was writing a story about that theater that I should mostly have scrapped except for a few long passages of description of the theater: the theater as it was and is, rundown and shitty, sticky and broken; the secret theater that we knew, the rooms upstairs and behind the screen, the places we wrote our names; the dream theater it symbolized but never lived up to; the theater it wanted to be. It was equal parts gothic castle and strip mall trash. I was thinking about it a lot today. It's a lot like what I was saying about the radio last week, this romanticized vision of pop culture places that used to serve us but they don't anymore. Or just as likely never did. I'm pretty fucking young to make calls like that, but shit if I wouldn't rather watch Turner Classic Movies than drag my ass out to see whatever the shit's out right now.

Which brings me to the one trick pony song of the day, Handsome Furs "The Radio's Hot Sun".



This is easily my favorite track off of Plague Park, because it is kind of unexpected to end an album that is heavily reliant on keyboards and shit by strumming an acoustic guitar and singing a ballad that is as romantic as it is a refutation of those kinds of popular culture places, lifestyles, ideas, whatever that no longer serve us. Or at least that's what I'd say if I felt slightly more confident that I knew what he was talking about.

Fuck it. Let's get a freaking tamale.
megan elizabeth

ps nothing says "let's get back together" like late night calls from a restricted number.

NOT

cities vs. submarines

I'm aware that I haven't been posting much lately but you guys need to settle the fuck down. I've got a lot on my plate and I have to finish my veggies if I want to have dessert.

Speaking of which, I've got a pretty sweet ep for your delectation. It's by railcars, the brainchild of one Mr. Aria C. Jalali. It was recorded on Jamie Stewart's (Xiu Xiu) kitchen floor and Jamie Stewart plays mandolin and some percussion on "Saints are Waiting For Me (Outside My Door)" and "Through the Trees Lay Smokestacks". Railcars is a sort of flexible title for a project that at times is just one guy with a bunch of electronic toys but can expand to a four person line-up like they did back in April to play with Handsome Furs.

I know you're thinking, name-dropping is all good and well Megan, but what does it sound like? This is going to sound overly reductive, but Railcars hits a note (well, a bunch of notes actually) that falls in the halfway point between Handsome Furs and Xiu Xiu. He uses similar driving rhythms to Handsome Furs and both artists tend towards soaring melodies and yelping vocals. However, where Handsome Furs are clean and minimal Railcars is fuzzy and distorted, tending toward a fuller sound. Railcars' taste for complexity and the occasional dissonant surprise reflect the influence of Jamie Stewart. Aria's karaoke jam is "Dancing Queen" and my best guess is that the ABBA influence is something you just have to see. My favorite track is probably "Bohemia is Without a Sea" because it feels the most like a good, loud rock song. Over all it's a solid ep with a clear vision. The only thing that bums me out is that I can't really understand most of the lyrics and I'm a douchebag english major who thinks words are a little bit important.

The thing I understand the most is him wailing something about the radio in several songs. Lately I've been noticing that the radio has taken on a kind of mystical significance as a symbol for people of my generation, and by that I mean I hear a lot of songs that mention the radio. Which is interesting because of how much the radio sucks in all actuality. I don't know if it's because we've grown up hearing old pop songs romanticizing the radio and these new songs are emerging about a dream radio broadcasting things that touch us, that we will love or love already, things we actually want to hear. Dream radio brings us together. Sometimes I think maybe San Diego radio is just that much worse than anywhere else because of the insane clear channel monopoly, like we just got a raw deal and everyone else everywhere else is rocking out to real music while our five adult contemporary stations play Jack Johnson again. I don't know. I don't have all the answers. What I'm saying is, I really want a radio show. Make it happen, internet.

Oh, and Railcars, Cities vs. Submarines out September 12 on Gold Robot Records. Pre-order that vinyl here. I'd play it on my radio.