the simple mission

Learning Curve 001

This post marks the first installment of what will (hopefully) become more a regular feature on the Simple Mission, my MP3 mix series the Learning Curve. The name is rather befitting, since I ain't never really thrown down like this before (read: pardon the blends, enjoy the jams.)

Basically, it's just a chance to share a few tracks that I've been feeling/re-exploring/discovering in an easy to compute/quick and dirty MP3 mix format. This first one was made on the fly and I think it turned out pretty not terrible. The tracklisting is below, as is the YSI link. It's good to go for a week, but if you want to cop it after that, just drop me a line (elliot at thesimplemission dot com). Enjoi...

The Learning Curve 001 03.08.07
Available here (YSI)

Professor Murder "That's How They Get Ya" (Chinkuzi Riddim Version)
Tussle "Trappings"
Mr Flash "Disco Dynamite"
Klaxons "Gravity's Rainbow" (Nightmoves Remix)
Joy Division "Digital"
Sonic Youth "Kool Thing"
Sebastian "Greel"
Teenage Bad Girl "Cocotte" (Boys Noize Re-work)
The Fiery Furnaces "Single Again"

Magic Unearthed

One of most striking songs I've heard in White Magic's recent live sets is a traditional African folk song they cover called "Mayo Wafwa." The Magic treatment of the tune involves singer Mira Billotte tapping out a riddim on a beer bottle while the band locks into a steady groove and sings back up vocals. A little Graceland and very awesome.

I recently interviewed the band for a forthcoming magazine story and found out from their guitarist Doug Shaw that they got turned on to the tune through an album by a semi-obscure South African guitarist named George Sibanda. Sibanda's version is a little harder to track down, but I did find a really beautiful rendition of the tune that I've been fucking with a lot these past few weeks. It's by two musicians named T. Muntali and M. Sapao.

If you're curious to hear it, here it is.

Enjoy. And if anyone out there has the Sibanda version. Please holler.

Reason To Love The Internet # 232103

Real Quick: Kemado Records A & Yar Har Har honcho Keith just launched his brand new, very flavor interweb-only reissue label, Anthology Recordings today. In the words of the man himself "The first set of releases, which are available starting TODAY, include: Pärson Sound (seminal Swedish psych circa 1966-69), China Shop (unreleased NYC Post-Punk circa 1979), African Head Charge (Dub from Adrian Sherwood’s legendary On-U Sound label), The Suicide Commandos (Minneapolis Punk pioneers circa 77’), Moondog (unreleased Walter Schreifels Post-Hardcore project circa 1990) & Sainte Anthony’s Fyre (ultra-rare Jersey Hard Rock circa 1970) and My Solid Ground (Psych/Kraut Rock from Germany circa 1971)."

The only group I knew of from that list is Pärson Sound, who I found out about after one of my former co-workers got hip to them via the Dungen dudes, who are signed to Kemado and all love that rare Swedish shit you used to have to go all the way to Kim's to buy. Judging by the scope of this first batch of albums, I'm pretty jazzed to see what they will (re) release next.

And Keith, if you are listening, will you PLEASE put out a Nervous Gender discography? Or better still, a Honeywell or Guyver One discography? Someone needs to bring back EMO VIOLENCE!

Webb, Worldwide

What can I say? BK urban bluesman (and Kansas-native) TK Webb was the subject of my first-ever feature story for these guys a few moons back and since then, I've had the pleasure of watching him tear through white knuckled blues, howling psychedlic excursions and most recently, sterling roots and roll, night after night like there was no tomorrow. Without gushing too much, I'd like to say that he's one of those cats who you know was put here to play music when you watch him perform. Fingers sliding over the neck of his guitar pulling and twisting the notes enough to hurt you. You dig? Because it's real. I know some cats who play guitar, but he's a guitar player.

Thanks to Simple Mission extended fam the Social Registry, I'll be previewing a track off of TK's forthcoming Phantom Parade LP for you to check out today. It's just a taste of what's come in the Fall, but if you're hot to trot, I highly recommend seeing him at the midnight show at Tonic this Friday night. He's been playing nearly all of the new album with a sturdy backing band out of as late. In the mean time, here's one for the road.

Click here to download "The Desert" by TK Webb.

Bonus: here is a preview of the cover art for the album. It was made by Gang Gang Dance member and visual artist Mr. Brian Degraw.

Double Bonus: The photo seen above was shot by Mr. Joshua Wildman, one of my absolute favorite mayors of the LES and the dude responsible for updating the most next-level photo blog on this earth.

Bloodlust

I was going to post about the one year anniversary of Philly party de partys Making Time's fifth year anniversary, but since that is next week, I'm going to shift focus and rap about Ink and Dagger for a few secs. Between their vampire schtick, make up, consumptive habits and forays into DHR (this is 1997 we're talking about kids,) Illadelph's Ink and Dagger certainly had a knack for ruffling feathers and making every show an experience—that is when they showed up. You really wondered what they did when it wasn't dark out, and when it was dark out, you almost didn't want to know. Sorta like a post-hardcore version of Babyshambles, only with shredding guitars and some real future ass music going on. To give you a taste of what dripped off their albums, here's a jammer from their second LP The Fine Art Of Original Sin called "Philapsychosis". Guitarist Don Devore later went on to join Icarus Line and the rest of the members' whereabouts are unknown. Their singer died a few years ago, so this is a simple way to say thanks for what he left. Truly inspired.

1993 Revisited

It's like this: White Magic have been sorta quiet, I am sick of Feist and it doesn't look like Maximum Joy are getting back together any time soon. This leaves a hole in my femme-focused music collection you see. Good thing I copped a copy of Polly Jean Harvey's Rid Of Me this weekend at the Avenue A flea market for a mere three bones. I've been playing the devil out of it for three days straight. Part of me is shocked that major label music used to be this good, but then the other part reminds me that this album came out in 1993, which despite what 113 unsatisfied customers on Amazon.com might think, was a pretty cool year for alternative music (whattup "Verse Chorus Verse" ne "Sappy", ne "Laundry Room") Anyways, I'm still kicking myself for sleeping on this PJ Jam for the better part of a decade.

Word is that PJ is coming correct with her first-ever DVD, Please Leave Quitely on May 2nd, but to whet your appetite, here's a smoking Bob Dylan cover from Rid Of Me. You might know it as "Highway 61 Revisited". Enjoy.

New Good Music Wednesday III

Seeing that it's been a hot minute since I had some new music to offer up, today will mark the return of new Good Music Wednesday. This time out, one of my most favourite new rock bands have been kind enough to hit me with a track off their forthcoming Treason EP on Loog Records.

The name of the band is the Favourite Sons and the name of the most righteous tune is "Always Be A Morning"—a swirling gem of a pop song if I ever heard one. Click here to grab hold of it and bring it on home. If you like what you hear, check your local import bin any time shortly after March 27th to get the EP. 

AND—as a bonus bonus, the SImple Mission will be giving away two tickets to the Sons' show with The Five O Clock Heroes and Battle (UK) at the Mercury Lounge this Friday to one lucky reader. All you need to do to cop em is email me  with "SONS" in the subject line, your phone digits and perhaps add a line or two about some of yr most favourite things right now.

The winner will be chosen at random, but hey, it's always nice to hear about what y'all are into these days. The hotline will be closed after 3PM on Friday, so be sure to get those email popping before then. Good Luck!

Elz

There's A Freeze Out Coming

With yesterday being new release day and all, I figured I would step to the table a day late and zero dollars short and hit you with some music that's new to me and hopefully new to most of you—unless you got up on my Bob Boots post from a while back and have been flipping crazy Zimmerman bootlegs ever since. In that case, please holler at me.

Anyways, I wanted to share this nugg that a friend turned me on to called "Freeze Out". Dylan archeologists date it sometime between "when rock was young" and "before everything started sucking", but to put it in more manageable terms, it was recorded sometime between Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde On Blonde and has the amped up charge of the former with hints of the hazy, meditative vibe of the latter. It's also way more smoking that the version that appears on the No Direction Home soundtrack. Click here to dig in and get lifted. 

The Bravery

On paper, the forthcoming collaborative LP from Tortoise and Bonnie "Prince" Billy, The Brave and the Bold, looked to be promising. The idea behind it was simple enough; take songs from a diverse group of artists (Bruce Springsteen, Quix*o*tic, Devo, Lungfish), filter them through the Tortoise/Billy sound factory and throw it to public and have them try to hear the connections. In short, the project took two normally dodgy formats—collaborative records and covers albums—and made both work, simultaneously, no less.

Since I was colored so impressed with the fruits of the musicians/curators' labor, I wanted to post up their rendition of Brazilian master Milton Nascimento's "Cravo E Canela" today. The song, which originally appeared on Nascimento's forever classic Clube Da Esquina double LP, has been a Simple Mission fav since I discovered it a few summers back.

Seeing that "Cravo" is a song near and dear to my education on Brazilian music, I was so psyched to find Tort and Bill's treatment of it didn't lack any of its frantic joy or rhythmic swagger. Also, I thought it'd be interesting to share since the prospect of Billy doing Brazilian music just struck me as intriguing. And strange. And perfectly out of context.

Plan on "contextualizing" things again in a few weeks when the Brave and The Bold gets released the 24th, but until then, dig into this and start getting those gears turning about how Bruce Springsteen might fit in the equation. Or, just dance in your chair. Either way, hope you enjoy.

Click here to grab hold of Milton Nascimento's "Cravo E Canela" as interpreted by Tortoise and Bonnie "Price of Re-contextualization" Billy.

Thanks to Overcoat for their generous donation of the song. If you like it, be sure to send them a 'lil thank you note. One love.

Foot Clan

Right now, the realest thing in NYC is the Mad Max-like conditions out in the streets thanks to the city-wide transit strike. There's not much we do about it 'cept post up with the local coffee dealer and get wi-fi'd up or just hit the pavement and hoof it.

I'm sure everybody here has nuff ways to pass the day, but for night time things, shit is looking grim for us land locked folks. Well, here's a couple of walkable pick me ups for the sub-14th street set—and one for the members of the Simple Mission massive who are watching this whole scenario from afar.

K—so seeing that we're in the midst of a true NYC moment right now, it's only fitting that two of the groups who have been mainstays on its music scene for a minute now are both playing tonight and within a few blocks of each other.

If you're cruising Ludlow St this eve, ARE ("we don't sound like Suicide or dress like we're in the Warriors anymore") Weapons will be bring their destructo-electro street urchin rock to Cake Shop. They'll be joined by a female rapper from Mexico City who's signed to DHR (!) named Tara Delong and the Mr Move. Tickle me curious.

Up the block at the Delancey, the ever-solid Witnesses wil be bluesing and bruising with their buds in Bad Wizard and Cheeseburger for a pre-Xmas rock jump off that's sure to be good times.

Both gigs are around $5-8 bones and kick off round 9. If you're around, either would be a worth a drop by.

And if you're not around, here's a lil treat that I wanted to share on a "lazy day" like today—a downlizzle of "Sweet Virginia" by the Stones. No reason—it's just an awesome fucking song. Seriously. Just listen to Jagger pump twenty years of schoolin' into sounding like a nasal dockwocker and Keef kiss that steel string like it was a sugared Tequila Sunrise. My lids are getting heavy and red just spinning it now. Click here to get it.

That's all for now. Wish us luck. I'm not trynna to see girls wearing Easy Spirits for a month straight.