1838 days later: "10,000 Days"

It has been nearly five years since Tool's last album release, Lateralus; naturally, there was considerable anticipation about their latest album, 10,000 Days. Whether intentional or just a consequence of a pursuit of perfection, bands that release albums every five years take a risk: high expectation from their listeners. This is especially true for Tool since Lateralus, for the most part, is an exceptional album. I attempted to trump all expectations by avoiding a single review or listening to a single track before the release of 10,000 Days. But in the tradition of Radiohead releases (also plagued with infrequent new material), I couldn't help but wonder, "What will (or can) they do next?". And on Tuesday, May 2nd, I got my answer: "Oh no, this packaging is ridiculous". I flinch when artists sell their music embellished in profligate artwork as though it is a guise for the music. But Tool has always wrapped their music in adventurous artwork and the music has not suffered, so I yielded. And when I got home, I realized that the artwork was something quite special. Alex Grey, who also created the artwork for Lateralus, is a truly gifted, albeit extremely psychedelic artist that is a worthy companion to Tool's gifted, albeit extremely psychedelic music. At the very least, the 3D stereoscopic glasses built into the packaging adds a nice "whoa, dude, it's like I'm on 3D mushrooms...or something" effect.

Ahem...the music (see, maybe the artwork is a distraction!). By the time the first notes of the first track, "Vicarious," traverse your auditory neural circuits, you will be rewarded with that distinct feeling that is "Tool:" geometric time signatures of guitar and bass coitus. At the 00:45 mark, the heavy petting is over as coitus turns to raucous. Nice. It is then I realize in all certainly that I am listening to a Tool album. But then something interesting happens at the 01:07 mark: Maynard sings with the restraint of a horny priest. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as restraint in music is a fine art in itself, especially when you have the skills to elicit "auralgasm" at will like Tool. Lateralus demonstrated that the key of mature song writing is to tantalize the listener with slow builds, executing only parsimonious climaxes. This leaves this listener constantly wanting more – consequently, the album becomes a permanent fixture in the music library. But the restraint on 10,000 Days, both vocally and instrumental, is so refined throughout the entire album that the auralgasm is never achieved. So yes, I was let down despite “Vicarious” being a decent song. Guilty as charged: I ultimately did have expectations. Track two, “Jambi,” begins with a quick-wristed guitar mangle that even the Swedish metal-heads would applaud, however, the only climax we get is a one-octave-up, yet-still-restrained Maynard. And then the pace slows for the first of the expected (there I go again!) minimal-vocal-noise-tracks-are-so-profound-but-we-can-get-away-with-it-because-we’re-Tool (or Radiohead) tracks, “Wings For Marie (part I)”.

And now for the positive spin. Track four, “10,000 Days (Wings Part II),” is a rock epic worth every slow-building second. This song is a story. Don’t ask me what the story is about lyrically (I clearly don’t do enough DMT), but for all purposes, it doesn’t matter. This song exemplifies Tool’s ability to forge new soundscapes, as this track slams through a solid two-minute swing in the middle of the track, exploring intricately beautiful, yet elegant jazz-infused rock. Innovative, interesting, and seamlessly performed. I would love to hear more of these sounds from Tool in the future. “The Pot” is another highlight. Maynard’s voice here is brash and reverb-free as he explores a new vocal aesthetic of mantra-chanting, lyrical engineering. This is the only song on 10,000 Days that really lets those Tool-specific endorphins flow as I turn my stereo up to eleven. MORE PLEASE! Oh wait, another noise track. Two of them. By the time the album picks up pace again, I’ve made up my mind: this is a good, but not a great album from Tool. They explore some new sounds, but abandon embracing them. The result is that 10,000 Days falls flat. Tool needs to accept they cannot be both mythically underground and bombastically profound at the same time without eliciting high expectations from their listeners. At nearly 70 minutes in length, 10,000 Days provides almost 30 minutes of “noise tracks,” which, while they may make for a profound acid trip, I get tired of waiting for Tool to do what is does best: music.

NEW ASTROSITE FEATRE!
Click Here to hear a sample of "10,000 Days (Wings Part II)"
Click Here to hear a sample of "The Pot"

BSBF 2006 A Success!

Thanks to everyone that showed up last Saturday for the Best Shittiest Beer Fest of 2006! Aside from some acid reflux and liver cirrhosis, the event was indeed a success. And afterwards we ventured to the Kennedy School to treat ourselves to a proper pint. McMennamins beer never tasted so good! I'll be sure to post the statistics as soon as possible, but preliminary results indicate the beers with the least flavor (and thereby the least offensive), Michelob Ultra and PBR Light, were the big winners and the beers with the most "flavor," for example, skunked Rolling Rock, were the losers. In fact, Steele Reserve malt liquor fared better than Rolling Rock (at least in round two)! But no need to jump to conclusions; the actual results will be posted soon on The AstroSite. In the meantime, look for a review of the new Tool album, "10,000 Days" in the near future.

The (return of the) Best Shittiest Beer Fest

The sun is a shinin'. The birds are a chirpin'. The barbecues are a cookin'. And the beer is a flowin'. The Rainy Season is drying up, my friends. But that doesn't mean that we can afford all of those swanky summertime brews. So when the wallet goes flat, what's the beer to swallow instead of to spit?

Welcome to the return of "The Best Shittiest Beer Fest," where we seek to find...well, the best tasting cheap beer (and also the worst tasting expensive beer). This event is a blind taste test of various "shitty" beers, where each beer is scored anonymously, tabulated, statis-tic-alized, and ranked. Do you really think your favorite shitty beer is worth your dime? Put it to the test! Do you really think your "quality" $7 'sixer of Heineken is worth the fluff? Put it to the test!

(1) Just choose a beer from the list on the flier (click on the picture to make it bigger), (2) make sure no one else has already claimed your favorite shitty beer, (3) POST A COMMENT ON THIS BLOG to claim "your" beer, (4) reach into your pocket for the $1 admission fee (Portland Parks liquor permit), and (5) go to Wilshire Park, NE 33rd & Skidmore on SATURDAY, MAY 13th at 5PM. And since shitty beer goes well with non-shitty food, bring some barbecue grub (we will need volunteers to bring a couple grills). ...But there's more! After we've had enough shitty beer (IMPOSSIBLE!), follow us to the KENNEDY SCHOOL (7 blocks north on 33rd) to end the night with a non-shitty pint.

The person responsible for bringing the "Best Shittiest Beer" gets a soggy certificate, a bottle of Tums, and a free pint (or two) at the Kennedy School! ...and ALL of the leftover shitty beer, which there will be plenty!

Rain or Shine (but it can't really rain in May, can it?).
I hope to smell you there.

Where Did I Leave My Concert Review?

Last Monday night, April 24th 2006, I finally saw Ryan Adams in concert, although I doubt he saw me. Not that I was hoping our eyes would meet and stars would fall upon the heavens, rather, the fog that inhabits Ryan's brain may be too thick to see much of anything beyond his own neuroses. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Ryan is foremost a poet, and if history has any law, poets are not sane people -- quite the contrary. Of course there are rare exceptions, but Ryan Adams reminds us that brilliance is the only friend to a truly lonely soul. Even Ryan acknowledges this maxim as he warned the crowd, "don't ever date me".

The brilliance in Ryan Adams is a gossamer balance between anguish and bliss. Just the titles of his albums illuminates this: "Heartbreaker," "Gold," "Demolition," "Love Is Hell," "Destroyer," and his thesis title, "The Suicide Handbook". Of course, this brilliance comes at a high cost: the most subtle breeze can cause a collapse. What we witnessed last Monday night at the Roseland Theatre in downtown Portland may have been Ryan weathering a storm of breeze-force winds. He came on stage late; and he came on stage stoned -- very stoned. After fumbling about with papers, cigarettes, a beer, some duct tape, a request for some vodka, and the voices in his head, he eventually found his piano (or his piano found him) to open with a sweet "Sweet 'Lil Gal," the last track on Heartbreaker. He then spoke to "Mr. Lighting Man" to request only red lights -- excuse me, "Stoner Lighting" -- to allow him to focus on the next song, "Call Me On Your Way Back Home". Bliss. Anguish. And frustration that when he did eventually find his guitar and stop fumbling and rambling, the songs were gorgeous. The notes, his voice, and the mood were sharp arrows that cut through the theatre's silence like a thunderstorm. But the frustration would have to be dealt with, as it quickly became obvious that this bipolar emotional ride would become the theme for the evening; however, somehow that was alright with me. I realized that we are experiencing Ryan Adams tonight, not some prepackaged, shrink-wrapped, distilled production that Big Music loves to sell us music fans -- pardon me, "Consumers". We were, in a sense, captivated by Ryan and forced to weather his storm.

Highlights include an absolutely spine-numbing performance of "The End" from his country album, "Jacksonville City Nights," a moonless-night version of "Let It Ride," and a new song, "Two," where Ryan seems to beg for anything but loneliness saying "Now I'm Fractured/From The Fall/And I Wanna Go Home/It Takes Two And It Used To Take One" (Sorry, man. You sold your soul to the devil a long time ago!). After this song I could tell Mr. Adams was running out of steam (or booze), which left me wanting even more (he's doing this on purpose, isn't he!) being that he played only one song from most of his albums, aside from Heartbreaker, and no songs from Gold. But then Phil Lesh came out from behind the curtain, resolving an earlier mystery as to who "Phil" was that Ryan kept yelling at behind the stage most of the night. For those of you unseasoned to the 1960's counterculture, Phil Lesh was the bassist for the Grateful Dead. Together, Phil Lesh and Ryan Adams winched the crowd from the depths of anguish into the heights of bliss, jamming for nearly 20 minutes through a continuous track of Wharf Rat/Bird Song/Magnolia Mountain (Cold Roses track). Their fingers and voices wandered aimlessly, but were never lost. Bliss. Anguish. And no longer frustrated.

Ryan Adams is like a really good book in that the best ones are often the most difficult to read. The performance I experienced last Monday was exactly that: a difficult experience. But an experience nonetheless. It will be hard to forget the absolute raw display of confusion, comedy, song, poem, frustration, and brilliance. More importantly, it will be impossible to forget how I FELT during the experience, a feeling that will likely be unmatched by any other artist in the future. For that, I thank you Ryan Adams and please return to Portland again soon. Just don't die.
***************************************************************************************
Complete Setlist:
1. Sweet 'Lil Gal
2. Call Me On Your Way Back Home
3. Please Do Not Let Me Go
4. Elizabeth, You Were Born To Play That Part
5. Let It Ride
6. The End
7. Dear Chicago
8. Who Were We?*
9. Everything Dies*
10. My Winding Wheel
11. Solitare^
12. new song on an upcoming Ryan Adams/Willie Nelson album
13. Two
14. Stella Blue#
15. Wharf Rat-->Bird Song-->Magnolia Mountain#

* = new song
^ = Jesse Malin song (opening act)
# = with Phil Lesh

...And I'm Not Talking About e-mail

I suppose this argues that "Vegetarian" isn't a gene in my family.

Uncle d. / Lidell-ify

My, this is a busy week for the AstroSite. I have to report that at around 6PM yesterday, I became an uncle! My youngest sister just delivered a beautiful girl, "Avery," to this world. It is unfortunate that I won't get to meet Avery until December, but I'm very happy for my sister and our family. Avery is blessed to have my sister as a mother, someone that will ensure happiness, understanding, and patience throughout Avery's life. To my sister, congratulations, and to Avery, welcome to a world that, despite its flaws, is constantly reminded that new life is indeed new hope.

********************

Last night I saw Jamie Lidell for the second time (I first saw him in October of 2005). The show was incredible; in fact, I'm nonplussed, which makes writing about the performance moot. But I can describe the emotion I felt during and after Mr. Lidell's performance: bliss. It was an A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. show. Lidell's preternatural stage presence grasped the entire Doug Fir audience and folded it into a cohesive origami of soul -- Jamie's Modus Operandi. The collective group shouted, danced, and sang together as an organism in itself, leaving all blues stuffed deep into our darkest corners. And I even got to shout all of my soul into the microphone during the encore performance of "Multiply," which is, in my good friend Tom's words, "The best song Al Green never recorded".

But don't get me wrong. I'm not a Motown aficionado. Jamie Lidell is something different. Most notably, he is a computer wizard, recording and sampling his beat-boxin' voice over the sounds of tripped-out beats and blips. But then he sings. And my, does Jamie Lidell sing. The result is the juxtaposition of familiar, recycled sounds into something beautifully original. But I caution those that might pick up his latest release, "Multiply," and expect to be blown away. While the album is strong -- VERY strong -- it does not (nor should it) capture what Jamie Lidell's music is about. That, my fellow cyberfriends, is something exclusive to those fortunate souls attending his live performance. I talked to him at the bar after his set, inviting him back to P-town anytime. His response, in all his British flair: "absolutely, mate".

I'm excited to report that April is proving to be a very, VERY good month for the Portland music scene. Earlier this week I saw Subtle at the Doug Fir, who are an experimental hip-hop-tronic group from the Bay Area. This show was also impressive, exploring a unique blend of rapid-fire rhymes, subtle (no pun intended) electronic beats, and a consortium of organic instruments, from flutes to guitars. But the true gem to bless this city comes next Friday, April 24th. Ryan Adams will be performing in all his macabre beauty at the Roseland Theater, which is walking distance from my apartment. The cast is truly a winning roster, featuring Ryan Adams, his guitar, and a piano. Obviously (especially to those that know of my teenage obsession), I'm very excited. Expect an AstroSite review very soon.

Until then, keep music in your soul, and "soul" in your music.

Coda

My good friend, Billy, who I befriended during my high school years in Sioux Falls, moved to Portland just this week. I'm very excited about this, not just because I am reunited with an old friend, but also because Portland will provide Billy the perfect anecdote to those South Dakota blues. Likewise, Billy will provide a fine match for Portland's progressive, bike-loving, music-loving, expressional ideals (I couldn't think of any more adjectives, sorry). So, Billy, meet Portland, Oregon, and Portland, Oregon, meet Billy.

Billy and I became friends through music. I played bass guitar, he played drums (and still does). Together with a friend I've known since elementary school, we started the trio, "Seven Day Sail". Our mission (although largely subconscious) was to do something different than the seemingly ubiquitous, yet monotonous three-chord anger ballads. Many of the Sioux Falls bands at the time liked to play loud and hard with overtones of vocal screaming. Granted, there were some bands like "Floodplain" that performed this music very well, but there were many that did not. Gathering on influences from Sunny Day Real Estate, Sense Field, and Into Another, Seven Day Sail engineered some novel emo-like sounds (a term that was at the time undefined) for the late 1990's Sioux Falls music scene. Now, I don't mean to sound pretentious as this was YEARS ago and my vocals, while I did attempt to sing, were far from elegant. But in retrospect, our only "professionally" recorded album, "Systomatic Entropy," showcased some musical chemistry and creativity that was something special -- especially for 16 and 17-year-old kids. Upon high school graduation, I departed Seven Day Sail to pursue a college degree (and eventually graduate school, which is why I'm here in Portland), but the rest of the musicians evolved to form a new and improved band, "Billy Music". This band produced in its later years what remains as one of the best albums I own, "Midwest Index". Their sound was intense, passionate, technical, and original. It was as though they took the best ingredients from all my favorite bands and blended them into an delectable sonic elixir. It is an absolute shame that Billy Music parted ways, thereby depriving listeners of more music. But alas, such is the fate of most good bands. Their legend lives on through MySpace, which I encourage you to visit: Billy Music

It is interesting that after moving thousands of miles away from my home in Sioux Falls, SD, I can once again call a great friend my neighbor. Is it my presence and rave reviews of Portland that brought Billy out here, or is it more a result of us sharing unique, albeit quirky personality traits that caused us to choose Portland? I argue that it is the latter. Either way, I look forward to sharing new stories and experiences with my good friend, all the while reminiscing about our old stories and experiences. Welcome, Billy.

To Have Sprung Spring

I'm getting bad at updating The AstroSite. But this is by no means a precedent. My excuses include finals week, a six day trip to Seattle, the Oregon Society for Neuroscience meeting, and an approaching tax deadline. But enough excuses. The important thing is that it's spring! While those that know me will know well enough that my favorite season (by far) is autumn, the paganite within me celebrates all seasons. And spring is no different. Yes my fellow cyber friends, an organic rebirth is among us. Spring is "springing" all around. I've noticed that spring in the Pacific Northwest, as opposed to the Midwest, is dominated by tree flowers. And as you probably are aware, there are many trees in Portland, hence many, many flowers. In fact, as polluted as city air may be, right now my bike commute really does smell like roses. And the foliage is of pink and white confetti. This maternal environment arouses equanimity and anticipation -- it is as though our ancestral genes relax after helping the organism though the "Dead Seasons" of fall and winter.

I think many of us share these feelings when spring arrives, so much so, that maybe we should move the New Year to April 1st. It is hard to find motivation for change -- of which is the nature of most new year resolutions -- in the dark, cold (and wet in Portland) days of January. This is especially relevant to the popular American ambition to lose weight. January 1st may be the WORST date to decide to diet, maybe in part because our genetic baggage is expecting more months of starvation. Moreover, it is more difficult to exercise in the cold and dark winter days. But the spring...Ah, this season is nearly texting your mobile phone with words of encouragement to go outside and play.

So be it. Forget January 1st. This Saturday, April 1st is the New Year, 2006 (realize that also makes you three months younger). Nurture all that callused baggage you've accumulated over the past six months and reveal something new. Something beautiful. Something alive. Millions of other species, from insects to oak trees, are heeding the same advice. Why should we be any different?

Hometown Reds

I've got the blues over the Reds in my home state. With help from a religious conservative base, South Dakota made it a crime this week to perform an abortion, except in the rare case to save the mother's life. I strongly oppose this law. There are a number of reasons as to why I oppose -- even abhor -- this new law, but I will expound on just one reason here for the sake of brevity. Importantly, I can respect a difference of opinion. I will not harangue, rather, I will elicit one of my perspectives as dialogue.

Outlawing abortion is another major advance toward outlawing our American freedoms. Americans are currently experiencing unprecedented freedom restrictions under the Patriot Act and other less-characterized laws. For example, it is currently legal to be imprisoned indefinitely without a warrant, have our phone conversations tapped and our mail opened, have our bank records monitored, and even have our houses searched without a warrant. At the same rate, when our "leaders" speak publicly, protestors are restricted to "Free Speech Zones" (oxymoron alert!), which are sometimes placed blocks away from the speaker's location. And all of this is tolerated in the name of security.

This includes the latest attack on our freedom, South Dakota's abortion ban. In eyes of the anti-choice individual, "The unborn are now safe from abortion and have been granted the freedom of a human citizen". Biology aside (which I admit is difficult for me), freedoms have simply transferred, not increased. A fetus will now indeed be granted the freedom to mature in South Dakota (assuming it even can mature in the case of incest). But once that fetus matures and is born as an infant, there will now be two people with restricted freedoms instead of one. There will be little freedom for the new mother and child, as both will not find much help from our bankrupt social services system. A vast number of abortions are performed because the mother is too poor, too uneducated, too young, too sick, or too unstable to raise a child properly. The result from these women delivering children will burden primarily mother and child, followed by the public, thereby further limiting everyone's freedoms. Obviously, the ideal solution is to prevent these pregnancies from happening in the first place. But power begets freedom. And when one is born without power (e.g. poor and uneducated), one is likely to grow up without the power. This is the system that maintains the freedom of powerful people -- such as the people voting to outlaw abortion in South Dakota. Hence, the social service system will be burdened even more by eliminating abortions. This increases the crime rate, including rape and prostitution, and the cycle repeats exponentially, leaving everyone less secure. How ironical.

For the cause of preserving the freedoms of every American citizen, especially that of the mother, I reject any attempts to outlaw abortion in the United States. If you reject the South Dakota law, there are many ways your voice can be heard, one of which is by hitting South Dakota where it would hurt most: tourism. Send your intents to boycott visiting South Dakota by contacting the Secretary of the Department of Tourism and State Development, James Hagan, and the Director of the Office of Tourism, Billie Joe Waara, via e-mail at: sdinfo@state.sd.us

Yarrrrrhhhhhh!!!!

Yes, I'm still alive; no I have not become a pirate (although I've been tempted to try that career). I just realized that it has been a while since I've updated The Astrosite. Unfortunately, the site will remain unintelligibly updated for a little longer. I have been blessed with visitors for the past two weeks, which managed to push off updating this blog and a LOT of school work -- until now; hence the Yarrrrrrrhhhh! If only international "Talk Like A Pirate Day" was more than once a year (it's currently on September 19th). What a great holiday! I've been kicking around the pirate talk lately since my good friend, Josh, and I crawled the pubs of Portland last weekend, proving that beer really can stimulate intelligible conversation. So me mateys, hang in there and the Astrosite will be back soon (insert here a parrot voice summarizing the main point -- GAWK!!!). There is much to discuss. Much to discuss. Especially my vociferous little home state and its intent to move AWAY from the 21st Century -- in addition to the recent abortion ban, it is now legal to ride and horse and bicycle while drunk. Yarrrrrhhhhh!!!!!

To keep you interested until we meet again, copy this link into your browser:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Talk_Like_A_Pirate_Day