It's Datapanik Time Again
This week, I am all about the new Pere Ubu album. It's called Why I Hate Women, and it snuck out in September on the Smog Veil label (and on Glitterhouse in Europe). You can get it on eMusic and iTunes if you prefer not to buy it by mAil or in a rEcord sTore. If you order from the label, you can also get an album of remixes, entitled Why I Remix Women.David Thomas' titles are deliberately misleading: many of the songs share names with better- known pop tunes, but none of them are covers. Pere Thomas says he named the album for the Jim Thompson novel that Jim Thompson never wrote. Thomas is the only original Ubu member remaining. He's in great voice, and the current band is excellent, especially Michele Temple on bass and Robert Wheeler, the true heir to Allen Ravenstine, who uses analog synth and theremin to create prickly swarms of noise. The songs range from furiously rocking ("Caroleen") to bluesy improvs ("Blue Velvet") with nods to psychedelia ("Love Song") and Ubu's polyrhythmic output of the Mayo Thompson era ("Two Girls (One Bar)").
If you want to sample mp3's before buying the record, go to Indie Judas. I'm not giving any away here, just strongly recommending that you buy it. It's one of the best things Ubu has ever done, and I say that as a huge fan of the first two albums and the Datapanik EP. It's thrilling to hear them reach another creative peak. Pere Ubu play SF tonight, and will be in NYC and Chicago in November. Visit Ubuprojex for more info. Today I'm sharing a couple of holiday treats.
The Method Actors: Halloween
Die Kreuzen: Theme from the John Carpenter film Halloween
3 Comments:
I've just re-routed my holiday plans so I can go see Pere Ubu at the Knitting Factory. Despite a million near-misses, I've never actually seen them before, so I'm incredibly excited. I'll pick up the album and remixes then...
Im am totally loving the Die Kreuzen track you put up here! Another band I hadn't really listened to before. In fact, from the name, I'd assumed they were from Belgium or somewhere similar, and probably signed to Wax Trax.... How refreshing to find out they're actually from the Midwest and used to record for Touch & Go. Thanks for educating me.
Dude, if you're discovering Die Kreuzen, you are in for such a treat. In 1983 and 84, they ruled Midwestern hardcore. Then they started to explore other sounds they enjoyed, like goth and metal. I am planning a post about Die Kreuzen, but in the meantime get thee to eMusic and download October File. Perfect Sound Forever has a good article by Dave Lang about Die Kreuzen.
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