Les Rallizes Dénudés: ’77 Live (1991)

When people write about bands or artists that cross genres, they usually denote it by using some kind of punctuation, typical a slash. The near-mythical Les Rallizes Dénudés are that slash, the punctuation between their unique and mesmerizing blend of psychedelia, pop, and garage rock. Pierce the layers of squalling feedback and noise and you can hear the bubblegum pop and 60s R&B the legendary Takashi Mizutani used as a springboard to carve out one of the most interesting niches in music. To cap off Live Month we’re going to spend a week with the band, who never put out a proper studio album, only live, archival releases starting with ’77 Live, their blazing set at the Tachikawa Social Education Hall in Tokyo.

ChrisApril 21, 2025April 22, 20251 Comment

Playlists

(Un)Focused Definition Ep. 46: What I Actually Listened To On Vacation, Pt. II

Would you believe I mostly succeeded in shutting the world out while on vacation? It helped that the weather was gorgeous and we ended the trip with a snorkeling excursion that was so good I almost extended our trip. I even was able to use the extremely spotty wifi to get two archive reviews out – I planned on adding Can and Zappa at a minimum but had to make due with the abrupt, kind of braindead writing on The Doors and Neil Young. I’m okay with that – the priority was vacation and hanging with my family, and that rocked. I DID listen to a lot of music while on the beach, so this is the weird aural summary of my trip, I guess…

ChrisApril 19, 2025April 26, 20251 Comment

CD, Vinyl

Neil Young: Live At Massey Hall 1971 (2007)

Immersive sound, incredible songs, hearing an artist work their way through soon to be classics…listening to Neil Young in this context was revelatory the first time I hear Live At Massey Hall 1971 when it was first released. It was the first Neil Young record I ever bought, and the album that made me a fan despite knowing so many of his songs via the osmosis of his omnipresence on radio thoughout the 70s, 80s, and even the 90s. It’s a fragile album of immense power, for me one of the pinnacles of the singer-songwriter experience. Passionate, political, personal…all the “P”s are represented on this classic document.

ChrisApril 16, 20251 Comment

Vinyl

The Doors: Live In Detroit (2000)

The WiFi in Aruba is spotty at best, so Live Month will be abbreviated this week as we dive into Archive week. The May 8, 1970 Detroit show at the Cabo Arena has long been considered one of the top performances from The Doors. One of their longest set ever performed, it’s long been considered “the” live recording of the band to get. Rhino finally collected the show in its entirety back in 2000 on CD and last year put out a gorgeous box set on vinyl for RSD. I had only known it in digital form thanks to the band’s Bright Midnight Archives Concerts series, where it lived with two sets from Aquarius Theater in 1969. But now Live In Detroit is here, so let’s get into it…briefly, before the terrible WiFi cuts out again.

ChrisApril 15, 2025April 15, 20251 Comment

Playlists

(Un)Focused Definition Ep. 45: I Am Your AI DJ…

I’m rushing this one out because I’m about to leave for vacation and just want to shut the world out. So I went over to Apple Music and saw they had a “Station For You”. Station for me? AI algorithms it is. Let’s see what the machine powers think I want to hear at 3:30am because I can’t sleep due to crippling anxiety over every minute detail of getting to the airport, getting through security, getting on the plane, getting to my designation, getting through Customs and finding a way to my hotel. Maybe I’ll edit this later once I’m in a saner frame of mind…

ChrisApril 12, 2025April 26, 2025Leave a comment

Vinyl

Joy Divison: That’ll Be The End (1980)

Some people believe the only “real” representation of the late, great Joy Division was their live shows, that the production meddling of Martin Hannett smothered their intensity into an otherworldly cold sheen on record. I love the production on those records, and while we can debate until the cows come whether that singular production was a help or hindrance to the band’s longevity, there’s no denying that live they were a different, more primal beast. That’ll Be The End documents their penultimate performance at the Ajanta Cinema Derby on April 19, 1980, less than a month before Ian Curtis’s tragic suicide. Like all of their live recordings it’s rough, not meant for official release, but unable to suppress the energy and control the band could hold over an audience.

ChrisApril 11, 2025April 11, 2025Leave a comment

Consuming the Tangible

We are what we consume

Month: April 2025