u2popmofo said:
Might have something to do with the 400 daily new survivor and game threads.
I'll watch some of their videos and give them more of a chance, as it seems my initial impressions may have been wrong.
There's no seeming about it. If you didn't think that they were the best non-The Hold Steady band in the world, upon first listen, then you were wrong as shit. This record is stunning.
Laz, have you heard the single for "My Year In Lists," yet? I haven't, but it certainly sounded novel enough to check out, on paper; although, the single for "Tweexcore" sounded like a good idea, too, and that didn't turn out so hot (one of 2007's best A-Sides notwithstanding...speaking of that, it's crazy that this one band, over the course of an EP and a single was responsible for several of the year's best songs, including "We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives," "You! Me! Dancing!," that jaw-dropping cover of "Frontwards," and, of course, "The International Tweexcore Underground"). I guess that I'll have to listen and report, at some point.
Also worth mentioning that this band (along with SFA, BSS, and the magnificent Chikita Violenta before it) has proven that Dave Newfeld is probably the most talented (or at least has the best current batting average of any) non-hip-hop producer in music. His resume is starting to look disgusting. If you haven't heard "Rotation," by Chikita Violenta, then do so. You'll never stop thanking me. This guy has really figured out his sound, and the full-throttle-yet-beautiful production on
Hold On Now, Youngster... just confirms the man's remarkable talents both behind the boards and in terms of getting the absolute best out of the bands with which he is working. I cannot wait to see what happens, if he keeps moving up, like this.
Hey Venus! sounded just remarkable, and I love how he was able to get such a crisp, succinct record out of SFA while also managing to make bloated masterpieces like
You Forgot It In People with BSS. His range is ever expanding, and it's time we took notice en masse.
As for record stores, mofo, I actually know shockingly few, given the maddeningly high price of CDs, over here. I do most of my "shopping" on SLSK, and I know of no more than approximately 3298742937 AMAZING hip-hop vinyl shops, in Shibuya. If you're not looking for really random, sometimes illegal promo vinyl copies of, like, "Zulu Nation Throwdown," then I don't know if I can help. I found a couple of reasonably cool, really tiny music joints in Kichijoji (in the vaguest possible vicinity of the park and the Ghibli Museum), but that's about it. Many apologies!