Crate Dive #1

In searching for some writing inspiration I figured why not take a deep dive into my expansive collection of 336 records. Still not certain how we got here as I infamously shat upon vinyl collecting in my youth. I blame hanging out and eventually living with my friend Amelia during my late 20’s. Either way my collection has grown exponentially since COVID and moving in with my fiancé. Take a look at some of my favorite diamonds from the rough of my crate.

Back in the heat of COVID in 2020 I spent a lot of time online with my closest group of friends. Honestly, I look back at those times fondly since I got to reconnect with them. We were all scattered around California at the time. My buddy Jake found Pops Tuna on Reddit and shared his Bandcamp with us on Discord. I was instantly hooked on “Say What You Think” and eventually Lame Fiction, which I still contend was one of the best albums of 2020. A little over a year ago I connected with Joe from Pops Tuna and he was nice enough to send me this postcard flexi-disc. Definitely one of the most items in my collection and a personal favorite.

The tale of how I actually found Clever Girl has been lost to time; however, I definitely found them during my college days which were my peak years of excavating obscenely talent bands from obscurity. No Drum and Bass in the Jazz Room was just one of many discoveries during those years. The band broke-up soon after uploading to Bandcamp in 2010 but unbenounced to them their album organically grow a cult following for the next five years. In 2018 they pressed the record for the first time and sold every single copy for sale in hours. I was lucky enough to grab one of 150 yellow copies. It’s been over 13 years since it’s release and I still regularly put on this masterpiece while reading a book or scuttling around the house.

I visited Japan for the first during Golden Week in 2017. My buddy Andrew was living and teaching English in Nagoya at the time. Part of my incredible adventures took me to the city of Nara, where the local deer roam free (and bite your ass cheek if you leave biscuits in your back pocket). Just down the street from our hostel Deer Guesthouse lies a hole in the wall record shop called Django. Like many sleepy foreign towns the hours of operations seemed a little discretionary and the seasoned gentlemen running the shop took an oblivious approach to customers.

I got his attention by asking if he had anything by The Pillows. He seemed a little shocked I knew who they were and unfortunately didn’t have any Pillows, but he offered Ranmadou’s self-titled record from 1972. This happened to be a 2001 repress but I came to find out there aren’t a lot of these out there. Super interesting rock and heavy blues from 1970’s Japan. I can imagine The Pillows possibly hearing this record, or others like it, growing up in Hokkaido. It’s a very warm record and clearly reminiscent of American blues and rock of the late 60’s. Truly a time warp, but in a positively thought provoking way. Kind of difficult to track down this album online for digital consumption but I highly recommend it if you’re into digging deep into old defunct blogspot sites.

Somehow I got obsessed with yet another band after their break-up. Headroom hailed from Manchester and made just a handful of songs, which you can find on Bandcamp. They pressed two 7″ singles from those songs. I managed to acquire Carry Me Away easily but not their self-titled 7″ until I somehow got in touch with someone at Dog Knight Productions. Whoever was running things for them at the time was on tour in his own band but was kind enough to send me the 7″ after he returned home. This self-titled single only popped up recently on Discogs after last being sold in 2018. Hard to come by, especially since it made for an excellent beginning for an emotive pop punk band. Reminds me a bit of Citizen’s Youth record.

Long story short, my high school journalism and social justice teacher fronted Tamora before becoming a teacher. Knowing him during high school years makes song titles like “Put A Quarter In Your Ass Cause You Played Yourself” totally make sense. He was always polite but underneath it all had an enjoyable sick sense of humor. I never got mp3’s of his music while in high school, which in retrospect was a mistake. I saw there was a copy available on Discog recently so I had to get it. Man did these guys throw the fuck down! This 7″ will definite put lead in your pencil before unleashing your best mosh moves in the pit. I happened to get number 295 out of 300. There aren’t many of these out there. Pretty unique record in my collection and a one of a kind teacher in my life.

Photo by Joseph Pearson

1652 Days

Pianos Become the Teeth released their fifth studio album Drift this Friday to unremarkable fanfare. It’s been over four and a half years since their last record Wait for Love appeared in equally unassuming fashion.

This is not a criticism of Pianos but a sad commentary on their work going mostly unnoticed within their own community.

Where is WashedUp Emo? Where is “The Wave” these days?

Along with Touché Amoré, Pianos firmly remain one of the best, still doing it, from the revival and wave scenes. Fifteen years onward they continue topping themselves with each release.

So what happened during the 1652 days between Wait for Love and Drift? Pianos almost broke up after scrapping their follow-up album but found new life and purpose during the pandemic.

Crazy to think there’s a whole other Pianos album out there on a hard-drive but that’s a blog for another day. This occasion celebrates Drift and the 1652 days that came before it. Where was I on February 16th 2018? Well I was still in San Diego working for fledgling finance company I won’t name but they no longer exist under their original name and were investigated by the FBI.

February 16th also happened to be my last day at this company before moving on to an actual career opportunity that helped me get to where I am today as a junior project manager.

I still remember my exit interview with this passive aggressive HR person. “So I see you’re making a career change?” This statement pretty much defined my experience there, but I happily moved on. I knew I had found a place that gave employees so many opportunities if they were just willing to take advantage of it.

I was so fucking ready to prove myself. I spent the weekend and following President’s Day Monday getting myself mentally relaxed and ready to work. The next 1600 days would be the most life altering days of my life.

Today I’m engaged (finally), living where the sky looks like Toy Story clouds, and traveling regularly. I’m fortunate. Just lucky to be here. Those 1600 days were not easy. There were many moments I wanted to quit on the career path I’d taken. I had genuine doubts about continuing to date someone on the opposite side of the country.

Perhaps Pianos went through similar stages.

Once we acknowledge our thoughts of uncertainty, and swim with those feelings briefly, then we can understand the consequences of the decision(s) we might make.

Choosing to continue pursuing my now fiancé and endure through difficult situations at work paid off over the next two years. The coming pandemic only justified those decisions. The lockdown in general just fast tracked the eventual outcome to relocate my life and career to Texas. Scott Galloway’s Post Corona cerebrates effectively this phenomenon and delineates how the pandemic pushed global trends by ten years in a matter of months.

The lockdown drove Pianos back into the studio to redeem their fizzled follow-up to Wait for Love (again, I still wanna hear it). Drift zags in the opposite direction from its predecessor’s reach towards radianence in its musical arrangements and dare I say tenderness for life and all it encompasses in its emotion and lyrics.

“Out of Sight” sets the tone immediately with it’s quiet and deliberate pace. Some have called this record dark. I prefer daybreaking and more textured than any other record. The early hours before dawn are usually the quietest until the sun finally beams over the horizon. “Genevieve” beautifully pulls you into serenity until the band illuminates into one of the few explosive moments of the album.

“Easy” by far is my favorite track. 1652 days ago I’m certain Pianos were not capable of communicating these kinds of lyrics without any sonic grandiosity. They’ve been trying to get here since “Hiding” almost ten years ago. It would be easy to presume they’re restraining themselves but that’s just not the case.

“The Days” wonderfully follows up subtly with vivacious drum and bass, and loud axe and vocals. “Hate Chase” effectively operates the same way in the vain of The Lack Long After, just without screaming.

This whole record seeks serenity but doesn’t ignore who its creators are. Pianos still love loud moments but it’s not all they are anymore. Each song flows smoothly from one to the next. The album’s run time lingers slightly but bows out just before things begin to drag.

“Buckley” conveys the ideal summation in experiencing Drift and what the band tried articulate musically. Only the drums give any kind of accent or punch to the track. Everything else only serves to texture the landscape, until exhilaration unleashes through like eureka. Emotionally blows your hair back.

Who knows what Piano’s scrapped record would have been like, once again, would love to hear it, but shelving it proved right. Couldn’t be better than Drift. No other Pianos record is, except maybe the next one.

I don’t know what the next 1652 days holds, for me or them, but whenever the next Pianos Become The Teeth project is I’ll be there ready.

Photo Credit: Micah E. Wood

Toughest Beat of the Week #1

The NFL story of the week belongs to Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals and the now infamous homework clause.

Murray officially signed his new five-year $230 million extension on Monday. Later that same day Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network tweeted a screenshot of an “Independent Study” contract addendum which stipulates Murray must complete 4 hours of study per game week, excluding bye weeks, during the contract term.

Ok…

First of all this seems unprecedented for an NFL player’s contract. Per one ProFootballTalk source, it is and does not violate the CBA. With careers like Michael Vick’s in the rearview mirror it’s surprising a contract term of this kind hasn’t happened or gone public before. 

The fact this addendum even exists seems extremely problematic for everyone involved, especially the NFL itself. Is this the first of more homework clauses to come? I hear the drum beat of curmudgeons detesting the dissemination of NBA’s influence.

Extensive film study has been synonymous with not just elite modern quarterbacks like Peyton Manning, but also defensive legend Ray Lewis. I recall Lewis pontificating how the challenging of facing Manning wasn’t primarily on the field but off it. Lewis spent hours upon hours at home watching film and demanded others join him because Peyton was “clickin” the film remote.

Murray on the other hand does not believe he requires intensive studying outside the Cardinals facility. 

“I think I was blessed with the cognitive skills to just go out there and just see it before it happens. I’m not one of those guys that’s going to sit there and kill myself watching film. I don’t sit there for 24 hours and break down this team and that team and watch every game because, in my head, I see so much.”

Kyler Murray to The New York Times

In his playoff debut this past season, the wunderkind posted a blistering 19-34 for 137 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions, before boldly pulling himself from the game.

Colt McCoy not knowing his damn place encouraged Murray to finished the game but that was it for boy wonder.

I can’t, respectfully, only grill Murray for his horrid performance. Head coach Biff… I mean Kliff Kingsberry coaches like DJ Press Play. The Rams physically abused the offensive line and scheme inside and out.

There were seemingly no adjustments in the first half of the game before going into halftime down 21 to zero. Murray look distressed and eventually unhinged when he threw a pick-six in desperation to complete a 6 yard pass.

Not even a healthy DeAndre Hopkins would not have tipped the outcome of the game.

Throw the ball Kyler… Throw the fucking ball!!!

The Rams pressured Murray constantly, covered their receivers, and contained Murray from making plays with his legs.

Was Murray injured? Possibly, but everyone is battling injuries in at this point of the season. Either way the Rams offered very limited opportunities for Murray and his legs to bail out the offense.

The coach is there to support the players and put them in the situations to succeed and win ball games. Kingsberry has never demonstrated consistently this coaching competency.

On the other hand Murray already conceded he can “just see it before it happens” though…

So who should the court of public opinion blame?

Bad coachin’, bad general management (can’t just rely on one receiver), and feeble quarterbacking led to a playoff fiasco. Complete organizational failure.

This homework clause amounts to gross incompetence. You know… I planned to publish this piece on Tuesday. Thankfully life got in the way.

The beat got even tougher!

Thursday evening reports surface the Cardinals removed the independent study addendum amid public scrutiny.

When I drive make a wrong turn I commit to the mistake and get back on course safely, but not these guys.

Both the Cardinals and Murray already agreed to the homework clause. Sure the headlines were embarrassing but don’t forget why you even had it in the first place.

Kyler Murray needs to spend more time preparing during the season, and the fact the Cardinals felt they had to put into his contract screams to the fundamental issue.

Since drafting Murray the Cardinals have coddled and enabled the player.

No one should be surprised at Murray’s behavior and attitude since becoming an NFL prospect whether it’s his awkward pre-draft interview with Dan Patrick, unfollowing and purging all Cardinals related content from his Instagram, or having his agent issue a ransom letter with two years remaining on his contract.

You don’t have to be Adam Schefter to grasp from afar Murray behaves like a stereotypical 24 year older zoomer. Poor “whatever” body language. Facial indifference. Boomers aren’t the only ones guessing he plays COD to relax.

No one is asking Kyler Murray to show archetypal quarterback traits we’ve seen in Patrick Mahomes or even Lamar Jackson. But he does have to show his teammates and the organization he hates losing. That he covets winning.

Holding the team hostage with two years left on your contract after a pathetic playoff performance and a serious lack of commitment to preparation shows Kyler Murray cares more about what comes with being an NFL quarterback than actually being one.

The Cardinals have appeased Kyler with the keys to the team.