My Bird Performs

Just shy of 11 a.m., and already the heat's unbearable. Welcome to Peoria, folks.

Dismemberment Plan - Ellen and Ben. When I think of my greatest summers, these guys are one of the first accompanying bands to come to mind. The association is more personal than anything, but that doesn't mean it isn't strong. In high school, I spent a week at speech nationals in Oklahoma City jamming to "Gyroscope" and "Girl O'Clock" on a cassette given to me by my friend Janelle. Two years later, my friends and I undertook a 14-hour road trip to Washington D.C. just to see the Plan's farewell show at Ft. Reno. They only got to play for 45 minutes thanks to a combination of rain and draconian city ordinances governing outdoor concerts on public land, but it was all worth it because of songs like this one. Relationships fuck up, and you don't know why. This is especially true if you aren't one of the participants. In this song, Travis Morrison plays the role of the bemused outsider, offering conjecture and commentary about the title characters' ill-fated pairing.

BONUS: Troubled Hubble - Where Raccoons Don't Live. Since the Plan broke up, I've been on the hunt for their heir apparent, and these Chicagoans come pretty close. This track combines the vocals of speak-singers like Clem Snide's Eef Barzalay with a reasonable facsimile the Plan's apocalypitically frantic instrumental assault. Their new album, Making Beds In A Burning House, is available on Lookout! Records.

Posted by Tyler at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments

File under "Texas schools, how fucking crazy are":

Just when they thought that publicity couldn't get any worse, the Texas public school system finds itself in the news yet again. This time, though, it's their own fault.

According to a report on CNN.com, the rootin'-tootin' regulators of the Texas Music Educators Association struck out another ringing victory for peace, love, and understanding. Apparently, art is art, but gender roles are universal.

Klaus Nomi - Nomi Song. Proof positive that male sopranos can rock the block with the best of them. Of course, in Nomi's case, being a German cabaret robot also helped.



Interested parties would do well to check out The Nomi Song, a new documentary that's been making the rounds at art theatres everywhere. From what I hear, it's pretty fantastic.

Posted by Tyler at 11:15 PM | Permalink | Comments

My friend Mr. Butler directed my attention to some new developments in the Nike/Minor Threat debacle. In case anyone missed it, America's most tender-hearted shoe producer landed itself in hot water last week with a new ad for their Major Threat skateboarding tour that, to some, seemed strangely familiar. Behold:



Aaand behold:



On Monday, according to this article from the hipster gatekeepers at Pitchfork, Nike Skateboarding issued an apology and promised to pull all copies of the ad from its upcoming promotional tour.

Minor Threat - In My Eyes. Before he hit his stride fronting Fugazi, Ian MacKaye spent his days snarling straight edge anthems like this one. 80s hardcore isn't necessarily my area of expertise, but I'd be lying if I said this song didn't make me want to go out and hit some drunk people (or shoe company executives) with baseball bats, screaming (MacKaye-style) "Did you fucking GET IT?!" all the while.

Posted by Tyler at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments

Bandwagons are for hopping, and mp3 blogs are for the kids, so welcome to My Bird Performs. I know, I know. Another mp3 blog? Yes. Have at it.

XTC - My Bird Performs. The site's namesake, and one of the finest tracks from XTC's 1992 album Nonsuch. The 90s were a bit of a lost decade for Andy Partridge and his Swindon pals. After coming off a successful American radio tour in support of 1989's Oranges and Lemons, the group only managed to release one proper album (not counting 1990's rarity compliation Rag and Bone Buffet) before problems with Virgin relegated them to seven years of silence. Many consider Nonsuch to be a placeholder album that works only to bridge the gap between the group's 80s output and their later 90s work. In reality, however, the album is filled with fertile pop gems like this one. Partridge said that this song, written by his oft-overlooked partner Colin Moulding, had "the best melody Paul Simon never wrote", and that claim isn't far off. Moulding's vocals, though somewhat overproduced, are dulcet and reassuring, melting over lyrics that extoll the virtues of being happy with what you've got. Once the trumpet solo kicks in at the end, the cake is truly iced.

BONUS: XTC - That's Really Super, Supergirl. Andy Partridge has a thing for comic books. First Sgt. Rock Is Going To Help Me (from 1980's Black Sea), then this (followed by 1987's Braniac's Daughter from The Dukes of the Stratosphear's Psonic Psunspot). A simple song about getting dumped by a girl who also happens to fight crime. Genius? Close, probably.

Posted by Tyler at 8:51 PM | Permalink | Comments