Relocation

Hi, I don't like Blogger/Blogspot anymore. It is such a pain in the ass to utilize and update. Some people seem to like it, but for what I need, it's just an endless hassle. Never fear! I have simply migrated to the cool people over at Word Press. From now on, Decatur Psalms can be found (same great content, same great...whatever) at http://decaturpsalms.wordpress.com. So, please update your links and bookmarks accordingly. I will even have a new post today!

Race you over there!

FIX IT!!

Some of those new Black Lips songs I mentioned in the last post can be seen performed live on the recent West Coast tour here I'm not sure how I personally feel about them yet, but they are certainly a new direction for the band; it will be best to hear them recorded before making a decision.

The new Criminal Records is fantastic. I've already spent way too much money there. If you've ever done any record shopping in California, you likely visited one of the Amoeba stores. I'd venture to say that the new Criminal location is a mini-Amoeba: cavernous, a small stage for in-stores and with an actual dollar record bin. It's funny that five years ago I hated that store for its poor selection, lack of vinyl and smarmy employees. The new store appears to feature the opposite. Kudos to them! Again, that's in the heart of Little 5 Points, at 1154-A Euclid Ave.

Chopper and Hawks have a show tonight at the Wonderroot Community Center. Two excellent bands, one great venue. That starts around 10 and is probably $5. You can find the center at 982 Memorial Drive in Cabbagetown. TV on the Radio plays the Tabernacle tomorrow night, the 25th. Tickets are $23 and available at the door or via Ticketmaster.

Not much in the way of live reviews. The new Deerhunter album (and release show) is available next week, and I'll absolutely have something about that.

You gonna vote?

Show Review: Goodnight Loving/Jack of Heart/The Renegades

Thursday night I stumbled onto Atlanta's worst kept secret. It was billed as a reunion of The Renegades, a short-lived Dunwoody teen-punk band notable because shortly after breaking up, members went on to form the Black Lips who are now arguably the most popular rock band in the city, Third Day notwithstanding (and quite popular internationally). For me, it was a nice trip to nostalgia because these high school attempts at punk were my first exposures to local shows and such nearly a decade ago.

First up was an all-female garage rock trio from Canada called the Stolen Minks. A good band, but really ineffective and trivial, sort of like a garage-influenced Mika Miko (or at the risk of sounding like a typical rock dude, Bikini Kill). Next was Goodnight Loving. This Milwaukee alt-country combo bored me to tears when I saw them last year, but they were quite good last night, tighter and catchier. If you're into this style (which I'm clearly not) and looking for something new, please do check them out. My favorite songwriter Greg Cartwright has produced some of their records, so I should probably give them more of a chance than I do, but many of their songs are very samey, meat-and-potatoes alt-rock with some decent hooks and some tasteful organ.

Then came Jack of Heart, a French band currently touring the U.S. made up of former members of garage-punk lynchpins (and Black Lips confidantes) Demon's Claws and the Fatals. They did an excellent set of psychedelic-infused garage-punk that at points left me speechless. Easily one of the best live bands I've seen this year. The guitarist was in drag and the bass player played like a member of Korn/Limp Bizkit with the facial expressions of Green Day's bassist, but the music overpowered these gimmicks tenfold. I won't post their tour dates because I'd wager they're in the country illegally, but a little Internet sleuthing will turn them up. They also have a 7" single available locally as it was released by the Rob's House label. To use a cliche, they ended the set with an incendiary cover of "96 Tears."

Jack of Heart




It's easy to see why The Renegades are so quickly forgotten ten years on: their only release was a split 7" single released several years after they broke up. The lineup for this reunion was the Black Lips, plus Die Slaughterhaus CEO Mark Naumann on second guitar with Cole singing only. They did just a few songs, including a sloppy "Louie Louie" with Cole hilariously making nods toward Atlanta punk past: "This song is dedicated to C-11! We're playing next week at the Point in Little Five Points."

the Black Lips


After a quick break, the Black Lips came back out with black paint smeared on their lips and did a bunch of new songs from their upcoming album on Vice, as well as some really old ones.
Overall, the show was a sloppy, drunken mess with such a feral, violent vibe, the kind of vibe I'm starting to get too old to be around. Tons of fights, drunks hurting people, people getting hurt on beer-soaked floors...yikes. Still, it was a nice time, a nostalgic time but also a nod toward the future with new bands, new ideas and new things to be excited about.

Youmessmeup.

Hey all. I caught a new band the other night in Atlanta that I felt was worth mentioning. They are called Hollow Stars and it was their second show. The band features Colin Mee (formerly of Deerhunter, now also a member of Chopper) on guitar and vocals. They played a very pleasant and unpretentious set of indie-pop at the 97 Estoria bar. Live, with a very rough sound mix, they reminded me of early Weezer, but the songs on the band's myspace point to some disparate and varied influences. (I should add that the first song on the myspace is the last song they played, and was completely different from the rest of the set and the songs uploaded.) They'll be playing shows around town soon so if you like what you hear online, please do check them out. They also have a new 7" single out on the Army of Bad Luck label, which the band mentioned should be in most local retailers soon. That's its less-than-stellar cover art up there.

Speaking of Deerhunter, the band's first single for its upcoming album, Microcastles, "Nothing Ever Happened" b/w "Little Kids (demo)" is available now. Having already been digitally released in August, the album's physical release will be October 28. I'm quite familiar with the album and enjoy it immensely, and will have a review on this site around that time, especially to coincide with the release show in Atlanta on Halloween. Check local stores or order it at the label's website at www.kranky.net.

Today is the first day of the Criminal Records moving sale that ends Sunday the 12th. Most items in the store will be discounted 25%.
If you're looking to spend a little bit more money on vinyl for something a little rarer, please check out this weekend's Little Five Points record sale Saturday the 11th, dubbed the Vinyl Harvest. It's at the L5P Community Center at 1083 Austin Ave. (not far from where Ella Guru moved to, check Google Maps). It begins at noon, is $2 for admission and goes until they feel like shutting it down. There will beer and food for sale, but also be sure to bring cash for those high ticket items!

The new LP/CD from former ATL-via-NYC transplants, Baby Shakes, entitled The First One is out now on Douchemaster Records and available in stores. That's all I'm going to say about that.


Lastly, I reviewed the excellent new TV on the Radio album, Dear Science, for Flagpole Magazine in Athens. You can read that here.

It's official

After months of speculation regarding WHEN it would occur, it now appears that the Criminal Records move from Moreland Ave. to Euclid Ave. will occur some time after October 12. Lucky for us stuff-buying folks, that move will be preceded by a moving sale at the current location, with many items discounted up to 25%.
Go to Creative Loafing's Crib Notes blog for more details.

A lot of blog types are weighing in on the Creative Loafing Chapter 11 filing by CEO Ben Eason earlier this week, but no one, and I mean no one, has been so keen-eyed as former CL editor and writer Steve Fennessy, blogging for his new employer Atlanta Magazine. I had the pleasure of meeting Steve last summer, and even though he struck me as a very quiet and unassuming guy, I have a massive amount of respect for his work, and most importantly, his insight. If these matters interest you, read his entry here.

Speaking of Harvey Milk...

More freaking exciting than that Sean Penn movie with the great trailer coming out (pun intended) next month is today's news that Chunklet will be issuing on vinyl for the first time ever, the epic 1994 album by Athens heavy metal heroes Harvey Milk, My Love Is Higher Than Your Assessment of What My Love Could Be. It's a seriously humble opinion, but I think this is the smartest, heaviest, weirdest and best album to ever come from Athens, Georgia. It's so demented, outre, and head-bangingly crushing, I'm still blown away by it. I was listening to it while writing that last post the other day, and "The Anvil Will Fall" was so overwhelming I had to put down the computer for a moment. 

No, I didn't know this was occurring. It's a very happy coincidence.

I first heard Harvey Milk when I moved to Athens in the summer of 2004. No, that was not a long time ago. But since then, the band has gotten back together, reissued many of its previous '90s albums to great success, released two new acclaimed albums, and toured the States and Europe several times. That summer, however, my friend Ben, who no longer lives in Georgia sadly (but does the excellent heavy metal 'zine Oaken Throne and will hopefully do another issue soon), introduced me to this band and for all his hyperbole, I must say, he was absolutely 100% right. The band (and its debut My Love Is Higher Than Your Assessment of What My Love Could Be) is easiest described as a weirder, slower (and I mean a lot slower) Melvins with experimental segments of orchestral instrumentation that kick into speedy classic rock riffs. There just aren't good enough words to describe its brand of heavy.

You can find more information at Chunklet.com. Act quick, if you're a vinylhead, because the pressing is limited, and will be going quick.

Ruh roh

Big news today in Atlanta music/media as Creative Loafing Inc., the company that owns several Creative Loafing newspapers in the Southeast (including Atlanta, duh), and last year bought the Washington City Paper and the Chicago Reader, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

You can read the corporate word on the move, via the City Paper's blog, here.

As for Atlanta, its debts run deep. "Among the list of the 20 largest creditors holding unsecured claims for Creative Loafing Atlanta, for example: Fayetteville Publishing Co., with $82,000 for printing services; the Georgia Dept of Labor, amount unknown; the Georgia Dept. of Revenue, amount unknown; the Internal Revenue Service, amount unknown and various businesses for fax and modem lines, janitorial services, electricity and copier maintenance, among other services provided."
(courtesy blogs.tampabay.com; entry since changed)

Too bad, too, as far as music content goes, as I believe its quality levels have grown in the past six months, much more so than last year, and certainly the several years prior to that.

An interesting, but not surprising at all, revelation is this nugget from the City Paper blog:
"The move does contain good news for editorial departments in the chain. Eason announced that cuts to edit staffs at all the papers would be rolled back but stressed that all the papers should proceed with “Web-first” publishing strategies, in which writers and editors customize their content for the Internet and subsequently transfer that content into their print products."

Atlanta already seems to be doing that. With the exception of one or two blurbs, the online presence of CL ATL generally takes precedence over the print, and picking up the paper is almost useless, unless you actually look at the ads.

For anyone fretting over what this means in the future for their favorite kitchen haircut floor covering, may I make a suggestion? Listen to Harvey Milk.

News, reviews and previews

Ahoy. Hope you enjoyed your weekend. First off, Decatur record store fixture Ella Guru has moved! You can find them now in Inman Park! The location is on Elizabeth Street between N. Highland and Austin Ave (sorta across the street from The Grape). The new store is cozy, but has plenty of room to expand. It was still quite barren (walls without posters, giant empty spaces in the middle) as the owner admitted to it being a move-in-progress. I didn't get to chat too long as I had to be at work, but he remarked that people are still calling him up wondering where he had gone. Now you know!

I'm a vinyl guy myself, and I'm confident there is plenty of room and demand for the store to expand its vinyl supply in addition to its great CD stock. It seemed like a kind of crappy selection, to be honest. There are Pylon 12"s and Boris box sets, but that's just not enough. I would like to see him take that on with his new location. For the newest CD releases, this is still your place to go, however.
Check it out if you're in the area! Support your local record store!

After work Saturday, I went to see some Athens bands that are gaining popularity daily, Twin Tigers and Dead Confederate. I don't want to be overly negative, but I failed to see the appeal of either of these bands. When I lived in Athens, some of the Twin Tigers had a band called Psychic Hearts that was much loved. I never saw the appeal of them, either. Where Psychic Hearts was a lazy, sloppy stab at synth-pop, Twin Tigers also appears to be an unpracticed and underwritten attempt at shoegaze. C'mon guys. Tighten up now.

Furthermore, am I supposed to love every Athens band that is breeching mainstream appeal? I ask this because I'm put in a weird position by Dead Confederate. They're not a bad band, by any means, rather they just sound exactly like Athens band The Whigs, slowed down to a glacial pace and with unaffecting results. The Whigs play fast, well-written, catchy songs. Dead Confederate play the same songs, but under the hazy influence of cough syrup, and it becomes boring quick. Oh well, another case of "not my thing".



The scrumptious filling to this soggy bread sandwich was a band from Louisville, Kentucky called Wax Fang. I was thoroughly surprised by them. I may regret this comparison later, but they sound like The Who with parts of '90s pop psychedelia like Olivia Tremor Control. Or maybe vice versa. Wax Fang's songs are mostly instrumental, with epic experimental parts (theremin, kazoos, orchestral-via-laptop), but the singing and songwriting turned out to be ace, with fantastic guitar soloing and riffing. Check them out at myspace. I guess they've been around Athens a bit or something, because the singer will be directing The Whigs' first music video. Cool. I didn't have time to grab my camera before work, so I have posted a shitty camera pic above. Sorry about that.


I've run out of time to post more in depth about it, but the fifth annual Gonerfest will be happening in Memphis, Tennessee this weekend with the best garage-pop,-rock and -punk bands in the country (and some international) playing. Atlanta is fortunate enough to get the windfall from this, as this weekend will be dazzlingly hectic with great shows to attend. I've listed them below with links to myspace pages. If you like what you hear, come on out, no show will be more than $8-10!

Thursday 9/25
Black Time (London, England)
Eat Skull (Portland, OR)
Psychedelic Horseshit (Columbus, OH)

Part of the Kirkwood Ballers Club at the Highland Inn at N. Highland and North Ave. (where the guy from Mastodon punched King Khan last week). Not sure about a price, but probably no more than $5.

Friday 9/26
Gentleman Jesse (Atlanta, GA)
Intelligence (Seattle, WA)

FREE! LENNY'S BAR. If you're going to Stereolab, how about catching Intelligence do an early in-store at Criminal Records in Little 5 Points? Ex-A Frames. You won't regret it.

Sunday 9/26
Vivian Girls (NYC)
Tyvek (Detroit)

The EARL. East Atlanta. $8.
Hope to see you at some of these shows!

Wow!

For my first official post, I want to highlight a show coming up in just 2 months that is going to blow some people's hair back. Actually it's two shows. A weekend of shows. Excellent shows.

Introducing:


Just announced, this event is going to be seriously raging! Every band on that poster is killer and Decatur Psalms approved! Well, with the exception of one, but no matter, you know this weekend is going to rule! As time gets closer, I'll have more content on this here blog about the weekend, including mp3s, videos, interviews (hopefully) with some of those bands and labels. Speaking of labels, in my inaugural post, I referred to several local labels as the parties responsible for reviving Atlanta underground rock music, and the three sponsoring the Mess-Around -- Douchemaster, Rob's House and Die Slaughterhaus -- are those very labels! What an exciting event.

For now: Go to this site, whip out your plastic, and purchase as many tickets as the site allows. I'll continue to post that link as the weekend gets closer, so don't think you're getting out of this!

On a different note, what are some up and coming Atlanta rappers you guys like? I've only been living in Atlanta again for several months and I haven't heard anyone mention a rapper I need to check out! I mean, I know Jeezy had his new one drop (and that got more than enough press), and in case you missed the title of this blog, I definitely know my OutKast. Who are the new hungry dudes who are gonna make me stand up and start throwing around phrases like "the truth," "G.O.A.T." and "fire?" I get like that. Athens has its own little, but strong hip-hop scene going, and there just may be a post here very soon about it, look out for that. If you got some mp3s or a Myspace for me to check out, hit me up in the comments or at decaturpsalms@gmail.com.

The Atlanta Mess-Around!
Scott

Greetings and salutations

Hello 'dere. This is the first entry in a new blog devoted to the Atlanta (and occasionally Athens) underground music scene. I previously ran a music blog several years ago, but became disillusioned after I spilled a lot of ones and zeroes on the upcoming record by The Stooges, The Weirdness. If you've been unfortunate enough to hear that record, you'll understand why I underwent a breakdown of sorts, and needed time to regroup and refuel.

A little about myself: I'm a poorly-dressed, poorly-shaven twentysomething living in Atlanta. I was born and raised in this beautiful city, and began going to punk and hardcore shows here when 513 Edgewood Ave. was a great place for dumbdumb teenagers to congregate, and not a tony loft for young, married couples to live. Nostalgia aside, since those days, my musical tastes have expanded, and I can arrogantly claim to be somewhat to extremely knowledgeable in music genres like rap, post-punk, noise, a little bit of that indie-rock stuff the kids love, power-pop and more. With the exception of a few years I spent living in the cheap drink Mecca of Athens, Georgia, Atlanta is my home, and it is a thrill to see its bands, DJs, labels and journalists get outside recognition, even if it means the shows have become more unbearably crowded, smokier, and sometimes (as I witnessed last night) meaner.

As far as this site goes, stick around and you can expect to see previews, reviews and news of bands, shows, gallery openings (because we all know art and music go hand in hand) and record labels I think deserve some hard-earned "ink". This won't solely be of Atlantans, however. I still keep an active interest in national and international bands, and will be sure to highlight them as well, especially as this site begins to gather interest with Atlantans. This month alone (meaning September), expect show reviews and/or previews of excellent bluesy-punk Brits Black Time, ace indie-pop songsmiths Vivian Girls and Athens alt-rockers Dead Confederate.
I should also mention that there are several great Atlanta music blogs already established, chief among those Cable & Tweed, Ohmpark and Drive a Faster Car. I read and enjoy these blogs, but their content is not for me. I prefer my rock loud, distorted and with verve, and I don't see those blogs often writing and supporting bands of that ilk. I urge all to keep tabs on these sites (after visiting this one), in an attempt to support the Atlanta "scene," as it were.
Lastly, I won't lie: I'm a drinker. I would love to promise consistent photo evidence of these events, but sometimes I'm just too busy drinking and dancing to point and shoot. I can make this promise: sometimes, there will be photos.

It's Friday night. Get out there, see some shows, buy some records and have some fun! Punk rules, OK?