Audio By Carbonatix
Welcome
to Staff
Trax, the weekly feature here on DC9 where we shed some light on
the music we’ve been enjoying of late, regardless of the touring or
album release schedules that tend to bear the focus of most of our
coverage. Consider it a chance for you readers to get some more insight
into our own
personal tastes. And a chance to slam us for our crappy ones.
Rollins Band – “Liar”
I’ve never been a big fan of Henry Rollins‘ spoken word. It always comes off as holier-than-thou. But there is always an exception–like when he breaks into a throat-shredding scream. Case in point: “Liar.” When I was younger, I loved this song. And, recently, I’ve found myself brushing the dust off of this old gem, turning the stereo volume to stun and pressing play. It still does the trick. –Lance Lester
+/- – “Let’s Build a Fire”
I
caught New York’s +/- a few years back at SXSW, and the band’s
interesting mix of genres and styles instantly blew me away. Dubbed
“indietronic,” the trio of James Baluyut, Patrick Ramos and Chris Deaner is often augmented on stage by various horn players and
percussionists. +/-‘s best effort is 2006’s Let’s Build a Fire, and here’s a super cool video for the title track. –Darryl Smyers
Danny
Elfman – “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure Theme”
Not
long ago, Chris Burney from Bowling for Soup posed this question on
Twitter: “If you could have a soundtrack following you wherever you go,
what would it be?” The above piece of music was my answer. Danny Elfman
has become so overused for scoring movies, and therefore, I feel his
work has become somewhat watered down. But, this piece was done in his mad-scientist heyday, and is not only full of hectic, exhilarating
twists and turns, but, as far as orchestral music goes, it’s a lot of fun
to listen to on its own. The energy of it can wear you out–but in a
good way. And for me, it never gets old. –Alan Ayo
Spoon –
“Trouble Comes Running”
It’s
not like the press or fans have outright dismissed Spoon‘s
Transference, but the kind of fanfare it has received seems less enthusiastic when compared to its previous albums. As someone who has liked a number of songs by the band
over the years, Transference has quickly become the band’s go-to album for
me. I tried to get into albums like Kill the Moonlight and Girls Can
Tell a few years ago, but something seemed missing to me. Thankfully,
this record has helped me completely understand the band’s catalog. –Eric Grubbs
