1999--2009

[the captain]

Yeah, you can see him walking around Nicollet Ave between Franklin and Lake quite often. He's at shows and such, too. Remember, most indie "celebs" aren't anything near celebs.

[Sciencefriction]

Oh yes, good point.  I've only met Keith from We Are Scientists back in 2006 and that was cool.  I've never been starstruck, I just like chatting, asking about equipment, records- just silly things like that.  I suppose I could add We Are Scientists to that list, but they only really made one decent album. 

[the captain]

Speaking of music that fits in these years, I just got the new Fiery Furnaces album. I know I mentioned them somewhere earlier among my favorites of the past decade. The past few albums have been pretty stubbornly obtuse, but this one is really a little simpler a listen. And in some cases, it works better for it. The opening track, I'm Going Away, is fantastic. One of my favorites they've done, with a Beefheart-like riff behind Eleanor's "I'm goin' away, I'm goin' away. I'll be back some ol' day."

[Sciencefriction]

I haven't listened to them much, but now that you mention they're new one does sound good.  Thanks again Luther, I'll check them out.  Maybe I should try to catch them live sometime too.

[the captain]

If you see them live, be ready for something wholly different than what is on the albums: they reinvent their songs for their shows to the point of being almost unrecognizable at times. They also recombine them into suites (even when they may have been presented in wholly different combinations on the records). It's crazy. But after their Blueberry Boat album, they put on one of the best shows I ever saw.

[Sciencefriction]

Interesting, I'd definitely like to see them now if I got the chance.  It sounds like they put on a really great show.  I know it doesn't sound like it, but I'm pretty selective with who I see live.  Poor college student, etc, etc, so I don't have a lot of time or money.  I could probably catch them in Pittsburgh in a couple weeks though, hmm.

[the captain]

Not to turn you off the idea, but the second time I saw them, it was entirely forgettable. (That was probably in part because the first show was a tiny, packed bar. The second was in a much larger local club that wasn't more than 1/3 full, and being the good Scandinavians we are in Minnesota, the crowd mostly kept toward the rear and left the band playing to 30 feet of empty space...)

You might want to check out some youtube examples of them live before you pay for a show if you're selective. But I can't imagine the tix would be more than $15. (The beauty of non-major label music!)

[Sciencefriction]

Ah, good point, thanks Luther.  You guys are very informative here.  It would be easier for me to just wait for them to tour again closer to me or something like that.  This fall seems to be full of good shows and it's like "I don't have money for that, can't some of your tour in the winter too?!", you know?  I am looking forward to Julian Casablancas solo album though, I hope it's better than the last Strokes album.

[the captain]

Gotta ask, what's with the "Luthor" spelling? Accidental, Lex Luthor reference or what? (No offense taken or anything, just wondering.)

[Sciencefriction]

Accidental, sorry about that!  Incidentally, I do love comics and Lex Luthor, but I wouldn't call you Luthor over Luther!  Haha. 

[Alex]

As far as live "indie" music is concerned, I'm waiting for the big Neutral Milk Hotel reunion tour!! And maybe a comeback album that'll blow Aeroplane out of the water. We don't need to send Landy after Mangum to get him off his ass and make some "cult hits" now, do we?? But (semi-) seriously, when is Mangum going to "really stretch out and blow some minds" and grace us with a "Neutral Big Ones" album followed by an "NMH Loves You"-type record??!!

[the captain]

That's where things fall apart from a consumer perspective: NMH never made a lot of money, and Jeff Mangum wasn't and isn't going out of his way to succeed in that regard. He did some shows with the E6 holiday tour last fall and winter, but if you anticipate some kind of behavior akin to what a major-label has-been would do, you'll be waiting a while... There may be some new Mangum product at some point (he has, after all, done the Major Organ album and some eastern Euro folk music collages after Aeroplane), but anyone waiting for Aeroplane pt II is going to be waiting an awfully long time. It's not going to happen. Ever.

[Alex]

That's where things fall apart from a consumer perspective: NMH never made a lot of money, and Jeff Mangum wasn't and isn't going out of his way to succeed in that regard. He did some shows with the E6 holiday tour last fall and winter, but if you anticipate some kind of behavior akin to what a major-label has-been would do, you'll be waiting a while... There may be some new Mangum product at some point (he has, after all, done the Major Organ album and some eastern Euro folk music collages after Aeroplane), but anyone waiting for Aeroplane pt II is going to be waiting an awfully long time. It's not going to happen. Ever.

I was pretty much kidding about "getting Mangum off his ass"...but if, IF, NMH ever comes back, whether they put out another Aeroplane or 80 minutes of white noise accompanied by Julian Koster's singing saw, I'll eat it right up!! It's all about baby steps. The E6 holiday tour was a good starting point...  Maybe my optimism is a little naive, but just like with the BBs, I wasn't "around" for the heyday (well, technically, I was 12 when Aeroplane came out, and I'd never even heard of NMH until I was 19 or 20, and never heard any of their music until I was 21...in 2007!).

[grillo]

That's where things fall apart from a consumer perspective: NMH never made a lot of money, and Jeff Mangum wasn't and isn't going out of his way to succeed in that regard. He did some shows with the E6 holiday tour last fall and winter, but if you anticipate some kind of behavior akin to what a major-label has-been would do, you'll be waiting a while... There may be some new Mangum product at some point (he has, after all, done the Major Organ album and some eastern Euro folk music collages after Aeroplane), but anyone waiting for Aeroplane pt II is going to be waiting an awfully long time. It's not going to happen. Ever.

I was pretty much kidding about "getting Mangum off his ass"...but if, IF, NMH ever comes back, whether they put out another Aeroplane or 80 minutes of white noise accompanied by Julian Koster's singing saw, I'll eat it right up!! It's all about baby steps. The E6 holiday tour was a good starting point...  Maybe my optimism is a little naive, but just like with the BBs, I wasn't "around" for the heyday (well, technically, I was 12 when Aeroplane came out, and I'd never even heard of NMH until I was 19 or 20, and never heard any of their music until I was 21...in 2007!).

I WAS around for the heyday of all that E6 stuff and it was wildly hit or miss.I saw NMH live around '98 or '99 and they were great, really amazing. I also saw Mangum play with the Circulatory System (drums) maybe 5 years ago,and it kinda felt like a burned out hippie-fest.  The only consistently good band from those days was Of Montreal, though I'm not familiar with their new stuff...

[the captain]

I agree: e6 was overrated, both then (ooh, the next big thing! a collective!) and now (mostly because of NMH). And the purportedly experimental stuff was mostly annoying as hell. The song-based acts (Of Montreal, NMH, Apples in Stereo, maybe Elf Power) were the most interesting. Even now-revered OTC was at their best--by far--when they veered toward pop songs.