Eddie Vedder -Local H

Of all the bands that came through the post-grunge boom of the mid-nineties Local H was the most unique. A racially mixed guitar-drum duo, Local H was the complete inverse of the stereotypical "Rock" band, yet they made it work for them rather than against them. 1996 saw the release of Local H’s breakthrough album As Good As Dead. The Album’s title comes from the track Eddie Vedder, one of the most angst ridden breakup songs in a decade full of angst ridden break up songs. Thankfully the songs clever word play and theatrics more then buoy the song along.



(Lucas/Daniels)

Quarters on the eyes
Rejected Sacrifice
Cauterized at best
Failing your litmus test
I know it's dumb to say
But turnabout's fair play
Always knew that you
Were suffering a fool


You go ahead - as good as dead


Okay - I understand
But I don't want to be your friend
I don't need another friend
I've got too many friends
If I was Eddie Vedder
Would you like me any better?
That's it - I quit - I don't give a shit


You go ahead - as good as dead
Coming to a head
You're as good as dead

Peeking Spring – Mission Of Burma

I discovered Mission of Burma my freshman year of college. It wasn’t on some hip college rock station or through a new friend. I started college in the fall of ’99, during the glory wild west days of napster. I had always been a geek and a music fanatic and these too interests hit head on. Armed with allmusic guides related artist links and a love of the Pixies I made my way to Mission of Burma and too their first single “ Peeking Spring” An utterly brilliant song angst aggression and hope all meld into one. I would say more but Mission of Burma are very vocal about their songs and I will let the band say this one for themselves.


From http://www.obliterati.net

Peking Spring
Written: February 1979 (Clint Conley)
Debuted: April 1, 1979
Recorded: July 1979 (radio tape, Taang! Mission of Burma)
October 1980 (Electro-Acoustic Sessions, unreleased)
March 12, 1983 (The Horrible Truth About Burma, Live at the Bradford)

China’s repressive “Cultural Revolution” ended in autumn 1976 with the death of Chairman Mao and the arrest of the Gang of Four. Deng Xiaoping returned formally to power in 1978 with a relatively liberal agenda known as “The Four Modernizations”. This liberalizing trend was firmly established by the November 15th announcement that 100,000 past political enemies had been declared rehabilitated, and the 1976 “April Fifth Movement” protest retroactively endorsed.

Chinese intellectuals across the nation immediately responded to this green light by putting up huge wall posters filled with serious discussion and even critique of government policy. In Peking, the activity centered around a long, low gray brick wall just west of Tiananmen Square. The wall became known as “Democracy Wall”; the movement was “Peking Spring”.

One of the Beijing residents reading the posters was a 29 year-old electrician at the Beijing Zoo with a history of protest involvement named Wei Jingsheng. On December 5, 1978, Wei posted a long argument entitled “The Fifth Modernization” Democracy? which went far beyond previous posters in its willingness to question and even attack the Communist regime. Wei quickly became viewed as the leader of the movement.

The “Peking Spring” movement was very much alive when Clint, for his first-ever song lyric, imagined himself as one of the protesters. (Although Clint had earlier composed the opening riff for “All World Cowboy Romance”, Roger’s recollection that Peking was the first song Clint ever wrote, as told in Not a Photograph, is essentially accurate.)

Three days before the song was debuted, the movement was crushed when Wei was arrested by the Peking Public Security Bureau. Wei became China’s most famous dissident and political prisoner. He was freed from jail briefly in 1993 but soon re-arrested. After further pressure from Amnesty International, the Clinton Administration, etc., the Chinese government finally announced Wei’s release from prison for good on November 16, 1997, 18 years, 8 months, and 18 days after his initial arrest.

Mission of Burma announced that reunion tickets would go on sale on October 30, 2000, 18 years, 8 months, and 18 days from the day they recorded “Peking Spring” for The Horrible Truth About Burma. Ironically, if you now do a Google search on “Peking Spring” you first get links to the Burma song, not to the movement whose name it borrowed.

“Peking Spring” (the song) was an early concert favorite and an obvious choice for Burma’s first demo tape designed for airplay on college radio. The nominal producer was Peter Dayton, who had been lead singer, guitarist, and primary lyricist for hugely hip local band LaPeste?, and had just left them to pursue a solo (and ultimately much less edgy) career. Dayton producing Burma’s first demo was thus a good career move for all parties. The irony is that LaPeste’s? own studio work (produced by Ric Ocasek of the Cars) completely failed to capture the band’s live power, and its failure to land them a major-label deal led directly to Dayton’s decision to leave the group.

The chorus to the “Peking Spring” demo features an overdubbed guitar part ”presumably played by Clint” with a completely different chord progression from the part played by Roger. This was Clint’s first draft for the chorus.

In early days Clint used to play the opening bass riff through a phase shifter you can hear this quite clearly in the original demo. He may not have used the effect anywhere else in their set. When the phase shifter was stolen, he never bothered buying a new one.

The “Peking Spring” demo was a massive hit on local college radio, #1 for the year on MIT’s WTBS (now WMBR). You can see its impact on the quality of Burma gigs later in the summer and in the falls opening for Gang of Four? at the Rat in mid-August, and their first weekend headlining gig there in mid-October.

"Peking Spring" is the one classic Burma song that has never been given a proper studio recording, and it remains a crowd-pleasing occasional treat in Burma Mk. 2 sets.

Note: 'Peking Spring' is also the alternate title for Taang's EP of demos, simply called Mission Of Burma.

Created by: EricVan last modification: Saturday 20 of May, 2006 [20:07:45 UTC] by patrickamory

From http://www.missionofburma.com/

Peking Spring
The very first song that Clint ever wrote. I always
thought of it as being like Athena being born, full-sized, out of Zeus' thigh. I
mean, where did this come from? He'd written nothing at all for the previous
band, Moving Parts.

With its rousing punk-anthem chorus, this was played EVERY SINGLE DAY after
its release (via tape) on WMBR in 1979, becoming the most played song of the
year. However, we were still a very poor draw at that point.

This song also gave the impression that we were overtly political - but
as Clint pointed out, the anti-communist, pro-democracy aspect of the Chinese
movement (Peking Spring was a paper for that movement) was in some ways almost
reactionary. When the Gang of Four came out (another Chinese reference), we were
immediately tied w/them (playing, happilly, many gigs with them!). An
interesting note on the Gang/Burma connection: on the first Gang album one song
ends with Andy Gill scratching furiously away at the guitar. And, a few months
before we'd even heard of Gang of Four, Clint and I ended Peking Spring the same
way.

Couldn't find lyrics (no surprise since its hard to find the song except off of a live CD)

anyway here's a live video

Universal Heartbeat - Juliana Hatfield

At age 14 I had the worlds hugest crush on Juliana Hatfield. I was a solid rock and roll boy in a pop and country world and here was a girl who rocked harder than I ever could and had the same love for a hook that I would. I was in love. I went through her entire catalogue and back to her days with the Blake Babies, where her gorgeous boy /girl harmonies with John Strohm set songs on fire, but my first dip into the water was her 1995 track Universal Heartbeat. The song and the album that spawned it Only Everything were both bonafied hits with the single reaching number five on the Billboard modern rock charts. With a rock solid beat, tasty hooks and angelic girl rock voice the song still sounds fresh today.

Actual Music video today kids!


Juliana Hatfield - Universal Heartbeat
Uploaded by jesus_lizard. - Explore more music videos.

(Hatfield)
Beauty can be sad. You're proof of that.
When the damage is done, you're damaged goods.
That's not to say it's not okay.
I wouldn't have it any other way.


A heart, a heart that hurts,
is a heart, a heart that works.
A heart, a heart that hurts,
is a heart, a heart that works.


Sweet. sweet pain comes with the sun.
Lie down and soak it up, Burn off layers of insulators.
Exposed nose to the cold,
I'm bleeding pretty colors,yeah, all over myself.


A heart, a heart that hurts,
is a heart, a heart that works.
A heart, a heart that hurts,
is a heart, a heart that works.


Black wave comes to take me away.
I ride it almost to the grave.
Landing on a crowded shore, high-fiving.
What a trip I'm better for it.
I feel a live sensation.


A heart, a heart that hurts,
is a heart, a heart that works (repeat 6 times)

Shuffle of the Day : The Deadly Rhythm – Refused

You’ve just released your third album to intense critical acclaim and sales that significantly beat expectation and had your video exposed to a wider audience with a rotation on MTV , what do you do next? If you are anarchist-punk band Refused, you realize that rock stardom is incompatible with your beliefs and you break up. 1998’s The Shape of Punk to Come was prophetic … an album that no one expected and that influenced every hardcore band on the horizon. The Deadly Rhythm is one of the standout tracks on this exceptional album… if you love hardcore punk this song is nothing new to you but even if you are not a fan of the genera it’s hard not to fall in love with this song as the band fuses hardcore so intense that it can melt faces with jazz so cool it might freeze your soul.



(refused)

This union that made us powerless is talking over our heads
Claiming prosperity in a downward spiral plan
Stuck by the deadly rhythm of the production lineS
tuck by the deadly rhythm of the production line

This power that made us unionless is taking out of our hands
Cheapest labor at our expensive cost, auctioned our lives away
Stuck by the deadly rhythm of the production line
Stuck by the deadly rhythm of the production line

We consume our lives like we are thankful for what we are being forced into

Is it our duty to die for governments and for gods?
Is it our privilege to slave for market and industry?
Is it our right to follow laws set to scare and to oppress?
Is it our gift to stay in line and will it take away the blame?

We can no longer pay the price
We'll get organized
We will no longer believe that working for you will set us free
We can no longer pay the priceWe'll get organized
We will no longer believe that working for you will set us free

Let it Dive : And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead

And You will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead is one of a short list of bands that I think that everyone needs to listen to and I personally think can do no wrong. All music guide once described the band as “too earnest and fond of grand gestures to fit in with most of the indie rock world, but too arty and obscure to jell with most emo's heart-on-sleeve directness”. To be honest I don’t know if I could come up with a better description for the band if I tried. They are the only band I have ever heard that can be both anthemic and obscure at the same time as being emotional and honest. You don’t get the feeling that the band is trying to hide anything you just feel like any gaps in the understanding is because you don’t quite speak their language yet and while at time this is frustrating as the journey goes on you pick up a new dialect of your own. 2004 album Worlds Apart follow up to their breakthrough album Source, Tags, and Codes, was primarily a political album in nature and perhaps that’s why a track like let it dive is often forgotten. The song is, on the surface at least a tale of a romantic ending, is it metaphor for a political alliance, perhaps but if it is it is so well shrouded in its emotions that I’d be hard pressed to speculate. It is the tracks open appearance of emotion that draws me to it and the reason I think it’s one of the bands best.




(And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead)
Now that our ties are severed
As we wave goodbye
Let us not wonder whether
We are ready to take the dive

Let it dive, let it dive, let it fade out of sight
Let it drag us down, let it fade

Grieve, but not grieve together
Mourn with nothing to say
Gone are those times forever
Lost are those sweet warm other days

Let it dive, let it dive, let it fade out of sight
Let it drag us down, let it come between you and I
Let it dive, let it dive, let it fade

Were we born to despair
Deeds done but not forgiven?
There will always be something there
As long as one of us goes on living

Let it dive, let it dive
Let it fade out of sight
Let it drag us down, let it come between you and I
What's done is done, no reason to apologize
Let it dive, let it dive, let it fade

Shuffle of the Day: Burned By The Sun - Beulah

Rarely is a one trick pony something that is loved. Innovation is something so highly praised in our culture we hare a tendency to deride those who seek to perfect rather than innovate. Beulah was a band that had one trick but oh what a trick it was. This San Francisco based group had a indelible talent for combining lush jaunty Beatles-esque sound tracks with deeply depressing and fatalistic lyrics.

The dissonance between the can be jarring as you find your self singing along happily about your life being in shambles, however it also is incredibly compelling. Burned by the Sun off of their 2001 album The Coast is Never Clear is no exception. Smooth harmonies meld with chilling tales of past mistakes and you too will sing along.


(Cole)

High above the bordertown
I can see the golden ground
If I wasn't looking down
I might have lost you in the miles

Ocean blue and foaming white
surround the body of my flight
as I flew out of sight
You were turning in the stiles

and I know what it means to you
and I know what it means to me
and I know how it feels to be
burned by the sun, the sun
I love the sun

Now I'm sleeping on the sand
of an unfamiliar land
And I'm dreaming up a plan
to get you on the breeze

And I'm staring at the speck
Of the map laid on the deck
It's time to make a trek
On forgiving seas

and I know what it means to you
and I know what it means to me
and I know how it feels to be
burned by the sun, the sun
I love the sun

and I know what it means to you
and I know what it means to me
and I know we all want to be
Burned by the sun

Shuffle of the Day : Gates of the West - The Clash

Originally off the Cost of Living E.P. but more commonly found on the odds and ends collection Super Black Market Clash. Gates of the West is a fitting first song for shuffle of the day as it is a love song to the city of St. Louis. Co-Writer Mick Jones was dating actress/singer and St. Louis native Ellen Foley and his adventures with her in the city along with the Clash's first coast to coast U.S . Tour are said to have inspired the song.

Recorded in early 1979 Gates of the West is an important artifact in The Clash cannon as it shows a transition from the Luddite punk of Give Em Enough Rope to the cultural explosion of London Calling that would detonate at the end of the Year.


Below is A Fan Made Video For The Song




(Strummer/Jones)

I would love to be the lucky one on chillavenue
Who could keep your heart warm when ice has turned it blue
But with the beggin' sleeping losers as they turn in for the night
I'm looking back for home and I can see the lights

I should be jumpin' shoutin' that I made it all this way
From Camden town station to 44th and 8th
Not many make it this far and many say we're great
But just like them we walk on an' we can't escape our fate

Can't you hear the sighing
Eastside Jimmy and Southside Sue
Both say they needed something new

So I'm standing at the gates of the west
I burn money at the lights of the sign
The city casts a shadow of the perfect crime
I'm standing at the gates of the east
I take my pulse and the pulse of my friend
The city casts a shadow, will I see you again?

The immigrants an' remnants of all the glory years
Are clustered around the bar again for another round of beers
Little Richard's in the kitchen playing spoons and plates
He's telling the waitress he's great

Ah say i know somewhere back'n'forth in time
Out on the dustbowls, deep in the roulette mine
Or in a ghetto cellar only yesterday
There's a move into the future for the USA.

I hear them crying
Eastside Jimmy and Southside Sue
Both said they needed something new

Standing at the gates of the west
In the shadow again
I'm standing at the gates of the west
In the shadow again