the intelligence
I love the Fall* and the Country Teasers and the A Frames and the Black Lips and so, naturally, I also love the Intelligence, whose new album went up today, called Deuteronomy**. It’s spastic trash rock played lo-fi/sloppy stylee, the kind of songs that can even make teetotalers feel drunk they’re so woozy and out of control. Also, Lars who is (or was?) in the A Frames is the singer. Folks who like straight rock/pretty rock/harmonies/their mothers probably would not be so into this, but for the rest of us this is the kind of record to get nicely obsessed with for a few weeks. (Just kidding, Mom! I love you!) Check some samples and figure out which side of the fence yr on.
YooooooooooooooooTuuuuuuuuuuuube!
* Remind me to post my 20 Best Fall Songs list. Talk about one that’s impossible to get right. (Except “Middle Mass” is #1, clearly.)
** Are there albums for every book of the Bible? That could make a great comp. Also, is there a Christian hardcore band called Deuter-enemy? If not, Joe and I are starting one tomorrow.
Thanks for the tip — the clips sound good to these ears, and I even like the stuff in your “folks who like” list. On a related note, I’m new to the Fall, and it looks like eMusic has lots of their stuff. Any suggestions on where to start? Thanks!
Is that a vintage Haromony 4-string hollowbody electric bass guitar I see in that picture?!? Must be from the tingling sensation I’m feeling…
*drool*
Personally I can highly recommend The Unutterable. Mark E Smith is on form, the band are tight and there is a good amount of electronics in there also.
Other favourites of mine are Extrcate, their seminal debut album Live at the Witch Trails, and probably a good starting point could be the A-Sides comp.
Middle Mass? Are you high?! The #1 fall song is…IMPOSSIBLE to determine for a band who’s put out five thousand studio albums and twenty-two thousand live albums. Especially since, unlike most bands when they play a song live it’s often a completely different version of the song (and often the studio version isn’t the best). All that said, It’s hard to think of a better Fall track than the Peel Session version of New Puritan. Holy %$#!@! that rocks.
Where to start? I started with A-sides, then Hex Enduction, then Real New Fall–kind of gives you a great overview of three major periods of the band. The other thing you have to know going in–and get it in your head now–is the lead singer CAN’T SING! Often he can’t even speak any form of known English. It’s okay though cuz he’s BRILLIANT! You’ll find, is that everyone has their favorites, but it’s hard to go wrong (sixty-three thousand live albums of dubious sound quality notwithstanding). The Fall are the most consistent band ever–thirty years and counting. They’ve never made a bad record (sixty-three thousand live albums notwithstanding.)