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Bumblebeez 81, The Printz (Modular/Geffen)

Ten years ago Christopher Colunna would have been a rich man. His one-man, recorded-on-a-computer band, Bumblebeez 81 is mostly an exercise in sonic collage. You can just hear the critics hyphenating all the genres he plays with. If it weren't for Beck, Beastie Boys, Aphex Twin and the entire IDM genre, Bumblebeez 81 might have had a chance of sticking out.

We’ve forgotten what government is for.

Two stories on the local evening news last week illustrate the dangerous crossroads at which we’ve arrived as a society. In the first, the Sheriff of Rutherford County may be forced to take the county to court over his budget. Plainly put, he needs more deputies and the county is loathe to approve his budget because it might require a raise in taxes. The news anchor noted that they hadn’t raised taxes in ten years – as if that justifies it. No one mentioned cuts. The story immediately following concerned the Metro Fire Department losing some of its budget and sending fire-fighters into early retirement.

The Shore, Self-titled (Maverick)

If you’ve been lax in following the comings and goings of Richard Ashcroft, (and frankly aren’t we all a little guilty of that?) you might believe he’s been hard at work on The Shore, a debut that so closely cuddles with The Verve it’s stupefying.

Goner, How Good We Had It (Bifocal Media)

I never thought that my six years in a college town could ever be captured musically, but Goner have illuminated the most intimate details of that life with clever writing and a tightly wound trio of moog-fueled rock ‘n roll.

What’s the Problem with Gay Marriage?

On Wednesday, 19 May 2004, the Tennessee state Senate passed a proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Frighteningly, only one senator voted against the amendment: Steve Cohen (D, Memphis). I say “frighteningly,” because banning a contract between consenting adults is the first step down the road towards -- oh I don’t know -- having a representative from the Department of Marriage walk into your house to verify that you’re making love to your wife in the missionary position. Think that’s ridiculous? Then consider how ridiculous it would have sounded 40 years ago to claim that one day the police could pull you over just to see if your seat belt was fastened.

Andrew WK

Andrew WK was gracious enough to talk to us on the opening night of his headlining tour. Contrary to a lot of the "he's so crazy" press he gets, Andrew is a soft-spoken, generous guy and a pleasure to talk to. He seemed happy to talk about anything. And, as you'll find out, he is so focused on giving a good interview that his answers are detailed and elaborate.

He's on tour now, so go see him.

Sondre Lerche and Charlotte Martin @ 3rd and Lindsley, 15 May 2004

This past Sunday night three very different acts visited Nashville’s 3rd and Lindsley. While it was not necessarily the most stylistically cohesive show, it provided the evening with variety that proved both entertaining and a bit annoying.

Jawbreaker, Dear You (Blackball Records)

Since their breakup in 1996, Jawbreaker has released almost as many albums as they did when they were together. First there was the Live 4/30/96 album, then came the b-sides and rarities collection Etc., and now comes the reissue of their swan song, Dear You. One has to wonder if it is really necessary, seeing as it has only been eight years since the trio's demise. Is it already time to reminisce about the good old times? Whatever the case, Blackball Records has reissued Dear You with a few extra tracks from the recording sessions, some more art in the liner notes, and the "Fireman" video.

World Leader Pretend, Fit For Faded (Renaissance Records)

World Leader Pretend's debut release channels the mystical and magnetic qualities of its New Orleans home into an impressive album with similar characteristics while avoiding settling into a comfort zone. Each song contains various textures that smoothly transition from slow thoughtfulness to energized outburst and never gets dragged down by a standard guitar, drums and bass formula. Strung together, the songs create a feeling of expectation rather than resignation.

William Elliott Whitmore, Hymns for the Hopeless (Southern)

William Elliott Whitmore sounds like one tough, weathered sumbitch. Born and raised on a farm near the banks of the Mississippi and now performing raw country ballads with a dusty twang, Whitmore seems like he's been lifted from the pages of a long-forgotten folk tale.

Ben Kweller, On My Way (RCA)

At the tender age of 23, Ben Kweller has just released his second solo album, On My Way. It finds Mr. Kweller trying to grow up just a tad too quickly. The main problem we have here is that a lot of the playfulness that permeated Kweller's debut, Sha-Sha, is gone. His youthful vigor and heart on that album allowed you to forgive his desire to raid the songwriting closets of Ben Folds and Weezer. This time the riff borrowing is gone, but so is most the fun.

Freddie Millions's Draft Day for Dummies

If you have some sort of life, you probably missed the NFL draft this past weekend. If you are a football junkie, however, the draft in April is sort of like an oasis in the middle of the stinking hot desert. With baseball season starting and the NHL and NBA playoffs kicking into high gear, the draft is the last strand of hope in the three months before training camp starts. Teams have to reload with fresh faces (college juniors and seniors in this case) to replace the veterans they have to cut in order to stay under the salary cap.

Here's how it works: there are seven rounds spread over the course of two days, with all 32 teams scheduled to get a pick in each round. They pick in order from the team that finished with the least best record (the San Diego Chargers) to last year's Super Bowl Champs (the New England Patriots). Of course, teams can trade players for draft picks, or other draft picks for draft picks! . It's sort of like a really high testosterone chess match, and there is always some Guiding Light-esque drama involved. This year was no different. Some high and low points:

Once in a Lifetime - Talking Heads Box Set (Rhino)

Included in the elaborate artwork for Talking Heads’s recent box set, Once in a Lifetime, is a page of David Byrne’s notes for possible songs. Typed in all capital letters is his idea for one song: “MY ATTEMPTS TO BE AMERICAN.” Byrne, born in Scotland and raised in Canada, was an alien in the US. He was also an alien at art school: the Rhode Island School of Design. There he met Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, but he left RISD before graduating (Weymouth and Frantz completed their degrees). Byrne lived briefly in Baltimore and San Francisco before returning to Providence (where he formed the Artistics with Frantz) and then to New York.

The Sounds with Division of Laura Lee @ The Mercy Lounge, Nashville, 4/21/04

Firstly, the bass players of these two bands are terrific rock sidemen. Jonas Gustavsson of Division of Laura Lee plays the perfect Keith Richards of the band – feet wide apart, knees pointed together, strumming his bass across the neck. When he stepped up to sing “Dirty Love,” it was like Keith’s “Little T & A” – a little bit cooler than Mick’s songs.

Imaginary Baseball League, Revive (What A Waste Recordings)

Like a host of emotional British rock bands – Radiohead, Coldplay, Travis - Imaginary Baseball League tend toward broad, athemic tunes often held together on gossamer guitars and faint keyboards. Yet despite their epic quality, IBL’s songs explore the intensely personal. They create maudlin anthems of intimate events. And when IBL flirts with the rhythms of Americana music, they do with authority – Imaginary Baseball League hails from Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

FROM NASHVILLEZINE.COM...

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