We’re Still Fighting - WFTBO Four Year Anniversary!
Rick Taylor and Brandon Grover are the most important DJs in Washington, DC.
That’s not to take away from DJs that mattered in the past (i.e., DJ Mohawk Adam, Jim and Jon, ESL, the Spilt Milk crew). It’s simply recognition that their monthly “We Fought the Big One” event at the Marx Cafe is the most consistently interesting and remarkable DJ night going.
Why? Because against all odds, they’ve created a lasting and well-attended DJ night dedicated to the most wonderful obscure indie music. The first Friday of every month, you’ll see a collection of old music-heads, record collectors, post-punk obsessives, and, remarkably, some beautiful young things, all gathered together to listen to music. Other DJ nights focus on getting people to dance – WFTBO gets people listening, talking, sharing, and occasionally taking notes.
On the occasion of their fourth gala anniversary, they’re putting out a mixed CD of some of their more remarkable finds over the past year. I got an early copy, and will give you a quick guided tour. Note that if you go to Marx Café after, say, 10, this Friday night, simply walk up to Brandon or Rick, and, believe it or not, they’ll just give you a copy. Weird.
 |
Download the whole thing here: http://www.zshare.net/download/1003938324ebaeba/
1. X-Ray Pop – “Oh Oui J’aime!”
A truly ridiculous piece of French pop, providing, no doubt, a fair amount of inspiration for Stereolab. It sounds as though it was made on a Commodore 64 in 1982, but actually dates later, from 1987.
2. Drinking Electricity – “Shaking All Over”
A truly bizarre and wonderful cover of a Johnny Kid and the Pirates #1 hit from 1960. A traditional surf tune about losing control over a girl re-imagined as sci-fi noir with a wholly unexpected dose of menace.
3. Family Fodder – “Savoir Faire”
More Stereolab-esque goodness, with a driving beat, vintage synths, and a beautiful female voice jumping between English and French lyrics. My, but this is turning into Tim Gane’s personal mixtape…
4. Brian Eno – “King’s Lead Hat”
Fun fact: the title is an anagram for “Talking Heads” and was originally meant to be recorded with David Byrne and his crew. It’s no shame that it didn’t happen here – this is a deliriously great pop tune, as fresh today as it was when it came out in, oh my, 1977. Besides, Eno and Byrne would work together a few years later on the sublime “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts.”
5. Vivien Goldman – “Launderette”
A fantastic bit of dub recorded with the titular musician, journalist and professor by PIL during their “Flowers of Romance” sessions. Her voice is wonderful – it’s a shame she didn’t record anything else, though she did contribute to “Sly” for Massive Attack. See also: Angela Jaeger.
6. The Monochrome Set – “Eine Symphonie des Grauens”
I have to admit, I had the ‘Set down as a novelty act, with goofy tracks such as “Alphaville” and “He’s Frank.” This is a winning piece of sinuous music, with an elastic bassline and mesmerizing vocals about…I have no idea what. Something about vampires, apparently, and a nice blueprint for Franz Ferdinand’s brand of loquacious suavity (but similar to Sad Lovers and Giants’ brand of melancholic beauty). Nice one.
7. Club Tango – “Get the Picture”
Classic post-punk and surprisingly conventional compared to what comes before and after. As Rick describes it, a nice breather. Some nonsense about modern art with an engaging bassbeat.
8. Fall of Saigon – “Visions”
Bands that sound like Young Marble Giants are a good thing (female vocal, cheap drum machine, simple guitar line and a winning melody). What FoS lacks in originality, they make up in winsome beauty.
9. Il Y a Volkswagens – “Kill Myself”
I pride myself on knowing a great deal about obscure post-punk, but this is the only song on WFTBO.4 that I know. And, it’s an old favorite. I’ve never been able to find out who this is, or how it came to be, but it’s a cracking tune, simple and direct, about life in the television age.
10. The Terraplanes – “Evil Going On”
Harmonica? Really? The rock-solid rhythm section moors this song firmly in the post-punk genre, while the simple, plaintive female vocals about something going vaguely wrong with her baby could be from any era. We’re back in the realm of ’50s rock and roll reinterpreted in the wake of punk rock, as we were with “Shaking” and “King Lead.”
11. Nothing People – “In the City”
1979 in 2007. I can’t get my head around the idea that this is a new band. It’s a fantastic, atmospheric, mesmerizing surf tune buried in a flurry of feedback, noise and moody synths. And it’s new, and from California.
12. Occult Chemistry – “Fire”
A rare misfire from the WFTBO brain trust. Off-key female vocals over a relatively uninteresting “tune” with yet another YMG-inspired guitar riff and some odd piano. Not a favorite.
13. Malaria! – “Your Turn to Run”
Of all the German post-punk/neue deutsche welle bands, Malaria! gets some short shrift. Hell, they don’t even have a Wikipedia page (well, in English, anyway). With classic tunes like “Kaltes Klares Wasser” (in)famously covered by Chicks on Speed, cheery fare like “Tod,” (death), and “Your Turn to Run,” they deserve some attention. Imagine
a German Delta 5 (also covered by CoS) with a touch more angst and you’re there.
14. Whirlywirld – “Window to the World”
If there’s a “Rick Taylor” sound, this is it. Classic British male post-punk vocals, a la A Popular History of Signs, with an odd but affecting guitar sound, simple keyboard lines, and driving drums and bass, I think this is the template for the Rick side of the WFTBO sound (Malaria! would be the archetypal Brandon sound).
15. The Del-Byzanteens – “Welcome Machines”
Jim Jarmusch, in addition to being a famous(ly overrated) film director, was in an excellent no-wave band in 1982. Who knew? And, if this song is indicative, they were excellent. Atonal, queasy squalls of noise, banging on sheet metal, and aggressive vocals hide some very infectious pop hooks in the famed no-wave style. Very nice.
16. The Arms of Someone New – “Hollywood”
The new wave reached Chicago a little late. This little gem opens with a bassline aimed straight at my heart, followed by a perfect little guitar riff and a marvelously cheap drum machine. Throw in the disaffected vocals, some nice chord progressions and an unintelligible female voice every once in a while, and you’ve got yourself a great
tune. The only downside is the close connection with Projekt Records, but I can forgive the poor little goths hearing a song like this out of context.
17. Deerhunter – “Spring Hill Convert”
Deerhunter are weird. This song, doubly so. It starts with a spectral, glacial vocal opening, then with a slow build – almost Phil Spektor-ish – eventually reaching a crescendo of beauty without ever leaving the impression of being a song. More like an introduction to a momentous event. Fascinating, but ephemeral.
18. Stereolab – “Tempter”
Stereolab are easy to hate – disaffected French vocals about revolution sung over NEU! pastiches without a hook anywhere in sight. I keep reading how influential a band they are, though I think they’re derivative music for naïfs (who are they supposed to have influenced? Uh…Broadcast?). That said, this is probably the best song I’ve heard
by them, and, for a switch, rips off Suicide (think “Cheree” without the originality) instead of NEU!.
19. Harmonia – “Watussi”
Now, this is more like it. Actual Krautrock done by real Krauts. 1974 could sound pretty fucking cool when it wanted to. Pulsing, rhythmic, but utterly different from contemporaries Kraftwerk. A great track to end with.
http://www.myspace.com/wefoughtthebigone
Good news, Michael. I heard they’re moving it to Modern in May and will have DJ Tittsworth as their guest DJ.
Is it still April 1?
April 4, 2008 at 2:27 pmMaybe it will become a sweet face melting party then. (on a serious tip, I need the fourth iteration of the anniversary CD fo’ sho’. The others are EXTREME! (insert rock hand gesture).
April 4, 2008 at 4:26 pmSome choice cuts here! These boys do have a serious affinity for charming (yet out of tune) vocalists though. Most of the songs on here have people playing instruments they are clearly not comfortable with as well - which I love. I could have gone with one “singer” in the middle perhaps. Thanks for putting this up.
April 4, 2008 at 4:30 pmCalling DJs “important” or even worse, proclaiming them “most important,” smacks of wannabe rock critic writing steeped with a little too much self-importance itself. Or maybe it’s just a sign of limited exposure to the things that really matter in life. Sure, they run a great party and play some really good music. But “important?” Natch. Good review otherwise, though, and thanx for the DL.
April 5, 2008 at 11:52 amActually he said they were the most important DJs, not the most important people in the world (because that would be me), nor were they doing the most important thing in life (motorcycle racing, and, sure, yeah, those doctors that perform free fix-your-fucked-up-face surgeries in third world countries).
Reading comprehension. It’s important.
April 5, 2008 at 3:52 pmummm, same could be said for yourself, Michael. he did start the sentence with “calling DJs.” i think that appropriately references the authors original statement.
April 7, 2008 at 9:55 amlooj - no it doesn’t.
There is a vast fucking Marianas Trench worth of difference in saying
“Rick Taylor and Brandon Glover are the most important people in Washington, D.C.”
and
“Rick Taylor and Brandon Grover are the most important DJs in Washington, DC.”
The former indicates that they have importance over many facets of life (other DJs, firemen, teachers, politicians, garbagemen, hookers, the Trannies that advertise on Craigslist, etc)
The latter indicates that they only have importance over other DJs in Washington DC (a vastly smaller sampling of the population).
It could even be said that DJs are of NO importance whatsoever when compared to anyone else (a theory I believe strongly in), but of all this loose association of non-important people who play songs, these two are the most important of them.
I mean seriously. Reading comprehension is for WINNERS!
April 7, 2008 at 10:42 amin my opinion WFTBO is the best party in DC. hands down! the mixtapes are to die for as well. i STILL listen to volume 1 religiously. i just wish the party wasn’t the first friday of the month :o/. i haven’t been able to attend in over a year.
April 8, 2008 at 9:06 amI thought for a moment he said “most impotant” which I wouldn’t comment on.
April 8, 2008 at 3:00 pm
This party sucks, they don’t play any songs that people can stick their tongues out when they pose for pictures giving the rock hands sign while holding a SPARKS in their other hand.
April 4, 2008 at 1:45 pm