Coursing through the Wires ...

Here's my first installment of unsolicited (but hopefully recurring) music commentary:

The Coach and Four -- Unlimited Symmetry (Makeshift, 2004). Five Memphis boys who apparently spent some serious time listening to Rodan and Polvo and other melodically "an-gu-lar" guitar expressions instead of hunkering down with hometown heroes (and CCR afficianados) the Grifters. "In Transit" is the highlight, but the record is pretty consistent all the way through, standing out as a breath of fresh air in 2004-05. Thanks to XMU for putting this into the rotation.

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The Go! Team -- Thunder, Lightning, Strike (Memphis Industries, 2004). Not the Calvin Johnson & Tobi Vail "a single a month" project, but the wacky British collective mining a different lode of 80s nostalgia from all those brooklyn boys. Thankfully, these folks also refuse to wallow in the past. Raucous, joyous, playful collections of samples, guitars, pianos, and minimal vocals (from what I've heard) -- stuff that makes me want to hop up-and-down and wag my head. Now I just have to wait for my import, bonus tracks included, copy to come in via Amazon (gift certificates are a good thing).

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Saint Etienne -- Finisterre (Beggars/Mantra, 2002). Initially, I was dismayed at the cover of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" -- I'm pretty sure I labeled it "sacrilege" in the fall of 1991. I never would have given them a second chance until I heard "So Tough" a couple times in a row at a friend's fifth-story walk-up in NYC in 1993 or so. The combination of subtle beats, creative samples, and Sarah Cracknell's vocals floating over the top have been a mainstay of my record collection ever since. Their latest record, "Tales from Turnpike House," has just been released in the UK, meaning it will be about six months before it's reasonably affordable here in Washington, DC. Anyway, "Finisterre" is one of those CDs that keeps falling into my work bag, something that engages my mind while also receding into the background at the right moments. It's consistent with the overall, breezy-without-being-affected Etienne vibe ... if there weren't a separate genre with the name already, I'd be happy to describe this record as "intelligent dance music."