Epitonic Newsletter: Vol. 4, No. 12 'Newman and New Stuff'
03/29/02
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First off, an Oscar note. This has nothing to do with Halle or Denzel or Opie (oops, sorry, Ron) or Sidney or Robert or Whoopi or J-Lo's Shih-Tzu hairdo or Gwynneth's goth-porn getup or Tom Cruise's new braces and creepy Scientological dogma. No, it has to do with a nice funny-lookin' man in his late 50s by the name of Randy Newman, who's been churning out bitingly satirical, wonderfully offbeat singer-songwriter records since the early 1970s. Because his music was always strongly influenced by Broadway and Hollywood musicals, it was a natural step for Newman to begin writing movie scores, which he first did in 1981 for Milos Forman's Ragtime. He went on to do the music for The Natural, Parenthood, Awakenings, and numerous others, many of which earned him Oscar nominations in the "Best Song" or "Best Score" categories. Well, last Sunday, after something like 15 nominations but no wins -- 15 times a bridesmaid in a penguin's suit -- he finally got to hoist one of those phallic little gold statuettes. Who knows what he said when he won, who even knows what he won for (oh, it was the song "If I Didn't Have You," from Monsters, Inc.), the point is, he was due. Here's to you, Randy.
And, in other news, there's a lot of good new stuff on Epitonic, and we'd just like to bring your attention to it, in case you hadn't noticed. Check out new music on Emperor Norton, Beggars Banquet, Matador, Compost, Viva, and more. Watch the site for lots more next week.
"Age of the Sun"
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The Sunshine Fix
One of the two pop geniuses behind the Olivia Tremor Control, Bill Doss has moved on to a more straightforward brand of giddy psychedelic pop with The Sunshine Fix, which substitutes mellow soul and country influences for obtuse experimentalism. Lush, relaxed, and optimistic California pop.
"Upside-Down Girl"
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The Saturday People
Featuring veterans of numerous excellent '90s indie-pop ensembles, Washington DC's The Saturday People offer gorgeous, jangly sounds in the vein of classic '60s folk-pop and seminal '80s Brit-pop.
"Start As You Mean To Go"
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Black Box Recorder
Featuring onetime members of The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Auteurs, this English trio mixes sinuously lovely melodies and seductive textures with malignant tales of woe.
"Sneaky A.M."
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Danielle Howle and the Tantrums
Singer-songwriter Danielle Howle glides effortlessly from angry punk to wistful folk, from the sultry torch song to the country rave-up, tying all the genres together with a great voice and terrific storytelling ability.
"The Night You Saved My Life"
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Tanya Donelly
Tanya Donelly was a critical member of three of indie rock's most highly regarded and influential groups -- Throwing Muses, The Breeders, and Belly -- so one might expect her solo work to be pretty darn good too. Well, yes, as a matter of fact Donelly's elegant, kaleidoscopic pop is fantastic, incorporating elements of her past musical endeavors, while displaying new maturity and grace.
"Mastercontrol"
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Graeme Downes
Former Verlaines frontman Graeme Downes has gone solo after nearly two decades with the band, taking the Verlaine's symphonic guitar pop in an increasingly solitary and intimate direction. A tremendously talented rock singer-songwriter.
"Past All Concerns"
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Barzin
Toronto-based Barzin creates graceful, measured, and dreamy pop music for the melancholy side of life. Should appeal to fans of Smog and Low.
"Petty"
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Granfaloon Bus
San Francisco-based Granfaloon Bus exhumes the old bones of America with rambling narratives of boozy heartbreak. "Slanted folk-pop" their sound's been called, an appellation the band says it finds quite appropriate.
"Hallway"
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Bats and Mice
Featuring former members of two great post-punk groups The Sleepytime Trio and Four Hundred Years, Bats and Mice plots dark, windy courses over empty seas with spidery, melancholy, lonesome-making guitar compositions.
"Shoot Shoot!"
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Solex
Q. I have an eclectic little record store in Amsterdam specializing in kitschy esoterica, an eight-track, a vintage sampler, a restless kind of creativity, and a great sense of humor. Who am I? A. Solex!
"Hymn For A New October War"
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Elders Of Zion
This secret cabal based in San Francisco and Seattle creates a wild and incantatory sort of music that fuses far-left politics, esoteric field recordings, madman live instrumentation, dub effects, and cut-and-paste recording techniques. It's a most compelling style of dark ambient music.
"Silver Screen (Malibu Mix)"
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Felix Da Housecat
This Chicago house music impresario has been around forever, though you may have encountered him under other names, e.g. Aphrohead, Sharkimax, Wonderboy, Elekrikboy, or TheeMaddkatt Courtship. Let the Housecat drop in for a little house call with his slinky and seductive style of glam-bam-thank ya ma'am Eurodisco.
"So Many Times"
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Brendan Costigane
Listening to Brendan Costigane's sweet house music makes you feel a lot sexier than you actually are. Like a fine wine, it goes down smooth and has a mellow, creeping buzz.
"Come Along"
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Minus 8
Discovered by French downtempo don DJ Cam, Switzerland's Minus 8 trod the drum and bass path for Sony sub Higher Ground before switching his production style to nu-jazz and signing to Compost.
"Radio 2000 (Edit)"
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Bo Square
Producer/performer Mike Powell -- part of the fab three better known as Tino Corp. -- further delights us with his frequency modulations in this solo effort as Bo Square.
"Lights Out"
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Onry Ozzborn
West Coast MC Onry Ozzborn spits subterranean and spiritual in equal measures. An Oldominion crew member, he records solo for Portland's BSI Records.
