Thirsty Thursday

Episode #4 (”Sparkle Picnic: Not As Funny”) wraps up the mishmash of concepts and on the fly ideas that made up a lot of the first four episodes. We’re working on fleshing out scripts as opposed to improv’ing like a motherfucker. So soak up the last of the “concept” episodes we shot, this is it.

In “Not As Funny” you’ll find two characters (the “awful man” and “cruel boyfriend”) that say inappropriate, awful things to other people, the kinds of things that would generally get you stabbed. You’re going to get to see a little more of Mac, who has been out of commission on the last few shoots. You’ll catch Ryan Christiansen’s first foray into writing (”North American Chupacabra Hunters”) and Chayden, the editor and cinematographer for the majority of the sketches, returns to the front of the camera to say the wrong thing to dear friends, with uncomfortable results. You get all of this and more in the latest god-awful episode of “Sparkle Picnic”.

If you enjoy episode four, we hope your excited about our future release schedule. In the near future, we’re going to have the episodes come out in mini-seasons as opposed to seeing a new one every so often. So instead of seeing one new episode of “Sparkle Picnic” every month or two, you’ll get one new episode a week for four weeks and then a longer lull in-between.

Now remember, kids, tell your friends about “Sparkle Picnic” if you like it. Spam your mom, stick up a flyer at work, put it on your favorite message board or email it to everyone at your work. Join the “Sparkle Picnic” army by joining our facebook fan page, or check us out on myspace.com/sparklepicnic .

Later fuckers, I’ll see you in tasty-town,

Jason

“Distortion” is the 8th album for Stephen Merritt under the Magnetic Fields moniker.

Since 1989, Merritt has been the mind behind some of the most desperate, depressing love songs and is well known for being the kind of guy you want to avoid (he enjoys picking on interviewers) and that’s just fine. Whatever need being mean to people serves him, his music is fantastic.

After his previous concept albums (“I” contained all songs with titles that began with the aforementioned letter and “69 Love Songs” was indeed 69 love songs spread out over three discs) he hasn’t necessarily returned to form, but he has delivered an album soaked in 60’s surf pop and summer of love songs transplanted to the 21’st century and blanketed in a sea of distortion and reverb.

For an album to start of with a mainly instrumental, entirely euphoric song titled “Three Way,” you know you’re in for a treat. The song drifts into “I Hate California Girls,” which sounds like it was built around a Beach Boys song of yesteryear layered with fuzzy distortion and wistful, slightly mean lyrics all sung by Shirley Simms. It’s one of many that features the vocals of Simms, whose adorable voice helps to deliver these potentially difficult lyrics.

“Too Drunk To Dream” has some of the dumbest lyrics you could imagine (“Sober you‘re a grown man now, s***faced your clever“), yet it feels right. It’s not an ode to drinking and partying, it’s a sad exploration of the need to drink, the need to be somebody else when the night rolls around.

Though it has been catching some flack over it’s Jesus and Mary Chain inspired shoegaze swirls of sound, “Distortion” is just another gem from Merritt’s career as a clever musician. The brainchild behind the outfit’s the Gothic Archies and The Future Bible Heroes has widdled himself a nice niche in the indie rock circuit and continues to deliver the goods.

Originally published in the St. Cloud Times on 02-21-08.

Ahhh, a National Beekeepers Society spin-off.

Nick Whetro, lead singer from the Madison, Wis. alt. rockers the National Beekeepers Society has finally released his solo debut and it’s steeped in a kind of Wolf Parade type oddness that does quite a bit for it, drum machine and all.

Instead of all out sloppy rock a la the beekeepers, iCARUS HiMSELF slows it down a tad and brings out the creepy.

“Scene (from a car crash)” starts off with Whetro’s guitar accompanying the drum machine. It‘s somewhat upbeat in tone and then delves into some gory descriptions of brains on the pavement and still manages to be quite lovely.

“Youth In Asia” starts with a bizarre, throbbing drum and delves into a melancholy tale of losing yourself in another country. With so much hinging on the vocals, this would all fall apart if Whetro didn’t have a decent voice. Luckily, he’s up to par, and that’s where the Wolf Parade comparison comes in. He’s not really howling, but Whetro sounds a smidgen like good old Spencer Krug, king of the warbly, weird vocals that have made the songs he sings for Wolf Parade soooo good.

The disc tends to creep up on you. Instead of assaulting you with the music, Whetro lets you marinate in it. And clocking in at a mere five songs, the self-titled debut for iCARUS leaves you wanting more and kind of wondering about what you just heard. Of course, iCARUS can be found on the ‘ol internets at myspace.com/icarushimself along with a smorgasbord of upcoming shows.

Originally published in the St. Cloud Times on 02-21-08.