Steroid Maximus At Celebrate Brooklyn!

By Ann Clarke
All photos © 2010 Julie Finley

Prospect Park, Brooklyn NY
June 18, 2010

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Tobacco, Maniac Meat

By Less Lee Moore

“I want to make you feel paranoid in a good way. There’s something seriously fucked about workout tapes from the mid ’80s, and just about everything obscure on beta tape. They make me feel awful, but really good and curious at the same time. With this Tobacco stuff, I’m trying to translate that feeling.”
—Tobacco, September 26, 2008, Interview in Kotori Magazine

The contradictions inherent in being both a music lover and a music writer frequently lead to a profound tension between pure enjoyment and the need to explain and categorize every song that weaves its way into my ears. One persistent classification has been “music that makes my mom nervous.” Although I have empirical knowledge that Born Innocent by Redd Kross is one such album, I have never been brave enough to test out other potential contenders like Nirvana’s In Utero or anything by JG Thirlwell (the cover of Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel’s Nail was enough to send her into apoplexy).

Certainly Tobacco‘s Maniac Meat would introduce my mom to an entirely new dimension of nervousness.
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The Best Albums Of My Decade: By Less Lee Moore

In an editorial called “An Argument Against Year End Lists” Dusted‘s Ben Tausig calls them both “viscerally disgusting” and “overdone” and accuses those critics who write them of being lazy.

Point taken, Mr. Tausig.
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Best Of 2009: By JG Thirlwell

Mainly I listen to classical, contemporary composition, soundtracks, and prog rock, and I spent most of the year writing new music of my own.
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Best Of 2009—Albums: By Julie Finley

This year was actually a MUCH better year than last year, in regards to album releases. Lots of anticipated stuff (at least for moi) came out, and made me quite positive and hopeful. Last year I was starting to wonder why I still bothered to pay attention, but this year made me bite my tongue. The only thing this year lacked regarding music? There weren’t enough concerts worthy of attendance; it seems those who released stuff that I liked didn’t play anywhere I could get to!

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Foetus, Limb

By Less Lee Moore

For a discussion of the design elements of the 48-page Limb booklet, please read Ann Clarke’s review here.

For a discussion of the Foetus NYC documentary, please read my review here.

Those fans introduced to JG Thirlwell via The Venture Bros. might be surprised (or perhaps confused) by the unique listening experience that Limb, the new Foetus release, provides. If you already knew about the avant garde and experimental reference points which inspired the pieces on Limb, you’ll likely have a different perspective on it than I do. So I’m not going to front and tell you I was intimately familiar with Steve Reich, Terry Riley, Philip Glass, and John Cage before I heard this album.
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Design Dissection: Foetus, Limb

By Ann Clarke

For a discussion of the music on Limb, please read Less Lee’ Moore’s review here.

For a discussion of the Foetus NYC documentary, please read Less Lee Moore’s review here.

Since I have reviewed the musical works of JG Thirlwell on more than one occasion (as well as interviewed the man himself), I am officially burned out from the praise that I’ve given his musical merits. Sorry JGT, I can’t think of any more ways to say that your music “kicks ass!” That only really points to an audio preference and not much more. . . and I can only expound upon those ideas so much!
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NYC Foetus DVD

By Less Lee Moore

For a discussion of the music on Limb, please read my review here.

For a discussion of the design elements of the 48-page Limb booklet, please read Ann Clarke’s review here.

JG Thirlwell has been making music since 1978. . .
He is a singer, a producer, a musician, a composer and a graphic artist.
From the intro to NYC Foetus, directed by Clément Tuffreau
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The Venture Bros., The Music of JG Thirlwell

By Megashaun

Cartoons are typically not known for their musical scores. In fact, for many that I watched growing up, the music was often more of an afterthought (outside of the main title theme, that is). Incidental music in The Transformers, for instance, was so generic and overused that the show even shared many of its compositions (if they could be called that) with its counterpart half-hour Hasbro commercial, G.I. Joe.
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Top Five Cover Versions That Will Never Happen

By Less Lee Moore

5. INXS, “Some Kind Of Wonderful” by Grand Funk Railroad

I grew weary of the Hutchence/Geldof/Yates love triangle drama in the ’90s, so I wasn’t completely shocked by Michael Hutchence’s death. But when the remaining band members subsequently devised a reality show to find a new lead singer, I was offended on behalf of Hutchence as well as my own ’80s INXS fandom. His voice was sensual and bluesy, yet perfectly poised for pop songs. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until he was gone. Which is why the fact that he’ll never be able to cover “Some Kind Of Wonderful” (or sing and perform ever again, for that matter). makes me so very sad. In addition, INXS was one of the rare bands who utilized saxophone judiciously rather than embarrassingly and that would have been a great asset in a reimagining of this song.
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