Friday, October 31, 2008

Words...

RCRD LBL!

" Skeletons, the Brooklyn group who’ve recorded for our bros at Ghostly in the past, are putting out a record on Tomlab called Money that’ll likely work for both dispositions. Their collapsing, Pollack-like jazz punk—kind of like The Jesus Lizard covering Loose Joints with more chromatic tones—can be full of cathartic tom fills one minute and then lull off into la-la land with horn parts that sound like they have wings attached to them the next. In other words, it's totally bi-polar but one-hundred-percent jamming."

LINK

Tower of Sleep!

"Brand-new song from the brand-new album by one of the most underhyped bands in indie rock. Abstract, big-band art-pop with a heap of electronics and a free jazz approach to jamming and freakout. They started out as a synthy dance band, then stepped up into some skinny Prince grooves before mixing in a pleasant helping of fractured tropicalia and afrobeat on last year’s Lucas. This time around it’s less dance and more abstraction. If the Dirty Projectors aren’t “difficult” enough for you, this is your band."

LINK

Pittsburgh City Paper:

"The first proper song, "The Things," is a rousing groove whose guitar rhythms suggest both Captain Beefheart and Jeff Beck's Blow By Blow, and whose sonorous horns seem to borrow a bit from the old Batman TV theme. Synths, theremin and choirs swirl impulsively in and out of the frenetic funk, as the singer asks, "Why would I want to know ... these things the children of rich men know?""

LINK

Cleveland Free Times:

"Most pop music is frustratingly pedantic. It should be possible to write a catchy song that doesn't use the same samples or effects used in every other artist's songs. It should be possible to integrate technology with traditional rock instrumentation to create nuanced compositions that reward repeat listens but can still be whistled. And it should be possible to include every sound, rhythm and melody, regardless of genre, to enhance a song without being pigeonholed as noise, electronica or world music. If you share any of these concerns, then $keleton$ is the band for you."

LINK

Baltimore City Paper:

"Skeletons-a pleasingly weird New York outfit that does well running assorted global music ideas, out-jazz, and improvised groove through a demure indie-rock"

LINK

The great music tabloid! NME:



Looks like so far this time around we have: Jackson Pollack, Jesus Lizard, Loose Joints, Prince, Dirty Projectors, Jeff Beck (!), Captain Beefheart, Psycho soundtrack by Bernard Hermann, and Modest Mouse. We'll keep a running list going...

SEE you in the BIG COUNTRY in the coming END DAYS.

With Love and Empathy, true as the average, broke as a joke,

-Skeletons

Thursday, October 30, 2008

HALLOWEEN

Tomorrow night we will be playing a real terror of a show at Zebulon in Brooklyn, NY with a production of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Dome Theater. Also appearing: Extra Life. Come dressed as your favorite ghoulie: toilet ghoulie, dino ghoulie, tairy ghoulie, tree ghoulie. We will have vinyl and CD copies of our new record, MONEY, for sale as well as freshly printed T-SHIRTS designed by Justin Craun that frankly look amazing. We will be touring the United States of America thereafter selling and re-selling these wares so come see us play and GET SSOME.

ZEBULON ZEBULON ZEBULON ALL HAIL DIE NASTY.

Oct 31 Zebulon HALLOWEEN Brooklyn, New York
Nov 1 Golden West w/ Fakers (mems W. Williams/Ecstatic Sunshine) Baltimore, Maryland
Nov 2 Garfield Artworks Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Nov 3 Beachland Tavern Cleveland, Ohio
Nov 4 Arbor Vitae Ann Arbor, Michigan
Nov 5 Av-aerie Chicago, Illinois
Nov 6 CBGB St. Louis, Missouri
Nov 8 GLOB w/ Pictureplane, BDRMPPL, Modern Witch, Dugoutcanoe Denver, Colorado
Nov 9 Kilby Ct. w/ Danielson Salt Lake City, Utah
Nov 10 Someday Lounge Portland, Oregon
Nov 12 House of Nostromo Oakland, California
Nov 13 Eagle w/ The Mayyors San Francisco, California
Nov 14 The Smell w/ Nite Jewel, David Scott Stone, Vienna Noise Choir Los Angeles
Nov 16 Scoot Inn Austin, Texas
Nov 17 Club Dada Dallas, Texas
Nov 18 TBA New Orleans, Louisiana
Nov 19 Eyedrum Atlanta, Georgia
Nov 20 Secret Squirrel Athens, Georgia
Nov 21 Pilot Light Knoxville, Tennessee
Nov 22 Skylab Columbus, Ohio
Nov 23 The Gypsy Hut Cincinatti, Ohio
Nov 24 Akron Matinee Akron, Ohio
Nov 25 Mike and Molly’s Champaign, Illinois
Nov 26 Empty Bottle w/ Elliot Bergman (NOMO), Lazer Crystal Chicago, Illinois
Dec 4 Velvet Lounge Washington DC, Washington DC
Dec 5 Fordham University Bronx, New York

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

MONEY fun facts



With MONEY less than a week away I thought I'd share this nice story about money:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Letters containing white powder that were sent to more than 50 financial institutions warned that "it's payback time," the FBI said Thursday.

Officials said most of the powder-laced letters were sent to branches of JPMorgan Chase.

"Steal tens of thousands of people's money and not expect repercussions. It's payback time. What you just breathed in will kill you within 10 days. Thank [word redacted] and the FDIC for your demise," said one letter released by the FBI on Thursday.

Most of the letters contained a powder that the FBI said is harmless.

But sending the letters is "a serious crime," even if they are a hoax, FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said in a statement.

More than 50 letters were received this week at financial institutions in 11 states and the District of Columbia, the FBI said.

The letters were all sent from Amarillo, Texas, to branches of Chase Bank; the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which insures bank deposits; and the U.S. Office of Thrift Supervision, a regulatory agency. Not all the letters contained exactly the same wording, the FBI said.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is offering a reward of up to $100,000 "for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible."

"Law enforcement will continue to work to identify and arrest those responsible," Kolko said .

As of Thursday, financial institutions in New York, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, Ohio, Illinois, Colorado, Oklahoma, Georgia, Texas, Virginia, California and Arizona have received the letters, the FBI reported.

Kolko said that field tests on the powder included in the letters have found no sign of a hazardous material but that additional tests were being conducted.

Most of the letters have been sent to branches of JPMorgan Chase, one law enforcement official said on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.


Also less than a week from now, there's something about presidents, here's two fun facts:

Sarah Palin's (rhymes with my last name) make up artist makes more money in half a month than I make in a year.

And possibly a helpful context:

Gross National Product:

Malta: $5.49 billion

Madagascar: $5.37 billion

Cambodia: $5.34 billion

Spending on Fall 2008 U.S. Elections: $5.3 billion

Burkina Faso: $5.24 billion

Mali: $5.12 billion

Nicaragua: $4.97 billion

Bahamas: $4.92 billion

NOV. 4! Vote MONEY!

Love,

SKELETONS

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

A BAND CALLED "MONEY"

AND THEY'RE OFF!

Money
The Skeletons
Tomlab

After listening to the meandering mess of the lead track "Fill My Pockets Full," it should become obvious how awful this record is going to be. Money’s sixth full-length release drowns the senses in an overwhelming flurry of unnecessary instrumentation, evidently with the sole goal to portray the band as desperately weird and different. Lead singer Matthew Mehlan’s inane warbling immediately reeks of a lifelong obsession with Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, and the record quickly spirals into a cluster-fuck that sacrifices the band’s potential in favor of a lost-cause effort to be the next Zappa. The overindulgent opus "Boom! (Money!)," kicks off with a barrage of blistering bass lines and chaotic drum beats that jarringly transition from a funk-infused blowout into a free jazz session that has no place in the song. With all their varied influences and obvious signs of musicianship, it’s simply sad that Money decided to give up on any semblance of cohesion and narrative. They try way too hard to be something they’re not: interesting.

-Max Gelber
From Bay Windows

Friday, October 17, 2008

Jon's Awesome Tape

Jon passed along a S I C K! tape from Morocco he grabst in his time there - to the fantastic Awesome Tapes from Africa blog...



Awesome Tapes from Africa


Better check it, and pour out a l'il liquids for our man Jason - who's keeping it real in Tanzania right now... Once he's back we'll be seeing y'all across this big country...

True as the average,

-Matt

Thursday, October 9, 2008

"The Things"



It is now possible to download "the THINGS!" as freely as you do anything else in this life.

Option click or right click or click how you wanna click on this jazz murder mystery font.



VOTE "Money" on this very important election day: November 4th, 2008.



More to come!

True as the average,

Skeletons

Monday, October 6, 2008

Ohhhh my Illuminated One

Bloods, not sure if Jojo already upped this Glory already but it deserves to be posted again, posted again, posted again. sixteen minutes and it still feels impossible




van morrison - summertime in england

and just part of what he's talkin on about




mahalia jackson - amazing grace

oh, sufferin' so high!
tones