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On Michael Jackson: Kojo Is A Hater!
Today, soothing WAMU radio host Kojo Nnamdi prefaced a call-in hour by going off on all things Michael Jackson. He sorta boasted to listeners that his show had been a Michael Jackson Free Zone this past week. He then explained his confusion as to why African American leaders and African American Professor types would debase themselves on cable chat shows extolling the King of Pop’s Black Power credentials and deep ties to the African-American community. He said that anyone under 30 would have only known Jackson as Wacko—an alleged child molesting freak with a damaged nose. For a generation, Jackson’s talents were seen only in montage clips.
The man didn’t want to look like me, Nnamdi argued. And he went out of his way to not look like me. One of several callers took the bait and argued on MJ’s behalf citing psychological and biological trauma as the cause of the singer’s skin whitening and plastic surgery obsession. Nnamdi just argued back: “I can’t embrace him.”
When another caller chimed to bash WMATA on its failed safety proceedures and the metro crash, Nnamdi admitted to having no expertise on the subject. The metro crash was a mystery to him. Jackson was another matter.
*photo courtesy of WAMU.
New Arrivals @ Red Onion
Red Onion just put out a list of its new arrivals which include some new Honest Jon’s releases (Trembling Bells, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, among others), the new Dinosaur Jr. LP, the Rondos reissue, White Hills, The Field, Deerhunter, Es, Earth, Major Lazer, Betty Davis, the new Papercuts, Blank Dogs and an amazing George Mitchell-produced blues LP.
Full list in annoying font/font size after the jump (apologies).
New Arrivals @ Red Onion
Red Onion has some pretty great new LPs in stock among them–the new Deerhunter record, that Pavement Brighten the Corners deluxe reissue box, the Ganglians LP, and the new, surprisingly good Tortoise LP. The must own: The World is Shaking: Cubanismo from the Congo 1954-1955.
Full list of the new titles after the jump.
Tonight: Double Dagger To Play Free In-Store @ Crooked Beat
Baltimore’s Double Dagger will be playing an in-store at Crooked Beat today at 7 p.m. The show is free. Expect it to be loud as hell. Double Dagger recently released its stunning third LP, More, on Thrill Jockey. We hope the Adams Morgan record shop has insurance; the band’s sound is all sharp elbows, pointed politics, and brash playing that is sure to rattle CD racks and vinyl displays.
The trio’s fuzzed-bass-and-monster drumming m.o. is a nod to that thinning brotherhood of post-punk musicians who highlight basement shows and fanzines (what are fanzines?), who haven’t thought about wearing guyliner and going emo, who haven’t dabbled in concept albums or made records where you need a Ph.D in Steve Reich to get. It’s a throwback sound; the members modest well be wearing bootleg Fugazi T-shirts. (You definitely hear Fugazi in one of DD’s older songs, “The Psychic”; the Jane Jacobs politics behind “Luxury Condos For the Poor” updates “Cashout.”) All this means is that Double Dagger is the token rock band on just about any bill.
But don’t let my lame comparison to Fugazi fool you. The band’s sound is all it’s own, having come from years of playing together. Double Dagger formed in 2002: bass guitar (Bruce Willen), that monster drumming (Brian Dubin) and singer/songwriting (Nolen Strals). Strals and Willen met in art school. Later, Dubin was replaced with drummer Denny Bowen.
This week we fired off some questions to the band via e-mail. The Q and A after the jump.
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Mary Timony To Debut New Band—Soft Power
Mary Timony, local guitar hero, has a new band—Soft Power. The band—originally called Pow Wow—will come as a blessing to Timony fans. The quartet’s sound hews toward the more angular rock of her Helium heyday with some well-studied kraut and psych flourishes thrown in. So far, Soft Power has posted two songs—”La La La” and “Izabella”—posted to its myspace page.
Timony is joined by band members Jonah Takagi, Winston Yu, and T.J. Lipple. It looks like the band will be playing Comet Ping Pong on June 20 and Fort Reno in July. [Timony's website puts the Comet show at June 19].
Crooked Beat’s Top Sellers For May
Crooked Beat sent along a list of the Adams Morgan stores top-ten sellers for May. I pass it along not so much for its tiny news value as merely a reminder. Maybe you’re like me and totally slept on the new Camera Obscura album (it’s….No. 1 at Crooked Beat). Or maybe you still do not own Neutral Milk Hotel’s classic (No. 9).
New Arrivals @ Som Records
Som Records has got in some good LPs this week. Neal writes in an e-mail: “Besides loads of fresh used LP’s brought back from Florida and North Carolina (including Badger, Captain Beefheart, “Star Wars Dub”, Dead Kennedys, Francoise Hardy and more) and a whole bunch of soul 7″s here are some of the new vinyl LP’s…”
Among the new stuff: an awesome collection of early Monks rarities and demos, a classic Beck LP, Lady Gaga, and the new Sonic Youth.
Full list after the jump.
