So, how was Blowout? I had a blast and was able to see and perform with a lot of great bands. My only compaint this year was The Night Move took fucking forever to get me from place to place. I was able to snag a an annual Blowout Compilation from the Loco Gnosis label. It features 10 local bands and is a mixture of both live and studio recordings. Out of all the shitty Detroit music comps that I have come across, the consistency of the Loco Gnosis comps are great for offering the broadest spectrum of what is the diversified embodiment of "The Detroit Underground Scene." Genres span from electro to surf to desert to psych to slam poetry. For the revue of this awesome CD, I will be delving into it, giving quick thoughts on a track-by-track basis. So without further adieu, here is the rundown on the 2010 Loco Gnosis Blowout XIII Compilation....
Marco Polio And The New Vaccines - Drinking Cursing British Purse Thief
-A great opening song, gets you in the dancing mood. I like the grainy, under-produced sound. It really gets across the Detroit feel even though this is an electro band. This is the first recorded effort I've ever heard from Marco and I must say it's a good translation of their live sound.
Jehovah's Witness Protection Program - Lizards
-A heavily instrumentalized song with very few lyrics. Often spastic transistions and rhythm changes. A hectic, almost metal-sided tune.
Canja Rave - Badango
-A country, old-timey feeling song that is reminscent of hearing a mariachi band singing backed by drums and electric guitars.
The Beggars - 25 Miles
-A great cover of the Edwin Starr classic. The Beggars are one of the very few if the only Detroit Band that is specifically geared for arena-rock. The recording of this track makes you feel like you are front row at The Palace with a packed crowd behind you.
Duende! - Because The Thorn
-This song strays from Duende!'s usual western desert sound. It sounds more like a Detroit-based garage rock tune. This shows that Duende! can step outside their perverbial box and incorporate new genres into their repotoire. Even with this embracement, you can undoubtedly tell that this is a Duende! track.
Devilfish - Double Gus
-Double Gas starts with a really chill guitar based intro before it explodes into an all out surf board bust. Devilfish has really unique way of transitioning from the slow to the fast to the chill to the big finish.
Forget - Three-Eyed Train (excerpt)
-This band has an ever-rovolving cast of musicians. Their sets are usually 1 long jam stretched out over 35-45 minutes. For the first time at Blowout, I saw them make use of vocalists. Their songs are an ambient grind that includes all forms of instrumentations from your classic rock composites to horns, cellos, woodwinds, et al. Really a good tune to chill out, fall asleep to.
Woodman - What The Night Might Bring
-This song is definitely dials up the 60s folk rock scene. Reminds me of the more chilled side of Jefferson Airplane. A good storytelling of lyrics and jam that crescendos with a fuzzbomb at the end.
Duende! - The Lodge
-Ahh there it is, the traditional Duende! western, desert sound. The Lodge evokes feeling of riding my motorcycle through the sands and arriving at Canada from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.
The Beggars - FRK
-This time around, an original song from The Beggars. FRK is backed the roar of the crowd and is a good anthem to just cut loose, party, and have a great time.
Jehovah's Witness Protection Program - FreedomSong
-FreedomSong starts out a lot lighter than Lizards. It still contains the same hectic feel between the transitions of the songs construction. If you are unfamiliar with JWPP, these 2 songs are a really great display of their overall sound.
Woodman - Broke A String (improv)
-Even though this song is just an off the cuff made up tune, its great. I was cracking up over the lyrics. Ultimately the punkier side of Woodman, but really funny, quick, and to the point.
The Oscillating Fanclub - My Grave Face
-This song is badass. Psychedlic feel reminiscent of the 70s New York scene. There is also a distinct surf component as well.
Wildcatting - Venezuelan Baby Names
-Wildcatting is on the more experimental side of the spectrum, straying from your typical average song construction. VBN bounces all over the place intro different movements. With how quickly and snappy they changeup, it reminds me of the presentation of Mars Volta's tunes.
John Sinclair And The Pinkeye Orchestra - Bloomdido
-I am very unfamiliar with John Sinclair post MC5. I know he had art shows here and there, a big birthday party last year, and an interview on MCR. I never had the chance to attend any of these. Basically, what Bloomdido is is a great psych band with slam poetry on top of it. Sinclair has a definable drawl to his voice, but I found myself listening more to The Pinkeye Orchestra moreso than anything else.
Wildcatting - Kazooing
-A good little ditty to close out the comp. Fun with kazoos. 1 kazoo holds the basic rhythm while the other solos over top. A quick country-esque ditty.
As you can tell, I really dug the comp. If you would dig it as well, you can download the whole thing for free right here.
-jr
-jr is a musician/dj/blogger/writer from Detroit, MI. He performs in the band The Jesus Chainsaw Massacre and writes a cultural blog under the same moniker. When Dj'ing he uses the handle DJ JCM. He has been an integral part of the Detroit Music mechanation for the past 10 years. He knows just about everything about music on both a local and national level. His opinon is gold and is infallible.