Margot and the Nuclear So and So's

Gahhh! I so wanted "Animal!" to be a better album than "Not Animal." Gotta say... I'm disappointed... Ever since I tried to figure out the reason Margot and the Nuclear So and So's put out two albums with similar titles and covers, I have been fascinated by this band.

For those of you not familiar, Margot and the Nuclear So and So's got into a fight with their label over their 2008 sophomore album "Animal!" and came up with a unique compromise. Namely they let their label release a homogenized version of the album on CD calling it "Not Animal." "Animal!," the album the band wanted was only released on vinyl and has a very different track selection.

Now I don't deny that "Not Animal" is a bit overproduced and too Death Cabby for me (dont get me started on Ben Gibbard), but it just has a better overall energy. Not to mention my favorite song on the album "Broadripple is Burning" didn't make the cut on "Animal!"

"Animal!" is a much darker, slower album. A lot of the chord progressions are a bit more challenging then its poppy sibling's. Songs like I Am A Lightening Rod are a perfect example of such. It's clearly experimental, oscillating wildly between dissonant and consonant sections... I also really like "There's talk of mine shafts," not so much focusing on the lyrics, just dig the thoughtful thick string section.

A wise music professor once taught me that you cannot play fast without slow, sad without happy and start in the middle so you don't shoot your wad all at once. I seem to recall a fantastic author having similar theories... That's my complaint about "Animal!" namely that its relatively monotone with a few exceptions.

For those interested in "Animal!" you can listen to it in its entirety here.

I think this is a case where compromise might have resulted in a better album from both rather than two that only kind of work. If you have both you can mix and match. That said, I'm glad Margot and the Nuclear So and So's stuck to their artistic integrity even though it wasn't my thing. Too often you hear bands being overpowered by their producers and forced to put out crap that sounds like everyone else... or ben gibbard...

As a side note, the video below is one of the reasons I fell in love with this band...



Such an awesome idea, it just makes me sad its already been done :)

OZOMATLI! @ The Santa Ana Street Fair (5.1.11)

Went to see Ozomatli play the Santa Ana Cinco de Mayo Street Fair today (5/1/11). It wasn't really advertized in English that they were playing in an attempt to keep it within the community, but I got the tip off from someone playing earlier in the day. Walked around the fair a bit, got some tacos and beer as was expected of me then went to the show.

As always, the band was full of energy, dancing, jumping around and literally scaling the stage scafolding. This show was a bit different from their norm as it was cinco de mayo so the material was oriented towards that crowd more. At times there were throngs of people salsa dancing away to the latin beats. They did still play some funk and hip hop oriented material as well as some of their hits.

The one thing that supprised me was that they did not jump into the crowd and do an impropmtu drum circle as the frequently do. I suspect this had a lot to do with the organziation of the fair and the schedule. Disapointing but not the end of the world. Still happy to have been there.


As a side note, there was just something surreal about walking away from the show and seeing a TV at a booth blasting the news about Osama. I take no joy in any loss of life as I am a pacifist through and through, but it is hard not to be happy the world is free of such a horrible person.