Semi Random Music (in Two Acts)

Semi-Random Friday Music

WHEREBY Your Montag traverses the myspace music scene, follows the trail of comments from one page to the next and picks out the song I like best from each artist. (This edition and prior examples of this endeavor can be found by clicking over to the category.)

Clicking the red text is to experience the anticipation of crossing a musty threshold and descending grungy stairs to some place, below street level, in the old downtown district, with thick arched foundations crafted from ancient brick, where secret societies once conspired for control of local commerce, which now serves a different purpose: as the artist’s myspace music page.

1. Surfer Girl — Fabs (Scotland) — This music has a certain, as the French say, “I don’t know what,” which make me nostalgic. (Maybe it’s that their list of influences reads like my personal music collection.) Not what I hear in my mind’s ear when I think of “surf” music, but I’m wouldn’t say their self-description: “indie surf pop” is a misnomer.
2. Paul Oh — The Chi Chis (Scotland) — This music is either: 1. Quirky funny party music good for some raucous cutting loose… Or, if this group were to catch on commercially and assault you 15 times a day on the office radio: 2. Inane novelty songs that make you want to gauge your ears out 15 times a day… “Come and dance with The Chi Chis! The Chi Chis got a new song!” No, wait. Upon a second listen: it’s just number 2.
3. Red Lights Stage — Gara™ (Japan) — Japanese Hair Band! After this, if this group were to catch on commercially, you would chuckle with glee 15 times a day because you’d feel like you were in on an elaborate cosmic joke from the beginning. [Pictured.]
4. My Number — Girl (London, UK) — Rock band that I didn’t know of when they were active from 78 to 82, nor until just now. Good one for Land of the Lost: The London Early Hair Band Scene…

   …and there I stopped— what, a month ago? —when I set out to compose this list.

   Rather than continuing today down the path to Hair Rock Proper, (or Butt Rock, whichever you prefer,) let’s follow another hot tip from TNG regarding the construction of world stomping robots…

5. Building A Robot — Robot Makers (New York) — Like a cleverer Jack White with more of a Kraftwerk sensibility. (It’s worth it to bypass the myspace music player and go straight to taking TNG’s further advice to “check out the video for their song Building A Robot.”)
6. Dick Around — SPARKS (Los Angeles) — Listed as a big influence to something as awesome as Robot Makers made me feel like I should know them beyond a vague recognition of the band name… these guys were putting out work over the duration of the formative years of my musical tastes and I missed it. [Pictured.]
7. Ces Chiens Gtr-Solo… — Masahide Sakuma (Yokosukashi, Japan) — Unoffensive, sleepy guitar strumming sounds. And perhaps a mandolin or something.
8. Yellowcake — Kaki King (New York) — Very really quite nice.
9. PS Thanx For Nothing — SPUTTERDOLL (San Francisco) — “Cheering up emo kids one show at a time.” Yeh.

Your Montag’s top four for those of you who just don’t take enough time for yourselves, and won’t stick around long enough for all nine: 5, 6, 1 and 8.

Suggestions? If you know of, (or are,) a myspace music artist that might value the exposure that a glancing mention on a D-list blog can bring, leave a comment here or correspond with me via electronic mail.

Bonus Awesome Video: By way of Our Own Fehlleistungen, here is Pistol Valve:

Yes! [End transmission.]