REVIEWS PIEBALD • SONIC YOUTH • AUF DER MAUR • GOMEZ • LOLA RAY • MARITIME • METAPHYSICS • RHYMEFEST ISSUE NO. 864 • MAY 17, 2004 • WWW.CMJ.COM NEW MUSIC REPORT® CMJSPOTLIGHT REVIEW PEDRO THE MORRISSEY YOU ARE THE QUARRY OF MONTREAL #1 RECORD (THAT’S NOT LION MODEST MOUSE) (Gently) Claws REGISTER NOW Their Way To CMJ MUSIC MARATHON MOSTADDED NEWS TO US Bowie Co-Opts Trend! MODEST MOUSE RADIO 200 + CORE #1 COUNTER CULTURE: INDEPENDENT RECORDS (MUCH BETTER SINCE CMJ’S KORY GROW LEFT) REGISTER BY MAY 14! www.cmj.com/marathon Photo of the Mars Volta at CMJ 2003 by Kevin Scanlon Volta Photo of the Mars CMJ New Music Report® EDITORIAL Editor Steve Ciabattoni Retail Editor NEWS TO US Gerry Hart Associate Editors ISSUE 864 The last studio Money/Alice doubleshot. The ever- Nicole Keiper album from the late Elliott Smith Tom Mallon slaphappy Les Claypool is also Christopher R. Weingarten may soon see the light of day. From adding some low end (let’s hope Loud Rock Editor The Basement On The Hill was Waits and co-producer/wife Kathleen Amy Sciarretto reportedly delivered to his last label Brennan can rein in Claypool’s 17- RPM Editor home, DreamWorks, but it is minute long fretless solos and inces- Justin Kleinfeld unclear whether they’ll be the one sant need to write every song about Retail Marketing Director to release it. In a message on sweet his high-school friends) and ex- Vanessa Bolger adeline.net, Elliott’s father, Gary, Retail Assistant Editor Primus/G’NR drum assassin Brian Kory Grow said that final mixing and produc- “Brain” Mantia (we assume Contributing Writer tion on the record is in progress Buckethead had some pressing Brad Filicky and that the album would be out engagement). The new record will Interns some time in the fall. be called Real Gone and will be After winning a Strokes trivia contest, Brad Angle completed for a fall release on Anti-. lucky Denvernian David Key (left) won the Traci Reed So what’s it about? Says Waits: right to go record shopping with two of Vicki Siolos “Politics, rats, war, hangings, danc- the Strokes—guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. and bassist Nikolai Fraiture—at indie CUSTOMER SERVICE ing, automobiles, pirates, farms, the stalwart Twist And Shout Records. Dave Fulfillment/Business Services carnival and sinning. Mama, liquor, and his girlfriend allowed Al and Nik to Manager trains and death.” And then for the pick all the CDs (many of which have riffs Jason Glastetter second song… that later appeared on Strokes records— Customer Service Coordinator zing!), then even let the Strokesters foot Greg Burgett e The RIAA has filed 477 new the bill! The CDs the gang picked up: John Doe lawsuits (cuz they really Blonde Redhead, Modest Mouse, Sam ART don’t know who they’re suing actu- Cooke, Leadbelly, Built To Spill, John Art Director ally, but you can’t slap a subpoena Vanderslice, the Sleepy Jackson and an Steve Cassidy Adam Green CD, which will surely end up on a library modem). The targets back at Twist And Shout by the end of the STEFANI: BUSH WHACKER (GOSH, THAT'S this time are universities and their week. By the way, the last time David’s PUBLISHING FUNNY ON SO MANY LEVELS) CEO & Publisher computer networks, including girlfriend was seen by David was when Robert K. Haber e notorious party schools Brown, she stepped into the Strokes’ tour bus. That GW-throwing-horn-hands- Also, the “go record shopping with Chief Operating Officer in-sweet-fealty-to-his-Dark-Lord Emory and Princeton. Jay B. Ziskrout Danger Mouse” contest was cancelled Editorial Director photo should get a fresh round of e David Bowie, once again lusting after Mr. Mouse just ended up taking two Scott Frampton circulation this August with the after fresh blood, is hitching his pro- CDs off the racks and violently smashed them together. Vice President & General Manager release of Rock Against Bush Vol. 2. motional machine to the mash-up Mike Boyle Foo Fighters, whose schmaltzy bandwagon. Home-studio hopefuls Director Of Sales “Times Like These” had us mistak- should hit up www.davidbowie.com/ e WORK IT. The CMJ Music Jon Rayvid ing them for Republicans, hop on neverFollow/ (sweet… irony… killing Marathon has an internship available board with a cover of Angry CIRCULATION us… softly), where one can win a now in the registration department. Samoans’ “Gas Chamber.” Other Distribution & Fulfillment $30,000 Audi TT Coupe, a boatload Responsibilities include: Monitoring contributors include No Doubt, [email protected] of software or a Sony VAIO laptop, all registrations, sending registration the Used and Yellowcard… which 917.606.1908 all for mashing a track from Bowie’s confirmation letters/emails, tracking unfortunately forces us to endorse Reality with any other Bowie track. marketing data, working with sales CMJ NETWORK, INC. something featuring Yellowcard. The rules are unclear as to whether Robert K. Haber and festival staff, managing on-site Joanne Abbot Green e Rock’s most eloquent carnival songs from Labyrinth or Tin registration and other general admin- barker, Tom Waits, is down in Machine are eligible to be mashed, istrative duties. This position is an CMJ New Music Report (ISSN 0890 0795) but come to think of it, wouldn’t unpaid, but almost always leads to a is published weekly, except for one week in Mississippi working on a new January, by The CMJ Network, Inc. with record with old pals drummer mashing anything with Tin Machine paid position on the CMJ Music offices at 151 W. 25th St., 12th Fl.; Larry Taylor and guitarist Marc be like multiplying by zero? Marathon staff. Send resumes to: New York, NY 10001. Ribot, following up 2002’s Blood – SC, TM & CRW [email protected]. Subscription rates are $345.00 for 48 issues; $575.00 for 96 issues. Sorry, no refunds. Subscription offices: 151 W. 25th St., 12th Fl.; New York, NY 10001. Tel 917.606.1908. 5 NOW / REVIEWS Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and additional mailing offices. 8 POINTS OF IMPACT CMJ New Music Report is copyright ©2004 9 RADIO 200 by The CMJ Network, Inc. all rights reserved; CONTENTS nothing may be reproduced without written 13 CORE RADIO / ADDS consent of publisher. Unless indicated otherwise, PEDRO THE LION all letters sent to CMJ are eligible for publication 15 RETAIL and copyright purposes, and are subject to David and TW make you Heel. 20 LOUD ROCK CMJ’s right to edit and comment editorially. MOST ADDED, PAGE 13 Unsolicited manuscripts, photos and artwork 22 RPM are welcome; please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope to facilitate return. 23 TRIPLE A / NEW WORLD Postmaster: send address changes to 24 JAZZ / HIP HOP CMJ New Music Report, 151 W. 25th St., 12th Floor; New York, NY 10001 26 FINAL SAY 3 CMJ MAY 17, 2004 (exclusive cd) “I bought 6 albums from this issue.” -A.Moore, subscriber WE TURN PEOPLE ON Book your ad and CD track in the CMJ New Music Monthly now. Call Mike Boyle 917-606-1908 ext. 261. 864.05 [now] 5/6/04 12:41 PM Page 4 THIS WEEK’S ESSENTIAL NEW RELEASES NOW MORRISSEY PIEBALD SONIC YOUTH You Are The Quarry (Attack-Sanctuary) All Ears, All Eyes, All The Time Sonic Nurse (Geffen) The seven-year wait for Morrissey’s reemergence has (SideOneDummy) Sonic Youth is proof that modern art defies the cate- proved worthwhile: Retaining his mellifluous baritone Emo years are akin to dog years, so it’s tempting to slap gories of painting and sculpture. The band’s musical croon while dispelling the ostentatious synth-y overtones an Old Yeller tag on Boston emo-poppers Piebald; a incorporation of noise (something Velvet Underground of his last few releases, the Maestro of Mope makes a decade-long lifespan, five LPs and countless EPs, splits pioneered and SY mastered) has become so sublime that somewhat bittersweet return to cynical rock form on You and comps under their belts, the band’s long outlived Sonic Nurse improves on the stellar Murray Street Are The Quarry. He questions his own self-worth, most of their contemporaries. But then, Piebald’s never (CMJ’s top album of 2002) by leaving room for songs to America’s hamburger fetish and the bane of Christianity, stopped learning new tricks, and frontman Travis Shettel’s breathe. The band more clearly focuses its songs, with all woven into his trademark dulcet pop. As he gracefully gotten a tighter grip on his wavery yelp with each new influences like Neil Young and Smog complementing moves through his 40s, the former Smith proves his release. Here, both his voice and the songwriting are the band’s arty improvisations. enduring vitality on Quarry. markedly stronger, and the sense of humor that’s always set them apart is just as prevalent. WEB: www.morrisseymusic.com WEB: www.piebald.com WEB: www.sonicyouth.com ATTN: Fans who don’t speak Boomslang, hyperemotional MDs, ATTN: Old-school/new-school eemers, fans of laugh tracks with ATTN: Idealist indie rockers, improvisational MDs, acidheads anyone who needs a hug your tears RELEASE DATE / ADD DATE: June 8 / at radio RELEASE DATE / ADD DATE: May 18 RELEASE DATE / ADD DATE: May 18 / at radio RADIO: Brent Reineke, [email protected] RADIO: Drew Murray, [email protected] RADIO: Justin Gressley, [email protected] KEY TRACKS: “Mariah Carey And The Arthur Doyle Hand Cream,” KEY TRACKS: “Irish Blood, English Heart,” “America Is Not The KEY TRACKS: “The Benefits Of Ice Cream,” “Part Of Your Body Is “Dude Ranch Nurse,” “I Love You Golden Blue” World,” “How Could Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel?” Made Out Of Rock” OF NOTE: Artist Richard Prince painted the nurses featured OF NOTE: As a fan of ragaman Gregory Isaacs, Morrissey OF NOTE: The “veteran” emo band’s first LP for SideOneDummy.