Magnet Magazine
Twenty-three-year-old Londoner Esser may look like a roadie for the Smiths circa The Queen Is Dead, but he’s got more electro/hip-hop moves than an entire club full of Salford lads. Esser has already opened for the Kaiser Chiefs, and he’s slated to produce Cee-Lo’s next album. Here’s the video for “Headlock”; full-length Braveface is out August 11 on Chocolate Industries in the U.S.
“We’re going to party like it’s 1699,” sings Nina Persson on Colonia, the second album the Cardigans frontwoman has released under the A Camp name with husband Nathan Larson (Shudder To Think) and Niclas Frisk. As the lyric and album title imply, the ornate Colonia is loosely based on the theme of love in the time of colonialism and is inspired by cabaret and musicals from the ’40s. Larson and Persson—king and queen of Colonia—are guest editing magnetmagazine.com all this week. Read our Q&A with them.
Nathan And Nina: Like all chefs, we don’t give away all our secrets, but we will tell you that we have big love for old analog synthesizers and effects. There’s nothing too special about loving the analog (as opposed to digital) stuff. We just wanted to share with you some of our favorites, and those without which our latest record, Colonia, would not have its flavor. Because despite the acoustic, orchestrated nature of the music, there’s plenty of gnarly electronic stuff going on in there, too. Here’s some classics that we couldn’t be without:
Roland Juno 60
For arpeggios. You can hear it loud and clear on “Bear On The Beach,” “Stronger Than Jesus” and “Love Has Left The Room.”
Roland SH 101
For sub-bass, it’s the best. Heard on “Here Are Many Wild Animals,” “The Weed Had Got There First,” “It’s Not Easy Being Human Anymore” and “I Signed The Line.”
Arp Solina String Ensemble
Pretty much on everything, especially “Chinatown,” “Golden Teeth And Silver Medals,” “The Crowning” and “My America.” It’s the Dreamweaver!
Casio SK-1
Priceless. Heard most prominently at the beginning of “Chinatown.”
Electro Harmonix Memoryman
We mixed a lot of stuff through this mutha.
Roland Space Echo
Nothing sounds like this thing. Lee “Scratch” Perry knows that. This is used just about everywhere as well, but it’s most evident on the breakdown of “Stronger Than Jesus”—that dubby kind of slapback.
Fulltone Tube-Tape Echo
The only newly manufactured, non-vintage thing on this list, but we can’t say enough about this thing. Expensive and worth it. It’s on Nina’s voice almost all the time and frequently on the guitars (especially “Chinatown”).
Sequential Circuits Prophet 5
Pads and textures, especially on “Golden Teeth And Silver Medals.”
Brooklyn dream-pop trio School Of Seven Bells features some familiar faces: Benjamin Curtis from Secret Machines and twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza (both of On!Air!Library!). They pull in another known quantity—Jesu’s Justin Broadrick—to remix the following track, also featured on the “Cabal” single. School Of Seven Bells is currently on tour with fellow fuzz cadets Black Moth Super Rainbow.
“Face To Face On High Places (Jesu Remix)” (download):
Don’t be a Bonnarube: This year, stainless-steel water bottle manufacturer Stanley is helping Bonnaroo go a little greener by providing free drinking water to all festivalgoers and selling a limited-edition nineteen13 bottle (pictured, $22). The water is free regardless of whether you buy the bottle, and $1 from each purchase goes toward the Global Water Challenge to support worldwide fresh water supply and sanitation. Artists performing at Bonnaroo (June 11-14 in Manchester, Tenn.) will be using the bottles onstage as well. We don’t have to tell you how bad plastic water bottles are for the environment. Find out more about the Less Bottled Water Program here.
We’re giving away Stanley water bottles to the first three people—even those not going to Bonnaroo—who correctly answer the following trivia questions. Email your answers to tips@magnetmagazine.com.
Who got their first recording credit with a 1980 song called “R2-D2 We Wish You A Merry Christmas”?
Former Rosebuds guitarist Justin Vernon currently performs under what name?
Which singer’s final album ended with the words “Shazbot, nanu nanu”?
This contest has ended. Congrats to the winners. The answers to our trivia questions are Jon Bon Jovi, Bon Iver and Bon Scott. Thanks to everyone who played.
They don’t care about your flat-front khakis and they don’t want to know about your slim-fit jeans; they are Men Without Pants, the duo of Dan “The Automator” Nakamura (Gorillaz) and Russell Simins (Blues Explosion). Debut album Naturally (Expansion Team) is out now, featuring guest musicians Sean Lennon and members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cibo Matto and the Mooney Suzuki. Pantsless frontman Simins made MAGNET a plus-sized mix tape of his favorite songs, hitting the percussion standouts heavily. Needless to say, there is nothing safe about dancing to these songs.
“And The Girls Go” (download):
1. SERGE GAINSBOURG/JANE BIRKIN “Le Decadence”
This is the most beautiful pop song I’ve ever known. Serge is the master of capturing the down and dirty and real and sexy with inimitable style. Jane is his vocally brilliant hot muse. The bands that he recorded with are always top-notch and groovy-sounding, as are the arrangements, and the drummers always have such great feel. Serge’s chord changes can often make me cry; they’re so brilliant and moving. This song is him at his best.
2. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND “Heroin”
The first line: “I don’t know where I’m goin’.” Seven-plus minutes later, last line: “And I guess I just don’t know.” Punk-rock anthem, psychedelic anthem, metal anthem, hard-rock anthem, no-wave anthem, avant-garde anthem. And it manages to be a catchy kinda pop song, too. Put an end to Dylan being the sole father of punk. Maybe in style and swagger, Dylan is still the first, but this is the birth of punk-rock music and attitude as we know it in all its various forms. And Moe Tucker’s drumming!
3. BERNARD PURDIE “Soul Drums”
Along with Ziggy Modeliste, John Bonham, Charlie Watts, Levon Helm and Ringo Starr, Bernard Purdie has made a most indelible impression on me as a drummer. Pretty Purdie is a master of feel like none other, and the feel and the funk on this track is mind-blowing. Not to mention the crazy cool reverb on the snare drum.
4. JAMES BROWN “Tell Me That You Love Me”
Simply one of the most captivating rock/soul tracks ever recorded, brought to you like only James Brown can. It’s a live recording from 1966. The Blues Explosion has played this live a few times. We tried to do it justice. Totally inspiring and insane.
5. JOHN LENNON “God”
The naked truth! Lennon was the king of stripping it all down and telling it like it is. And he managed to be sensitive while doing it all. Such a dimensional personality, and it all comes through in this song. The raw-yet-pretty production (which he was really mostly responsible for on this album, even though it’s credited to Phil Spector), the lyrics and his unmatched vocal intimacy. Ringo Starr’s drumming is an added plus and, as always, perfectly simple and very uniquely Ringo.
6. BOB DYLAN “Idiot Wind”
Not from the properly released Blood On The Tracks, but the first NYC version before Dylan went to L.A. and recorded it differently. I find the New York sessions, particularly this song, to be more intimate and touching. Not to take anything away from Blood On The Tracks.
7. BOB DYLAN “One Too Many Mornings”
From Live In 1966. My favorite Dylan lyric, at arguably Dylan’s greatest moment. The performance is cantankerous and lazy, chaotic and controlled, with the Hawks backing him up. He was changing the face of popular music, and this song moves me more than any other. I used to only be able to hear this on a rare bootleg I have called Ten Of Swords. For years, that was the only way I knew it. When this concert came out as part of the officially released bootleg series, it was pretty amazing to hear it in an official form.
8. OL’ DIRTY BASTARD “Shimmy Shimmy Ya”
The Jerry Lee Lewis of rap. From the opening scratchy-record sounds and swarthy infectious piano sample to the moment you hear his voice and his shameless, breathy, salivating vocal style and the unique flow to his vocal tweak when he utters, “Nuh ooooorman Bates,” you know this is an original like no other. Such great apparent lo-fi production on this one; it makes it punk. ODB is the greatest personality in rap. He even beats out Biz Markie to me, which in and of itself is unbelievable.
9. YEAH YEAH YEAHS “Y Control”
The best girl to ever lead a band. Period. Karen O’s refreshingly honest “I don’t give a fuck but I do give a fuck” way as a performer is the bottom line of punk. It keeps it alive regardless of the seemingly mass-produced punk stylings of Green Day and a hundred other bands. This song captures her at her best and also really features Brian Chase’s trademark awesome drumming. Nick Zinner is great on this one, too; he really hooked up our song “Let’s Meet In Real Life” on the Men Without Pants record. The Blues Explosion toured with YYYs for about a year. We took them under our wing at the time; they opened up for us all over the U.S., Europe and Australia, and it was a total blast. Brian and I used to go vintage-drum shopping together.
10. GEORGE JONES “Walk Through This World With Me”
Best voice ever. Tremendous love song. Although he didn’t write a lot of his songs after a while, he still made them his own with his incredible voice and so heartfelt delivery. This one really says it all about finding true love.
11. BEETHOVEN “Late String Quartet Opus 131 in C Sharp Minor – 1st Movement” / THE BEACH BOYS “God Only Knows”
The first movement of this is truly a sublime mixture of the dark and the light. Like Brian Wilson’s best songs, one of which, “God Only Knows” (one of his masterpieces), I have to include here.
12. MILES DAVIS “Shh/Peaceful” and “Blue In Green”
Tony Williams drumming on “Shh/Peaceful” (off of In A Silent Way) and Miles’ coolest-of-cool fusion band never gets boring. “Blue In Green” (off of Kind Of Blue) is just the most gorgeous fucking jazz number off the most amazing jazz record of all.
13. ROLLING STONES “Rocks Off”
The greatest rock song opening up the greatest rock album of all time. Charlie Watts and his signature behind-the-beat style and fills have never sounded better. What rock ‘n’ roll is all about.
14. TELEVISION “Marquee Moon”
Punk rock at its most glorious.
15. TOM WAITS “Take It With Me”
The best, rawest modern-day singer/songwriter in my book, and this is just one of many examples. I played drums for him on Letterman a few years back. He’s the original: the Charles Bukowski of song. No bull and a totally hilarious sweetheart. I initially met him at a meeting that was set up for us at a roadside diner near his Northern California home. He ordered fries and coffee. We cracked each other up for about an hour. He was really happy to hear the Animals on the radio in the diner.
16. BUTTHOLE SURFERS “The Shah Sleeps In Lee Harvey’s Grave”
This basically wipes the floor of any hardcore punk before it, at the time of it and after it. It rips your face off and you love it! Period! With all due respect to Black Flag and the Bad Brains.
17. SLAYER “South Of Heaven Into Silent Scream”
Metal and metal drumming (the one and only Dave Lombardo) at its peak.
18. ROBERT JOHNSON “If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day”
The blues begins and ends for me with Robert Johnson. There are others, of course: Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee, R.L. Burnside, etc. But nothing ever come close to Robert Johnson for me. I played drums on a record we made with R.L. He’s actually a link to the original Delta blues. What an amazing muthafucka R.L. was!
19. ELVIS PRESLEY “Baby Let’s Play House”
From The Sun Sessions. Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll is born for all.
20. BIG STAR “Sixteen”
Alex Chilton was such a master of the melancholic pop song. Here’s one example that could end every one of my mix tapes.
And I’d have to add these at some point. Just a few artists and songs I can’t live without while I’m on the road.
NICK DRAKE “Time Has Told Me”
TOWNES VAN ZANDT “No Place To Fall”
LEONARD COHEN “Secret Life”
ELLIOTT SMITH “Pitseleh”
SPIRITUALIZED “The Straight And The Narrow”
NEIL YOUNG “On The Beach”
THE CURE “In Between Days”