Synth-rock quartet Hot Panda recorded its sophomore album, How Come I’m Dead (Mint), in a whirlwind one-week session at JC/DC Studio in Vancouver with the help of New Pornographer John Collins. The first single, “Mindlessness,” captures this urgency with spiraling keyboards and an ever-persistent drum beat. An unanticipated downtempo finish adds a touch of sweetness to this otherwise fantastically manic track. Download “Mindlessness” below, and if you are feeling creative, make your own remix here. And as a bonus, MAGNET is proud to premiere album track “Masculinity,” which you can also download below.
Hardcore will never die, at least while Keith Morris is still alive and kicking. The 55-year-old Morris co-founded the legendary Black Flag with Greg Ginn before leaving the band three years later to start the equally seminal Circle Jerks with future Bad Religion guitarist Greg Hetson. That band lasted a decade, though since 1994, the Circle Jerks have continued to tour sporadically but haven’t released a new album since 1995. That was going to change when the band convened last year with producer Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides) to work on new material. The result, however, was Morris quitting the CJs and forming OFF!, a new hardcore supergroup with Coats on guitar, Steven McDonald (Redd Kross) on bass and Mario Rubalcaba (Rocket From The Crypt, Hot Snakes) on drums. OFF! recorded four EPs that will be released as a vinyl boxed set, First Four EPs (Vice), on December 14. The band will also be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our Q&A with Morris.
Keith: As co-editor of MAGNET, I—along with my bandmates, Dimitri Coats, Steven McDonald and the insanely talented Mario Rubalcaba—have been asked to write 14 short stories oraa’ few lengthy paragraphs ’bout some of my/our favorite things. At first I compiled a list consisting of bands I love, Armenian food, the importance of a night club called the Whisky A Go Go in 1970 to a 15-year-old in part of his formative years, Godzilla and a dozen or so other topics. I’m sittin’ in my living room with incredible weather taking place outside and wonderin’ why I’m indoors typing when I should be up at Griffith Park chasing squirrels! Deerhunter’s new recording, Halcyon Digest, is playing on my stereo and is the perfect soundtrack to this gorgeous day. I’d read a thread on Facebook where a buncha’ grumpy jaded older types chimed in with their two cents saying they couldn’t keep track of Deerhunter, Deerhoof or Deer Tick, then brought up alla’ the “Wolf” and “Crystal” bands who’re also clogging up the musical landscape and wondered why the fuck they’d put down a buncha’ groups, most of whom they probably have never heard Well the Peter Pan in me sez an extremely loud “Phooey!” ’cause the music I’m hearing right now can be placed alongside any of the music that would’ve been played on the stages of either Fillmore’s East, West, the Shrine Auditorium or the “Riot On The Sunset Strip” Whisky A Go Go. I just put Darker My Love’s Alive As You Are on the turntable, and this is every bit as cool, well-written and performed as anything by the Byrds, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane or Velvet Underground, which is pretty bold statement, but give them a listen and both will back up my scrawny ass!
Chris Lawhorn, the resident DJ at Marie Claire and Real Age, reviews 300-400 singles every month, trying to find the best new music for a workout. Every week, he’ll be posting an indie-centric playlist for MAGNET readers. To vote on upcoming tracks, hear this month’s contenders and find more resources for matching songs to the pace of your exercise routine, you can visit hisworkout music site.
This is my last workout piece for MAGNET. Though it’s been a hoot, I’d like to pursue a couple other opportunities. In the column’s short history, I’ve written more than a couple pieces about mainstream musicians who’ve surprised me. Erasure, Robbie Williams, Carly Simon, the Beach Boys, Dexy’s Midnight Runners—each has had some sort of brush, long or short, with fame on the pop charts. But, they’ve each also made records where I’ve been taken aback by their ballsy candor. In wrapping things up, I wanted to write about one more of these folks: David Gray.
I’m never sure where someone like this will fit into people’s frame of reference. I love David Gray. But he was the first act signed to Dave Matthews’ ATO label. “Babylon” was pretty ubiquitous. On the whole, his music sounds like something you might hear in a farewell episode of The Real World. And his album sleeves and promo pictures are almost uniformly bad—lots of sunglasses indoors and moody shots. So, if you’re looking for reasons to talk shit, you’ll find them. Having said that, he’s a pretty excellent songwriter, which is what this is really all about anyway. As an example, I wanted to write about “Forever Is Tomorrow Is Today.” The track appears on Gray’s third album. It’s pretty sparse. And the song, as best I can tell, is about a general feeling of urgency: that you may as well get on with things, because forever is essentially a series of todays. There’s nothing here, probably, that you couldn’t have deduced for yourself. What changes this, for me at least, is the song’s repeated “Get out of the way!” Throughout the song, in talking about the obstacles, distractions, pessimism and so on that are plaguing him, this is his response. And as the song goes on, the sentiment gets more pronounced.
As I get older, my relationship with music changes. My needs and priorities change. But, this notion—this feeling he’s describing—is a constant: that all the junk that’s in the way is going to have to get out of the way. Sometimes, it’s my junk. Sometimes, it’s not. But it has to go. And almost nothing does a better job of keeping me on task than hearing a slight and generally folksy English fellow belt, with increasing forcefulness, that everything and everyone need to clear the path. So, if you’re looking for an excuse to hit the track, tidy up your desk or otherwise cut the crap, this might do the trick.
Hardcore will never die, at least while Keith Morris is still alive and kicking. The 55-year-old Morris co-founded the legendary Black Flag with Greg Ginn before leaving the band three years later to start the equally seminal Circle Jerks with future Bad Religion guitarist Greg Hetson. That band lasted a decade, though since 1994, the Circle Jerks have continued to tour sporadically but haven’t released a new album since 1995. That was going to change when the band convened last year with producer Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides) to work on new material. The result, however, was Morris quitting the CJs and forming OFF!, a new hardcore supergroup with Coats on guitar, Steven McDonald (Redd Kross) on bass and Mario Rubalcaba (Rocket From The Crypt, Hot Snakes) on drums. OFF! recorded four EPs that will be released as a vinyl boxed set, First Four EPs (Vice), on December 14. The band will also be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week.
Thanks to Wooden Wand‘s James Jackson Toth for guest editing our website all week. Be sure to check out his new WW album, Death Seat. Here’s a video of Toth performing “Poison Oak” at WNRN in Charlottesville, Va., in 2008.
Synth-rock quartet Hot Panda recorded its sophomore album, How Come I’m Dead (Mint), in a whirlwind one-week session at JC/DC Studio in Vancouver with the help of New Pornographer John Collins. The first single, “Mindlessness,” captures this urgency with spiraling keyboards and an ever-persistent drum beat. An unanticipated downtempo finish adds a touch of sweetness to this otherwise fantastically manic track. Download “Mindlessness” below, and if you are feeling creative, make your own remix here. And as a bonus, MAGNET is proud to premiere album track “Masculinity,” which you can also download below.
Hardcore will never die, at least while Keith Morris is still alive and kicking. The 55-year-old Morris co-founded the legendary Black Flag with Greg Ginn before leaving the band three years later to start the equally seminal Circle Jerks with future Bad Religion guitarist Greg Hetson. That band lasted a decade, though since 1994, the Circle Jerks have continued to tour sporadically but haven’t released a new album since 1995. That was going to change when the band convened last year with producer Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides) to work on new material. The result, however, was Morris quitting the CJs and forming 
