I just found this record and wanted to point it out to anyone and everyone who hasn’t heard of it (read: most of you). I haven’t been able to really find out that much about this strange trip of a record/coloring book (PDF). I can truthfully say that it is one of the more bizarre yet remarkably interesting things I’ve heard in a while. Lucia Pamela’s Into Outer Space appears to be her only recording, and from my internet travels I’ve learned next to nothing about her –except that apparently she actually did travel to the moon and around the universe to record this record. Which is a remarkable feat to say the least.
I’m still sitting in awe here though… I can’t explain most of what is happening on this record. The track, “Indian Alphabet Chant” which starts with the lines, “Here we are still on the moon, oh there’s an Indian village, I see Indian’s dancing and singing, it’s a wedding ceremony! There’s the bride and there’s the groom!” Is one of the weirdest beginnings ever. But the point here isn’t the fact that this record is strange. The point is that records like this USED TO EXIST. This vibrant and weird experimentalism used to be okay, it used to happen all the time, and it was accepted as being new and unusual. Into Outer Space existed in the same world as Bruce Haack’sElectric Lucifer, Silver Apples‘ Contact, Aphrodite’s Child’s666, it sat side by side in record shops with The Temple City Kazoostra, The Unites States of America, Pierre Henry & Michel Columbier. It was a world where fun was fun and music was a show (and hell, was featured on a number of shows, remember Bruce Haack on Mr. Rogers?). Music wasn’t made for money, it wasn’t made to impress friends, hell, this music wasn’t even made to express feeling. It was made so everyone involved could have some fun, it was recorded not for money but to share that fun with everyone. Cheers to Lucia Pamela.
As the Democratic National Convention starts really sticking its claws into the city, mixtapes and protest songs are popping up everywhere. But what are those of us on the “meh” side of the political spectrum supposed to do? Especially all of us being forced into it by our work or home’s proximity to downtown. What are we going to listen while New York Times journalists blog away their days at Starbucks?
Abba – “Another Town, Another Train”
Taking a trip on the train will be a new occurrence to many, as parking will be impossible in downtown. “I guess (you’ll) be spending life in railway stations.” But at least you can look back on the DNC and remember that “Nothing lost and nothing gained.”
Cee-Lo/Goodie Mob – “Cell Therapy”
While you’re walking home or taking the bus, you might come across some protest pens filled with grizzled Braveheart-looking youngsters looking ready for action. But don’t worry, they’re in their cells, but Cee-Lo still asks the question, “Who’s that peeking in my window?” Don’t worry, it’s just a reporter from Slate.com.
Dismemberment Plan – “Come Home”
The opening line, “Called in sick to work today, couldn’t have gotten a damn thing done,” sounds like your life eh? Too bad you couldn’t call in sick since all the smart people took the week of the DNC off months ago. Sucker.
I’m from Barcelona – “Chicken Pox”
There are a lot of songs in this world that just need a few changes and all the sudden they are about something else. All you really need to do is change the title of this song to “DNC,” and the line, “As a kid I had the chicken pox… and I don’t ever want to go through that again,” to “As a kid I was at the DNC…” It’s a good thing you can’t have it once you had it, right?
Elton John – “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word”
If you happen to be caught in between any of the “shit” then you might find yourself searching for an apology, either from the officer who nabbed you with a gelatinous spider web (they have those right?) or from the protestor who accidently covered your pearl white power suit in a urine bomb… just remember, it might never come, after all, “sorry seems to be the hardest word.”
George Harrison – “All Things Must Pass”
Are smoke bombs, long lines at Jamba Juice and traffic jams getting you down? Fret not, George Harrison has your mantra, “it’s not always going to be this way, all things must pass, all things must pass away.” The Pinups – “Lookin’ For Boys”
You know what a lot of journalists and politicians are? Boys! So get on you bikini and “go lookin’ around, east side, west side, all over town.” Girls, now is your time – take those rich gonzo boys for all they got, fries and burgers galore!
Bruce Haack – “National Anthem to the Moon”
So the U.S. is where you live, but that doesn’t mean you have to sing that silly national anthem and be proud during the convention. Nope, you can sing along to Bruce Haack’s own anthem with lines like, “Love me now, before you have to go away… Nothing stays the same and things are changing every day, make it now while we have time to make it all the way.” Now if that isn’t a definition of “change” I don’t know what is.
Justice – “D.A.N.C.E.”
You ever notice that if you were to try to pronounce DNC it would come out “dance?” Yeah, that’s right, maybe it’s just the media coverage seeping into by water-blogged brain, but I’m pretty sure this song says, “Easy as ABC, do the DNC.” Just remember, “black or white it doesn’t matter… whatever happens, do the DNC.”
Tom Waits – “What’s He Building?”
Many of us haven’t had a chance to see what’s going on inside the Pepsi Center, which leaves us begging the question, “What the hell is he building in there? He has subscriptions to those magazines, he’s hiding things from the rest of us… what about all those packages he send?” So Obama, what are you building in there? Not a playhouse for the children that’s for sure, “change,” perhaps?
These things happen all the time, lists, that is. Especially lists claiming to be of “music you never heard.” These are usually semi-indie to really-indie acts that are likely on the verge of exploding into a pile of awesome and Spin Magazine cover shoots. I am now making the same type of list. However, I do hope that some of these are complete surprises and that you haven’t heard them before (sans, perhaps, Mr. Mojiferous, whom knows too much…) on top of the fact that I’m striving to make these records and CDs that aren’t too obscure (ie you can actually find them without spending years in a record store). Also, my remarkable disconnect from the world recently may lead me to believe that I’ve found this hidden gems when in fact, y’all knew about this crap years ago. Anyway, enjoy, listen to a few of these with the playlist at the bottom. The list is short, not long, or, not as long as it could be, if I felt like including some awesome records that you’ll never see or hear again. But I don’t. So there.
Kraftwerk – Kraftwerk (1972, Vertigo) — This is one of Kraftwerk’s “missing” records that most haven’t heard of. The songs are not the Kraftwerk that we all know and love, in fact, they’re way better than that. Real drums, real instruments, real knob twiddling, totally prog. In my opinion this is one of the most overlooked and remarkable records I’ve heard, period. The song in the playlist is the first on this album.
This Heat – This Heat (1978, Piano) — I’ve been ranting and raving about This Heat for the last 8 years, so most people that know me know this, but if you weren’t around when I first heard this or you don’t actually know the Good King personally, then you haven’t had the pleasure of hearing me go on and on and on and on about how this band is amazing and blows CAN out of the water. Listen to the track “24-Track Loop” and you’ll understand.
Original Brothers and Sisters of Love – Jeb Minor (1999, Telegraph Company) — This is one of those groups that was a little too ahead of its time, baroque styling similar to Arcade Fire, storytelling similiar to the Decemberists, and most importantly, sea shanties, as is the song on the playlist, “Legende of Jeb Minor.” Nothing, I repeat nothing, beats a good sea shanty.
Rock Plaza Central – Are We Not Horses (2007, Outside Music) — Oddly this was a critics pick at Pitchfork that still didn’t seem to get too much attention. It’s a concept album about robotic horses, and the singer/songwriter is also a novelist. Um… what else could you possibly ask for? Perhaps some Neutral Milk Hotel influences? You got it.
Bruce Haack – Electric Lucifer (1970, Columbia) — This record is sort of legend in record-store lore, but most civilians haven’t had the chance to hear one of the most remarkably progressive electronic albums of all time. Bruce Haack inadvertantly gave us electro and dance, and artists like Radiohead should be leaving flowers on his gravestone.
Paper Chase – Now You Are One of Us (2006, Kill Rock Stars) — The paranoid ramblings of this hard-indie rock outfit are a nice fit in a world where noise and rock tend not to mix in the best solutions. Paper Chase combine technology and chaos into a well rounded meal that still rocks regardless of its eccentrics.
Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom – The Days of Mars (2004, DFA) — This record was overlooked by many because it was released in DFA’s prosperous hey-day. It is not your typical DFA record, but instead a study on electronic music, tempo and arpeggio. A remarkable, remarkable record that sits on the top of my playlist regularly.
A Hawk and a Hacksaw - Darkness At Noon (2005, Leaf) — This is one of those albums usually tagged with words like “ecclectic,” and “wordly.” It’s both of those things, but a fun, Scandinavian sounding romp regardless.
Primal Scream - XTRMNTR (2000, Astralwerks) — Unfortunately the only track from this album I could find was a Massive Attack remix, but you’ll get the point. This record had a fair following when it was released, but has subsequently been forgotten about. It shouldn’t have been, it’s got some great jams and excellent beats that carry it along being and excellent electro record.
Turing Machine – A New Machine for Living (2000, Jade Tree) — Widely looked over due to its math-rock roots, Turing Machine’s first record is so much more than just some instrumental masterbation. It does what instrumental rock is supposed to do: rock. No faults, no stopping, no whining, just pure, amazing, instrumental rock. Oh, and it also remembers to have lots of changes, bridges and other fun things — not just building building building CHAOS ala Godspeed/Constellation Records in general.
It came to my attention recently that most people don’t know the origins of the Republic of Thoronia, and perhaps many people don’t even understand what exactly it is. So, in order to clear these things up, we’ll take a look at the history, from conception to execution.
30,000,000 Billion years ago: King Thor get’s bored, create’s Tote Bag and universe to put into it.
3 years ago: I created the First Pamphlet of the Republic of Thoronia, on a whim, for questionable reasons. It is still unclear as to why this event happened, but perhaps was related to an excessive amount of internet and television babble about Scientology. The idea remains fairly dorment until…
1 to 1 and 1/2 years ago: The RoTBand is “formed” as King Thor realized that he did actually miss making music (prior to that he spent an excessive amount of time writing and performing songs in My Calculus Beats Your Algebra with his fool-hearty teammate and design genius pal Bryan). Spending hours upon hours of time and money researching and finding the perfect instruments, King Thor eventually ended up with: Roland SH-201 Keyboard, Korg Electribe ER-1, Korg Kaoss Pad, Behringer 4 Channel Mixer.
May 5th, 2007: First Republic of Thoronia Band show. Very strange and proves that the music isn’t really ready for a public outing yet…
June 20th-21st, 2007: Second and Third Republic of Thoronia Band shows. Things go better the first show, not so good the second.
June, 2007: After purchasing instruments and paying for various school related things over the last 7 years, credit card is paid off.
July, 2007: http://www.mcbya.net officially undergoes the change to the Republic of Thoronia moniker, King Thor never bothers to get a new domain, as everyone already has this one email address. The blog is launched shortly thereafter and undergoes, along with the website, at least 15 design changes before settling into the setup that it has now. The original blog was haphazardly updated and operated poorly (RSS didn’t work, each posting existed on its own page, it would get crazy “widget errors”). Until the next event which sent King Thor in to a writing frenzy.
August, 2007: House burglarized, thieves steal: Apple Powerbook laptop, Fuji Camera, iPod, Korg Electribe ER-1.
August 25th: Just weeks after the burglary, Republic of Thoronia plays fourth show. The show is high energy and exciting, but sounds stupid.
September, 2007: With some help from Dad and a newly paid off credit card, new Korg Electribe is purchased, Korg Electribe EMX-1. As well as new computer, iMac 20?. The day after computer is purchased, Apple releases new, shiny metal iMac’s. King Thor’s heart breaks slightly, credit card seems to weigh more, somehow.
September 23rd, 2007: The History of Thoronia project starts. King Thor promises 365 blog posts relating to the Republic of Thoronia. Soon thereafter trims that number to 100, then subsequently to 50. Also promises book, which nobody believes, but people feign excitement.
October 3rd, 2007: RoTB plays again, things go okay this time, but its evident that some big chnages are in order… band doesn’t play again until March.
November-January, 2007/8: The blog continues to grow as to the followers and worshippers of the Good King Thor. Excessive amount of gift guides, year in review’s, and other lists appear on the site.
February, 2008: King Thor is out of a job! Which means constant site updates. Site overhauled (again). Podcasts begin airing, but eventually stop due to the constant struggle of this server and Apple iTunes’ penchant to ping the damn thing repeatedly.
February 29th, 2008:The First Book of Thoronia published on Leap Day. Millions upon millions of dollars are donated to the RoTBlog project.
March, 2008: After many many job interviews, the Good King Thor is getting saltier and saltier everyday.
March 28th, 2008: The Republic of Thoronia iPhone/iPod Touch game is announced! King Thor quickly realizes how hard it is to develop an adventure game, but him and Mojiferous J. Colossuscontinue on with heads high and hearts filled dollar signs and RoT logos.
May 1st, 2008:The first mention of the RoTBand anywhere except here. It’s inconclusive exactly what the world things still, but at least nothing negative was said. Soon, the world will know how great it all is, that is, once I figure out how to make it all work how I want.
May 2nd, 2008: This retrospective is created in order to help all of you. Oh, and shows were played in between March and now.
UPDATE: May 7th, 2008 KING THOR BLOW’S IT BY DELETING THE ENTIRE DATABASE!
OBJECTIVES AND GOALS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THORONIA:
Okay, so now that you have a fairly truthful and accurate history, you may be wondering what the hell the point of it all is. To be completely honest, it’s to get you completely involved with every single aspect and section of what it means to be a King. From musical conception (demos, trash songs, crap, crap, crap) to what eventually will be a fully realized and amazing album, you, the reader, will be there. Or perhaps the eventual full-length novel, you, the reader will have seen many parts of it. It’s here to create a completely cohesive brand and ideal for how to operate a life. It exists to document and bridge the gaps in ideas. How they come from one place, how they end up in another. The band? The band WANTS to sound like an old radio show being filtered through the eyes of Bruce Haack, Yes and Aphex Twin. It WANTS to be an interesting and informative snippet of stories and tales. It isn’t there yet. It’s not even close. The book? Honestly? It’s more of a retrospective, memoir sort of thing that relies on haphazard fiction faux-pas’ to get it going and hide the fact that it is, after all is said and done, just a memoir. This is a testing ground for all the absurd and more often than not, stupid ideas that King Thor has. Also, it’s a place where lists can be printed (P.S. “Refined Unemployment Songs” list is printed at the Westword here. May be in print next week?)
But more than anything else, The Republic of Thoronia is a life-guide. It’s a place where people aren’t idiots, where they tip their servers, where they share idea’s openly, where they clap even when the band sucks, where they listen to my advice because really, I’m usually right, where people are civil to each other, where music is something that can be worshipped and criticized without people getting mad, where video games have plotlines and aren’t always in 3D, where Rolling Stone never existed, where drinking beers and hanging out doesn’t always have to lead to being drunk, where friends with families get good jobs, where experience isn’t an issue so much as enthusiasm, where it’s okay to brand your life and give yourself your own logo, where ideas can be shared from start to finish and it’s okay when they suck a little bit, where people honestly give a fuck about what you’re doing with your life instead of pretending to be interested or completely unresponsive to the fact that you might have just done the impossible by getting this story accepted here or that article printed there, where writers get paid to write, where musicians get paid to play, where jobs are handed out like wafers at a Catholic church, where the Deadliest Catch is on all the time.
