There was a time in the donewaiting.com legacy when we had a little thing called the Tuesday Three. I would ask writers, musicians and other questionable people to recommend three albums to our humble audience. Gentle souls like the Largehearted Boy and Paul the Rub previously stepped up to the challenge.
And now it’s time for the Tuesday Three to return. I’ve asked Jason Wilder, founder of Mystery and Misery, one of my favorite weblogs, to herald in this second wave of T3.
Here are the rules: choose three albums to recommend. One album must be from 2004, one from 2003, and one from any year. And while we’re at it, we’re gonna ask you three questions. Here are Jason?s responses:
Namelessnumberheadman, ‘Your Voice Repeating’ (2004)
namelessnumberheadman is a Kansas City trio who know how to belt out luscious landscapes of music and noise. Andrew Sallee (drums, keyboard, vocals), Chuck Whittington (guitar, keyboard), and Jason Lewis (keyboards) are as accessible and classy in person as they are skilled in creating a wall of sound that sounds unique both live and in recording. Watching the three members recreate their cd live is just as entertaining as hearing them live. At any given time, the band members are moving around the numerous (seven is what I thought I counted) synths, drum kit, and guitar. They never managed to get into each other’s way, as if they choreographed their live set like a Super Bowl half time show. It is hard to place the band’s sound directly on one influence as if they have their own sound, which they do. Hints of Mercury Rev, Her Space Holiday, and the Notwist are recognizable but not consistent and deliberate. Best described as alt-spacerock, namelessnumberheadman is one of the best and complete new independent bands I have heard in a long while.
The Wrens, “Meadowlands” (2003)
The lyrics, music, and story behind the band is something that I can relate to. Listening to some of those songs (I’m not telling which ones), especially for the first time, was like having my life of tough years past flash before my eyes. Very few albums affect me emotionally as much as this one does. (buy)
Archers of Loaf, “Icky Mettle” (1993)
This album is perfect for when I am angry, happy, or want to bounce around the house with my two-year-old daughter (she’s a big fan of this album). This album is over ten years old and still hasn’t lost its charm. (buy)
Three Reasons Why You Started Mystery and Misery:
1. I wanted to write about music, but I didn’t want to bore anyone with long boring cd reviews or rating systems, so I started a mp3blog.
2. I wanted to give back to the indie community. Sending a few people to a band to buy their cd or attend their show means a great deal to the bands that I have come in contact with. Indie music has influenced and helped me throughout the years so why not give back in terms of free promotion?
3. I also wanted to find a way to support bands and artists without stealing and/or borrowing from them. I am, though, a firm believer of fair use and support those few blogs who genuinely like to help bands by promoting them through their websites. Fair use is a very touchy subject and meanings of the term vary from person to person. Because of this, I have chosen to walk the line that will cause me less grief in the long run.
Two Things Most People Don’t Know About You:
1. I have too many diverse hobbies and activities that I like to do that I do not have enough time to do them all. This ranges from sports (in basketball, I am deadly from three point range) to music (my wife and I would like to make a studio in the basement of our house) to artsy stuff like making zines (cut and paste all the way) and bookbinding to studying and practicing Buddhism and Reiki.
2. I have mild social anxiety which I hide quite well.
One Recommendation Unrelated to Music
The movie Rififi (1956) on DVD. It’s one of the best heist/break-in films ever made and is considered a standard among more than modern movies like Mission Impossible (gag). The director, Jules Dassin, was blacklisted in Hollywood during the McCarthy era when many Americans had some sort of fetish with labeling people communists. The DVD contains a very good interview with him. This is one of my most favorite movies ever.
Jason Wilder is the founder of Mystery and Misery, a legal mp3 blog, who loves finding obscure independent bands to promote their music. In a parallel life, he’s a slowly aging indie-rock icon. In real life, he’s a family man and senior editor for a well known legal publisher firm.