Friday, December 30, 2005


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Minneapolis has the best mainstream radio in the country. It is impossible to not find something listenable at any hour of the day. The best of the lot is "The Current", (streaming here) which is a public radio station which actually plays good music. And they have real djs that actually select songs that they like and sequence themselves (but unlike a lot of those stations like "The Mountain" or whatever in Denver that pretty much base their whole identity on the fact that they are not owned or operated by Clear Channel and have real djs, these guys have good taste. With "The Mountain", it's like "Wow, you guys are sure are independent and for real. And you are still playing the same stupid fucking Bob Seeger song that the radio always plays. Great."). "The Current" generally goes for the jangly indie rock/electro hipster rock/singer songwriter stuff, but they are carefully punctuated by lapses into socially acceptable hip hop. Sometimes the DJs seem a little uninformed about such music (like, "Yeah, Dave, actually the Dilated Peoples aren't any good, but... thanks for trying."), but for the most part it's right on.

The only station I know of like it is the mighty Triple-J (streaming here) the Australian National Public Radio youth station. That thing was a savior while I was sailing along the west coast. We couldn't pick it up while running but in every port we stopped in we'd be rocking it and hearing what was going on with all the fabulous hipsters in Sydney. They play indie rock and underground electronic and rap, with an emphasis on Oz-Rock (the title is unfortunate, like most of the cutesy colloquialisms the Aussies adore). They pick up on new shit waay faster than American radio, and feature artists mainstream radio would never touch. I remember one night we were moored and had gone into town, I think it was Broome, and the rest of the crew went to see some moldy "pub-rock" for like 20 oz bucks. I chose to get take away beer from the "bottle shop" and drink with the abborigines out in the street. Late that night, back on the boat we had all fallen asleep with the radio on. JJJ was playing an interview with Darkthrone and playing their songs. I was pysched. Everyone else was too drunk and tired to switch it off and they all complained of having bad dreams afterwards.

Triple-J also has radio personalities that are acctually funny (I remember this running bit they did where they read the newspaper headlines about the Palestine-Israel situation that involved Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon. They would pronounce his name as "Sharon" the woman's name, and pictured her as a "bogan babe" {white trash chick} who was always screwing up the peace process like "What's Sharon up to today... lets see, 'Sharon Cancels Mid-East Summit'. Aww, Shazza, what have you done this time?")

The "Hot 100" CD they put out every year is a big deal for people who grew up on the station. Young Australians look back on JJJ and talk about it was Saturday Night Live or something like "Remember when that guy was on? And they did that thing? Classic!" They think back to when JJJ was first playing shit like Radio Birdman and the Ramones.

The hindrance the station has is it's reliance on Australian rock that is hit-and-miss. Australians are fierce about their rock, and though they do listen to some American and British bands, there must be an equal time share given to Oz rock bands and for every rock sensation abroad they have their own homegrown equivalent. This is something else in common with Minneapolis radio: in Minneapolis I think there is a One-Atmosphere-Song-Per-Hour rule there. And a one Obligatory-Reference-to-The-Replacements-per-Discussion-of-Any-New-Band-that-Plays-Guitar rule.

In fact i think there is much comparable between Minnesota and Australia. They are both full of friendly, laid-back white people with funny accents. They enjoy things like rock music, animal husbandry, horticulture, smoking weed (I'm just assuming for the Minnesotans but, come on... they invented the deep fried Snickers Bar), drinking local beers (Leinies in MN, Victoria Bitter or Emu Bitter in Oz), friendly political discourse, and a presenting a smiling, inviting face to non-locals even while subtly trashing, mocking, and making them look foolish their local buddies.

Tuesday, December 27, 2005


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Just so people don't start thinking theyre looking at Pitchfork or something, I'd like to feature something that I've discovered recently that has nothing to do with trendy indie music. Clancy's Fancy Hot Sauce is basically the Nectar of the Gods. I discovered it in its hometown of Ann Arbor Michigan. It was probably in my top five favorite things about Ann Arbor, somewhere between cross country skiing, the 8 ball pub, the food (HA! Sorry, Ann Arborites- Tios sucks, The Fleetwood Diner sucks, and Zingermans is great, but a sandwhich costs 11 dollars and they'll try to sell you on a 7 dollar side of applewood-bacon-studded-chipotle-rubbed-new-potato-salad), and partaking in the age-old tradition of after-hours drinking in the posh ladies room of stately Rackham Hall. Clancy's Fancy is a hometown hero, much like Jeff Daniels, who is from Chelsea and does an evening of amusing stories and musical interludes every Christmas as a fundrasier at The Purple Rose Theatre. But unlike a night of jazz standards and holiday favorites with the star of Aracnophobia, Clancy's Fancy is shockingly good.

Its ingredients list is a battery of sensual delights: Apple Cider Vinegar, Michigan Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Fresh Garlic, Fresh Ginger, Michigan Wildflower honey, Cayenne and Scotch Bonnet Peppers, Orange Juice.

You don't know. Remember when everybody jumped on the Sriracha jock a couple years ago? Once they taste the fanciness, these little black bottles are going to be popping up everywhere and kicking that smug rooster out of every hipster's fridge. That's my prediction for this year. I know what I said last year about Yeungling knocking PBR out of the box didn't really happen, but this one's a lock.

Monday, December 26, 2005

It's time to check in with Che-Wei and Emily, regular contributers to White Animal who may not even know that they are. Emily sent me this link for an online radio station called Resonance FM. Apparantly, this station has good streaming radio. I wouldn't know as I have no time to listen to streaming radio. She also sent me a link to Shak Har Boobis.com which is... oh, don't even bother.

Che-Wei presented me with the latest development in the heady, rarified world of absurd rediculous mash-up projects: Q-Unit. It's an album long pairing of Queen and, you guessed it, G-unit . It will make you stupid. We stayed with Che- Wei recently in Brooklyn and he burned me a copy of Glassbreaks (he had to pull the take the mp3s off his site but here's a Stream of it ) by DJ BC, which is an album of hip hop and drum and bass remixes of Phillip Glass music featuring Tribe, Beasties, Lil
Jon etc. BC is a czech DJ who is also behind the Beatles/Beastie Boys Mash-up project The Beastles . BC seems like an earnest, you may might even say quaint sample artist who probably spends millions of hours making his mixes. It probably takes up all his time between being assailed by beautiful blonde DJ groupies in Prague. Yikes.

Thanks again to Emily and Che-Wei, and if you would like to contribute to White Animal just send links and ideas to emersonbreneman@gmail.com and paypall me 21.99$ for processing fees.

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I know i'm not blowing any indie music snobs minds or really anyone's mind with this. In fact, this group really doesn't need shout outs from anyone because they are already a household name in Britain and Europe, have appeared on David Letterman, in the NY Times (but so have Pelican for that matter..), and on NPR but in case you haven't heard this, here's Anthony and the Johnsons. It really is some of the most striking music I've heard lately. LIke another breakout singer of the past years, Joanna Newsome, He/She has an unearthly voice, but this is totally different. It's completely melodramatic and self-indulgant, like "Mother I Can Feel the Soil Falling Over My Head" times a thousand. Antony seems to be an incredible mimic, from song to song you may think you are listening to Billie Holiday, Jeff Buckley, Chet Baker, etc. And there's a black, apocalyptic air about the whole thing that some people might find addictive.

here are some MP3 links (that i've just realized are only irritatingly short samples, but... im too lazy to change the links now)

Hope There's Someone

Spiraling (feat. Devendra "the kind of hippie i want to see burning" Banhart)

For Today I am a Buoy

Saturday, December 24, 2005


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Yo, have you heard this new Bing Bong Bros joint? Shit is Binoculars.

Tuesday, December 06, 2005


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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR FRIENDS POORNA AND MATT ON THE BIRTH OF THEIR FIRST BABY SAVANA METRO CEGIELA!  MUCH LOVE TO ALL THREE OF THEM.