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Just took a break for a while. Getting back on track now. I've got three CDs to post about that I've been listening to (thanks for sending them in, people!), reviews soon.

Last night I went to yet another nifty gallery in the area, they've been open about 6 months, the Lex Leonard gallery at 143 Chris. Columbus in Jersey City. Some neat work on the walls, I believe all Lex's stuff.

There were a couple of folks there from 58, the dudes we share a rehearsal space with, so familiar faces and new ones.

Newark and Jersey City, where it's at. There's RedSaw, 58, Lex Leonard, Aljira (I could have the spelling wrong there), and another one who's name escapes me opening in JC (I saw it listed on the docket the other day).

There's lots to do around here, people vibing off each other. No one creates in a vacuum.

I have to get ready for my own gig tonight down in Trenton so for now I'll leave you with this: The Advantage performing Mega Man 2 Flashman theme. Fuck yes.

It looks like 8 Park Underground in Montclair has sprung back to life, and I've seen the people hanging outside on the Jazz Jam night smokin' butts. I need to check that out soon. Figures something like this comes up just as I'm leaving town (I'm moving to the Ironbound tomorrow). Has anybody been to a show there yet?

Screaming Females report that their second record is near done and have set a release date of June 22nd. Go to their MySpace and listen to "Boyfriend" right now. Seriously. It totally kills.

Last weekend The Meltdowns and I got to share the stage with Up The Empire and Jupiter One. We broke in the crowd early on with a lot of dancing, and a lot more of it went down for Up The Empire who played a riveting set of fast crunchy power pop while rather inebriated. I couldn't believe how tight they were, and how freaking loud their drummer was, what a monster! Jupiter One were amazing, an American band that seems to have subsumed the notion of what it is to be a Japanese Pop Idol with a Big Show. Their single Count Down really should make them a lot of money. Their whole stage presence really sealed the deal on a great night down at 58 Gallery. Both of those bands really have quite a bit of potential, I'm sure we'll be hearing from them again.

There's an excellent indie film opening over at Redsaw Gallery in Newark this Saturday night, called Filmideo.

Tris McCall with the smack-down!

They’re on the wrong side of history now, they always have been, and I’ve got no problem naming them the worst cultural institution in town.

In other local Jersey blog news, Tris and Jim Testa have presented some really differing views of the new Luna Lounge out in Brooklyn, and now I'm very curious to go hear things for myself (as usual). It's pretty awesome to have this kind of discourse going on.

Me, I haven't been writing lately. I know. We did get sent one CD, although a few folks said they were sending them and didn't. I'm sorry to that guy who's CD I didn't review. I will do it soon.

We do have folks who want to write reviews, and if you send us music and I think it's worth writing about, it's definitely getting written about, DEFINITELY (even if we are slow), so don't write us off, please send us your stuff. E-mail sceneless@gmail.com, please. We prefer to write about independent artists here, anyway. I know from personal experience how hard it is to get your CD reviewed by any music blog when all of them only pay attention to "indie" ad agencies pitching the newest Brooklyn swag.

I haven't been writing much because I have my own rock band that I'm trying to put more time into, and I'm very excited that we're playing 58 Gallery in Jersey City this Saturday. Mostly because I've been spending some time at the place, I really like the art and the artists I've been seeing, and I'm excited to show off. You should come, it's all ages. I would say there is a solid community of artists and musicians revolving around this place as a hub, and it's worth your attention. Is the word "scene" appropriate? I think so, and I think it's this guy's fault! Details on Saturday night are over here.

That's enough whore-baggery from me. Soon there will be reviews up here of the new LCD Soundsystem and !!! releases, oh yus.

I'm sick of the new Modest Mouse single already and I'm still in love with "Good News For People Who Love Bad News." I live in the past. I've been listening to old Metric a lot.

But there's this new band called Blood Red Shoes that played out with !!! in London, and they are bomb-funk good. Check out "You Bring Me Down" on their MySpace page (Thanks to Jamie McKelvie for the tip)

WFMU is arguably one of the coolest radio station's ever. Their free-form format is absolutely fucking crazy and has exposed me to many a great new and old thing. So check it out. Right now as part of their pledge-drive (the two week fundraising marathon they do every year) you can win a Bucket of Smut!

I filled in for a friend Saturday night answer phones at FMU down in Jersey City and it was awesome to take those phone calls where people eagerly and quite generously contribute. Many people send in $10, $350, or even $1000 over the internet because they listen on line. We even got a donation from Norway, and there's this regular from Paris, too.

Anyway, it was really neat to be inside the station and to meet some of the staff. Just as you'd expect, everyone is a little off beat and quite awesome. Got to meet Tom Sharpling, who is a character and a half. I love his show (called "The Best Show").

Check it

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Billy Meltdown

I just noticed, by way of WFMU's excellent Beware of the Blog, that today marks Charlie Bukowski's passing, and they've got this really nifty mp3 up there mixing some of his readings with some ambient beats. Very neat and weird to listen to, I never imagined his voice to sound like that. Such a strange and sour fellow, but kinda enjoyable to listen to speak publicly. Humorous humour-lessness. I'm about near done with Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame, which a friend gave me for Christmas. It's a trip and a half. I think I could use some more uplifting things to read. Not necessarily peachy, but honestly I'm a little done with the mega depressing stuff for a little while.

On a total tangent, there's an opening reception tonight at Red Saw gallery in Newark, NJ for a show called Shame, which I'll be hitting up. More info here. Go see some new art.

Many thanks for Jim Testa for finding this gem and putting it in the recent Jersey Beat Podcast; WWIII delivers a swift kick in the nuts to the hipster crowd with some of the funniest comedy-metal I've heard in a while (comedy is the True Calling of Metal):

Check out WWIII's myspace over here, where he describes himself as "METAL POO GENIUS RETARD ROCK PANTS" and where you can also listen to the excellent "Emo Days."

Deerhoof

In part two of Good New Music Friday, Adam officially eats his own hat.

I at some point mentioned on this very website that I was having trouble with another "deer" band - Deerhoof, that is - mostly because of vocalist Satomi. I listened to 2005's The Runners Four again today, and I am such an asshole. This album is amazing. In particular, "Running Thoughts":

[mp3] Deerhoof - "Running Thoughts"

Deerhoof have a new album out this year, Friend Opportunity, and it too is knocking my socks off. Here's a cut from that album.

[mp3] Deerhoof - "+81" (KRS)

"Choo choo choo choo beep beep"!

Time for a start of a new tradition on Sceneless. I'd like to post some new music at least once a week. That's not too much to ask, is it?

This week, I'm going to join the web bandwagon and proclaim Deerhunter as "Good New Music".

Their second full-length album Cryptograms is the result of two short sessions separated by one year. The first half is mostly like a softer cousin to Liars' Drum's Not Dead, and the second is truly illuminating pop disguised by psychedelic artifice.

Give the title track a spin. It starts out with a pulsing bass and eventually builds layers of delayed noise to a coda of fevered chanting. I love it:

[mp3] Deerhunter - "Cryptograms" (kranky)

Jim Testa's recent JerseyBeat Podcast from yesterday is really good. Check it out over here where you can see the track listing and subscribe, or just download the mp3.

Tonight the Screaming Females are kicking it in Montclair, blocks from where I live. So I'll be going to that. You should, too. The Screamales have some fascinating posts on their blog about their recent tour outing, check it from their website's links section.

I've been a busy guy, probably won't be writing many reviews this next month, but I'll be posting info on shows, whenever someone puts out something and tells me, etc. I'm still here for you. Send us your music, it will get reviewed by someone if not me. Tell us about your shows, we want to go!

Electronic-mail us here: Sceneless@Gmail.com

Mike Watt-obsessed car blog Jalopnik recently put out its Ten Best Driving Albums list and challenged others to list their own. Kudos to the 'nik for props to Tom Waits and Minutemen, but Paul's Boutique? "Drifter" was hot shit, I'll give them that: "I'm doin' one-twenty rollin' over mailboxes. Radar detectors to tell me where the cops is."

My own list follows:

10. Beck - Midnite Vultures
If I ever became brain damaged enough to buy a Hummer H2, this is the album that will constantly blast from the 4 12's that I will have mounted to the place where the helicopter hooks used to be.

9. Spoon - A Series of Sneaks
Cars in a crowded city on the cover, a truck with a "30 gallon tank", "Car Radio", and the charging sound of songs that sound as if they were written in vans on tour.

8. XTC - Drums and Wires
My favorite XTC album, it's the band reduced to the most essential elements - literally drums and wires. Songs alternate from sprightly pop gems to bizarre hypnotic drones made perfectly for watching yellow lines zip by.

7. Kraftwerk - Autobahn / Neu! - Neu 1
I'm really disappointed at the Jalopnik guys for not catching the first one. Maybe it's not exactly a good album for driving 100mph in Montana, but it is about the damn Autobahn and it and Neu's counterpart are both ideal for spooky late night driving in the middle of nowhere.

6. Lightning Bolt - Wonderful Rainbow
This is the album for driving 100mph in Montana. Pure, drippy, smelly screaming sludge metal played by two sociopaths. I usually have to turn it off halfway through because one can only drive 100mph for so long.

5. T. Rex - Electric Warrior
From "Jeepster":

Just like a car
You're pleasing to behold
I'll call you Jaguar
If I may be so bold

"Bang a Gong" is still the greatest song ever made. "Flying Saucer take me away!"

4. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
My personal favorite Tom Waits album, and since almost all Tom Waits albums are good to drive to, this one makes my list. "Midtown", "9th and Hennepin", and "going down down down down town down down town."

3. Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
Makes me think of the Pacific Coast Highway.

2. Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime
I really can't argue with this one. The album starts with the sound of a car ignition and 48 songs later ends with a Three Car Jam. In the middle, there's tequila, Michael Jackson, French Indo-China, "My word's a war", Toadies, something about tub caulking, an of course a #1 Hit Song.

1. Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die
I challenge anyone to doubt the power of this album. It lures you into its scuzzy world, and suddenly you're thinking about robbing that 7-11 on the way home. The ultimate in getaway car music.