December 8th, 2009
Disco Vietnam approves of pharmacists, street or otherwise.
If it ain’t raw it’s worthless. Ted Leo’s forthcoming album and first for Matador, The Brutalist Bricks, takes its title from the post-World War II architectural style known as brutalism, which incorporated raw concrete to construct buildings with “striking repetitive angular geometries.” If Leo and his Rx/Pharmacists sold-out performance at the Bowery Ballroom Sunday was any indication this title should prove particularly apt; it would seem Leo has finally captured the pure punk rock aesthetic he’s seemed desperate to rediscover after four consecutive albums of energized, yet deceptively sophisticated power pop that only hinted at the punk lurking beneath.
Sporting a rather ill-advised mohawk and red devil-horned Gibson, Leo tore through a solo career spanning 24 song set, which featured seven new songs, highlighted by the soulful “One Polaroid a Day” and “Last Days.” The new tunes are short on dynamics, more immediate, and Leo gave old standards like “Me and Mia” and “I’m a Ghost” the same treatment where appropriate, obscuring their pop elements with speed and distortion to let their immediacy shine through. A voracious live performer, I’ve seen Leo over a dozen times and this was probably the closest he’s come to recreating the experience of an Old First Church punk show.–Disco Vietnam
Setlist Below the Jump
Download:
MP3: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists-”Even Heroes Have to Die”
MP3: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists-”Timorous Me”
MP3: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists-”Lose My Fuse”
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September 23rd, 2009
Disco Vietnam is a Twitter wunderkind.
Writing from his New Yorker blog, Sasha Frere Jones recently offered his praise to Norwegian wunderkind Sondre Lerche’s latest album Heartbeat Radio, citing the songwriter’s use of “fancy chords” as what most readily distinguishes him musically from his peers. Forgive me if I find this a bit reductive. While Frere-Jones rightly places Lerche firmly within the tradition of similar songwriters Elvis Costello and Andy Partridge (to say nothing of Glenn Tilbrook or a Paul McCartney), it isn’t so much that Lerche’s chords are “fancy” but rather that they are correct: each chord builds on the previous but only suggests what may follow. More than any other contemporary songwriter Lerche understands, both in performance and on record, how to musically incorporate the element of surprise and it’s in that respect Heartbeat Radio may be his finest work to date.
Lerche takes to the stage of the Troubadour Thursday in early support of Heartbeat Radio, his fifth album and follow-up to 2007’s more propulsive Phantom Punch. Heartbeat Radio is Lerche’s most mature record. It’s also his most musically direct, which has made Lerche’s solo performances this tour all the more enjoyable. Stripped to their essentials – guitar and voice - songs like “I Guess It’s Gonna Rain Today” and “Good Luck” reveal an even more efficient approach to melody than we have previously heard from Lerche. The songs are better for it. Nothing fancy about that.
MP3: Sondre Lerche-“I Guess It’s Gonna Rain Today” (Left-Click)
MP3: Sondre Lerche-“Almighty Moon” (Left-Click)
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August 19th, 2009
When he’s not cooking up something marvelous in the lab, Disco Vietnam drops basic instructions before leaving earth via Twitter.
Three minutes after our interview with Austin-based producer’s Eli Elkin, AKA Memory Man, a tweet appeared on Twitter (as they are wont to do) from the Chef himself.
@RAEKWONICEWATER Ayo foreal i dont know who made that new mixtape “Cuban Revolution” been gettn alot of phone calls bout it but Salute who put it out! THANKS
The responsible party is, of course, Memory Man whose Cuban Revolution tape is easily one of the hottest releases to drop in the last … 18 hours or so. The tape succeeds in authentically reproducing the Wu-Tang’s elusive and unique sonic aesthetic, while elevating some perhaps unfairly dismissed Raekwon verses in anticipation of the forthcoming Only Built For Cuban Linx II.
Passion of the Weiss’ contributor Sach O enthusiastically posted the tape yesterday. Today we got to speak with its creator because we’re fucking nice like that.
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July 20th, 2009
Fresh off three consecutive weeks in rotation on Hot 97’s Real Late with Peter Rosenberg comes Prafit’s “New York Swing, the Strong Island rapper’s latest collaboration with blog and blunt baron, Disco Vietnam. Like its antecedents, “Nice Weather” and “My Life”, “New York Swing” channels the city’s mid-90s vintage without lapsing into over-cautious rehash. The beat’s piano line lifts like a balloon, with an ascendant organ line also angling towards the heavens. Prafit anchors it back to earth, with some brick-bat, bloody-nose raps that seemingly bear out an influence from Uncontrolled Substances-era Inspectah Deck. Even if this might not match “Rec Room,” it will still make you want to wreck shop.
Download:
MP3: Prafit-”New York Swing” (produced by Disco Vietnam)
Posted in Disco Vietnam, Are You From the Lester Bangs School of Thought? | 2 Comments »
July 7th, 2009
Great Scott interviews Disco Vietnam. The world will never be the same,
Scott Towler: Aight, so I have to confess right out of the gate here: I literally just learned your name through our correspondence about this piece.
Disco Vietnam: Yes, well my full name is Disco Irwin Vietnam.
ST: Let’s dive right in, shall we? Dolphin-safe tuna: myth or reality?
DV: It’s a myth. No one is safe from a dolphin’s wrath, least of all a school of tuna fish. Incidentally, I’ve recently discovered veggie tuna salad is superior to regular old tuna salad.
ST: If you were at a Waffle House and they asked how you wanted your hash browns (without looking at a menu, mind you), what would you say?
DV: I would ask my hash browns be reverse engineered into French fries.
ST: You realize that’s an insult in more states than Kentucky, right?
DV: As long as one of those other states isn’t North Carolina I suppose I’ll have to be ok with that.
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July 2nd, 2009
Barry Schwartz is the mastermind behind Disco Vietnam, a clan that moves soundlessly through the shadows and works tirelessly to defeat the wicked 10 percent. “Totally Awesome Decisions” coming soon–total awesomeness guaranteed.
“With the same sword they knight you/they gonna good night you with/Shit, that’s only half if they like you/That ain’t even the half what they might do. Don’t believe me? Ask Michael.”
* Jay-Z
As I watched the events of last Thursday unfold I couldn’t help but be struck with an overwhelming sense of dread. People, it would seem, are simply not improving.
When you accomplish what Michael Jackson accomplished, your obituary will inevitably be split between the great things you did and the awful things people have accused you of doing that can neither be proved nor disproved. This is a good thing in some ways; it prevents the dead from being deified. It’s also a bad thing in that it puts a limit on the amount of positive things people will aspire to accomplish.
When you’re a child it’s very easy to know when people are lying. I was only 12-years-old when I watched Jackson on MTV, recounting the humiliation of having his genitals photographed by the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department, an experience he knew stood no chance of proving his innocence against accusations of child molestation, but rather could only provide some doubt as to his guilt. His voice quivering as he begged those who might doubt his innocence to reserve judgment, I remember watching this video and believing every word that came out of his mouth. The idea that this person was guilty of what he’d been accused didn’t seem to make much sense at all. It still doesn’t.
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Posted in Michael Jackson Tribute, Disco Vietnam | 6 Comments »
June 11th, 2009
Disco Vietnam cannot be described in a single sentence, but instead exists as a platonic ideal comprised of equal parts Ecto-Cooler, the Rza, and lightning.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/khnpo5
The recession endures but Mister Softee stays winning. The summer weather made its auspicious debut a little over a month ago, yet not a day has passed that the wind has failed to carry the iconic ice cream man’s 16-bar baroque theme directly to my ears. And it’s positively Pavlovian (or I’m just a gluttonous fat piece of shit); any cash contained within my pockets will inevitably be converted into a chocolate milkshake to be quickly annihilated. Totally awesome decision. Doctors don’t make house calls anymore, but Mister Softee will check up on you everyday just to see if you might need him and pull right into your driveway if you ask him to. Do the math.
Recently, on a particularly warm Saturday afternoon my brother and I found ourselves doing very little at all save for sweating profusely when, suddenly, we heard it. The tune was faint but unmistakable and offered no clear indication of where it was coming from; only that it was close enough to hear and by all reasonable assumptions would be heading closer.
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November 2nd, 2008
Lyrically, “My Life,” the latest jaunt from the duo of Passion of the Weiss contributor/marijuana guru/Jedi warrior Disco Vietnam and Long Island’s Prafit, doesn’t extend much further than facile similes, shit-talking braggadocio, and shout outs to the pair’s Strong Isle roots. But as on “Nice Weather,” the pair showcase an impressive chemistry, with Prafit adroitly attacking the beat’s soulful, plangent horn section and stutter-step drums. Plus, extra credit is earned for the name-drop of one of the half-dozen or so redeeming No Limit cuts, Silkk the Shocker and Mystikal’s “It Ain’t My Fault.” All nepotism aside, this is a duo you should be checking for.
Download:
MP3: Prafit (produced by Disco Vietnam)-”My LIfe”
MP3: Prafit (produced by Disco Vietnam)-”Nice Weather”
Bonus: Video for Silkk the Shocker and Mystikal’s “It Ain’t My Fault”
Posted in Disco Vietnam, Are You From the Lester Bangs School of Thought? | 8 Comments »
February 15th, 2008
On Sunday Barack Obama completed his sweep of the most recent primaries with a devastating win in Maine. At the same time, 3,000 miles away across the country at Los Angeles’ Staples Center, Morris Day and the Time took the stage at this years Grammys for a blistering performance. This cannot be a coincidence. It occurred to me today the narrative of 2008s primary campaign is beginning to eerily resemble Purple Rain.
Barack Obama is like Prince, a somewhat racially ambiguous psychedelic composite of multiple different kinds of awesome; his prodigous showmanship and seemingly boundless natural ability could make him a legend, and yet he remains … an enigma. The club owners want him to play the type of music they think the people want to hear, but The Kid’s got other ideas.
Hilary Clinton is like Apollonia (D-NY), a glorified back-up singer desperate for the spotlight who doesn’t really care who she sings for; she just wants to get put on. “Put me on! Please! Put me on! I’ll do anything! What do I have to do?” Well, for starters, you have to purify yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka. Wait! That ain’t Lake Minnetonka. Sorry, now we’ve lost all respect for you. Oh well.
Let’s Have Some Asses Wigglin’….I Wanna See Some Perfection!
John McCain is like Morris Day and America is like First Avenue. First Avenue is his club, he is the headliner and only he is gonna give the people what they neeeeeeeeed, baby. But he’s got to check himself in the mirror to make sure he looks good before he does it.
Morris Day (McCain) isn’t feeling The Kid’s (Obama’s) style and he will stop at nothing to defeat him. Both of their interests in Apollonia (Clinton) will fall by the wayside, until in the weeks leading up to Ohio and Texas, she reveals her all-girl-super group. Eventually there will be a big show at First Avenue where the people will decide who they love more.
The only question that remains is this: has Barack Obama reached the level of Purple Rain- era Prince, peaking at the perfect time to seize the moment? Or is he more like Prince’s eponymous second album: kicks ass, but he’s flying on a unicorn.
Time will tell if this revolution will make way for a new power generation. One thing is certain: In this life things are much harder than in the afterworld; in this life you’re on your own. But where we are met with cynicism and doubt and fear and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of the American people in three simple words – Let’s Go Crazy!
Download:
MP3: Prince (Obama)-”Let’s Go Crazy”
Posted in Disco Vietnam | 5 Comments »
January 17th, 2008
Welcome to yet another edition of Disco Vietnam’s The Pick-Up Artist, because if there is one thing the members of Disco Vietnam understand it’s women. Today’s lesson will be brought to you, once again, by Disco Vietnam affiliate and board-certified mack Dr. Chet Rockstone. Dr. Rockstone has slept with so many chicks his balls can hold their own presidential primary.
“Black man watch out, she salt-water trout
Al Deuce dug her back out, inside the dugout.
Heard the pussy was good, big niggaz fell victim
Mentally stripped em, one God turned Christian!
- Ghostface Killah, “Marvel”
Yo God, let me pour y’all the science about the womb
It’s a black hole for those who lose control
- RZA, “Marvel”
Full disclosure: I, Dr. Chet Rockstone, am a Giants fan to the death. Let’s Go G-men!!! I never miss a game; I’m on the waitlist for season tickets (35 more years!); I even fully endorse the use of the term “G-fense” in casual conversation. So I might be a little biased when I say I think our defense played their fucking asses off Sunday night baby! Even Eli Manning came through with a gutsy, gutsy performance, a performance made all the more impressive when you consider he’s only 6-years-old! What could you do when you were 6-years-old!? Huh?!
Still, burdened with the wisdom that comes with being Dr. Chet Rockstone, I can find little satisfaction in this victory. In spite of our seemingly great performance I can’t help but think … perhaps ‘twas darker forces that conspired for our favor; dark forces whose power is beyond anything you or I could ever imagine.
Pussy.
Nice Izod Shirt
We have a lot of fun here at Disco Vietnam Pick-Up Artistry, don’t we? We drink some beers, have a couple of laughs, and we learn stuff about chicks to manipulate them into doing things with us they don’t even realize they might like doing yet. But, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get serious for a minute:
When I talk about pussy, I’m not talking about women. I’m talking about pussy. There is a world of difference and understanding this difference is crucial to both your personal and professional survival.
They say behind every great man is a great woman. If we are to accept this rather suspiciously convenient logic (I’m onto you “They.” You’re probably some chick) then, naturally, behind every disgrace, failure and fallen empire is the dry stench of salt-water trout. Women weaken legs but pussy will weaken your entire existence. Especially if you ask it to.
The haunting closing track of Ghostface Killah’s 1996 debut Ironman “Marvel” will tell you everything you need to know about pussy, the nature of pussy and the ways in which pussy can destroy a man before he even gets a chance to become one. A companion piece to the greatest break-up song of all time, the appropriately vitriolic “Wildflower,” “Marvel” is a veritable laundry list of the consequences you invite into your life when you confuse love for lust and let your temptations govern your decisions. Never let your dick think for you. That’s your brain’s job and he’s awesome at it. And never, ever confuse your dick for your heart, either.
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