Great Songs Remain, But Magic is Gone From Pixies 2014

The Pixies have now been on their reunion tour for longer than they were initially together in the late 80s and early 90s.

And while I wasn’t around to witness the first iteration of the band (I did see some great mid-90s Frank Black solo shows however), I’ve been front-and-center for the new Pixies, seeing them at New York’s Bowery Ballroom in 2004 and D.C.’s Constitution Hall in 2009.

The first show was kind of a mess, but the 2009 one was a 5-star classic. Sunday night’s show at Strathmore – a beautiful, wood-paneled classical-music hall in North Bethesda that Rachel and I attended with friends Lori and Ahron – was back to being a mixed bag.

It would take a hardened cynic or a non-fan of the dark indie act to deny how tight and enjoyable the Pixies’ greatest-hits set has become. Two of my favorites were played right near the beginning of the 33-song set: Trompe Le Monde’s “U-Mass” (“it’s educational”) and “Wave of Mutilation.”

Other highlights included drummer David Loverling’s “La La Love You,” “Here Comes Your Man,” “Monkey Gone to Heaven,” “Where is My Mind?,” “Crackity Jones,” and “Debaser.”

And while the songs were tight, there was almost no discernible hop in the three long-time members’ steps.

Kim Deal, perhaps mine (and everyone’s) favorite Pixie, has recently left the band. Nobody knows exactly under what circumstances, but I’ll assume they weren’t amicable. Arguably the band’s best song, the Deal-penned “Gigantic,” was not played. New bassist Paz Lenchantin, formerly of Billy Corgan’s post-Pumpkins band Zwan, offered backing vocals that serviceably filled in for the gigantic shoes of Deal, and she showed more enthusiasm than all the band members together.

But the subtraction of Kim Deal (combined with the endless chug of reunion cash-grab through over-priced merchandise and concert tickets) just made it feel like Pixies ’14 has lost much of that old magic.

***1/2 out of ***** stars

• 1. Bone Machine 
  2. Wave of Mutilation 
  3. U-Mass 
  4. Head On 
     (The Jesus and Mary Chain cover)
  5. Magdalena 
  6. Cactus 
  7. Gouge Away 
  8. Bagboy 
  9. What Goes Boom 
  10. Monkey Gone to Heaven 
  11. Crackity Jones 
  12. Isla de Encanta 
  13. Havalina 
  14. Velouria 
  15. Silver Snail 
  16. Mr. Grieves 
  17. Nimrod's Son 
  18. Vamos 
  19. Indie Cindy 
  20. Here Comes Your Man 
  21. La La Love You 
  22. Brick Is Red 
  23. Ed Is Dead 
  24. Motorway to Roswell 
  25. In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song) 
  26. Andro Queen 
  27. Greens and Blues 
  28. Where Is My Mind? 
  29. Encore:
  29. Caribou 
  30. Debaser 
  31. Hey 
  32. Ana 
  33. Planet of Sound 

Catch Me on VOA TV for Martin Luther King Day

It was fun to go pick up trash at Fort Dupont Park, one of the key civil-war defense posts in Anacostia (SE DC). Giving back to society and teaching my son (and kinda, my baby) the values of service to community and helping others.

But I guess it's extra nice that our Martin Luther King Jr. clean-up event with Student Conservation Association was covered in the media. I was interviewed (and Rachel, Jackson, and Zoey are spotted with their "trash grabbers" as well) by Voice of America TV.

A little odd that they interviewed me instead of the many diverse students lending a hand, but it is a pretty nice segment.

Where Are All the Good Spies?

For some strange reason, I've never been much into spy stories. I've seen very few James Bond films. I've read none of Ian Fleming's novels. I'm not even overly curious about all the recent NSA news.

There have been exceptions, mostly in the movie medium. I like some of the Jack Ryan stuff, of course Alfred Hitchcock's spy-related flicks like Notorious and The 39 Steps, and anything out of Austin Powers' mouth.

So I gave a more serious, Kafka-like novel a try. The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John Le Carre is widely considered a gem of the genre. It's about British agent Leamus, who falls in a kind of love with a librarian while stationed in Germany. He is then tugged in various directions around Europe by shady and often unseemly characters. It does not end well for several of the players.

The bleakness and lack of character development makes the novel suffer for me, although it does a good job of placing the reader deeply into the world of what it must have been like to be a spy in the middle of the 20th century.

If anyone has any better spy recommendations, I'm willing to give a few more books or novels a shot.

**1/2 out of ***** stars

The Bling Ring is the Most Vacuous Film of 2013

Seeking the “most vacuous movie of 2013?” Look no further than The Bling Ring, about a group of lost high-schoolers that breaks into the celebrity mansions of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, and others.

The film is based on a true story captured as a feature in Vanity Fair magazine. I suspect it would have been more enjoyable in that format, but thankfully the movie version is relatively short.

And it's only 90 minutes for a reason. There just wasn't really much there. None of the characters seem to have anything interesting about them or back stories that warrant the movie treatment.

It’s surprising that Sophia Coppola decided to showcase these losers, and it’s definitely surprising she didn’t dig up more dirt to flesh out the story. But it’s also possible she wanted to simply show how narcissistic these people are as a statement on today’s TMZ culture in the U.S.

All that said, The Bling Ring is a significant fall from grace from the way Coppola started out her directing career, with The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation.

**1/2 out of ***** stars

Are the Critics Hustling Us on American Hustle?

American Hustle gets a 94 percent positive rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website, but I can't agree that it's really that great.

Christian Bale as a chubby hustler and his girl played by Amy Adams build exceptional character studies. Bradley Cooper as an FBI agent, Jennifer Lawrence as Bale's dumb-ish wife, and Jeremy Renner as the mayor of Camden, New Jersey turn in performances that are almost as good.

The problem is that the plot meanders along and the hustle the group plans isn't all that interesting. Perhaps that's because it's loosely based on the Abscam FBI investigation of the late 70s in which several prominent politicians actually did go to jail.

A little more fiction or creativity might have made this movie better. It seems to aspire to a Pulp Fiction kind of noir, but it lacks the twists and humor to pull it off.

All that said, this is an enjoyable film. Just keep your expectations in check heading into the theater.

**** out of ***** stars

My Top 90 Albums of 2013

Christopher Owens

It was a robust year for music (as always). There is barely enough time to listen to all these albums, let alone many of the all-time great discs. 

There is lots to choose from here. But if you are a fan of hook-laden pop/rock music, don't hesitate to start with dropping everything you're doing right now and go buy the top 10 on this list. Then you can make your way to discovering 11 through 90.

Yuck, when they still had Daniel Blumberg

Much like my list of 2011's Top 70 Albums, Girls beats out Yuck for the top spot. This time, it's Girls' lead singer Christopher Owens' underrated solo album at #1 (made even more personally amazing after being blown away by his intimate show at the 9:30 Club). But Yuck gets some laughs too, because their album is at #2, which is incredible considering former leader Daniel Blumberg's breakway solo debut by his new band Hebronix clocks in at #3.

To listen to lots of highlights from this list, check out my free Spotify Best of 2013 list.

90. My Bloody Valentine – mbv

89. Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band – Take Me to the Land of Hell

88. Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark – English Electric

87. Steve Martin and Edie Brickell – Love Has Come For You

86. Adam Ant – Wonderful

85. Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP2

84. Kanye West - Yeezus

83. Deerhunter - Monomania

82. Fonda – Sell Your Memories

81. 18^th Dye – Amorine Queen

80. Tennis – Small Sound

79. MGMT - MGMT

78. Lee Ranaldo and the Dust – Last Night on Earth

77. Jason Isbell - Southeastern

76. Johnny Marr – The Messenger

75. British Sea Power – Machineries of Joy

74. Empire Of the Sun – Ice On the Dune

73. Rogue Wave – Nightingale Floors
72. The Olms – The Olms

71. The Little Ones – The Dawn Sang Along

70. Dean Wareham – Emancipated Hearts

69. Jack Johnson – From Here to Now to You

68. Elf Power – Sunlight on the Moon

67. The Boy Least Likely To – The Great Perhaps

66. Treetop Flyers – The Mountain Moves

65. Mandolin Orange – This Side of Jordan

64. The Paranoid Style – The Purposes of Music In General

63. Pop Levi – Never Never Love

62. Big Dipper – Crashes on the Platinum Planet

61. Jimi Hendrix – People, Hell & Angels

60. Dent May – Warm Blanket

59. Ducktails – The Flower Lane

58. Ra Ra Riot – Beta Love

57. Thao – Know Better Learn Faster

56. Robyn Hitchcock – Love From London

55. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

54. Islands – Ski Mask

53. Jim James – Regions of Light and Sound

52. Father John Misty – Fear Fun

51. Taken By Trees – Other Worlds

50. Grouplove – Spreading Rumours

49. Lorde – Pure Heroine

48. Darlings – Perfect Trip/Warma

47. The Strokes – Comedown Machine

46. Minor Alps – Get There

45. Kings of Leon – Mechanical Bull

44. Belle & Sebastian – The Third Eye Centre

43. Snoop Lion - Reincarnated

42. Free Energy – Love Sign

41. Kurt Vile – Wakin On a Pretty Daze

40. David Bowie – The Next Day Extra

39. Yo La Tengo – Fade

38. Eternal Summers – Correct Behavior

37. Tegan & Sara – Closer

36. Haim – Days Are Gone

35. The Coup – Pick a Bigger Weapon

34. Sebadoh – Defend Yourself

33. Weinland – Los Processaur

32. Mikal Cronin – MCII

31. Eleanor Friedberger – Personal Record

30. Surfer Blood – Pythons

29. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – Split/Fly By Wire

28. Robert Pollard – Honey Locust Honky Tonk

27. Camera Obscura – Desire Lines

26. Daft Punk – Random Access Memories

25. Iron & Wine – Ghost On Ghost

24. Jacobites – Old Scarlett

23. The Polyphonic Spree – Yes, It’s True.

22. Arcade Fire - Reflektor

21. Superchunk – I Hate Music

20. Of Montreal – Lousy With Sylvianbriar

19. Mazes – Ores & Minerals

18. Palmyra Delran – You Are What You Absorb

17. Jamaica – No Problem

16. Dead Stars – High Gain

15. Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion – Wassaic Way

14. Okkervil River – The Silver Gymnasium

13. The Blank Tapes – Vacation

12. Phoenix – Bankrupt!

11. The Postelles - … And It Shook Me

10. San Cisco – The Awkward EP

09. The Babies – Our House on the Hill

08. The Virgins – Strike Gently

07. The Replacements – Songs For Slim

06. Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City

05. Paul McCartney - NEW

04. Parquet Courts – Light Up Gold

03. Hebronix – Unreal

02. Yuck – Glow and Behold
01. Christopher Owens - Lysandre

It's Always Warm in Philadelphia ... in December?

You may have noticed a distinct lack of world travel blogs lately here at Pop Culture Lunch Box. 

It's true, I haven't been going to excellent places of old like South Africa, Thailand, Tanzania, and Brazil, but you know, I've never spent much time in Philadelphia, a mere 140 miles from Washington D.C. And it's a fun place. Especially on a 70-degree December weekend!

Well, that's if you don't talk about the ridiculous traffic. It took us more than four hours to get there Friday afternoon, much of that at a standstill in the few blocks approaching our hotel.

Rachel, Jackson, me, Zoey on the front steps of the Union League

Me in front of the Union League

And what a hotel. The Union League of Philadelphia, voted "the best city club in the country."It was founded in 1862 "to support the policies of Abe Lincoln." He was a member, as was William Tecumseh Sherman and Ulysses Grant. Today, it is members only and "remains a bastion of the elite." It is the "oldest and most prominent of the remaining loyalty leagues."

It takes a strong man to down a drink in Lincoln's library (during the wedding reception)

Zoey loved the stroll just north of our hotel past the beautiful City Hall, not too far from the "Rocky" steps

The lovely couple Tom and Tara, who know how to throw a wedding party. I never even got tired of dancing!

Saturday we mostly stuck around the downtown district, although the wedding itself was in a Catholic church in the old downtown section near Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. We made it back over to see those landmarks on Sunday. And Jackson insisted that this part of the trip was pretty boring compared to jumping on the hotel bed and getting candy from a street merchant.

A pretty great photo outside Independence Hall

Capital Bikeshare (on my shirt) hits Philly!

Give the kid some credit. He appreciates himself some Honest Abe.

Pat's. That says it all.

And what would a trip to this legendary town be without stopping in South Philly for Pat's cheesesteak? It's been several years since I had one, but cheesesteak with Cheese Whiz and "wid out" (meaning "no onions") is delicious. It's kind of like Imo's Pizza in St. Louis. You can't possibly imagine why it's so good and why it is so difficult to replicate.