May 6, 2007

After much work, the new Standard album is done. Though it doesn’t have a name, it does have 11 songs. Tony Lash mixed and mastered the entire affair, and it sounds in many ways unlike any other Standard album. We’re revamping the site here and will soon be posting a song or two. Thanks to all those who helped out along the way, or were supportive, or fed us, or let us record in your homes.

We’re on the lookout for a label for this one. There’s no scheduled release date, but we’ll keep you updated on what’s to come.

Thanks for your patience. Hope to have something out to you soon.

The Standard

July 24th 2006
Well, there’s a few new things going on in Standard-land right now, the biggest of which is the ongoing album, the second biggest being the Lollapallooza cancellation. We were excited to play, but with the album still chugging along and imminent weddings, it wasn’t the best time to practice up for a festival and head out to Chicago. We apologize to all of you that bought tickets only because we were playing. There’s a lot of dogs on that line-up, but hopefully you’ll see a cool new band. We suggest checking out Wilco. They’re going to be huge.

On to to more serious matters. Robot got a puppy. His name is Tucker. He is tiny and is helping out with some of the guitar work.

A couple of folks have written us asking for info on the album. We can’t say much except that it’s eleven/twelve songs long, and that it should be done by the end of August for a release sometime next year (the business being what it is). There’s a couple of quiet songs, a handful of loud ones. We are all in agreement that we’ve never been this happy at this stage of the game. Usually, there’s three songs or so that need a lot of work structurally or otherwise. And usually we hate ourselves and each other and the whole idea of making music and the world. But so far, we’ve been lucky.

Again, apologies for Lollapalloza. We’ll be more diligent posting album info, plus a new issue of the Goods is about due as well. And finally, please check out the newly revamped Purchase section of the site here where you can buy albums, shirts and related mercantiles the proceeds of which will keep us from hating ourselves, each other, music, the world.

Please check out Loose Record for a kind Albatross review. Also, we begin recording a new album tomorrow. Tentative titles, “Mogooroth, Lord of the Underdark” or “The Kitten Chronicles.”

Including RobOt’s wedding yesterday, the last few weeks have been a constant deluge of the goods, some of which are shared here, some of which are too rich to pass along (thanks to E.Hill)–without saying more, the goods follow:

This is a Public Service Announcement from David Lynch, yes David Lynch, who might be the only person who could curb one’s penchant for littering. And raising rats. Which leads us rodentially to….

A few rabbit short films by Mr. Lynch:
RabbitsOne
RabbitsTwo
RabbitsThree
RabbitsFour
All of which deal with the surreal nature of everyday minutae and the ridiculousness of certain genres (this time, half-hour comedies). The shorts will test your patience, might be a case of the emperor’s new clothes, but ultimately have something inexplicable about them. Much like this post and….

Murakami’s newest opus, “Kafka on the Shore” (click on his name to be taken to his publisher’s site, an extensive resource and a good way to spend your April), which is very Lynchian, and better, in this estimation, than “The Windup Bird Chronicle.” Speaking of birds…

Silverhawks is a Rankin/Bass vehicle from the ’80s, a series with Hobbital overtones, a Westside Story crossed with the Thundercats feel, all set in space, with dueling cosmic guitars and keytars, an android cowboy pilot named Bluegrass, topped off with a copper boy from the planet Mime who speaks in whistles and the occasional vocoded voice. No shit. When the Thundercats seem to be getting you down, go for their dark cousin. Memories of latch-key days, Campbell’s soup and ham sandwiches begin to rush in….This is the first episode. Speaking of cowboys and childhood memories…

BOC’s first and only video to date, this one for “Dayvan Cowboy” from The Campfire Headphase. In keeping with their new sunny disposition, the video is all things brilliant and natural….

And as RobOt says, “I think it’s healthy to have your mind blown by nature now and then.” And though this looks almost too impossible to be real, there are confirmations web-world-wise that this is indeed the original article. Such as this original article…

…the six second loop , about a break that informs just about everything you hear nowadays…

Like Led Zeppelin, whose influence seems to be worn on the sleeves more and more. Here is a BBC documentary about the group and it’s continuing hand in the music of…..Today!

And lastly, this from Dr.Radical, a history of Parkour. Firstly, watch this documentary from French TV to understand the concept. Then travel to http://www.parkour.com for more info and then http://www.americanparkour.com/ for Parkour stateside. It’s very reminiscent of Coach Thunder’s treatise on Primitive Functionalism (Hardcourt Brace, 1999). Perhaps the new minimalism is upon us.

Or not. Good health–more goods to follow…

April 7, 2006
While we wait to tour, we’ve been compiling The Goods, a list of which follows:

If you’ve ever seen the video for Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit” and thought “wow, wouldn’t it be cool to see those paper-mache robots come to life? And then they just start break-dancing? And wouldn’t it be cool if Michael Jackson and his date, Brooke Shields, watched? Oh and I want John Denver to introduce the whole thing.” If you have, then my friend, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_MMUfuVt5g&search=Ja and Rockit away. For those of you in the know, there’s some badass musicians on that stage, and the break-dancing has all the old-school poppin and lockin for which you could ever hope. Gloved One pops up as the camera pans for the standing ovation. Seriously. Standing ovation. For you completists, check out Herbie on NPR: www.npr.org/programs/jazzprofiles/archive/hancock.html.

Have you ever listened to King Crimson and thought “Wow, that Jamie Muir sounds really cool. Didn’t he become a hermit?” Okay, we’ve played that saw. But there is a good video of KC at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnyX392EExE&search=king%20crimson, where the above mentioned Mr. Muir freaks out, what with his bird whistle, Rollie Fingers mustache and elegant ermine cape. And you’re right–he did disappear, supposedly becoming a highly ascetic Buddhist. For you completeists, he apparently is the only person who has ever impressed the highly confident Bill Bruford (he of the blue overalls).

Our Raleigh brother writes: “I have discovered that episodes of Frontline in their entirety are on line to watch. Amazing stuff. For whoever is interested, I provided the link below. Enjoy”: www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline. If I may add to Tim’s suggestion, check out the Karl Rove episode if you can. Puppetmaster. TP also writes: “Also, here is a link to Nova, www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/programs.html where selected episodes can be watched online. If you missed it, the show which aired April 4th about the process surrounding the 7 year journey to Titan is beyond comprehension.”

Brother Robby D chimes in: “i started listening to pauline oliveros. the first record i got (just grabbed the first one i saw) is totally out there. it’s called “a little noise in the system” and it’s basically her composing and performing in real time on a moog w/ tape delay and feedback. it’s basically a bunch of static and noise. but the other one i ordered (should be getting soon) is supposed to be good. it’s called the “minexico connection” and it’s her and this band called Reynolds performing live at a cafe in upstate New York. I got a bike too. that’s exciting.” rob is, in fact, a fan of ee cummings.

Also, before you do anything else today, go to American Music Mavericks at http://musicmavericks.publicradio.org/features and prepare to have your mind blown. This, courteousy of our friend J. Stuart Saltzman, has ruined my life. Join me, won’t you. Be sure to go to the Harry Partch link and get your Partch on. I’ve spent hours on the this page alone. And then when you’re done, check out the series from 2003 with Suzanne Vega narrating. There’s thirteen shows, all airing on Public Radio, each one an essay on topics ranging from the meaning of “American” music to the role American abstract painters from the 50’s and 60’s had on the music scene.

It’s a little known fact the Standard are geeks: some in the closet, some openly, flamingly, geek. To this end, RobO sticks his head up: “Someone had to say something about this. It has changed all of our lives: www.scifi.com/battlestar/ The best show on tv. Makes our long van rides so much fracking better. We don’t have to talk.” It’s true. If you think the new show is all fat guys in shiny robot suits, you need to put your Dirk Benedict t-shirt away and dive into the future. It has what all great sci-fi has: enough of what’s-to-come to keep you thinking, but enough of the present to add some social/political heft. And that is what a geek would say.

Lastly, if you live in the Portland area, it may be worth your while to check out Reed College’s New Trajectories II: Expansions, or, recent photography by Gregory Crewdson and Candida Hofer, which runs from April 11 to June 11. Crewdson is mostly known for his advertisements for Six Feet Under and for the cover of Yo La Tengo’s “And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out.” Hofer is a German photographer whose paintings, in my humble estimation, seem to be in the same ball-park as Crewdson. Some call it chilly, some say it’s revolutionized photography. In these cases, it’s best to find out for yourself. Crewdson will be speaking in the flesh on April 25th at 7pm in Reed’s Vollum lecture all. Go to http://web.reed.edu/gallery/ for more details and examples of what’s shown.

And also lastly, Alex James, of Dolorean, celebrated a birthday yesterday. Dolo’s album is finishing up now and soon to come out….

March 23 ‘06
Unfortunately we had to cancel our Dante’s show tomorrow night after it had been advertised. Apologies to those who go thinking we’re there….The line-up, however, looks great. We’re making plans right now for another show in Portland this spring. Keep posted to the site for updated information.

March 22 2006
We are pleased to announce that we’ll be playing Lollapalooza ‘06 in Chicago, Aug. 4-6. There’s no set time yet. Tickets and all other info can be found at the official Lollapalooza website, www.lollapalooza.com. We hope to see you there….

Our show in Portland is now on March 4th, Saturday, at the Know on 2026 NE Alberta. The New Finesse (featuring members of the Minders and Swords) and the Great Western Conference are to play with us. Hope to see you there…

Feb. 15 ‘06
New tour dates for March ‘06 have arrived (see below). Though short, we’re excited to be hitching a ride with Moving Units out to Austin, TX where we will make our fourth appearance at the illustrious SXSW music festival. Please check here for further updates (including the specifics on the Portland show) and tour diary entries at Five-Factor Modeling.

March 2nd, 3rd of 4th ­ Portland–Venue To Be Decided

6th ­ Sacramento @ Boardwalk
7th ­ San Francisco @ Mezzanine
8th ­ Los Angeles @ Silverlake Lounge
9th ­ San Diego @ Soma (w/ Moving Units)
10th ­ San Diego @ UCSD (w/ Moving Units)
11th ­ Phoenix @ Old Brick House Grill (w/ Moving Units)
13th ­ Dallas @ Gypsy Tea Room (w/ Moving Units)
14th ­ San Antonio @ TBD (W/ Moving Units)
15th ­ SXSW @ Nunos (Yep Roc Showcase)

Dec. 30 ‘05
In their year-end-best-of list, Prefix magazine listed Albatross amongst the glowing lights of ‘05. Their words:
“The sweep of the fruited plane radiates in a low hum from the music of Portland, Oregon’s the Standard, marrying the quiet desolation of Edward Hopper, the sunspot modernism of Wallace Stevens and the kinetic post-rock practitioners of ’90s Chicago.”
That’s one hell of a blend.
Happy New Years. See you in ‘06.