The first is Idiot Pilot's Heart is Long EP. I long ago proclaimed Idiot Pilot to be dead to me as a band, as their second album greatly wavers from the sound that got me interested in them in the first place (not to mention that second album Wolves just plain sucks save a couple of tracks). That being said, I still wished deep beneath my egomaniacal façade that this EP would see a return to the glitchly bleeps and boops and post-hardcore sing-scream combination that Strange We Should Meet Here was abound with. Instead, the EP is laden with downtempo mopey alt-rock. The opening track, an acoustic version of Wolves track "Last Chance," actually is the strongest on the EP and works far better as a bare-bones song in comparison to the original version. From there, the EP descends to the musical equivalent of a downer. Each track could be played on adult contemporary radio, as there is nothing threatening, novel, experimental, or scary to be found.
The second is Femme Fatale's From The Abundance of The Heart, The Mouth Speaks EP. For those not in the "know" (get with it, square), Femme Fatale is Jesse F. Keeler's pre-DFA1979 noise rock band. The touring version actually had Sir Sebastien Grainger on drums (therefore, the band gets my seal of approval). Really though, what the fuck happened to Keeler? This EP is fantastic. It follows a frenetic pace, contains the right amount of abrasive noise to piss your parents off, and is still musically sensible (meaning, there are memorable vocal lines, good repetition, and subtle hooks). On top of that, Keeler does all the vocals on this album, wrote all the lyrics (which are apparently deeply personal diary-entries), AND plays all the instruments. Look at Keeler now:
No matter how straight the brim is on your ballcap, no matter how expensive and limited edition your graphic t-shirt is, no matter how immaculately trimmed your moustache is, no matter how many Vestal watch advertisements you are in, no matter how many neon and strobe lights and smoke machines surround you, no matter how many arbitrary knobs you turn, DJing is not a noble musical profession and you will never really look that cool doing it. Furthermore, after hearing Keeler's fantastic vocals in Femme Fatale, I wonder why he shied away from the microphone while in DFA1979. The only vocals he supplied were on "Pull Out" and they were not particularly impressive. Regardless, Femme Fatale will always be an unsolvable puzzle, but one of those Puzz 3D ones of the Eiffel Tower that are wonderfully enjoyable to trudge through anyway.
Idiot Pilot - Heart is Long
Femme Fatale - From The Abundance of The Heart, The Mouth Speaks
