11.21.2006, 02:24 PM | #1 |
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http://www.tinymixtapes.com/musicrev...have_in_la.htm
To Live And Shave In L.A. http://www.toliveandshaveinla.com styles: dense and nebulous soundscapes others: Ohne, Sudden Infant, none Noon and Eternity Menlo Park, 2006 rating: 4.5/5 reviewer: leveer To Live And Shave In L.A.: Starring Tom Smith's voice. That's a plausible summation of TLASILA's recorded output. Not exactly helpful and definitely not thorough, but it is more or less accurate. Of course, Tom Smith has been the proverbial Nick Mason, or Anton Newcombe, of the band. That is to say, the only constant member. And like Newcombe, and not so much like Mason — the alpha and omega — one can, and must, track the evolution of the group through him. So, we go into any TLASILA record with a curiosity as to what TS has dreamt up. And to wit, being a rat of Hamelin has been a worthwhile pursuit: from the collagery and unhingedness of 30-minuten männercreme to the singular brutality of Vedder Vedder Bedwetter to the (comparably) restrained musicality and techno of Amour Fou on the Edge of Misogyny. This brings us to the shining moment of the new millennium's musical output, The Wigmaker in Eighteenth Century Williamsburg. It is this album that wins TS's abhorrence of the explicative "noise" acceptability and furthermore drives you to reconsider appreciating anything that bills itself as noise. There can surely be no music that is simultaneously so pummeling to your visceral senses and so utterly exquisite. Every horrible sound is heard in perfect fidelity, every sonic contrast thoroughly effective. We are thus formally introduced to the real star of a To Live and Shave in L.A. record, Tom Smith's curatorial abilities. Noon and Eternity marries these two forces in a heretofore unfamiliar way. The previously raw tumult of Tom's vocals has been replaced with disciplined concordance with the whole. No longer fettered with his dense and verbose poetry, his voice can work purely as the worthy instrument that it had only inconsistently been before. And whatever the motives may be, Noon and Eternity is eminently listenable for almost any audience that might be inclined to listen to a TLASILA record, or read this review for that matter. While indubitably canonical, it strikes far out from the pack; it does resemble the new form of psych that the press pack suggests. Rarely does the intent turn to abrasiveness, and if it does, it is entirely justified as part of an arcing narrative. This is the most conventional and, meanwhile, possibly the most completely realized To Live and Shave album. Not quite (nearly?) the achievement that was The Wigmaker, Noon and Eternity ought to make waves not quite as big, but further reaching, this time as a result of Tom Smith and TLASILA as a whole. 1. This Home And Fear 2. Early 1880's 3. Percent Obstruct Street 4. Mothers Over Silverpoint |
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11.23.2006, 08:13 AM | #2 |
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Noon and Eternity Tour, Pt. 1 (NE/SE): Schedule PostedBody:Hello,
Here's the schedule as it currently stands for the first leg of our year-long Noon and Eternity slog: Dec 13 Boston, MA: Middle East Dec 14 North Adams, MA: Robot Mansion/CAC Dec 15 Brooklyn, NY: Europa (This was a surprise for us too!) Dec 16 Baltimore, MD: Talking Head Dec 18 Nashville, TN: Ruby Green CAG Dec 19 Atlanta, GA: Drunken Unicorn Dec 22 Chapel Hill, NC: Night Light Dec 23 Washington, DC: The Warehouse Stay tuned to MS or the TLASILA web (or TLASILA Blog) for more details. Two additional shows will likely be added. We'll be performing selections from Noon, as well as the material we've been working on for the next studio album and maybe a few older TLASILA standards/ditties/chestnuts. Requests? The lineup: Rat Bastard Ben Wolcott Don Fleming Andrew W.K. Chris Grier Graham Moore Tom Smith Luvz, TS |
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11.23.2006, 08:18 AM | #3 |
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Hmmm, might check this out. Really dig the TLASILA footage on the No Fun DVD, it's a great way to kick off the first disc.
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12.03.2006, 12:21 AM | #4 |
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Tour CancelledBody:It kills me to report this, but we've decided to cancel the tour.
I'm so bummed... The organization of the trip just wasn't up to our standards, and as a result, everyone within the TLASILA camp had become seriously stressed out. We deserve better. Many of you have shown us an astonishing degree of kindness, and we appreciate - and have been genuinely humbled by - your efforts on our behalf. That noted, there were too many inconsistencies, too many loose ends left untied. Until we've found the right mix of support personnel, it may be impossible for this group to tour... We compromised our sound in order to fulfill our obligations for the Horoscopo trip, but we're not inclined to compromise a second time. It's too gut-wrenching an experience to endure. For now, we're going to focus on writing, recording. There will be no let up in that regard. As for touring, however, we'll have to wait and see. Sincerely, Tom Smith |
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