The Kung Fu of Ten Hands: A Chat with Paul Slavens

A discussion about the relatively obscure classic Ten Hands' 1988 release Kung Fu...That's What I Like, with very special guest Paul Slavens.

Relevant Links: An older text post on Alphabet Girls Vol. 1

The extended edition:

2022 Album Showdowns: Tier 2 Week 8

The results of last few Tier 2 eliminations include:

M83 – Oblivion VS. Hollywood Burns – The Age of Saucers

M83 – Oblivion OST

Kalandra – The Line VS. Once and Future Band – Once and Future Band

Kalandra – The Line

Tom McGuire & the Brassholes – Tom McGuire& the Brassholes VS. Cynic – Ascension Codes

Cynic – Ascension Codes

 

Its usually the case that the “genre clash” showdowns give me the most trouble, but even though that Tom McGuire album is the first funk-rock album I have connected with in a very long time, Cynic is really hard to beat right now.  The synth bass on Ascension Codes just rocks my legs. 

No, this time around the most contentious showdown was definitely Kalandra VS. Once and Future Band.  Keep in mind that Once and Future Band was a big, big player last year with Deleted Scenes, and that any real contender would have to deal with this preconception.  It is partially due to the fact that I loved that album SO much in 2021 that the nearly imperceptible lean towards a more traditional prog approach worked against them ever so slightly.  Kalandra, on the other hand, has impressed me from the first listen.  I have found it very difficult to let go of the idea of continuing my engagement with the album, so it goes on.

2022 Album Showdown Series: Tier 4 Part 1

This final tier is comprised of music that showed up in November and December of 2021.  The albums listen to this time of year always gets the short end of the stick, because unless they are particularly compelling, they don’t get the opportunity to stand the test of time that others enjoy.  To address this, last year I instigated the “punt,” allowing these albums to size up in a round against the Spring finalists.  The results from the first six of these Tier 4 showdowns are as follows:

Tears for Fears – The Tipping Point VS. Hans Zimmer – Dune OST

Tears for Fears – The Tipping Point

!

The Buggles – The Age of Plastic VS. Vodun – Ascend

The Buggles – The Age of Plastic

Squarepusher – Feed Me Weird Things VS. Beauty Pill – Sorry You’re Here

Beauty Pill – Sorry You’re Here

!

Deafheaven – Infinite Granite VS. Soccer Mommy – Color Theory

Soccer Mommy – Color Theory

!

Injury Reserve – By the Time I Get to Phoenix VS. Amythyst Kiah – Wary + Strange

Amythyst Kiah – Wary + Strange

HERE!!

Chassol – Indiamore VS. A.C.T. – Imaginary Friends

Chassol – Indiamore

By and large, there was only one upset.  Chassol’s Indiamore was really, really compelling back in December, and coming back to revisit it only reinforced its genius.  Dune gave The Tipping Point a run for its money, but despite its masterful creativity, it is most effective in its role as a soundtrack to the movie and not as much as a standalone musical experience.

2022 Album Roundup Series: June Came Much Too Soon

Last roundup before the mid-year top 10, including:

Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Airplane Over the Sea (1998)
Kalandra – The Line (2020)
Once and Future Band – Once and Future Band (2017)
Deep Energy Orchestra – The Return (2020)
Hollywood Burns – The Age of the Saucers (2021)
Konono No.1 – Congotronics (2004)



Relevant Links:

Previous Post on Once and Future Band’s Deleted Scenes

2022 Album Eliminations: Tier 2 Week 7

Nearing the end of Tier 2 eliminations!  The results for this week include:

Moor Mother – Black Encyclopedia of the Air VS. N.W.A. – Straight Outta Compton

Moor Mother – Black Encyclopedia of the Air

 

Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe – Candyman OST VS. Sault – Nine

Sault – Nine

 

Grizzly Bear – Yellow House VS. Tomahawk – Tonic Immobility

Tomahawk – Tonic Immobility

 

Several contentious showdowns this time around.  Moor Mother VS. N.W.A. was a bit tough because the influence of Straight Outta Compton is inarguable.  Decades of hip hop and rap music relied on its groundbreakingly brave take on the black narrative. It is also, I think, an artifact of its time.  Moor Mother’s take is adventurous and contemporary.  It feels relevant.

Grizzly Bear and Tomahawk represented more of a genre clash problem.  Considered within their respective music scenes, these albums feel pretty evenly matched.  Where Grizzly Bear wins out in terms of sheer detail, Tomahawk’s ability to convincingly swing between crushing thrash and spaghetti western twang is phenomenal.  Tomohawk’s vital drive edged them out ever so slightly.

Album Eliminations 2022: Tier 2 Week 5

Even though I am tackling some Tier 3 showdowns, Tier 2 is still going strong! The next few weeks includes albums from the May Roundup:

100 Gecs – 1000 Gecs VS. Daedelus – Invention

100 Gecs – 1000 Gecs

Native Construct – Quiet World VS. A.C.T. – Imaginary Friends
A.C.T. – Imaginary Friends

Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee VS. Laurie Spiegel – The Expanding Universe
Laurie Spiegel – The Expanding Universe


This week’s contentious showdown was this last one. Japanese Breakfast’s keen pop is clearly more accessible than Laurie Spiegel’s two disc compendium of mid – 70s computer music. Especially with the lengthier and more challenging experiments lying in wait at the end of the second disc, it can feel a bit overlong. But the creative context of this recording is incredibly compelling. Visions of cables running from room to room between huge IBM tape-to-tape mainframes taps into childhood memories of my father writing COBOL for similar machines. The idea of these behemoth machines being used to make this music resonates with me in surprising way.

Laurie Spiegel herself responded to my showdown post, and rightfully called into question the value of flattening the artistic output of these musicians with forced competitions. My response on Twitter came out terribly out of order, and I wanted to record it here in its entirety.:

First of all, thank you. In the last two years of doing this, you are the first to call me out on what is an inherently problematic process. A bit of a thread to follow…. 

For a long time, I’d just pick out some album that I liked a lot at the end of the year, but I found that would favor the music that I happened to be listening to in December, and didn’t really represent my favorite music from THROUGHOUT the year. 

So I eventually came up with this complicated showdown bracket system to add some component of empiricism to what is an essentially subjective endeavor. And although I agree that art is not a horse race, art does invite critique.

Unfortunately, the nuances of critique are often lost in contemporary “cancel” culture. Showing preference for one artistic expression over the other doesn’t necessarily mean that one is “good” while the other is “bad.” It’s way more complex than a “like,” which is what opinions have been flattened into.

In general, we have lost the idea that you can be both a fan and a critic. I’m a music educator, and as such I should be able to honestly compliment a student on a job well done while still giving them constructive criticism. Its OK for your favorite music to have flaws, and its OK to be moved by music that you find offensive.

While it may seem that comparing music in such a way (especially from different genres) negatively impacts my listening experience by forcing meaningless comparisons, I actually feel like it deepens my appreciation by framing my preferences in opposition.

Sometimes, its nearly impossible to make distinctions, but I find it gratifying to reflect on my connection with the music I listen to and really think about what resonates with me. I am also genuinely curious about other people’s subjective opinions on music. Putting these sometimes transgressive “showdowns” out there is really meant to invite discussion to broaden my horizons.

Although I admittedly rarely get discussion, it is even rarer that I encounter uncivil trolling, so I think that its worth it. And, as you suggest, any press is good press. If I can get one Japanese Breakfast fan to check out your music, I can feel like this whole wacky system is worth maintaining. In my mind, its mostly for fun.

2022 Album Showdown Tier 3 Part 2

I revamped this post to feature this entire round of Tier 2 showdowns, including

Liquid Tension Experiment - LTE3 vs. Tears for Fears - The Tipping Point

Tears for Fears - The Tipping Point

Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe - Candyman OST VS. Sault - Nine

Sault - Nine