WHAT: Hammer Presents: 3 from 33 1/3 with Hayden Childs, Kim Cooper and Scott Plagenhoef
WHERE: Billy Wilder Theater, Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., LA 90024, 310.443.7000
WHEN: Weds October 29, 7pm
INFO: http://www.hammer.ucla.edu/calendar_full_Oct_2008.htm#day29

33 1/3 is a series of books about a wide variety of seminal rock and pop albums. Join three of the authors for readings and special multimedia presentations. Hayden Childs’s "Shoot Out the Lights" puts into context Richard and Linda Thompson’s album—from the personal history driving the songs, to the recording difficulties they encountered and the subsequent fall-out. He has appeared in "Lost in the Grooves: Scram’s Capricious Guide to the Music You Missed." Kim Cooper’s "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" sheds light on the underground classic album by Neutral Milk Hotel. Cooper is the editor of "Scram," and co-editor of the anthologies "Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth" and "Lost in the Grooves: Scram’s Capricious Guide to the Music You Missed." Scott Plagenhoef’s "If You’re Feeling Sinister" provides perspective on how Belle & Sebastian transformed from a cult secret into a polished, highly entertaining, mainstream pop group. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Pitchfork.

Sacramento pop band Knock Knock was recently awarded a Sammie to honor their second CD Girls on the Run (2008), but as superb as that release is, I feel their debut was even more deserving of recognition. Warm Fronts, Cold Shoulders (2004) is comprised of such an abundant range of intriguing textures and indelible melodies that it would inevitably be a tough act to follow. It's remarkable that punchy uptempo tunes like "I've Been a Drag" and "Dan Can You Stand" can occupy the same space with the languid beauty of "Oceanography" and "Levee," but Knock Knock seems to have a knack for mixing things up without having to struggle to do so. "Eye of the Storm" finds a nice balance between the two extremes and is perhaps the best representation of their work as a whole, but you certainly wouldn't want to miss out on other catchy numbers like "Jorge" and "Rotten Dogs." Think of a poppier version of Yo La Tengo and you might have an idea of what to expect. Frontman Allen Maxwell's feathery-but-urgent vocals compare favorably to Ira Kaplan's while Heather Conway adds an even lighter touch to a pair of songs a la Georgia Hubley.  Tasty stuff indeed, and when you're finished with this one, you should be more than ready to take in the gorgeous harmonies and sugar-rush momentum of Girls on the Run.

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You can find Knock Knock's Warm Fronts, Cold Shoulders for sale here.

Just a quick entry to tell you about my Band of the Week, or month maybe. I don't how or why I've gone this long without hearing about the Greenberry Woods, but I got tipped on to them because of something else I was looking at or bought on-line, and now I have their two albums and cherish both. They formed in Maryland in the late 80s and between then and 1995 recorded two long players, Rapple Dapple and Big Money Item. Both are power pop gems, with vocal hooks around every corner and some nice distorted guitar work. Each album has filler material on it, but each also has three songs which are power pop hall-of-famers. Like just about every power pop band that has ever existed, the 'Woods owe much to Alex Chilton and Big Star, whose sound they quite clearly emulate. If you are into power pop, if you like the Posies, Guided by Voices, New Pornographers, dB's, Dwight Twilley Band, etc, etc, do what you need to do to buy the two Greenberry Woods records. After the two albums the band split up, apparently because there were too many creative forces under one roof (heard that before). Some core members went on to form Splitsville, who seem to be somethning of a camp/novelty act and who I have not yet explored. Could be a future blog.

This is a big week for Beach Boys freaks, with the release of the ginormous US Singles Collection Box collection (1962-65), a 16-CD limited edition set of early A & B sides, live and alternate takes, with a 48-page hardbound book of photos, all wrapped in a hotrod inspired box with wood, foam and foil inlay.

Two early, deeply weird Alice Cooper Band albums see the light of day anew with Rhino Encore's reissues of Pretties for You and Easy Action. This is the Alice we like to talk about on the Esotouric Where the Action Was rock history tour, hanging out at the Landmark Hotel getting his eyes did by Miss Christine of the GTOs. Also new from Rhino Encore, Warren Zevon's Mr. Bad Example, from 1991.

Collector's Choice issues a couple of mid-period albums from Arthur Lee's Love, Out Here (with the remake of "Signed D.C.") and False Start (with a Lee-Hendrix collaboration).

Then there's the Lydia Lunch video compedium Hysterie - 1978-2006, just the thing to celebrate this week's Teenage Jesus & the Jerks reunion in NYC.

I've contributed an essay called "Small World," on the suburban sociology of exotica music, to a new anthology from Time Out, 1000 Songs To Change Your Life.

This assignment was the pleasant side effect of lunching with editor Will Fulford-Jones on his recent research trip to L.A. for the new edition of the city guide. Ostensibly we met to fill him in on the various Esotouric bus adventures that Richard and I lead around the city, but I ended up being asked to contribute a variety of sidebars in the forthcoming L.A. guide (Bob Baker! Charles Fletcher Lummis! graveyards of East LA! weird desserts! secret gardens!), and this neat little essay, which conveniently coincided with writing (in collaboration with David Smay) the liner notes for a big bunch of Arthur Lyman reissues.

I don't pretend to be an expert on instrumental music, but I'm quite interested in the intersections between postwar American culture and imagined versions of the exotic, and all the sex/death associations that the tropics carried, and I like how this piece turned out.

Also included among the inventive, thematic essays in 1000 Songs To Change Your Life are Douglas Wolk on broken hearts, Dave Rimmer on "Gloomy Sunday," editor Fulford-Jones on home, Robert Forster on The Only Ones (too brief!), Chuck Eddy on Nashville's fascination with Mexicana, Michaelangelo Matos on non-bubblegum food-themed pop, Kimberly Chun on drag, Philip Sherburne on urban themes in electronic music, Sylvie Simmons reacting to Janet Reno's rah-rah Americana compilation, Bob Stanley on distinctively British sensibilities, Burt Bacharach on songwriting, Colin Irwin on murder ballads, Geoff Carter on film soundtracks, and a whole lot of genre hopping, thought provoking pop crit. There's also a truly stunning photo of Kris Kristofferson playing a Stratocaster, so peel an eye for it at your better bookseller.

Just released in the UK is Zombies and Beyond, compiling a mix of classic Zombies music with some solo Colin Blunstone dreaminess and a smattering of Argent. Then there's the rarities-packed Cat Stevens career spanning box set, with some unfortunate cover art, but there's inevitably some baggage where Cat's concerned. Such sweet, sweet early tunes, though...