Tenda Berries Make Fine Wine: Kim Gordon

You've got to be a total idiot if you listen to rock music and are not at least acquainted with Sonic Youth's bassist and most photogenic vocalist.

I was shocked, SHOCKED I say, to realize that SY is releasing their 16th full studio album and that the band's ages are approaching the time where they could collect social security. Personally I have about half of their studio albums and each one is different and awesome.

When I first got into alternative music most of my new grungy looking friends were heavily into the indie scene, having already pledged their undying love to Nirvana and constant devotion to modest Mouse and Quasi, I went around the lot and started listening to Sonic Youth. The Choice was an easy one for me... SY's most notable single featured Chuck D, a welcome bridge from two seemingly unbridgeable musical landscapes at the time.

I am especially excited for this new Sonic Youth record because it sounds more like the Sonic Youth I first got into. And this is one of those bands who never disappoint live, the below clip is merely a smattering of what really goes on. And yes I enjoy seeing Kim Gordon bop around while doing vocalist duties and letting someone else handle the bass for awhile; although I gotta say she is a primary reason why women who can play the bass guitar is so damn hot.

LCD Soundsystem- "Someone Great"

LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great
Uploaded by epb21

I have the horrible knack for ignoring wonderful bands and wonderful songs if too many people are talking about them. It's not completely my fault, it's conditioning. Growing up (not that I'm really an adult anyway) all the different bands and artists who were touted before me as the next big thing or the "greatest since..." whoever was the great thing that died in the 90's was a severe disappointment.

So if you come of age where the music that is popularized by pr machines and ad campaigns rather than an honest-to-god recommendation from someone you trust, be it a friend, your local record store employee or an artist you greatly enjoy you'd be pretty initially cynical about any band that got real big real quick. Unfortunately for me, as immersed as I am into underground bands, my concept of "popular" is somewhat skewed. Hence why I've willfully ignored LCD Soundsystem for so long and lately to my detriment.

For the past month I've been fretting about a song I heard on the best terrestrial radio station out and generally being frustrated 24 hours a day due to my not being able to remember a friggen song whose infectious bass line was haunting my everyday. This happens more often than I'd like it but never for a month. Imagine my relief when this morning I turned on said radio station and it was playing (thank you John Waters).

Finally listening in full to the two-year-old song I was happy to learn that the song didn't just stay in my head because it was catchy, but also because it was good. Jesse Murphy has long since proved himself to be one of the top electronic musicians around and "Someone Great" is one of the best his best examples.

Filling your head with a neo-disco groove perfectly suited for a packed house party in someones too-small-to-do-anything-but-stand-and-drink living room. Murphy's vocals seemingly are less important to adding meaning to the song but rather another layer of smooth melody in contrast to the sharp bell tones of which he harmonizes.

But most striking of the song has to be the cool delivery of what has to be some of the most melancholy lyrics in the past decade. The downer tone the song takes when you finally listen to it might be one of the reasons it never received too much notice here in the US and was pretty much relegated to widespread acclaim in the indie music circles; a factor which probably led to my not getting into the group before now.

But for the rest of the day I can now properly listen/dissect/obsess over "Someone Great" and get on with the rest of my life until the next song that gets stuck in my head comes along. If I'm lucky I'll actually have that song too.

You May Hate Us After This (I know I do)

About a week ago Maximus and I were going over the state of the blog and our respective posts. in his infinite wisdom he suggested there be some type of order and consistency to the blog. I agreed not knowing he'd practically assign me weekly homework and that I'd have no way of declining (being that I'm not exactly plying my writing trade for real American dollars yet). So yeah, thank you Maximus. Ya jerk.

Much like the new regular feature of eye candy/cheesecake/soft porn that is going up the folks here at Trivial Design would like to reach out to those who might not have the auditory acumen of the Tendaberry affiliated. We all would like to make it clear that we aren't a bunch of snotty music heads who frown upon anything that hits above a certain level of name recognition.

We like music, we aren't hipsters.

That being said there are plenty of songs and albums we shouldn't like because as we have what can only be described as impeccable taste in music. But we do; there are legions of records that we enjoy for no possible logical reason. And there is a reason for it.

We like music, and we aren't goddamn hipsters.

So yeah we'll get involved in a band that's entirely too popular to be worth it. Or we'll be in agreement that the single of the week by said rapper of the month is hot. Hell, you can have one good song by luck of the draw really.

So to kick this feature of the agreed upon theme "Guilty Pleasures" I thought I'd go all in and pick a song that I am constantly ridiculed for despite it's sheer greatness.


Motley Crue- Too Young To Fall In Love

Motley Crue - Too Young To Fall In Love (Official Music Video) - The best free videos are right here

Motley Crue is obviously not one of the best bands ever. Hell artistically/musically/logically they weren't even one of the best bands during their heyday. What they were though was fun, loud, and cocky, and despite what I have to say about the quality of their music those elements are oddly and shamefully appealing.

Moreso than the song though, I love this video. It has absolutely nothing to do with the song and not in a Spike Jonze "why the hell is this in here" montage but like Nikki Sixx decided he wanted their next video to be an homage to all the martial arts movies they were watching while stoned on the days they were too fucked up to record the song.

The lyrics and music of this song are generic especially for the era in which it came out. Guns N' Roses were a substantially more honest and likable archetype of the 80's LA metal scene. But sometimes you gotta check out what the runner-up has going for them seeing as you've already consumed everything the breakaway top spot has got.

I am pretty shameful for liking this song at all, not to mention having put the vid in my Youtube favorites whereas not all of my fave metal songs have even been looked at. It's not a great song, and it's chart position reflected that, and it's hardly a good song, but I like it for all it's campy visualization and forced earnestness. I am sorry world, so very sorry.

Something Different

NSync - Tearin' up my Heart
Uploaded by SUUZAN

The other members of this blog have kindly pointed out the different bands and artists that they have personally enjoyed and have influenced them and it makes perfect sense to do that. Well, that's all well and good but being the intelligent and conscious people we are, we also know that we aren't just influenced by the things we like, but just the crap that happens around us and we can't hope to filter out. And much of these type of influences guide the guys on the choices they make for Tendaberry as much as the experiences and sounds of The Smiths or Heatwave.

All being of similar ages, we all grew up listening to bubblegum pop during our formidable years, and not on purpose. During certain time periods certain forms of music are inescapable; the sixties had rock & roll, the seventies made disco popular and during the late nineties/early 2000's all were inundated with sickening sweet sugary quasi-dance pop and hammy power ballads. And no one was more important and as big as 'N Sync.

To be fair it turns out even they didn't particularly like their music, hence all the solo ventures which strayed away from their pop background. But this early clip pretty much encompasses the vanguard of popular music we all very much suffered through, a much insincere sound originating from the bowels of Lou Pearlman and manufactured by a couple of Swedes who were basically a PG version of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. What it boils down to is that the whole 'N Sync act was staged, at least in the beginning, which contributed to their split from the handler and later to their quiet yet obvious disbanding.

But to this day the specter of the pop mega-group hangs over all of the music industry. Look at how record companies push individual songs instead of whole albums and then try to bleed artists for money by charging for everything except what the tours nets the artist. Look at how success is measured in the amount of swag you can push and the name recognition you have amongst tween girls, the target audience for music apparently. It is a poltergeist that has only gotten more potent in latter years and one we all hope will be exorcised in the coming musical movements, of which guys are entrenching themselves in and getting closer and closer to leading.

But I guess what it all comes down to is I want Carlton to stop playing this shit while I'm in the car with him. What are you some kind of masochistic freak? I have ears and I'd rather not have to try to rip them off every other time we go to Krystal's after we close down a bar. I have feelings too, don't make me beat you.

"You Give Love a Bad Name"

Hello Ladies and Gents! My name is Maximus James Longfellow-Bentington and I will be your host for this post. As you know Trivial Design is the blog for all future Tendaberry post. You'll have a chance to see and hear about our music, but we will talk about various other topics such as our favorite bands, movie reviews, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon , and the list will go on and on.

Earlier we asked our friends on facebook what the actual name of the blog should be called. We heard a little bit of everything as a response. One of the best ones I read was from Mr. Parris saying "TendaberryJuice (new posts are freshly squeezed)". I don't think anyone could argue with that slogan. It pulled me right in at least. Longshire said "Tendaberry Crunch
(To Be the Man, You've Gotta Beat the Tendaberry)" I enjoyed this one as well because to the reference to Captain Crunch and Rick Flair (Wooooo!!!).

Here are some of the other suggestions:
Tendaberry Jam, Tendaberry Bush, Tendaberry Sqush, tendaberry sound, tendaberry mine, tendaberry sunset, tendaberry sky, Tendaberry coke, Tendaberry M.D., Tendaberry pit, TNDAB, Tendaberry lotion/cream, Tenda-pain, Tendaberry pie, Tendaberry shortcake and Tendaberry Smoothie

Thanks to our friends for creating such inventive names. These suggestions will probably show back up in the future.

Now go tell all you're friends you're friendly neighborhood Tendaberry has a blog now and if you have any advice, creative critiques, ideas you want to share, just let us know. Retro vid! *Jersey fist pump*

-Maximus James Longfellow-Bentington