Russian Recording We Just Call It Roulette V.2 Release Show

Russian Recording in Bloomington, IN will be hosting a CD release show March 28th to promote We Just Call It Roulette V.2: a compilation of tracks by bands that have recorded at the studio. In this second installment of Russian compilations, owner/operator Mike Bridavsky is adamant in not only promoting the studios abilities and sound, but also promoting the bands as well. Each track was chosen and compiled by Bridavsky to create a fluid listening experience as opposed to just throwing a bunch of random songs from the studio’s long list of artists. All art for the CD packaging was done by Shawn Knight of Child Bite, who recorded an exclusive track for the compilation.

Bridavsky recently relocated the studio from Brown County, IN to Bloomington in the former location of The Art Hospital and Secretly Canadian Records. His desire to own and operate his own studio began in high school when he began recording his own band on a 4-track. Loving music, but unsure if he could make a career out performing, he attended Indiana University School of Music in an effort to somehow always be involved with music. Bridavsky opened Russian Recording nearly six years ago and in late 2008 began operating the studio full time.

The move to Bloomington changed many things for Bridavsky. He quit his full time job working for the I.U. School of Music and is attempting to make a living from his dream. Business has picked up though after a labored 3 month renovation of the space and grand opening show/party that Bridavsky heavily promoted. Many independent bands, especially notable the Blk Jks, are recording at Russian that may not have otherwise done so if not for the new location that is conveniently located within walking distance from Downtown Bloomington. While locally Russian is well known and utilized it is important to note that the studio records many bands from throughout the Midwest and beyond.

In addition to its everyday function as a studio, Russian Recording is also being utilized as a venue for special shows. Bridavsky stated he always had the idea of using the studio to put on shows but when local venue The Cinemat announced its plans to close he decided that Bloomington could not afford to lose another venue. Most recently Haymarket Riot from Chicago has played the studio as well as the band Phosphorescent earlier in the year.

Two notable shows coming soon are:

DAMIEN JURADO
w/ Laura Gibson
Saturday Apri 11
9pm
$8 adv/$10 door
all ages

***The Damien Jurado show will be broadcast live on WFHB.***

Chain and the Gang (featuring Ian Svenonius)
The Hive Dwellers (featuring Calvin Johnson)
City Center
Wednesday April 15
9pm
$8 adv/$10 door
all ages

Full details for Saturday’s CD Release show:

Saturday, March 28th
“We Just Call It Roulette, Volume 2″ a compilation of music recorded at Russian Recording.

Live at Russian Recording
1021 S. Walnut St
Bloomington, IN 47401
9:00 pm
$6 gets you admission and a compilation

Performing that night:
MEDUSA
CHILD BITE
BEYOND THINGS (formerly Ephemeroptera, members of Turn Pale, Panoply Academy, Ghost Mice, Early Day Miners)

The new CD contains 13 tracks, including 3 exclusive recordings from Child Bite (detroit), Valina (austria) and The Cover Band (members of wesh, the coke dares, push-pull and magnolia electric company). Other bands appearing on the compilation:

Medusa
Beyond Things
Defiance, OH
Prizzy Prizzy Please
Kentucky Nightmare
Sump Pumps
Trio In Stereo
Everthus The Deadbeats
Lafcadio
Sheasby Matiure and the Mbira Queens

Although there is entirely new artwork (by Shawn Knight of Child Bite), the packaging is still the same… letter pressed, die cut, silk screened and hand numbered in a match book box with magnetic snaps.

The cost of $6 gets you admission and includes a copy of the CD. If you cannot make the show, the compilations will be available at Landlocked and TD’s for $7.

For more information on the studio please visit www.russianrecording.com or friend them on facebook.

Fuckbook by Condo Fucks (2009; Matador)

I wasn’t going to out this band’s true identity, but it seems the rest of the internet is doing it and I don’t want to seem out of the loop. The Condo Fucks are Yo La Tengo. There. Now that thats done on with the review of  Condo Fuck’s release Fuckbook.

At first listen this album is just a lo-fi, garagey,  raw collection of cover songs lacking any real substance. After setting it aside for a few days and getting back to it to finish this review I realized the substance lies in the amount of fun this album is to listen to. Recorded at  “secretive Hoboken rehearsal,” according to Matador, this record gives the listener the feeling of those times when bands play their favorite songs during rehearsal to get practice going or to just loosen up.   The treatment given to these covers is a heartfelt thank you to the original artists for both the songs themselves as well the inspiration they provide. Fuckbook contains songs from artists such as Small Faces, The Beach Boys, Richard Hell, and Slade to name a few.

Stand out track: “What’cha Gonna Do About It” (originally performed by Small Faces)

Never Better by P.O.S.  (2009; Rhymesayers)

I like a lot of hip-hop, but I listen to very little hip-hop in my regular rotation. There are those artists and albums I like and appreciate (WU-Tang, Public Enemy, Del, Mos-Def) and then there are those that I listen to in constant rotation (Aesop Rock, Madvilliany, Erik B and Rakim, Tribe Called Quest). Never Better is the latter.

I am more familiar with P.O.S. (Stefon Alexander) from his hardcore/punk band Building Better Bombs (Freak Out Squares - INIT Records -highly recommended) whom I was fortunate enough to see on their recent tour with the Seawhores. P.O.S. brings this punk influence to all his releases without forcing it or creating a hybrid/fusion album. He deftly uses musical genres like a child with LEGOs, whatever mix of noise, live instrumentation, and samples builds a good track, works. There are also nods to his punk rock influence with a guest appearance from Kid Dynamite/None More Black vocalist Jason Shevchuk and a reference to the Fugazi song “Five Corporations” in the 2nd track “Savion Glover”:

–-the oval office and the lobby probably listen to Fugazi singing ‘this one’s ours let’s take another’—

The delivery, both musically and lyrically, on the entire album is unrelenting with an air of importance, immediacy, and care. The beats are constant and unyielding with a brilliant mixing of feedback, samples and live instrumentation. P.O.S. produced the beats on over half the album and plays a good portion of the live instrumentation on the album. The rest of the production credits go to Lazerbeak, MK Larada, and Paper Tiger; all members of the Doomtree collective and whom all seem to know how to lay down beats to get the best out of P.O.S. as the man himself does. The lyrics  are full of honesty and emotion. They are at times poetic and well crafted in their allusiveness, and other times brutally blunt.

I am not going to say this is going to be on everyone’s best of lists of 2009, but whatever else comes out this year I will be listening to this long into 2010 much the same way I still listen to Eric B and Rakim Let the rhythm hit ‘em. Just sayin’.