(Initially I’d written several paragraphs trying to sum up my introduction to and feelings towards the Minneapolis/St. Paul-based hardcore outfit Condominium. Deciding this wasn’t exactly necessary in the end, I’m going to list a few key points and proceed to a bunch of images/sounds/videos for your pleasure/consideration. That is all. Thanks)
1. Condominium is a contemporary hardcore/punk rock band pushing the envelope as far as can be pushed within the confines of that genre; often transcending and moving far outside of it with strange repetitive works steeped in themes of modern malaise.
2. I was fifteen or so when I saw this band Formaldehyde Junkies play their first show in a Minneapolis basement; their guitar player is now the guitar player/singer/bassist for Condominium and even then I could tell the guy was onto something far beyond anything happening before.
3. Their releases are many and they don’t seem to be close to stopping with an upcoming record from Sub Pop and a handful of brilliant live recordings making the rounds on the internet.
4. Fuck I love this band.
5. Their music seems the perfect fit for the twenty first century, with bands like Ceremony, White Lung, Hoax, Night Birds, and their ilk putting out brilliant new punk sounds I’m still hard-pressed to find anyone creating music that has such a handle on today’s condition.
That’s enough, here’s the rest. (In no particular order cos who cares)
(necessary preamble)
(lol, you can see me looking like a shithead in a blaze orange trucker hat, fifteen years old and drunk off my face)
some images and shit
some links and shit
Condominium @ Fashionable Activism
Condominium Blogspot
Fashionable Idiots
T H A N K Y O U F U C K E R S ☺
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p.s. Hey. We're back live or 'live' with mega-writer and d.l. Grant Maierhofer as the blog's refresher courtesy of this very convincing intro to and set by the band Condominium. All ears today, people, thank you. And all gratitude to you, Grant. ** Monday ** Thomas Moronic, Hi, T. Thanks a lot. Yeah, the B. Stosuy book is terrific. I just got to it recently. I guess I don't need to ask how Xiu Xiu was. When I saw that you were seeing the Swans/XX super-combo, I checked to see if either of them or that crazy bill was coming to Paris, but alas. Hope the poems finished up to your complete satisfaction. ** Scunnard, What better greeter than Dead could there possibly be? Very glad to hear that my work concentration trip had some infective qualities. Good, good. Yeah, same with writing. It's kind of good to always be working on something or at least fooling around and sketching something, even if the things-in-progress seem like paltry self-indulgences. ** David Ehrenstein, Don't tell them that you ever run into them in a dark alley, ha ha. ** Katalyze, Hi, Kat! So really, really nice to see you! Well, thank you about liking the personal stuff I write here. I don't know. For now, I think I'm going to pull back for a while. I've tended to write about personal stuff without thinking about how it will be received, or I guess about how inaccurately it could conceivably be received, and I think I need to think about that now before I just spill or something. Oh, yeah, I like A$AP Rocky. I don't know a ton of that work, which is why it would be super awesome if you want to make a related post. Yeah, that would be great! Tangentially, I was just listening to Clams Casino on the drive back yesterday. Anyway, it's truly sweet to see you, my friend. ** Cobaltfram, Hi, John. No, I haven't had a chance to read it yet what with last work trip stuff and the return drive, but I'll get to it today. The work retreat was fantastic, thank you. I know Harvest Moon, and I dabbled in it, but I never played it. Closest was Animal Kingdom, which has the same kind of engine and basic structure, but was superficially different. Never have played Bioshock. Not sure if it's on Nintendo. I feel like I need to be really careful when writing about personal stuff here, at least for a while. I think I told you that I don't like gossip. And I really don't like being gossiped about, especially re: things and people in my life who are important and sacred to me. I know a lot of people like to gossip, and there's nothing wrong with that, but I just don't want my life to get caught up in that tangent if possible, and it seems like keeping the personal personal is the only way to protect its accuracy or something, I guess. ** Sypha, Hi, James. Dazai and Rampo are great. I really like Kawabata too. So, yeah, that 'some people from the blog' have been turning my enthusiasms and reportage about a friendship that is very important to me into evidence that there's some unspoken dramatic and lascivious and conventional something else going on is exactly why I'm going to keep certain things to myself in the future, I think. I understand that people find it sexy and exciting to do that kind of gossiping, and I even get that it's totally natural and fine, and I know there's nothing I can do about it, but I just personally don't want to accidentally feed that distorting and reductive activity if I can help it. Actually, I've hardly ever put my personal life into my novels. 'Guide' is the only one, and, even there, it's heavily transformed. ** Steevee, Hey. Well, I'm going to think twice at least before I write about my personal life now. I'm the kind of person who wears my heart on my sleeve, as they say, and, between that and the casual rambling nature of the p.s., I think I just need to be more cautious. Anyway, thank you a lot, man. Ha ha, true about Uriah Heep. I actually saw them live back in the day. Twice! ** Ar, Alex! Hey, man! Wowzer! So really nice to see you. I so wish I could see the Cork show. The promo photos look beautiful. Aw, thanks, A., I love you too. Loop! Now, listening to them again is a very interesting idea. Yeah, so good to see you, my genius friend. ** MANCY, Thanks a lot, man. It's really good to know that it came through loud and clear to you. ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi, Ben. Awesome about the success of the zine fair! Everyone, go over here, if you will, and see visual evidence of the recent Yuck 'n Yum Zine Fair, and wish you'd been there 'cos I sure do, and I'm betting you'll be like me. Got your little changes to the Day and instituted them. No problem whatsoever, man. ** Misanthrope, Hey. I know Joe is a good guy, but I do think those questions, and that he asked them here, and threw in that 'everybody else' thing, were collectively disrespectful to everyone involved, but what's done is done, and Joe and I are old friends, and I think we should do a 'lesson learned' thing and just move on. No, actually, I think that, under the circumstances, not talking about the friendship here is doing both the friendship and the blog a service. Sucks that it has to be that way, but obviously it does. I'm glad your headache is gone. ** S., Hey. I can't imagine that Satan was anything but honored by your daisy chain. Two days ... that means now, right? Is your dick still in its rightful place? ** Chilly Jay Chill, Hi, Jeff. Real good to see you. No, I was going to see 'Spring Breakers' on the trip, but it never happened. I think it's still in theaters here in Paris, so I will asap. The work trip was very productive and great all the way around. I'm still in the process of trying to crack the novel into something new, but I'm much closer now. Thanks for saying that about my personal life talk. I just need to rethink doing that or how to do that, you know? We'll see. ** Lord_s, The mighty Lord-s! How the heck are you? Yeah, I think Attila should just be the Sunn0))) singer and do his experimental solo stuff 'cos he's so right at home there. I was having fun, yes. Maybe I still am. Are you having fun? ** Tuesday ** Misanthrope, I'm back safe and sound, so your wish came true. Thanks! ** David Ehrenstein, He certainly is. ** Cobaltfram, Right, I remember when you read 'The Emigrants'. Knife stream. Everyone, Cobaltfram directs us to a streaming edition of the new album by The Knife if you didn't know that was available and/or are into The Knife or potentially interested in being so. Here. ** _Black_Acrylic, I definitely recommend reading Sebald. Okay, that strap sounds less intense/ cumbersome than the brace I had imagined. Yeah, obviously, I hope you give it a try. If it helps, that would be sweet. Ooh, the new Y'nY is almost here. Exciting! ** Steevee, No, I don't know Jerusalem In My Heart at all. Sounds really interesting. I'll try to hear some today, if I can. Thank you! I heard so-so to less than so-so word about Cronenberg's kid's movie, yeah. So weird that he would ape his dad's tropes. ** Chilly Jay Chill, Hi, Jeff. Yeah, real nice Handke quote. Man, there's somebody -- Handke -- whom I haven't read recent work by in many, many years now. I wonder what it's like. Oh, gosh, I don't think 'Vertigo' is lesser either. I don't even understand that opinion. 'Old Masters' is so great, right? Totally. I loved it. It's in the upper echelons of my fave Bernhards. Sublime quote from it. Thank you, Jeff. ** James, Hi, James. The travels were wonderful, thank you for asking. The novel is very slowly rewarming up to me, I think. It's not really a George novel anymore, but it might be partly that, we'll see. Love to you too! ** Thomas Moronic, Hi! Cool about the coincidence or mystical blog connection. Sebald is very worth your time, if you ask me. I heard that Deerhunter song. It sounds great. Obviously, I'm very excited for the new album too. And I'm very glad but not surprised that Xiu Xiu was so good. Sounds like a fascinating approach by him. I'll go look for iPhone/youtube videos. Take care, man. ** Right. Check out Condominium and talk to Grant about what your checking out inspired, please, and I'll see you tomorrow.