Cake #8

Fuck Buttons!Interview with Hubcap

Reviews of Muse, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Kid Cudi and The Mountain Goats

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Editorial

Housekeeping And SuchCover Photo : Mark Blower

Back Photo : Taylor McIntyre

Financier : Derek Rogers

Layout: Brad Collins

Title Design : Brad Collins

Copy Editor: Alex Palombo

Photo Editor: Taylor McIntyre

Coloring Crew: Rose Cohen Westbrooke, Danielle Hendrickson, Taylor McIntyre

Assistant Editor : Danielle Hendrickson

Editor In Chief: Ryan Bryant

Special Thanks : Declan Allen

The opinions expressed within express those of the individual writers or interview subjects and not necessarily those of the publishers of the magazine as a whole.

Hey readers! Hope you enjoyed our first issue of the semester. This issue is packed with more juice. We’ve been interviewing some pretty sweet bands lately. I was wondering the other day, what bands would you like to see us interview? We have two slots still open for this year’s bands. Shoot us an email at cakezine.blogspot.com or come to one of our meetings. We’d love to hear from you. We’ve got a bunch of new writers this semester and we are featuring a bunch of them in this issue. Props to our freshman. Cake has really been transforming a lot lately. We’ve come quite far since the beginning. We’d like to know if you have anything you’d like to see as part of the zine. Articles? More reviews? More interviews? Let us know. Good luck with all those midterms. -Ryan Bryant Cake Editor In Chief

Must Download 1. “11th Dimension” – Julian Casablancas

2. “Hell” – Tegan and Sara

3. “Rollerskate” – Matias Augayo

4. “Love” – Air

5. “Baby” – Devendra Banhart

Delicious Music Video “Tall Boy” – Har Mar Superstar

Artist to Watch:Where To BeSaturday October 17th:The Gunpoets @ Castaways9PM

Thursday October 22nd:St. Vincent $12 Presale

Scotland has put out some great alternative rock bands. Not only do Franz Ferdinand and Belle & Sebastian hail from

Haggis land, but so do group We Were Promised Jetpacks. Lead vocalist Adam Thompson’s thickly-accented voice resembles a mix between Interpol’s Paul Banks - strong and blunt - and Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke - using the break to his advantage. Their mostly up-tempo jams feature a gritty thick bassline from the band’s punk background, and the guitar riffs are quick and simple. The band put out their debut studio album “These Four Walls” this past June, and they reached #27 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart - an influential list of emerging artists. So blast a bagpipe, because Scotland has another great band to its credit. -Alex Palombo

Courtesy of Dilettante Recordings

We Were Promised Jetpacks

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By Cat Nuwer Photographs by Lucy JohnstonFuck Buttons

Fuck Buttons, a progressive electronic duo from England, just worked withfamous producer Andrew Weatherall (Björk , New Order) on a new album “TarotSport”. Starting in September, the guys will be packing up and touring acrossEurope and the US. Cake chatted with member Andrew Hung about the tour, “Tarot Sport”, and working with Weatherall.

Cake: Are you excited about your upcoming tour?

Andrew: I’m at home at the moment, but it’s going to start next week. We’re superexcited.

Cake: What city or venue are you most excited about playing?

Andrew: It’s always good to go back to New York. I’ve been thinking about it allrecently. Austin is great… also, Canada.

Cake: Is it true that there are not going to be any vocals in the upcoming album“Tarot Sport”?

Andrew: There’s not any vocals in the same leadings as our first album “StreetHorrrsing.” So there are vocals within the music.

Cake: For the upcoming album, you worked with Andrew Weatherall. What was it like working with him?

Andrew: It was really really gratifying. I think he’s really an incredible person. He’sbeen there and done that. He understands how he wants things to work, so itwas great to see him in action. It was really refreshing.

Cake: You guys just played in the Australian All Tomorrow’s Parties music festival.How was that experience?

Andrew: It was really beautiful. It was on top of a mountain. I’ve never seen a viewlike that before.

Cake: Ben does the artwork for the band and you do the video. Do you see themusic feeding into your art or do you see your art as something independentfrom the music?

Andrew: I think our practices, including the music, have common threads. Forinstance, with the video and with the music, it was a matter of finding theseelements that we enjoyed and then embellishing them. That’s always how we’veworked and in a way that’s how our creative practices are very compatible.

Cake: If you could talk to any dead musician, who would you talk to?

Andrew: I’m really tempted to say Kurt Cobain (laughs). Yeah, let’s go with Kurt.

Cake: If you could be any country in the whole world what would you be?

Andrew: I took a little quiz the other day for “what’s your hidden nationality”, andmine came up with German. They were saying its because I have “practicality torun operations”, which I can’t really deny.

Cake: Any words for new artists?

Andrew: I think it’s an incredible journey to embark on and I think it’s something worthcontinuing regardless of who praises you or who criticizes you.

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HubcapBy Taylor McIntyrePhotographs by Taylor McIntyre

On October 6th, Cake sat down with Hubcap, a band whose roots are in Ithaca and have seen the changes the town has gown through. This alternative rock group is fully invested in the Ithaca music scene and is proud to be apart of it. Hubcap has been playing for nearly ten years and had some words to share about Ithaca, their roots and The Monks.

Cake: First, just establish when and how you guys got started.

Peter: I was in another band, and we used to play with Steve a bunch. Steve played solo. So this was probably 1990…

Steve: 1999.

Peter: 1980? No just kidding. 1999. Yeah, Steve just played with us a lot. That band kind of dissolved, and we picked up the drummer. Then we got Walt, and we started playing a lot of Steve’s material.

Steve: Long story short, we got together in 1999 and Matt joined us two years ago. Mike Stark joined us three months ago, and that’s all you need to know. [Laughs]...The rest of it is just boring crap. We put together our first record in 2002, and our second album, “Between the Rails,” came out in 2004. Our original drummer Ryan left in 2006 and he moved to New York. The illustrious and legendary Matthew Morano joined us shortly thereafter, and we became a kick-ass rock band.

Peter: [Laughs] At that very moment.

Steve: At that very moment. It was like a flash in the sky.

Matt: What about Ryan?

Steve: We were a kick-ass alt-country band until then.

Walt: Happily, we sound a bit different now, but it fits with Steve’s writing, now, better. The style of tunes we’re doing now, I think, are a little bit closer to what everybody naturally does anyway.

Peter: [With British Accent] We’ve grown into ourselves quite comfortably in our old age.

Steve: So yes, our new album is called “Silencer,” and we put it out this past summer to unanimous huzzahs.

Peter: Unanimous? There was that one.

Steve: The people that hate it are too polite to say so. God bless them.

Walt: Was that one your mom?

Steve: Yea, my mom hates the record.

Cake: What are your favorite parts of the Ithaca music scene or is there anything you’d change?

Steve: More rock’n’roll.

Walt: More bass players. [Laughs]

Peter: Is coffee part of the music scene?

Cake: [Laughs] I guess it could be.

Matt: I’ve been part of the Ithaca music scene for over twenty years. So it’s really difficult to answer that question.

Walt: Well what would you change?

Matt: I wish that, even now, that more students would get off the hill and go see bands. I think that there’s a certain kind of band in town that will always do well, or well-ish, but I’ve been here long enough to know that not too long ago it was better. It hasn’t gotten better...It would be nice if there was some kind of Renaissance or some kind of resurgence.

Steve: To get to the other part of the question, one of the great things about the music scene, even as Matt said, is that there’s a type of band that will do relatively well. There is, for a town this size, a lot of diversity. For guys like Matt and Walt that play in a number of different bands with pretty disparate styles, it’s pretty great to have outlets to show different sides of your personality musically.

Peter: For a town of this size there are some pretty good venues. There are a lot of things I like about this town. There are some pretty decent places to play. You know, where people listen, there are a few holes in the wall.

Walt: There is also a lot of original music going on. I mean outside of New York City, even the other bigger cities. Like Syracuse and Rochester, there are a lot of jazz and other things happening in Rochester. Ithaca probably has more going on than other places.

Matt: I think the line that you’re drawing is between the cover band scene and the original scene. It’s really alien to people outside of Ithaca that your band is not a cover band. A band playing original music is a novelty.

Cake: You talked about the venues. What have been some of your favorite places to play?

All at once: Chapterhouse.

Steve: Chapterhouse is definitely sort of like our home base. We were one of the first bands to play there when they started having music…We’ve had all of our CD release parties there. And for whatever reason, that room…there is just a really live energy there. We always seem to play some of our best gigs there.

Cake: You guys have played at FLEFF, Ithaca’s Film Festi-val. How was that?

Peter: I did a silent film with another band. We did the soundtrack for a silent film.

Walt: Actually, Matt and I did one of those too.

Peter: Yeah but FLEFF sponsored The Clash.

Steve: That’s right, they sponsored The Clash tribute.

Walt: Oh that was great. That was at Castaways. I was actually going to mention Castaways as another vital venue in town. There have been some really good book-ing people there that have kind of “gotten it back.” For a while there, when I moved to town, it was kind of waning a bit, but that was the first place I played in the Jazz group that I’m in, Wingnut. That’s where we played our first gigs back in ’97. There have been a lot of great benefit shows there. It’s funny because these rooms might not be ideal for whatever, but they’re special spots.

Cake: So whose music are you really into right now?

Matt: I’m a Deerhoof fanatic. I also just discovered this band that Steve showed me called The Monks, a mid-to-late-‘60s German garage band. Well, sort of. They were an American garage band in Germany. They are a total revelation to me.

Steve: The Monks are literally the coolest shit ever.

Cake: Any advice for other aspiring local artists?

Steve: It’s all about image, baby. [Laughs] One thing I would say for a songwriter is there are a handful of open-mic nights around. I know The Nines has them, and sometimes Castaways. It’s a pretty good way of getting out there and getting a little bit of practice playing in front of people, and also meeting other musicians...Other than that, it’s who you know.

Peter: Introduce yourself to people.

Matt: The question is whether or not you’re looking to get started in the Ithaca College community or the greater Ithaca community or whatever. You start playing in the area by going out and seeing bands, or supporting your friends who are playing music. The thing that I would hope that they would remember is just not to isolate yourself. To go out and experience as much of it as possible instead of just keeping it all in the bedroom.

Cake: Any last words for our readers?

Steve: Support local music. Get down the hill and check out some bands. Start your own band.

Matt: Bring your band down the hill. Ask to play on a bill with us. We’ll be happy to oblige. Or not. [Laughs]

Peter: [Jokingly] Well maybe not us but someone else. Other bands will hook them up. No that’s horrible. [Everyone laughs]

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REVIEWSThe Life of the World to Come - The Mountain Goats

“I became a crystal healer, and my ministry was to the sick,” began John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats at their September 18th IC show. He was playing the first track of “The Life Of the World To Come,” the Mountain Goat’s most recent album and seventh for the 4AD label.

Words couldn’t ring more true. Darnielle’s output since TMG’s founding in 1990 has been staggering in quantity and quality. The North Carolina-based singer and songwriter has become, through a steady release of lo-fi and (recently) fully-produced albums something of a “crystal healer”, offering offbeat acoustic rock songs to his small but growing congregation.

“The Life Of The World To Come” is a slow burn. The songs bear biblical titles with earthly meanings. The third track, “Genesis 3:23,” is a jangly tune about breaking into a house that used to be a

home. From their the album picks up, with occasional drum fills and Cat Stevens-esque “Here Comes My Baby” piano parts. Bassist Peter Hughes and drummer Jon Wurster complement Darnielle’s guitar and voice well, adding accents where they are needed and shutting up when they aren’t. You don’t need to be a über-fan to enjoy The Mountain Goats’ latest effort. From plainspoken and subtle “(1 Samuel 15:23, Genesis 30:3)” to literary and bombastic “(Romans 10:9, Genesis 3:23, Psalms 40:2),” “The Life Of The World To Come” represents the broadest coalition of short-story-turned-songs in The Mountain Goats’ canon. Back to the concert: After the first song, Darnielle bemoaned the fact that he was playing a gig without Wurster or Hughes: “...if it’s just me and a guitar, you start to get this indie-underachievement mindset...thinking ‘oh, nobodies going to be there.’” All of us in the (packed) Emerson Suites laughed. When it comes to The Mountain Goats, “underachievement” isn’t what comes to mind.

- Max Barth

images simply with the song’s subtle electronic notes glittering behind the song’s soaring tune. “103” is a short gem, simultaneously blazing and dreamy, demanding that you get up and dance, but the lyrics are much more sinister.On another song, “Twins,” the lyrics become nostalgic and remorseful: “I didn’t mean to let you down / and now I know everything that’s good is gone.” It’s a collection of songs that go perfectly with the band’s very name: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

Their sound is a lighthearted, exuberant pop that can lift anyone’s spirits, paired with an array of poignant, melancholic, and blunt lyrics. These new songs will undoubtedly please current fans and hook more in, and they are certainly a band to keep an eye out for. -Raquel Dalarossa

Higher Than the Stars - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

One of the year’s most hyped-up indie pop bands, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, is back with the release of their new EP, “Higher Than the Stars.” It’s only their sophomore release, but the band’s confidence and flair are obvious and yet fresh. The new EP is more like a continuation of their debut album, as showcased by the strikingly similar album covers and unchanged sound; however, with these four new songs, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart have further established themselves as one of the most important indie pop bands today. Their sweet but exultant melodies, adorned with fuzzy guitars, a hypnotic Kip Berman on lead vocals, and gloomy lyrics make them sound almost like The Smiths on speed. The title track, “Higher Than the Stars,” is my personal favorite. It invokes truly celestial 8/10

8/10

Courtesy of 4AD

Courtesy of Slumberland

Man On the Moon: The End of Day - Kid Cudi

Though Kid Cudi is scatterbrained, the world learned there is a method to his madness on September 15th. His first album is a collaboration of the Kid himself,

Jay-Z, MGMT and Lady Gaga. He chose the subtitle, “the guardians” for his album before naming it and then renaming it. Finally he decided the album under Jay-Z’s Mowtown label should be called “The Man on the Moon: the End of Day.” Cudi began rapping when he was 12 years old following his father’s death. He moved to New York at 20 to pursue a career in music; by 24 he wrote “Heartless” with Kanye West. Later in 2008 he released his mix tape, “A Kid Named Cudi”, which caught Jay-Z’s ear and set down the first few tracks for his new album. “Make Her say,” combining Lady Gaga’s fan favorite “Poker Face” with a splash of Kanye’s lyrical flow is one of Cudi’s establishments that carried over. Cudi gets down to his ‘80s roots with his new track “Up, Up and Away.” Just as the title infers, it is up beat with a pop sound different from anything he has mixed yet. “Pursuit of Happiness” featuring MGMT and Ratatat is similar one of his originals, “Day n’ Night”(also on the album) but enhanced by his own rhymes and style. “Hyyer” and “Enter Galactic” have drug references audiences love; other tracks like “In My Dreams” have deep undertones that show us, though Cudi loves to party, he is also a real person. The eclectic mix maker can please a wide audience with this one. Whether you like to think, dance, or just relax this is the CD for you. -Meghan Dailey

The Resistance - Muse

Muse released their fifth studio album, “Resistance,” this past September. The album’s rebellious-meets-romantic message has proven beneficial for the UK group; the record has been well received by fans and has done extremely well on global

charts. Muse has continued to develop their sound adding new qualities of imagination and elegance to their signature apocalyptic sound. The new record is more concrete in terms of message, with the opening anthem of “Uprising,” which is songwriter Matthew Bellamy’s open protest to the corporate world. The theme of defiance isn’t concealed, being clearly illustrated through the track listing and lyric. During the title track, Bellamy even refers to George Orwell’s “1984,” a novel which dances with the idea of a totalitarian state. However rebellious, the band’s message holds more than just a political dissent. Bellamy inserts romance to display how he finds love as an escape from his surroundings. The soothing breaks let the audience experience the full range of emotions that I believe Muse is aiming for. The creative musical framework of the album begins to be revealed in “Undisclosed Desires,” which opens with sharp notes from a string orchestra and is complemented later in the industrial rhythm section. Muse experiments with the sounds of the European Classical and Middle Eastern music with the thunderous piano in “The United States of Eurasia.” The listenener finally sees the group’s influences clash in the track “I Belong to You,” which combines a Funkadelic dance feel with more expressive classical piano. One standout that makes this album so distinguished is the “Exogenesis Symphony,” a three part epic that is primarily instrumental. The 13-minute symphony seems as if they would be used on a science-fiction film soundtrack, while the hopeful atmosphere created by the orhestra feels right at home in the band’s ambitious new record. With “Resistance,” Muse pushes the envelope of popular music and raises the bar for musicians to come. -Shaun Brown7/10 8/10

Courtesy of Warner Music UK

Courtesy of Universal Motown

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Join us on IC Link, or send us an email at cakezine@gmail.com. Check out our blog at cakezine.blogspot.com. We have meetings on Thursdays from 7-8 in the

Demotte Room. Email us or join the IC Link email list to find out the location. Thanks for reading!