The last thing that we did before we went off and did a silly thing — recording at the South By Southwest Festival in March — we threw our second Daytrotter-sponsored show at the pizza parlor near our studio (the first we did was with our dear friend Paleo). As random tour routing allowed to happen, fantastic Broken West and The Silent Years were able to convene here in Rock Island for a blowout. The Broken West brought with them a daze of perfect pop that someone should seal into a time capsule to be opened in the distant future just so the us-es of then fully understand that music can and did sound like crystals and the cool of a brimmed hat once upon a time. The Silent Years brought with them a frustrating few days of van troubles, their first-ever cancelled shows and songs that can and do act as everything for people, a life-affirming group that actually writes meaningful lyrics that you can fall in love with. They played that night in two different looks. The Broken West’s lead singer Ross Flournoy played half of the set with his fly down and no one reminding him to XYZ or check the barn door. He made it public knowledge when he discovered it himself. They played “Down in the Valley” remarkably different than they’d ever played it before and it was exceptional. They played mostly toned down into the closest version of a full-band acoustic set you’re likely to hear from them. The Silent Years decided to go punk rock on us and play wit everything they had. The nature of the air that evening was something you really should have been here to feel and suck in. The Silent Years are writing a new record and The Broken West are out on the road with The National and Fountains of Wayne. Their Daytrotter session will be posted on the site Monday, May 28th.

Flournoy’s Top Five things from last week:
One — “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb” by Spoon
I shouldn’t have even heard this yet, though if I had my way, I would have heard it a month ago. I’ve been constantly bugging my buddy at Merge, Lindsey Kronmiller, for a while to give me an advance of the new Spoon record, but she wouldn’t do it, out of fear that I might leak it…as if I know how to leak anything other than my own wiener??? I am SO not savvy at uploading/peer-to-peer, whatever, etc. Nevertheless, I shouldn’t have this because I got it from what will remain an unnamed uploading service or something…alright, enough backstory…This song is completely off the hook. It sounds like a lost Supremes track—and I don’t even really like the Supremes! It’s got this awesome reverb-y tambourine feel that sounds like the golden age of Motown, but with Britt Daniel’s oh-so-sexy rasp on top of the mix instead of layers of female vocals. There’s what I swear are buried/distorted horns coming out of the left speaker during the chorus that are just perfect. They even mute the whole band towards the end of the song then bring ‘em back in…and the chorus—“Blow out that cherry bomb/ for me”. I don’t know what he’s getting at it, but it strikes a fucking chord, at least for me. This whole record is out of this world—I think it’s their best yet.

Two — William Tecumseh Sherman/_The March_ by E.L. Doctorow
A couple of weeks ago, I haphazardly stumbled upon a History Channel documentary on Sherman’s march from Atlanta to Savannah then up through the Carolinas. I guess I’d always been, at the very least, passively interested in the Civil War (anyone my age should remember clearly when Ken Burns’ Civil War debuted on PBS—it was a monumental occurrence as far as my elementary school was concerned). Anyway, it was, for me, completely riveting to learn how Sherman hatched this plan to decimate the South, AND that he was able to pull it off! Basically, Sherman decided to go to Savannah with no supply lines, no support, no turning back—which is to say, once he and his men left Atlanta, they forfeited any reliable access to food and basic necessities. So, essentially, he was leading 10,000 or 20,000 or however many men into the abyss, guided solely by his own confidence all would work out. Their plan for survival was to forage and take all they could from the Southerners along the way. This served the dual purpose of sustaining the army AND demoralizing the south. And, it worked. Having grown up in the south, I was used to hearing of Sherman as the devil, even in the late 20th century! It was fascinating to learn about the balls and tenacity of this guy, and to learn that his men absolutely idolized him—they affectionately referred to him as “Uncle Billy”, and thought he hung the moon. Anyway, this program led me to purchase (or, more accurately, my girlfriend bought for me as a gift) Doctorow’s The March, which recounts Sherman’s journey. Not too far into it yet, but so far it’s awesome! A little bit of Faulkner mixed with real history. (Not that Faulkner himself didn’t traffic in real history…)

Three — The Sopranos
My love for this show is a love that dare not speak its name…so forbidden this love is. I’m not into The Sopranos to watch people get shot, and while there’s most definitely an element of attraction for me in seeing how (presumably) the Mafia in this day and age operates, what really drew me in and keeps me coming back are the characters. David Chase has birthed these people who are so completely and utterly flawed in all of the worst possible ways humans can be flawed, yet they engender my sympathy and compassion. Anyway, as everyone knows, this is the last season of the show, so I find myself spending an inordinate amount of time wondering what each character’s fate will be. Everyone assumes Tony Soprano will either be killed or go to prison, but there must be a more interesting alternative that David Chase has thought of? Whatever happens, I will be supremely sad when it’s over, as I’ve seen every episode at least twice, and it pains me to think there will be no more.

Four — Eatwell’s (Restaurant in my neighborhood in Los Angeles) Chilaquiles
One of the many blessings I feel like I enjoy living in Silver Lake—my particular neighborhood of Los Angeles—is the great variety of tasty restaurants that are within walking distance of my apartment. Above all else, I love food, and there’s a plentiful bounty of delicious treats around here. There are several Silver Lake establishments I should mention, first off, because they are among my favorites—Alegria (for the Alexis burrito), Michelangelo (thin-crust pizza), and KP’s Vietnamese (out-of-this-world hybrid Vietnamese/French baguette sandwiches). But, because I ate there today and had been craving their chilaquiles, I focus my laser beam on Eatwell, a little breakfast joint just down the street from my house. Everything here is good…I’ve just grown particularly fond of the chilaquiles. For those of you unfamiliar with this succulent dish, chilaquiles are—and I’m no expert—a Mexican treat involving tortilla chips, salsa, and scrambled eggs…need I say more? Eatwell’s chilaquiles might not be the most authentic in the city, but Goddamn they’re good. Have ‘em in conjunction with a cup of their strong coffee and a cigarette, and, well, it’s about as good as it gets.

Five — Palm Springs Aerial Tram
This past weekend, my girlfriend and I took a little jaunt to Palm Springs. As cool as the town and desert are, the highlight, by far, was the Palm Springs Tram, which is a gondola-type car that takes you from a height of around 2000 feet to the top of a mountain (Mt. San Jacinto) which is at approximately 8500 feet—and it does this is about 10 minutes. This means, for parts of the journey, you are ascending the mountain in a little car supported by wire at angles of up to 45 degrees—for a pussy like me, this is harrowing to say the least. When the GF and I rolled up to the base station, I had some very severe concerns about this enterprise—I felt like it was a CNN.com headline in the making: Tourist Tram Plummets in Palm Springs. Anyway, once I got in the tram—which, due to the ingenuity of its Swiss makers, rotates 360 degrees TWICE during the ascent—I felt more at ease, as clearly they’d been doing this for years and no one had been hurt thus far. And, boy oh boy, it was a hell of a journey: the mountain you climb is ridiculously steep, which means you’re afforded these incredibly mind-blowing views of the Coachella Valley below; apparently, when it’s super clear, you can see all the way to Nevada. The best part, though, is that as you ascend, you can see the eco-system changing below. At the base—where you get on the tram—is pure desert. As you climb the mountain, things get greener and greener below—you can see creeks, water flowing, etc. Once you get to the top of the mountain, you are in—no joke—an Alpine forest. Right next to Palm fucking Springs, you’re surrounded by Pine Trees! Anyone who has misgivings about California needs to check this shit out—this is exactly why California rocks balls!!

The Silent Years Check In With Five Things They Have On The Perplex
Here is a list of the things that have been on our minds over the past 7 days

One — The Detroit Pistons Our hometown basketball team has made it to their 5th straight conference finals and the town is buzzing. Everywhere we go there are Pistons shirts and hats…even the hipsters here are talking about Sheed and Rip over their PBRs. Go Pistons.

Two – Nightmares
Is there a cure for them? Cassie has been having nightmares constantly about everything from zombies to workplace massacres. Do nightmares mean anything, or are they just a hugely disappointing way to start a day?

Three — Elliott Smith (_New Moon_)
Just when you think you’ve escaped your morbid/depressing obsession with his older work, a posthumous record comes out that blows your mind all over again. What a loss he has been.

Four – Aspartame
An FDA approval conspiracy which has left millions of diet soda drinkers bald and without memories. Caffeine withdrawal is a small price to pay for a head full of memories. We are most shocked to find out that our government might have knowingly exposed us to harmful chemicals and lied to us. THAT, friends, is the real shocker.

Five — Fool’s Gold
Is there a way to make it more valuable than real gold? Who would be the fool then?

The Silent Years Daytrotter Session
The Silent Years Official Site
The Broken West Official Site
Coming next Monday, The Broken West’s very own Daytrotter session!!