ALEATORY #20: Casiotone for the Painfully Alone

Owen Ashworth feels your pain.

This is probably why he records so many damn good songs as Casiotone for the Painfully Alone -- as perfect and descriptive a band name as there's ever been. Maybe you've heard his songs, or seen Los Campesinos! lead singer Gareth wear a CFTPA T-shirt in the documentary that came with the group's We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed album, or maybe you'll just see Owen at SXSW this year, or pick up his new rarities album Advance Base Battery Life on March 10th, or maybe even pick up his new new album Vs. Children in April. No matter what though, Owen's aesthetic -- after all these years -- remains almost exactly the same: plug in a keyboard, turn on the mic, and just play it baby. We feel for you.

Congratulations to both him and us: this Globecat's 20th Aleatory -- thanks guys.

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4. Favorite person to have worked with?

I used to work in a bakery with a woman named Kara who was really funny and great. we ate a lot of damaged baked goods together.

10. Favorite lyric?

I ain't no goddamn son of a bitch you better think about it baby

13. Favorite Shakespearean play?

Cats

14. Favorite sound?

Flute samples played in chords

15. Favorite exhibit or subject at the museum?

Wild animal taxidermy dioramas in natural history museums

17. Favorite plant?

I think it's a tie between kudzu and basil

39. What's something you could probably beat anyone you know at?

I don't mean to brag but I am very good at cribbage

40. What was your best/worst subject in school?

I took some anthropology classes in college that I did pretty well in. I never skipped my anthropology classes. I have never done very well with math. I skipped lots of math.

42. What's an image that haunts you to this day?

There was a picture of a dude who had done a mess of PCP and then cut off his face and fed it to his dogs. I saw it on the internet. I still think about it every once in a while and go "ugh" or "ack." Once you put something in your brain you can never take it out again, kids. Think twice before clicking those warning disturbing image links on www.snopes.com.

43. What's the road ahead look like?

It is covered with snow and hazardous

44. Something you've heard, know is false, but wish were true with all your heart?

I heard that polar bears hide their black noses with a front paw or leg when they hunt. This helps them blend in with the snow so they can sneak up on school children or seals or whatever. Sort of like a reverse negative Dracula. Polar Drac. I'm pretty sure this is not true but the image is too endearing and chilling to not want to believe in.

49. Now that you know a much larger audience will get to hear the music you've made, has your writing changed at all? How? What's changed and what's stayed the same?

Oh man I don't know. I think the biggest factor that has changed my writing has been my age. I get older and I think about different things so I want to sing about different things. Also, once you've written a song, you can't go around rewriting it forever so you actually have to come up with some different ideas every once in a while. I am averaging about thirty songs per idea these days.

54. So far in your career, what's been your proudest accomplishment?

Playing in Russia felt pretty nuts. I feel weird listing any names but there have been some people who I have been very proud to have met and shared mutual admiration with. Okay fine Tom Hanks.

57. Most rock star thing you've ever done?

I accidentally knocked all of my equipment off of a stage and the people in the front caught it and pushed it back upright. And everybody thought it was on purpose and some kind of cool trick. IT WAS NOT A COOL TRICK

63. Band/artist you're secretly envious of?

My friend Nick from No Kids because he lives in Canada and gets all kinds of amazing government grants to record expensive andfabulous sounding records. Also, because I would like to be able to play piano like him. I am pretty lousy musician and I am envious of lots of people's musical abilities.

67. Do you reach any kind of personal catharsis when it comes to songwriting/performing?

Yeah, I guess so

78. Your life has been reduced to a bumper sticker: what does it say?

NPR

92. Which venue are you dying to play but have not yet had the chance to?

I would like to play at the Warfield in San Francisco, CA. I saw Kraftwerk play there once and I hear it's haunted.

94. What's your hardest song to replicate live?

There are a few songs on my new record that were arranged for many more hands than I have. I haven't tried to play them live yet and I really don't know what to do with them. There are also plenty of old songs of mine that I just don't like to play because I just don't really like them anymore. I would find it hard to replicate those songs with any sort of sincerity, even though they aren't particularly difficult to play.

99. Licensing your music out to companies for TV ads: good or bad?

Shit I don't know. I haven't done it yet but maybe if I have a kid who needs braces some day I'll feel differently. You pick your battles, you know?

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Visit Casiotone for the Painfully Alone's website.

ALEATORY #14: The Burnside Project

Every once in awhile, a band comes along that just has everything you love crammed into one place. The Burnside Project is such a band: spry indie-rock guitars meet throbbing synths and techno beats, all while lyrics pour out Richard Jankovich's head that range from smart to smart-ass (I mean, c'mon, the guy gave an in-song shout out to Philip Seymour Hoffman years before that big Oscar win). Though their disc The Networks, The Circuts, The Streams, The Harmonies scored a minor hit with "Cue the Pulse to Begin" back in '03, they band has remained busy, releasing The Finest Example is You in 2005 and re-releasing their '00 effort digitially late last year. Now, Richard is busy doing lots of new songs and remixing under his Pocket guise, but, also, delivering terrifically sarcastic answers to Globecat's fourteenth Aleatory ...

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16. Favorite campfire story?

Unfortunately, I cannot remember any. It probably had ghosts in it.

26. Favorite badass?

Pat Buchanan.

33. What's something you could teach anyone in an hour or less?

Particle physics.

35. What's the best place you've randomly discovered while on tour?

The East Coast of the United States Of America - it is a lovely place!

36. Lyrics first or music first?

Differs on each track. Mostly, music first.

43. What's the road ahead look like?

Sleepy. Burnside is pretty inactive right now but my Pocket work is in full swing. Check it: www.music-by-pocket.com

52. At what point did you realize that music was going to be your full-time occupation?

Um...it's not. Well, actually it is - I work in music branding and licensing. But I don't think that's what you mean...

60. What's the worst show you've ever played? What would you have done different?

Way too many to count - probably at Pianos when I lost my shit and kicked a mike off the stage. That's about as punk as we get. It was pretty cathartic for us.

67. Do you reach any kind of personal catharsis when it comes to songwriting/performing?

I reach catharsis through kicking mikes off of stages, as I mention above.

68. Favorite interview you've ever been a part of (aside from this one obviously)?

No, this one is pretty terrible. My best interview was probably while on tour in Japan and I had no idea what they were asking - I just answered everything with "green and tumbleweeds."

81. If you could sync an album of yours to a movie (like Dark Side of the Moon and The Wizard of Oz), what movie would it be?

Magnolia.

82. Current pop song that you would file under "guilty pleasure"?

I really like Rihanna and I will kick anyone with a mike who disagrees with me.

85. What's the biggest mistake you've made that you inadvertently learned a great lesson from?

Agreeing to do this interview.

88. What's your deepest source for musical inspiration?

The world around me, television, paranoia.

89. You just died. I'm sorry. Fortunately, your will states that you want very specific music to be played at your funeral. What did you choose?

New Order for the upbeat parts, Replacements ballads for the part when everyone cries.

92. Which venue are you dying to play but have not yet had the chance to?

The Houston Astrodome.

94. What's your hardest song to replicate live?

Well, probably the ones we never played live like "Outside Tennebrae" or "An Easy Sell"

98. Would you say that there's somewhat of a political undertone to your music? If so, what motivates it?

Absolutely - though I keep it purposefully subtle. What motivates it? A deep and utter hatred for right wing lunacy and left wing failure to give a shit.

99. Licensing your music out to companies for TV ads: good or bad?

Have you seen our songs on TV?

100. Even with the gradual decay of the B-side, most artists still have vaults of unreleased songs. What's in yours?

Loads of garbage - it's unreleased for a reason, in my opinion.

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Photo by Angela Langer.

Visit the Burnside Project's website.

ALEATORY #6: The Go! Team

Ian Parton could very well get a job as a professional juggler. Afterall, the founder and mastermind behind the U.K.'s party-starting sample-happy The Go! Team somehow finds a way to weave dozens of samples, tons of live instruments, and a genuine sense of fun all together on TG!T's albums, all without seemingly breaking a sweat. Already his band has produced a rising indie star (female rapper Ninja, who can be heard on the excellent Simian Mobile Disco single "It's the Beat"), a near-classic debut album (2004's Thunder, Lightning, Strike), and an equally-ecstatic crowd-pleasing follow-up (2007's Proof of Youth), all while leaving a trail of dropped jaws in the wake of the band's outrageous and exciting live shows. Amidst all this Technicolor insanity, however, Ian found time to sit down and become part of the sixth Globecat Aleatory, revealing dark family secrets (game shows!), incredible childhood boardgames (Assassin!), and how the dirtiest joke he knows is about two decades past its relevance (but is still fantastically funny).

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2. Favorite board game?

I'm not really a board game fan but when I was a kid, me and my brother designed our own board game called "Assassin" where you had to kill the president.

7. Favorite composer?

Phillip Glass.

9. Favorite song to start (or end) a mixtape with?

"Groovin' with Mr. Bloe" by Mr. Bloe.

12. Favorite band when you were in high school?

I'm ashamed to say I had a Simple Minds period in school but that turned into the Wedding Present, then the Pixies.

13. Favorite Shakespearean play?

Gawd knows -- maybe Othello.

19. Favorite foreign film?

À bout de souffle.

20. Favorite new band?

Ult Cult.

28. What instrument would you most like to learn to play?

The trumpet.

33. What's something you could teach anyone in an hour or less?

Harmonica.

34. What's the best joke you heard recently?

The only joke I know is the one about Michael Jackson's favourite song being "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" -- it must date from the 80's cos that's when he had the chimp.

43. What's the road ahead look like?

As long as there is the occassional little chef I'll be happy.

44. Something you've heard, know is false, but wish were true with all your heart?

Music can change the world.

51. What are you currently obsessed with?

Melody and the US office.

61. What's the best advice you could give to a young, upstart band?

Don't think about getting signed just think about create/making music that noone else is making.

73. Are there any songs that you're working on right now?

I work on little ideas rather than whole songs and kinda hoarde them away and whittle them down to the greatest hits. So I have the usual stash of ideas squrrelled away at the mo.

75. Very first song that you ever wrote?

First song I recorded in a proper studio I called "Assembly" 'cos it sounded like it was performed by kids in a school assembly -- it had recorders and glockenspeils in it so not much has changed.

92. Which venue are you dying to play but have not yet had the chance to?

I'd like to play Brixton Academy but I think we've missed our chance now.

96. The one thing that no one knows about you (yet)?

My family auditioned for Family Fortunes.

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Photo taken by Jamie Beeden.

Visit The Go! Team's website.

ALEATORY #4: Yelle

Yelle is not your typical female eletroclash-loving Parisian rapper. Then again, the phrase "female electroclash-loving Parisian rapper" doesn't get kicked around much these days. With an attitude that could out-sass Lily Allen and a fashion style that virtually defines "retro-chic", Yelle has proven herself a force to be messed with. Although the notion of a dance-pop chanteusse rapping entirely in French may seem uncommercial, Yelle's eye-popping, colorful, and flat-out crazy music videos have turned her into a YouTube sensation, logging tens of millions of hits (no joke) and truly breaking down any and all language barriers with her unique sense of fun. Labels notice these things, and earlier this year, Yelle's debut album, POP UP, got a digital release here in the U.S.

Yet during her schedule of touring, junkets, and making more delicious music video eye-candy, Yelle had time to take part in our fourth Aleatory, showing a love of dog snores, a dream of working with Dave Gahan, and having "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" played at her funeral ...

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1. Favorite word?

Putain (fuck).

3. Favorite key to write in?

Be alone.

4. Favorite person to have worked with?

GrandMarnier.

12. Favorite band when you were in high school?

Take That!

14. Favorite sound?

When my dog snores.

30. How many languages do you speak?

Just two: French and English.

31. Other than musician, what career would you most enjoy?

I would love to be a cook.

36. Lyrics first or music first?

It depends; no rules.

39. What's something you could probably beat anyone you know at?

Make grimace.

45. What's the best lie you've ever told?

I’m a bad liar but certainly something for miss[ing] school.

51. What are you currently obsessed with?

I always check if the door is closed 3 or 4 times before leaving my house.

72. A few years ago, Beck gave an interview for SPIN in which he lamented the glut of reality TV shows and blogs about musicians, wanting to know less details about their life because he felt they were more mysterious that way (he liked to envision Devo as living in a crazed art-deco pyramid when he was young, instead of just some guys in a tour bus). Do you feel that there's a lack of mystique out there for musicians in today's YouTube age? Do you feel your band carries any mystique?

I don’t know cause I think we must live in our generation and [be] OK with YouTube, MySpace, [and the] internet in general. But I think you can [have] mystique and have something mysterious around you; it’s not a problem. I come from Brittany and for Parisians, it’s bizarre ...

76. Dream collaboration?

Dave Gahan.

86. With Radiohead's In Rainbows release and Nine Inch Nails doing boffo business with his online releases, do you see yourself ever doing some alterative kind of release for any of your future projects?

Yes I think. Today [it] is complicated to be a musician and to live off your music but we can find solutions and stuff to change relations with the public.

89. You just died. I'm sorry. Fortunately, your will states that you want very specific music to be played at your funeral. What did you choose?

"Girls Just Want to Have Fun," Cyndi Lauper.

91. Which single album should be in everybody's home?

Mine!

92. Which venue are you dying to play but have not yet had the chance to?

I don’t know; maybe in a hot air balloon.

93. Longest show you ever played? What was different?

Maybe it was in Paris in May: [on] a special night, I had [to] sing with Alain Chamfort, a kind of french dandy, good producer, famous in 80’s cause he worked for Lio, and with Gainsbourg at the beginning of his career. It was very cool!

96. The one thing that no one knows about you (yet)?

Nothing.

99. Licensing your music out to companies for TV ads: good or bad?

Maybe bad cause I think TV is not the good way [to] make people love your music, but [through] live show[s], I think concerts are the key.

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Visit Yelle's website.

ALEATORY #1: Phil Elvrum

Few discographies are as intimidating as Phil Elvrum's. As The Microphones (and later as Mount Eerie), Elvrum crafts nothing but powerful, complex indie-rock epics that transcend their bare-bones recording environments to become something far more orchestral in nature. As a producer, he's helped create soundscapes for artists like Mirah, Little Wings, and Beat Happening. As an interviewee, he becomes the first subject of the Globecat Aleatory -- that famed list of 20 randomized questions -- and his responses are as wickedly funny as they are surprisingly insightful. Ladies and gentlemen: Phil Elvrum.

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1. Favorite word?

The word "favorite" is terrifying for me. I can not choose favorites. I can't say "best" except in ironic hyperbole. So all these answers are not favorite or best or worst or anything. They are just one answer of many. I hope I make sense.

4. Favorite person to have worked with?

Julie Doiron, recently.

5. Favorite piece of equipment?

Printing press.

7. Favorite composer?

G.I. Gurdjieff & Thomas deHartmann.

12. Favorite band when you were in high school?

Eric's Trip.

13. Favorite Shakespearean play?

Macbeth.

15. Favorite exhibit or subject at the museum?

The entire Museum of Jurassic Technology in LA.

29. Who do you wish more people were listening to?

Gary Snyder.

32. Best thing you learned this week/month?

French.

52. At what point did you realize that music was going to be your full-time occupation?

Still haven't.

60. What's the worst show you've ever played? What would you have done different?

So many horrible ones I can't choose. In many cases nothing could have been done.

63. Band/artist you're secretly envious of?

secret

66. Worst song you've heard recently?

"Lisa, It's Your Birthday" by "Michael Jackson" in that one Simpsons episode.

71. How well do you feel your music lends itself to remixing or being covered?

Poorly. My songs are too much about my own weird shit. It would seem weird coming from someone else. Remixes would be fine though I think.

73. Are there any songs that you're working on right now?

Yes.

82. Current pop song that you would file under "guilty pleasure"?

I feel no guilt. I love so much weird normal people stuff. It's just music.

89. You just died. I'm sorry. Fortunately, your will states that you want very specific music to be played at your funeral. What did you choose?

Sunn O)))

92. Which venue are you dying to play but have not yet had the chance to?

I would like to play on the Earth's moon.

96. The one thing that no one knows about you (yet)?

I just ate a burrito.

98. Would you say that there's somewhat of a political undertone to your music? If so, what motivates it?

Maybe, yes. I feel like we humans could do better. I am motivated to say what I think because people are paying attention to me.

99. Licensing your music out to companies for TV ads: good or bad?

In most cases bad. But what if it was a TV ad for something I really felt ethically obliged to help promote? Like a tall frosty Heineken?

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Visit Phil Elvrum's website.