Thursday, December 18, 2008
The Melvins- Nude With Boots
The latter album and this one have been more listenable than previous Melvins concoctions (compared to say, Pigs of the Roman Empire), but let's not jump to conclusions: this still rips. The album "kicks" things off with "The Kicking Machine," rich with strong Zeppelin-esque riffage, with more classic rock raging ensuing on "Suicide In Progress" (which ends with what seems to sound like silverware falling in reverse).
"The Stupid Creep" is a short and sweet rocker in the vein of Ozma classics like "Oven" and "Claude" while "Dog Island," the longest song on the record at 7:32 (the bulk of the songs under 4 minutes), is classic Melvins sludge-drone, complete with a tribal Crover drum solo at the end. If the Crover/Willis drum combo doesn't get you hard, than you should probably be thrown into an open grave full of venomous snakes.
The band still likes to wallow in sludgy noise drenched waters as is apparent in "The Savage Hippy," and the closing track "It Tastes Better Than the Truth," sees the band dueling it out in a a shrieking march towards insanity.
While not as strong as (A) Senile Animal, Nude With Boots is solid Melvins material. The Melvins will never die, and as long as they are keeping me on my toes and shedding my skin a bit, I hope they live forever. Love live the fucking Melvins.
The Melvins myspace
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Torche- Meanderthal
In merely four years as a band and two albums and one EP into it, Torche have managed to expand their sound and grow musically with every release, which is a difficult task to pull off. Meanderthal maintains a beautiful balance of heavy and melodic, soaring and thrashing, crushing and soothing. Doom pop anthems like "Grenades" and "Healer" could really find a place in the ears of anyone with an interest in rock music, while tracks like "Pirana" and "Speed of The Nail" throw the switch into the red and fly in like a T-Rex assault. And that's just in the first half of the album!
The second half of the album sinks deep into the sludge and paralyzes you with heavy, tribal, psychedelic waves of crusty rock as the album ends with the title track pounding you into the ground like a giant hammer.
Torche have found a way to dodge the pigeonholing commonly found in heavy music and have created a solid rock album that could crossover and cater to many different audiences while still pushing the limits of heavy, experimental music. Album of the year???
Torche myspace
Thursday, November 13, 2008
The Slackers- Self Medication
Everyone's favorite reggae, ska, soul and rocksteady pranksters are back with twelve more doses of healing that goes down smooth. Side effects included skanking, head bobbing, singing along, and feelin' good. The Slackers are the best at bringin' you the classic sound and feel of oldschool reggae and ska, and along with the Agrrolites, are bringing much more of an awareness for this amazing music.
12 years in and the Slackers still sound fresh. Everything they put out is just too fucking cool. Just a really talented group of guys reliving the glory days. They aren't shoving politics down your throat or whining about girls (although they do have an occasional "broken heart" song). And stylistically they cover a lot of ground, from the organ driven calypso of "Estranged" to the horn heavy ska of "Leave Me," to the old tyme sound of "Don't Have To." This record is a little more laid back than some of their past releases, but don't think that they have slowed down any.
RIYL: Trojan records, Bob Marley and the Wailers, the Clash, the Aggrolites, Red Stripe, getting high, good music
The Slackers myspace
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Young Widows- Old Wounds
These eleven songs range from balls out Jesus Lizard torture to dense minimalism. "The Guitar" contains so much empty space in the recording you could drown to death. Evan's vocal delivery is very sobering and even hypnotizing at times, and the rhythm section seems almost mechanical, getting so locked in that it's amazing that this music is being performed by human beings.
Spacey and tribal, dark and brooding, and maybe a little unsettling. Definitely music to listen to in a dark empty hallway.
Try staring at the cover art while you listen to the entire record and see if you don't get creeped the fuck out as well.
Young Widows myspace
Monday, November 3, 2008
Weezer- The Red Album
If releasing another self-titled album known only by the color of the background is any indication of a good Weezer album, than this record should be pretty damn good. This album is all over the place. It's like the band had a bunch of ideas and just spread them out all over the table, put them face down, did the hillybilly shuffle, and then picked them up one by one and put them on record. Some of the ideas work, some dont'. The classic Weezer powerpop sound shines on songs like "Troublemaker," "Everybody Get Dangerous" and "Pork and Beans" (a song that dismisses all the haters out there). But everything else just lies there flat.
"The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)" is a rock opera of sorts, combinging rap, Greorgian chant, falsetto vocals, acoustic guitars and piano, spoken word, and straight up rock in a mess of a song. Like trying to chug a whole gallon of milk: it may seem like a good idea at the time, but once you try it you just end up throwing up.
"Heart Songs," while a little cheesy, is a homage to the music that influenced frontman Rivers Cuomo. It's a terrible song, but relateable. "Dreamin'" is another failed attempt at a feel-good flowery pop song.
A couple songs include lead vocals by the other members of the band, but leave nothing but a bad taste in your mouth.
The band tries to be adventerous, but if things were a little more cohesive, this might be a decent album. This just seems bloated.
Weezer myspace
Zs- The Hard
Zs myspace
sBACH- sBACH
1. Quit your job, then fill your living room with blankets, matresses, and other soft objects.
2. Place the sBACH self-titled compact disc directly into your CD player. This is crucial! Make sure the label is facing up or it won't play correctly. Now, push play. It's the one that looks like a sideways triangle. Don't hit the square!
3. Consume a near lethal dose of sugar (or psychedelic drugs if you prefer, but that's for cheaters!). Now, let the sounds soak into your rigid ears.
WARNING: At times you may feel angry and want to punch something. This is normal! You may also feel disgustingly happy and want to dance around the living room in day-glo pajamas with feet. Completely normal as well. You may even be led to believe that you are a robot and that this music is conversing to you. Let it talk! Just remember, that when the sounds have ceased to come out of your speakers, it's OK to play it again.
DISCLAIMER: Suicide Squeeze records is not responsible for any property damaged during the listening of this record, nor will they pay for your trip to the Looney Bin.
sBACH myspace
Monday, October 20, 2008
They Might Be Giants- Here Come The 123s
The songs topics range from the numbers 1-10, to a dozen, to infiinty, as well as various other songs, like a cover of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme and a song about hot dogs. This isn't your typical children's album. It's a They Might Be Giants album first and foremost, so you'll sill get the bizarre humor that you've come to love, and they cover many styles: vaudville, disco, lounge, funk, and straight up rock.
Children's edutainment has really come a long way from the day's I was listening to Raffi sing about Baby Beluga and that fucking Bananaphone. Kids get to watch Yo Gabba Gabba! (created by the ska band The Aquabats, and featuring such guests as Biz Markie and the Aggrolites) and now they get to listen to They Might Be Giants. If I was a parent my kids would definitely get to listen to this. And while most kids shit like this (Kidz Bop anyone?) is annoying as hell, I still find myself singing along. Oh to be a kid again...
They Might Be Giants myspace
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Lords- Fuck All Y'All Motherfuckers
Everything about this record tells you to fuck off. The artwork, the track titles, the lyrics...what self righteous bastards! Political, dirty, noisy, southern fucking metal. Either you get it or you don't. Rants against the government, religion, and dumb motherfuckers. Politically incorrect greatness. Muckier and dirtier production than their previous two records. Short and fast bursts of violating punk rock clocking in at under 23 minutes. A force to be reckoned with.
FUCK ALL Y'ALL MOTHERFUCKERS!!!
Lords myspace
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Past Lives- Strange Symmetry
While the Blood Brothers were known for their chaotic, post-hardcore attack with dueling vocals, Past Lives shake off that notion and deliver a softer, more melodic sound. Shifting from quiet, trance like musings to Blood Brothers-esque ragers (albeit, Jordan's howls are toned down a bit from his blood curdling screams of the past), this little EP has a wide range of sounds going on. Xylophones and shakers, bubbling synth, bluesy Birthday Party guitars, and soothing feedback are jammed packed into 15 minutes. Noisy, but in a controlled environment.
Past Lives myspace
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Git Some- Cosmic Rock
Git Some myspace
Monday, October 13, 2008
The Acacia Strain- Continent
The band has changed their sound quite a bit since their Prosthetic debut 3750. Their three downtuned guitar massacre has been chopped down to one, but on record they employ multiple guitar tracks, so you really can't tell. Things are still heavy as ever. Unlike many metalcore bands whose sound seems rather generic, the Acacia Strain have some pretty unique breakdowns, not unlike their peers in Bury Your Dead.
Continent is a worldwide attack on everyone and everything, a massive global hatred. As apocalyptic as anything you've heard in a while. They attack everyone, from bands who try to copy their sound ("Skynet"), to women ("Cthulhu," and about half of the rest of the songs), to the entire globe, where on "Baby Buster," vocalist Vincent Bennett talks about blowing up the planet, "I want the world to have my rape baby, so when it's born I can strangle it to death," and on "JFC (Jesus Fucking Christ)," he politely states "I pushed the button, I watched the sky rain death. Consider this global abortion."
While this is a very angry album and might be taken a little too seriously, there has always been a very tongue-in-cheek undertone to the band. Just from reading the track titles ("Skynet," "Dr. Doom," "Baby Buster," "JFC (Jesus Fucking Christ,") ...), you should be able to tell that this band isn't trying to be as macho or sadistic as they sound. The lyrics are obviously ironic and tongue-in-cheek. I mean, how can you take a line like, "I am the end of the world. My dick now lies in your rotting mouth.," seriously. There are some really fucked up, but humorous lyrics on this record. Too many metal bands take themselves way too seriously, it's nice to see a band sneek a bit of black humor into the mix. But don't laugh too hard, this is still a ripping fucking record.
The Acacia Strain myspace
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Hot Water Music- TIll The Wheels Fall Off
Hot Water Music has always been known for its dual vocal attack. In their earlier days, Ragan's guttural voice was up front while second singer/guitarist Chris Wollard, whose voice is more melodic, provided backups. As time progressed, they tended to take equal vocal duties in a duet style. By the end of the band, Ragan was doing back up vocals and Wollard was up front, maybe hinting at Ragan's desire to move on. This collection of B-sides, splits, rarities, and covers is a final goodbye to a solid punk band whose sound and style has been unique and continually copied.
Even their B-sides are really good. "Home" is the only song on here that you can't find anywhere else, and was cut from their final studio release, The New What's Next (which, while still good, is one of their weaker releases, and has a very foreshadowing title). Other songs are lifted from splits with Alkaline Trio (Wollard's acoustic take on "Bleeder" is powerful), The Casket Lottery, and a few others.
They salute their punk rock heroes and wear their influences on their sleeves with covers from The Clash, Government Issue, Midnight Oil, The Circle Jerks, Turbonegro, and the Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen.
Their Moonpies for Misfits EP is included on here but is missing the track "Where We Belong," and "The Bitter End" from the Leatherface split is missing (although they do include a cover of Leatherface's "Springtime"). Also missing is a cover of John Mellencamp's "Authority Song" from the Totally Fucking the 80s comp. Other than that, definitely worth getting to complete your collection. There isn't a bad song on here. A great testament to a great band and what a way to go out. You need to here this band, end of fucking story.
Hot Water Music myspace
The Draft myspace
Chuck Ragan myspace
Alkaline Trio- Agony and Irony
The Alkaline Trio have been putting out great records for the last ten years. Dark, poetic, raw, morbidly humorous, and damn catchy. As far as "pop punk" goes, they have always been at the front of pushing the limits and refusing to be formulaic. As they've been getting increasingly more popular the last couple years, I've held my breath in hopes that they wouldn't put out a shitty record. And I've been lucky; Good Mourning and Crimson were both great albums while still being released by Vagrant. But the inevitable has happened and the band has gotten too big for its shoes and has exploded. They were going to be on V2 before the released all their artists to focus on their back catalog, which would have been a good fit. They're on Epic now. Let's not forget who else was on Epic, the Clash. And major labels aren't always a bad thing; Bad Religion put out a few good records on Atlantic (let's just forget about the New America though), the Melvins were on Atlantic too, which amazes me because they aren't going to sell records.
Anyways, I digress. As the album opens with the uptempo "Calling All Skeletons," their is a certain hope instilled for this album. Things seem brighter, the songwriting has improved (for better or worse), and the songs are disgustingly catchy. "Over And Out" sounds more like Matt Skiba's sideproject Heavens or even hints of the Cure than the more raw punk sound over the band's earliest days.
The subject matter is still dark and gothic, but not as clever as past releases. Dan Adiano's songs are slower, borderline love songs with hints of the Cars. But he makes his hatred for love apparent on the sappy anti-love song "Love Love, Kiss Kiss." Matt Skiba continues to write interesting and catchy pop punk with "Lost and Rendered" standing out.
This is still the Alkaline Trio. While they have always had a pop sensibilty, they focus on it more on Agony and Irony, while juxtaposing it with their dark side. Sure, the Hot Topic crowd will like it, but the Trio have a way of appealing to a lot of different crowds. I can breathe easy again.
Alkaline Trio myspace
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Nine Inch Nails- Ghosts I-IV
Reznor is accompanied by some interesting guest musicians on this experimental outing. Andrian Belew, of King Crimson, plays guitar on three tracks and Brian Viglione, of the World Inferno/Friendship Society plays drums out of a drumkit he built out of scrap metal and various objects.
It's not surprising that Reznor has finally decided to put out an instrumental album. He did the soundtrack for the orginal Quake video game back in 1997 and has always been known for his expermintation. This collection of anything goes is filled with deep rich somber piano, minimalist tribal beats, haunting scraping heroin withdrawals, droning slumber, whisping auras, and electronic raptures. If you thought the Fragile was ambitious, you might change your mind.
The length of this record may be intimidating, but it is a rewarding listen if you take the time to listen to it all the way through, or in chunks. Either way, Reznor has a way of putting out interesting shit no matter what the format is.
Download Ghosts part I!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Nine Inch Nails- The Slip
The Slip, which is available ("legally") free to download from the band's website, was recorded in only three weeks and is being released through Reznor's new label The Null Corporation after he recently swore off all ties to any major record label.
The Slip is a return to the darker, more structured form of albums like The Fragile and With Teeth. Unlike Year Zero which was largely constructed of laptop improvisational noise, The Slip combines the poppier aspects of With Teeth with the harder industrial mindfucks and softer marches towards madness of previous Nails albums.
The first half of the album is catchy nihilistic industrial dance, angry anarchist digital hardcore, and poppy 80s electronic post-punk, much in the vein of With Teeth or moments of Year Zero.
The second half of the album drifts deep into a haunting trance, with a soft piano ballad ("Lights In The Sky") melting into a dark ambient landscape ("Corona Radiatata"), followed by a moody trip hop murmer ("The Four Of Us Are Dying"), and disintegrating into a build up of restrained terror.
This isn't as thematic or collective as previous albums. A good collection of emotions. Less dancy than the last few albums have been, less political, and not nearly as noisy as Year Zero.
Download the album here!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Dr. Dooom- Dr. Dooom 2
Dr. Dooom supposedly killed off Dr. Octagon in his first album First Come First Served, but Kool Keith "brought him back" for a second record in 2006. Produced by One Watt Sun, this album wasn't even supposed to be officially realeased. It is for all practical purposes old vocals of Kool Keith slapped together with some half-assed beats. On Dr. Dooom 2, Keith as Dr. Dooom kills off Dr. Octagon for good on "RIP Dr. Octagon."
First Come First Served, while not following a particular theme, was a dark album filled with science fiction, eeire acid bumps, and Keith's perverted goofy lyrics. But forget all that. On "Mopped Up," Keith spits, "The first thing you gonna do as a journalist is compare this to the 1st Dr. Dooom, fuck you." If anything, stylistically it's closer to something like Sex Style, with plenty of hooks, but this isn't your average rap album. Keith stills jacks off all over your face with plenty of monster movie imagery with his distinctive quirky and offputting flow. Name checking everything from Jason and Michael Myers to the Indiana Pacers, it's still the same Keith that you either love or hate. And Kut Master Kurt is back with his icy, haunting beats that just add to the perverted vibe of the album.
Kool Keith's attitude about people liking this album can be summed up on "Always Talkin' Out Your Ass," where he states, "Yo everybody always wanna talk shit, when you make a new album, it's not good as the last one, how many are sold?" He also attacks fanzines, people with ipods, the Village Voice, and bitches that won't fuck him.
This is Kool Keith's best work since Nogatco Rd., and just goes to show you that he still has it, and never lost it. Fuck that fake ass Dr. Octagon sequel, Dr. Oc is fucking dead, and Dr. Dooom is the new sinister villian.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
An Albatross- The An Albatross Family Album
Their previous album BOTPBFATBWK (look it up for the full title) sounded like a Fear and Loathing circus acid trip complete with grinding organs, a demented horn section and vomiting on the carousel. Their move to Eyeball Records sees the band exploring more psychedelic landscapes while keeping intact their full-on hard-on of speeding start-stop punk rock mixed with that sinister organ and bastard brass. Tribal drumming, haunting flute, and primal shrieking vocals push this record to the brink of insanity.
Things spiral into a cosmic state of spiritual healing on "The Hymn of the Angel People" as a bizzare monologue of science fiction and fantasy explains the tale of pilgrims, lovebeasts, and the cosmos, something right out of a Manowar record. But as you start to lose yourself you are awaken from your dream and brought back into the nitemare. The room starts spinning around in slow motion on "Starving on Rabbit Meat." Ride the groove on "Floodgates Released," and trip back into a mournful state as the album closes with weeping violins that melt into a calming aura only to be destroyed by the chaos once more as you crash to your majestic, apocalyptic death.
An Albatross myspace
Sunday, September 28, 2008
AIDS Wolf- Cities of Glass
Aids Wolf myspace
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Girl Talk- Feed the Animals
Instead of making his own music he's quite content with stealing some of the most popular hits from the last fifty or so years and crushing them up on the table and snorting them up his nose. Why make new music when people want to hear what's already popular?
Take all the most ridiculous mainstream rap songs ever made and insert subliminal hints of classic rock, electronica, soul, punk, old school hip-hop, and anything elese that may have made the pop charts. It's a mix-tape for the attention deficit. One second youre hearing Lil' Jon, which turns into BLACKstreet as electronics from Radiohead fizzle in the background and then BOOM!, you're listening to The Band. The first listen is great because you don't know what to expect, what embarrassing nostalgic moment will be conjured up from hearig a certain song? With repeated careful listens you can pick out subtle moments of songs, like the organ from Procol Harem's "A Whiter Shade of Pale" playing in the background of Kanye West and T-Pain.
I hate mainstream music, but presented in a fresh way like this, it's hard not to enjoy yourself. No matter how hard you think you are, I guarantee if you listen to this some song will pop up and you'll be like, "Hey, used to love that song in 4th grade!"
Girl Talk myspace
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Lagwagon- I Think My Older Brother Used To Listen To Lagwagon
Lagwagon seem to have reached a mature stage in their lives with this release and their last full length, Resolve, which paid tribute to their longtime drummer Derrick Plourde, who committed suicide in 2005. Gone are the quirky punk gems of Trashed and Duh (the only humor you'll find here is in the title of the record), the speedy punk anthems of Hoss and Double Plaidinum; you won't find any LL Cool J covers on this one. In the vein of singer Joey Cape's former electic side project Bad Astronaut, this EP is a little mellower than you Lagwagon heads may be used to. But speed and rockability have not been sacrificed my friends. Songs about surviving life, touring, memories, and falling flat on your face, Cape's lyrical wisdom shines as always.
Lagwagon may be becoming grandpas in the punk scene that they helped create, but they are still consistently putting out amazing records. With Cape so busy with the Gimme Gimmes and his solo shit, I hope to see another full length Lagwagon album soon.
Lagwagon myspace
Sunday, August 10, 2008
DJ Scotch Egg- Drumized
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Victims- Killer
Monday, August 4, 2008
Beck- Modern Guilt
Friday, August 1, 2008
One Day as a Lion- One Day as a Lion
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Spitfire- Cult Fiction
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Gridlink- Amber Gray/Hayaino Daisuki- Headbanger's Karaoke Club Dangerous Fire
Hayaino Daisuki (roughly translated as “I Love Speed”) up the ante with longer songs, melodic thrash that would make Darkest Hour bow down, and a wicked sweet album cover that pays homage to the 80’s thrash movement in Japan. And did I mention they love speed (the measurement of travel, dummy). Taking speed on a bullet train in Osaka ain’t nearly as fast as this shit.