Friday 30 July 2010

150























So, this is my 150th post and what a journey it has been.

We have had highs and lows, we have laughed and cried
and I feel we have become all the closer for it.

What a team we make:

Me - witty, handsome, guitar hero and musical know it all.
You - sad, pathetic download monkey with no records of your own.

Lets promise never to fight again and look forward to
the rest of the year.

To celebrate this momentous post - some music from
the Ren & Stimpy show - I found this on the strange and
varied blog Digital Meltd0wn ...... why not Listen or if
you are feeling the futile and pointless existence of life is
too much to bear, try my 47 minute Sub Sonic Symphony -
a multi-tracked piece of music using keyboards, drones
and sound effects which I composed to be played in
tandem to the 1927 Lon Chaney film "The Unknown"
which various "friends" have assured me is impossible
to play to the end without wanting to hurt me.... Try Me!

Thursday 29 July 2010

Maths - Descent (2009)


















Maths do a nice line in embittered hardcore
but with a grasp of subtle dynamics that some
of their fellow bands do not have.

Post hardcore with huge tidal waves of
sound, sprawling guitar notes playing in
tandem with the vocals, gradual builds to
climax and mangled tunes combining with
dense song arrangements make this a very
tasty record.
My Space

Tuesday 27 July 2010

Acid Tiger - Acid Tiger (2010)


















When Ben Koller is not drumming for
Coverge, he likes to relax by forming
bands!

First there was the grindcore of United
Nations and now he has put together
Acid Tiger, a band with both feet in
hardcore but who have also jumped
into math timing, fuzzed out riffs, sonic
highs and lows which makes this stand
out from the sub-hardcore-with metal tinge
which seems to be getting very play-by-
numbers at the moment.

Vocals are impassioned but mainly clean
throughout and there is some very impressive
technical musicianship on display here.

Monday 26 July 2010

Bo Diddley - Tales From the Funk Dimension


















A collection of songs from '70 - '73.

Before I had this album, the only Bo I
had heard was from the normal sources
- covers by the Stones & JAMC etc made
me dig out the originals but they were
nothing like this.

James Brown rhthym backing tracks
overlaid with wah-wah guitar, psychedelic
lead and laid back sleaze vocals all delivered
with the deep Bo voice.

Download monkeys beware - this is NOT
the full album - just the tracks I selected
to make me jump up & down!

Friday 23 July 2010

North - What You Were (2008)















Post-metal which is very heavy.
Lots of distortion and deep,
reverberating bass with guttural
howls of despair put this in the
same league as Rosetta or Fall
or Efera.

Pushed for time today - that description
will have to do!

Thursday 22 July 2010

Saint Vitus - Heavier Than Thou


















To be honest, I am only just discovering
the massive family tree of Scott "Wino".

What with Trouble, Obsessed, Pentangle,
St Vitus, Spirit Caravan, Hidden Hand,
Shrinebuilder etc, this is the only Saint
Vitus I have.

It is a compilation and goes through
various band lineups but the important
thing to know is that is is full of massive
songs, combining stoner & doom, twisted
guitar solos and clean vocals.

If there are better St Vitus albums for
me to hear, please let me know.

Tuesday 20 July 2010

The Stooges - Best Rider ever













This has been kicking around for a couple of years and
I just found it in one of my folders. I cannot remember
where I found it - sorry, someone!

It is a 28p page PDF of the Stooges requirements for
setting up a gig and is scathingly excellent.

Give yourself 15 minutes to read this - it's funny, honest!

Monday 19 July 2010

Magic Lantern - Platoon (2010)























This falls into the same bracket as The Wooden Shjips,
Sun Dial, Quest for Fire etc.

Jazzy freak-out organs, screaming wah wah, powered
by masses of fuzz guitar - this is heavy psych of the highest
calibre.

Real authentic sounds as well - no polished studio trickery
or dubious sound effects taken from sample CD's.

The guitar player is fantastic - while I would never be
as stupid to compare anyone to Hendrix, if you think
of people who have channeled that vibe: Santana, Marino
etc, I put him in that bracket.

Friday 16 July 2010

Velvet Underground - The Quine Tapes (1969)


















This is for ZoSo))) who is a dribbling mad
VU man. This box set has 3 live sets from
3 different venues - a guy called Richard
Quine had the foresight to record them on
his 2 track.

As normal bootlegs go, this is not a sound
board recording but bearing in mind it's from
'69, it's pretty fucking good.

There are the 2 Live VU albums that have the
picture of the girls arse on but I always thought
the sound was thin and sterile.

These have a much warmer sound and the
band seem to be going for it. This comes
across in the songs and performances.

As it is a 3CD set, you will have to dl in
2 hits. Oh yeah, each set ends with a 30 min
Sister Ray!
Link removed by Mediafire - thanks!

Roxy Music - Guitar Tracks























This is a collection of Roxy Music songs that feature
Phil Manzanera at the front of the track - either
with a strong riff or him letting loose in the solo
department.

Don't like the selection? Do your own one.

Track Listing:
Re-Make Re-Model
Ladytron
Amazona
Strictly Confidential
Editions of You
In Every Dream House
The Bob (Medley)
Grey Lagoons
Mother of Pearl
Out of the Blue
Pyjamarama
All I Want is You
Casanova
The Thrill of it All
If anyone has live recordings from 72 - 75,
that would be cool.

Thursday 15 July 2010

The Heads - Live at Tilburg (2008)























If you like The Heads you know what to expect - if
not, get some fucked up, fuzz punk-psychedelia,
feedback drenched, glorious slabs of rambling,
almost out of control songs Here.

Wednesday 14 July 2010

Siouxsie & The Banshees - Join Hands (1979)


















Forget the cute goth songs of "Christine"
or "Spellbound" - this is ice cold Art
Rock ...... and on that bombshell, come back
in time with me to the mid seventies when
I had never heard of the Velvet Underground.

"What the fuck!!! ..... I do not wanna read
this shit ...... you dumb prick .... just gimmie
the album"

Hold on dear download monkey .... my tale
continues. When I was a teenager, '73-'75
was a golden time for me and music. Heavily
into hard rock and prog, every month brought
a classic album being released by Bowie, Sabbath,
Zepp, Genesis, Cooper, Hawkwind, Yes, Purple etc.

I would buy them on the day of release and play
them over and over in my bedroom, listening
to the songs that the band had written just
for me.

Drift into '76 and I had discovered Lou Reed and
his live album "Rock and Roll Animal" Hey, these
songs were first done by his previous band called
the Velvet Underground.

'77 came and went - I was a punk crazy fool and
fuck yeah, I loved the Velvets ..... and still do ....
but you know what? They were not MY band -
they split up when I was a kid, I had not
discovered them myself ..... but the Banshees
and all the other punk stuff was mine, all mine
I tell you!

When "Join Hands", the 2nd Banshees record
came out, it was my "White Heat, White Light".

It spoke to me in strange tongues, no guitar solos,
no shouting, atonal sax breaks, cold remote lyrics,
14 minute songs, THIS was my V. Underground -
this was the album that lead me to listen to PIL,
Television, Gang of Four, Pere Ubu, Devo etc.

Anyway, what do you care - Listen

Tuesday 13 July 2010

Electric Mud Generator - To The Distain of Polyhymnia (2008)













I found this recently on Angry Chairs
and have been playing it a lot.

It is very much in the vein of
Baroness - heavy stoner with
mad moments of prog but this
also has a folk-rock vibe - think
the rocky end of Jethro Tull
(similar vocals) but going to
a huge, thick sounding attack.

It reminds me of the latest
"Ancestors" album, lots of
heavy tracks but going down
to acoustic guitar, gentle passages,
even a dual male/female chorus.

To sum up my rather confused
review - it is Prog-Stoner, give
it a Listen


Monday 12 July 2010

Lou Reed - Metal Machine Music (1975)























4 tracks spread out over a double album, this had no
drum or vocals or indeed any songs, just feedback guitar
drones looping over and over, with electronic squalls
of generated tones and noise........ of course it is common
knowledge that track 3 is the best! Are those hints of
tunes buried down in the mix?

This is either:

Lou Reed getting out of his record company contract
and a big fuck you to the hired suits

or

A noise terror experiment in sonics and volume
which 15 years later would influence bands like
The Swans and sonic Youth etc.

Friday 9 July 2010

Switch Opens (2009)


















Swedish hardcore but with a very
psychedelic - punk feel to it.

Melodic vocals go to a roar and the
songs have power but with highs
and lows, dipping into delicate
picked guitar for a moment before
pummeling over the head. Unforced
breakdowns slowly gain in power
to thunderous chorus and climax.

Thursday 8 July 2010

Year of No Light - Ausserwelt (2010)


















Belgium bands follow up to "Nord".

4 tracks of post-metal but without the
angry shouty beardy man on vocals.

It still has continent shifting guitar
chords and earthquake inducing bass
and drums but it almost drifts into
heavy post-rock with delicate guitar
chimes that would fit onto a "Mono" album
and some clean feedback drone motifs
that reminded me of SubArachniod Space.

Very heavy but with dark drifting overtones,
if you ever wanted to dip your toe into the
murky water of post-metal, be brave and
give this a Listen

Wednesday 7 July 2010

Grand Funk Railroad - Live (1970)


















Grand Funk Railroad took the power trio
sound of Cream and mixed it up with hard
rock and roll roots.

They had a real groove, almost Southern
Rock type thing at times but at heart
this recording remained a vintage slice
of loud primitive rock.

Recorded live, this has no post-production
tricks or overdubs and although at times
can sound a bit messy, the rawness comes
through. Be warned ..... it does contain that
most wasteful of music genres - a drum solo!

Tuesday 6 July 2010

Frank Black - Teenager of the Year (1998)


















A double album of greatness, for me, if Frank
Black never made another album, this would
be a fitting tribute to him.

22 tracks of sheer fucking genius. When I
first heard this, around song 8 or 9, I
thought that even if the rest are just
fillers, it would be worth it .... get to
track 18 and they kept on getting better.

No fillers, no weak tracks, I must of
kept this on my CD player for 3 solid
months.

If you are looking for the full bloodied
screaming Black Francis, this is probably
going to let you down but if you have ever
jumped up and down to "Velouria, Dig for
Fire, Wave of Mutilation, Gigantic" etc
or any other Pixie punk/pop song,
give this a Listen

Monday 5 July 2010

Indukti - Idmen (2009)


















Experimental post-metal from Poland.

This contains twisting/sinewy songs that
constantly change structure but always
for a reason - not just to show how clever
they are.

Vocals go from clean almost trance like
to full out shouting & chanting. Violins
drift in and out with nicely placed trumpet
riffs honking in the background. Rock scales
give way to ethnic folk influences while
the guitar is like Tool crossed with "Red"
King Crimson period sound.

Friday 2 July 2010

Hacride - Lazarus (2009)


















French heavy progressive music.

Hacride are like a more relaxed Between
the Buried and Me and an energetic Gojira.

The 1st track runs at 15 mins and shows
more invention than a lot of albums by bog
standard, auto-pilot post-metal bands.

Similar in feel to Textures, this seems raw
and natural with great solid songs that
are allowed to progress in the most heavy way.

Thursday 1 July 2010

Astroqueen - Into Submission (2001)


















Swedish Stoner that comes from the more
lively end of the genre - Fu Manchu, Nebula etc.

Thick, heavy end bass holds the riffs together
while the guitar sizzles with insanely
tuneful embellishments.

Strap yourself into your Harley and head
out to the desert with this blasting into
your ears.

I do not actually own a harley .... or indeed
any sort of motorbike and I do not live
anywhere near a desert, so I will jump
on the 77 bus to Clapham Common!