Wednesday 29 September 2010

Post slowdown

Work is really hectic at the moment +
I seem to be getting quite a lot of takedowns.

My aim was to post every weekday but for
the next couple of weeks I think time will
make them dry up for a while.

Fear not though my faithful download
monkeys, I will return better and stronger
than before ..... or not - depends how
bovvered I feel!

Tuesday 28 September 2010

Trampled Underfoot

This is a post for ZoSo)))

This Zepp cd has no cover or info whatsoever.

From the songs and what Plant is saying, it is from the
Physical Graffiti tour in the States somewhere.

On CD 2, they introduce Trampled Underfoot
and that is it! The songs just end - so we have a
set cut short, no info but the music is (of course)
fantastic and really good quality.

CD1:
Rock'n'Roll
Sick Again
Over The Hills and Far Away
In My Time of Dying
The Song Remains The Same
The Rain Song

CD2:
Kashmir
No Quarter

Friday 24 September 2010

Augury - Fragmentary Evidence (2009)


















Technical, progressive metal played at
the highest level.

Lots of heavy, distorted jazzy guitar work
played over very layered, complex and
lengthy songs which have a real epic sweep
to them with brilliant instrumental performances.

This is like the heavy bits from Opeth with
scorching guitar solos all over the shop.

Link removed by request

Thursday 23 September 2010

Souvenir's Young America - The Name Of The Snake (2010)


















Killer instrumental from this 3 piece.

Mixing up prog, post-metal and ambient
sounds, this is like a soundtrack to a film
that does not exist.

Layered guitars with drones of distortion
float along with the quieter passages,
intermingled with harmonica, giving
things a space age Ennio Morricone feel.

If you like Pelican, Codes In The Sky etc,
give this a Listen

Wednesday 22 September 2010

Deep Purple - Made In Japan (1972)


















This is the only Purple album you will
ever need.

Drawing mainly from Machine Head,
these live tracks are played at with a
rawness and intensity that were sometimes
missing from the studio releases.

Classic heavy rock - do I need to say more?

Tuesday 21 September 2010

Ruiner - Hell is Empty (2009)


















Ok, here is some hardcore - some short,
fast and memorable anthems play out
on this album.

Some good intros and slower guitar hooks
make this stand out from the standard
hardcore blueprint. The singer manages
to inject melodic vocal lines that are
catchy but still heavy sounding.

Great, crisp production that will suit
anyone into intelligent heavy punk.

Friday 17 September 2010

Jeffrey Lee Pierce - Wildweed (1985)























After the swamp/punk masterpiece "The Las Vegas Story"
by the Gun Club in '84, JL Pierce released his 1st solo
album.

His music had always contained the unique mix of punk/
country and blues but this record had a much more
blues feel to it. The song arrangements seem much
looser giving Pierce a much larger canvas to paint his
guitar solos over - a great guitar player by the way -
and there are some almost wistful/tender moments.

If you have ever liked any Gun Club stuff, give this a

Thursday 16 September 2010

Shining - Blackjazz (2010)























Head fuck time. Shining play a style of industrial, black
metal and jazz - hey that's why the title is "Blackjazz".

Musically very abrasive with heavy distorted guitars
and vocals with synth interplay. Weird time signatures
flow through the songs but do not let that put you off.

Saxaphones fight with guitar riffs and everything gets
very, very heavy.

The albums ends with a cover version of King Crimson's
"21st Century Schizoid Man" - the original will never sound
the same again. To be honest, it took me a couple of
plays before I started to get into it but it is worth it
if you want something different to listen to.

Link removed by request

Wednesday 15 September 2010

Phantom Glue - S/T (2010)





















Some fantastic Stoner/Doom/Hardcore on display here -
it is only 27 minutes long but all the tracks flow into a
very solid whole.

They have a High on Fire type sound but with a much
rougher Punk/Hardcore edge and delivery.

Thick crushing stoner riffs fight with brilliant heavy bass
and drums, acrobatic guitar work is laid all over the
place and suitably gruff vocals show these boys playing
at the top of their game 

Tuesday 14 September 2010

Nirvana - Bleach (1989)



















You know the band.

You know the history.

Recorded in 30 hours for $606.17 and
released on the Sub Pop label, this is bleak
and claustrophobic rock, full of feedback
and distortion with chaotic and grimy songs,
lyrically sparse but full of Cobain at his best.

This is the sound of a band without the world
watching them, just some guys laying down
some tracks because they wanted to make a noise.

Smug alert - Me & Dougie saw them at the Astoria
as support for Tad & Mudhoney. They played most
of Bleach with some new stuff from what would be
Nevermind ...... turns out they would become quite big!
Link removed by request.

Friday 10 September 2010

Blood of The Sun - In Blood We Rock (2007)





















Holy crappola, this rocks like a right bastard!

Drawing upon classic acts such as Purple, Grand Funk,
Mountain, this is one monster of a groove riddled
album that brings those sounds up to date with
an underground fuzz burst of energy and power ....

Think Spiritual Beggars crossed with the faster Nebula
or Fu Manchu tracks with the addition of keyboards
that do not overpower (Hammond type sound), this
just makes me smile and jump up and down.

Lucid Media - ?

Lucid Media seems to have been taken down - anyone know about this?

Another great blog gone.

Wednesday 8 September 2010

The Stranglers - Black and White (1978)



















The Stranglers - the worlds most overlooked
punk band?

Read any music history and punk started and
ended in the Westway with the Clash + some
help from the Pistols.

Not so - back in '77, to hear any punk stuff played
on the radio apart from Uncle John Peel and the
odd burst on Crapital Radio was a rarity.

The Stranglers had massive hits that got airplay
early on and a lot of people in my school only
got into punk by hearing them and delving
further through this new music.

(Not me - I saw the Damned + Motorhead in '76
at the tender age of 16 which proves how hip I
was and that I probably started the whole punk
movement)!!!!!

"Rattus Norvegicus" and "No More Heros" set the
tone with aggression, Punk Floyd weirdness, fantastic
tunes and one of the most individual voices to vie
with Lydon as "new" style singing.

Black and White, for me anyway, remains their
crowning glory - sinister avante garde lyrics,
post-punk tunes, wailing sax breaks, frenetic
guitar and the best bass sound ever.


Tuesday 7 September 2010

Soul Control - Involution (2007)


















Soul Control are described as Hardcore
but I would call this heavy punk.

This album is made up of some eps and
5 new tracks - no idea which is which - there
is an excellent service called Google if you
feel like looking them up!

Rather than generic "angry music", they play
a hybrid of influences which are sometimes
missing from this genre: ie 10 songs which
all sound the same!

Bits of Bad Brains riffs are mixed up with
Fugazi like guitar runs - nice breakdowns
jump into solid mid-tempo grooves, with
lyrics that tend to be self reflective rather
than straight-edge venom - Listen

Monday 6 September 2010

UK Decay - For Madmen Only (1981)


















Unfairly lumped in with Sex Gang Children and
Christian Death as the 'new' goth movement,
UK Decay were so much more.

Heavy stabbing guitar, thunderous drumming
and strangled vocals which sometimes veered
into almost spoken word, I would say that if
you like Killing Joke, early Ants, the 1st Bauhaus
album, give this a go.



Friday 3 September 2010

No Made Sense - The Epillanic Choragi (2009)


















Bombastic post-metal which makes my
speakers rumble.

Heavy tracks which are interlinked with
ambient soundscapes giving it a feeling
of depth - the quiet bits are not just there
for show or because "that's how it should
sound like' but giving the album a really
good flow which deserves to be listened
to in one sitting.

If you like Between the Buried and Me,
give this a Listen
myspace

Thursday 2 September 2010

Heirs - Alchera (2009)

















Some nice bleak instrumental post-rock/
metal. Reverb soaked blankets of sound
bring to mind Godflesh/Head of David
and some slower Isis.

Big riffs and the odd industrial clatter
within the low end songs make this a
tasty treat.