Wednesday 28 September 2011

Sir Lord Baltimore - Kingdom Come (1971)



Proto-metal and raw classic rock from this Brooklyn
Trio.

Primitive blues that put me in mind of Free or Purple
but the thing that stands out is the thick, fuzzed
out guitar sound.

If you have ever blissed out to the 1st Stooges album
(and if you read this blog, you must have!) and wondered
if you would ever hear such distortion abuse on another
record in your lifetime, although never quite scaling the sonic
heights of Ron Ashton, this may whet your appetite.

Friday 23 September 2011

Genius Tunes - Compilation



A selection of songs I am playing today, nothing
really that noisy but under the theme of fantastic
tunes. As always with my compilations - if ya
don't like it, send me your own one.

Track listing:

Alien Sex Fiend - Smells Like Shit
The Ruts - It Was Cold
Bob Dylan - Ballad Of A Thin Man
Sugar - Judas Cradle
Nick Cave - Stagger Lee
Butthole Surfers - Sweat Loaf
Melvins & Jello Biafra - Plethysmograph
Cardiacs - Is This The Life
Motorhead - Stay Clean
Neil Young - Down By The River
Lou Reed - The Ocean
Jimi Hendix - Peace in Mississippi
Warsaw - Walked In Line
Peter Gabriel - Down At The Dolce Vita
Sir Lord Baltimore - Kingdom Come
The Clash - Pressure Drop

Thursday 22 September 2011

The Swan King - Eyes Like Knives (2011)



Any band that has an ex-member of "Planes
Mistaken For Stars" or "These Arms are Snakes"
always get my full attention and with The Swan
King featuring the bassist from "Planes", this is
no exception.

Jagged guitar riffs blend post-hardcore with a
full on punk aggressive heaviness, coming across
like a AmRep band.

The overall sound is gritty and raw and the song
writing transforms into an exciting mix of melody
and passion.

This scores very high on the Maim-O-Meter!

Tuesday 20 September 2011

No Made Sense - New Season/New Blues (2011)



This is the follow up to "The Epillanic Chorgai"
and it does not let you down.

The playing is full of experimental metal with a
mix of sludge, post-metal and prog.

The songs have an epic feel to them and the sound
is huge and raw sounding.

The heaviness is kinda like Baroness riffing away on
early Mastodon tunes.

There are plenty of grooves and riffs which power
along giving you ample head nodding moments.

This is excellent stuff, marred by their announcement
that they may stop recording and touring for the time being.

And because they are cool guys, it is free from Bandcamp

Monday 19 September 2011

Exploding in Sound - Compilation



Just been sent this by Exploding In Sound - two
excellent compilations free to download. Shit loads
of stuff, both old and new, give them a listen -
there is bound to be something new for you.
Below is the official press release.

The magnificent Until My Head Explodes is the latest compilation from taste-making rock blog Exploding In Sound, a celebration of all that has come before and what the future holds. The free 43 track download is split into two companion compilations The Saga Continues and Greatest Hits.

The Saga Continues is a dazzling collection of the latest and greatest new music. In true Exploding In Sound fashion, the compilation mixes legendary bands with the freshest up-and-coming artists from around the world. The Saga Continues includes contributions from slowcore heroes Low, experimental kings Hella, Declan de Barra (former Clann Zu), The Nighty Nite (John Congleton), The Globes, Widowspeak, two of Austin, TX’s most explosive live bands, Ume and Ringo Deathstarr, UK thrashers Blacklisters and Hymns, the dirty blues of My Goodness, the infectious sounds of Broken Water, Ovlov, Absolute Monarchs, United Fruit, Your Skull My Closet, the mighty MonstrO and 400 Blows, and so much more.

Greatest Hits is a radiant selection of Exploding In Sound’s favorite bands from the inaugural ten compilations, offering up tracks both new and old. A second glimpse into the bands that have inspired obsession, the compilation features a mix of songs that initiated EIS’ love as well as premieres of new tracks and exceptional catalog cuts from many of the site’s favorites. This is the music of ExplodingInSound.com at its finest, featuring a diverse range of songs from …And You Will Know us by The Trail of Dead, Tera Melos, Oceansize, Red Fang, True Widow, Pulled Apart By Horses, PILE, Grass Is Green, Lafaro, Shoes and Socks Off, Slang Chickens, Mr. Dream, Gift Horse, RIBS, a tribute to HUM from (Damn) This Desert Air, and more from “the best of the best”.

DOWNLOAD BOTH COMPILATIONS FOR FREE at Exploding In Sound's official BandCamp page. The compilations are intended 100% for promotional use only. The download comes with terrific artwork from We Three Club, links for further enjoyment of all the bands, liner notes, and more.

Sharing of the download link is HIGHLY recommended and encouraged to anyone and everyone you think might be interested. As this is a FREE compilation, the goal is to gain the maximum audience achievable, and word of mouth is always appreciated. PLEASE DOWNLOAD, SHARE, POST, and spread the word to everyone you know. ENJOY!

DOWNLOAD LINKS:

The Saga Continues:
Here

Greatest Hits:
Here

Tracklisting:
Until My Head Explodes: Greatest Hits

1. Tera Melos – Aped
2. Grass Is Green – Uhm Tsk
3. Pile - #1 Hit Single
4. Disco Doom – Cptn. Petal & Mr. Scar
5. True Widow – Blooden Horse
6. Red Fang – Hank is Dead
7. Pulled Apart By Horses – I Punched A Lion In The Throat
8. Mr. Dream – Trash Hit
9. Lafaro – Great Conversations Remembered No. 36: Jeff Hinton
10. The Library is on Fire – Cinematic Idea
11. …And You Will Know us by The Trail of Dead – Summer of All Dead Souls
12. Slang Chickens – Parasited Out
13. Shoes And Socks Off – Here’s My Head on a Plate
14. Dirty Dishes – Deer in Headlights
15. Gift Horse – Black
16. Roman Traffic – Acquired Attire
17. Grandfather – Caught Off Guard
18. Bloody Knives – Disappear
19. RIBS – Transversal
20. (Damn) This Desert Air – The Pod [Hum cover]
21. Oceansize – Commemorative 9/11 T-Shirt

Until My Head Explodes: The Saga Continues

1. Summer People – Fish Fry #1
2. Ume – Captive
3. Hella – Headless
4. Blacklisters – Swords
5. Broken Water – Heart Strings
6. United Fruit – Dust to Light
7. Low – Especially Me
8. The Globes – Stay Awake
9. Widowspeak – Harsh Realm
10. Declan de Barra – Blossom Tree
11. Hymns – A Punch to the Temple
12. The Nighty Nite – In My Hospital Gown
13. MonstrO – Anchors Up!
14. Absolute Monarchs – Consider The Odds
15. Ringo Deathstarr – Tambourine Girl
16. Ovlov – I Got Well
17. My Goodness – C’mon Doll
18. Neur – Start Saving
19. 400 Blows – We Killed Like Champions
20. Your Skull My Closet – William Brought His Angel Kit
21. Eatenbybears – Vanderhoof
22. We’ll Go Machete – So Long Flatfoot

Friday 16 September 2011

Blues Creation - Demons & Eleven Children (1971)



Some brain altering Japanese Acid guitar here.

Incorporating styles from the early electric blues
genre - Cream, 1st Zepp album, there is also a
healthy nod to Mountain and their brand of
Southern heavy rock.

Although full of hard rock workouts, there are
some slower numbers but never fear because
everything is smothered in frenzied twin guitar
soloing, making full use of fuzz box and wah-wah
to get your juices flowing.

The songs have a looseness to them that hint of
jamming being recorded live in the studio.

If you want some scorching riff work, give this a listen.

Thursday 15 September 2011

James Brown - Live At The Apollo (1963)



All the soul/funk action you will ever need on
one album.

The Godfather of Soul had toured this set and
by the time he got to the Apollo in Harlem -
the venue he considered home - he was on fire.

Forget his studio output - this reeks of sweat
and raw soul passion.

His record company did not want to release this
as there were no new singles on it but Brown knew
the crowd reaction and paid for it with his own cash.

It of course stayed in the charts for ages and is always
included when "Best live albums" get mentioned.

Go here for more detailed story - Here

Wayne Kramer had a great MC5 quote about this
album - "Live at the Apollo" was the inspiration to "Kick Out The Jams".Our whole thing was based on James Brown. We listened to Live at the Apollo endlessly on acid. We would listen to that in the van in the early days of 8-tracks on the way to the gigs to get us up for the gig. If you played in a band in Detroit in the days before The MC5, everybody did ‘Please, Please, Please’ and ‘I Go Crazy.’ These were standards. We modeled The MC5's performance on those records. Everything we did was on a gut level about sweat and energy. It was anti-refinement. That's what we were consciously going for.”
(The above text taken from Wiki entry)

Get your groove thang going.

Wednesday 14 September 2011

Intronaut - Valley Of Smoke (2010)



Intronaut play intricate prog-metal but are not
afraid to include sludge or experimental sounds
to produce this slab of power.

Harsh and clean vocals are used to good effect
and mesh seamlessly with the other instruments.

The bass is nicely high in the mix and the drums
have a kinda jazz influence which gives them a
different dimension.

The guitar uses distortion and some unusual tones
that vary between ambience and raw aggression
without missing a stroke.

The musicianship on display is amazing stuff but
still retains a dirty edge to it.

This is their best release so far - if you have not heard
it yet, give it a listen.

Tuesday 13 September 2011

Iselia - Life From Dead Limbs (2011)



Iselia play melodic hardcore but with a technical,
progressive feel to the song structures.

There is a post-rock feel to the atmospherics but
the screamed vocals and distorted guitars come
crashing back after the quieter passages to jolt
the senses.

There is a lot of variation here, which makes this
album stand out from the 'core-by-numbers brigade.

Although very powerful throughout, this album has
an epic feel that will make you play it often.

The Stranglers - No More Heroes (1977)


The second album from The Stranglers and probably
the most aggressive.

Produced by Martin Rushent, this album did not
come off my turntable for a year!

If you ain't heard this before, do yourself a favour
and give it a listen.

Monday 12 September 2011

We Were Skeletons - We Were Skeletons (2010)



We Were Skeletons are a chaotic three-piece
playing melodic hardcore with a slight screamo
influence.

A lot of dynamic shifts and intricate guitar work
make sure that your attention never wanders.

Thundering bass and drums propel the songs
along which showcase twin vocals.

Recorded with great clarity, every powerful
note is heard and the energy really comes across.

The technical ability brings in some mathy scales
but never takes away from the aggression on show.

Friday 9 September 2011

Still here.



Oh my faithful download monkeys, dry your tears of despair
and put away the blades you use to self harm.

I know I have left you alone in the wilderness with other,
slightly inferior music blogs but I will be back in a couple
of days.