Glenn Branca- The Ascension (1981)

One of the pioneers of the New York art-rock

scene in the early eighties, this is Glenn Branca

using 4 guitar players, bass and drums to create

an album of drones, distorted soundscapes and

tracks that defy normal song structures but still

keep the listener engaged.

It is all very Sonic Youth and indeed, Lee Ronaldo

plays on this, and Thurston Moore had been drafted

in to perform live with Branca as well.

As with Sonic Youth, the songs seem to have their

own musical language that combine seemingly

random burst of noise with passages of beauty.

Band Info

Towers - The Fields (2011)

Band request from Portland, USA.

Towers play impressive Sludge/Stoner and everything

is LOUD! These 5 tracks were recorded live with no

overdubs and from the sound would be an awesome

band to see live.

Hearing the dense, heavy songs on display - if this is

the material they have having only formed last year,

I cannot wait for the next release.

The atmospherics and pacing of the songs are a

masterclass in how to create crushing heaviness

without retreading the genres cliches.

This reminds me of the Melvins at their most rifflicious

and savage best - give these guys a Listen

Below are links including free download from Bandcamp

Here is their press release:

We formed in 2010 in Portland Oregon, the band consists of Rick Duncan (Bass/Vocals) Max Rees (Guitar) Darryl Swan (Drums)
We just finished recording our first album "The Fields", our bassist owns Electro Motel (recording studio) in Portland Oregon. We recorded this live (no overdubs) all of it is analog on 1'' tape. Rick Duncan (our bassist/vocalist) recorded and mastered the entire album. We started playing live recently and have shows booked here in Portland in the coming months. We are on Reverbnation at http://www.reverbnation.com/towerspdx, facebook at www.facebook.com/towerspdx, and bandcamp at www.towerspdx.bandcamp.com

Kösmonaut - Emanations (2011)

Band request from Texas.

Kösmonaut is a one man project and his bandcamp

tags read: Berlin, Drone, Ambient Dance, Dark

Electronic.

This is pretty different to what I would normally

post but I like it and so will review but be warned -

(Sorry Patrick!), I know next to nothing to this genre

and so, can only use out of date references!

Rhythm is the touchstone to these tracks. Heavy use

of arpeggiators and sequencers in the tones and drums

give a trance like feel to the repeated motifs.

Like early Kraftwerk, the beats latch in your brain and

when the treated drones and rich textures float across

the songs, I am reminded of a faster Tangerine Dream.

Many years ago I used to listen to "Goa Trance" - there

was some interesting stuff released and this is not a

million miles away from it.

If you want a change from down-tuned guitars, give

this a listen.

Download free tracks & buy other albums from Bandcamp

Le Scrimmie - Dromomania (2011)

Band request from Italy.

Below is their press release:

The Italian duo "Le Scimmie" was born in the colorful

spring of 2007 in Vasto, a seaside town in central Italy.

The ideas of the project are: guitar, drums, minimal

power, raw sound.

In the winter of 2007 they recorded their first ep

that gets excellent support from the Italian press

called "L'Origine Ep"

2008: the band reached the final at one of major

Italian music festival called "Italia Wave" and remains

on tour for about a year.

After a year of silence, in January 2011, Le Scimmie

released their first album entitled "Dromomania".

In April 2011 also published the first official video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E3D_FMTnac

official myspace: www.myspace.com/lescimmie

I would class this as instrumental Stoner but pretty

much on the heavy side with some Doom overtones.

Plenty of down-tuned riffs with the guitar on full

blown distortion setting - those riffs just get powered

over and over bringing an almost unstoppable groove

to them.

There is some really good stuff here - I think their next

release will be even better.

Facebook page

The Gun Club - Fire Of Love (1981)

Swamp Blues.

Voodoo Sex Beat.

Heroin Rock'n'Roll.

Link removed by Mediafire - thanks!

Gaytheist - Pentagrams Are Super! (2011)

Band request from Portland, USA.

Gaytheist - good or bad band name? Hard for me

to judge as I used to be in Ruptured Dog but it made

me laugh and god knows that is hard these days!

The music far outweighs any preconceptions you

may have though.

There are rumbling bass lines that would not

sound out of place on a Jesus Lizard record,

adding depth to the abrasive guitar riffs that

put the rock into this heavy punk sound.

Tuneful but aggressive at the same time, the songs

are short sharp shocks that leave you wanting to

play them again.

The guitar playing dips in and out of math and noise rock

which meshes with the cleanish sarcastic vocals that are

perfect for the sardonic and slightly strange lyrics.

Going all old school for a second, some of the leads and

solos remind me of early Damned or Dead Kennedys -

which of course I love!

This is a highly recommended listen.

They are also good guys, the album and an EP

are available from Bandcamp for only $1.00 -Buy

Forks of Ivory - Forks of Ivory (2011)

A drummer and a guitar player - Black Keys meet

Lightning Bolt?

Not Forks of Ivory - this is a far different animal.

Powerful sludge mixed with post-metal on these

mainly instrumental tracks and the aggressively

distorted guitars veer into noise-rock volumes.

Taking the riffs of early Mastodon and the dense

sound of Neurosis, they mix up with awesome

results which bring to mind Generation of Vipers.

This is a very accomplished debut.

And being great guys, pay what you want from Bandcamp

Mongoloid Village - Folly (2011)

Drawing from the Melvins brand of sludged out

riffs and heavy doomy stoner, Mongoloid Village

seems a scary place to spend the night.

With a crushing sonic tone, the songs are thick

and heavy and leave an ominous feeling hanging

in the air.

Add elements of noise rock to the mix and the results

never fail to please.

On my first play, I was quite impressed but soon realised

that I kept going back to play again. This is a grower and

well worth a listen.

Buy from Bandcamp

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.

Band Info

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

Listen