I just wanted to squeak in here between Boss' interim post and Martin's upcoming post to throw up a response of sorts to Boss' awesome Budos Band tracks. I figure that most, if not all, of you are familiar with Mulatu Astatke but on the off chance that some folks have missed I'll provide a taste.
I feel that the Budos Band has taken a lot of their sounds and even some of their lines straight from Mulatu, not that I think this is at all a bad thing. There should be more of this stuff around but there isn't that much. Mulatu Astatke is an Ethiopian bandleader and composer operating in a pretty unique afro-groove-jazz with a lot of snaky, minor key horns and psychy electric piano.
Check out Yekatit
This selection comes from the excellent Ethiopiques series, an expansive series of compilations focusing on Ethiopian music. Very few of these titles are available on vinyl but selections from this album have been released on a French vinyl pressing as "Ethio Jazz" with the cover image shown below. It is a fantastic comp and I highly recommend it. He also has put a couple of records out in the last few years that I have not yet checked out. Maybe someone else can comment on those.
For an additional Ethiopian treat I present one of Mulatu's biggest influences and probably the real founding father of modern Ethiopian music, Getatchew Mekurya. From what I understand he exerted an overwhelming and formative influence on the Ethiopian music scene in the mid 20th century as a pioneering and unique sax player, a composer and especially for his updating of traditional Ethiopian tunes in a more jazz-inflected mode. He has also recently recorded an album with the great Dutch punk band, The Ex.
Check Getatchew Mekurya's arrangement of this traditional Ethiopian song, Almaz Yeharerwa
This track is also from the Ethiopiques series. From the comp highlighting Mr. Mekurya.
Have fun.
RKN is feeling a bit of a time-crunch these days (no-doubt some sort of coconut related crisis), so we're going to pick him up in the rotation next time. Until then, I've got a few more for everyone.
Kris' Charles Bradley post led me down a Daptone-inspired wormhole of new-soul. Some of the members of Mr. Bradley's backing-band are involved with The Budos Band. Where to start with these guys? Afro-funk with a strong South American influence all stewed in the melting pot of the greater New York area. David, these dudes are practically in the apartment next to you. And they fucking rule.
This is the kind of band I always thought (wished) my old funk band would morph into if we were to stick with it (and if we weren't, y'know, 17 year old hacks...); cool arrangements, an obviously huge list of influences, totally unwaveringly dissonant at times and straight up beautiful at others. Groovy as hell all the time. These dudes rule.
While their first album is great, their 3rd album (creatively named Budos Band III. I'm positive this is an ACID KING reference) really shows some range and some risk. And a Cobra on the cover. Check out two of my favorite moody selections from III:
Nature's Wrath:
And Here we have Black Venom. The rhythm section vamp on this is soooooo killer.
In the same vein we've got Brownout. I first heard about these guys about 5 years ago. A BBoy (is that term still Kosher, Goldman?) that was training at SFCF brought some of it in while he was training. I was hooked. Definitely more latin-influenced with strong elements of funk, and psychedelic rock. It is safe to say they are not afraid to lay down a solid montuno. They also have three albums. My fav is Agulias and Cobras.
Anyway, that's what's been occupying my earholes lately. That and the crushing JUDJUDs-into-hammer-on-descending-line of YOB's "Burning The Altar". Nonstop.
Keep it really real,
-APB
PS NEWS: Tweak Bird has a new one out. It hasn't arrived in my mail-box yet, so I'll let you know when I know. Also, Rush was just recently inducted into the Rock N Roll hall of Fame alongside Public Enemy. Just FYI.
Hello all, thanks for all the great posts and finds so far. Props to Boss for getting this going. I have been in and out of internets for the last few weeks so I'm still actually digesting a lot of previous posts and I'll toss some comments up soon. In the meantime, it's my turn to dump a load of listenables so here it is.
Circle - Prospekt (1998)
One of my very favourite bands and hailing practically from Martin's backyard, Finland, Circle has an immense and sometimes difficult catalogue. They have been pounding out records, often several per year, since the mid -90s and in that time have incorporated flavours ranging from krautrock, acid folk, ambient/drone and NWOBHM (more appropriately NWOFHM really) into their unique, often tongue-in-cheek, often improv driven sonic platters. Given the diversity of territory traversed by Circle it is probably not possible to give an adequate representation of the band with a selection from only one album. That said, here is a cut from an early record that is still one of my fav's. A word of advice: I believe that this track only works if you listen to it straight through without fast forwarding or dropping the proverbial needle midway in. Thematic material tends to emerge gradually out of a very repetitive (some would say monotonous) substructure. It is probably worth noting that the bass player once said that this was his favourite Circle record because it was their most boring.
Check out Dedofiktion:
Charles Bradley - No Time For Dreaming (2011)
This is a truly amazing soul record from a group of cats who seem to have made the best use of the benefit of hindsight. Basically this record is sort of like the ideal forgotten mid-60s soul album that exists only in the minds of collectorsas a sort of phantasmal composite of great soul albums. Only this record is widely in print for cheap and was produced about a year ago. It is put out by the stone solid folks at Daptone (if you missed Daptone check them out now, almost everything on that label is worthwhile) and features a 63 year old line cook who's been trying unsuccessfully to carve out a singing career his whole life. His story includes the usual soul musician bouts of homelessness, under-appreciation, poverty and shit jobs but with the twist that instead of coming after a hit or two in the '60s this cat is just starting to get his due in his '60s. Anyway, no time for 'splainin'. If you like soul at all, you'll like this.
Testify Brother Charles:
Megasus - Megasus (2009)
Did anybody catch this record when it came out? I love it. Dan's excellent Lightning Bolt post reminded me of this record because the bassist from Lightning Bolt plays drums here. A bit of dirty thrash, sloppy doom, teenage-bedroom-fantasy-comic kitsch combined with a heavy dose of self-consciousness and probably the best band name of all time (with the possible exception of David's Basses Loaded). All this makes for one hell of an entertaining record. Also dig the gorgeous and evocative cover art. I believe that is the Megasus istself rising from a blood volcano, am I right? So rad. By the way, the record comes with a huge poster of this inspiring scene for your teenage-bedroom wall.
Fellow bangers, check out Swords:
Pharaoh Overlord - Lunar Jetman (2012)
Following the post above of Circle, here is one of a few Circle-related bands. This particular incarnation of Pharaoh Overlord includes several Circle members as well as Hans Joachim Irmler of Faust. I have been listening to a lot of electric Miles Davis lately and that always makes me yearn for thick, long form, obnoxiously repetitive listening experiences. So, I often turn to this sort of thing which is not to suggest that this sounds anything at all like Miles...because it doesn't...anyway...
Rodent:
Also check out the track Black Horse. I couldn't find a full version (should be 14:31 long) but I suspect there are those reading this who are more internet savvy than myself. Also, a cursory youtube search will reveal that Pharaoh Overlord played Roadburn a couple years ago both with and without Circle. The performance in question seems to highlight the NWOFHM side of the band (pretty much every other record is either krauty as above or staright up NWOFHM, go figure). Unfortunately, I didn't feel the videos represetned the best of the band but you may check them out if you are interested.
Vancouver Hardcore Part 2 - Strain
To finish off, here's another installment of the Vancouver hardcore miniseries. This time I want to check out Strain. There are no surprises here, just brutal, jud-judhardcore seemingly lifted from a textbook about how to make largely male, totally sweaty groups nod heads and fist-pump together. These guys were and probably remain my personal favourite band from this scene. Strain was active throughout most of the '90s playing alongside Sparkmarker and other Vancouver superstars. Somewhat embarrssingly, I don't know that much about what they have been up to lately. They have been patchily active recently including at least one recent tour. On a personal note, the guitar player who played with them on said recent tour has been working to produce my drummer's music recently and seems likely to record our band's first record sometime in the new year. I'm quite excited about even this rather oblique connection as the 7" presented below was in heavy rotation throughout my youth.
Even if you aren't living in the land of milk 'n honey, take a minute to think about how righteous your life is. I think we've all got some pretty killer things going on.
Here's two more for you:
Gyuto Monks:
Throat singing is pretty much the most awesome thing ever. And these guys are pretty awesome at it. Inevitably I will listen to about an hour of this every time I'm on a plane (read: all the damn time). It's the best.
Lords of Bastard:
Another bandcamp find that I've been listening to more and more. Terrible name.
Melvins riffs + Chick Corea/Return to Forever keyboards?
So, we've made a first round. Pretty cool! I just wanted to say thanks to you all for contributing. I can't tell you how stoked I am every week for the small bit of connection/discovery our corner of cyber-space (do people still use that term?) offers us.
So, to celebrate, let's kick things off with a little somethin' somethin' from our distinguished African friend Mr. Kuti:
(Important Note: Please play at maximum volume, preferably with headphones or through big speakers. Your computer speakers can't handle a groove this wide and until you give this it's due you will develop a total-body sensation not unlike having to urinate really badly. Trust me. I just want what's best for us all.)
Martin's GOAT post inspired me to get back to listening to some more Afro-funk. This album (featuring Ginger Baker of CREAM fame) rules. But so does a lot of Fela's stuff. I love the way Fela introduces a tune: "Let's start what we have come in to the room to do....". You know he's talkin' 'bout S-E-X (shhhh...you momma's listening). And no matter how many times I've heard it, the intro/outro groove kicks so hard it makes me giddy. Anyway the whole album kicks, birth-place-of-humanity style.
Kris can probably offer a better starting point if you're unfamiliar with the Afro-funk Force of Nature that is/was Fela Kuti. His catalogue can be a bit daunting....
Moving right along. Two records that are in constant rotation at the ol' Bozman homestead are:
Lightnin' Hopkins' "Double Blues"
And Howlin' Wolf's "Blues From Hell"
**Side note: I understand that often compilations are frowned upon, but, especially in Howlin's case, these are "Career Retrospectives / Compendiums". It says so right on the box. I know I feel better about myself...**
No matter what mood I am in these are exactly what I want to listen to. I will never get sick of these records and they probably get more play in the house on a weekly basis than anything else I own. My personal favorites are:
"I asked for water, she brought me Gasoline" from the Wolf.
I want to be a really old black dude when I grow up. In a suit.
Last up while we're in Pseudo-Blues Territory is the "SoulSavers" album "Broken" (sorry no pic, I couldn't find the CD).
While not really Blues at all, but certainly not absent of Blues influence, these guys are a bit strange:
Two British electronica artists that write mostly gospel-inspired old Americana with guest artists like Mark Lanegan handling most of the vocals. I've gifted a few albums to my friend James over the years and he claims this as his favorite because "it makes me (James) feel like I'm the last man on Earth when I listen to it". Sweet.
Next on the block is a band that is just plain ol' fun. Take one part low-fi, one part old Italian horror movie, add in a dash of zesty satanism/occult worship and you've got Uncle Acid + the Deadbeats.
I ran across these guys about a year ago on some lame music blog, downloaded their promo album for free (right before leaving for Australia) and didn't think much of it. Passed over them on the ol' portable electronic music device during a trans-continental flight with an "oh yeah, I downloaded that...let's give it a listen" and that was it: I couldn't stop awhile! Highly habit forming. I then promptly tried to order their CD only to find out that they had developed a ravenous mini-following and I was out o luck. Luckily, they decided to step it up with a vinyl re-release some months later and now I'm a happy camper.
Check out "Ritual Knife" to know everything you need to know about this band.
To finish it off, I've got to give a "shout out" (do people still do those anymore? In Cyber space, no less?) to an acquaintance's band "Like Rats" from Chicago.
I know their guitar player Todd through the ever-growing CrossFit universe and he sent me their just-finished self titled album. Lots of classic 90s metal themes here with some pretty brutal tone. Not bad! This may restore Ross' faith in metal from the current generation...
I like the gutteral opening grunt of "Fire", but you guys can check out the whole deal here: God Bless you, Bandcamp
Alright. I'm done. How're we all doing with the weekly rotation? Everybody still in it? Leave some comments and let me know what you think of some of these sonic-slices.
My apologies at the late arrival Lady and Gentleman's, I've been moving for the last two weeks and do not have internet at my new place. It also has taken me a week to figure out how to post videos to blogger, so any way...
So if you only come away with one band from this post being added to your down load(or if your old fashioned like me, CD/Vinyl) wish list, let it please be the Coachwhips. This is in my mind the best Rock and Roll/Garage outfit to come out of SF in the last 20 years. I thought it fitting to open and focus this post with them because their sister band, the psychadelic-fuzz-fi Oh Cees seem to be an across the boards fav on the Sonic Divide. The Coachwhips and the Oh Cees are really just one guy playing with different groups of friends, that one guy, a Rhode Island transplant, is Jon Dwyer. JD is a musical assembly line heading various live acts playing multiple gigs a week in the area. His list of bands I am familiar with goes like this, Pink and Brown-noise/fuzz/fast/loud as fuck garage, The Hospitals-noise/fuzz/fast/loud as fuck punk, The Coachwhips-noise/fuzz/fast/loud as fuck rock and roll, Drums- two guys playing drums one of them sings-see previous descriptions, Sword and Sandals- A free Jazz outfit-Dwyer plays the drums(probably his coolest group), and of course the Oh Cees lo/fuzz/pop/fi(sounds like a soriety). While most of these bands claim to be retired or disbanded one-off comebacks are frequent, and on any given night you may see old Jon as an opening act at some shit hole venue playing under a moniker like Jampires. With out further adieu, here is the music:
Coachwhips off their LP Double Death:
Here is a clip of the Hospitals playing live, fast forward to 1:18 when a fist fight breaks out between the drummer and an unhappy concert goer, then watch Dwyer at 1:41 jump off the base Drum and guitar smash the bastard:
His first group in SF was Pink and Brown, their Double Disc Shame Fantasy is worth a listen, here is "Messy Bessy, Get Undressy":
Pink and Brown was a guitar and drums foil to the band Lightning Bolt who are a bass and drum duo out of Rhode Island. Lightning Bolt haul serious ass. They are definitely worth a listen, and then a down load. Here they are with 2 Towers off the Wonderful Rainbow Lp:
to be continued tomorrow when I have more internet time...
Currently, I am highly preoccupied with our (now) annual trip to the Netherlands for ROADBURN. Yay!
There are already 40 bands confirmed. This year I find myself coming into the festival knowing even fewer bands than last year. My worse fear is discovering that I love a band two weeks after I had the opportunity to see them live in Tilberg. Terrible, terrible!
It gives a handy-dandy breakdown of alotta bands without too much muss or fuss and I like having ready access to discographies and geographic origin without having to do a google search every time I have the thought.
The first band I checked out was Blues Pills.
I went to them first because I love Graveyard and when I heard about another Swede band rockin' the blues I got very excited. The opening retro wah/fuzz guitar/funfest of their first song, Bliss (on their EP of the same name), immediately put a big fat happy smile on my face. So promising! So true blue-blues-rock and roll! And then...
...the girl started singing....and she sings on every track. I checked.
I have a difficult time with female vocals in rowdier music. But this little gal Elin has a real set of pipes. Jury is still out. Y'all check it out and tell me what you think.
Is she laying it down with the righteous right hand? or over singing? Her sounds make me sort of uncomfortable sometimes but the music makes me so happy...so confused...
On the other end of the vocal spectrum there is Wo Fat. Between naming themselves after an O.G. Hawaii 5-O villain and being from Texas they pretty much had me at Wo.
I love their singer (for lack of a better word). He is awkward and seems to struggle from time to time getting the words out and in the right place in the music. It bothered me for a split second until I realized that he was a redneck not a singer. I love rednecks. I am a redneck. Rednecks are bad to the bone. When you have a band committed to spending an entire album educating the too-modern-for-their-own-good masses about the Noche Del Chupacabra (that's "Night of the Chupacabra" and you may want to google "chupacabra" if you are too North of Mex to know) and using songs like "Bayou Juju" to do it, darn straight you want a hill billy telling the story.
But they are also not afraid to let the music do the talking as demonstrated by the title track. Please enjoy the next 15, singer-less minutes of butt kickery accented by voodoo drums.
They have four full length albums. If there is a fun, rock and roll bone in your body, you will own at least two of them. They are going to be amazing live.
I also checked out A Forest of Stars and their album A Shadowplay for Yesterdays, which they will be playing at Roadburn. Immediate frowny face. It listens like Dio doing really theatrical books on tape. Here is a 30 second clip. I dare you to check it out and come up with a more appropriate description. (You won't.)
Just to show you that context is EVERYTHING and the power of CG shadow puppets (I do so love shadow puppets!)...give yourself a Halloween treat and take 8 1/2 minutes to watch the video for their song Gatherer of the Pure. It took a full year to complete. It is hands down the coolest music video I have ever seen...and your life is not complete until you've seen a shadow puppet take it in the eye with a pair of scissors.
If you are a 90's music kid like me, Alcest and their album Les Voyages de L'ame (live at RB, too!) is a dream come true. Also to be greatly enjoyed if you have secret emo tendencies (Dan!) or are a total sucker for straight up, often lovely, evocative sound (Ross).
It is not the most musically brilliant album but it has ethereal layers, amazing production and very solid musicianship. Alcest is very, very French to me. This can be awesome or terrible dependent upon your feelings toward, well...French things. And be forewarned, sometimes the singer has to scr-emo it out.
The more I listen to this album, the more I listen to it. My love for it has somehow crept into a full enjoyment of everything this band has put out. They are quickly becoming one of my favorites for Evoking or Sustaining a case of Mood.
So there you have it.
Have a lovely All Hallow's and pay some respects to your ancestors in some small way.
Greetings and salutations from Brooklyn, NY. Old Adrian Bozman just
left yesterday after fun couple days of lifting weights and getting
groped by men. Seriously.. we went to this thing called Blackout NYC
which was about 6 straight rooms of dudes dry humping us. Awful. Maybe
that's a story better left for face to face conversation..
Anyway,
lets start off with some epic jamz. I first heard these guys on the
ISIS pandora station and was immediately hooked. I played this album in the gym earlier this week and a had a lot of folks come up to me and be like "what is this?? It's awesome" Great for lifting, great for vibing, great all around. I'm thinking I might be really late to the party on these guys, but I still thought I'd share.
I'm glad Ross put some Dub in here, which I also love. It inspired
me to dig up an old favorite, Phyllis Dillon, the Queen of Jamaican
Soul. One life to live is a great album. Here's one of her gems from the late 60s and
maybe her most popular track. If this tune doesn't bury itself in your brain and get stuck there for weeks, you're not human.
Next up is Please Inform The Captain This Is a Hijack (PITCTIAH). Post
punk, hardcore mixed with some funk and lots of samples. I love these
guys and have been searching for their record for years now with no
luck. Heard about them in high school actually and have been listening to what I can find online since.
And last, but not least, I'll leave you with a real crowd pleaser.. "The
Professor Brothers". Brain child of Brad Neely, these videos are perhaps more informative than anything else. Some of you guys aren't Americans so you might not know much about our presidents. Take notes.
Ok guys! It's my turn to spread some of the music I've been listening too lately. Expect a strong Scandinavian theme - not just because it's the music I know the best, but mostly because I'm sure you guys already know that the latest OM is amazing and that Nate Hall (U.S. Christmas) released that great solo album etc.
Really this blog should've started 15 years ago, as I was far deeper into new music back then (before kids, 60h work weeks etc)... But then again my lists would mostly have consisted of Japanese hardcore back then...
So... We begin our journey with the AMAZING debut album by GOAT. They are from Sweden, but I'm guessing you could not tell as they are heavily influenced by... Eh... Alot of stuff. Shoegazing-voodoo-african-kraut? I'll let you hear it (you WILL love them!).
They are taking the same route as fellow Swedes Ghost, and they are keeping their identities hidden and they play masked. They kick Ghost's butt in most areas though!
Next up is an old one, but one that you yanks/Canadicks might have missed - and we seriously can't have that happening as it might be my favorite band in the whole genre of slow-doom-metal!
ABANDON from Gothenburg, Sweden, didn't have an easy existence. Not only did one member got sent to jail, but around the same time the singer killed himself, and the two other blokes got cancer... No wonder they sounded like they did. They released two LPs ("In reality we suffer" and their masterpiece "The dead end") until their career (and for some of them their lives) came to an halt.
Here's the opening track from the dead end - it's pure magic!
And here's another one. Hell, I'll NEVER get tired of this record!
Onto another gem from the same city as Abandon - URAN GBG. There is something of an kraut revival going on (well... Like a couple of bands are blending the kraut athomsphere at least... More about this in my next post - it's not really a "scene" or anything), and the leading band is URAN.
However they are (probably because of drug use and that some of them are homeless) not very productive. The stuff they do however is fucking golden! Check out this little gem from their debut LP
Ok - no post without something actually a bit faster... After all I grew up on a strict diet of D.R.I, M.D.C and Jerry's kids etc...
Here's a local band from my hometown UNDERGÅNG with a live clip from the release party of their latest record "The mother of armageddon". They are know to play gigs that seriously gets out of line (think early poison idea/dwarves - blood, violence etc) and this show did not disappoint (se the other parts if interested). Check them out on record too, they are definetly worth it. thrashy-american hardcore with their own flavour.
You should be able to find all of these records on the interwebz - if not, and you want them just drop me an email and I'll send them to you.
Ok, that's a wrap - next time I'll probably dare to go out of my comfort zone (Sweden) and perhaps even reach into the rest of Scandinavia! Gimme some feedback - I'd love that - and sorry for my english (we can take it in Swedish or German if you prefer that) :-)
Three items to post today, reflecting things I've been listening to lately.
First, "International Rudeboy Dubs," by Lotek & the Ubiquitous Dub Legitimizers:
I like dub. I listen to it a lot. I don't know that much about it, but I have strong feelings about how it's supposed to sound. It's not supposed to sound like a grant-money campaign for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. It's supposed to sound like a piece of music that hit its head on something pretty forcefully, and is now staggering about trying to regain its bearings. IMHO, there is too much of the former these days--but this is the latter.
Second, "The Inanimate Sermon," by Mothers of Gut:
The "Mothers of Gut." What a god-awful name; I almost couldn't get past it. Still, this outfit is great. Simultaneously lush and drone-y; kind of psychedelic, and unequivocally (and unapologetically, which I like) beautiful. Also, not very wordy--you all will see that I don't like singing that much (although the singing here is very nice). I don't know anything about them. Apparently they're from Los Angeles.
Finally, "Stoned," by Acid Witch. A taste:
These guys rip! Love it! Are they old hat as far as doom goes? I'd never heard of them when I stumbled upon them a few months ago. I will now prove their radness without any mention of their music. Here are the lyrics for "Thundering Hooves," the linked-to song:
Thundering hooves!
Thundering hooves!
(etc.)
QED.
Bonus fourth item: this weekend I read "Dune." Parts I liked; parts I didn't. I'm still chewing. It amused me that the technique for exoticizing any person/institution/phenomenon was simply to give him/her/it an Arabic name. I think this is only my second foray into science fiction--my first being "Stranger from a Strange Land," which book I received from Kim and Adrian. Thanks guys!
I look forward to revisiting David Lynch's movie adaptation.
I remember watching it w/ my parents when I was little and finding it too intense and scary to be enjoyable.
Olde Growth - s/t: Bass/Vocals and Drums duo playing stoner/doom with a bit of a hardcore edge. Super gnarly fuzz bass tones abound on this record and the strong songwriting is bolstered by an impressive range of vocal approaches from a deathy growl to a sugar-sweet melodic tenor. This kind of setup is right up my alley so it was easy for me to dig this band. Having said that, my criticism of this record would be that some of the songs seem to overstay their welcome a little.
The cover art is pretty rad as well both sides have this forest carcass theme screen printed on rough cardboard. Check out this Youtube clip where someone has overlaid scenes from the animated Lord of The Rings on Olde Growth's epic trilogy Cry of the Nazgul/ The Second Darkness / To The Black Gate.
Ty Segall - The Hill / Mother Lemonade 7": As a response / follow up to Boss' excellent Ty Segall and Oh Sees post las week I thought I'd throw up something from each of those artists that has just been released. Both Ty and Thee Oh Sees have been pretty prolific over the past few years so there's usually something new or coming at any given time. Ty Segall just released this single and it's more of the same no-nonsense fuzzy, hook-laden garage rock that he's been spewing out for years. The A-side ("The Hill") contains vocals from Brigid Dawson of Thee Oh Sees and the B-Side ("Mother Lemonade") features guitar from Mike Donovon of Sic Alps, another SF garage rock outfit.
Check out Mother Lemonade:
Thee Oh Sees - Putrifiers II EP: Somewhat confusingly labeled as and EP since this record is a 33 1/3 full length as far as I can tell. Another stellar bunch of super hooky garage tracks drenched in echo effect. I feel that this record is quite a bit sunnier and poppier than Carrion Crawler. Dig the man-face/dog-face cover art.
Here's Hang a Picture:
Bongripper - Sex Tape / Snuff Film 7": The mighty Bongripper. Thanks Boss for setting me straight on these guys. They have become something of a guiding light for me. Awesome 7" from one of my favourite Stoner/Doom bands. Crushing. Also comes with a neat little patch. Ain't that cute?
Check out their bandcamp page to listen to/order this beaut' and while you're there also check out a new, as yet unmastered track, "Fisting". http://bongripper.bandcamp.com/
Guided By Voices - Universal Truths and Cycles: I fucking love this band. Although I feel that Boss at least will find them a bit too sugary and poppy to suit his pumpin' iron in the garage sessions, these guys have been pumping out perfect pop songs since the '80s. The main songwriter, Robert Pollard, seems to be able write hooks in his sleep. Their catalog is enormous and frankly can be spotty at times but there is usually at least a couple amazing pop songs on each disc. This record from 2003 is not their most recent nor propably their best (maybe Bee Thousand or Under the Bushes, Under The Stars are the best). However, for whateever reason, I've had this one spinning a lot this week and I can't get it off my mind.
Give Everywhere with Helicopter a try. And, Boss, approach with an open mind, GBV took a fews years to grow on me but once they did they grew like an uncontrollable fungal infection.
Vancouver '90s Hardcore Retrospective Part 1 - Sparkmarker
Sparkmarker was a (post) hardcore band from up here in Vancouver that existed from 1990 to 1997 and had a major, major impact on Vancouver's hardcore scene during that period. They just reunited for a one time show a couple of days ago and it was fuckin' brilliant. It really took me back to my youth when I ate this kind of shit up. So...since Boss has provided the opportunity via this blog, I thought I would do a little mini-series of sorts highlighting some of my favourite bands from the harcore scene in the Vancouver area during the 1990s. I'll start with Sparkmarker both because of thier recent show and because it is probably difficult to overstate their importance in Vancouver harcore. There was a pretty significant Dischord influence on most of the bands in this scene in the day and Sparkmarker was no exception although I alsways thought they also brought a welcome bit of Jesus Lizrd into the mix. I've selected a few live clips because there isn't really much good quality rips on Youtube so I apologize for the quality. There is a picture of the cover of each of the 7"s that the songs performed come from.
Here's Sparkmarker playing Character One (from the Scallen 7") at the reunion show:
Here's Speaking of Heroes Also from the Scallen 7":
And finally, some lo-fi footage of a personal fav of mine from the So Long 7", here's Kansas:
Doom from Virginia of the hypnotic/almost-psychedelic/only-kinda-evil variety. Best I've heard in awhile, BUT....
...this one took a minute to grow on me...probably about 3-4 listens on their bandcamp page before I was like "I gotta order that". Came on a sweet 'bone white' colored record too...check 'em out HERE.
Kris tipped me off to Ty Segall (and Thee Oh Sees) on one of my visits to Vancouver. This is his latest:
"SLAUGHTERHOUSE".
Pretty sweet, but I could've done without the Fuzzwar track. SF Noise-rock/low-fi/freak rock.
Thee Oh Sees: "Carrion Crawler/The Dream"
More SF Good-ness. Kinda reminds me of a more fuzzy, echo-y B-52s at times.
Also, the new Eagle Twin (The Feather tipped the Serpent's Scale) has been updated from "pretty good" to "Pretty Righteous" on the ol' Bozman scale with repeated listenings. It's what I wanted their first album to be (I don't recommend it). The Combo of "Hornsnakehorn" and "it came to pass..." is Killer!
Let's do this,
-A
PS the current header-photo is Kim listening to the new Dopesmoker in a trance-like state one afternoon...feel free to change it up.
