The small takeover

Danko Jones - Below The Belt

2012-02-01T17:31:00.000-08:00

A Danko Jones album was always going to be awaited with drooling anticipation due to the fact that the Canadian band set a dizzying pummeling hard rock template with “We Sweat Blood”.

Like its predeccessors, “Below the Belt” contains more than a few punches. There’s the cocky attitude of “Two Active Volcanoes” that invokes Kiss. Never failing to rock AC/DC riffs are ultilized within the hooky “Tonight is Fine” and “The Sore Loser”. “Magic Snake” is a fast paced rocker with lyrics full of clever innuendo. An irressistible drumbeat makes it way through “I Can’t Handle Moderation” and the rhythm section prove that Danko Jones is much more than just the Dan Jones show. “Full of Regret” channels Thin Lizzy with catchy hooks, melody and chorus. Whilst otherwise enjoyable “I Wanna Break UpWith You” comes across as a little too long and repeating the line “everybody break up” as many times as possible doesn’t help its cause and gives the song a cheesy disco flavour.

“Below the Belt” ascertains that Danko Jones trio are back and mean business. Despite the slight presence of filler material that will give the fast forward button a work-out, this album is solid and once again demands replaying.

3.5/5

Rags & RIbbons - The Glass Masses

2012-01-31T19:42:00.000-08:00

Rags & Ribbons “The Glass Masses”, 2011

The promo sticker on Rags & Ribbons CD describes the band as “a rock orchestra that is influenced by classical compositions, intricate vocal harmonies, keyboard virtuosos and a desire to be dramatic and deliver a solid rock sound. “The Glass Masses” condenses different genres into a very unique collective voice”. The part about desire is understandable although the use of that particular word suggests a band that aren’t yet able to deliver what they aspire to and are still at the growing stage.

Musically it cannot be denied that Rags & Ribbons are consummate performers although it’s certainty that the band will receive accusations of merely being Muse clones. The allegations are fair enough because often there isn’t much more to them than that. There is evidence, which suggests that there is more going on, like the layered voices in the all-in gospel choir on “The Marks You Make”. Then there’s the dramatic side which comes out strongest in the pompous Queen style rock opera.

While I’m not the biggest fan of rock with the tinkling of keys I found that my favorite part of the album was a keyboard dominant instrumental passage in “Lady in Midnight Sun” although song-wise Rags & Ribbons reach the album’s highpoint in “We Have Been Here Before” with paired back vocals and the dominate keyboard replaced with an 80’s guitar sound reminiscent of early U2.

While there are some great moments on “The Glass Masses:, one Muse is more than enough. Rags and Ribbons have succeeded in their desires but are yet to offer a unique voice. I’m a sucker for the digi-pak design even if the artwork looks like someone recently discovered Photoshop.

2/5

Rags & Ribbons on myspace

Rags & Ribbons on bandcamp

Rags & Ribbons on facebook

Avskum - Upprorr Underifran

2012-01-30T15:54:00.000-08:00

AVSKUM “Uppror Underifran“, 2008
(Prank)

Swedish d-beat band, Avskum have been knocking around for some time (30 years) so there is a good chance that you may well have seen your local pro advertising anti-corporation anti-consumerism crust punk wearing one of their patches on their studded jackets or unwashed pants.

“Uppror Underifran” contains 16 songs which last a fast, furious and ferocious 25 minutes. The lyrics are in the band’s native language with the exception of three songs. The band take their cue from Discharge(duh) however there’s also a Motorhead feel especially to a lot of the bass playing. “Slutet” more than hints that are also familiar with GBH with the bass rhythms used. I’m certain that the first four letters of the song title were an intentional reference. “The Massacre in Fallujah” rips in a similar style with an even heavier bass sound. The vocals are shouted over frenetic drums, bass and guitar.

After repeat listening some songs do tend to reveal a sameness. However Avskum do mix it up more than other bands within the same punk sub-genre so further listens are far from a painful chore. Judging by this album Avskum have earned their garment defacing place. Recommended.

3.5/5

Avskum's homepage

Avskum on facebook

Avskum on myspace

Hellacaust - Disgust

2012-01-29T18:04:00.000-08:00

Hello, Precious. When you’re finished obsessing with the ring, Gollum, meet your sound alike from black metal band Hellacaust. Although this band attended all the workshops in the dark forests they also paid attention in the hardcore punk class. Listening to “Whore” it’s easy to imagine that Bl'ast could have sounded like this back in the 80’s if they been paying attention to both Black Flag and black metal. There’s also the shouted gang choruses after the George Carlin sample on “Millenial Regression”.

Through the dark thrashing woods comes a guitar sound made by swarms of giant bumblebees encircling a working buzzsaw. The vocals are strong and clear as they could get for a creature of another earth. Some Germanic thrash metal sound with tasty frenzy whipping leads is added now and again on “Feeding The Wound”. Hardcore thrashing black metal is the only apt description for “What we say is real”. It is unfortunate that often on the album, the drums are muffled and the blastbeats sound like someone with a 300 word per minute typing speed going hell for leather on an antiquated typewriter with no regard for error. The first two songs blur together, nevertheless Hellacaust have managed to make an album that survives relistens by staying within their comfort zone when mixing sub-genres and provide variety moving from a slow death grind to extreme speed. The lyrics are based in reality yet this album is a soundtrack for sloppily slaughtering Orcs in the pitch black of night with a giant axe.

3/5

Hellacaust on myspace

Hellacaust on facebook

The Thomas Function- In The Valley of Sickness

2012-01-28T14:16:00.000-08:00

There’s an undeniable infectious upbeat pop sensibility pouring through Thomas Function’s sophomore outing. Over the course of the album garage rock, punk, 60’s pop and new wave melt together often in a single song with an ease that can only be done with strong song writing. Helium fueled vocals, backed with an arsenal of jangly guitars, a synthesizer and simple drumming, propel the band further into a world of chirpiness. “Picking Scabs” bounces around more than Mexican jumping beans on a trampoline due to both the synth rythms and drumbeats and occassional all in choruses.

Although the keyboards are manic in “Ew Way Ew”, the song’s catchy hooks ensure that they never totally dominate and the track is just one example of a brain eating amoeba that digs into your head to stay. “Belly of The Beast” travels to the sixties and the melodies make it difficult not to compare this track with The Beatles. A sickly sugary soulful chorus surprises and betrays the slow building synthesizer ticking new wave intro to “When I Was King”. While a few of the songs could be considered a little too long, this is one heavy weight power-pop album. So keep your fingers crossed that Thomas Function can keep the momentum and quality up.

4/5

Skate Rock Vol 1

2012-01-27T14:49:00.000-08:00

(DC Jam)

"Skate Rock" suggests punk/hardcore that was featured in the music pages of skateboarding bible Thrasher magazine. Sure enough on this double CD there's a fair representation of the old guard from the days when the sensible refused to pay import price for a magazine full of ads. Expectations of early eighties-style American punk are fulfilled in tracks listed from Government Issue, The Big Boys, Painted Willie, JFA and Trusty.

Frontside Five's tight, fast and snotty "Killing Time" recalls Angry Samoans. The Copyrights play some of the weakest pop-punk ever made and putting them between Frontside Five and The Dwarves highlights what truly terrible listening material they make. PEZZ also fall into the lame pop-punk category. Their singer is more in time with a broken grandfather clock in another country than any of his fellow band members.

A number of bands on this compilation don't really fall into the loose pigeonhole of punk at all. For example, the hip-hop style with shared male and female vocals of The Heard is a very puzzling non-rock inclusion. Minus One sound like one of the millions of 80's hair metal bands who couldn't pull off being Van Halen despite their best efforts. 3000 Pounds sound like Sublime. Disastroid try to lay down the funk, but people shutting their eyes to their music aren't doing it because they're thinking of Stevie Wonder. Why in the world would any band want to sound like Smashmouth? In comparison, FISHBONE do an admirable job of funking up the punk. One-man-band The Rudy Shwartz Project with cartoon voices features a little headspinning arm popping twisted scratching on "Jimmy Swaggart" McRad (who definitely fit into the skate rock category) are oddly represented in two dub reggae tracks. As much as they want to be, BAD BRAINS, they are simply not and never going to be, no matter how long they hold their breath after smoking ganja.

Naked Lady Wrestlers defy the lameness of their chosen moniker and banter rip with some fast tunes. Their singer has tune-carrying capabilities and the guitarist knows his way. Off with their heads play boring faux-Irish punk. Neutral Boy is a confusing band as one track is Leatherface-worship with the required bourbon and nicotine-soaked vocals while their other track is bland radio rock. Other obvious clone bands are Plan 9 - are there any Misfits wannabes that are capable of not outstaying their welcome? But to be fair, it is possible that they just sound weak sandwiched between the hardcore of JFA and the punk bounciness of The Big Boys. Narcoleptic Youth ape Pennywise and actually do a good job of it unless of course they too were aiming to sound exactly like Bad Religion. Venomous are by far the most musically interesting band here as they have a heavy UK indie beat not unlike Suede and Gordon Gano sound-alike vocals. American Werewolves feature the howling of a human crossed with a canine beast and the band are definitely more than one dimensional as they kick ass in both their slow and fast tracks.

The problem with double albums is, if they're done well, it can be difficult to get around to listening to both discs as the first one keeps going back in the player. This one's no exception to the rule, because of the amount of dead weight on the second disc. All in all, the compilation's purpose is served in reminding of old bands associated with skateboarding and thrusting forth newer bands.

3/5

Fugazi - Steady Diet of Nothing

2012-01-25T17:42:00.001-08:00

THE HISTORY: At the very start of the Eighties in Washington D.C. Minor Threat rejected the drugs and alcohol sector of the punk scene and pummeling their personal values in their lyricist through fast intense hardcore founded the straight edge sub-genre. However despite their length of influencing hardcore bands Minor Threat only lasted four years (1980 –83). Ian McKaye was later in short lived bands Embrace and Egg Hunt before forming Fugazi in 1987.

Rites of Spring were another punk band that were knocking around the Washington DC area around the same time and are often cited as being the originators of the emo sub-genre whether they like it or not. They, of course, don’t like it. Frontman Guy Picciottio stated that using the term, emo to describe a genre of music is retarded. When Rites of Spring disbanded in 1986 three members formed a band called One Last Wish with the bassist from Embrace. These roads led to Fugazi forming as a trio comprised of Ian McKaye, bassist Joe Lally, who was from Rites of Spring and drummer Colin Sears from melodic hardcore band Dag Nasty. Colin Sears returned to Dag Nasty and apart from their “Field Day” album has stayed with that band. Rites of Spring drummer, Brendan Canty, replaced Sears. After playing as a trio, Guy Picciotto also from Rites of Spring found a place that he longed for in Fugazi, since seeing their early practices, as both a guitarist and vocalist despite the band all ready having both although on the band’s first EP he only plays guitar.

The band released two EP’s “Fugazi” and “Margin Walker” and then conveniently and keeping prices to a minimum re-released them in album format as “13 Songs”. Then came the first full proper album release of “Repeater” in 1990. Their second full album “Steady Diet of Nothing” dropped the next year. FUGAZI took the term independent music so seriously that all their releases are still only on Ian McKaye’s Dischord Records label. Fugazi refused to sell band-related merchandise like T-shirts. The best known clothing representation of the band is a T-shirt with the slogan “This is not a Fugazi T-shirt” which was made and sold by an enterprising fan and advertised in a number of magazines during the early nineties.

THE MEMBERS: Joe Lally - Bass Ian McKaye - Guitar, Vocals Guy Picciotto - Guitar, Vocals Brendan Canty - Drums

THE PRODUCTION: Fugazi weren’t able to get their usual producer, Ted Nicely, as he was starting a career as a chef so the band furthered their DIY ideals and produced “Steady Diet of Nothing” themselves so this is much more of an independent album than its predecessors. The producton itself is sparse but efficient. Ian McKaye cut his teeth co-producing Rites of Spring’s album in 1987 so at least one member of Fugazi about production techniques, results and the expectations of other band members. The rhythm section is often the most noticeable feature. The drum sounds are clear and Joe Lally’s bass is high in the mix. On a song like “Stacks” the vocals are buried in places but that may well have been intentional as on songs like “Long Division”, the vocals are clear, as are all the other instruments. A remastered version was released in 2004.

THE GUITARS: The guitar sound is thick and full of chunky goodness due to the way guitarists Guy Picciotto and Ian McKaye complement each other. The riffs recall Gang of Four, dub reggae and jazz while alternating between a tranquil quiet and a distorted wall of noise.

THE RHYTHM SECTION: The combination of Joe Lally’s bass and Brendan Canty’s bass comes off like a high precision tempo keeping roller coaster with starts and stops that can take the listener on an exhilarating surprise ride at any given moment.

THE VOCALS: An admirable tradeoff between Ian Mckaye and Guy Piciotto There is a large shadow of Minor Threat in Ian McKaye’s however there is much more of a laidback approach taken at times as his vocals alternate between talking and gruff shouting. Guy Piccioti’s vocals are more understated and abstract but the two weave and trade off their vocals together like their guitars. The use of dual vocals and abstract subtle lyrics come off as another musical instrument adding a further dimension to the band’s sound.

HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO JELLO BIAFRA? There’s a short route and a longer route. First, let’s take the scenic drive. “Steady Diet of Nothing” is a quote taken from deceased stand-up comedian, Bill Hicks. Hicks’ stand up was often anti-establishment and he described his comedic routine as being like Noam Chomsky with dick jokes. Jello Biafra has often been described as the Naom Chomsky of punk and there is also a Naom Chomsky spoken word album on Jello’s Alternative Tentacles record label. The short route is simple and can be summed up in a sentence. Both Ian McKaye and Jello Biafra are punk icons who emerged in the eighties.

SOME KEY TRACKS:

“Exit Only” This song reveals that there has been quite some thought into song order as it is an opener that gets your attention the way the first song on an album should. A somewhat quiet intro with some great guitar interplay. The drum sound always causes head bobbing although the bass sound is the highlight and the dynamics between the bass and drums set the tone for the rest of the album. The song picks up in speed, distorted noise and ferocity when the vocals kick in. The lyrics are more than somewhat baffling. Not that it really matters but I’ve listened to this song more times than I’ve had roast dinners and still have no idea what the song is about.

“Reclamation” Somehow this track manages to open quietly with an intro based on distortion and then nears being a pro-choice anthem and the quiet/loud dynamics in the shared vocals and guitar sound are great. The vocals start off quiet but finish with an effective short burst of repetive shouting of “Carry My Body”.

“Nice new outfit” There’s great guitar riffing at the start of this song but it’s really all about the chugging rhythm section. The bouncing tempo is expertly kept and changed a few times but it’s so subtle you don’t really notice until it speeds up a lot at the end of the song. There are some understated dual vocals on this song that work really well. Due to this the line “Sorry about the mess” convinces and sticks in the head for days after listening.

“Stacks” “Language keeps me locked and repeating.” There’s a feeling that imitates a factory conveyer belt in this song. Hypnotic and always working. It’s the feel that many industrial bands go for but often can’t attain. The worker rushes off at the end of the shift and the tempo change at the end of the song reflects this.

“Long Division” Check out that huge bass line at the start of this track! It carries on all the way through the song and it’s reminiscent of “Oil and Gold” period Shriekback, which had a huge funk element in the bass sound. The vocals are somewhere between spoken and sung over some great drum and bass work.

“Polish” This one plays out the quiet/loud dynamics in the vocals. Ian McKaye shouts, then quietens down, shouts again and quietens until the end of the song.

“KYEO” The album closer is easily the catchiest track and most accessible. There is a steady simplistic rock beat kept throughout the song. The lyrics are still somewhat vague and open to interpretation but they’re the easiest to make sense of. Due to the time of the release the song could be interpreted as a statement on the Gulf war but it could also be about more personal battles.

IN CLOSING: Fugazi has always been a band that has been a band that has been about the music more than anything else. “Steady Diet of Nothing” with its strong rhythm sound differs greatly from their first album, “Repeater” and is the successful experimentation and progression of a band. Fugazi have since released four albums. Well, five if you count soundtracks. The CD doesn’t do Lucy Capehearts photos of deckchairs and a teepee justice. They look a lot more appealing on the LP insert. Dischord fairly recently made all of their releases available for download or a free album download with the purchase of a 12 inch record so getting hold of a copy of this album should be easy.

THE GRANNIES “Hot Flashes”, 2009

2012-01-21T15:46:00.000-08:00

(Wondertaker Records)

Turn up your hearing aid and take your pills because The Grannies have returned to sprinkle their latest offering of punk-n-roll all over us. Their tongue in cheek humor is first evident at the moment of setting eyes of the Danzig inspired album cover. Through their false teeth the band spit out a bad attitude that is accepted as the norm for old folks in their retirement lodgings in the catchy rocker“My Middle Finger says You’re Wrong”.

“Don’t Thank Me, Thank Yourself, ” and “Fast Mike” are cause for suspicion that someone out there swapped their meds for amphetamines due to the songs’ exhilarating pace. “Brain Freeze” is down in the Guiness Book of Records as the fastest punk song ever to feature a guest violin player.. It’s not all about speed though as the band slow down to work in guitar solos on the hair metal tinged “Bag of Hammers”.

The cover songs are all great choices, you didn’t know better you’d swear even the Pink song “U + Ur Hand” was a Grannies original. The cover of Leather Nun’s “No Rule” is admittedly closer to the Turbonegro version than the original. Unfortunately “Hot Flashes” isn’t an album without its weaknesses. Stop and skip buttons on CD players were invented to pretend the horrid violin-inclusive Dylan inspired eight-minute dirge closing the album doesn’t exist.

3/5

The Grannies on facebook

The Rudy Schwartz Project - Bowling for Appliances

2012-01-20T15:22:00.000-08:00

(DC Jams)

One-man bands while often great fun live tend to lose their magic on the recorded version. Joe Newman’s Rudy Schwartz Project resolved this problem by bringing in a number of guest players ranging from a number of different vocalists to a kazoo player. Song names such as “Lynyrd Skynyrd Memorial Tractor Pull”, “Bob Eubanks Initiation Ritual and Subsequent Cumbia” and “A Sandwich for Adolph” lend more than a clue of what’s in store on this re-release of this four track recorded album. On “Bowling for Appliances”, an adult-sized triple scoop of Frank Zappa insanity has been channeled through a Casio keyboard.

There’s a feeling of surprise even after repeated listenings as the music goes from showtunes to recycled 50’s or 60’s TV advertisements to rap. Subversiveness often comes through in the lyrics, like when Joe sings about frozen turds on a stick, which listeners will find either childish or appealing. Michael Jackson references are made through high-pitched singing on the rap tune “The Fog and The Dew”. Joe has the strange ability to simultaneously crawl under the skin and entertain on both the shouted part of “Waltz of The Mortgage Bankers” and the awkward instrumental “Ernest Borgnine Reprise”. It is baffling and a credit to the talent here how “Protect and Serve” in an instant goes from upbeat show tune to shouting over keyboard tinkering yet the context still makes perfect sense. While it can be unsettling listening, those seeking out music of a more bizarre nature and those who delight in watching the antics of bag ladies should be magnetically pulled towards “Bowling For Appliances”.

3.5/5

Rudy Schwartz Project on facebook

UIGG - To Punish and Enslave

2012-01-19T19:00:00.000-08:00

UIGG “To Punish and Enslave”, 2008

A band with an unpronouncable name is always going to have things working against them. Uigg’s logo looks a little like the symbol Prince used during his nameless years. UIGG’s symetrical logo can be copied but it’s hard to imagine kids drawing their logo on their schoolbooks and bags.
The band have put their extended artwork and album lyrics on a blog instead of the CD sleeve. Their reasoning was they had too many ideas to fit on paper but this reeks of laziness. The band is shitting on the people who actually buy CD’s that can’t be bothered with the net. Believe me, these people do exist, even though they likely won’t read this review. The sleeve is devoted to thanklists. Among the list of names each band member separately thanks are members of the band and their cat. It would have made more sense to put the thanklist where it can be edited as more names come to mind and have the lyrics in a portable format.

On their myspace site, Uigg put themselves in the death, black and thrash metal genres. The secong song “One Shall Stand, One Shall Fall” has the drummer winning the race to end of the song. The vocalist and guitarists struggle to catch up and the song suffers as a result. Throughout the album the vocals are either resemble battery acid gargling Danii Filth(mostly with out the little girl shrieks) or take the Scooby Doo route, which is good when the band slow down and play to their strengths. “Sadistic Reprisal” demonstrates this bands potentential when they do realize the limits of their capabilities. In the one song the band combine traditional, death and black metal together and there is an annoying moment where the blastbeat button has been accidentally pressed. “Carthasis” and “Slamhog” take the death metal tardis back to 80’s thrash but the desire to do to much on the drummer’s part pours rotten milk into the songs. The band too often act on their urge to punish the listener into knowing that they can play one more than type of metal and the songs suffer as a result and Uigg sound unsure of their identity rather than a band capable of getting away with genuine transgenre behaviour.

2/5

The band have released another album since this review was written which can be heard on their facebook site. What little I've listened to does sound better than this album.

Sonic Negroes/The Hip Priests - Dogfight

2012-01-18T20:17:00.000-08:00

SONIC NEGROES/THE HIP PRIESTS - “Dogfight”,2008
(Zodiac Killer)

The term “dogfight” describes a fierce battle between two or more opponents. In today’s punk ‘n’ roll bout we have two well-matched battlers. ,In one corner representing Sweden we have the Sonic Negroes and in the other side of the ring we have The Hip Priests from the UK. The UK representatives start the show off by telling all and sundry “Let’s Get Fucked”. They receive zero points for subtley but successfully combine the three vital elemements of their chosen musical style into a single frenzied song. Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll are the bases covered in the lyrics and the UK contingent assure in one break-neck song that they are a threatening band. Too many other bands attempt the same themes but sadly struggle to inject even a minimum dose of menace over the course of an entire album. This is a sleazy band that should be kept a safe distance from your little sister and any other female companions. Go on, guess, exactly what, “She Loves It” is about? Too late for the youngest one but a restraining order might not be out of the question. “Rip Them Off” has a simplistic Ramones chorus but these priests are blessed with an ever present Motorhead bulldozer capable of ripping and shredding the thickest jungles to pieces.

With their chosen name alone, it’s clear that the Swedish crew, Sonic Negroes wear their Norwegian influence on their collective sleeves. It’d be far too easy to totally write them off as generic Turbonegro clones but lucky for everyone, the songs of the Swedes stack up well on their own accord. Evident on “Born to Be Gone” is occassional use of express pace piano tinkering ensures any hurled accusations of mere carbon copying are stopped dead in their tracks. There’s a revved up and modified corpse of MC5 inhabiting, rocking and breathing life into the twenty-first century through the presence of these swedes.

With the referee knocked out by both contestants picking a winner is a difficult feat however the trophy goes to the finishers Sonic Negroes largely due to better production which lead to a clearer vocal and overall sound. In comparison, the Hip Priests’ vocals sounded buried in the background over their primal garage rock.

Disclaimer: This “Dogfight” was legally organized for disturbing the peace with the volume turned up above maximum. No animals were hurt in the writing of this review.

3.5/5

Hip Priests facebook page

Sonic Negroes facebook page

Tribulation - The Horror

2012-01-15T15:17:00.000-08:00

TRIBULATION “The Horror”, 2008
(Pulverised)

Fast, furious completed with vocals that sound like a zombie with a hole in the trachea. Swedish death metallers Tribulation fit all of those descriptions. A feeling of downright eerieness is orchestrated here due to the occassional slow build up in both the short album intro to a track before severe death thrash pummeling. The background scream in the middle of “Beyond The Horror” before the band slow down and the keyboard outro of the blackened thrash of “The Vampyre” made the hair on the nape of my neck stand upright. The tight as hell thrashing is reminiscent of the likes of early Kreator and Slayer with tasty lead guitar and rapid thumping double bass. “Seduced by the Smell of Rotten Flesh” best demonstates the band’s precision skill at quick as hell changes. The tempo sometimes unnoticeably slows down before hurtling the listener back into a frenzy of neck-snapping bliss.

Apparently there was a previous release by this band eight years. This leads to the conclusion that Tribulation have obviouly spent some worthwhile time honing their craft and come up with an album that beats the listener into submission much like being on the wrong end of a lead pipe over the head.

4/5

Bad Brains - ROIR cassette

2012-01-13T18:14:00.000-08:00

Generally these days cassette tapes are thought of as no good and only really useful if you happen to driving long haul and own an antiquated car stereo that plays tapes. ROIR was a music label specializing in cassette releases who just happened to release a demo from a band who had traded in playing jazz fusion in favor of hardcore fused with reggae. Short bursts of adrenalin filled raging punk with H.R.’s Jamacian Rastafarian accent jab straight to the cranium on “I”, “Sailin On and “Attitude”. The short slow fraction of “Banned In DC’ only serves to highlight the crushing speed of the rest of the song. The dub of “Leaving Babylon” simmers the mood with reflectful Jah worshipping reggae. There’s franticness that rivals the most manic bo-polar stage. No amount of Ritalin could capably sedate“The Big Take Over” or “Pay to Cum”. This cassette was pressed into vinyl in 1989 after Bad Brains had a few albums under their belt. “Rock for Light” is a continuation of this album with more polished versions of a few of the songs from the tape release. In comparison to early works, “I Against I” slowly grooves and stirs metal, funk and soul into the mixture. The metallic edge continued on “Quickness”. Later albums were patchy affairs with the band’s live performance reflecting their studio efforts. However in 2007 the band climbed back on board with taking the vocal reigns after an on-off working relationship as Bad Brains’ frontman. Whilst the format may have changed over time, the intensity has not. Believe it or not, Mr Ripley, after all these years it’s still possible to get this release on cassette.

Killing Joke - Killing Joke 1980

2012-01-11T15:46:00.000-08:00

Flying in the face of the skinny tied new romantics and the easy listening pleasantness new wave bands were dishing out. Taking the synthesizer sound from their contemporaries “Requiem” and “Tomorrow’s World” gently lull a listener in. Precision-steady factory worker repetitiveness bangs in “Bloodsport”. But Killing Joke also marries the sound with primitive tribal rythms soundtracking an oncoming apocalyptical disaster in “The Wait” Warning of impending doom is “The Wait” “Wardance” is bouncy bass driven abrasive affair completed with Jaz’s grizzle-grunt vocals. Synthesizers drive “Complications”and “Primitive” hiding a dark undercurrent in the driving industrial rythm. The synthesizers nearly vanished completely on the next album album “What’s this for?”. Killing Joke flirted with commercialism and had a couple of successful singles with the “NightTime” album in the mid-eighties. This was followed with the synthesizer heavy but poppier “Brighter Than A Thousand Suns”. Despite threats of lawsuits against Nirvana for copping a few riffs from one of their mid-eighties tunes, Killing Joke’s second self-titled is a turbulent attack to the senses featuring Dave Grohl, who proves that he is best placed on a stool behind a drum kit pummeling the complete shit out of it.

DEAD KENNEDYS “Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables”, 1980

2012-01-10T18:19:00.000-08:00

The first wave of UK punk was at its tail end with anarchist politics often considered more important than producing interesting music. In the US the first wave of heavily political punk bands “Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables” a provocative edge that messed with heads and lead to ongoing debates with right wing organizations. Due to the speed the band play at some listeners could have been convinced that the record they were playing on 33 was mistakenly pressed and meant to be played at a slower pace. As punk albums should the recording quality sounds like it was all done in one take using a walkman placed a safe distance away from Dead Kennedys explosiveness. Jello Biafra’s distinctive nasally voice carries more than a side of biting sarcasm over East Bay Ray’s surf guitar tones and clenched fist tight rhythm section. A natural organicness punches through in the catchy choruses and breakneck speed of “Kill The Poor” and “Chemical Warfare”. “Drug Me” mows along like a loud lawnmower as it cuts through the air with absolutely no messing around. A nasty metallic raw edge throws razor blade spikes in “California Uber Alles” and the rapid rollicking classic “Holiday in Cambodia”. After the similar “Plastic Surgery Disasters”, the band experimented more with speed in later albums whilst pointing fingers at authority figures and mindless sheep in the punk scene. Short spastic blurs are barely contained within “In God We Trust”. Despite being mostly filled with short and fast songs, “Plastic Surgery Disasters” feels bloated under a weighty grand total of 21 songs. Jello kept busy with many musical and spoken word projects after Dead Kennedys split. When the band reformed this century to do reunion shows Biafra was not involved due to ongoing legal battles with his former band members and many fans viewed this as a farce because the complete package wasn’t up for grabs.

The Stooges - The Stooges

2012-01-09T18:19:00.000-08:00

THE STOOGES “The Stooges” , 1969

The late sixties was a time period were rock was full of drug-taking hippy psychedelic bands who were accomplished musicians due to years spent practicing before forming a band. A band that couldn’t play their instruments who recorded a full album in less than week would have been sneered at by many of their counterparts.

After much begging while producing the album, Velvet Underground member, John Cale, successful managed to compromise with The Stooges to turn their amps down from full volume to nine. “Psychedelic” may have been dropped from the full band moniker however there was no escaping the lingering in the lengthy slow-burning “We Will Fall” and “1969”’s wah-wah effects. The stripped to the bone rawness and punk energy of “I Wanna Be Your Dog” and “No Fun” delivers an unbridled simple swift but shattering kick to the teeth. The crude unrefined rock would continue into their follow up albums “Raw Power” and “Fun House”. Despite the enlisting of bass player extraodinaire, Mike Watt, like many recent comeback albums, 2007’s “The Weirdness” suffers from a lack of song-writing chemistry and an incoherent flow that makes the effort misplaced.

Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks

2012-01-08T15:28:00.000-08:00

Conversations abound that the Sex Pistols were nothing more than a manufactured pop group from Malcolm McClaren’s manipulating mind. The debates about who kickstarted punk and perhaps saved rock from overbloated pompousness in the UK without fail include the debut album as the band courted media controversy wherever they were presented with the opportunity and because the opening chords of “Holiday In The Sun” are more than just a warning of an impending ass kicking. Contrary to popular belief most of the core band members actually knew how to play their instruments but Johnny Rotten’s technical singing ability is dubious but the enraged sneeered vocals. “Bodies” is a wondeful distorted noisy abortion of a song with Steve Jones’ solid guitar playing and Rotten spitting out more disgust than a nun scolding a Catholic school boy for reading a porn mag. “God Save The Queen” “Anarchy In the UK” and “E.M.I.” are anthems with the requisite punk spitting contempt at authority. Later albums were some of the same songs with a few tacked on extras

Clutch -Strange Cousins from The West

2012-01-07T14:06:00.000-08:00

CLUTCH “Strange Cousins from the West”, 2009

Rock critics throw the words “Jam band” around a lot these days when it comes to finding a description for Clutch. The concept of jamming suggests improvisation, which is near impossible to capture on a recorded audio product. Paying punters have a tendency to attend shows to hear songs that there is a familiarity with. Sure, it’s a different set of rules with freeform jazz but that’s for other websites to deal with. Admittedly there is a similar spirit in Neil Falloon’s free-flowing lyrics and on “Strange Cousins from the West” the band feed off each other in a smoke-filled liquor-soaked telepathic connection to deliver the goods so the category isn’t ill fitting.

“Strange Cousins from the West” is one tight platter filled with Falloon’s smooth clear vocals over impeccable riffing and drumming. From the onset, you’re grabbed by the short and curlies by the bluesy Southern swamp rock of “Motherless Child”. Throwing down funk peppered with heaviness on “Struck Down” and “Freakanomics” strikes and hits the ball out of the park. On “50,000 Unstoppable Watts” Neil Falloon’s vocals bring Doug Pinnick to mind. The song really comes up a winner due to the magical combination of ballsiness and catchiness that comfortably drills itself into your head and stays for eons. Slow small flickering flames giving off a sweet odor can be sensed on “Abraham Lincoln” through the smoke of its heavy Sabbath groove.

Whilst listening to this disc I kept wanting to smash a Rubik’s cube to smithereens with a sledgehammer as the opposite sides refuse to match up. Saving the multi-colored puzzle from demolition is a laidback sense of ease as Clutch play funked up blues-rock. The calming effects will cause rigorously trained medical professionals to prescribe this disc as a cure for agitation.

4/5

The Saints -(I'm Stranded)

2012-01-06T16:46:00.000-08:00

The Saints (I'm Stranded), 1977

For a long time geographical isolation down under was problematic for bringing over international touring bands and those who have the ability and desire to take their music to a more populous audience often relocated in another country. The raw octane of The Saints first record is at odds with the eternal warmth of their home city and it’s easy to comprehed their move to the colder climate of the United Kingdom. Pre-dating the heyday of UK Mohawk brigade and dyed hair punk, The Saints contemporaries, in both sound and spirit, were Detroit rockers, MC5 and The Stooges. “No Time” and “Stranded” are polished recordings but remain catchy as influenza. The recording on the rest of the album is rough as guts so the strength and hooks of the songs really shines through the grittiness. The blazing guitar work on “Wild Abour You” and “Erotic Neurotic” blitzes all and sundry in its path. Later albums where the band wandered into pop rock territory during the 80’s are shelf fillers.

MC5- Kick Out the Jams

2012-01-05T17:22:00.000-08:00

Towards the end of the decade, the sixties protest movement had increased in volume. Led Zeppelin and The Who, amongst others, were twisting their amplifier dials to ear-splitting full capacity. There’s the feeling of rebellion on MC5’s opening call for a revolution that precedes the anthemic ZEP-ish “Ramblin’ Rose” however the truly daring band move was releasing a live album right at the starting gate instead of waiting until their were a few more albums notched up on the belt. “Kick Out the Jams” with its bouncy riffing and drumbeat oozes a primitive appeal. The chaotic dueling guitars of Wayne Kramer and Fred Smith mixed up with strong vocals and catchy sing-along inducing parts on “Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa)” winning combination. MC5 exercise control and take a leaisurely approach in “I Want You Right Now” and add a slow swaggering blues twist in “Motor City is Burning”. Before their demise MC5 squeezed out two first-rate studio albums.

Alice Donut - Ten Glorious Animals

2012-01-04T15:09:00.000-08:00

ALICE DONUT “Ten Glorious Animals”, 2009
(Alternate Tentacles)

Way back when, I remember buying at least one Alice Donut album because I would sometimes purchasing decisions were made based on a record labels output even if an album and band was a largely an unknown beast, there would still be a familiarity with the label. A number of punk rock gems were unearthed with the aid of disposable income from the SST and Alternative Tentacles roster. Alice Donut threw me for a loop though with their psychedelic punk as I was expecting the outfit’s punk rock to gnaw through to the insides with raw primal brain bludgeoning speed so their scattered direction wasn’t an instant fit.

A distinct Alice Donut sound has always been tough to nail down mainly because of the variety of styles the band cover. In the case of “Ten Glorious Animals” the reason is a distinct flavor has been watered down versions of various 80’s and 90’s “alternative” bands. “No more room” paints by numbers Jesus and Mary Chain and the black clothing is smeared a weak grey and the blame cannot be laid upon Scottish white powder. It’s impossible to listen to “Don’t I know” and not fight the temptation to yell, “Sonic Youth, you’re snapped”. The green-eyed monster is staring firmly at David Bowie in the final two original tracks. The creative well hasn’t completely dried up. The piano-dominated “Mrs Carradine” reaches and grabs with its Peter Murphy vocals. “Shiloh” stomps and kicks hellbilly country ass aiming and hitting dirt fair and square in the eye.

While there’s no complaint about overall listenability, Alice Donut’s imitation of past contemporaries is a large problem. This is an album that could have been made by a much less experienced band rather than a bunch of old hands. It’s impossible not to think that most of these songs were originally intended as B-sides and only heard by a few hardcore elite vinyl nerds.

2.5/5

Subhumans - From the Cradle to the Grave

2012-01-03T14:35:00.000-08:00

On the Subhumans second full-length, the band defied their audience’s expectations by proving that a slow punk song can be listenable in “Waste of Breath” and writing songs lengthier than three minutes wasn’t an improbability. These changes see the band reaching further musically. The short instrumental introduction on the second full album in no way indicates what is to follow. “Where’s the Freedom” and “Reality is Waiting for a Bus”may be quick blasts but snippy straight to the point punk songs that appeared on the debut are near absent. Although lacking a brass section, ska upbeatness comes up for air in “Us Fish Must Swim”. The yelping guitar and Dick’s change of vocals ending “Wake Up Screaming’” are the sound of a man who can’t take the injustices in the world anymore and is contemplating ending them by slitting his wrists. Dick’s vocals blare out loud and clear over a number of tempo changes in the sixteen-minute title track as he spits out an anarcho-punk submission for a political science dissertation. A punk concept album about life may have been attempted five years previously by Sham69 but the musicianship and lyrical content on “From the Cradle to The Grave” are more complex however unlike the Subhumans debut, many of the songs aren’t instantly appealing. The remastered package comes complete with a stunning lyric booklet and a fold out poster.

3.5/5

Happy New Year

2011-12-30T18:41:00.000-08:00

2011 has been an event filled year. Many events good and many not so good. It's likely to be remembered as the year of the natural disaster here in New Zealand with three earthquakes in the Canterbury region.

The reason for these sort of posts on music blogs is always to tell you about the albums you've missed out but I've missed a tonne so won't even bother. I didn't make it to many gigs either although my highlights are Delaney Davidson and Reverend Beatman at St Peter's Hall in Paekakariki with The Clean, The Subliminals and Surf Friends running even due largely to it being the first time I'd caught those Flying Nun bands with the Subliminals being the highlight of the trio despite it being great to finally hear a number of The Clean songs live.

I made it to a few movies: Highlights: Rise of The Planet Apes - A decent reworking of the Planet of The Apes origin story that put the previous remake to much deserved shame.
Senna: A documentary that made watching a car go repeatedly around a track interesting
Cold Fish - Off-beat dark Japanese movie about a pet fish store owner and a serial killer.
The Adjustment Bureau - Sci-fi time travel-type drama
Thirteen Assassins - Enthralling Japanese period action movie.

Sports Events Highlights:

Rugby World Cup - Well done to the All Blacks but let's face it, with all the injuries, The All Blacks wouldn't have won and that final away win still eludes them.
Wellington Phoenix - another team that away wins elude but enjoyed watching the games in the stadium.
NZ Breakers - Worth missing the royal wedding to watch this basketball team play in the finals
New Zealand Warriors - The teams name no longer rolls of the tongue but this team making it to the final was a highlight
Wimbledon - Tsonga - Djokovic was the highlight of the tournament for me with the commentators continually writing the French men off only to watch him continually comeback.

Things we'd like to see less of in 2012

Earthquakes
John Campbell
Newsreaders paid to have conversations
Gordon Ramsay
Importance placed on facebook links
Overpricing on mobile phone fees and SIM cards
Unfocussed protestors

Local music frauds of the year:

Flying Nun compilation Tally Ho.

What are the reasons for leaving out harder-edged bands like The Warners, The D4, and The Hasselhoff Experiment?

Also why release songs from the In Love These Times compilation? While the Sneaky Feelings, Snapper and Look Blue Go Purple make sense Surely Straitjacket Fits, The Bats and The Clean have fresher material worth an airing even in these days of digital downloads.

Shihad Meanest Hits compilation: Just buy their first two albums since they've been inconsistent ever since despite the critical gushing over The General Electric and it lacks their best song, "Stations".

Straitjacket Fits - If I Were You

Shihad - Stations

Battle of the live albums Part2 (Minutemen vs The Replacements)

2011-12-28T18:16:00.000-08:00

Minutemen “Ballot Result” vs The Replacements “The Shit Hits the Fans”

The Minutemen and The Replacements: Both bands formed with their rooted in the punk scene while it would be call difficult to either strictly a punk band as both stretched from the genre’s confines. Bobby Stinson’s guitar and Paul Westerberg’s snotty attitude drove The Replacements rock edge. The Minutemen blended funk, jazz and classic rock into their punk mix. The Minutemen live album was intended but was impossibility, due to singer/guitarist D.Boon’s untimely demise in a car accident. The Replacements album is an album that really should never have happened. An intending bootlegger, who was discovered recording in the crowd, recorded the band’s show only to have the cassette taken and offically released on cassette only by Twin/Tone Records. Unlike The Minutemen double album where their fans picked the songs they wanted to hear, The Replacements must have pissed off their attending fans by playing a large number of covers.

The vocals on the first few Replacements songs feature slurred vocals and the holding of the guitar sound like a battle and the band is losing by more than a country mile. The drumming on songs like “Saturday night Special” is sloppy at best, whereas on “Ballot Result” the musicianship is stunning throughout. Mike Watt’s bass and George Hurley’s drumming shines through radiantly on songs like “I Felt like A Gringo”. Occasionally The Replacements start covers like U2’s “I Will Follow” only to abandon them not even getting past the intro. Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” is butchered and beaten in a transformation into “Iron Man”. There are fleeting moments on the band’s originals where a beautiful guitar sound comes through. In contrast, all the Minutemen songs are all their originals and some of the songs are live in a radio studio. Before playing “Jesus and Tequila” D.Boon explains the preceding song live to an audience that he couldn’t see or hear. The Replacements are expecting a reaction from their unsure audience. Heckling and clapping both mean the band is getting noticed. The Minutemen album “Ballot Result” has a scrapbook nature with cut and pasting of mostly live clips over five years with a studio remix of “No one” while the “The Shit Hits the Fans” is a snapshot of a night out with a very drunk band. Paul Westerberg and crew’s off night inspires cracking open a beer or preferably more to enjoy the recording in the same manner as the band. “Whem the Shit Hits the Fans” is a curiosity rather than a great live representation of The Replacements works. From the start,The Minutemen album was about satisfying the desires of their fans and here it succeeds although it lacks the same flow as a night out with the band.

Winner: Minutemen

Battle of the live albums (part 1) Cheap Trick vs Slade

2011-12-27T18:59:00.000-08:00

Slade “Slade Alive” vs Cheap Trick “Live at Budokan”

Slade and Cheap Trick: UK Glam rockers Slade are said to have inspired US hard rocking power poppers Cheap Trick’s choice of band name. From the 70’s, Slade were a household name in their homeland but US success eluded them. Cheap Trick’s success really hit in 1978 when they played in Japan and “Live at Budokan” is a documentation of the event. Both bands had two studio releases under their belts when their first live albums saw the light of day. Today Slade have a trio of live albums whereas Cheap Trick still has only the one.

“Slade Alive” definitely feels like the live album taken straight from the sound board without any studio trickery and Cheap Trick’s ‘Live at Budokan’ has more of a studio feel with the band’s music blasting clearly over the speakers. There’s a short tuning break on “Slade Alive” which adds to the rawness and gives a genuine live feel. It may well be due to the year it was recorded. A belch is left in on “Darling Be Home Soon”. The crowd seems somewhat reserved. During the early spoken parts on the Slade album, it sounds like there are about ten interested people at the bands show however from the intoduction of “Lookout” Cheap Trick are treated as major stars with huge applause. SLADE frontman Noddy Holder encourages the crowd to yell out anything they like to add to the atmosphere. The clapping on the breaks in “Need Your Love” gives “Live at Budokan” more of a convincing live feel. Hell, I always feel like clapping along to the power pop of “Big Eyes” although the cheesiness on “I Want You to Want Me” is cringeworthy. Eventually on the Slade, “Keep on Rocking” convinces that the crowd was bigger with a participation track. Years of seeing bar bands covering Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild” has made it a difficult song to get excited about but during the seventies Slade’s standard ending was obviously a treat as the crowd lap it up. When Cheap Trick plays “Good Night Now”; it’s easy to place yourself in the crowd begging for an encore. “Slade Alive” is just a night out with a band whereas “Live at Budokan” is an event.

WINNER: Cheap Trick

Tribulation interview

2011-12-26T03:33:00.000-08:00

Photo taken from Metal Archives

An uncountable amount of metal bands want their listeners to come away feeling disturbingly shaken and stirred by their music but many are often lucky to even encounter a shrug around these parts. However Swedish death metallers Tribulation grabbed our attention with their punishing minimal amount of nonsense approach to music. Their debut album, “The Horror” is an intense spine-chilling nightmare soundtrack that kicks teeth in and lays waste to many inferior albums in the genre. Guitarist Adam Zaars took some time out to answer some questions for us.

I read on another website that Tribulation went under another name previously. What was the reason for the name change and how did you come up with the new name?

No, we have always been called Tribulation from the very beginning when we started the band back in 2004.

OK, then take us to the beginnings of Tribulation.

We just put to rest another band that we were playing in and felt that we wanted to play more with members that would want to take a band in the same direction.
We tried out a few drummers until we found Jakob, and from that day Tribulation was born. We have never since had a doubt in what we are doing.

How would you describe Tribulation's music to someone who hasn't heard your music?

I guess that depends on who the person is. If it were a person involved in hard rock I would say that we were playing death metal, influenced by darkness and death.
If it were a person not involved in hard rock I would say that we were playing music influenced by darkness and death. Chaotic,yet controlled.

Who are some of your favorite three-piece bands?

Venom is the number one choice of course. I think I would have to put Motorhead on number two. I just saw Grand Magus live a couple of days ago so they are worth mentioning as well. Other than that there is always Hellhammer, Angel Witch, Unpure etc.

Would we be right in guessing that all of you are fans and influenced by Slayer, Kreator and later Carcass? What other bands/artists do Tribulation frequently listen to?

Well, not really. I wouldn't say that we sound like, say, “Swansong” at all, even though it's a good album. But Slayer is always an inspiration!
We all have quite a wide musical taste which rages from bands like Roky Erikson to Sadistick Execution The best has always been and always will be Iron Maiden though.
And if I was to say one death metal band I would say Morbid Angell!

As a soundwise old school band death metal band are your thoughts on recent death metal and what seems to be an inevitable split into further sub-genres like death-core?

I wouldn't even call it Death Metal, and I wouldn't call us "old school", we are the ones playing Death Metal. It is a shame really that people don't have a clue what Death Metal really is, or should I say it's a shame that people call bands Death Metal when they obviously are not.

The cover art to "The Horror" looks like a comic book artist drew it, could you tell us more about that? Are you comic book fans?

We are comic book fans, yes. “Modesty Blaise” is a personal favourite. The album cover and layout was made by me, Adam, and Jonathan under the name Necromantic Art.
We wanted to get the whole layout as haunting as the music itself, and I think that we pulled it off.

Often people talk about Swedish death metal as though the country has its own specific sound, what are your thoughts on how people often tend to align a country such as Sweden or a city like Seattle or Detroit with a certain type of music being produced?

Well, isn't that the same thing that happens with pretty much what ever you do? People generalize everything and anything and I can't really say that I care that they do.
We have never been striving for the typical Swedish sound though, I think we sound more like some American band like Necrovore or Morbid Angel.

The short interludes with keyboards and screams add another dimension to the album and make it more intense listening. How did you come up with ideas?

I'm glad to hear you say so, as it was the intention. The ideas came from various horror movie soundtracks. We had been listening to a lot of them at the time we wrote the album and wanted to create the same atmosphere within our music.

Could you tell us a little more about "The Horror" vinyl release? What are your favourite things about vinyl?

It has been released through Blood Harvest. It contains a 7" 8-page booklet and it's gatefold. There is a limited edition available with an A3 coffinshaped poster.
Available soon is also the limited version with blood splatter and numbered in blood, in 25 copies.

Adam, You're involved with ENFORCER who play with more of a NWOBHM sound. Could you tell us more about that project?

I would never call it a project, it's very serious. I take both bands equally serious, even though they differ in depth and in other personal aspects.
We are touring a lot at the moment, and it's going pretty well.

What other musical projects are members of TRIBULATION involved with?

Jonathan and Johannes is playing in a band called STENCH. They just released a 7" on Soulseller Records.

What are the immediate and long-term future plans for TRIBULATION?

The immediate plan is to continue writing new material. When we are eventually done with that we're going to record a new album. Another tour might come up as well.

Anything to add for our readers?

"We take your weak resistance, throw it in your face. We need no introduction for mass-annihilation!".

Thanks for the interview.

TRIBULATION are Johannes Andersson – (Voc, Bass) ,Jonathan Hultén – (Gtr) ,Adam Zaars –(Gtr) and Jakob Johansson – (Drums). Their album is available through Pulverised Records. More information can be on the band's facebook page

Aaron Poehler - You had to leave your mark

2011-12-25T10:56:00.000-08:00

As any music blogger who leaves an easily readable email address on their blog, we often get overwhelmed with spam from publicists, musicians and bands wanting reviews or wanting their latest album posted for download. Often it just gets ignored as it is easy to tell that they even looked at the blog. I receive info about bad pop groups that rip off other bad pop groups about shows I'll never attend. Whether this is because Rupert Murdoch broke Myspace I'll likely never know or the fact that like most of the world's population I never use that site any more and it was only really to listen to bands when I did. Heard an interesting fact that 80 percent of the world own a cellphone. It'd be good to know the percentage that own one but keep thinking about throwing it away or running it over because that's where I fit.

Anyway it's always great to know that an email correspondent has actually read some of the blog and San Diego resident, Aaron Poehler clearly had and as a zine producer and reviewer has an understanding of the process from both sides. Aaron let us know about his second album "You had to Leave Your Mark", which he describes as indie-rock music with guitar.

If Sonic Youth produced a song with Mark Lanegan on vocals it'd sound a lot like "Spray Vandalism"

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://aaronpoehler.bandcamp.com/track/spray-vandalism"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Spray Vandalism by Aaron Poehler&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

There's a Tom Waits feel to "An Accident of Birth" due to both the vocals and the use of unexpected instruments coming in at unexpected times. There's a beautiful laid-back quietness to "Maybe Great Discoveries".

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://aaronpoehler.bandcamp.com/track/maybe-great-discoveries"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Maybe Great Discoveries by Aaron Poehler&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

There's a tale of desperation to "Last Call"

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://aaronpoehler.bandcamp.com/track/last-call"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Last Call by Aaron Poehler&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Hear Aaron Poehler's complete album, "You had to Leave Your Mark" here.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T17:25:00.000-08:00

Unlike the picture above we're a little more giving here. Here's a christmas pressie from our friends at xo publicity that they wanted us to share with all of you.

Songs are:

Piney Gir - "Christmas Time"
Climber - "Holiday Hoopla"
Pictures Of Then - "I Believe In Father Christmas"
Jessie Torrisi - "I Lose a Little Bit of You"
Kulewa - "I'll Be Home"
Magnuson - "O Come Emmanuel"
Rags & Ribbons - "Greensleeves"
The Janks - "Silent Knight"
The Winter Sounds - "Stranded in Snowville"
Beneath Wind and Waves - "The Gift"
Bradley Wik and The Charlatans - "Midwest Winters"

Merry Christmas

It's worth it for "Midwest Winters" alone although for me, winter and Christmas don't go hand and hand. I'm sitting here in shorts and a T-shirt as I type. Enjoy your Christmas daze.

Brokaw - Interiors

2011-12-15T17:11:00.000-08:00

Brokaw is the newest rock-based project for legendary bassist G. Stuart Dahlquist (Burning Witch, Sunn O))), Goatsnake, Asva) and 3 of his long time Seattle based collaborators; Rick Troy, Rich Medic, and Mike Henderson.

Brokaw mostly take their sound from 90's record labels such as Amphetamine Reptile and Alternative Tentacles. There's a little bit of noise rock, nomeansno style dominating bass, Morphine style phrasing coupled with vocals, somewhere between the deep voice Mark Sandman and the funky stylings of newer Clutch. Close your eyes, block your ears and imagine The Cows meeting Helmet with a funky bass running through the middle and you've more or less nailed "Berlin Heart". If there's such a thing as stoner funk then "No Morphine Doctor" nails that particular sub-genre. "Politicians By The Pool" is a cool and catchy song but a little too close to recent Clutch. There's an interlude in "Terms of War" that simultaneously causes thought of nomeansno and jazz musicians like Miles Davis but the song comes to a heavy sludgy conclusion. There's Fugazi style starting and stopping "Time Ain't Now" with far clearer vocals. The funky hard catchy noise rock ends with the upbeat telling off of "You Didn't Invent Sex".

It'll be interesting to see where other reviewers pigeon hole Brokaw since they defy being put in a certain sector of rock unless it's the broader alternative label. There's just way too much going in the band's music to just fit them under the stoner rock tag due to one member's past. In a time where many people say that record labels deserve to die, Good To Die Records prove that there are still those out there finding great music and releasing it. This album isn't due out until January 24th 2012 but you can hear a few songs on the band's bandcamp page.

4.5/5

Sticky Filth - Fourth Domain

2011-12-13T16:14:00.000-08:00

The most anticipated NZ rock album of the last few years is finally here. Sticky Filth's fourth album in their 26 year career is out. Setbacks have included two serious accidents which have meant touring the album isn't an option.

Arguments about whether Sticky Filth are a punk, metal or a rock band won't be ended with this album. And really, why should they? The trio's template of blistering Motorhead style bass coupled with Chris Snowdon's metallic guitar leads with Craig Radford's melodic voice hovering over the top as the drummer sets the beat. As always the songs vary in tempo. The only major change, other than the new drummer, is that Snowdon handles vocal duties on two songs and his voice is just a little rougher than Radford's.

"Happy Birthday" has a quick beat that is similar to songs like "The Yorkshire Ripper" and "Dig You Up" from the band's first album. "The Witch That Got Away" should please those familiar with "The Burning" both musically and thematically. "Leave In The Morning" has rock radio hit potential written all over it due to its catchy chorus. The acoustic version of "Hate Remains" serves well as an album ender Sticky Filth will be able to win new fans while keeping their older ones simply by keeping with the tried and true. While listening to this album on my I-pod travelling on a train, two twenty-somethings were discussing whether it sounded like Parkway Drive or Disturbed and then asked what the music was. I really don't think the music sounds like either of these bands as the songs just sound like Sticky Filth. Expect to see this album on a number of best of 2011 lists.

4.5/5

Buy it here.

The Fucking Wrath - Valley of The Serpent's Soul

2011-12-08T14:14:00.001-08:00

Hybridization often produces interesting results but often predictable results. Just look at fairly recent DVD releases like Sharktopus. Before even seeing the movie, there's some preconceived idea that the film is a horror or thriller featuring a monster that is a cross between a shark and an octopus. The Fucking Wrath create their own monstrous music by crossing the eighties hardcore of Black Flag with a heavy dose of modern stoner metal of High on Fire.

As the band name suggests this isn't supposed to be easy listening music and a continual anger rages throughout the album. There's the driving sound of Zeke in the intro to opener " The Question" and there's no denying that the vocals have the dope-smoking chest-beating caveman throaty roaring spit of High on Fire's Matt Pike. It's not all stoner metal and hardcore as snippets of Maiden ring though the stuck in mud sludgy heaviness of the appropriately titled "Swansong of a Madman". The Black Flag influence mostly travels though in the chaotic yet controlled instrumentation especially in "Neuroddyssey", which is divided into three parts with the last named "Caverns of Black Flags".

The Fucking Wrath might not sound like the most original band but what they've done with the Black Flag blueprint beats the likes of Bl'ast and Career Suicide due to their fitting more into the heavy stoner metal category than hardcore. Take the journey to the Valley of the Serpent's Soul and feel the burn The Fucking Wrath.

4/5

Band website here.

Buffalo Bangers- Blockader 7"

2011-12-06T16:25:00.001-08:00

Atlanta's Buffalo Bangers play an 80's style gothic-death rock on this 7" single from Private Leisure Industries. Largely owing to the stylish female vocals similarities comparisons to Siouxsie and The Banshees will wash over this lot and this short review is another of many likely to come although I do also hear the likes of Bauhaus. "Granite Grandma" strikes me as the straighter rock song with its steady but basic beat and is definitely the stronger of the two songs.

The band have made a couple of videos for both songs.

Granite Grandma

Blockader

This band gets bonus points from me for having their own website.

3/5

Monogamy Party - Pus City

2011-12-05T15:20:00.001-08:00

"Pus City" is far from the possibility of a scenic place as they eye can see. This metropolis is the creation of three piece Seattle band Monogamy Party. There is nothing kind or beautiful in their music. The bass and drum driven trio stab the listener in the ear with a fork and then twist it around a number of times with pliers with screaming being the objective. Exactly whose screaming it is, really doesn't matter. If the sound were personified it would be a rancid green-toothed puke covered hobo living out a teenage mutant ninja turtle fantasy in a sewer puking out philosophy whilst unknowingly regressing to a toddler's mindset.

Check out "Covenant of Brother's" repitition of the phrase "This life is worse than death" because comparing this band to Old School came to mind but they're noisier than those nine and ten years old ever were and aren't as given to traditional song structures.

This is the type of band who would be proud as punch to be told by their parent that their music sounds similar to a toilet flushing and would attempt and succeed at getting even noisier comparisons however sometimes there's often an early Beastie Boys type rap fighting imprisonment of the chaotic trio's mind-bending weirdness.

3.5/5

You can order the band's 10 inch vinyl and hear their music here.

Bradley Wik and The Charlatans - Burn What You Can, Bury The Rest

2011-11-30T16:01:00.001-08:00

I admit that I know near to nothing about the alt-country movement and wasn't even sure if I should use a hyphen or a full stop in the sub-genre's abbreviated name. My knowledge starts with John Doe and ends right at Drag The River. Uncle Tupelo and Wilco have largely gone ignored by this writer due to personal taste defining most of it as just plain boring.

Both of my ears pricked up when I heard Bradley Wik and The Charlatans and it wasn't just because I thought the UK indie band had immigrated to the states. There's an attention grabbing gravelly raw country in the voice which melodically emotes "The Dark Lovely". Just try listening to "66 Chevelle" without thinking of Springsteen, the Boss comes through in both Bradley's voice and the lyrics which resonate with fond remembrance of long gone younger days.
And many Night/s I’ve tried to go back to our younger days/
Listenin’ to the Stones in her daddy’s car/ Out on some Lost Highway
And we’d just pull that car off to the side of the road/
And we’d drink and we’d kiss and we’d talk about the future.

Bradley Wik represents the average working man from first hand knowledge in "Friday Night is for the Drinkers" It's hard to fathom many who can't relate to the last lines even if it was many years ago:

Friday Night is for the Drinkers trying to shake off the
week/And Saturday Night is for all the Boys and Girls trying to
find someplace new to sleep.

"This Old House" and "I am Not Afraid" use the backing vocals of Brianne Kathleen effectively as the two voices interlock but it's still clear exactly who is the main player. There's a soul completely stripped naked in "Just Like John Fickes" demonstrating song-writing, which is capable of storytelling without getting lost in narrative and losing the song part.

I have been depriving myself if this is anything like what Uncle Tupelo and Wilco sound like and those punk bands I've heard who want to sound like Springsteen should listen to this and take notes. Though I would suggest changing the name of the band but that's only because I have prior knowledge of the UK indie rockers. This album will strongly appeal to fans of Steve Earle and Bruce Springsteen plus a lot of alt.country fans. See, I'm still not sure about the sub-genre's shortened form.

4/5

There's a sneak peak of the album on this site.

Iggy and The Stooges- In The Hands of the Fans DVD

2011-11-29T10:54:00.001-08:00

Through an online competition six fans were sent to film and interview Iggy and The Stooges play the “Raw Power” album at Montocelli New York’s “ All Tomorrow’s Parties” Festival. The competitors had to submit a HD video clip of themselves with probing questions and reasons for wanting to film that show a passion for the Stooges.

Fans filming a band could have led to dubious quality videoing with the camera operator getting carried with the music as on the average amatuer youtube clip. However many of these fans come from a background in media and there has been some great editing work using all six cameras done by a non-contestant.

While the video opens with clips from the contestants are first up, of course the meat and potatoes material is the actual concert footage, which is uninterrupted. Iggy Pop is all over the stage more like a toddler that discovered energy drinks whilst already on a sugar rush rather than a man old enough to be many of the camera operator/interviewer’s grandfather. It absolutely shows that he loves working the stage as Iggy manically twirls this way, that way and almost absolutely any other way that is humanly possible. Even if he didn’t have his shirt off, it would still be apparent that the guy keeps himself in great shape. Guitarist, James Williamson and bass player, Mike Watt are much more subdued and don’t move around very much. Despite being the youngest band member and not displaying much movement Mike Watt smiles like he is having the time of his life and really why shouldn’t he be?

For the song Shake Appeal, Iggy asks for for dancers, spazzers and freaks to come on stage and The Stooges are swamped by a couple of dozen people but the band play on despite the stage resembling an overcrammed bus. During the shows the frontman dives into the audience a number of times and the real reason security are on the stage is not to contend with overeager audience but to pick Iggy up and get him upright on the stage. The ever-present primal rawness of The Stooges shows without raw camera work. There’s more here than just the “Raw Power” material as there are eight other songs taken mainly from The Stooges early works. It’s impossible to pick a best-performed song but there is a very short moment where Iggy is unhappy about the bass sound and lets everyone know it.

The interview questions in the bonus feature are asked to Iggy, James and Scott. The fan’s questions provide some interesting answers and Iggy does most of the talking and comes across as a different character with articulate and revealing answers which contrast with onstage unpredictable wildman persona. Amongst other things the band talk about their average audience in their early days, how they got a bunch of London schoolgirls to listen to their recordings of Raw Power before they released them and how timeless really isn’t a good word to describe their music. It would have been good if Mike Watt had been in on the interview. The other bonus features are full submitted fan videos, the original advertisement for the contest and the great touch of physical liner notes by Mike Watt.

The band’s live performance translates well to DVD and it may well have been because the people filming were already passionate about the band or just because the Stooges sizzle because they are a crack band in a class of their own as Iggy is quoted as saying on the back cover.

5/5

The above review was originally written for dvdholocaust where you can find a few more of my dvd reviews and don't forget to check out the other reviews.

Forty Years Ago - David Bowie -Hunky Dory

2011-11-23T17:00:00.001-08:00

DAVID BOWIE “Hunky Dory” 1971

Aligning yourself with other popular artists by name checking them can often seem a bold move and could be seen as using the fame and works of others to further your own career. Unlike U2 who have convinced only themselves that they are great as THE BEATLES. On “Hunky Dory” DAVID BOWIE chose to reference Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan and Lou Reed and manages not to come off as pompous. This is largely due to the theatrical approach often taken both in the lyrics and the vocals. “Song for Dylan” starts with a convincing imitation of Dylan’s voice before BOWIE finds his own voice to tribute the man “with a voice like sandpaper and glue”. “Queen Bitch” is possibly the best LOU REED imitation ever performed. Not only is the voice similar but also the guitar strumming and the lyrical approach is similar to much of LOU REED as the song is also about a transvestite and nightlife. “Andy Warhol” is an acoustic guitar piece with a playful tongue in cheek that due mostly to Bowie’s voice and lyrics has so much more to offer than Warhol’s art.

Radio programmers all around the word have made sure we’ve all heard album opener “Changes”. There’s definitely no denying its catchiness. “Oh! You Pretty Things” is fantastic piano driven pop with drums coming in mid-song and then disappearing like a thief in the night but speeding up the piano’s heart-beat. “Life on Mars” is classic BOWIE and has an ambience that rivals “Space Oddity”. The upbeat catchy “Kooks” ensures a cheerful change of pace and the piano and touches of trumpet aid in convincing that the cross dressing songwriter really is a kook. “Quicksand” despite the melancholic piano does the opposite of sinking with clever lyrics about Crowley and well known World War Two heroes and enemies.
The piano and falsetto on “Fill Your Heart”are custom fit for stage shows and BOWIE’s versatility is once again proven. Bowie’s showmanship is integral to this album and gives it a timeless quality. Dated is a word that definitely cannot be used to describe this album.

Forty Years Ago - Stray-Suicide

2011-11-22T15:48:00.001-08:00

Second albums are always difficult affairs. With the initial album release preparation time is often suffice to prepare a great album but with the second both pressures and expectations mount within a shorter time frame. However UK heavy rock band STRAY hit the nail on the head with their sophomore album “SUICIDE”.

Opening track “Son of the Father” starts with some quiet singing over an acoustic guitar before turning into an uptempo heavy rocker. This turns into an instrumental with a number of time changes. Like most anti-war songs, there is a military beat but it’s not there for long at all. The song stops and then starts again repeating the battlecry-like soft intro before launching back into song. The fuzzed out guitar of Del Bromham
On “Nature’s Way” ensure this album rocks out further and the rhythm section that grabs the listener by the throat with their effective timing and tempo changes while the guitar leads smoke in the instrumental piece. “Where Do Our Children Belong” and “Dearest Eloise” are quieter tracks that equal the BEATLES mellower moments both instrumentally and due to singer, Steve Gadd’s voice. “Jericho” lulls the listener in with some of the great instrumental work. There’s a feel to the song that is similar to early IRON MAIDEN. When making “Making all of Jericho crumble to the ground” is sung, the falling city collapsing is convincing with the panic sounds that the guitars and drums imitate. The organ sound tremor warns of a horrific earthquake. However, the melodic hooks within the song could have stopped the city crumbling as they offer the listener much more than simply something to hang on.

“Run, Mister, Run” has a chorus that is listed in doctor’s notes as being contagiously catchy. The bass and guitar riffs are listed as a fire hazard by emergency departments. “Do You Miss Me” has a shuffling beat before going into a jam with some hot grilling and baking guitar riffing. If barbecuing and collapsing cities weren’t enough, the title track “Suicide” is an explosion of anger, bass riffs, guitar leads with lyrics that tell the story of a black man about to kll himself. The heaviness of the subject matter is more than matched by the music. The phrase “Rocks like a bitch” was invented as a worthy way of describing this song and in fact, this album. This STRAY album should be adopted and loved despite the possibilities of setting your house on fire

Forty years ago - Skid Row - 34 Hours

2011-11-21T17:03:00.001-08:00

SKID ROW “34 Hours”, 1971

Kicking out a singer like Phil Lynott out of a band and replacing him with a fresh faced guitar player may have seemed like a crazy move but it paid huge dividends for SKID ROW when they replaced Lynott with a young and extremely talented guitar player named Gary Moore. The heavy driving power chords and great guitar leads that Gary Moore was once renowned for open this album and while he doesn’t demonstrate a huge range of vocal ability there is no denying that he is also a capable singer. The flashy guitar playing and wah wah effects that appear on his pre-blues solo outings are utilised on this disc on tracks like “Night of the White Witch” and the smoking rocker “First Thing in the Morning” where drummer, Noel Bridgeman plays like a man possessed. Country/blues rock track “Mar” eventually turns into a jam fest which thankfully lifts it from being a total snorefest. “Go, I’mNever Going to Let You” is the sound of a band having a lot of fun playing and is as much fun for the listener. While MC5’s “High Time is an album of head shakers, straight country track “Lonesome still” is as interesting as watching paint dry and as appealing as receiving diagnosis of a terminal disease. The guitar driven rock tracks make this an album still well worth devoting both your ears.

Forty Years ago- Three Man Army - A Third of a Lifetime

2011-11-20T13:43:00.001-08:00

THREE MAN ARMY “A Third Of A Lifetime”, 1971

Using the ammunition of loud CREAM worshipping guitar harmonies and smooth vocals THREE MAN ARMY attack the listener. Unfortunately at times the vocals seem somewhat weak and the lyrics seem trite as in “Butter Queen” which due its repetitive chorus annoys after repeated listens. While the hard rock instrumentation lends a heaviness factor to the band’s overall sound the easy listening vocal stylings take from the overall appeal of the band. There is a universal appeal due to the funky groove of instrumental “Nice One” but the disc isn’t capable of packing an overall wallop in every song akin to LED ZEPPELIN “IV”. The punches are still delivered though in songs like “Three Man Army” but they’re just not hard hitting enough to convince.

Forty Years Ago - Part Two - STONEHOUSE - Stonehouse Creek

2011-11-17T16:30:00.001-08:00

This five part series of reviews were originally written as part of a much bigger article on a different website covering a number of albums that came out during 1971.

STONEHOUSE “Stonehouse Creek”, 1971It’s often difficult to judge an album by its cover. However STONEHOUSE chose to throw their red herring in their first song which begins with a melodic pop song. The band then on “Hobo” show their hand at hard rock with piano playing in the background and high vocals that would be the envy of many a female jazz or blues singer in the foreground. “Cheater” is very much heavy rock due to the guitar tone and equals other heavy bands of the year. “Nightmare” has a huge guitar boogie feel despite the piano playing in parts of the song. The drums and bass compliment the huge guitar tone on tracks like “Down, Down”and leads that command attention. Often the production, which sounds tinny due to the sound of feedback left on the first few songs, means that unlike BLACK SABBATH’s “Master of Reality” it sounds somewhat dated and doesn’t demand the volume to be turned up all the way through.

Forty years ago - Faust S/T 1971

2011-11-16T17:33:00.001-08:00

FAUST – S/T, 1971

Yearning for originality within music has always meant either exploring or inventing unfamiliar genres. German band FAUST are these days considered to be firmly part of the Krautrock gesture. The music is much more experimental than balls to the wall four on the floor rock music. In fact, it is difficult to consider the tracks on this album as songs. There are catchy moments such as the hypnotising vocals on “Meadow Meal that command “to stand in line, keep in line” but these are far and few between. On “Why don’t you eat carrots?”, there is singing over synthesiser flatulence and often it sounds like an instrument that was lying around the studio was noticed, picked up, played and then put back down only to picked up again later. There’s no denying that the tracks with all their variations in sounds and the risks taken are musically interesting but it’s not an album that is easy to go back to and have further listens whatever your mood unlike ALICE COOPER’s “Love It To Death”.

Sandrider - Sandrider

2011-11-15T12:08:00.000-08:00

In Frank Herbert's Dune books, a sandrider is a person who has managed to capture and ride one of the gigantic sandworms that live on the planet Arrakis. The band Sandrider are closer to the worms themselves as they're much much heavier than any mythological beast jockey.

The Seattle band feature three of the city’s most unstoppable forces: drummer Nat Damm and guitarist John Weisnewski of Akimbo, and bassist Jesse Roberts of The Ruby Doe.

There's a slugdy sluggish Sabbath-esque heaviness to "Children" accompanied with husky yet buried vocals that bring High on Fire to mind. The band mine the musical vein of their homecity as there's a Mudhoneyish grunge feel to The Corpse with a Tad sized underbelly. A dirty filthy metallic spinetingling riff stabs through and cuts the grunge overlay in "Crysknife". "Voices" is a godzilla disgustingly heavy gingantic-sized guitar-oriented howler of a song. "Paper" just convinces that these guys love their grunge as much as their metal and is a fine sifting blending of both. "Scatter" should excite most alternative 90's music fans as the opening sounds familiar even if it's difficult to pinpoint exactly whether it's liberal borrowing from Jane's Addiction or the likes of grungesters Mudhoney.

There's a couple of songs like "The Judge" that are a little too long on this album However anyone longing for grunge with a slab of metal or a slab of grunge with a dosage of metal should check out Sandrider.

Listen to some of the album here.

Lucky

2011-11-09T15:53:00.000-08:00

You may remember The Goops posts sometime ago if you're one of the few and proud who follow this blog. A reader asked for Lucky to uploaded and another reader recently informed me that a guy from Warrior Soul wrote the songs on this album which may or maynot explain why the songs remind me of Blondie.

Lucky you.

Beneath Wind and Waves - Non-etre

2011-11-08T15:15:00.000-08:00

I'll admit it first up, I thought Non-être was the band name due to a personal disdain for band names that are far longer than album titles. Turns out that I was wrong on not one but two counts as not only is "Non-être" the album title but Beneath Wind and Waves is a one-man mellow melancholy dealing project by Portland-based singer-songwriter Shawn Lawson Freeman.

With a janglish guitar sound over sombre lyrics like "America loves a trainwreck", it's hard not to think of the likes of Red House Painters. That America is a huge continent and often filled of nothingness comes though ihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifn the barrenness of Transference" It's not only melancholy as there's a theme of self-absorbtion, which is something most of us are guilty of at sometime or another.

"Persephone" features the vocals of Stephanie Schneiderman and due to its subject matter, music and alternating vocals brings to mind Prefab Sprout's "The Ice Maiden" and the song is definitely one of the highlights on the album.
"98" is one of those weird songs where a male voice takes on a female narrator. I found this baffling due to a female voice being used in other songs and it's tough to tell whether the song is taking on the euthanasia debate.

Lyrics like "You're the sugar in my tea" definitely won't win everyone over and confuses the hell out of me. There's a number of songs that would have been better served with brevity as listening to a number of songs on Non-etre is the aural equivalent of running a marathon due to their length.

Band Website

Poor Boy's Soul - Burn Down

2011-10-16T17:59:00.000-07:00

Blues has always been the music from those that have seen hard times first time and got their hands dirty by working hard. Poor Boy's Soul also known Trever Jones was once an organic farmer so likely got his hands dirty playing with farm machinery, weeding and picking spray-free vegetabes.

The title track to "Burn Down This House" has a lived-in feel not unlike the music of Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf. If Bob Log played the blues under a full moon and drank much more whiskey then Bob'd be able to emulate a song like "Movin' To The City". More drinking and bluegrass sums up the hoedown of "Nails and Pines". Gospel is touched upon in "Throwing Stones" although your local church pastor is unlikely approve with a smiling face unless he chainsmokes Malboro cigarettes and chases each smoke with a drink of whiskey to get rid of the tobacco tang. Since I've already mentioned Bob Log, I'd be surprised if anyone familiar with the Voodoo Rhythm doesn't enjoy most of this one man band's album. The folky soppiness of Annalisa seems somewhat out of place amongst the rawness of the other songs. The album drops in November but you can listen to the title track here as it's been given away as a free single.

Feorm

2011-10-14T19:40:00.000-07:00

Feorm is a word taken from Germanic roots. British band Feorm formed in 2010 and recorded their album in dimly lit barn. The band take a semi-improvisational approach to music. Their original idea was to turn up live without having rehearsed or played together before.

It's difficult not to think of 80's funk song "Ride The White Horse" and the likes of the band, Faust whilst listening to the album's first track "Clatterhoof". As a kid I enjoyed trips to the ocean and "Acceptance" evokes images of wide blue sky covering an equal blue sea. The band are clearly nature lovers as another song is titled "The Sea" another "Sund Dogs" and yet another "Man is an island". If I were on a tropical desert island, the clicks and beats combined with guitar in "Cyclick" would be the ideal soundtrack to take it all in. There's a jazz fusion feel to the forgiving "It is the Mercy" Many years ago I lived in a flat where in the middle of winter you had to walk outside to go to the toilet. I thought I was hard done by until I heard of those that had to walk to the back of yard to go in a dug out toilet. I'm not certain if that's the theme of "The Long Drop". Let's hope not although the band are definitely capable of getting out the feelings of the song titles in their instrumental music. There's a definite warmth to "Sun Dogs".

Some instrumental music is made as mere background music but Feorm offer the listener the chance to come up with their own images. The band's CD is limited to 1,000 copies and can be listened to and ordered through their bandcamp site.

Feorm's bandcamp

Black Pussy - On Blonde

2011-09-22T17:53:00.001-07:00

There's a stonewashed seventies vibe almost all over this recording. From the hypnotically repetively catchy fuzzed out opener "Marijuana". "Can't Take Anymore" contains a Queens of The Stone Age feel similar to that of the previously reviewed White Orange. So it comes as no great surprise that members of White Orange are also in Black Pussy.

"Swim" is a distorted laidback slow burner and it's possible to hear the joint being passed around the band and to anyone else in the studio. After the squealing of tyres "Blow Some Steam Off" keeps its promise. "Ain't Talking about Love" grooves and guitar wails like Brant Bjork's solo material. "Indiana" has a more laidback groove but once again it's clear that Brant Bjork is considered the almighty for the song's template.

"On Blonde" is great for anyone out there searching for six songs with a seventies stoner vibe. My only complaint is that this release needs to be longer. The band name means I can end with a smutty innuendo but I'll leave it blank so that you dear intelligent creative reader can insert your own.

[___________________________________________________________________________]

Stephanie Schneiderman - Rubber Teardrop

2011-08-16T16:16:00.000-07:00

Being a reviewer is challenging when something out of your normal sphere of listening comes along. That's how it was with me when I was sent Stephanie Schneiderman's Rubber Teardrop album. At first I was tempted to write it off as enjoyable bakground music and really not much else but then I felt obligated to pay more attention.

Rubber Teardrop opening with a song called "Hush" doesn't exactly slap me in the face however the electronica made me prick up my ears and realize I should pay a little more attention to the album. There's an etheral folkiness to Scheiderman's vocals. It's not a challenge to imagine her fronting The Corrs or being a stand-in for Suzanne Vega. "Riverstone" highlights the crossing of the electronic beat with straight up folk music and conveys a shoegazery tone over the blips. As the title track suggests by its name alone, it's melancholic but it's bounced back by a sweet poppiness. Often throughout the album there's a smooth laidbackness between the beats and the slightly buried vocals seem to beg to be in the foreground. The combining of styles is a feature that runs throughout the album and "Avalon" is a stirred up and stewed mixture of soul and trip-hop sifted through electronic beats. Just when you've things all sorted the contradictory "I am what I am not" states this a folk singer.

While this album didn't punch me in the face, it's a slow-burner and often that's better anyway. At the moment due to the weather , I'd rather have a warm flame of any kind than be battered around. Time to stoke up the fire.

3.5/5

http://www.stephanieschneiderman.com/

Lewis Floyd Henry

2011-08-11T18:47:00.000-07:00

It's always exciting coming across a new artist who you've never heard of but instantlt enjoy. My days of buying random albums due to the cover from bargain bins seem to be coming to an end due to the ongoing closures of record store.
While I was in London I stumbled across this guy busking in Brick Lane Market with his drums, amp and guitar. Later found out he jammed with Mike Williams in the street on the day Eyehategod played London. The last video is of that particular event.

White Orange

2011-07-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

There's a sweet smell and a cloud of smoke plus a bunch of people doing stuff that makes absolutely no sense to anyone that hasn't partaken in what is being shared around. Someone makes a comment about fruit and how it'd be trippy if bananas were purple and oranges were white. Which I guess is how White Orange got their name.

The fuzzed up sound of White Orange kneels and worships on the Josh Homme altar. The two openers sure are punchy and might convince some that they are actually listening to "Rated R" as both the songs right down to the voice and the production are more than a little reminiscent of Queens of The Stone Age at their peak. "Middle of the Riddle" has the nursery rhyme feel ovethat the title indicates at and the singer sounds a little like am ripped heavyweight pschedelic Bowie over the hazy but heavy guitar distortion. The voice of the Thin White Duke comes and goes in "Wonderful" where stoner rock heaviness is the name of the game. The very uptempo "Kill the Kids" invokes an insane spew into the porcelain after drinking too much feel and the song itself, isn't miles away from "To The Quick and to The Pointless".

There's a burn to "Sunspots" that makes it easy to catch more than a waft of the smell of the joint being passed around. The ride finishes with the mellow spacey "Sigourney Weaver" Despite a small amount of filler, the overall spaced out psychedelic groove of White Orange is irresistible.

3.5/5

Band website

Reverend Beatman at Paekakariki 14 July 2011

2011-07-15T02:39:00.000-07:00

Above pic: Boss Christ

There really couldn't be a more perfect venue than a small town church hall when you've got rock and roll prechers Reverend Beatman and Boss Christ on the line up. It was my first ever show at Paekakariki St. Peter's Hall, which is similar to every other community hall I've been to. The BYO alcohol policy suited me fine.
Boss Christ was in fine form with his rawer thanTom Waits metal on metalgrater vocals. My flatmate who'd never seen him before made the comment that his whiskey blues music is great until he sings. I disagree but then again I love Tom Waits and Howling Wolf. There's a great video of him in Christchurch here. At Nick Oliverei he sported a clean shaven appearance but his wolfman appearance is back.

Reverend Beatman got up and sat down. Delaney Davidson got up introduced the Reverend played his own song "Homeward Bound". After that Delaney beat the drums while Reverend Beatman instructed everyone to get on their knees. Delaney then took the stage again and instructed people to waltz with the possibilty of a marriage proposal to keep Reverend Beatman in the country, which lead to a lot of people on the dance floor.

Reverend Beatman pointed out that he was strange-looking but came from a small town in Switzerland like Paekakariki. And that the thousand inhabitants look like him. Before playing "I see the light" The two alternated for a
while with Delaney either playind drums or guitar. Eventually Reverend Beatman played a couple of songs in a row and the show was over.

Above pic: Reverend Beatman, pic taken while he stood like a Madame Tussauds wax statue for about a minute.

The Hard-Ons Live in Berlin

2011-07-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

I moaned about The Hard-Ons sound in London.I tried video recording with my camera but the audio was appalling. Anyway a few days afterwards they played in a small club in Berlin anda live video with great audio that deserves posting has come up on youtube.

And here's another video of an even older punk band with a phallic moniker, this time from the UK. They take me back to my early record buying days and listening to Live At The Chelsea Nightclub in Solitary Confinement.

The Hard-OnsAt The Garage, London 25 June 2011

2011-07-07T20:06:00.000-07:00

Above: Peter and the Test Tube Babies

Originally this show was to be The Hard-Ons with The Stupids but for whatever reason The Stupids were replaced with Peter and The Test Tube Babies. Thinking that there was no way that I was going to miss seeing two veteran punk bands play together, I arrived at this one half an hour after opening time because the Lydia Lunch show last week started exactly on time. Had a look at the times on the sound desk and Peter and The Test Tube Babies weren't due to start for an hour so downed a couple of beers. Looked around at the posters and noticed that A Simple Plan had sold out the 600 capacity venue a few days beforehand and that the Flogging Molly concert next week had also sold out.

Peter and The Test Tube Babies played to about fifty people and opened with "Moped Lads". I think I heard a couple of other songs I recognized but the sound at the garage isn't great.

The Australian trio The Hard-Ons took the stage and the crowd seemd to have tripled. The band played a high energy set blending punk, pop punk and metal which led to the boys all stripping their shirts off in synch. It was announced that this would be drummer Pete's last London show as feeding kids is now his priority. After their set the band left the stage for about a minute they came back and ripped through their encore set.

The reason for the low crowd numbers may have been due to the venue's acoustics or more likely because of the underground line being closed due to upgrading for the London Olympics next year. I talked to one of the guys from the band The Hip Priests, who gave me a badge as I'd heard and like his band. Had a bit of hassle with a bouncer as I'd put my backpack in the venues cloakroom and someone had moved it and lost the label which put a dampener on my night although it was eventually found.

Lydia Lunch's Big Sexy Noise, Purcell Room, 18 June 2011

2011-07-01T11:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back home in time for the New Zealand rain and wind after leaving a 30 degrees celcius day in the UK. Other than doing a little travelling, catching up with family, attending a wedding, watching stand-up comedy, visiting art galleries and museums, I managed to see a few bands in London and with this being a music blog, I'll write about those here. Lydia Lunch's Big Sexy Noise was playing in the Purcell Room while Wire and The Sonics were playing next door for twice the price. All bands were there as part of Ray Davies' Meltdown Festival.

Support band Cindytalk started exactly on time and walk along the ambient road with film images playing above them. They reminded me of Portishead, as I found the performance of the 5 piece compelling and hard to look away but the music isn't something I'd choose to listen to at home. I'm sure Bjork, who I feel similarly about, was included in the images a number of times.

I'd never seen Lydia Lunch before but had heard some of music from the 80's and a little of her spoken word material. Big Sexy Noise arrive to applause and sound great although after a couple of songs there is a request for the guitar to be turned up. Lydia is as confrontational as expected and a great stage performer. Guitarist James Johnston(Gallon Drunk) is equally captivating and feeds off the music and is able to both blank Lydia out and lead her on. Lunch tells someone with a digital camera to "put that thing back in their pants" and continues on through the song "Your Love Don't Pay The Rent". The saxophone of Terry Edwards adds a mellow bluesy swagger dynamic to the and is reminiscent of the band, Morphine with more than a hint of The Birthday Party.

"Doughboy" is dedicated to Courtney Love, Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty, (although Lydia pronounce Pete's surname as Docherty) for being rockers who can't hold their drug use. The dirgy Harry Crews novel based "The Gospel Singer" is a highlight. Lydia asks for more volume on the band's final song "Something Witchy in The Air" which is a straight-up rocker Ian White drum driven rocker.

After a short break the band return to peform Lou Reed's "Kill Your Sons" The song suits both the band and Lydia's psychotic confrontational tendencies like a straitjacketed glove.

The Purcell room struck me as a weird venue as all audience members are seated and most just happily sat and watched. I joined in with the weirdness by buying a tub of ice cream after Cindytalk's set. The average age of the audience would have been around the 40 mark which may account for so many happily seated. Also the whole show was over by 10.30 which was nice after going to so many back home that don't even start until near the midnight mark.

High Time

2011-06-03T03:59:00.000-07:00

Get off that grass. It's not the MC5. It's great rock in a slightly more polsihed format from the land of the rising sun. Now go get a haircut and a proper job.

Not the MC5, four guys from Japan.

2011-05-30T18:14:00.001-07:00

Godmoney is asoundtrack that nearly sums up the nineties for me. I say nearly as there is no grunge. Stanford Prison System are for me the most interesting musically(although they do sound like 2 cents period Beowulf) because let's face it most of those Epitaph 90's bands wanted to be The Descendents and even they, as listening to their track on this comp proves, weren't that good then. Some of this stuff like Blink182 I could do without and so can you but, in the name of impurity, that shit's there.
I learnt not to judge a movie by its soundtrack when The Crow was continued. A movie theatre is an OK place to sleep. I have no desire to see Godmoney but this soundtrack is very good.

Can you dig it?

Campfire Ok - Strange Like We Are

2011-05-26T05:21:00.000-07:00

Flashback to when you were younger and mybe in a club like boy scouts or girl guides telling ghost stories and holding sticks with doughboys cooking over campfire. Campfire OK have a name that conjures up that image which suits their music to a tee. The band blend a warm mixture of americana and folk incorporating jazz elements.

“We Lay In Caves” sets the mellow tone of the album with its lack of guitar, piano coming in and out. The short bursts of trumpet add to the laidback groove and nicely end the song. The intro to “Hard Times” had me thinking of the Afghan Whigs due to a similar seductive quality in the singer’s voice but unfortunately that doesn’t throughout the entire song but that’s because Campfire OK have their own sound going on The title track features a number of different toned (and gendered) voices over folk melodies.

“I Would Like Everything” starts out like a pop song reminiscent of The Go-Betweens although the hooks are not quite as instant as the song isn’t a cheery number. However “Not Young Not Old” is a chirpy and catchy piano-driven tune with an irresistable upbeat rythym. The vocals on “Magic Tricks” fit the downbeat lyrics like a glove. Piano dominates in “Brass” which once again utilizes different background voices. The psychedelic brass on Mexico N-O walks on the dark side of the moon. Unfortunately it’s a walk that veers a little too close to Floyd for comfort

There are times that the band seem to meander but the peaks far out way the valleys.. The album’s mellowness is likely to appeal to fans of The Fleet Foxes and those who miss The Go-Betweens are likely to enjoy the vocalist’s voice.

3.5/5

Magnuson - Crash of Cassini

2011-05-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

Wham! The White Stripes, The Hasselhoff Experiment Sassy!!. Here's another two piece band to add to the list. Like the White Stripes, Greg and Krysten share the same surname which is also the band name. The two take turns throughout the album playing guitar, drums and singing. Unlike a lot of other duos who come my way Magnuson fit more into the prog rock category than the garage rock hangout.

These two take as much influence from The Smiths as Black Sabbath. Over the jangly guitar of "Dark Reality" and "Somewhere" there's a Morrisey style happy melancholy to Greg's vocals. The uplifting vibe is quashed in "Real Control" courtesy of a Black Sabbath guitar tone and Ozzy style vocals. The combination of happiness and depression is a theme in "Blame" with its bouncing rythm and gothic poppiness reminicent of Life of Agony 's "Soul Searching Sun". Male and female vocals are used both to contrast and to provide harmonies on the head on collision of alternative pop and prog rock of "Stars Collide". Tool fans will either wet themselves in ectasy of shout, "RIP OFF" after hearing "Never Know" and "Fear and Deception".

There's a few heard it before moments on "Crash of Cassini". The striking production handled by Greg Magnuson is crisp and clear throughout the album and huge drumbeats and guitar lines come throuh strong. Whether or not, Crash of Cassini is the most musical mayhem created by a boy and a girl is open for debate. There's certainly a lot of noise and at times it is difficult to tell that there are only two band members. Claiming a superlative isn't always a good thing as a few of the songs could have been chopped. Still there's no denying that there is stunning musicianship and a number of great moments on the album that mean it will be replayed. Am I alone in being reminded of the BBC Presenter by the band's name?

The album is due out in July 2011.

3.5/5

http://www.magnusonband.com/

Bloggy Happenings

2011-05-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

As always a number of things have happened in the music blog world. Bloggers have uploaded music and leeches have downloaded it often without acknowledging the bloggers effort even with a thank you. Joe Stumble from The Last Days of Man announced that his excellent blog had come to an end due to his life becoming busier with his move to New Zealand.

Aesop from Cosmic Hearse took a two monthe break due to touring with his bands but is back at full strength with interesting daily uploads.

Andrew Schimdt’s excellent New Zealand music blog, Mysterex just seemed to mysteriously disappear, as has Tim from the Dunedin hardcore band, FOE’s blog, Feardom and Noise. Foe’s demo can be grabbed here.

A blog I haven’t linked to but really should as I check it out regularly largely due to the writing is Cosmo Lee’s Metal Oriented Invisible Oranges. Cosmo has also announced that his blogging days are coming to an end but has written an excellent three-piece article on writing about music that all music bloggers and reviewers should read at least once. Check out it here, here and here.

Sean, who blogs Madblastsofchaos has put up NZ’s first speed metal band, Anigma’s tape on his new blog kiwiblastsofchaos. Another recommendation is checking out The Hasselhoff Experiment albums on Sam’s ratking blog.

I know it’s not music but I’ve recently become a reviewer for the NZ based DVD review site, dvdholocaust, which features weird and mainstream movies Despite a few past and near future posting breaks(don't go expectng much action here in June) have no intention of stopping this blog just yet.

Poino - Moan Loose

2011-05-04T16:40:00.000-07:00

With the latest current affairs concentrating on attacks and wars, it seems timely that UK trio Poino should email me with their all out bombardment of bass and drums that would be more humane than shooting a person dead cold.

These guys would never be considered easy listening as from the onset of "Previous He', these guys concentrate headtripping the listener with unusual rythms. No doubt comparisons to The Fall and The Jesus Lizard largely due to the sandpaper on metal vocal antics of Gaverick de Vis. "Strength of A Cowboy" starts out like a gentle yet mindbending slighly pychedelic intro on Queens on The Stone Age "Rated R" but flies its parasol into much more bizarre and abrasive waters. The clarinet at the end of "Bad Bag" serves the Queens of The Stone Age meeting The Fall as it's "Quick and To Pointless" on a lethal cocktail of caffiene, downers, histamine and way too many rainy days. "Snakes say Wow" is the screwed up acidic jazz that the song title promises.

Puking after a roller coaster ride may well be satisfying and a closure to the previous jerking motions however Poino don't intend for your ride to stop.

This is the opinion of just one man, so definitely, don't take his word for it as he is not always to be trusted.

Listen to the album here.

Sassy!!! Diggin' Deep

2011-04-22T17:42:00.000-07:00

Two piece bands tend to be a hit and miss affair with more misses than hits. As well know from the wellworn dog-eared book of cliches, the cream always rises to the top but then again so does pond scum. In terms of garage punk bands this opens a debate of the merits of cream versus those of pond scum.

Sassy!!! are a two-piece band made of two girls, Lynda Mandolin (who was of Fat Wreck Chords band, Fabulous Disaster) and Christian Diabiase. The band mine further back than just the punk era using sixties sugar-coated pop girl group harmonies on "So Bad It's Good" and "It Really Hurts". It's not all sweetness and light though as witnessed by the large rowdy drumbeats duking it out with the distortion over the ever-present sweet vocals in "Devil's Dance".

To use another cliche, the band's minimalism brings their strongest qualities to the fore. The strong poppy yet punchy harmonies in tunes like "Something About You". Irresistible hammering drums that are often at the forefront of the mix.

There's an equal measure of pond scum punk attitude in the instumentation and the sweetness of cream in the harmonies so I'll leave the rising to the top debate to others. The sticker on the CD compares the bands to the Muffs, The Kills and The Gossip. I can't comment on the others but the Muffs comparison rings true. The only weakness is the lyrics which are typical rock relationship fare. Sassy!!! kick a whole lot of attitude and unlike the cover of their CD are definitely not two dimensional.

4/5

Band Site

Mr Sterile Assembly - Transit

2011-04-10T17:29:00.000-07:00

Mr Sterile Assembly have been knocking around for more than a few years now. The band define their genre as alternative/punk/experimental despite seeming a loose definition of sound defines the bands tunes on Transit accurately. First track "Hibakshu" has a strong Nomeansno style instrumentally. Mr Sterile Assembly take a seat in the experimental corner with brass instruments in "Jesus Heals The Blind" and combines male and female voices. Due to the combination of voices, social and political commentary remind me of NZ 80's bands Teeth and Thin Red Line. Also staying in the 80's is some rap from Dean Hapete from Upper Hutt Posse. Those unfamiliar with the aformentioned bands maybe should just imagine Crass jamming with a jazz band. The album can streamed and downloaded at the band's bandcamp site.

Sweet Alice

2011-04-06T18:51:00.000-07:00

I'm not the greatest fan of Alice In Chains later work but this demo. The first ever songs of theirs I heard were "Man In a Box" and "We Die Young" on a metal show back before the first wave of mainstream grunge hit and the fact that they had a gothic undertone appealed more than most straight metal/hard rock with the exception of early Ratt and Motley Crue. Here's the band at their rawest on their demo which contains traces of the aforementioned bands. The band don't yet sound like the part of the grunge trend on this demo.

Here!

2011-03-31T16:06:00.000-07:00

Some of you are probably aware of The Dirty Projectors reworking of a Black Flag album and others of The Queers cover of The Ramones album "Rocket to Russia". Covering an album that declares that you are the other band is the sort of legend that band's like Negativland are made of. Clawhammer are not Negativland and they're not Devo despite recording their own version of Devo's fine debut.

Firsty!

Research Turtles - Mankiller

2011-03-29T18:08:00.000-07:00

Remember the last good power pop band you heard? Bet it's been a while. It had been for me, anyway. Then young American band, Research Turtles deliver a release in my personal favourite format in the form of their "Mankiller" EP.

From the get go, the sixties influence is strong as short burner, "A Girl Like You" invokes both The Byrds and The Mamas and the Papas with its guitar lines and strong harmonies. The hippy clothes and sickly sweet stench of incense, musk and lavender are shed in the Cheap Trick of "You Are So" and "Rhinestone Girl". "Bugs In A Jar" has single written all over it not because it's throwaway but because the songwriting is strong and if it came over the radio not many people who appreciate strong guitar pop would flick the dial. "Mankiller" rocks with the sort of balls Neil Finn will never grow.

Research Turtles' website declares "We’ve decided to write more and tour less, focusing mainly on promotions through the internet. And most importantly, we have made a conscious effort to create music more collectively". The band's album was already strong so, in effect, there's a predictable reptitive movement causing the use of the also repetitive predictable statement that the band continues to go from strength to strength.

4.5/5

Band Website

Pseudo Heroes

2011-03-24T14:27:00.001-07:00

With Down By Law rating highly, here's a band that sounds a lot like them due largely to the singer's voice and the fact that Pseudo Heroes feature the Sam guitarist as DBL.

Here.

=====================================================================================

In the news section a couple of bands, Gripper and The Dissociates that have featured in this blog have donated songs to help out with the natural and manmade disasters in Japan.

You can order the CD's here.

Greatest Hits

2011-03-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

I was curious to see what was the most downloaded file here after going "strong" for a few years so here's a top ten list

10)Down By Law - Punkrockacademyfightsong
9) Smoking Popes - Born To Quit
8) Tilt - Play Cell
7) Articles of Faith - Core
6) Arcane - Destination Unknown
5) Leatherface - BBC Sessions
4) Number Girl - Sappukei
3) Dead Milkmen - Soul Rotation
2) Boss Hogg - Boss Hogg
1) Cows-Sorry In Pig Minor

The top two don't surprise me at all however there are a few eyebrow raisers there for me. The fact that a progressive speed metal band rated highly is weird to me and that Number Girl is so popular is puzzling to me as much like the Pixies who they're often compared but I find both mostly irritating rather than interesting. The Down by Law album was expected to rate higher.

SLC Punk

2011-03-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

If you've seen the movie SLC Punk, you'll know the mix of Mormons and punk rock ain't a good one and that the movie should have never been made. This album by Mohawked SLC punkers, Endless Struggle is very much of the same ilk. It's difficult to listen to the whole thing. I make it to about the fourth song before completely losing attention. I'd be interested to hear far you get so there's no denying that I am begging for comments from those with shorter and longer attention spans.

Can you make it til the end?.

File Under Better Late Than Never

2011-03-17T19:02:00.001-07:00

A reader asked for more Chemical People quite some time ago....Possibly well over a year but up until recently I'd only been able to find albums that had already been posted here. So if that reader still checks in here (which is unlikely as number and regularity of posts have been cuts mainly due to time constraints) and blogger have made finding drafts unneccessarily difficult.

Badaboom

D.O.A Bar Bodega Wellington March 5 2011

2011-03-10T13:16:00.000-08:00

Decided pretty much at the last minute that seeing Canada's D.O.A was a worthwhile investment. On the other side of town a bunch of NZ bands were playing at the homegrown festival, the only name that caught my eye were Die! Die! Die! and The Clean and it was about four times the price of the touring international band.

Arrived towards the end of Rogernomics set, who I walked out on due largely to not being in the mood for shouty type hardcore. Getting money from an ATM for potentially buying merchandise seemed like a better idea than standing around and watching a band I wasn't into.

Above: The Dead Scene

Next up were three piece band The Dead Scene. I dug these guys who seemed to make good use of two vocalists.

The drummer in Black Lick didn't need to alter his kit between The Dead Scene and Black Lick's set because he drums for both band. Black Lick opened with a song called horoscopes and due to fellow blogger, Brushback's commment that some of their early material was reminiscent of the Hard-Ons I couldn't help thinking the comparison was bang on for that particular song. Most people moved forward for these guys who later in the set threw out copies of their latest single. Didn't manage to get a copy.

Above: Black Lick

D.0.A. are basically Joey and two guys young enough to be his grandkids. I don't recall ever actually hearing a full D.O.A but much like The Vibrators. It turned out I knew a number of songs and Joey's stage presence mimicked those of Hendrix (playing the guitar with the teeth) and The Who period Pete Townshend(windmilling). The mixture of older and newer material worked well. An encore was played which included a version of Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues.

Steel Wings

2011-03-03T14:42:00.001-08:00

Back to post while between earthquakes. A while back I was asked to post some NZ metal so here is some from an 80's band called Stonehenge with a rare beast entitled Wings of Steel. Stonehenge.

I was never a fan of Wellington metallers Backyard Burial but this story is a horrific happening.

TMGE - Singles (Taiwan release)

2011-02-13T14:41:00.000-08:00

A reader(TDWN) requested a reup so here he goes

Thee Michelle Gun Elephant were a rawkus garage rock band from Japan. Some internet sites would make you believe they were the biggest rock in Japan. Well, I don't know about that however there are definitely huge crowds in the live clips on the "Film Stars Not Dead" DVD I picked up.

I found this singles collection in the Japanese owned Sogo department store in Taichung, Taiwan and bought it based on a recommendation and was rewarded. I've lost the cover so the above picture is the back cover. I've looked around the internet for more information on this release but couldn't find any. It appears it may have been a Taiwan only release.

Here

RIP Gary Moore

2011-02-06T15:42:00.000-08:00

Damn!

This One!!

2011-02-01T13:15:00.000-08:00

If you're astute and followed this blog for a while you may have noticed that a couple of all woman bands from Asia featured in the form of Taiwan's BB Bomb and Japan's Thug Murder. The Gaia were an all female Japanese band that were knocking around in the mid 90's. They made their way over to the States and played Gilman Street(which is a legendary venue due to weighty fanzine status but probably a shithole that's actually no different to many other venues) and recorded a few live songs on this half studio album. Anyway the Gaia play speedy ripping punk rock which really should be heard by everyone interested in such things. It's a shame there's not to much info around about these girls.

It's this one!

No SaNER

2011-01-27T15:42:00.000-08:00

I don't know a whole lot about this Virginia metal band and there's not much info out there in cyberspace. Anyway they're a three piece and have a sound somewhere between Bay Area thrash metal and some of the metaller 80's US punk stuff. The album, Ire is made up of studio and live track plus a cassette only release.

Grrrrr.

Vibrators - New Zealand 2010

2011-01-26T14:56:00.001-08:00

There is no text.

Arcwelder

2011-01-15T22:21:00.000-08:00

Here's an early Bob Mould album. Hang on, it's an actual band and they're all wearing Husker Du T-shirts and consider "Workbook" to be the greatest album ever made.

Jack it!

Rocket Jocks

2011-01-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

Remember when ESPN extreme sports was often backed by American pop punk. This Gisborne soap box derby clip utilizes the same idea with Gisborne band The Rocket Jocks song "Man VS Robot".

Fluf - Home Improvements

2011-01-11T16:19:00.000-08:00

Although San Diego based Fluf were a band that had a New Zealand connection through drummer Miles Gillet, who was previously in Salad Daze. The band's sound falls somewhere between Big Drill Car, Husker Du and grunge bands like Seaweed and Nirvana.

I think so, Tim.

Heavy Hitting

2011-01-10T16:55:00.001-08:00

Staying with Wellington bands, Tough Love are in the hard rock mode and wear their love of AC/DC, Zeppelin Motorhead and early Motley Crue on black T-shirt sleeves. This band play no-nonsense rock and roll with the varied eternal themes of drinking, chasing women, drinking and chasing women.

Hit it!

Black Lick

2011-01-09T16:34:00.000-08:00

Black Lick are a local band who have played support to a number of internationals. With two members holding US passports, the Wellington band themselves could qualify as internationals. The band have changed drummers a few times since the release of their original demo which I picked up a couple of years back. The band bulldoze with a rumbling Motorhead bass and Dwarves speed. Of course, this three song recording is no substitute for seeing them live.

Lick

Mush

2011-01-05T16:17:00.000-08:00

It's come to my attention that some of you out there consider Nirvana's "Nevermind" to be the most important released in 1991 but that's because you missed Leatherface's "Mush". If you haven't heard the band, imagine Lemmy from Motorhead fronting Husker Du and consistently keeping a melody. First time I heard it was on cassette which ended up being played a lot on my Ford Escort car radio/cassette player which decided the band not only sounded great but was also nutritous and ate the tape.

Eat it up.

Stupid end of the year list

2010-12-24T02:37:00.001-08:00

Five people I'd like to see and hear less of next year

1) John Campbell - You're a journalist. Drinking champagne with people who starred in a TV series you had a bit role in is networking at its most embarrassing.

2) Mark Sainsbury - Also embarrasing for similar reason. The sooner the NZ TV networks realize these presenters are a waste of space the better.

3) Gordon Ramsey - so you can swear and you can cook. A labourer in the tropics can do both much better. Your head would be a perfect fit in a show about microwave cooking. Hannibal Lecter would be the ideal presenter.

4) Sports Presenters - Just go away - your throwaway comments are unneccessary. Prime news has it right as one presenter and half an hour for news is all that is needed.

5) A tie between Sonny Bill Williams and Rhys Darby. Stick to your day jobs and let the Briscoes lady do more advertising work.

Good TV Shows

1) Outrageous Fortune- NZ comedy drama
2) The Middle - good family comedy
3) 7 Days - Proof NZ TV comedy shows work if the comedians can only saw a few lines at a time.
4) Thank God, You're here (please put this aussie show on a primetime TV spot).
5) Who wants to be a Millionaire? - The fun is in not only guessing the answers but also guessing how Chris Tarrant will touch the women.

Five good movies of the year

Boy
Avatar
Animal Kingdom
My name is Khan
Inception

Best NZ sporting moments

Wellington Phoenix getting into the A-league play-offs and selling out Westpac Stadium. Who would have thought two soccer games in six months would sell out in a nation where rugby is given the biggest push?

Shane Smeltz's goal against Italy. Mainstream media will say it's Winston Reid's goal that made NZ appear that they deserved to be in the football world cup but overlook that the team beat Serbia in the lead up and that Smeltz's goal around the six minute mark in this game that took the lead and meant they were potential giant killers.

New Zealand winning the gold medal in the netball in the commonwealth games. The game was good to watch and the celebration of the win even better. Shame about the size of local crowds at most event.

The Kiwis showing that they were capable of beating the Kangaroos on their home turf and proving that winning the rugby league world cup wasn't a fluke of nature.

In Rugby the All Blacks are always expected to win and at the end of the year often did so.

Music releases

Sorry, can't do just five.

1) Devo - Something for Everybody
2) Teenage Fanclub - Shadows
3) The Dissociates - Waiting for the Backlash EP
4) Demontage - The Principal Extinction
5) Sigh - Scenes from Hell
6) Leatherface - The Stormy Petrel
7) Autistic Youth - Idle Minds
8) Killing Joke - Absolute Dissent
9) Pasadena Napalm Division EP
10) Off! - First four EP's

J Minus - Devil Music (2010)

2010-12-20T18:56:00.000-08:00

The promo material describes J Minus as an atypical rock band who don't party hard or wear tight pants and the band share only a couple of tattoos between them on alternating weekends. The band definitely aren't hard since they sound more like the Wallflowers than Slayer or Minor Threat(who also didn't party hard or wear tight pants).

The album starter definitely takes cues from Jacob Dylan's crew with a simlilar chorus line. It's hard to differentiate between a drumbeat and handclapping. In contrast, all instruments can be clearly made out in the gently calming light rock of "When the Lights Go Out". Various instruments are clearly used on the begging "Can I Count on You? with the mellow vocals softly dragging the listener in for a sugar-coated ride. "The One" lives up to its name as it's the standout track and has AOR radio hit written all over it due to its sheer catchiness. Oddly, "Into the Dark" reminded me of "Super Star Car Wash" period Goo Goo Dolls. Often with the songs on this album, it's the instrumental introductions that cause interest so they've got it right as far as grabbing attention right away goes while the songs themselves continue to roll gently along.

I'd originally assumed that the cover crayon art was drawn by one of the J Minus guy's kid but turns out the artist is in the family but is actually a sister. Also one of the guys thanks his mother and father but this is hard to make out as the print is in a blue balloon so I hope the parents don't have failing eyesight. The fact that J Minus have two other albums out there makes this the band's grown up album and the album title(Devil Music, when really it's about as evil and offensive as a paper clip) and childish artwork betray their maturity.

3/5

Buy from amazon

Congratulations, You Suck

Schminkie

2010-12-11T00:35:00.000-08:00

Most Fat Wreck bands do nought for me but Fat Mike signed a far better band than NOFX(although that's hardly a difficult chore) in Uk punk band Snuff. The Fat Wreck site calls Snuff the best British punk band ever but while they're good, there are plenty past British bands like The Toy Dolls who could easily contest that tag.

Over 'ere, guv'ner.

Snuff Said

Delaney Davidson

2010-12-06T18:34:00.000-08:00

Since my last post was about an act I missed on Saturday night. This one is about an act I missed on Sunday night due to visiting friends and relatives. Delaney Davidson played ten minutes from where I live and I was unable to attend. The guy, who like the Transistors is also originally from Christchurch and is signed to Swiss label Voodoo Rythm, which inludes BoB Log III among others.

There's an interesting video interview with Delaney Davidson giving his life story here.

The Transistors - Real Kids

2010-12-05T14:46:00.000-08:00

Saw in the paper that Christchurch band The Transistors were playing Saturday night in Wellington at Mighty Mighty. It would have been nice to see them play again as the last time I saw them was a support band for The Datsuns and The Dirtbombs. Not many people caught them and really missed out. Unfortunately I couldn't make it on Saturday night due to other commitments. Here's a sample of what I missed out on....to my ears this song falls somewhere between The Undertones "Teenage Kicks" and just about every Buzzzcocks song.

On U2

2010-11-23T15:14:00.000-08:00

U2 are playing two Auckland shows in the next few days. I saw U2 play in Wellington back in 1989 when they were touring "Rattle and Hum" with BB King and because I was used to small venue shows I felt disappointed by the lack of intimacy and the outdoors sound. I vowed never to see the band again even though I still liked a lot of their music. I confess that I haven't bought a U2 album since "All That You Can't Leave Behind" which I was listening to last night on my Ipod and realized that none of the songs really do anything for me anymore. The U2 I like existed in the eighties and lasted 4 albums if you exclude "Under A Blood Red Sky"(which served as my introduction to the band). I'll admit the Joshua Tree isn't a bad album but personally I never liked the final two songs unlike previous efforts where I liked every song.
Here's a couple of U2 songs that highly likely won't be played at the concert. The first one because it's dreadful and the second because it has more or less disappeared from their catalogue.

U2 are a band that divides opinion and I can leave them more easy than take them these days.

The Goops

2010-11-18T16:51:00.000-08:00

It seems that once a year I get a request to repost this album. I'm happy to comply because I think the album is awesome even if the complete plonker that requested it didn't leave an email so I could let them know that it was re-upped.

Here's what I wrote about it a couple of years ago.

Another New York punk band that absolutely rocks. This four piece band is female fronted and once again I don't know too much about them but a google search reveals they have at least two albums and a song on the Mallrats soundtrack. The music is punk and there are shades of the punker Blondie and I'm also reminded of both Throwing Muses(particularly on the last song I am Legend) and Transvision Vamp at times.
Third song The Day I Met Iggy is classic punk rawk with its catchy chorus and autobiographical lyrics about not impressing Mr Pop.

This now defunct band have a myspace site where you can hear a couple of songs from their self titled album. There they state that their influences as The Ramones, Stiff Little Fingers, Iggy Pop, The Clash, Blondie, The Avengers, MC5, Radio Birdman and listening to the self titled album that does nail their sound and they cover MC5's City Slang on this album. It is also stated that their first album is as much rock as punk and the second one is more pop.
Songs:
Dead/Alive
I Don't Care
The Day I Met Iggy
City Slang
Use No Hooks
Nobody Goes To Waste
Never Live It Down
Island Earth
Booze Cabana
I am Legend

Get it!

The Winebirds - Seance Hill

2010-11-16T14:56:00.000-08:00

Indie folksters Winebirds herald from Portland, Oregon and are made up of two girls and three guys and make the most of this line-up vocally with male and female vocals. The female vocals dominate and at times bring to mind the strenth of the harmonies are reminiscent ofThe Corrs.

It's not all female vocals though there's a Mick Jagger style rasping at the forefront on "The Solution" and "Out in The Van which the accompanying female voice softens. Upbeat chirpy female voice lend "Hit Machine" a happy indie pop feel. "Tideman" sways in and out with searching melacholic undertones. That one song is titled "Cassandra" offers a clue as "Vanity" travels back from modern folk to the sixties courtesy of Mamas and The Papas. To say that Jagger style vocals take the role of Nancy Sinatra's boots and walk all over the song is understating it.

While the switch between female and vocals often doesn't work for me and the band's direction is uncertain. Possibly this is simply because "Seance Hill" doesn't really fit with my usual listening diet so I can't identify find a bad song on it. It'll be interesting to see which direction this band go in the future.

3/5

The Winebirds on myspace.

Ninjas!

2010-11-03T18:06:00.000-07:00

If you're over thirty you can probably when the abbreviation FTW was somewhat shocking. With a change of pace, psychobillies from the Rising Sun, Battle of the Ninjamanz are living within that time period. What they lack in imagination they make up for in pace whether this is a good or bad thing is up to the listener personally I think it's a good thang.

Ninjas are better than Pirates.

GBH San Francisco Bathhouse, Wellington 8 october

2010-10-28T17:21:00.000-07:00

NB: Click on the pics for a larger version.

Haven't really seen a whole lot of bands over the last couple of years but decided I'd go and see GBH despite it being well over ten years since I'd even listened to one of those albums and in those days it would have been "City Baby Attacked by Rats" and "Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne" on cassette.

First band up were Shut the Hell Up, who were playing their second to last show and it was my first time ever seeing them. They played punk rock 'n' roll type stuff so I liked them more than I would have cared for any new hardcore band.

Above: Shut The Hell Up

Black Lick were up next and had a clearer sound and made good use of samples and a rumbling Motorhead style bass combined with pummeling drums.

Above: Black Lick

Gripper made their way out of their retirement home in the South Island in Nelson due to Sticky Filth not being able to play. Like last time I saw them, Gripper were a lot of fun accompanied with great banter and introduced themselves at GBH at one point.

Above pic: Gripper

GBH then took the stage and proceed to rip through their catalogue with a lot of material from Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne" and "City Baby Attacked By Rats" plus a few songs from their new album "Perfume and Piss". I remember reading a review of one of the band's London shows in the magazine Metal Forces about twenty years ago which stated that Colin was one of the best frontmen in punk rock and twenty or so years on it's hard to argue as his onstage energy puts an awful lot of younger bands to shame. The band ended their set with a cover of The Clash's "White Riot" and left the stage ignoring encore chants. A twenty-something year old in an Anti-flag T-shirt who knew two GBH songs before seeing them stated that it was the best 90 minutes of his life and more than a few much older would have agreed though probably questioned why a band with a strong catalogue played a Clash cover.

The Monks

2010-10-17T18:24:00.000-07:00

I bought this from the Matsu Temple in the small town of Tachia in Taiwan. Every year the town comes alive with people and fireworks due to the Matsu parade. Depending on your mood towards crowding and fireworks, it can be great or terrible.
Anyway I find out the name of this CD years later and it turns out that this is Monks chanting a mantra and it's called Sahasrabhujasahasranetra.

Chant.

Trusty - Sugar Smack

2010-10-07T17:14:00.000-07:00

You know how they have out-takes on DVD's and often it's stuff that isn't quite good enough or the actors are goofing around and fluffing up their lines or expressions. If Trusty's Sugar Smack were parts from a movie, a lot of it would have made it to a movie. Unfortunately a lot of this material got lost in moving or some such story. It's not bad but due to the band changing style, the progression's not quite there as this is a mixture of the band's more hardcore material and punk-pop bordering more on pop.

Smack.

Lung - Full Moon Again

2010-09-29T12:54:00.000-07:00

Here is The video to Palmerston North band's Lung's song "Full Moon Again". I used to see these guys play a lot during the nineties and it's nearing twenty years since I last saw the video. Thanks to the wonders of youtube, Noisyland and hats off to Kowalski for the tip.

A reader's re-repost request

2010-09-16T21:50:00.000-07:00

A fair while ago I posted Arkansas band Trusty's A Name You Can Depend On from before the days they signed to Dischord records. Most of the songs off that single can be heard on their myspace page.

Here is Trusty's pre-Dischord single compilation album, The Paul Years. The album is available on cd through amazon but the cheapest price is U.S. $44. It's 23 songs of eighties melodic hardcore in the vain of early 7 seconds. Brushback in his excellent One Base On an Overthrow blog pointed out the whole Dischord catalogue is now available download which includes two Trusty albums.

Get it. Warning: It's big at 139 MB and won't last long.

Sound from down unda

2010-09-08T16:22:00.000-07:00

Here's some New Zealand rap from Christchurch duo Dark Tower. On this 1995 Ep, these guys didn't rap about how hard they were or how many bitches they went through. However like all hip-hop there is an American influence but instead these sons of the south rap about blackberry picking and coming from a rural background. The jam packed kiwi geographical and cultural references make it easy to consider Dark Tower to be The Muttonbirds of rap.

Rattle ya dags.

Wretch Like Me

2010-09-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

Colorado is eternally linked with John Denver but was also the setting for the Mork and Mindy show which proved the existence of aliens and the fact that despite all the other things he is, Robin Williams is not a homo sapien.

Wretch Like Me don't play faggoty country music or as far as know wear red track suits. They play strong pop punk (with just a little homo) that falls somewhere between Black Flag and The Descendents. Yeah, it's hard not to think of Chad Price era ALL while listening to them.

Nanoo nanoo.

Spitboy

2010-09-03T02:39:00.000-07:00

Here's some more anarchopunk. This time from a band featuring four females. Gender roles, patriachy and conformity are the enemies.

Grab it.

Still Life

2010-09-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

Antischism are one of those punk bands who are fuckin' angry. Society's just wrong, there's way too much injustice. The band channel their anger and challenge their listeners. With the combination of male and female vocals the band take battles of the sexes, ,animal rights, corporate and military opression etc.... Yeah, smart cookie, you know the drill. If the lyrics and music don't bash you over the head, the dialogue might or maybe it just provides light relief.

Here.