Garbage in Honey's sack again

Playlist 22/2 2012

2012-02-23T09:24:00.002-08:00

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - S/T

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Extra Width

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Mo' Width

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Orange

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Now I Got Worry

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Acme

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Plastic Fang

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Jukebox Explosion

Khanate - S/T

No Balls - Less

Oxbow - Serenade In Red

Playlist 20/2 2012

2012-02-20T10:37:00.003-08:00

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - From Her To Eternity

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - The Firstborn Is Dead

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Tender Prey

Master Musicians Of Bukkake - Totem Two

Death Grips - Exmilitary

Gnaw - This Face

With Alan Dubin (Khanate) on vocals!

Playlist 15/2 2012

2012-02-15T08:05:00.002-08:00

Since I have started working mondays and wednesdays I usually just have a headphone plug in one ear, so I can answer questions or whatever.
In my left ear I heard talk about Top Model Sweden, schampoo, going to the gym, Prison Break, boyfriends, candle light dinners and dreaming of becoming a model.
In my other ear I had this:

Master Musicians Of Bukkake - Totem One

Nicoffeine - Admiring Those Artholes

Nicoffeine - Savant Lies Away From Home

Nicoffeine - Lighthealer Stalking Flashplayer

Oxbow - Serenade In Red

Also listened, again, to the 5 track Vaginia Wolf studio recording I'm hoping PKT will start mixing soon!

DJ set 11/2 2012 Zoo #6

2012-02-12T04:42:00.000-08:00

Set 1
Death Grips - Beware
Ol' Dirty Bastard - Shimmy Shimmy Ya
Dope D.O.D. - What Happened?
Public Enemy - Yo! Bum Rush The Show
Henry Bowers - Swing Batter Batter Swing
EFterblivna - Aporna Visar Hur (Feat. Tjyvis)
Death Grips - Full Moon (Death Classic)
KRS-One - Sound Of Da Police
Dan Le Sac VS. Scroobius Pip - Thou Shalt Always Kill
Sage Francis - Dance Monkey
House Of Pain - Jump Around
Wu-Tang Clan - Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthin' To Fuck With
M.I.A. - Born Free
Death Grips - Spread Eagle Across The Block

Set 2
Link Wray - Jack The Ripper
The Stooges - I Wanna Be Your Dog
Jack Ruby - Hit And Run
Teenage Jesus And The Jerks - Orphans
Crass - Do They Owe Us A Living?
The Germs - Land Of Treason
Flipper - Sex Bomb
Minor Threat - Guilty Of Being White
Adreanlin O.D. - Rock'n'Roll Gas Station
Black Flag - Police Story
Pussy Galore - Yü-Gung
Jesus Lizard - Then Comes Dudley
Refused - Pump The Brakes
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Fuck Shit Up
Lake Of Dracula - Violators
Holy Molar - Dungeons And Drag Queens 2
The Locust - Live From The Russian Compound
Lightning Bolt - Dracula Mountain
An Albatross - Lysergically Yours, My Psychedelic...
All Leather - I Don't Hate Fags, God Does

Playlist 11/2 2012

2012-02-11T02:25:00.000-08:00

V/A - Utmarken 10''

OM - Live at Jerusalem

Warsaw - An Ideal For Killing

White Suns - Waking The Reservoir

Nicoffeine - Savant Lies Away From Home

All Leather - Hung Like A Horse

Lightning Bolt - Wonderful Rainbow

Playlist 10/2 2012

2012-02-10T02:17:00.001-08:00

A new attempt at updating this blog more frequently is to simply announce what I've been listening to during the day.
This gives you an idea of what Ominous and Herr S-H is in to, and since the profile of Ominous is the personal taste of Herr S-H, it could be useful information.

For the moment, I'm working my way through the Whitehouse discography (from first to latest album, chronologically), and today it's been these:

Whitehouse - [1981] Dedicated To Peter Kurten Sadist and Mass Slayer

Whitehouse - [1981] Buchenwald

Whitehouse - [1981] Erector

Whitehouse - [1982] New Britain

Also:

Alexey Tegin - Gyer - Sacred Tibetan Music of Bon Tradition

Tibetan drone music, chanting, bells, percussion, native instruments.

Wooden Veil - [2009] S/T

"Dark ritual"-music, schamanistic tendencies and a little bit of noise.

Musick (Best album of 2011 and other foolish ideas)

2012-02-08T02:37:00.001-08:00

Since I'm studying from home, and have been for more or less the last 7 years.
I spent my days listening to music while I'm reading, writing or doing whatever.
This gives me time to listen to a massive amount of new music daily, just too bad that the blog suffers constantly since I don't prioritize it that much.
Anyway, it's due time for some musical tips!

Best albums of 2011, a bit late, but who cares:

Death Grips - Exmilitary Mix Tape

This is the best hiphop album I've heard in my entire life.
The vocal approach (or attack) is far beyond anything else, the spontaneuos use of live or sampled drums by Zack Hill is by far the most exciting beats I've heard.
The sheer harshness, aggresiveness and violent approach is amazing.
I can't even mention how many times I've listened to this album, it would be ridiculous to try.

Cut Hands - Afro Noise Vol 1

William Bennet (noise pioneer from Whitehouse) spent about 4 years making this album and the result is astonishing.
The afro-rhythm inspired noise is pure gold. The voodoo ritualism is imagined as well as the tribal burial rituals and all sorts of primitive tribal ceremonies you could think of. That combined with some very Whitehouse-ish, yet more subtle, noise turns this album into one of the most-listened-to of the last two months.
You could hear hints of what Bennet was planning on the Whitehouse albums Asceticists 2006 and Racket 2007.

PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

It would just be sad to not mention this political and musical masterpiece. PJ does it again, with backing from Mick Harvey on a number of songs.
The best PJ Harvey album since the 90's in my opinion, the balance between the earlier Harvey and the later, softer and more melancholic Harvey is great.

Honourable mentionings:
Wreck and Reference - Black Cassette (2011)
Broken The Dead C/Throbbing Gristle/Sonic Youth-reminding sludge from America.
Kreng - Grimoire (2011)
Jazzy, evil and cynic ambient/noise.
All Ominous Recordings releases, of course!

Best shows:
Swans at Strand (Stockholm, SWE)
The Skull Defekts at Strand (Stockholm, SWE)
Nicoffeine at Schokoladen (Berlin, DE)

New discoveries (or re-discoveries) of 2011:
Sightings
Whitehouse
The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation
ANTIchildLEAGUE

ANTIchildLEAGUE - The Father (2008)

2012-01-18T00:06:00.000-08:00

For quite some time now I've been listening a lot more to noise/industrial and power electronics.
I guess it started with my drummer moving back home to Norway, leaving me to start creating music on my own, and I needed some inspiration.
After seeing a friend post a sample of the Tunnel Canary track Jihad on facebook, I started to check out the "related" stuff on youtube, found Maria Zerfall, got a tip to check out Blackhouse (a christian p.e.-group) and after that I was back in the swamps of the scene, scanning the net after weird industrial/noise/p.e.-tapes that were only released in 33 copies and stuff like that.
I found a noise/industrial/p.e.-blog and started to check out the music reviewed there.
On it, I found this album, and liked what I read:

"[...] a varied outpouring of sounds concerning control, oppression and patriarchy. The Father flits between spoken word and instrumental noise pieces, rammed with samples. Gaya Donadio intones the lyrics; her heavily accented Italian voice, emphasizing key words and segments."

That sounded really interesting right?
After listening to the album, I was completely hooked.
I've played it twice a day, almost, the last three days.

Soundwise it's a rather industrial story, with some harsher parts. But mainly it revolves around pulses, looped rhythms and buzz tones.
The sound is cold, uneasy, dark and effectively creates a perfect atmosphere for the political lyrics of Gaya Donadio (vocalist).

Only One Mother (Track 9, my favorite on the album)
"Nature, the real mother.
Nature, the only mother.
Mother of life.
Nature, mother of death.
The cruel nature, the cruel mother nature.

[...]
She's vicious, she's pitiless, she's hurtless!
Divine grace is all gone.
She's the devil!"

Her lyrics are extremely relevant and extremely refreshing in a world filled with male acts/vocalists constantly using sexual abuse, porn and fascist thematics. I'm have nothing against that, I know the reason, the effectiveness and the thoughts behind it, but it can also get a little old sometimes.
The spoken word parts move between whispers, snarls and emphasizings, but sometimes turn heavily distorted and aggressive.

Her heavy italian accent is to die for! I'm just saying. It gives the whole album a dimension it wouldn't have without the accent.

Ominous with NMFHU in Göteborg

2011-10-10T11:20:00.000-07:00

Ominous was invited by the good people in Ny Musik För Hållbar Utveckling to accompany them to Göteborg for a whole day of distro/dj's/live bands.
So, apart from having a great time, I got my hands on some great music as well.

Chicagojazzen - Brachiosaurus (Tape on Native Parts Records)
Chiacgojazzen - Brachiosaurus II (Tape on Native Parts Records)
Harold Shipman - Hat & Högmod (Tape on Pissoar Cassettes & Records)
Martin Herterich - Psalm (Tape on Ideal Recordings)
Tsukimono - Née (CD on Kalligrammofon)
Yo Amoeba - Assault and Battery (7'' self-released, Website)
Heinz Hopf / Kam Hassah (Split 7'' on Release The Bats)
Erik Enocksson - Apan (LP on Release The Bats)

Haven't had the chance to get myself through all of it but I just had to mention Yo Amoeba (Myspace).
Therese Holm (Yo Amoeba) was institutionalized, suffering from schizophrenia, bought a digital recording device and recorded sounds from inside the ward and on furlough.
This 7'' is not very long, each side runs on 45rpm and contains mostly (first track on each side is the longest) short samples/snippets, but it's so extremely compelling and honest. It also has piano, guitar and some vocals, but mainly sounds.
I am amazed by how a track called "the Elevator", that probably isn't longer than 30 seconds, can give me the feelings and connotations I got.
This 7'' is well worth a purchase. So get it from her as soon as you can!

Late summer and early fall (of mankind?)

2011-09-28T10:18:00.001-07:00

Nicoffeine! Was in Berlin last weekend and finally got my chance to see them live. First heard about them from Arthur (Under The Pledge Of Secrecy), the promoter who organized two Digression Assassins shows at AZ Aachen 2008/9. I was looking through a box of vinyls he had brought with him to the show in 2008 and he showed me the two he had with them and told me about it. I was instantly intrigued but being on tour, I had other things to use my money for, like food, so I didn't buy them, but as soon as I came home I started scanning the net for music to dl. Since I didn't find anything they sort of disappeared from under my radar until the next year I was in Aachen with D.A again, but again, wasn't that rich ufortunately. So I didn't buy a vinyl then either. It wasn't until this year actually, when hosting sites made the music search a whole lot easier that I actually came across the three latest albums (Savant Lies Away From Home, Admiring Those Artholes and Lighthealer Stalking Flashplayer) that I finally got the chance to listen to more than live clips and videos on youtube. They blew me away, just as I had expected, it only took 3 years. I listened quite a lot to those three albums, and then when me and a friend decided to go to Berlin and visit friends there I saw that they were playing our first night there. So, of course, there was no question about it. I had to see it live! And it was an amazing show. I don't even know how to describe it, on record the rock is a lot more audiable or how to decribe it, but on stage this three-piece was controlled chaos. Impressive, hard-hitting and technically skilled drummer Jörg Schneider in the back, guitarist/vocalist Soheyl Nassary in the middle to the right, stomping on effects, screaming, headbanging, completely shattering all pre-existing thoughts of how to use a guitar, and at the front, lefty side of Schneider, bassplayer Guido Lucas. Him I don't even know how to describe, a very friendly looking man, possibly around his fifties (forgive me Guido if I'm wrong), wiping sweat from his forehead with the curtains to the stage and ordering (getting?) drinks from the audience. It was a massive sonic assault and as soon as it was over I was over by the merch stand to get my hands on a number of vinyls. Bought "Savant..." and "Lighthealer...", then got talked into getting the split with Lude instead of "Admiring...". Then I started talking to Soheyl and Guido and said that if they were interested I would love to do a tape release with them on my label and that I really wanted to try and bring them to Stockholm for a show. Now, a couple of days later, a release has been decided and Nicoffeine will release a 40 min live set on a tape through Ominous Recordings and I have already started to get in touch with contacts in order to try and get them a 4-5 dates mini tour through Sweden. I guess that Stockholm will be the hardest place to get them a good venue, preferred supporting bands and the audience. But I'll work on that. Well, enough excitement and egoboosts, back to music. AIDS Wolf is amazing Arab On Radar-ish noiserock with female vocals. Really noisey, atonal, freakishly improv-feeling-y and harsh. Have listened a lot to The Lovvers LP, Cities of Glass and March to the Sea. Also listened a lot to A.H. Kraken and actually contacted them to ask them if they would be interested in releasing a tape on Ominous, but all I got was the very sad news that they are no longer active and have disbanded. Their debut album "Elle avait peut-être 19 ans mais pour moi elle en aura toujours 12" is amazing. The new wave of no wave! After a quick listen to a friends ipod I went home and looked up Phantom Pregnancies and have played their album "The Compilation That Could Have Been A Contender" a load of times, really skronky punk/rock (the good kind you know). After stocking up on some ugExplode items and getting some for myself of course, I really got hooked on the band White Suns, they recently released thir debut album on ugExplode, entitled "Waking In The Reservoir" and is well worth both your money and time. Really noisey punk/hc/sludge!

Summer 2011 (Artist/album link madness)

2011-08-04T11:49:00.001-07:00

I don't even know where to start! I have listened to a shitload of excellent music this summer.

For starters I should mention the bands releasing on my label Ominous Recordings later in August:
Avgrunden and Stillheten.
Avgrunden could be described as a more minimalistic Earth or a Bohren & Der Club Of Gore who out of nowhere decided that folk/drone was the new shit.
Stillheten tends to the same crops as Badgerlore and other similar, more folk/ambient, artists, subtle yet powerful and hauntingly beautiful.

Then there's this Harry Pussy compilation "You'll Never Play This Town Again" which I listened several times in a row.

Also, finally, taken myself the time to listen to The Dead C. Started with the albums "Harsh 70's Reality (1992)", "Trapdoor Fucking Exit (1993)" and "The White House (1995)" which are supposed to be the "best" ones.

All three excellent albums, but I have to say that "Trapdoor Fucking Exit" is my personal favorite.

Also got a Lau Nau CD from my drummer. I enjoyed it but didn't think that much about it. It was something else, different but with certain connotations.
But then a week ago I got a mail from discogs saying that one of the items in my "want list" was for sale, (Badgerlore - We Are All Hopeful Farmers, We Are All Scared Rabbits) and then saw that the seller had two albums by Islaja for sale, after realizing it was similar music to Lau Nau, that made me re-listen the Lau Nau album.
It really opened a new world for me, new finnish folk psych.
Since then I have listened to Lau Nau, Islaja and Kuupuu daily. At least one album from one of the artists.

The seller also had a Charalambides album for sale, a reason for me to check out what the Carters are mainly doing, besides working in Bastard Wing and Badgerlore

This is just some of the stuff I have been listening to.

Friday 6/5 2011

2011-05-06T02:27:00.000-07:00

Since I want to update this blog often with new tips for you, I have decided to do it in a smaller scale than planned.
I'll just post album covers, titles and short reviews on a hopefully daily bases, since I listen to music every day and almost the entire day.
From time to time there will be larger "articles" and of course I'll do live reviews when I find the time.

Here's the first daily update:

Ches Smith - Congs For Brums (Free Porcupine Society)
It's drums, percussion, vibraphone.
The man has provided drums for acts such as 7 Year Rabbit Cycle, Xiu Xiu, Redressers, Good For Cows, Secret Chiefs 3, Trevor Dunn's Trio Convulsant, Marc Ribot, Tom Waits. What else is there to say? This album is interesting, gripping and exciting even though it's just the man and a bunch of drums and junk.

Death Grip - Exmilitary Mixtape (Free download at http://thirdworlds.net)
A week ago a friend of mine told me about this Zach Hill-project.
As I downloaded their free mixtape Exmilitary and gave it a listen, Death Grip rose to be the best hiphop I've heard for a very, very long time.

Redressers - To Each According... (Free Porcupine Society)
Jazzy decadence from Ches Smith, Devin Hoff, Karla Kihlsted and Marika Hughes. It's given me pictures of old black/white films, booze smuggling and a dirty nightclub.
Well worth your time.

Diskrepant, Thomas Watkiss, ?Alos & Amber Asylum - Live at Fylkingen 29/10-10

2010-10-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

I didn't acutally think about going to this show until the afternoon yesterday. When I saw the promotion for it a month ago or so, I thought to myself that I should go to that one since Stefania Pedretti of OvO was performing with her soloproject.
But I hadn't slept for two nights because my daughter's been ill, so I wasn't that eager to leave home.
I checked the event invite I got on facebook and saw that it was between 19-22 so, I thought to myself, ?Alos (Stefanias project) would probably be pretty early on the evening, and since it's only 3 hours maybe I'll be home by nine or so again.
I visited ?Alos myspace and listened to two tracks, I was impressed but not really convinced that I should go. It wasn't until I saw this video that it was clear that I needed to attend this evening:

When I got there and paid the entrance, I asked at which times the acts were playing, and I was informed that ?Alos wasn't going on stage until ten, the earliest.

I walked over to the merch stand, gazed over the ?Alos CD's and other Stefania-related releases, I asked her if the song that she performed in the video above was on any CD and she told me that it wasn't yet, it will be on her coming CD, but she was going to perform that song live this evening.

Diskrepant
Diskrepant kicks off this evening with a very impressive performance containing contact mics and an ensemble of objects: a small fan, two bottles, necklaces and what looked like a toy car that you could wind up so it started going forward.
Might be because of the need for precision that he remained seated the entire performance, but I really dislike seated noise artists, well all artists unless they are playing piano or acoustic guitar.
I never expect to really feel the noise before I attend noise shows, but when I'm there it's so soothing just to feel that wall of sound, the vibrations from the bass in it, to try and find the notes, the pulse or the "groove" in that sheer, distorted noise. In the end it got a bit static, but all together a nice experience.
Diskrepant's myspace

Thomas Watkiss
It doesn't start well for Thomas Watkiss. First of he has a laptop on stage which, in my book, is a huge mistake. It doesn't look like he's doing anything besides turning the switches on his little mixer beside the laptop, and where's the sound he distorts and manipulates coming from? For all I know, the sound if just prerecorded, so the turning of switches could easily do nothing at all.
Another thing that strikes me is that he looks like either a neo nazi or a former boy band member, who kept his look despite the fact that it was 20 years ago that he was the cute one in that group.
After the first song, he talks a bit to the audience, makes them laugh, all in all he seems like a very likeable guy, too bad his music isn't that interesting.
Continued digital noise, which is a huge difference from analogue noise, the digital stuff lacks the depth and just feels cold a lifeless, in a bad way.
Enter the bass.
He grabs his six stringed bass and walks to the front of the "stage" area, takes a metal pose and starts playing a cheesy melody on top of the preprogrammed static noise.
But I got to give him credit for taking that metal pose in front of a seated audience, and playing with his eyes shut, really living it.
Nothing I couldn't live without, wouldn't have missed anything if I hadn't seen this.
T. Watkiss' Myspace

?Alos
Stefania enters the room, clad in a glittery dress, fishnet stockings, and a black veil. In her hands she carrys a bowl filled with some sort of liquid, and she's singing/chanting something in italian. She walks up to each member of the audience, starts with me, and holds the bowl up to our faces. None of us are sure what to do with it, so I dip my finger in it and then stroke the finger across my forehead, the rest of the people were either doing the same as me or drinking directly from the bowl.
After this little introduction, she walks to the center of the room, "stage", grabs that guitar she uses in OvO as well, which looks gigantic on her little figure, and fills the room with a crushing doom riff. I don't know if it's the reason for me liking OvO, but the simplicity in her guitarplay is so brilliant, she makes very banal and clichéd riffing sound really thought through and not cliché at all.
The first song is a very OvO-sounding piece of doom based around two riffs, with a guitar loop backing her up on some parts of the song.
I am amazed by how fucking possessed she sounds, it's really fucking evil, she crushes the majority of singers trying to sound evil, and without breaking a sweat it seems.
The second song is also a very OvO-like song, like the tracks on Croce Via, a massive doomy riff that breaks into a hysterical noisey guitar with demonic screams, or a very subtle and simple lite guitar loop over which she sings something that sounds like "sweet, so sweet".
The last song for the evening is the song from the video above, the song I asked about and she said she would perform.
She let's the feedback go with the guitar loop as she hangs off her guitar, puts on an ankle bracelet with bells, picks up more bells and she moves to the center of the room where she sheems to be in spasms, bells chiming, she chants, sings, screams, she dances, stumbles, waves her long dreads (i which she's tied in bells and tiny, tiny cymbals). She moves across the room, and moves backwards and bumps into where I'm sitting. She sits down on my lap and keeps chanting and dancing, it felt very fitting since this was the only reason for me going out tonight, what I asked her about and what I was looking forward to.
Afterwards I was shaking for about ten minutes, that final song was such a great performance, I can't even explain it.
I wanted to record a video for myself on my phone, but I had to stop in midst of it and just watch.
This was one of the most moving performances I have ever seen. I have no idea what the lyrics are, I assume they are in italian. But just how she uses her voice, the strength in it and everything was just amazing.
?Alos myspace

Amber Asylum
Hadn't heard anything before they started playing. I was texting with my drummer earlier in the evening, me trying to convince him to come. He said that he had listened to Amber Asylum on myspace and thought it was too polished.
I knew exactly what he meant when they started.
The info for this evening said that they were something between chamber music and postrock, melancholic and romantic, I was just bored.
They looked like a mother with her two daughters on tour, the mother and one of the daughters on violins (they were talented without a doubt, but you can have talent and still make boring music) and the other daughter played keyboard, guitar or piano depending on which songs.
The vocals were, as expected, in a really high voice with a lot of wailing, very pretentious and epic, but very boring.
The keyboard, guitar and piano melodies were really cliché and without real content, just not interesting. I am not in a position to talk about the violins since I never tried to play one or feel that I can judge their skills. But al together they performed pretty boring music that I'm sure a lot of people find calming and soothing to listen to, but wasn't doing anything for me.
Amber Asylum's Myspace

Sunjay Record Fair, Solna

2010-09-29T22:24:00.000-07:00

This post is just a list, with short comments, of what I bought at the Record Fair on the 25/9. It's not to brag (mostly not to brag), it's just as important as the reviews of records or live shows I do, since music is what I'm about.
I've heard most of the stuff earlier, and listened to almost all of them after saturdays treasure hunt. So it's something between short reviews and reasons for me buying them.

Vinyl:
The Residents - It's A Man's Man's Man's World (7'')
It's probably been about a year or so since I discovered The Residents. I am truly amazed by their way of making music. This 7'' is'n essential, perhaps, but it's two cool covers of James Brown, and I found it cheap.

The Residents - Duck Stab (7'')
This, together with, The Third Reich'n'Roll and Eskimo are my favorite releases from this band, I bought this release together with Buster & Glen as a 2x3''CD, listed below. But when I came across this 7'' a little later that day, I just needed to have this as well. Vinyl is always preferred.

Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft - Gold Und Liebe
After hearing A.H. Kraken's cover of Verschwende Deine Jugend on their debut album and listening way too much to The Anals, I realized that I had to check out D.A.F, and I haven't heard that much still. I got a hold of the Alles Gut album as mp3's and listened to that since it's, according to allmusic.com, their masterpiece.
This is the album with Verschwende Deine Jugend so, I bought it, and I enjoyed the listen as well. Has hell frozen over now that I'm listening to german 80's synth?

The Foetus All-Nude Revue - Bedrock (12'')
I read about this 12'' somewhere, probably allmusic.com, and I realized I needed to hear this. Couldn't find a sample or streamed version of this song on the internet, so when I found it on the record fair, it was an instant purchase. I must say that this may be one of my favoite songs from Foetus so far, the swingy jazz and dark humour and malice in the lyrics. A really great output from this artist.

Foetus Über Frisco - Finely Honed Machine (12'')
Hadn't heard this one either, but vinyl is vinyl and great artists are great artists, so another Foetus record for the collection.

Foetus Inc. - Butterfly Potion (12'')
Bought for the same reason as "Finely Honed Machine", but this 12'' wasn't as sharp as his earlier work.

Yob - Catharsis
This, together with their debut "Elaborations of Carbon", were huge favorites back when I was really into Doom/Sludge music. This is really fucking heavy, and it's still a great album, even though I'm not listening that much to this kind of music these days.

Lars Demian - Pank
Should I call him a singer/songwriter or troubadour, I actually don't know. It's something inbetween, spiced with Nine Inch Nails and Tom Waits, if you listen closely. A part from a greatest hits collection (a kind of release I despise, but got it for free) this is the only Demian release I have now.

Rumblers - Punch Drunk
Robert Johnsons band before they changed their name to Robert Johnson & Punchdrunks, can't really remember what this LP sounds like, my father played it to me a couple of years ago. But I'm a huge fan of his guitar work.

Lydia Lunch - The Drowning Of Lucy Hamilton (12'')
Wasn't expecting to find this one or the "In Limbo" record. I haven't heard the songs on this one, but it's Lydia Lunch and she never disappoints me. These songs are the soundtrack to a film she did with Richard Kern.

Lydia Lunch - In Limbo (12'')
These piano based songs are amazing. Lunch's joined by Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) on bass and partner-in-crime Jim Sclavunos (Teenage Jesus & The Jerks, 8-eyed Spy, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Grinderman). Highly recommended!

Nick Cave, Blixa Bargeld & Mick Harvey - Ghosts... Of The Civil Dead
Soundtrack to a film I still haven't seen, but I really should prioritize it.

David Bowie - Station To Station
Haven't heard the songs on this, but it's Bowies 70's and I really dig it.

David Bowie - Alladin Sane
Haven't heard the songs on this one either, but, as said, it's Bowies 70's.

David Bowie - Hunky Dory
Purchased for the reason that Life On Mars? is on it, and since it's early Bowie, it's rock and not his 80's disco.

The Dead Brothers - 5th Sin-Phonie
Didn't even know that hey had release anything new since "Wunderkammer" 2006, so this was a wonderful surprise when I found it. This is without a doubt my favorite act on Voodoo Rhythm Records and always amazing. If you haven't heard them I strongly recommend that you check them out. As a reviewer put it: "Swiss Hoodoo jazz corpsegrinding Romany Country Blues a go go."

The Stooges - S/T
Is there any reason to explain this? Essential!

The Stooges - Fun House
Is there any reason to explain this? Essential as well!

CD:
Portishead - S/T
Never actually imagined myself to listen to a triphop act, didn't even now what triphop was until I looked it up. Portishead was a band listed as playing that genre, and I've listened to Portishead from time to time through out the years. I found this one, very cheap, so why not?
Also, this album got the track Only You which Chris Cunningham did a video for.

Jacula - In Cauda Semper Stat Veneum
This is 70's occult italian prog rock. I genre I've thought about checking out but never actually done it, so I bought this one. When I put it on, I realized I had gotten this as mp3's from a friend. This is dark, weird and pretty cool.

Vulcano - Bloody Vengeance (CD+DVD)
You've gotta love South American 80's death/thrash/black and this is a cult classic from that era, re-releases by Cogumelo Records in Brazil, with a bonus DVD with a live show. Still haven't seen it, but the album is awesome.

The Residents - Duck Stab / Buster & Glen (2x3''CD)
Duck Stab is great, as mentioned above, haven't heard Buster & Glen though. But this release is wonderful, a digipack with two 3''CD's.

James Chance & The Contortions - Molotov Cocktail Lounge
A live CD from the sax maniac. Not that many tracks from "Buy", my favorite output from James, but still that funky disco/jazz/no wave we've learned to love from this man.

Sage Francis - Human The Death Dance
Not as sharp as "A Healthy Distrust" at all, which might be one of my favorite HipHop albums ever. But this is still pretty good.

The Jesus Lizard - Down
I've only heard "Goat" and "Liar" earlier, and can't really recall how they sound, btu I know I enjoyed listening to both albums, so again, this was an easy purchase. This isn't as great as the mentioned albums, but really good.

Nick Cave's 30 Greatest Hits (Part 2)

2010-09-27T23:04:00.001-07:00

Cabin Fever!
I really love the song structure and vocal approach in this track, also the agitated beat. And the part of the song where Blixas fucked-up guitar is panned out left and right.

From Her To Eternity
This song might be the best title track of all Nick's albums after the Birthday Party years. The piano melody on this track really gets its hooks into you.

Saint Huck
I always considered this to be my favorite track on From Her To Eternity, but I'm not sure if it really is. No matter what, this is grim and evil. The repetetive bass line (reversed for the song Tupelo, more or less), the clanking and skronky guitars, the malice in Nick's voice.

Wings Off Flies
I love the slide guitar in this song, and what sounds like stomping.
And who can shrug off the end of the wonderful refrain where Nick's voice goes up.

Tupelo
The repetetive music, the "simplicity", Nick and the band succeeds with creating something terrifying with so small means. Just the beginning of the song, with the sharp beats, the bass and, again, the vocals.

The Carny
Everything about this track is amazing. The music is very dark, ominous, like lurking (always loved that word) evil. The words describing the songs atmosphere are more or less the same, very ominous, dark. The use of that busted inner of a piano really takes this song to a personal favorite music-wise. And one mustn't forget Nick's dark lyrics. The carnival vibe in the music might also be a reason for this one being a personal favorite, I love dark carnival music.

The Mercy Seat
So messy, so raw, so catchy and just plain gold.
Also greatly covered by the late Johnny Cash.

The Weeping Song
I love this duet with Blixa, might be an ugly ass video, but the song, the clapping, Blixas depth in his voice.

The Ship Song
I have a very special relationship with this song. This is mine and my wife's song, it became our song somewhere back in the days when we got together, and has been our song since then. We had our first dance as a married couple to this song on our wedding. So, of course, it needs to be on this list.

Papa Won't Leave You, Henry
"I passed beside the mission house
Where that mad old buzzard, the reverend,
Shrieked and flapped about life after your dead
Well, I thought about my friend, Michel
How they rolled him in linoleum
And shot him in the neck
A bloody halo, like a think-bubble
Circling his head"

"Well, the moon it looked exhausted
Like something you should pity
Spent an age-spotted
Above the sizzling wires of the city
Well, it reminded me of her face
Her bleached and hungry eyes
Her hair was like a curtain
Falling open with the laughter
And closing with the lies"

"I awoke so drunk and full of rage
That I could hardly speak
A fag in a whale-bone corset
Draping his dick across my cheek"

Do You Love Me?
Darkly romantic, but with harsh and provocative imaging. Love and blood, good and evil. The dark drive of the bass and piano in the song is really great.

Red Right Hand
Another one of those inexplainable favorites, is the use of bells, the bass, the guitars, the lyrics, the vocals? Or is it all of those aspects of the song? I do not know, but I really love this track.

Stagger Lee
I really love the beat in this one, as well as the lyrics. But I think that goes for almost all the tracks on Murder Ballads, Nick really aces his storytelling.

O'Malley's Bar
I think that the lyrics to this song really is what does it for me. The music isn't that big of a deal, not compared to a lot of other songs. But the monotone song structure, combined with Nick's story eally ends up with great results in my book.

God Is In The House
One of the most subtle and quiet songs on my list. This song is so great due to the dark sense of humour in the lyrics, with the all-american small town paranoia, prejudice and narrow mindedness.

No Pussy Blues
I was amazed when Grinderman appeared. I was amazed that he had so much fuck you-attitude left in him, it was so raw and so anti-Bad Seeds, so in your face and so fucking rock'n'roll. This track still remains my favorite Grinderman track, not conquered by any other on the album or by any of the songs on the newly release follow-up.

So there you have it. My 30 favorite Nick Cave songs, reasons for the choices and a good place to start listening if you haven't heard that much of him earlier and you find my blog illuminating regarding new music in your life.

Nick Cave's 30 Greatest Hits (Part 1)

2010-09-02T21:57:00.001-07:00

When I was 13 years old, I asked my father to tape From Her To Eternity and Murder Ballads for me. I had heard Nick Cave from time to time through my childhood, since my father was a fan, and hearing From Her To Eternity on vinyl back then was a revelation. I had the tape in my walkman every day, my friends didn't understand it at all. From 13 and probably up until I was 18 I was, what can be referred to as, a metalhead. My first contact with metal was through a friend who listened to Manowar and Judas Priest, I had been listening to Queen since I was 10, so the step to heavy/power metal wasn't that big. When I was 14 I was introduced to Korn, Slipknot and Marilyn Manson, which were huge favorites through that year, until Black Metal made its entrace in my life. And between 15 and 18 I was really into that scene, for better or worse, with all its idiocy.
But through all those musical changes in my early musical life, I never let go of that tape with Nick Cave. I had it, kept it, played it until it was unplayable.
When I was 16 I got a vinyl player from my dad, and I started buying vinyl.
Some of the earliest albums I bought on vinyl that year was From Her To Eternity, The Firstborn Is Dead, Kicking Against the Pricks and Tender Prey, I found them all in a used records store one day in ninth grade.
From that momen I was lost in the world of Saint Nick. And I still am. He's the only god in my house.
Me and my wife (girlfriend at that time) went to Hamburg to see him live in 2004, then we saw him in Stockholm 2008, I saw Grinderman on Way Out West that same year and I saw him with the Bad Seeds last year on Where The Action Is in Stockholm.

So, of course, I had to buy the issue of Uncut with Nick Cave's selection of his 30 greatest hits and a Grinderman interview.
But after going through his selection, I felt that there were some songs left out from my favorites. Me and Nick have very different views on his music, of course. He has been writing all of them more or less, and I've just been amazed by them for 12 years.
After reading the selection I thought that I should do my own Nick Cave's 30 Greatest Hits, but realized during the selection of songs that I could never rank them. It was impossible to say that "... is my favorite Nick Cave song of all of them" or "this is number five because...".
But even though the ranking is impossible, I wanted to publish my own selection as a tribute, and to let you know where I come from and where I find my inspiration.
And by being a lyricist, author, poet, idiot, myself, it's hard to separate my impressions of both music, vocals and lyrics. Some songs might not be musical favorites, but lyrical favorites, or vocal favorites.
The Uncut issue had a lot written for each song, but it was written or said by a large number of contributors. I am just one person, so each entry regarding a certain song might not be as extensive as the parts written in the magazine, but sometimes a little is enough, and I'm not one for dissecting songs.

This task took a lot longer than I had imagined, so in order to update the blog pretty today (something I haven't done since July), I've decided to do this in two parts. The first part is the 15 first "greatest hits" according to me, all Birthday Party songs actually. And the second part is from his first "solo" album and forward.

This selection is compiled without placing them in any other order than cronologically, this is it:

Mr Clarinet
This was also one of my favorite tracks on the Three One G compilation of Birthday Party covers, given a french touch on that one.
The weirdness of this track is wonderful.

The Friend Catcher
The intro, the hissing and noise, before this evil little guitar melody, I think I read somewhere that they didn't even touch the guitars for the intro. They just plugged it all in, guitar, pedals and amp, and this was the sound that came out.

Zoo-Music Girl
"My body is a monster driven insane" and the use of brass on this track, do I need to say more?

Nick The Stripper
A self-loathing approach, hideous to the eye, the video, the lyrics, the guitars. Actually one song I've wanted to cover through out my own musical career.

King Ink
I just love the repetetive bass on this track. Rowland's and Mick's guitars are just so screechy and evil. Even if this song got that little melody that's really catchy, it's still feels pretty provoking.

Hamlet (Pow Pow Pow)
I love the bass line in this song, even though I think that Cave could have used the word Pow a little less in the lyrics. But this is really raw, just the intro of the song, when Nick spells out Hamlet over the bass line is really great.

Big-Jesus-Trash-Can
Another song that contains great lyrical lines.
"Fucking rotten business this", "Big-Jesus-Oil-King down in Texas"

Junkyard
From the start, the uttering of the words "I am the King" with that really heavy bass line, this an instant classic. "Honey-child's takin' over this place"

Release The Bats
I think this was the first BP song I heard. My father played it for me, and laughed about the fact that BP had released a collection called "Hits". What my father said was "I hardly think that they actually had any hits". I started to disagree with him pretty soon after hearing this. It was so raw, uncompromising and vicious that I instantly needed to get my hands on everything by the Birthday Party and as fast as I could.

Jennifer's Veil
Just like the "review" in Uncut said, this song might be so great because it's so different. But it's without a doubt a great song without considering the differences from "regular" BP-songs. The slow, dark, music and the mysterious lyrics are equally great.

Mutiny In Heaven
This is maybe not a top song musically for me, but the lyrics to this song is one of my favorite Cave writings of them all. It's filled with so many lines that it makes you think of stop writing yourself, because you could never compete with this.
I mean: "If this is Heaven ah'm bailin out", "perched on mah bed ah was... sticken a needle in mah arm", "Fucken wings burst out mah back" and "Mah threadbare soul teem with vermin and louse"

WildWorld
This is a song that is a vocal favorite, the way Nick uses his voice in this one. It's calming but upsetting at the same time, and he also manages to sing "la la-la-la-la la-la-la-la" without me wanting to kick his teeth out, since I hate that kind humming, wailing or whatever you should call it. But not by him, never by him.

Fears Of Gun
"Fingers down the throat of love". Another song that I've really wanted to cover with a band of my own. And, also, another song where I love the vocals and lyrics a lot more than the actual music. In the beginning of the song, when the vocals comes in:
"Gunn wears his alcoholism well
Finger in bottle and swingin' it still
From bed to sink and back again
Clock is crawlin' round the same"
The wailing in Nick's voice is like heroin to me.

Deep In The Woods
The haunting guitar work in this song is pure gold. Rowland Howards use of the MXR pedals and the reverb on his Fender Twin Reverb just creeps under your skin. And the lyrics, the lyrics:
"saying D-I-E into her skin,
saying DEAD into belly and DEATH into shoulder
Well last night she kissed me but than DEATH was upon her"

A Catholic Skin
I don't know when this song was recorded, but it's pretty early since the songs on this compilation is all more or less credited to the Boys Next Door. This song might have stuck since it got the word catholic in the title/lyrics or because of the great little melody this song is based around. Either way, both the song structure and the melody are parts of this song that I've been humming from time to time during the last 8 years or so.

The Anals - [2009] Total Anal

2010-07-07T21:27:00.000-07:00

I guess it's about time for this album for two reasons. The first reason is that I listen to this record daily, the second reason being that I haven't posted anything in a while.

The Anals are from Metz (France) as well as A.H. Kraken (Metz being the new musical Mecca) and they're sharing member Emmanuel Satti who plays guitar in Kraken and synth/vocals in The Anals.
After hearing the 7'', I knew that I had to get myself the album and a band who calls themselves "Best homosexual hardcore" really needs everyones attention.
The track Commando Of Love (previously released on their 7'') is what starts of the album. The third track of this record has to be one of my favorite tracks at this time, She's the Man ("She's the man, I'm the whore") has the amazing beat, melody, vocals and lyrics. This track is the first one I play for friends who haven't heard The Anals yet, and they are often as amazed as I was the first time I heard it.
The lo-fi, dirty synth music of The Anals seems to owe as much to the musical approach of the No Wave-scene as to german band D.A.F (which they mention twice as their influence on their myspace). It's simple, monotonous, dirty, lo-fi, a bit evil from time to time and simply great. The beats are really catchy, the melody (or anti-melodies) really get into your head and are hard to shake off.
This record has tracks and in my opinion there isn't any space fillers just a number of great songs that each is worth the price of this record.
Just have taste on these titles: "Vaginal Death Tunnel", "I Married A Slut", "Girls Just Want To Have Fun", "Wake Up You're Dead".

The Anals Myspace

The Anals - [2006] Commando of Love 7''

2010-05-26T11:36:00.000-07:00

I saw the band name together with A.H. Kraken, since they both seem to be part of the new wave of french fucked-up rock, being from the same city, Metz, which by now should be renamed Metz Rock City.
Hadn't heard them earlier, don't know if I even listened to them on myspace before I ordered this 7''. But when I put the record on I was amused, confused, a bit abused even. When Commando of Love starts I almost expect to hear Bachs - Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, you know that classical piece, used in horror movies, but the songs continues with drums and what I think is guitar, but can't be sure, might be keyboard, as said, I am confused. The vocals comes in with the words "She was in love with an SS, who was in love with a jew". Yes, I am not kidding. And the rest of the lyrics to this song is equally great/weird.
The Anals list D.A.F as their main influence, and if they are anything like the Anals, I might need to check them out. A.H. Kraken has done a D.A.F cover, and list them as an influence as well, so if they are to both bands and not just a band mentioned for fun, D.A.F might be the next thing I review.
The B-side on this record is for you to enjoy without a hint of what to expect, but it isn't as astonishing as the track Commando of Love.
Get your own damn copy of this amazing 7''!

A.H. Kraken - [2009] Tatiana 12''

2010-05-25T22:49:00.000-07:00

This one-sided 12'' is supposed to be recorded back in 1987, mixed in 1988 and then release as a tape 1989. What makes me wonder is the fact that nothing else happened with A.H. Kraken until the release of their debut in 2008. Well, a sceptic I am. Anyway, the music on this album seem older than the songs on the Gianna Michaels 7'' and the debut album, the Arab On Radar influences that were very obvious on the debut album hasn't really grown into place on this record, and neither the really fucked-up riffs from the 7''. Here it's more rough no wave, without the melodies.
But the effort is great. Really lo-fi, no wave, garage, punk, ugly and dirty.

Orcivus, Saturnalia Temple & Ofermod - Live at The Cave 21/5 2010

2010-05-22T00:16:00.000-07:00

Orcivus
They start so fast and without a word that it seems more comic than evil. And it just continues, the singer has the usual, guttural, forceless kind of vocal that never, ever impresses me. And the music is the same kind of Black Metal clichés that you've heard over and over again. It was like Marduks even more ungifted little brother. The bassplayer standing straight up, not moving more than his head, and barely that. I think he was trying to look cool, or evil, or grim, or true, but he just seemed frostbitten. The guitarist had his hair in front of his face, banging his head, but probably looking at the fret board, but masking that with his hair. The singer, with his hands firmly on his thighs, headbanged as well, when he wasn't pointing or giving the crowd the devil horns.
It felt like youth center Black Metal, but you got to give them some credit for being a realtively unknown band and still walking on stage with spikes, corpse paint and leather pants. They convinced some in the crowd, but I hope they had a hard time convincing themselves.

Saturnalia Temple

It's hard for me to be impartial when it comes to this band, because they were the reason for me going to this show. I've known the bass player for 6 years or so, and we've been involved in musical projects together since then.
I'm not the kind of person to write up friends even though I don't like their band, just because their friends. But Saturnalia Temple is a great band. Musically it's a mixture of Electric Wizard and Sleep, heavy as hell and groovy as fuck. This is the third time I'm seeing them live, and it's a pleasure to see them every time.
And the bass player succeeds with looking both sexy, cute and evil, I can't help to get a bit of a man-crush on him.

Ofermod

I have to admit that I was a bit sceptical before they started playing. I listened to the Mystérion Tés Anomias 7'' quite a lot back in my Black Metal-days, but I wasn't that big a fan of Tiamtü. It's not a bad record at all, but I just haven't got that feeling that a record needs to give me. So, again, I was a bit sceptic, but when they started playing, all doubts were gone. It was really great, and I'm glad that I was one of the people who saw Ofermod play live in Sweden for the first time. Since I'm not that familiar with the new material, I have no idea which songs they played, and it's been too long for me to know if they even played anything from Mystérion Tés Anomias .
The singer had a hooded cape and a t-shirt saying "Make War Not Love", a statement which feels very 2003, together with all the other slogans stating: "Legalize Murder", "Establish World Peace: Kill Everyone" and such. But it's easy to forgive that, because he was an amzing stage persona. Without doing that much actually. He had this authority, and that goes for the others in the band as well. They owned that stage, unlike Orcivus who didn't own shit.
A fun (or not) side note is that Michaya, the man, the myth, the legend, kicked a guy in the face during the show. The guy had appearantly yelled "Eat pussy, you fucking whore" or something like that, so the guy got a foot in the face as a thank you.
I think I need to give Tiamtü another listen after last nights show.

Eels - [2010] End Times

2010-05-19T04:53:00.000-07:00

I've been listening to Eels off and on for a couple of years now. Recently been pushed more into listening to them since a friend of mine discovered them a couple of months ago.
My first contact with the band was with the album Daisies of the Galaxy, and the songs Grace Kelly Blues, I Like Birds, It's a Motherfucker and so on. After getting hooked on that album, I expanded my Eels library and really found my Eels in songs like Dogfaced Boy, World of Shit, Restraining Order Blues, Cancer for the Cure and of course Novocaine for the Soul and Beautiful Freak.
But somewhere I lost contact with Mr. E and the others and Beautiful Freak was just standing on the shelf.
Up until my friend discovered them a while back, just previous to their release of Hombre Lobos. The first track I heard from Hombre Lobos was Prizefighter and from the moment I saw the bearded E in the promo video, I knew that this was going to be a happy reunion. It's was as if no time had passed, we got right back into our old roles, me as a listener and the Eels telling me stories of hurt, fresh blood and mental illness.
Before the actual release of the album, I read an interview with Mr. E in a magazine and especially the part of bringing more howling screams into the music and doing a real rock song, the track Fresh Blood.
I was waiting for that promo video to come up and it was amazing to see the man stumble around with a cane, howling like a wolf.
And when the album finally got out, it was really great.
Not long after the release of Hombre Lobos, Eels announced the release of the next album, End Times. But unfortunately, we had lost contact again. I was diggin' deep into the No Wave-scene and needed the skronk, the atonal, disharmonic, the madness, so up until today, I still hadn't heard more than the first song of End Times.
This album is more in the vein of the more honest and less rock-ish albums Electro-Shock Blues and Blinking Lights and Other Revelations. But not quite as unbearably dark.
You have the more up-tempo songs like Gone Man, Mansions of Loz Feliz, Paradise Blues and Unhinged. But most of the songs are the quieter, more subtle and sincere E.
It's an amazing album, but it's likely that I'll spin Hombre Lobos more often than this.

A.H. Kraken - [2008] Gianna Michaels 7''

2010-05-07T23:09:00.000-07:00

This is the second release from A.H. Kraken, it came out a couple of months after their debut LP on In The Red.
The song Gianna Michaels is quite different from the tracks on Elle avait peut-être 19 ans mais pour moi elle en aura toujours. The tracks on the fullength varied from Arab On Radar-type of riffs to more standard rock-ish ones. But on the song Gianna Michaels they're a bit more fucked, imagine a mixture between Converge riffs and Arab On Radar with a clear No Wave-touch. That's Gianna Michaels to me.

Die Monitr Batss - [2003] Youth Controllerzzz / [2004] Girlz Of War

2010-05-03T04:40:00.000-07:00

What is there to say? I was amazed by the rockish No Wave of Die Monitr Batss from the start. The helicopter like strumming in the song "Copter" with the sudden outburst of the mantra "Copter!" is so simple but so effective.
And the use of saxophone really gives this that wonderful New York No Wave-feeling, when James Chance was whoring around with his sax.
This has that monotonous pounding drums, the chant-like singing, fucked-up guitar work and the evil saxophone, that for some reason realy gives me surf-feeling. Without a doubt, my first impression is "holy shit, this is great". And all the following impressions are the same. This an excellent album, and for fans of the old school No Wave-scene, this is a must, as well as for the fans of the newer takes on No Wave like 7 Year Rabbit Cycle. Die Monitr Batss should've been on the Three One G mixer Release The Bats with The Birthday Party covers. They could've given The Birthday Party a really wonderful salute with "Zoo Music Girl" or something.

What strikes me first, with the first song, is that the No Wave-madness have gone, this song is still crazy, but not compaired to the songs on Youth Controllerzzz. It's like a controlled madness. And this goes for most of the album. Less Teenage Jesus and The Jerks and more Sonic Youth, but not at all as pop. This is by means a negative aspect of the sound. This is great album, but different from the debut. The monotony is still there but in a different way, we still got those pounding drums, the no wave guitar, but it's more melodic. The use of the saxophone is also more in line with the music on this album. The songs may be more dynamic if that is the word to use (not that I had anything against the dynamics on Youth Controllerzzz), but as said, more controlled and maybe a bit more thought through. But that seems like a very ignorant thing to say, just because Youth Controllerzzz is over-the-top fucked up and this album is a bit less so doesn't mean that Girlz of War has more work behind it, is more dynamic or more of anything, it's just different.

No matter what, these two albums are a must have in every noise rockers/no wavers/experimentalist/alternativists collection!

Lydia Lunch - Hysterie 1976-1986

2010-04-08T04:05:00.000-07:00

Bought this tape from ebay as a birthday gift to myself.
For almost a year now I've been digging deep in the No Wave scene. And who better stands for the No Wave scene than Lydia Lunch? A pioneer in all forms and shapes of art related to the No Wave scene.
Anyway, this tape (also released on 2-LP and 2-CD, but my financial situation only allowed me to get the tape, this time) contains songs from the Teenage Jesus & The Jerks-era (Red Alert, Orphans, The Closet, Burning Rubber, I Woke Up Dreaming, Freud In Flop, Baby Doll, Race Mixing, Crown Of Thorns), recordings from the single year of Beirut Slump (Try Me, Staircase, I Am The Lord Jesus, Case #14, See Pretty, G-I-Blue, Tornado Warnings, Sidewalk), a number of 8 Eyed Spy tracks (Swamp, Run Thru The Jungle, Motor Oil Shanty, Love Split W/Blood, Ran Away Dark, Diddy Wah Diddy, Lazy In Love, Dead Me You B Side) and three selected tracks of collaborations with other known artists "I Fell In Love With A Ghost" (Mick Harvey, Rowland Howard, Barry Adamson and others), "Der Karibische Western" (w. Die Haut) and "As She Weeps" (w. Sort Sol).
Being familiar with most of the tracks from both Teenage Jesus and 8 Eyed Spy, side A is no surprise, sound wise. But the dirty as hell sonic attack that was called Teenage Jesus & The Jerks is so fucking excellent. There has never been a band since then sounding like this. It's so fucking harsh, in your face, wrong, ugly, bad ass. I love this fucking group!

The tracks from 8 Eyed Spy feels misplaced, I expected the Beirut Slump tracks to come inbetween the two, since it's according to Lunch's timeline, but the spies comes directly after beeing assaulted by a certain Teenage Jesus.
A lot of more classic rock has snuck into the music, but this is by no means regular rock music. I thought I hadn't heard the last track on this tape with them, "Dead Me You B side" earlier, but it's on the compilation I have from Atavistic. Anyway, I think this one is live, and it's a creepy and slimey fucking track. For me, it was like discovering a new song, and it's a magnificent evil piece of music that you should plug into your ears!

Turning the tape I get to know Beirut Slump for the first time, and I friggin' bow my head! The vocals, mostly handled by Bobby 'Berkowitz' Swope are grim. The sound is more Teenage Jesus than 8 Eyed Spy, it's a little less chaotic, darker and more lurking than the Jerks and I have come across another act to love.
Seems like it's time to get that Teenage Jesus & The Jerks / Beirut Slump split(compilation) "Shut Up and Bleed" I've been checking out on ebay.

Now, for the final three tracks.
"I Fell In Love With A Ghost", the music shouldn't come as any surprise to those who are familiar with The Birthday Party and the early Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds. Slow, haunting and with Lunch's "don't-really-give-a-fuck-if-you-think-it's-pretty-or-not" vocals. The guitars are a bit more subtle than usual for a man like Rowland Howard, but this a great friggin' track!
"Der Karibische Western" sounds like a country/cowboy/post-punk-bastard. Can't really remember what the Die Haut album with Nick Cave on guest vocals sounds like, but it might be time to pick that up again and give a spin.
"As She Weeps" reminds, musically, of "I Fell In Love...", slow, melodic and with an excellent vocal approach by Lunch.

Seems like I need to get myself the vinyl version of this as well. A tape holds glory that a CD never will, but vinyls rule the musical world.

Mono - Live at Strand 25/3 2010

2010-03-25T23:42:00.000-07:00

It's been a couple of years since I really listened a lot to "post rock", and back then I was in deep with Mogwai, Red Sparrows, Explosions In The Sky, Mono and the likes. But my musical growth has not been in the best interest of Mono. I remeber really liking "One Step More and You Die", which I realized yesterday was the only album I could recall hearing, even though I certainly listened to "Under the Pipal Tree" and "You Are There" as well.
A friend of mine said that Mono were pioneers, with what they were doing, but that might have been an overstatement. Mogwai released "Young Team" three years before Mono started. Mono and Explosions In The Sky released their debut albums in 2001.

The show was enjoyable in a way, but it felt so kind, innocent and in a way amateuristic (as in a band being young, trying to sound like their idols, but not being on the same level). That might be a bit harsh, but they didn't come aross as the veterans they are. They seemed cliché, not that interesting and no that exciting. The crescendos sometimes seemed added because it was expected, and the "wonderful dynamics in their live performance" I've heard people telling me about and reading about didn't strike me that hard.
As another friend pointed out - it felt like watching the supporting act of Mogwai.
The show was enjoyable for a while, but tiresome in the end.

Wooden Shjips - [2008] Vol. 1

2010-03-15T08:23:00.000-07:00

Got this as a birthday gift from a couple of friends, hadn't heard of the band earlier but I immediately got hooked on the cover.
Had a quick listen on low volume but couldn't crank it up due to guests and a pretty unhappy daughter, so I waited until today.
And it's fucking excellent!
A mixture of garage rock and more slow Sabbath like 70's rock.
But it also has catchy pop-ish bass lines, repetive(or it's just one bass line for each song, and I agree, why make it more complicated?), the drums keep the beat going, steady and firm. On top of that foundation you got screaming, harsh, fuzzed-to-max guitars and delayed post-punkish singing (but very sporadically).
And let the name-dropping begin!
Earlier songs reminds me of the formula used by The Stooges, a really good riff that just keeps going. And the use of bells and later on piano just adds to that impression.
But during the later half of the first song, the guitar play cold easily be from a Raveonettes track, the fuzzed beyond borders guitar.
And that sort of odd but great combo, Stooges-foundation with Raveonettes-fuzz combined with some heavy, bearded 70's rock, really works excellent, and that pretty much sums up how I would describe this compilation.

Einstürzende Neubauten - Kollaps (1981)

2010-03-10T02:13:00.000-08:00

I want to say that it's one of my favorite albums, but I don't know how many favorites one is allowed to have. Definetely my favorite album with Neubauten, but that might be because it's the hardest one, which usually is the case when I like an album from an artists or groups catalogue.
I think I heard this one back in 2003 the first time, which is 22 years after it was released. I was 17 and had recently grown very tired of the Black Metal genre, well mostly the people in it and the artists image, not so much the music, so I dug deep into the noise scene instead, started listening to Merzbow, MZ.412, Folkstorm, Whitehouse (P.E I know). I had listened to Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds since I was 13 and hadn't really cared about checking out Neubauten earlier even though I knew Blixa was the frontman, but then I saw that they were coming to Sweden, so I started checking them out. And I was blown away. The real noise. Not just someone who's short-circuiting distortionpedals, or just doing digital noise. This was the real shit. The use of construction tools, materials, the hammering on shopping carts, Blixas "not even No Wave"-guitar play and his voice really got me.
This is without a doubt the roughest album, "unlistenable" if you want. But it's also the darkest, according to me. Just listen to U-Haft Muzak. Might be one of the most evil tracks ever.

V/A - Release The Bats: The Birthday Party As Heard Through The Meat Grinder Of Three One G

2010-03-03T23:34:00.000-08:00

1. Plot To Blow Up The Eiffel Tower - Pleasure Heads Must Burn
2. Das Oath - Friend Catcher
3. T Cells - Deep in the woods
4. Cattle Decapitation - Sonny's Burning
5. Year Future - Blundertown
6. SSION - Nick The STripper
7. Ex Models - Mutiny In Heaven
8. Les Georges Leningrad - Riddle House
9. Rah Bras - Mr. Clarinet
10. Melt Banana - Faint Heart
11. Chinese Stars - The Plague
12. Celebration - King Ink
13. Kill Me Tomorrow - Junkyard
14. Get Hustle - A Dead Song
15. Numbers - Cry
16. Error - Wild World
17. Daughters - Marry Me
18. Some Girls - Release The Bats

I've been listening quite a lot to The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower lately, maybe the only band who ever could be described as playing Punk/Jazz, for real. The band deserves their place on this compilation, without a doubt. The original is a very punk-y song and The Plot really gives it the interpretation it deserves.

Das Oath's version of "The Friend Catcher" is actually less evil than the original, some of the subliminal threat gets lost when they try to pound the shit out of the song.

T Cells' version of "Deep in the woods" is a lo-fi synth/digital version of this song with crooning, moaning, chanting vocals, which is probably just the same thing I have wanted to do with this song. T Cells have so far done the most impressive work on a BP composition.

In my mind Cattle Decapitation shouldn't have been on this compilation. Their Death/Gore/Grind seems so wrong for interpreting this kind of groovy, odd postpunk. So Cattle Decapitation's version of Sonny's Burning actually isn't good at all.

The time has come for Year Future to take on "Blundertown", and it's really a good one. The signer captures some of the emotional angst that Cave was a master of in BP. It's more beat-y than the original, and a bit speeded up.

Then SSION starts working on Nick The Stripper. I didn't expect to hear a 80's Dancefloor/Funk version of BP on this compilation. But this is actually great. Sometimes sounding like pure Funk, at least as far as the bass and guitar go, pounding digital drums and teasing choirs just chanting the melody of the song. At the end, I can't help to wonder if they've sampled Queens "Another One Bites The Dust".

Being one of my favourite BP songs, interpreted by one of my favorite bands these days, I have to say that I am a bit disappointed with Ex Models. Mutiny In Heaven has one of Nick Cave's best lyrics, ever, and Ex Models just presents an industrial neubauten-like hammering that completely drowns the lyrics (if there are any), I can just hear spastic screaming from time to time. Of course the chorus is clear, but the chorus isn't what I want to hear.

Les Georges Leningrad performs "Riddle House", with their synth/postpunk, but it's more laid back than their usual stuff. Rather clean and not the gripping.

Rah Bras does one my favorite interpretations on this compilation, complete with snotty, arrogant vocals. The song transforms into something like arabian surf-guitar-melodies from time to time. The french translations here and there just gives the song another psychotic dimension. It's a great fucking track.

Melt Banana has been very and up and down in my book, it wasn't until Cell-Scape 2003 that I really started to appreciate what they were doing. The following albums is more to my liking than the previous, this song is in that vein. The vocals sometimes remind me of a chihuahua, and this guitar riff really suites this band.

Chinese Stars (former 'Arab On Radar' more or less) gives "The Plague" a sad, guitar based outfit, but it sounds very 80's soundtrack, think "Escape From New York". A great interpretation, but not that broken that I want it to be. The drill noises towards the end is a really cool touch.

I had expected a bit more from Celebration, since the singer and the guitarist had Jaks almost twenty years ago, which was like BP twenty years later, I had expected the cover to be more in that way, less deep-sounding and more shrieky. More like Jaks in other words, but it's more like what they did in Lovelife and of course Celebration. A really good one though, but as said, I had expected more.

Junkyard has a raw intro live with Cave's screaming, when BP performed this already 1982. I am expecting to be disappointed with just this part before the song even starts, since it starts off with like a Marilyn Manson/Neo metal song. But just getting past that first impression, and opening ones mind, it's very enjoyable. A dirty semi MM/NIN sounding, chaotic version of Junkyard that has my full respect. Kill Me Tomorrow surprises me, with a competent and cool cover.

Get Hustle freaks me out (in a good way) with "A Dead Song" done like a primitive soul/jazz/rock outrage. It's way more chaotic than their own stuff, and it's great to hear, this is excellent.

Numbers and "Cry", a very club-ish interpretation, almost danceable. Definetely not one of the best ones on this compilation.

Error performs "Wild World". But not to my liking. NIN-ish approach, but they can't pull it off, just a half-assed attempt, and the vocals are a bit shitty as well. The guitar play in the chorus sounds like a Marilyn Manson theft.

Daughters fucked-up howling rock interpretation of Marry Me (Lie Lie) is great track. I really love the deep voice, but I think I prefer the vocals more than the music on this one. A little to modern sound maybe?

Some Girls - Release The Bats, maybe not the best interpretation of BP, but just the rawness of their own sound, and approach to this song, turning it completely into one of their own hits, is cool. It sounds like it could be one of their own tracks.

This is a compilation different from the rest, it's not a standard "metal bands tribute to an older metal band", it's an attempt to cover a progressive and experimental postpunk act that sounded insane. Half of the acts gets my fullest support, some just isn't right for this compilation and the rest falls in under approval but not more than that.

EyeHateGod/13 7''split and Holy Molar DVD

2010-03-02T23:47:00.000-08:00

EyeHateGod
1. Serving Time In The Middle Of Nowhere
2. Lack Of Almost Everything

13
1. Whore

This 7'' cost me probably 7 times as much as when it was released in 1994. Getting it through an auction on Swedens answer to Ebay, Tradera.com.
This is the only EyeHateGod release that I really need. I want/ed them all, but this one is essential.
It may be because my favourite EHG track of all time is included on this raw 7'', "Serving Time In The Middle Of Nowhere". The hardest, meanest, most groovy and sludgie track of them all, according to me.
The song consists of mostly just one riff, which may be one of the reasons I really enjoy this track. Simplicity.
The second EHG track is almost, but not completely, just as good. It has that groovy melodic part towards the ending that you can't just shake out of your head afterwards. Being Kings of Sludge, EHG is a nihilistic phenomenon more than an actual band.
This has the potential of being one of the best sides on a split 7'' ever.

13, the early home for Liz Buckingham, who later passed through the world of Sourvein and ended up in Electric Wizard. On vocals we have Alicia 13, Mike Williams (EHG vocalist) girlfriend, who, from time to time, manages to sound completely possessed. Vocals are most of the track pretty mediocer growls, but sudden outbursts of her madness is a clear spice that raises the entire song, and the complete impression.
This is sludge, dirty as hell, rotten and ill scented, maybe not as rabid and intense as EHG, but with a foul spirit of its own.

Live footage:
Che Cafe, San Diego
1. Hindsight 'Tween The Hind Legs
2. That Old Rugged Cross-Dresser
Graceland, Seattle
3. Dungeons And Drag-Queens III
4. My Saturday NIght Fever Turned Into A Sunday Morning Rash
5. Der Werewolf Breath
Gilman, Berkely
6. Dungeons And Drag-Queens I-II
7. Pissing Off In The Rolex Of Your Dreams
Chain Reaction, Anaheim
8. Drip! Drip! Drip!
9. Deep Thought Eject Button
10. Just One Minute And Thirty-Six Seconds Closer To Smoke From The Crematorium
+ Additional footage

Live, Holy Molar seems to be a band to either love or hate. Marky McMolar is pissing off the audience every show, and that is one thing I love. The live footage is great visual, and audial. The groups insane sound, song structure and effect usage really grips you when you watch it, except one thing, Marky McMolars vocals, which aren almonst heard at all. JP's (The Locust) shouting comes through as well as Bobby Bray's (The Locust), but Marky seems to have either a broken mic or not enough breath in the lungs to scream louder, in every clip.
Visually, it's a pleasure. The entire group dressed in dentist outfits (pimped of course).
The audience is breaking into the set, moshing together with the band or amongst themselves, Marky hackles them between songs and, of course, the undispensable naked-guy-concert-footage.
So the pieces of the live sets are great, just wishing you could hear Marky better.

The additional footage is almost more (time wise) than the live clips.
You get a full show at a guys birthday party. Most of the party people present seem to enjoy it, for a while. Don't know if they got paid for it, or if they got paid in beer and food. But it's pretty cool to have Holy Molar playing at your birthday party!

A sequence called "Henk" is where Bobby Bray is showing off. There's some real intense footage of him behind the keys, grooving, tossing, banging and moshing with pieces of the drum set.

Also, a full sequence of "Marky McMolar hackle", which is fun as hell to watch.

There's of course more than mentioned above, but I don't want to spoil the entire DVD for you.

Robert Johnson & Punchdrunks

2010-02-28T01:28:00.000-08:00

I had a very unhappy daughter yesterday, and the only way to get her to calm down was to have her in my arms and move. So I put on this record and started moving to the rhythm.
I always want to start a surf band, when I listen to RJaP. Without a doubt the coolest surf band ever. The Link Wray covers are so much meaner than the original, I mean "Jack The Ripper" on this album is a reason to buy the whole thing.
This may be my favorite album with the Punchdrunks, it's evil in a way, harsh and in-your-face.

I put on this as well, after "Feels Like Buzz Aldrin". The first album, more garage rock than the following albums. Here you have such great tracks as "Hava Nagila", "Misirlou", mostly known for the Dick Dale & The Deltones interpretation in Pulp Fiction, or by others, the people without any sense for real music, famous for the crappy Black Eyed Peas theft. You also got The Rumblers "Boss" and Link Wray's "Rumble". The saxophone on this album is a really great addition to the riffs.

James Chance & The Contortions - Buy (1979)

2010-02-25T04:11:00.000-08:00

Listen in spotify

It's been a couple of months since I listened to this album. The funky rhythm cloggs up your head with the beats you just feel all the way through your body. And the saxophone, I don't know what to say, it's disharmonic even though it's not. The contortions might also have among the best no wave-guitar play that I ever heard.
Without a doubt one of my favorite No Wave albums ever.
James Chance voice sometimes remind me of the vocal approach of an early, drugged-up Nick Cave, you know the kind of vocals to die for.

Todays huge record tip for those thinking about broadening their musical horizon.

Arab On Radar - Queen Hygiene II

2010-02-24T00:47:00.000-08:00

For some reason, I didn't listen that much to Arab On Radar earlier. Even though I should have. It's right up my alley. I started listening to The Locust when I was in 8th grade, and I had the songs of their split with Arab On Radar on my computer back then, but I didn't care that much about the other band on that split. Probably wasn't that anal in my musical interest, investigating every band that's mentioned in the same sentence, "similar artist", label collegues, side projects and reading biograpies. Well, it's easy to say that things have changed.
Anyway, to get back to the subject. This record is in a way all that I want from my own musical career. Hooking bass lines, spastic drums, nonsense no wave-y guitar riffs, repetetive, monotonous and a very personal singing style. Well, The Birthday Party is in every way and aspect what I want to do musically myself. But Arab On Radar isn't that far from it, less evil and dark maybe.
This might be my favorite album with the Arabs and it's a huge tip to you out there who hasn't heard this band yet.

Two nights, five live acts, new items in the collection

2010-02-21T23:39:00.000-08:00

On saturday Ominous Recordings unveiled the latest floe fountain release. I had planned on having a releaseparty, and the band were supposed to be playing. But we didn't find a venue to play at, the band have more or less been placed on ice and the mixing delayed the release with a week. So the releaseparty was held together with a friend who has her club, organizing shows in Stockholm and Göteborg.
On stage this evening were Chicken El Diablo and Pistol Disco.
I had listened to both acts on myspace, and felt that Pistol Disco might be a little bit to pop-ish, even though their music could be described as pop/drone. But I really appreciated Chicken El Diablos post-punk-ish songs on myspace.
But live it was completely opposite. Chicken El Diablo was good, but not really that gripping. But Pistol Disco really made my evening. The drones in their pop really stood out when they performed live and it was really good.
I traded a tape with one of the guys working at Kulturhuset:
"Händer Som Vårdar - Korridorblick"

Also got the following from Flacon Recordings:
Gall Bladder - Hypnoskopik Fieldtrix MC
Coca-Cola 3 - Pipkrake MC
Coca-Cola 3 - Moby MC

On sunday, I went back to Kulturhuset igen, to attend the "Ny Musik För Hållbar Utveckling" evening. Three bands were playing, one of them which I'm thinking of releasing on Ominous, so it was like an audition for them.
The first band, Once We Were Wolves, was shit, and I mean that in the purest of all shits. It was an untalented mixture of Kent and U2. The guitar riffs were so cliché than it was almost embarassing, and the vocals and lyrics were in the same vein. And I bet they thought they were really deep and dark and sad. In my opinion it was pretentious crap. But the audience seemed to like it.
After that it was time for Lust For Youth, and it was really mindblowing. Droneish noise, pulsating and with some sort of embedded beat and melody. Unfortunately all their tapes got sold out before I had the chance to get me one, but they are returning in May, and I hope to get my hands on a tape then. Or I might just order some from their label.
After Lust For Youth it was time for Munnen. Munnen is the drummer from Floe Fountain, which I have released on Ominous, the man behind Telephone Melts, which I'm planning on releaseing on Ominous, the guitarist from Discodrift and a fourth guy who previously was in Floe Fountain as well.
It was a awesome mixture of postpunk, funk and no wave and it was really, really good.
I'm thinking about maybe giving them a tape on Ominous this year as well, but it depends on time and funds.
Also got my hands on the 10'' LP "Utmarken" from Release The Bats in Göteborg

It was a really great musical weekend and I've got some really interesting stuff to dig deep into this week.

Floe Fountain Releaseparty

2010-02-20T00:07:00.000-08:00

Today Ominous Recordings is releasing the anticipated, new, and possibly last, Floe Fountain recording. "Infinipolar" is released on both Tape (6 tracks) and 3'' CDr (5 Tracks). Floe Fountains well-made mixture of pop sensibillity and Ex Models-kind of fucked-up rock is head turning. The spastic drums, the epileptic guitar riffs, the keys and the vocal twists and turns between soft crooning and hysterical screams is amazing.

The releaseparty is held at Lava / Kulturhuset, in Stockholm, together with Klubb Static. On stage Chicken El Diablo and Pistol Disco will perform. And Ominous will be there to unvail the Floe Fountain-madness.

Visit the website here to get your copy if your not attending this evening!

7 Year Rabbit Cycle - Animal People... And some random thoughts

2010-02-19T06:19:00.000-08:00

Wonderfully disharmonic, no wavey and clankering, the album has been spinning all day. Musically it bears a lot of similarity to what Lydia Lunch did in Teenage Jesus and The Jerks. A kind of musical approach that rarely finds a great following, people seem to care more about production, image, and "real music" not the controversial stuff. I've been sucking the soul out of this record today, and it's eating me from the inside out.

Lately I've been heading towards the "noise rock" genre more and more. Been exchanging musical tips with a friend. We've been throwing Ex Models, Black Dice, Pissed Jeans (mostly songs from "Hope for Men", without a doubt the best one), Giddy Motors and Harry Pussy at each other. Also been listening to Suicide, Flipper and Harry Crewes.
Time flies when one is finding new music, and thanks to spotify it's really easy to find "similar artists" without having to do more than searching for an already known band. Unfortunately, it's pretty hard to find the really rare stuff still, and some things you can't even buy, not even used.