Burzum - Filosofem

It's always said that children are amazed by things that their parents can't stand. Well, when I was growing up my parents absolutely detested metal. The funny part was, they didn't hate it because they found it offensive, they hated it because they're a pair of ex-punks that lived through the metal genre's many rises in to the mainstream. Just like when you hear the word "punk" you think of angry young kids with mohawks and safety pins all over their clothing, when my parents heard "metal" they'd think of greasy, acne ridden kids who are under the delusion that metal was the best thing to ever happen to music. Not an enjoyable thought for a pair of aging hipsters or for anyone really. So when I started to pick up interest in the odd bit of metal, I get the feeling that my folks were worried that I'd go down that road. It never really happened. I can't stand having really long hair and the absurd self importance that seems to go with the "metal scene" just gets on my nerves. I have however kept a passive interest in the genre and hold the music that comes out in as higher regard as any of the "cool" genres.

I've been in to Burzum for a few years now and know the ridiculous story behind this one man band. Don't quote me on these bits of information but the basic controversy goes like this. Burzum a.k.a. Varg Vikernes was arrested in the mid 90s for church burning and for murdering a member of the band Mayhem, who were supposed to be friends with Vikernes. It is well known that Vikernes is homophobic, racist and generally a faux-intellectual, nasty little shit. He's supposed to be out of jail soon but has no intention of bringing back Burzum because he thinks, and I quote, "guitars are for negroes". What's even more disturbing about that quote is the fact that he takes negroes not to mean people with black skin, but anyone who's philosophy in life he disagrees with. His belief seems to go around a corruption of the Aryan race due to black influence. As I said, he is a stupid, vile, unpleasant, hateful little shit.

So I guess by now you're asking "so why do you listen to this and why are you making it known". Well the more I've thought about it, the more I've realized that I believe in the complete separation of an artist from their work and I guess listening to Burzum is the highest level of this train of thought. It's always interesting to strip a musician away from their music so you're left with just the music and not left with a towering thought of the musician who made it. There's plenty more examples. The Bad Brains would prove themselves to be homophobic morons but there's no questioning that their early work was some of the finest hardcore ever made. Morrissey is a dull little bastard but no one's going to speak ill of The Smiths. So by the same standards, Varg is a horrible person but he's made some of the finest black metal ever.

Here's a few tracks from one of Burzum's more hard to get albums.

Burzum - Dunkerlheit
Burzum - Jesus' God

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Old Crow Medicine Show

The first time I heard about Old Crow Medicine Show was when I was wondering aimlessly through the crowds at Cambridge Folk Festival 2004, and found myself watching a small group of skinny musicians playing an impromptu set, basically busking on the corner of some dusty festival path, for anyone who would listen. And there wasn't anybody within ear-range who wasn't listening. The next day, one of the headlining acts cancelled unexpectedly, and with one main-stage slot to fill, the organisers - rather than asking another head-line to fill in - instead to turned to the unknown gang of travelling street musicians. They became the most talked-about act of the festival, selling all of the few copies of their demo-CD they had brought along not expecting to sell. Last Summer they were inbited back by the Cambridge festival organisers, this time as headliners - drawing massive crowds to their performances and one of the only acts chosen to be aired on the short BBC coverage.

For me, Old Crow Medicine Show are everything I was raised on, traditional pre-War American rags and jug band tunes, yet there's something about watching a bunch of kids stomping around a stage, shouting out the same songs my Dad has to use a wind-up gramaphone to play the original recordings of, that makes me get a funny feeling in my belly. Old Crow Medicine are what folk music is about - songs that are hundreds of years old, played on traditional instruments, but still mean the same thing: playing your heart out for anyone who will listen, whether it's on a street corner or on a stage or in your living room, regardless of age or background, because songs that are older than anybody alive on earth can be played by anybody and for anybody, just simply for the joy of playing that music. They're clinging onto all of our pasts, but they're playing for the now, and when you get a band like Old Crow Medicine Show who play it with such control over their instruments but so much intensity... I don't think anybody can listen to Wagon Wheels and not tap their foot.

Wagon Wheels
Cocaine Blues

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The solid records are rolling in this year

Tortoise & Bonnie "Prince" Billy - The Brave And The Bold
To be honest, I have my gripes with both sets of musicians in this pairing. Whilst the Bonnie Prince did make I See A Darkness, one of my favorite records ever, nothing else he's done has ever really made it past being filed as "OK" in my brain. Tortoise have just flat out never done anything for me. The technicality and composure of their music was always impressive but at the same time very dull. I'm not the kind of guy who can listen to a ten minute drum solo and think "wow, the technicality is amazing" and therefore I can't listen to an hour long Tortoise album and stay listening just because the record's an exercise in musical proficiency.

So upon purchasing this record, I was slightly worried that "The Brave And The Bold" was going to be a display of both acts lesser points as opposed to Billy breaking out the insanely bleak song writing that makes him so important and using Tortoise as an all purpose inclusive, back up band. Fortunately they went with the latter. Billy is feeling the darkness again in this collection of cover versions and it seems to have helped mould Tortoise's musical wankery in to the melodic support that is needed to transport the lyrics across. It's no "I See A Darkness" but then I wasn't really expecting it to be. This still manages to lay waste to the majority both parties' back catalogue.

Thunder Road

Cat Power - The Greatest
I can't claim to be "in the know" about Cat Power. I'm not really part of that little cult that Chan Marshall seems to have following her. I'm sure you know what I'm referring to, those awkward fan boys that thinks she's the best female artist of all time. Yeah, I'm not really that in to her or her music. That's not to say I'm not fond of her music. I just don't have a restraining order against me after I was found sitting in her bushes, not really wearing much. I really liked "Myra Lee" and I'm getting in to "The Greatest" as well. It follows the departure from her harsh awkward wailing in to a more mature graceful singer/song-writer style.

Lived In Bars

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Spiritualized

To continue with the rediscovering my favorites theme that was in my last post, I figured it was time for some Spiritualized. Much like Godspeed, I discovered Spiritualized when I was taking my baby steps in to the world of not so radio friendly music. At the time I considered Spiritualized to be pure audio bliss and after trying this out again, my initial thoughts have stayed strong. Spiritualized songs seem to have three blueprints. 1) Songs that take heavy influence from Jason's former band Spacemen 3 and therefore have a heavy drone quality to them. e.g. "Electricity" 2) Slow paced romantic songs where it's hard to tell if Jason is singing about drugs or a woman. e.g. "I didn't mean to hurt you". 3) The up tempo, life affirming numbers that just throw good vibes everywhere. e.g. "Do It All Over Again". All three come togethor to make records of interesting diversity and incredibly good song writing.

Look out for a new Spiritualized release this year, it was due for last year but Jason got rather ill and needed to spend a few months in hospital. It wouldn't surprise me if the new release blows anything else from this year right out of the water.

Taken from "Ladies And Gentlemen We are Floating In Space":
ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space>Electricity

Taken from "Let It Come Down":
Do It All Over Again
I Didn't Mean To Hurt You

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Hang On The Box - For Every Punk Bitch & Arsehole

China has this rule that each family may only have one baby each, to control population numbers, and as far as I can make out, this means that the generation divisions are much more defined than they are here. I don't know much about China, but it's not like Japan where thousands of punk bands, kids in crazy fashions, insane tattoos and eccentric artists are pretty much the norm. Punk bands in China are much rarer, and most of them seem to have appeared quite recently, catapulted into existence by the opening of the famous Scream Club in Beijing in 1998. The same year, three girls announced they were the only all-girl punk band in Beijing, despite not having ever had a practise together. They were the original Hang On The Box, and having gone through some major line-up changes, are still playing to this day although whereas originally they sounded like a Manga cartoon of Bikini Kill covering Jon Spencer Blues Explosion tracks, their sound has since changed.

But that's neither here nor there since the record in question is an early album, the only one I've seen available in Europe. The band-members are like Ghost World meets Digimon, and I hate to say it but the music is pretty much really great riotgrrrl, before it got crap. I do prefer this to most of the Bikini Kill stuff, even if they can't really play their instruments and they sing like someone would sing if they were trying to take the piss out of a Chinese all-girl punk singer. But it's great. I don't think they really care what people think of them. The lyrics are mindless, but great. The guitars are dumbed down Guitar Wolf, but fantastic. I should have grown out of this when I was 15 but at the end of the day, it's impossible not to love this.

Kill Your Belly
Ass Hole, I'm Not Your Baby

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Godspeed You! Black Emperor

With all the music in existence that I've never heard, I often feel an obligation to try as many new bands as time will allow. Because of this I often tend to lose touch with some of my favorite bands. I had my playlist on random earlier today when "East Hastings" came on and suddenly my love for this band came roaring back. How could I have abandoned this band for so long? It took me back to being a fourteen year old kid and having my pubescent mind blown by "Lift Your Skinny Fists". It was the composure that did it for me. That almost full orchestra sound with the perfect build ups that really redefined "epic". The incredibly haunting occasional vocals that bonded the album together perfectly. That album along with "1000 Hurts", "Spiderland" and "Jane Doe" was what helped mould me in to the music obsessed guy I am now.

Here's a track from each of my favorite Godspeed records. They're both over fifteen minutes long so prepare for a long wait if you have a shitty internet connection.

Taken from "Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven!":
Murray Ostril: They Don't Sleep Anymore On The Beach/Mo nheim/Broken Windows Locks Of Love Part III

Taken from "F# A# (INFINITY)"
East Hastings

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Alice's Top 5 of 2005

I know this is a little late, and has already been done by Eugene, and Keiran did a really cool Rainer Maria thingy and... yeah. I'm rubbish, I know! Sorry sorry sorry everyone. I'm trying to make up for it by doing 5 albums in one post.

2005 was a reasonable year for music, I suppose. There were some cool new albums, but generally most of my purchases were much-needed classics, such as Ramones boxsets, Jeff Buckley remasters and the disgusting way that Sonic Youth are cashing in on all their old albums by re-releasing them as expensive double-CDs with insightful booklets - completely pointless yet unavoidable additions to my shelves. I even had a momentary flash of guilt over my downloading habits and vowed to replace all of my CD-R albums with the real thing. That lasted about a week but it was an expensive 7 days. The beginning of 2005 was riddled with hip-hop and post-rock discoveries; I made a mad attempt at buying every Constellation Records album I could get my hands on, and lined an entire shelf with albums by DJ Shadow, Coldcut, Ugly Duckling, Beastie Boys and so on... Then, as with every Summer, everybody around me seemed to produce a fiddle or a bodram drum and I had my annual Summer Of Folk Music; The Duhks, The Waifs (again), Ani Difranco (as usual), Old Crow Medicine Show, Cat Empire... and then as the cold weather closed in I rediscovered the grindcore and screamo records I'd cherished through 2004, rounded off with an out-of-body experience at a Melt Banana show.

So yeah. Generally it was a pretty cool year for my ears. And so far 2006 hasn't been too bad either.

Anyway, here's five classic releases from 2005. Please note that these in no way reflect my absolute top five favourites of 2005! Well, I lie. Sigur Ros would be in there, and Ani Difranco would be in my top artists of all time anyway. However, these are just a small handful that I enjoyed getting lost in, that I have not written about yet, or that I generally feel deserve a brief mention.

Regina Spektor - Mary Ann Meets The Gravediggers and Other Short Stories
Regina Spektor, it has to be said, is my favourite of the new wave of fairy-tale-chic artists who've hit the review columns of every "underground" publication on the planet. All the Joanna Newsoms, all the Devendra Banharts... Regina Spektor is my favourite. Mary Ann Meets The Gravediggers is a small collection of tracks from her two other records, neither of which have been officially available in the UK before. Technically, this is a 2006 release, but I've been waiting for it since way back in last year so I'm making it count just so I can tell you all to go out and buy it. It comes with a DVD as well, with a little short film to some of the music and a couple of videos to the singles. I love this. I love it, I love it, I looooove it! I love the lyrics and I love her voice and I love the artwork and I love the video to 'Us' and... I love this.

Oedipus

Ani Difranco - Knuckle Down
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Ani Difranco is a genius. Musically, she is one of the most influential folk guitarists of all time. Politically, she's hailed as one of her generation's most recognised feminists and anti-war protesters. Even as a writer, her song-lyrics and poetry is up there, sometimes beyond, the likes of Patti Smith. She's made like a berjillion albums and has had even more different hairstyles than that. When I listen to an Ani Difranco song, any song, any record, that I haven't heard in a while - or even if I've had it on repeat for the last day - I get that funny shiver in my spine. I think if I could choose something to be the last thing I hear, it'd be one of her albums. Not to sound like an obsessive fan or anything, but listening to Ani Difranco should be put on the National Curriculum. This album is one of her finest, perhaps not her best, but an incredible album nonetheless.

Manhole

Busdriver - Fear Of A Black Tangent
This one time I was at work and my best friend Hamish was hanging out with me while I priced stuff up. When this happens, we fight over who gets to choose what to listen to and he usually wins and usually sulk because of it. Anyway, this one day, some time in 2005, he put on a mixtape that some girl made him, and on it was Busdriver. Then I found this album in a tiny record shop in Dorchester and just managed to afford it with the last coppers in my pocket, and I don't think I could imagine a day that I didn't have this on my iPod. A great, great hip-hop album.

Avantcore

Sigur Ros - Takk
Yeah... I've already done a write-up on this. It's great. Go buy it if you haven't already! What more can I say more about this? A total classic.

Glósóli






Tracy + The Plastics - Culture For Pigeons
Tracy isn't a real person. She's the alter-ego of an eccentric lesbian film-maker from the Northwest called Wynne Greenwood. "The Plastics" are Cola on drums, and Nikki on keyboards, who argue between eachother over how songs should sound, what they're wearing, and criticise eachother openly - and yet they don't exist either. They're acted by Greenwood too, and are projected behind her while "Tracy" performs her part of the act live onstage, stopping occasionally to interact with her "band-mates". The films that go alongside the disjointed electro soundtracks are long and slightly spooky - domestic objects become instruments in the band - the pot-plant dances in time to the keyboard and the shake of the nail polish becomes the high-hat. The CD is one of those weird double-sided CDs that are a DVD one way up and an audio CD when facing the other way up. The first couple of times I watched the DVD, I didn't really get it, but I think at some point it just clicked. Now when I listen to the CD, all I can see is three Wynne Greenwood's arguing with eachother and huffing and puffing during a band practise, the back of her neck, and the carpet in her house. You have to see it a few times to understand why this is so amazing.

Henrietta

HAPPY 2006!
Alice-Rose

Throbbing Gristle - Very Friendly

This track just completely scared the living shit out of me. It's even worse than that Hamburger Lady song that Alice posted a month ago. Now I have to get my CD player, computer and hosting exorcised. It's seventeen minutes long so just wait out the long download time.

Very Friendly

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The best of 2005 (better late than never)

I looked back in the archives today and realized how badly I botched my end of year list. So I'm redoing it. Not much else to it really. Please note, these come from UK release dates. If the record got released in some other country in 2004, I don't care. Also I'm giving you tracks from the top twenty as opposed to top ten to make up for the number of songs I'm recycling due to some of these tracks being posted through out last year.

It was a good year wasn't it?

1)Part Chimp - I Am Come
Part Chimp really came in to their own this year. After a slightly awkward debut, they've managed to come back with a record that mixes elements of Sonic Youth, Mogwai and Mclusky in to one record of loud ass guitar ripping. Despite The Duke Spirit putting up a real fight, this record comes out top this year.
War Machine


2)The Duke Spirit - Cuts Across The Land
This record's presence on this list is pretty much obligatory. I knew from the moment I first heard a few sample tracks that these guys were on to something a bit special. But as a whole record their Velvet Underground influenced rock 'n' roll is simply awe inspiring. It's always great to see a new band take a slightly tired concept and breath new life in to it.
Cuts Across The Land


3)French Toast - In A Cave
The first of the two fantastic Dischord releases this year. French Toast put together a varied yet completely solid record. The songs move from up tempo scratchy guitar work to really slow paced and slightly heartfelt. They come together to form one thoroughly enjoyable hour of music and show that Dischord really hasn't lost it's importance as a label and still has an eye for something fresh.
Float Away


4)Red Sparowes - At The Soundless Dawn
Man I hate typing out this bands song titles. I hope some day they run an mp3 blog and I've made this fantastic semi-apocalyptic "post-rock" record with long song titles that's just too good not to post. Roll reversal is fun.
Buildings Began To Stretch Wide Across The Sky, And The Air Filled With A Reddish Glow


5)Spoon - Gimme Fiction
Oh shut up. I know it's just simple guitar strumming coupled with equally simple lyrics but gawd dammit if Spoon don't make it work. It also managed to boast such great tracks as "I Summon You", "I Turned My Camera On" and "Sister Jack". No other band really managed to produce this many quirky sing along gems this year.
I Summon You


6)Million Dead - Harmony No Harmony
Well I've said my goodbyes, I've been saying them over and over since they called it quits in September. Another great angsty punk act give it up before they even had the chance to reach their full potential. What set Million Dead apart for me was the genuine intelligence that came from singer Frank Turner, his lyrical work has shown that modern punk doesn't have to be politically stupid.
Murder And Create

7)Jesu - S/T
A Former Godflesh member managed to take his former bands wandering metal sound and make it in to a full blow epic. This record is almost scary with it's dark, tuneful melancholy and would make the perfect soundtrack to the four horsemen turning up.
Your Path To Divinity



8)Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Howl
No one was expecting this. After "Take Them On, On Your Own" Black Rebel Motorcycle Club were written off by many as a one trick pony. How unexpected that they'd shoot back with this fantastic use of folk, gospel and blues.
Promise



9)Dios Malos - S/T
The second record from these guys shows them sticking to what they're good at. That being quirky and well written soft rock with a witty and at times snide sense of humor. They've also managed to improve on their consistency and a full record has been made with a complete lack of filler.
I Want It All



10)Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock And Roll
With Mclusky dead and gone, I needed a band to fulfill my desire for snide bastard music. Art Brut were the answer to my problem. Every song is a rude little commentary on the topics they desire. You wouldn't believe how hard I laughed the first time I heard the line "modern art makes me want to rock out". They also manage to avoid being goofy or overly unfocused due to their desire to be funny and we're left with some really rockin' and funny tunes.
Formed A Band

11)The Decemberists - Picaresque
I know I shouldn't really be behind this hipsterific acoustic strumming wankery. But if anything I'm thankful to The Decemberists for showing The New Pornographers and other such lesser acts how it's done. Colin Meloy has really become the master of his area. I don't think anyone can beat these story telling strummed tunes at the moment.
From My Own True Love (Lost At Sea)


12)Blackalicious - The Craft
It was a crappy year for hip-hop. Even Blackalicious let me down to some extent. I was expecting this to be riding in the top three but over production and some duff tracks ruined it's chances. Gab is still pretty much on form and their live show isn't suffering. They're still one of the best hip-hop acts going and thus they still hold some place in my heart.
Supreme People

13)Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree
There's something about the blunt honest nature within this album that's really appealed to me. Each song comes from the singer's adolescent experiences and whilst that may seem slightly lame, with some of the subject matter he presents, it's pretty powerful stuff. Hearing him openly tell us of his step-father beating him and his mum and his natural experiences of teenage lust really struck a chord with me.
Dilaudid

14)Bear vs Shark - Terrorhawk
This lot have really added an aggressive nature to their sound and have come out much better from it. The interesting song structure and slightly mismatching vocals are still as present as ever but an element of danger has given me more of a reason to make a big fuss about this band. It's all to easy to discard them at first, but it's something that really requires repeated listens to realize all the clever elements that went in to this.
Catamaran

15)Autechre - Untitled
The IDM record of the year hands down. I wasn't expecting a huge amount of variety from a new Autechre release and I pretty much got what I expected. Well composed yet, disjointed. Melodic yet spiky. Another year, another Autechre album. Constantly playing out the old phrase "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".
LCC


16)The Evens - S/T
Every Mackaye fan I know is pissing it with worry that Fugazi are no more. Even if that's true, Mackaye is showing here that he has plenty of song writing skill left in him. Simple acoustic numbers here but still with his usual political and social commentary. Imagine Fugazi songs played by Elliott Smith and you've got the idea.
Shelter Two


17)Deerhoof - The Runners Four
Deerhoof suddenly decided they didn't want to be the bizarre little indy-pop band that released such weirdness as "The Milkman" anymore. They've taken it upon themselves to add a Zeppelin influence and come out swinging. Now much more guitar driven yet with their signature harmonic vocals and generally bizarre topic choices, they've come out from this drastic change with better songs and as a better band.
Twin Killers

18)400 Blows - Angels Trumpets And Devils Trombones
It sounds the same as the last record. Awesome! With their label switch and rumors of a heavy sound change, I was slightly worried 400 Blows were going to go all Dream Theatre on us. As far as I can tell, all that's changed is the tracks have gotten slightly longer. Besides that this music is still the fantastic violent, angry punk/metal it ever was.
Make A Wish

19)Lightning Bolt - Hypermagic Mountain
I think I called this the record of 2005 at some point. I was talking out of my arse. This hasn't really stood the test of time and being about 50% filler hasn't helped it out at all. "Captain Caveman" and "Riffwraith" are still the fantastic fast-food noise rock they ever were and "Hypermagic Mountain" isn't with out it's charm. Just not top ten material really.
Riffwraith

20)Onedia - The Wedding
Another disappointment due to a lack of consistency. Still having it's moments and singer's performance is impressive throughout. But too many meandering and dull tracks have put this down a good few places. However when Onedia meet their mark on such songs like "Did I die" they really are unstoppable. With the sweeping vocals and Jeff Beck like guitar present there could actually make "Did I die" the song of the year.
Did I Die

Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works Vol 2

If you've been paying close enough attention for the last five months, you'd know that this is my second Aphex Twin post. The main reason I'm posting songs from another Aphex Twin album really is pretty simple, the two records I've now posted sound absolutely nothing alike. Whilst Drukqs was more of an exercise in scattered beat IDM and was much more of a brutal, fast paced record. This record, as the name may sudgest is an ambient electronic work and it deserves as much attention as any of D. James more upbeat releases.

It's always amazed me that each track here almost form together despite this in fact being a collection of unrelated pieces. Perhaps that has something to do with the general soundscapes the music creates. I'd hate to sound tacky and cliqued here but this music really does almost seem like painting a picture of another world. The ambiance also seems to give off a wide variety of emotions. Whilst there are some tracks that would make fantastic sound tracks to nightmares or a psychological horror movie, others just give off a completely relaxing if slightly melancholy vibe. For some reason I think "Rhubarb" would be the perfect sound track to a stoner being told their mum is dead. I'm not really sure why. What really closes the deal is that this is a two disc set. James managed to keep this up for the course of two whole hours, never really giving you a chance to lose interest.

Rhubarb
Parallel Stripes
Hexagon

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Boris - Pink

A few weeks in to the new year and already we have a new release worth making a big fuss about. I still can't get over the fact that this is the new album from Boris, that weird little sludge band from Southern Lord. They've been over shadowed by The Lords superior acts for years now. Thrones, Mondo Generator, Ureghal and Sunn 0))) were the big shots whilst Boris were somewhat in the back ground. On some level that was fair. I've owned their previous release "Absolutego" for a while now and whilst it did have it's moments, you really did deserve a free t-shirt if you gave the whole record your undivided attention in one sitting.

So how bizarre is it to hear that funny little doom band come out with a shoegaze and garage rock infused, fucking solid record. Something I have the feeling will be looked back on at the end of this year as a highlight. It's like The Jesus & Mary Chain songs played by Sleep. Why hasn't anyone thought of doing this before? Well 2006, I challenge you to bring out something more innovative and down right rockin' than this in your lifetime. This is the bench mark for the year. Everyone else, get working.

When We're Gone

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The Incredible Moses Leroy - Become The Soft Lightes

Man this makes me feel all warm inside. Seriously, I hate to get all sappy on you but throw on "Everybody's Getting Down" and close your eyes. Tell me it doesn't help you reach your happy place? Leroy's got soul, Leroy's got buckets of soul. Along with Elliott Smith and Jeff Buckley, he makes that list of singer/songwriters that have a melancholy to them at pretty much every turn but still manage to be completely uplifting. Besides the obviously angelic music, it's Mo's voice that makes this in to the immediately accessible warmth that it is. His singing whilst it's debatable that it can come off whiny, those vocals do give each tune it's soulful edge. Admittedly "We Don't Dance" doesn't feature him singing but it's still a great song.

These tracks are from one of his two full lengths that you can grab on Amazon and Emusic. I'd say grab 'em both if I were you.

Everybody's Getting Down
We Don't Dance

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The Black Heart Procession - 2

I'm not sure why this album is effecting my mood so much. Perhaps it's the partnership "2" has developed with the bleak, gloomy South-East winter. The freezing cold that makes people say "I'm not going outside unless where ever I need to get to is less than ten minutes away." So to suit the morbid nature of the season, out comes The Black Heart Procession to make things that little bit more depressing. The elegant composure of piano lead pieces with the incredibly haunting vocal work really does seem like the soundtrack to this grey state of affairs.

I can't wait for it to be summer so The Gun Club, The Verve and Spacemen 3 can be my life's fuckin' soundtrack again. This whole "pissed off hermit" act I've got going at the moment, it's not healthy.

The Waiter no 2
A Light So Dim

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Beecher

Beecher called it quits the other day. It's completely reminiscent of Mclusky calling it quits at pretty much the same time last year. Here's the statement their website gave:

"So, this is it. After almost five long years of putting everything we have into this band, it has finally brought itself to an end. For the whole time we've put all our creative and physical energy into writing and performing music that we believed in completely, and for the most part we've been underappreciated, misunderstood and misrepresented by both the media and by the general public. We'’ve never been ‘the UK'’s answer’ to anybody; we'’ve never been a "‘fashioncore" band or a ‘"noisecore’" band and we’ve certainly never once adhered to any of your bullshit "‘scene"’ rules. We are who we are and we played what we wanted, and in our minds we'’ve set an example and achieved more than we ever thought possible. I'm sorry to say that it seems that right now, you either need to look stupid or sound shit (or more often than not a combination of the two) to get anywhere in this ‘scene,’ two things that have never applied to Beecher "

Now that statement may smack a little of self indulgence and it's a tad preachy but as I'm subjected to this "scene" on a daily basis, I can pretty much understand where they're coming from. Most of the kids here don't realize it but we're in the middle of a huge hair metal revivalist stage here in England. The biggest bands to emerge from around here of late have been Bullet For My Valentine and Funeral For A Friend, respectively a pair of Motley Crue and Iron Maiden for kids acts that everyone is lapping up. With Million Dead calling it quits last year and now Beecher, the number of half decent youthful British "scene" acts is quickly going down the fuckin' toilet. I'm not claiming this situation to be "ruining music" or anything as mellow dramatic or pretentious as the testimonies local idiots have been giving, but it's a shame when the only local gigs going offer nothing fresh or enjoyable.

Anyhow, whilst I continue to be a self pitying little fool, you can enjoy a few tracks from Beecher's two full lengths. If you dig this, I recommend picking these up, they're thoroughly solid and enjoyable metal records. I think Americans should have no trouble getting hold of the as Beecher were on Earache. Try Amazon or something.

Taken from "Breaking The Fourth Wall":
Let Them Drown
Burning Surface

Taken from "This Elegy, His Autopsy":
Not Guilty
Man The Traps

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Elmo Williams And Hezekiah Early - Takes One To Know One

My god, what a voice. Elmo has one of those voices that just grabs everyone's attention the second his booming, harsh and soulful singing comes pouring out of the speakers. There's one hell of a story behind this record and I honestly don't trust my writing skills for the retelling. Just try the two tracks below, then check out this website to learn the full story and pick up the record at a reasonable price (it was going for £20 on Amazon).

Mother's Dead
Booster

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The Old Grey Whistle Test Vol 1-3

A little background info on this might be an idea. The Old Grey Whistle Test was a British music television show that aired through the late 60s to early 80s. It was an interesting and fresh show in it's time as it tended to focus on bands that weren't exactly top twenty material and therefore exposed more obscure and generally interesting music to people who would have otherwise been oblivious. Well last year they released a DVD box set of a number of the best performances to be included on the show and someone was nice enough to hand this DVD over to me as a Christmas present.

As with any music show that was alive in the 60s and 80s, there are a large number of annoying hippy dippy doo bands as well as bland new wave acts. But there are easily just as many thoroughly amazing and essential bands present, mixing it up for one hell of an interesting four disc session. To start with the obligatory name checking, we have Tom Waits in his pre "Swordfishtrombone" days playing an elegant piano lead song with his dry as ever voice over the top. There's Captain Beefheart looking like he just killed his parents, Orchestral Manoeuvers In The Dark completely fucking with everyone's heads and the Adverts being plenty pissed off. There's The Pogues being Irish, Dr Feelgood showing us where Gang Of Four got all their best ideas, The Who rockin' out like no man's business (Keith Moon looks like he's about to have a fit). There really is such a large number of tight performances going on in here.

Well as this is an mp3 blog and I therefore should give you some mp3s, here are some of the songs performed that I happened to have mp3s of lying around in my itunes menu. They also happen to be four of the most interesting performances so it works out really.

The Damned - This is actually one of two songs they perform. They also play "Smash It Up" and manage to piss off the host and completely destroy everything on stage whilst they're at it.

Pil - What's this? A John Lydon performance that doesn't make me want to reach in to the screen and strangle that annoying little twerp? Shoorly shum mishtake?

The Specials - It's pretty funny watching the bassist lay down this rather complicated ska bassline whilst managing to barely ever keep one foot on the floor.

The Jesus & Mary Chain - A lot more together than I thought they'd be, they manage to keep the song going for a full two minutes before Jim and Manny seem to collectively give up and have a chat.

Well it's five hours of music, of which about two and a half are completely worth watching for around £20, I recommend you take the money you were going to spend on the new Sufjan and Xiu Xiu records and buy this instead. Yanks, get it on import.

The Damned - I Just Can't Be Happy Today
Pil - Careering
The Specials - A Message To You Rudy
The Jesus & Mary Chain - In A Hole

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Discharge - Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing

I guess after my anti political-punk rant a while back, this post may seem a little hypocritical. Well by large I stand behind what I said. I still can't stand Crass and still dislike the vast majority of anarchy infused bands that I've heard of late. But like usual there are exceptions. In this case the exceptions are the local heroes Conflict and the ever venom spitting and brilliant Discharge.

So what's my justification behind putting this band on a pedestal above pretty much every British anarchist punk act of the same era? I think it might be Discharge's straight forward, pissed off yet not quite preachy methods of getting the message across. Yes, they dabbled in the more awkward end of youth loved politics but they were also pacifists and at times came off as down right intelligent. It's also the amazing speed at which they played. Whilst lesser acts (like Crass) played slow meandering songs that really give you the opportunity to get sick of the annoying vocals and severe lack of enjoyable qualities. Discharge played at an incredible rate, drawing them almost closer to speed-metal style as opposed to the simple "punk" label in which they are dubbed. Simple two minute tracks that often focused on topics such as their disgust of the effects of nuclear war and the people who put such practices in to action. The song "Drunk with power" is a fantastic summary of their thoughts. Boasting the fantastic line "drunk with power and obsessed with death" only shows that little has changed in terms of our political leaders general stance and that Discharge are every bit as essential as they were in the eighties.

The Nightmare Continues
Drunk With Power
Free Speech For The Dumb

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Shipping News - Flies The Field

Do you like Slint? What about Explosions In The Sky? Are you interested in hearing a combination of the two? Yes? Good, because that's exactly what I have for you. Shipping news take the awkward, haunting vocals of Slint, add some EITS styled epic guitar patterns and leave you with a majestic "post-rock" fusion that makes me tingle in all the right places. "Flies The Field" showcases Shipping News as a fresh and experimental young band with a future of great music ahead of them. Plus, as I said, they remind me of Slint and I really like Slint. Almost to the point of a small obsession. I posted a track "Spiderland" a while back, it's in the September archives and if you haven't already checked that out, you really should.

Axons and Dendrites

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Daughters - Canada Songs

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times. If I'm in the right mood, I'm well up for some ridiculously high speed tech-metal, and it doesn't get much faster or more technical than Daughters with this, their debut "full length". Full length being in quotes due to the fact that "Canada Songs" is actually a little shy of a quarter of an hour despite having a number of tracks in double figures. I guess the most obvious band to compare Daughters with would be The Locust, only without the silly green costumes and the new found desire to actually write "songs".

Nurse, Would You Please Prep The Patient For The Sexual Doctor
Damn Those Blood Suckers And Their Good Qualities

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Autechre - Untitled

I've always been quite in to this kind of scattered electronic sound. Made almost completely of awkward beats molded in to an impressive landscape of noise. As far as I can tell Autechre and "Drukqs" era Aphex Twin have so far been the most impressive acts within this field. The rather pretentiously titled "Untitled" is just one record from the ridiculously big back catalogue of the music that Autechre have created over the last decade. Never swaying too far from their signature sound but managing to progress further and further in to the realms of complete electronic experimentation.

Here's a track from "Untitled". This sonic weirdness is about eight minutes long so don't get confused if it takes a while to download.

LCC

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