Saturday, June 23, 2007

The Kelley Deal 6000 - Go To the Sugar Altar

1. Canyon
2. How About Hero
3. Dammit
4. Sugar
5. A Hundred Tires
6. Head of the Cult
7. Nice
8. Trixie Delicious
9. Marooned
10. Tick Tock
11. Mr. Goodnight

All Kim Deal fans should have this record. No, they require it. Her sister Kelley has similar tastes, a similar style of writing. Those who enjoyed Last Splash and Pod should dig this... "Nice" sounds like Last Splash-era Breeders covering Siamese Dream reject/b-side "Spaced"... and it's wonderful. A lot of this wouldn't sound out of place on earlier Pixies records... Kelley's vocal delivery sounds an awful lot like Frank Black's at times, which makes for an interesting twist for those intimate with the Pixies. Fondness for open ringing chords and straight-from-the-moonlit-beach reverb are unabashed, as is the penchant for out of tune surf guitar solos.

Covered:
Loaddown

Aphex Twin - Ventolin

1. Ventolin (salbutamol mix)
2. Ventolin (PRAZE-AN-BEEBLE mix)
3. Ventolin (MARAZANVOSE mix)
4. Ventolin (PLAIN-AN-GWARRY mix)
5. Ventolin (THE COPPICE mix)
6. Ventolin (CROWSMENGEGUS mix)
7. Ventolin (wheeze mix)
8. Ventolin (CARHARRACK mix)
9. Ventolin (PROBUS mix)
10. Ventolin (cyclob mix)
11. Ventolin (deep gong mix) (Luke Vibert)
12. Ventolin (asthma beats mix)

Usually these extended remix EPs fall flat, too much of the same song, and too little variety in the remixing. Each of these mixes stands on their own, markedly different from the track that came before it. "Ventolin" may be the furthest our friend indeed Richard D. James has gotten from "easy listening". It's the harshest Twin track I've heard, sounding much how I wanted Nine Inch Nails to sound back when I was in middle school. As usual, he puts his touch of mindfuckery all over the place, and few dull moments are to be found. Beats range from the trip hoppy to the mechanical industrial hellride of the original. Luke Vibert provides the stoned beats for the Deep Gong mix, topped with a subtle dose of an acid ripple.

Conquer:
Download

Khanate - self-titled

1. Pieces of Quiet
2. Skin Coat
3. Torching Koroviev
4. Under Rotting Sky
5. No Joy

A lot of music is billed as being dark and evil, but rarely does the feeling come through upon listening. Khanate is one of the few bands that truely conveys a feeling of malice, an unsettling sense of unease pervades their work. The pairing of Stephen O'Malley (Sunn O))), KTL, Aethenor, Thorr's Hammer)'s guitar and Alan Dubin (of Old, along with bassist James Plotkin)'s seriously disturbing "vokills" is genius. The drumming is suprisingly tight, considering the low BPM range of the material. This is what hoardes of black metal bands wish they could be... dark, depressing, and malicious... all at sub-Melvins tempo.

Highly recommended.

Signal:
Download

Friday, June 22, 2007

Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso UFO & Escapade - A Thousand Shades of Grey

1. Escapade - Because Because Because 17:58
2. AMT & TMP UFO - European Sun 28:06
3. Escapade - Transformation 2 13:30

Picked up this jobbidoo for the AMT track, but ended up digging the Escapade tracks a lot more. Those familiar with AMT will probably still lap this up, but I thought Escapade has the stronger tracks on this split. Released in 2003 on Funfundvierzig (45), a german label. The first track starts off with an organ drone and continues into what sounds like Tangerine Dream jamming with Can at times (absolutely not a bad thing). The AMT half-hour track is an ambient (!) synth piece, and not quite the psych guitar freakout I was hoping for... still, not bad. The closer, Escapade's "Transformation 2" is a kraut-rocky loper taking cues from stoned out 70's progginess. In all, a solid record.

Guiding light:
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Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Mrs. Bottomhalf

T.I.T.S. - Throughout the Ages

1. Lady Whispers
2. Lovely Home
3. Strong Arms
4. Mystery
5. Math
6. Puddles

I'm pretty sure this is a self released CDR, and my scanner is not working properly in order to provide the cover. Included in the cardstock sleeve is a paper insert printed with a nice logo and tracklisting/band info. T.I.T.S. is an all-female noise/experimental rock quartet from San Francisco. "Lovely Home" is the standout track, over twelve minutes of epic, thrashing guitar noise. I have heard rumors of a new record to be released on All Is Number Records, but the AIN site hasn't been updated in what seems like six months. Anyway, this release is six tracks of blistering noise rock, tribal chanting and cooing vocals. It is also one half of the Throughout the Ages split 2xLP by T.I.T.S. and Leopard Leg, released on Southern Records.

Weather:

Download

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Jabberjaw: Good To the Last Drop

1. Girls Against Boys - Magattraction
2. Unwound - Broken E Strings
3. Hole - Rock Star (Alternate version)
4. Hammerhead - Cleaning Woman
5. Beck - In A Cold Ass Fashion
6. Teenage Fanclub - Total Weirdness
7. Slug - Borax
8. Chokebore - Narrow
9. Mule - Charger
10. Helmet - Turned Out (live)
11. Southern Culture On the Skids - Jabberjammin'
12. Karp - Rocky Mountain Rescue
13. Jawbox - Chump II
14. Surgery - Little Girl
15. Unsane - Blew
16. Seaweed - My Letters
17. Inch - Buzzers and Bells
18. that dog. - Explain
19. further - Rich Kids

A nice time capsule of the mid-ninties quasi-underground rock scene... a little heavy on the noise rock with entries from Unsane, Hammerhead, Helmet and Slug (not the Atmosphere Slug). Beck's "Cold Ass Fashion" is the standout, along with Karp's savage "Rocky Mountain Rescue", maybe the first song I've ever heard making extensive use of a fire bell. This comp came out on Mammoth in 1994 as a benefit for the Jabberjaw showspace/gallery in Los Angeles. I've heard that the space went under a few years ago, but this compilation stands as an artifact of the scene. Nice Coop artwork on the cover, too.

Eh:
Download

Cobra Killer & Kapajkos - Das Mandolineorchester

1. Heavy Rotation
2. The Stoker
3. Helicopter 666
4. High is the Pine
5. Mund auf Augen zu (Stecker raus ich dreh durch)
6. L.A. Shaker
7. Show Me Your Ruler
8. Ist es farbig?
9. H-Man-A-Psychocat
10. Chemie des Alltags
11. Lambretta Does It Better
12. Mund auf Augen zu (sine voces)

2005 release on Monika. I had remembered Cobra Killer as another shrill digital hardcore group from my past flirtings with Alec Empire's DHR label. I had been a fan of Empire's solo work as well as the releases from Cristoph de Babalon, Atari Teenage Riot's Nic Endo and Hanin Elias and ATR itself. Picked this up not only for the flash of buttshot, but also as a curiosity... CK backed by three mandonins, keys, bass and a percussionist. I don't remember whether or not these are older CK tracks or if they're new compositions, but they've maintained the playful shrillness and injected an eastern European sound into their cute/creepy sound.

Spill the wine:
Download

Cathedral - Hopkins (The Witchfinder General)

1. Spoken Intro/Hopkins (The Witchfinder General)
2. Fire
3. Copper Sunset
4. Purple Wonderland
5. The Devils Summit

I don't think Cathedral was the most serious of doom bands at times... there's a definite tongue-in-cheek cheese factor displayed in smatterings across several of their middle-period releases among more serious and doom-minded Sabbathian riffitude. Napalm Death fans don't seem to care for Cathedral... I'm guessing a lot of people were pretty suprised with Lee Dorrian's post-ND band.

Pocky:
Download

YOB - Catharsis

1. Aeons 18:16
2. Ether 7:13
3. Catharsis 23:35

This 1992 doom monolith is a masterpiece of slow, heavier-than-g_d's-nuts sludge. Three tracks of epic heaviness. The vocals remind me of a sinister blend of Jane's Addiction and early solo career Ozzy. Awesome builds and drones. Not for the attention span deficient.

Osmosis:
Download

Monday, June 18, 2007

Beck - Loser German CD single

1. Loser (LP version)
2. Totally Confused
3. Corvette Bummer
4. MTV Makes Me Want To Smoke Crack

This single is worth it for "MTV..." alone. This version is different from the one found on the split 7" with Bean on Flipside. The other songs are identical to the versions found on the US CD single. "MTV..." begins as a Beck folk joke, then devolves into a hilarious lounge act parody... good shit.

Bark at the moon:
Download

Beck - Loser US CD single

1. Loser (LP Version)
2. Corvette Bummer
3. Alcohol
4. Soul Suckin Jerk (Reject)
5. Fume

Another Beck single, another slew of great b-sides. The whiny high-pitched sound in "Corvette Bummer" makes me think about those plastic witches and ghosts people used to hang by their doors on Halloween... I think they made that noise... right? "Alchohol" is one of my very favorite Beck tunes, very mellow, melodic, melancholy. This single contains the superior version of "Soul Suckin Jerk". The beats are dope as fuck, and has a verse not appearing on Mellow Gold. I remember being at a First Avenue dance night (SNDP or something) about ten years ago and hearing "Fume" over the soundsystem... blew my mind for a couple reasons: a) I couldn't believe they were playing a weird Beck b-side, and b) this might be the least danceable Beck song in existence. Comedy...

Sop it up:
Download

Beck - Beercan single (US)

1. Beercan (LP Version)
2. Got No Mind
3. Asskizz Powergrudge (Payback! '94)
4. Totally Kunfused
5. Spanking Room

The finest single to come from Mellow Gold, this 1994 single has technically 4 unreleased tracks, the fifth, "Spanking Room" actually contains two tracks ("Spanking Room" and what is referred to as "Loser (Muzak)"). "Got No Mind" is an alternate version of "Pay No Mind", which can be found on Mellow Gold. "Totally Kunfused" is the same as "Totally Confused", which appears on the german "Loser" CD single.

Make'em say "Uhhhnngg":
Download

Some Velvet Sidewalk - Avalanche

1. Avalanche
2. Loch Ness
3. Curiosity
4. Froggy
5. Peaches
6. Little Wishes
7. Deep Sea Green
8. No Real Home
9. Alien
10. Right/Wrong
11. Ice Cream Overdrive

Released on Calvin Johnson's (Beat Happening, Dub Narcotic Soundsystem, Halo Benders) K Records in 1992, Avalanche is a raw, low fidelity Olympia-stylee punk record. I loved just about all the bands releasing records on K in the mid/late-ninties, such as Lois, Mecca Normal, Built to Spill, Beck's One Foot in the Grave, Love As Laughter, and the Fitz of Depression. It was the Beck record that turned me on the label, introducing me to a roster of bands that, in my opinion, was rivaled only by Matador at the time. Fans of lo-fi indie rock should eat this one up.

Do it:
Download

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Can - Future Days and Past Nights

Can, Live at Essex University, 1975.
1. Chain Reaction
2. Bel Air
3. Dizzy Dizzy
4. Pinch of Sky
5. One More Night
6. Meadowsweet

On demand for my boy onepersun. Not sure of the date on this one other than the year. Suprisingly good sound quality, considering the era... Karoli gets his wang dang doodle on in "Pinch of Sky"...

Sponge it up:
Download

Sonic Youth 04-07-1996

1. Teenage Riot
2. Bull in the Heather
3. Starfield Road
4. Washing Machine
5. Junkie's Promise
6. Saucer-Like
7. Becuz
8. Sugar Kane
9. Skip Tracer
10. Skink
11. Diamond Sea

Live at the Easter Festival, Philipshalle in Dusseldorf, Germany. My personal favorite bootleg from the Washing Machine era, this show has been booted several times, under various names. This show contains a wicked 20+ minute version of "The Diamond Sea", a bitchin' version of "Becuz" and the DDN opener "Teenage Riot" to kick things off. Kim's vocals are absolutely on point, making this one of the best SY shows I've heard from the mid-nineties. Thanks to Andrei for noticing the tracklisting was incorrect. If you had previously D/L'd this show, the correct song order is listed above. Sorry... wasn't paying attention.

Gluttony:
Download

Sonic Youth & Lightning Bolt 11-23-2002


1. Sonic Youth - Disconnection Notice
2. Sonic Youth - White Cross/Lightning Bolt - 13 Monsters
3. Lightning Bolt - unknown
I had recently posted this to the SY forums to fill a request. This is the end of Sonic Youth's set 11.23.2002 in Providence, Rhode Island. SY plays a rather ripping version of "Disconnection Notice", then launches in to the Sister classic, "White Cross". Toward the end of the song, Lightning Bolt begins their set (cue the spazzy guitar freakout), creating a mini-jam. The third track is a LB song for which I do not have the title.
Gorge yourself:

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

I Shalt Become - Wanderings

1. Intro
2. Fragments
3. The Funeral Rain
4. Winter Lights
5. Paintings In A Gallery
6. Labyrinthine
7. Thorns
8. Insects
9. Her Demons
10. A Once Great Man
11. Outro
12. En Ring Til AA Herske (Burzum cover)
13. The Heavens Drop With Human Gore (Judas Iscariot cover)
14. I Filled With Woes the Passing Wind (Judas Iscariot cover)

I Shalt Become was a one-man black metal project by the mysterious S. Holliman, a robed and hooded figure, at least in the booklet photos. Originally recorded in 1996, it's not too hard to discern the bands who influenced this record. It's pretty heavy on the Burzum-style one-man lo-fi BM, tinny guitars, screeching and howling vocals, and the prerequisite drum machine, which doesn't sound all that bad here. Heavy repetition, suicidal drones... good shit.

Recommended if Burzum/JI/Leviathan-type stuff is your thang.
Boing:

Nurse With Wound & Stereolab - Crumb Duck


1. Nurse With Wound - Steel Dream March of the Metal Men
2. Nurse With Wound - The Dadda's Intoxication
3. Nurse With Wound & Stereolab - Exploding Head Movie
4. Nurse With Wound & Stereolab - Animal or Vegetable (A Wonderful Wooden Reason)
5. Nurse With Wound - A New Dress (remix)

I picked this up a while ago while in the midst of my Stereolab mania, more to complete a gap in my collection, since I already had the two Stereolab collaborations from Crumb Duck on Stereolab's Refried Ectoplasm [Switched On Volume 2].

I've never been a huge NWW fan, but I think I'm coming around.


Eat it:

http://www.badongo.com/file/3416574





Yes, Natasha...



Boris- Live 04-29-2006

1. Feedbacker

2. The Evilone Which Sobs

3. Just Abandoned Myself

Here we have Boris in fine form blasting out "Feedbacker" and two other jams in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Those not familiar with Boris can expect a slow and heavy crawl, often culminating in a psychedelic freakout of epic proportions.

My first exposure to Boris came in 2006, seeing them play the McGuire Theater in the Walker Art Center here in Minneapolis along with Sunn O))) and Oren Ambarchi. I'm not sure who stole the show, but Boris definitely was in the running. As for their guitarist, Wata, bigger riffs have never come from such a small body. I couldn't believe I hadn't heard of them before seeing them live... the next day I picked up their last release on Southern Lord, the excellent Pink, and ended up scouring local record shops and the internet for everything I could get my hands on.

Enjoy...

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8190ZRCY

Numero Null



Thurston Moore - Kapotte Muziek

"Original recordings from the Kapotte Muziek concert at Flywheel, Easthampton, Ma on the 16th of April 2002. Reworked by Thurston Moore June 2nd 2004, Northampton, Ma."

This is an interesting little package. A 5" CD with the program not reaching the furthest inch of the disc... paperboard sleeve, well done. This is Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth's installment in Korm Plastics' Kapotte Muziek series, which started as a series of 7" records then moved to the miniCD format. Previous instalments included Toshiya Tsunoda, Troum, Illusion of Safety and Stephan Mathieu.

Consume...

Megaupload

In the beginning...

Happy birthday, world...

Here's a damn blog. I'm going to try to regularly post crap from the nether regions of my collection, hopefully stuff you don't have and find interesting.

Enjoy.