In case you missed it, some clown named Stewart Voegtlin wrote a super-douchey article in the Village Voice slamming Pelican, Baroness, Mastodon, and Torche for their “sketchy” metal. Metal Sucks covered it, followed by a hilarious and well-written response to the piece from a guy in a band I’ve never heard of; Jeanne Fury also posted a spot-on response on the Deciblog. Update: The Chicago Reader has a great response of their own. It’s probably best ignored, but this dude pissed me off and I have a few thoughts of my own.

I imagine Voegtlin looks like this.

A) I’m a big fan of all these bands (though I don’t really consider any of them aside from Mastodon to be metal), so I obviously disagree with Voegtlin’s critique of their “sketchy” metal.  It’s cool that he hates these bands, but his Scene Police act is fucking bush league. “Hipsters” and other non-metal-looking dudes have been hitting up metal-ish shows and wearing metal t-shirts for years now. He’s fighting the last war. It’s a genre of the people now; it’ll never be as underground and exclusive as it was in 1992. The good old days are gone forever. Whatever. Get over it.

B) I get the impression that Voegtlin holds his critical writing in equal regard to the music that he picks and pans. It’s as pretentious and bloated as he thinks Pelican’s music is, first of all. But pompous critics like this guy seem to forget that art criticism is a vulture artform–it simply wouldn’t exist without actual art to judge. Good criticism illuminates music, offering solid recommendations for new jams and at its best, helping us to hear music from a different, eye-opening perspective. Once in a while, some mook drops a misinformed, xenophobic piece like the Voice article that serves nobody. Yeah it stirs conversation, but from what I’ve seen so far, it’s dumb stuff like “I’m wicked tr00 and I love all these bands, fuck this guy!” or “Pelican sucks, go put on some skinny jeans you fuckin’ hipster.” Music is not a competition.

C) On that note, it’s tough for a writer to make a living these days, and Voegtlin certainly stirred up conversation about himself. He seems like he hates Decibel and the musical diversity that it stands for–I would guess because he’s butthurt that all of his query letters have been rejected. But if the commenter going by VOEGTLIN on the Deciblog post is actually him (and he’s not pulling stuff out of his ass like he did in his Voice article), it looks like Decibel will sign him on for an article in the near future. Good for him–he just had to be a dick to get there.

D) Voegtlin uses the word “milquetoast” far too often. I mean, he uses too many adjectives in general, but especially milquetoast. I’ve read three pieces by him, and he’s used that word in all three. Check out his website The Left Hand Path for more.

On that note, I’ll have your finest milksteak, and the jellybeans raw.

~ Liam

i was reading metal sucks today, and they had an interesting link to an article on the village voice, entitled pelican’s sketchy metal, by stewart voegtlin. he says:

“…a shameless glitz-and-tits approach to faux-anthemic blockbuster melodrama masquerading as elite-approved Art for Art’s Sake—plagues “metal” these days, as decidedly “un-metal” folks play “headbanger” by night in a host of dunderheaded critical darlings with banal commercialist tastes: Baroness, Mastodon, Torche, and especially Pelican.”

clearly someone stayed up til 4am furiously thumbing through a thesaurus as he smashed the living shit out of those bands. [i'm probably showing my ignorance here, but at one point, he says in reference to AC/DC and motörhead: 'But those bands radiate a feral authenticity, with orgiastic crowd-pleasers that double as dry-hump soundtracks and arguments against geometry.' what the FUCK is an 'argument against geometry?' is that perhaps a poetic way of saying they fucking rattle the walls with rock til they fall down? jesus christ, man.]

after reading the article, i think that i agree with him, for the most part. yep. except for torche, which i will touch upon in a second.

i never got into baroness. just saw pelican recently, and they blew. i saw mastodon recently, and they blew. why did they blow, you ask? i wasn’t engaged. i wasn’t into it. no energy from either band — just nothing. a band, particularly a metal band, has to have that certain something that grabs you by the throat and makes you bang your head ’til it fucking hurts. even earth-shatteringly loud, i couldn’t feel either mastodon or pelican force my toe to start tapping in that way that you can’t help. at it’s most elemental, metal is an extreme form of music and there is usually a strong emotion behind it, regardless of what it is. it’s visceral [god, how unoriginal is it to call metal 'visceral'?] and that’s why i love it so much.

i am no musician; i can’t appreciate the subtle nuances of guitar picking and boards full of pedals and i have absolutely no idea what makes a good drummer, so basically what makes me really like music is the way it makes me feel. neither pelican, mastodon, or baroness makes me feel anything. i’m not sure if it’s because the music is too smoothly produced or there’s just no raw emotion behind it. it’s boring, and i’m not interested.

voegtlin bashes torche by saying they  “…often sounds like Looney Tunes composer Carl Stallings tearing through Helmet’s late oeuvre in double-time.” the description is hilarious, but i think that torche is actually a lot of fun. in my opinion, i don’t think they try too hard and their live shows are amazing and really energetic. i think they know what they do, and they do it well, which is an honor that voegtlin seems only able to bestow upon bands like AC/DC and motörhead. i’m curious to see what metal bands he actually champions.

even though verboten voegtlin did so with utmost levels of pomposity, he voices an unpopular opinion, and for that i applaud him.

Torche - Meanderthal (2008)

Hola amigos del metal, y demás géneros desperdigados around the world. Dime, amigo, ¿te sientes confuso? ¿Sigues escuchando los mismos grupos después de 5 años? ¿Ves que hay gente que escucha géneros diferentes y los tildas de modernos? ¿Eres aun de los que piensas que la palabra Stoner se refiere solamente a un piloto de GP?

Pues eso se acabó. Te traigo el álbum que te iniciará al precioso y pantanoso mundo del Sludge. Ese género de modernos.

Torche

Meanderthal de Torche, suena con la rigidez propia del género en sus guitarras, mientras que atraviesa a lo largo de todo el álbum varios pasajes diferentes en cuanto a melodía y ritmo. Sin duda, un álbum multicolor, podría llamarlo. Temas como Healer o Across the Shields o Grenades harán estallar sinfonías de sonido, luz y color en tu maltrecho cerebro. Y aquello que tildaban de moderno, jebi, o género que no escucha ni dios, hará una abertura en tu mente de la cual no podrás recuperarte.

Son varios los caminos para empezar en el Sludge, pero sin duda, mi recomendación para dar el primer paso, es esta.

Artista – Torche
Álbum – Meanderthal
Año – 2008
Género – Sludge
Web – Official
Procedencia – Miami, FL, USA.

Tracklist

1. Triumph of Venus – 1:44
2. Grenades – 2:53
3. Piranha – 1:32
4. Sandstorm – 2:19
5. Speed of the Nail – 1:41
6. Healer – 2:07
7. Across the Shields – 3:03
8. Sundown – 3:17
9. Little Champion – 0:34
10. Without a Sound – 2:06
11. Fat Waves – 4:32
12. Amnesian – 6:25
13. Meanderthal – 4:00
    Download in comments (Desde ahora poned esto al final)

    -Sir Cali-

I honestly feel a little bit silly missing out the cover for ‘Baroness – Blue Record’ on the Album Covers article. John Baizley, as well as being the awesome lead singer and rhythm guitarist for Baroness, is also a very good artist. He has an incredibly unique style and it is instantly distinguishable from other covers and artworks. But that doesn’t mean its simple – they are all very intricate. Lots of bands have commissioned him to do artwork like Darkest Hour, Torche, Kylesa, Pig Destroyer, Skeletonwitch…etc. Here is the artwork for ‘Blue Record’ -

‘Darkest Hour – Deliver Us’ -

‘Baroness – Red Album’ -

‘Kylesa – Static Tensions’ -

‘Torche – In Return’ EP -

Think I’ll go back to being a music blog next week.

Kid Cudi releases new track "Pursuit of Happiness" featuring MGMT and Ratatat

PREVIEW: DOWNLOAD Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness” MP3

Pitchfork posts new Kid Cudi song “Pursuit of Happiness” featuring indie gods MGMT and Ratatat.  The single will be the third off his upcoming album Man on the Moon: The End of Day, to be released September 15, 2009.  The single alludes to his search for weed (Cudi’s drug of choice) as the pursuit of happiness — a theme highlighted nicely by MGMT and Ratatat’s synthpop beat.  Catch a live performance of “Pursuit of Happiness on tonight’s “The Late Night Show With David Letterman.”  [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Editor's Pick #71: Cudi Gets Psychedelic]

Rolling Stone reported the change of release dates for Jay-Z’s new album The Blueprint 3 from its planned Friday drop date to today, a more conventional Tuesday release. While the move means the album no longer drops on the eighth anniversary of the first Blueprint, it should assure Jay the top spot on Billboard’s albums chart. The album is his first release since 2007’s American Gangster. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Reviews Jay-Z's Blueprint 3, Editor's Pick #168: Jay-Z Endorses Indie Rock]

RS also reported that Nine Inch Nails has changed the date of its final show to September 10. The band was due to end its performing career on Sunday, September 6, at Los Angeles’ Echoplex, but after frontman Trent Reznor’s short illness, the final concert will now be Thursday at L.A.’s Wiltern. Over the last few weeks, the band has also performed shows in New York and Chicago on its “Wave Goodbye” tour. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Editor's Pick #147: Alice in Chains' "A Looking in View", Trent Reznor Announces Final Nine Inch Nails Tour Dates]

Paul McCartney told NME.com that he would like The Beatles’ catalogue available for download. According to McCartney, record label EMI is to blame for the band’s inaccessibility on the Internet. “We were having problems with iTunes — well not iTunes, EMI was the problem — with downloading which we’d like to do because that’s how a lot of people get their music,” McCartney said. The Beatles: Rock Band drops tomorrow, so this problem will be partially solved for players who can download songs from the Rock Band website. Rock Band developers Harmonix have plans to offer more Beatles albums and tracks for download in the future. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: McCartney and MGMT, Beatles and iTunes Fail to Reach Agreement]

In other Beatles news, web radio heavyweight AccuRadio announced today that it will begin broadcasting a series of Beatles-themed channels tomorrow to celebrate the release of the Beatles’ remastered collection.  The channels will include “Beatles Plus” — more or less all Beatles’, all the time — as well as the obviously named “Just Covers” and the intriguing “Beatles and Friends,” which claims to contexualize the remastered catalog with other bands and songs from the time.  AccuRadio’s apparently endless roster of free niche radio stations also includes such appetizing options as “Sea and Sand,” “Canadian Pop” and “Hiptronica” — whatever that means, we’re into it.  [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Beatles Rooftop Performance, Beatles Rock Band Trailer]

Neon Indian, whose debut LP drops October 13, has announced the dates for his upcoming world tour.  Unfortunately, he will not be stopping in Syracuse, but you can catch him in NYC at the Music Hall of Williamsburgon October 24. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Interviews Neon Indian]

Kurt Vile, after losing his job as a forklift operator, didn’t have much recourse but to pursue music full-time. Former lead guitarist of The War on Drugs, Vile released the albums Constant Hitmaker and God Is Saying This to You in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Now he’s hard at work on his Matador Records debut and has just released the album’s lead track “Hunchback.” Supposedly more of a rocker than the rest of the album, “Hunchback” follows a Youngian thread. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Yo La Tengo’s Popular Songs (Matador Records)]

British trip-hoppers, Massive Attack sat down with the magazine for a little Q&A about their career, the upcoming Splitting the Atom EP and their next full-length effort, set for February. Also included with the interview was the scenic, Thom Yorke-esque number “Bullet Proof Love,” which will be featured on Splitting the Atom, out next month. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Radiohead's "These Are My Twisted Words"]

No Age, Converge and Torche tore up Saturday’s FYF Fest in Los Angeles. Mixing genres from metal to hardcore to punk, the festival, formerly known as Fuck Yeah Fest, aims to raise awareness for the California state parks system. SPIN has pictures of the mayhem as it unfolded this weekend. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Free NYC Dirty Projectors Show on July 19th]

– 20 Watts Staff

Photographed by Malkolm – Bust it Away Photography

Betrayed, Slapshot, Terror, All Shall Perish, Backfire, Providence, Manowar, Dream Theater, Europe, Queensryche, Epica, Dragon Force, Holyhell, Satan Jokers, Adagio, Hatebreed, Suicidal Tendencies, Mastodon, Stratovarius, Destruction, Pain Of Salvation, Volbeat, ADX, Koritni, Motley Crue, Heaven And Hell, Wasp, Papa Roach, Buckcherry, Nashville Pussy, Backyard Babies, Girlschool, Squealer, Down, Anthrax, Edguy, Voivod, Pentagram, Eyehategod, God Forbid, Soilent Green, Bring Me The Horizon, Gorgoroth, Deicide, Entombed, Asphyx, Misery Index, Destroyer 666, Taake, Melechesh, Orakle, Parkway Drive, Pig Destroyer, Jarboe, Kylesa, Torche, Nachtmystium, Blockheads, August Burn Red, Watertank, Marilyn Manson, Dagoba, Concours Sin Cession, Killing Joke, The Misfits, Amebix, KMFDM, Heaven Shall Burn, Mad Sin, The Business, Outlaw Order, Gamabomb, Sacred Reich, Immolation, Enslaved, Moonsorrow, Aura Noir, Skinless, Vader, Grand Magus, SUP, Kickback, Vision Of Disorder, Bloodclot, Amon Amarth, Moonspell, Cathedral, Napalm Death, Pestilence, Kataklysm, Keep Of Kalessin, Aborted, Hacride, Brutal Truth, Coalesce, Electric Wizard, The Black Dahlia Murder , Orange Goblin, Ufomammut, Wolves In The Throne Room, Despised Icon, Whitechapel, Machine Head, Gojira, Soulfly, Cradle Of Filth, Pain, DevilDriver.

Please ask if you would like to use this photo.

See my web site: Bust it Away Photography
bustitaway.olympe-network.com

Your favorites on black:
Here

– License

I Boris sono un gruppo abbastanza peculiare. La peculiarità dei Boris è data dal fatto che tutti i dischi incisi dopo gli anni novanta sono talmente insignificanti e privi di spessore che ad ogni nuova uscita ci si ritrova a perdere un paio di notti di sonno come se di punto in bianco i tre cloni giappolessi dei Melvins potessero rinsavire e tirar fuori un nuovo Absolutego e/o Amplifier Worship (da cui, piccola curiosità, gli Zu hanno estratto una sorta di momento-cover devastante nei live set più recenti). Poi magari capita addirittura di ascoltarlo, il disco nuovo, che è sempre inevitabilmente –appunto- insignificante e privo di spessore, e si cade in preda ad un mare di rimorsi e rimpianti che alle volte possono durare anche due o tre minuti –prima che il disco in questione vada giustamente a finire nel settore “disastri e mezzeseghe” della ns. collezione a scapito di tutta la concettualità post-prog con cui tutte le riviste specializzate di questa terra si riempiono la bocca e ci riempiono il cestino della carta. Giusto per raccontare, insomma, che come già anticipato in sede di congettura, anche lo split Boris/Torche, o anche The Intestino EP, va taggato alla voce sono cose che succedono e messo in bella mostra nello scaffale dei dischi con la grafica bella e la musica dispensabile. Naturalmente in tutto questo sarebbe anche importante mettere in rilievo il fatto che nel disco c’è anche un pezzo dei Torche, ma per quanto riguarda i Torche (come già anticipato in sede di congettura) è più che sufficiente non parlare o prenderli in giro senza motivo. Non è cattiveria, e non è neanche il genere che fanno (il genere è tipo Cavity prodotti di merda senza i pezzi); è che per parte mi stanno sui coglioni a pelle e per parte i dischi non riescono a cambiarmi la prima impressione.

This is Boris. They are from Japan. They can channel amazing into several different musical styles and that makes them awesome. They also rock harder on a single song than most American ‘rock’ bands do in their ENTIRE discography.

That is Torche. They are from Atlanta, Georgia/Miami, Florida. They are to blame for rock and roll being heavy again. Harnessing a sound they’ve held since their preceding band, Floor, the band keeps the punches coming and your speakers buzzing like there’s no tomorrow.

Both of these bands have gained my utmost respect and appreciation. I admire what they have done and eagerly await anything they bring into existence.

Now, imagine what it would be like if both of these titans of terrifyingly intense music put something out together. I’ll give you a minute to let that awesome thought marinate in the backwaters of your mind.

Guess what? It actually fucking happened!

Boris and Torche have put together a split called Chapter Ahead Being Fake. It’s to be released on both Boris and Torche’s labels, Daymare Recordings and Hydra Head Records respectively. Daymare begins shipping August 15th while Hydra Head has yet to post any information about the release.

Now. The record.

I can’t just say ‘liekomgthatwasdashit’ and end a post like that. I must elaborate. I wasn’t bestowed these smashing linguistic skills without good reason.

Let’s begin with Boris’ contribution to the release, Luna. Clocking in at a little over 12 minutes, length-wise, it’s nothing new for the band. They have written grand ambient/drone opuses that span longer periods of time in the past so it’s not big deal. What is, however, is the songwriting. A minute and a half into this monster we hear a fucking monstrous guitar squealing into life and by the two minute mark, drummer Atsuo launches into what becomes an onslaught of blast beats reminiscent of norse black metal bands. Walls of sound have become popular tools in recent years and usually the walls are created using a mixture of guitars and effects pedals, not drums. The constant aural assault of his playing intertwines with the guitar work of guitarists Wata and Takeshi and finds it’s own path down the song’s ’stream of consciousness’. Honestly, it’s a sharp culmination of the band’s technique up to this point in their career and it shines just as brightly if not a little more than the rest of their vast catalog of music.

And now, on to Torche’s contribution to the release, King Beef. This band has created music that redefined what the term ‘heavy’ means to me. Down-tuned guitars and harmonized vocals led these guys back into fierce territory on their last record, Meanderthal, and they thankfully don’t seem to have diverted from that path at all. This song opens with heavy drums from Rick Smith that are soon joined by the grand duo of guitar and bass employed by the band’s other two members, Steve Brooks and Jonathan Nuñez. (Both of whom played in the band Floor before creating Torche.) This song could have been Godzilla’s theme music had his story been told in present time. It makes you want to bring in your arms and stomp around a makeshift model of Tokyo pretending to lunge balls of fire down at the unsuspecting citizens who’s only crime was living next to a beast that became aware of it’s pure awesomeness and happened to feel like telling someone.

This is a fucking awesome split release. Usually splits are a diamond in the rough-type situation where one band’s work stands out above the other’s.

Not the case with this one. Chapter Ahead Being Awake is perfectly balanced in it’s grand display of intensity.

I’m not going to post either of the songs because there’s only one per artist and I 1. don’t want to leave anyone out, and 2. don’t feel like having Daymare Recordings hunt me down for posting their entire release on the blog. Lucky for you, it’s coming out soon and you will be able to pick it up in no time.

Boris on MySpace
Torche on MySpace
Daymare Recordings
Hydra Head Records

Torche - Healer/Across the Shields

I was introduced to Torche early 2008 with the release of Meanderthal and after seeing them at ATP’s Nightmare Before Christmas 2008 show, they quickly became a band that really excited me (I have a Torche LP related tattoo – nuff said), which is saying something as I currently feel like one of the most jaded people to have ever lived.

Since then I’ve been buying up Torche merch and releases when I can and unfortunately I missed out on the first release of this vinyl so when I heard it was being rereleased I lept at the chance of owning it. Because of that, this is by no means a review of a new single, but more a review of an overall product.

As with all Hydrahead releases this is a quality package and looks lovely with it’s thick card sleeve and heavy vinyl. In this case my vinyl is the emerald version and looks great in it’s extremely vibrant tone. With a shipping weight of 1.36 pounds it’s heavy stuff!

Side A consists of “Healer” and “Across the Shields” and Side B with previously unreleased “Mash it Up” and “Sugar Glider”.

“Healer” is what the Foo Fighters may have been if they’d have learnt the ways of Drop B. It’s a frantic pop beast but remains utterly crushing. Is that right? Did I say that? Crushing pop?! Yes it’s exactly that. Catchy, fun and really heavy. Across the Shields is a slighlty slower (yet still upbeat) number and to me probably one of the stronger tracks on Meanderthal with a ridiculously chug fueled ending and some great vocals through out, it’s almost anthemic and everything it just shouldn’t be.

The real stand out for me is “Sugar Glider”, it’s a totally pop filled shred fest; super fuzzy yet easily accessible. Terms like heavy, doom, shred and sludge should not sit well along side words like pop and fun but Torche are the exception, they’re practically reinventing the wheel here!

Along with the vinyl you get a DVD featuring the two videos for “Healer” and “Across the Shields”. Torche are a band that evidently have a lot of fun and the videos show this (dressing up as cartoon-esque monsters anyone?). This is the last release from the band featuring guitarist Juan Montoya, the bands resident widdler. Despite his departure the band are continuing as a three piece so it will be interesting to see which direction they take in the future especially with the decision not to replace a chief song writer.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to stove my head in whilst grinning like a total mong.

So my original plans to stay up to date with writing sort of went out the window due to unforseen ‘Life.’ circumstances. I’m currently swamped with work as we try and launch a piece of bespoke software at work (read: over-complicated piece of shit) and things are just generally busy which I suppose is good as I can rest when I’m dead. Oh wait.

I decided in the interest of making this blog more interesting (as if the subject of ME isn’t already interesting enough) I would start reviewing some bits and bobs such as the hideous amounts of vinyl and CD’s I purchase/get sent and anything that takes my fancy. Expect a review of the second pressing of Torches ‘Healer/Across the Shields’ 12″ single and Cave In ‘Planets of Old’ within the near future.

On the subject of music, it was bought to my attention this week that Baroness are preparing their release of their second full length simply entitled ‘Blue Album’ and I simply had to preorder it as soon as I found out. They’re currently doing some great tees and CD offers with all artwork designed by their guitarist John Dyer Baizley however I would really hope that they would release a limited edition vinyl version but no word on that yet (though sources say it’s coming!)

Anyway, I’m currently writing this on the iPhone WordPress client whilst having a poo, so for now I bid thee adieu.

This is a two years old song from the sludge / progressive / post – metal band Pelican. I get totally nuts on this one. If you ever have the chance to see them live, do it. I hate bands talking too much on stage, I come for music not to hear stupid political parols or whining about how sad the world is. Pelican is different, when I saw ´em (together with Torche), they entered the stage, said “hello”, played and at the end said “thank you”. What more should a band say on stage, I think that´s enough.

Torche have released the video for their track ‘Healer’.

The single is taken from the band’s Meaderthal album, released last year on Hydra Head. Check it out if you fancy a wacky party.

The 12″ single Healer/Across the Shields comes with both singles from the album and some extra stuff, including a DVD.

torche-meanderthal-(japanese_retail)-cd-2008-cor

a tavalyi év egyik legérdekesebb lemezét szállították a floridai srácok, hiszen stoner rock/sludge gyökerű zenéjükbe erős poszt-hardcore hatások kerültek, ezzel téve az alapjában tökös zenét feszesebbé és intenzívebbé. a korong egyszerre változatos és egységes, megvan benne a sludge-nak egy könnyed, populáris változata, a stoner rock “húzása”, a cave in hatások pedig mindezt baromi hangulatossá varázsolják. külön öröm, hogy ez a release tartalmazza bónuszként az in return ep-t is.

July 7, 2009

Download this weeks show by clicking HERE

 OR 

Check out old shows by browsing through older posts. 

Hello everyone,

            Today’s show cannot be missed.  I was very privileged to have Mr. Mike Hugus share some tunes with us in the studio last week.  From the very first note of “The Sound” by Human Highway, I knew the show was going to be awesome.  We even went into overtime – clocking in at over 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Mr. Hugus in the Hawk Radio Studio on June 29, 2009.

            We managed to squeeze in Fleet Foxes, a band that I have been trying to find and get on the show forever.  I especially liked Neutral Milk Hotel, Woods, and Band of Horses; however, if I took this playlist into a record store, I could definitely spend some serious money.    Since I don’t I have any money, I’ll stay away.

            It was very refreshing to have someone else come in and bring tunes, so look forward to hearing more of Mike’s picks in the near future.  Thank you for listening.

Ray

Mike Hugus’ Playlist For June 29, 2009

Human Highway – The Sound / Moody Motorcycle

Yeasayer – 2080  / All Hour Cymbals (2007) – Brooklyn

This Is Ivy League – London Bridges / ST – Brooklyn

Dr. Dog – The Breeze / Fate

Averkiou – Holland & Headaches / Throwing Sparks (2008) – Gainesville

Torche – Across the Shields – Meanderthal (2008) – Miami

Band Of Horses – Ode to LRC – Cease To Begin (2007) Seattle

Woods – The Number – Songs of Shame – (2009?) – Brooklyn

Fleet Foxes – Ragged Wood  / ST (2008) – Seattle

It Hugs Back – Now And Again – Inside Your Guitar (2009)- British

Neil Young – Ohio – Greatest Hits – Canada

Ryan Adams – Goodnight Rose – Easy Tiger (2007)

Neutral Milk Hotel – In The Aeroplane Over The Sea – ST (1998) –

One Small Step For Landmines – If You Could Get Over Me – If You Could Get Over Me

Michael Jackson – Man In The Mirror – History

Elliot – Calm Americans / False Cathedrals

Elliot Smith – Bottle Up and Explode / XO

The Silversun Pickups – The Royal We – Swoon (2009) – LA

Owen – Gazebo / The EP

Human Highway - Moody Motorcycle

Across The Shields… i’m just a lover for Torche.. enjoy!

Somehow I didn’t have the time to write anything during the past few weeks so I thought I might start things of with a little rundown on the records I purchased over that timespan. Well, my oh my, there’s a lot to talk about and honestly I can’t even remember when I got all that stuff. I must have been really busy… Anyway, here we go Asiflash/Eiltank “Split” LP
Cologne’s finest who I think I saw live at least one time while they were supporting some other band. But what I do know is that you get to see a lot of stickers all round the city so the Asiflash street team must be pretty reliable. Their side is upbeat hardcore, very classic, short songs, no huge surprises, but the way they play it the music sounds good to me. They share this record with Eiltank, yet another band from Cologne who – I have to be honest – I had never heard of before. Their sound wanders off  a lot more into the D-beat direction, just think of all those Portland bands that might come to your minds. A great deal of punkrock in there as well. Good split record which represents the Cologne scene pretty well.

Beware Of Safety “Dogs” 2xLP
Completely different story for this one as this isn’t nearly as noisy as the first record in this post. I just grabbed this because I kind of liked the cover design, but the music easily keeps up with the outside. Long lasting instrumental songs in the vein of bands like Explosions In The Sky or This Will Destroy You, but at some points they are also incorporating the bursts of energy and desperation just as Mono feature them every now and then. Beware Of Safety are a four pice from the States and seem to be pretty new to the whole bunch of instrumental bands floating around nowadays. While it gets pretty hard to find really unique bands in this genre I still like this record just for what it is. A very good instrumental LP with lots of small things to find out while listening to it over and over again. This is nothing special, but it’s very well done.

Caspian “The Four Trees” 2x LP
Caspian “You Are The Conductor” LP
I only checked out Caspian, because someone offered us to play a show with the band at the end of september (which won’t happen because I’m not in the country at the time). What I wrote about Beware Of Safety can easily be used for Caspian as well.

From Monument To Masses “On Little Known Frequencies” 2xLP
I was always fascinate by a band playing instrumental music yet incorporating so many samples into their songs. The way the do it makes a speechless music very talkative. I believe I first heard a song by From Monument To Masses while driving to a show in a friend’s car and I was instantly hooked. Their songs sound quite complicate the first time you hear them, but in the end they are easy to follow and it’s fun to recognize so many little things in them, small themes that occur every now and then, really tiny musical figures that pop up suddenly and you only realize they are there the more often you listen to the records.

Torche “Healer/Across The Shields” 12″
Now this was something I hadn’t expected when I brought this one home. I bought one record by Torche before and I remember them sounding rather slow and twisted, very sludgy and doomish. My memory might be playing tricks on me though. But this is something completely different. Just four songs, but with a lot more drive than I had expected. There’s a way bigger rock ‘n’ roll feeling to those songs than to the ones I thought I had in mind. That being said it takes nothing away from the quality of the songs. Heck, they also use backing vocals to accentuate the lead vocals. This sounds a lot more like Cave-In to me. I like this.

Planks “s/t” LP
Labelmates of ours (Arktika) which is why I gave this a try. The record has a lot of D-beat influences and sounds like the guys really want to go to Portland, Oregon once in their lives. No, I’m just kidding. Although the similarities are quite obvious, at least that’s what it seems to me. This is really, really heavy stuff. They do have their moshparts, but I guess I like the fast sequences better, as they are a lot more aggressive. I’d really like to see them play live once. Must be a lot of fun. Maybe a chance will occur in the future where us and Planks will play a show together somewhere. Looking forward to that day.

Black Friday ‘29 “s/t (2009)” LP
Ruhrpott’s finest with yet another release. Black Friday ‘29 have been around forever now and although I wasn’t really getting into their music at the beginning I have to admit they have truly earned their place at the forefront of German hardcore. This is nothing new, mind you. But the way they present their brand of old school late 80’s hardcore is just great. And while they are very good at what they do musically they also fly the flag for hardcore being more than music. When they were playing in Cologne a while ago they were encouraging people to donate money for a child they adopted in Africa. Now that’s cool and it shows that they are not just talk but take action, no matter how small that action might be. You really have to give the band credit for that.

No FX “Frisbee” LP
Need I say anything about this release? I truly don’t think so. This is what you might expect it to be. Pure and genuine No FX. Sometimes I’m really glad that there are bands who do not change a single thing in their approach to writing their music. That being said No FX to me have always been a band which doesn’t sit back and repeat themselves over and over again. It might sound like that, yes, but to me they don’t. There’s always something new in their music and that’s what I love about them. I can understand why people are fed up with a band like this but to me their records will always be something I will buy with my eyes closed.

Isis “Wavering Radiant” 2xLP
Seems like they have been backpaddeling slightly with this release. Although I really liked the predecessor I’m also glad to hear that the aggressiveness has returned to the sound of Isis. They might change whatever they want the are still the band who sets the marks for any other band in this genre. No gimmicks, no need for side effects, Isis is just Isis, pure and raw. The hard and heavyness of their early days might have been sudstituted with a little bit more finesse, it might not be as overwhleming as before … wait, it still IS overwhelming. Their sound, although not as raw as before, is still as brutal as always. Just like a lavastream you have to run away from, but you don’t, because it’s too beautiful to behold.

The Drift “Memory Drawings” 2xLP
I stumbled across this band while listening to the local college radio station kölncampus one day. Because the rotation of songs they play there is very different something like The Drift catches your ears rather easily. this again is instrumental music in the vein of Explosions In The Sky and to a certain extent I am not quite sure because of the sheer number of bands who play this sound nowadays where the true difference is in their music. Still The Drift have every right to be there. Maybe it’s the use of a trumpet which kept me listening to the song while it was playing on the radio. It’s not that slow music, rather driving and upbeat, but not overly aggressive. Nice one to listen to while working on other things.

Organism “Hope” LP
I can’t help but listen to chaotic hardcore from Japan every once in a while. Which is why I got this record. Organism hail from Osaka and easily fit in one section with bands like Warhead or Gauze. Hectic, chaotic, anarchic, powerful. The picture on the backcover fits that description perfetcly with the band looking like they are coming straight from the 1980’s. The titles of songs themselves also have this nostalgic ring to them, just one word at a time (“Hope”, “Neet”, “Humanity”, and so on). An instant classic.

Lymbyc Systym “Love Your Abuser” LP
I first noticed Lymbyc Systym when they put out a record alongside This Will Destroy You which made a lot of sense when you compare those two bands. Just as the latter Lymbyc Systym really know how to build up excitement and they are really good in hitting the spot to let everything break loose just at the right time. This isn’t very aggressive stuff, mind you. They are very humble, quiet and laid back. But at the same time they know how to create a sound which keeps on drawing you inside, whatever there may be. They also use a lot of sound effects to go along with the usual instrumentation.

This Will Destroy You “Young Mountain” LP
Speaking of This Will Destroy You, here’s what must be a re-release of their first output. Anyone who knows the other records won’t be surprised by what’s on this record as it is just what you might expect. Now, everything I wrote about Lymbyc Systym just fits perfectly for This Will Destroy You as well. Which is why I found it so fitting that both bands shared a split recording a while ago. The build up to the explosion of sound is of the biggest interest to me and every time I hear it, although I perfectly know what to expect, it’s always as surprising as it is the first time you listen to it. When bands are able to create that kind of feeling I think they are truly good. And although there are a lot of bands trying to accomplish that, I think there’s only a small number of them who actually are capable of doing so. And This Will Destroy You are most definetely one of them.

Russian Circles “Enter” LP
Russian Circles “Station” LP
It’s hard to believe that this is just a three-piece band with the massive sound they are able to create. I was introduced to Russian Circles while driving back from a show we played in Münster and they completely blew me away. You are never sure about what to expect and what twist and turn their music will take the next second. It might die down and become very quiet and slow, it might explode into a breakdown moshpart, they might even come at you with a Muse-like guitar-lead. It’s that kind of mystery which makes these records so much fun to listen to. This band isn’t so much into creating soundscapes, they come at you in a more direct way and challenge you to keep up with their creativity.

Bohren & Der Club Of Gore “Dolores” 2xLP
To be honest, I was shying away from picking up a record by that band, mainly because of their status. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect in the first place. All the reviews I read had been raving about how extreme that band is. So I felt kind of intimidated by the legend, I guess. Now, when I gave this record a try I felt instantly reminded of the music Kenji Kawai wrote for the “Ghost In The Shell” movies. Very slow, very atmospheric, yet very downplayed. Not much fanfare anywhere. Very simplistic and minimal. Dare I say this is something I might call minimal ambient? If there is anything like that? No, I won’t. But I have to admit, that I was holding myself back for nothing. This definetely is something like a lot. And while a lot of people will laugh at me for not picking up a record earlier, I am happy I did so.

Constants “The Foundation / The Machine / The Ascension” 3xLP
Yeah, I know. Pretentious asshole all over again. I admit it, at first I was taking notice of this one only because it was a triple LP with a very nice cover. I am a sucker for those things alright. Still the reason I bought this was the music, albeit music I didn’t expect to find at all. This Boston band  is more in the vein of Isis’ “In The Absense Of Truth” with the vocals being a lot clearer than those on other records from this genre. The music as well sounds a lot broader and “roomier”, as if the band recorded this in a huge hall or something like that. So if you want to be mean you could say Constants are just copying that phase of Isis. But I believe there’s a lot more to that. They truly do have their own approach and while I don’t know what it is, I think the are unique in their own way. Maybe it’s because they a slightly more melodic than the band which sounds like they are their idols.

The Casting Out “Go Crazy Throw Fireworks!” LP
Which brings us to the final record of this round-up. I still remember the time when everybody around here was going crazy about Boysetsfire. That band was THE big thing back in the days and they played a legendary show in the small room of the “Underground” club here in Cologne. You still find people who are getting tears in their eyes when they talk about that concert. Still time moved on and here we have a band which features the singer of aforementioned Boysetsfire. Anyone expecting something which sounds like hardcore has to be disappointed. The Casting Out is catchy pop-punk which I mistook for No Use For A Name when I heard it in the record store. And that’s not meant as an insult. There hasn’t been a melodic pop-punk band in a long time who caught my attantion just like that. They have all it takes to put out great music. The vocals are brilliant (as always, that was the one thing Boysetsfire was best known for in my friends cirlces), the music is very catchy, the chorus is always right up to the point, what else can you ask for?

Drie weken nadat Brutal Truth de Aalsterse metalbarak Negasonic overrompelde met zeventig minuten virtuoze grindcore was ‘t opnieuw prijs. Deze keer was het Voivod dat de verwachtingen moeiteloos overtrof, wat het des te spijtiger maakt dat de groep er hoogstwaarschijnlijk mee ophoudt na deze tour (of dat heb ik toch van horen zeggen). Enfin ja, ‘t was een geslaagde concertnamiddag en -avond, daar in het Antwerpse:

Geen idee hoe ze het voor mekaar brengen, zo vroeg op de dag, maar de drie van Moroccan verspilden geen seconde aan overbodig gehannes en bezorgden de eerste aanwezigen een kopstoot van jewelste. We herkenden volk van Officer Jones And His Patrol Car Problems (RIP) en het uit de assen van die band verrezen We’re Wolves, maar die laatsten zagen we nooit zo resoluut de geweldkaart trekken. Moroccan rochelde van alle subtiliteit ontdane beukrock op, met het soortelijk gewicht van sludge, de agressie van harcore en een Vlaams gebrek aan pretentie. Heavy shit dus, gebald en overtuigend, ideaal om de kringspieren op de proef te stellen en een uitstekende opener.

Tweemansformatie Sardonis mocht voor de tweede keer in een half jaar aantreden in het voorprogramma van Torche een kweet zich opnieuw met verve van z’n taak. ’t Zag er een beetje eenzaam uit voor de baardmannen, maar dat weerhield hen er niet van om uit te pakken met een stevig potje doom metal die het brakke land tussen High On Fire, Black Sabbath en Yob verkent. Het materiaal uit de titelloze debuut-EP klonk intussen vertrouwd, al zorgde het nieuwe werk, met uitstapjes richting thrash, voor de nodige afwisseling. De sound heeft z’n beperkingen, maar als de gerekte afsluiter een indicatie is, dan wordt de voor het najaar aangekondigde debuutplaat eentje om naar uit te kijken.

Oathbreaker is aardig op weg om een kleine revelatie in het soms wat incestueuze Vlaamse hardcorewereldje te worden. Vernieuwend is de band nergens, al wordt er hier en daar voorzichtig gespeeld met structuren en elementen die afwijken van de platgetreden paden die van veel hardcore zo’n duffe, monotone boel maken. Vielen vooral op: het imposante gitaarspel van Lennart Bossu (zie oo: Amenra) en frontvrouw Caro, die haar fragiele fysiek en verlegen meisjescharme wist te compenseren met verrassend grofkorrelig gekeel. Kortom: een vrouw naar ons hart.

Het was duidelijk dat een groot deel van het publiek opgedaagd was voor Kylesa. Dit vijftal met twee drummers in de gelederen scoorde enkele maanden geleden hoge ogen met Static Tensions, een brute en tegelijkertijd catchy symbiose van hardcore punk, classic rock en stoner metal, waarmee steeds meer zieltjes gewonnen worden. Zanger/gitarist Phillip Cope (tevens producer van het album) was wegens douaneproblemen helaas niet van de partij, maar dat liet het kwartet zich niet aan het hart komen. Meer nog: Kylesa zorgde voor een explosieve, van de adrenaline stijf staande set waarin blues, metal, punk en rock samengesmolten werden tot een aanstekelijk, smerig potje turborock. Gitariste Laura Pleasants zat er vocaal regelmatig langs, maar maakte indruk met potig gitaarwerk en werd gesteund door een ritmesectie die vooral de term ‘the Southern Melvins’ introduceerde.

Torche is een band waar je moeilijk niet van kan houden. Ze houden er een fenomenale werkethiek op na, brachten met Meanderthal een bijzonder geslaagde tweede plaat uit en weten een fijn evenwicht te vinden tussen brute kracht en toegankelijkheid. Het is geen stonerrock, geen alternatieve rock, geen hardrock, geen metal, en toch heeft het wat van dat alles. En vooral: de band speelt met zo veel energie en enthousiasme dat alle kleine gebreken meteen van tafel geveegd worden. De vuisten gingen voor het eerst collectief de lucht in, en terecht. Torche zal met zijn gespierde werkmansrock ongetwijfeld nog (meer) potten breken.

Met Coalesce had de Trix nog een zwaargewicht binnengehaald. Het Amerikaanse gezelschap speelde in het vorige decennium al een vorm van mathcore voor daar sprake van was en de invloed is merkbaar te voelen in het uitgebreide legertje herriebands dat dezer dagen hectische hardcore-uitspattingen aan woeste metalfusillades probeert te koppelen. Kers op de taart: het was de eerste keer dat de band verscheen op een Belgisch podium, wardoor ze met de nodige egards en een enthousiast publiek werden onthaald. De eerste twintig minuten werd meteen uitgepakt met een verschroeiende energie, waarbij zweet en ledematen in het rond vlogen. De band speelde als een stel bezetenen, retestrak en agressief, en weigerde om het energiepeil te laten zakken. Ideale kost voor de adrenalinejunks, al vonden wij het jammer dat de dynamiek en diversiteit van het net verschenen Ox niet echt uit de verf kwam.

En dan Voivod. Het werd al snel duidelijk dat weinigen op het Canadese kwartet zaten te wachten, maar zij die bleven werden getrakteerd op een onverhoopt succes. Nochtans was het een concert dat bij voorbaat ronkte van de onzekerheden. De legendarische formatie zorgde voor enkele van de meest avontuurlijke metalwerken van de jaren tachtig (beluister Killing Technology, Dimension Hatröss en Nothingface nog eens en hoor hoe de tijd hen nog steeds niet heeft ingehaald), albums over dystopische maatschappijen en op hol geslagen technologieën die vooral opvallen door vreemde structuren, melodieën en het werk van gitarist Denis D’Amour (‘Piggy’), dat metal, prog, en psychedelica een rondedansje laat uitvoeren. Helaas overleed D’Amour enkele jaren geleden aan kanker, waardoor de toekomst van de band op het spel stond.

Het was echter de originele bezetting, aangevuld met gitarist Dan Mongrain, die terug de hort op trok met Infini onder de arm. Op die plaat, opgebouwd rond de laatste thuisopnames van D’Amour, wordt duidelijk dat het Voivod-verhaal nog steeds niet aan z’n einde is. Het werk wordt trouwens uitgebracht door Relapse, niet toevallig een label dat vooral uitpakt met experimentele metal die het avontuur niet schuwt. Uit Infini werd echter amper geput tijdens dit concert. In plaats daarvan werd getrakteerd op niet minder dan een best of, een reis door een catalogus die eens te meer bevestigde wat een kwaliteit de band in de aanbieding heeft. “Voivod” en “The Unknown Knows” maakten meteen duidelijk dat de band prima op elkaar ingespeeld was en het enthousiasme was volop aanwezig. Bassist Blacky kreeg snel af te rekenen met technische problemen, maar het leek alsof die kleine tegenslag het sleutelmoment van het optreden werd.

Klassieker na klassieker passeerde de revue: “Experiment”, “Brain Scan”, “The Prow” en “Psychic Vacuum” lieten ten volle horen hoe de band een bijzondere plaats wist te veroveren in de metalgeschiedenis. Het was vooral uitkijken naar de performance van Mongrain, die cultheld Piggy moest opvolgen. Hij oversteeg zowaar alle verwachtingen, door de iele snijdende gitaarlijnen en experimentele aanpak van die laatste te recreëren én te voorzien van een extra fond die het geheel zo opwindend maakte. Zijn overduidelijke goesting was mooi om te zien en had duidelijk ook een invloed op de andere drie. Hoogtepunten waren een ronduit razende versie van “Tornado” en de aan Piggy opgedragen cover van Pink Floyds “Astronomy Domine”, die zelfs de vloer aanveegde met de al sterke albumversie. Slechts een beperkt deel van het opgedaagde publiek was er getuige van, maar Voivod speelde een prachtig eerbetoon aan zijn overleden leider en een concert dat zijn unieke status moeiteloos bevestigde.

© goddeau

NP: Kylesa – Static Tensions

Ahhh, we’re in good company in 2008.

From: POISSON D’AVRIL
you are not what you pwn

like this, but without good producers
Here’s a fun piece that, along with 20 other year-end pieces by different critic types, was killed by Idolator. Very metal props to Matos who assigned and edited this thing. zShare link inside!

*******

2008 in the Mix: METAL
by Christopher R. Weingarten

To celebrate the year in music, Idolator asked a number of writers to put together a single CD’s worth of 2008’s best songs based on genre or theme. We begin our 2008 in the Mix feature with longtime headbanger Christopher R. Weingarten’s look at the year in metal–or, as he hears it, alt-metal.

1. Melvins, “The Kicking Machine” (Ipecac)
2. Double Dagger, “Pissing Contest” (Stationary Heart)
3. Jarboe, “MahaKali, of Terrifying Countenance” (The End)
4. Made Out of Babies, “Invisible Ink” (The End)
5. Helms Alee, “A Weirding Away” (Hydra Head)
6. Torche, “Across the Shields” (Hydra Head)
7. Fucked Up, “No Epiphany” (Matador)
8. Harvey Milk, “Decades” (Hydra Head)
9. ASG, “Right Before Death” (Volcom)
10. Fight Amp, “Dead Is Dead” (Translation Loss)
11. Clouds, “Feed the Horse” (Hydra Head)
12. Dianogah, “Qhnnnl” (Southern)
13. Don Caballero, “Celestial Dusty Groove” (Relapse)
14. Tweak Bird, “Shivers” (Volcom)
15. Jucifer, “Behind Every Great Man” (Relapse)
16. Black Horse, “Shake Shake Shake” (self-release)
17. When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, “It’s Not the Heat, It’s the Humidity” (Chalk Circle)
18. Young Widows, “Old Skin” (Temporary Residence)
19. Black Elk, “Hospital” (Crucial Blast)
20. Drunkdriver, “Dick in a Mousetrap” (Parts Unknown)
21. Boris, “Statement” (Southern Lord)
22. Black Mountain, “Stormy High” (Jagjuguwar)
23. Danava, “The Emerald Snow of Sleep” (Kemado)

Download here!

After a brief, stylish honeymoon, heavy metal in 2008 returned to its rightful home: in the margins. There were no fashionable, blogger-endorsed places to dip your toe into the way there had been in 2007’s Peeber-tossin’ thrash revivalism, 2006’s agoraphobic black metal, 2005’s seismic drO)))nes, and 2004’s, er, Mastodon. Now working outside the attention of dilettantes–who’ve moved on, for whatever reason–metal went back to doing what it does best: making real metal for real metalheads. Most of the celebrated records were perfectly pragmatic headbanger fare–excellent, unsurprising records made for people who like what they like.

In 2008 we got serviceable thrash (Metallica, Testament), serviceable death metal (Gojira, Amon Amarth), serviceable art-chug (Opeth, Meshuggah), even a surprising amount of serviceable goregrind (Bathtub Shitter, Throatplunger). Switching your style up and working outside your listeners’ comfort zone is as risky a proposition in metal as it is in hip-hop. To keep an audience who want exactly these things, it’s best to play it hard, heavy, and familiar. Hyper-technical death-metal mind-fuck Cryptopsy dove headfirst into melody and clean vocals and were universally panned; conversely, black metal formalists Nachtmystium started toying with incense-and-peppermints psychedelia, and will no doubt top many year-end lists.

Killing is still their business, but business was mostly business as usual. So, deep in a climate of purism, every alternative metal record seemed like a revelation. With no one to really put it under the microscope, alternative metal flourished–easily the best year for brainy brawn since the days when bands like Soundgarden, Helmet, and Faith No More mixed the anything-goes mentality of Lollapalooza nation with the muggy metal chug that raised them (and their loyal following of less-artful monosyllabicists–Prong, Clutch, Tool, Korn, Dink, Stick, etc.) When rap-metal made this stuff ultramega-uncool in late-’90s, college radio turned to Belle & Sebastian, and alt-metal bands had to cater to the metal underground, where they still fight to be heard.

So why don’t we begin with the survivors of alt-metal’s last golden age? The Melvins’ 19th album, Nude with Boots, is on par with just about any of their others. The band’s influence looms large over 2008’s alt-metal crop as long-enduring scene misfits who dodge expectations with every turn, and as veteran mixers of pop and sludge–a sound that can be heard most starkly in Jucifer’s concept rock, Tweak Bird’s bog party, Black Horse’s sexy bloozcrunge, and the mighty Boris, who named one of the songs on their spacey new album after the Melvins’ King Buzzo (as if having named their band after a Melvins song wasn’t enough).

When it came to sludge and pop, alt-metal label Hydra Head almost overdid it. And some of their bands really overdid it, with triumphant, howling, fist-balled-at-the-heavens power-goop, hooks ready for college radio, waterfalls of unholy distortion to massage you gently into paralysis: sunshine-and-lollipops shit you might (but probably shouldn’t) call “life metal.” Seattle’s exultant heavy-hitters Helms Alee took fellow sludge revivalists Big Business’s harmonies to almost Meat Loaf levels of histrionics; Florida’s sickly-saccharine Torche come up with enough big hooks to become the next Foo Fighters, and could do it with just a minimal amount of studio tweakery. Clouds is happy metal from the space-cadet guitarist of defunct Massachusetts space-rock legends Cave In; even veteran tar-layers Harvey Milk entered their 12th year with a bizarre slice of bipolar art-quirk Zeppelin that mixed their usual bursts of dissonant doom-rock with their catchiest songs to date. Fucked Up–not on Hydra Head, more hardcore than metal–topped them all in spirit by getting Brooklyn’s three-way-harmonious neo-girl-group the Vivian Girls to push their luminous “No Epiphany” to heavenly heights of floaty euphoria.

On the other side of the tracks, the sons and daughters of ’90s noise-rock miscreants Unsane and Jesus Lizard produced seething, taut, two-minute blasts of nu-pigfuck that rode the classic alt-metal formula with razor precision: heavy enough to wound, not macho enough to look like jock caricatures or dungeon masters. This charge was led with lean records by the uneasy Black Elk, the savage Young Widows, the playful Double Dagger, the goofy When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, and the downright disgusting Drunkdriver. The latter band could easily ball with trendy no-fi mutants like Times New Viking if their drummer wasn’t such a beast.

Tearing down the walls of their own pigfuck past, Brooklyn’s Made Out of Babies wanted you to feel their pain instead of just watching them scratch at their sores. On “Invisible Ink,” lead singer Julie Christmas using her impressive, emotive vocal range to reinvent herself as an alt-rock siren, alternately crawling on the floor and rising like a voice-cracking phoenix in true Polly Jean Harvey tradition. Having abandoned their Neurosis-y roots for a more atmospheric sound, Made Out of Babies so stubbornly bucked the metal orthodoxy that they embodied the “alt-” to fantastic degrees. They proudly played up all the elements that made them odd ducks–the personal lyrics, the imprecise vocal lines, the Jesus Lizard bass, lyrics closer to Waits than Lovecraft, the overall weirdness. They’re the best non-metal metal band of the year–a margin all its own.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 4th, 2009 at 12:44 pm and is filed under Mixtapes, Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.