The Assassination of Jesse James by... -Andrew Dominik (2007)

Still rolling off from BFI's Sight & Sound poll 2012 - great films all through September.

Here's another late addition based on a recent suggestion... continuing through The American Western Frontier.



The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
dir. Andrew Dominik. 2007, USA.
Sight & Sound 2012: Directors' #546
Roger Ebert's movie review
DVD from the Amazon [Blu-Ray]
Watch via Amazon Instant / iTunes



The Assassination of Jesse James by... trailer (2007)

Jesse James: Can't figure it out. Do you want to be like me, or do you want to be me?

I think this might be the most character-study type of film I've covered so far - not surprising as the title includes the two main characters' full names. So there's a lot of development and plot, but also lyrical flights of fancy. As in all arty Westerns, illiterate yokels wander the line between colorful idiom and Shakespearean eloquence. I will give the film credit for successfully pulling off some story maneuvers in the "Too Stupid To Lie Well" vein - frequently a killer. I think someone claimed to practice haruspexy, and I'm not talking about high-society Charley's soothsayers.

The other quote I considered spotlighting (1 each) was when Bob piped up at the burial to help out with The Beatitudes. Not to brag, but I saw it coming a mile away - still, nicely done.



Some interesting stylistic choices - we return to dark interiors, but these are high-contrast B&W rather than murky brown. Exteriors sometime come framed in hazy edges, kind of like looking through old thick wavy pane glass. Jesse's snake-handling bit was quite saturated. I always tend to question the need for a Narrator voice-over, but I'd have to rewatch before I decide if I can see any better options. And on first viewing, the last third tended to drag a little, with a number of acceptable endings strung together.

But the violence was good, and the kid was a surprisingly good pistol shot. Top-notch cast and cameos. Nick Cave showed up, plus Zooey D. in Creede, CO. O yeah, Cave & Ellis did the soundtrack! Very nice, and I think I've forgotten to mention several OST's so far...

Filament and Forest

"Filament" by Earth
"The Forest That Shelters" by Tribes of Neurot

The good folk at Neurot Recordings have repressed a 2007 tour split-7" featuring noise-ambient-collective Tribes of Neurot and guitar-drone psych-kings Earth. I've got a little Tribes, and have briefly included them here once before. I've only ever heard Earth's much-vaunted The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull (2008) - which to be honest didn't do much for me. Perhaps I should try again, because I've been recently enjoying Barn Owl's The Conjurer (2009). I think there are similarities...

I got the clear amber edition (of 500), plus the new ltd-ed Harvestman cd (#162 of 1000), and 3-band Hawkwind tribute comp from US Christmas, Minsk and Harvestman (#5, 2009). Awesome Harvestman European tour poster up now at their website!!


As with all 7"s of Glory, the clip is a recording of my very own vinyl slab o' noise.

Person Pitch - Panda Bear (#10, 2007)

"Take one day at a time,
Everything else you can leave behind,
Only one thing at a time,
Anything more really hurts your mind.

I don't want for us to take pills anymore,
Not that it's bad." - Take Pills


"Comfy in Nautica" from Person Pitch (2007)

There's been some pretty heavy foreshadowing of this album. Because it looms so large over 2007, probably the consensus non-mass-market record of the year. At least that's what the stickers said on the cd I bought in Avon, CO.

First, I mentioned not being much of a Beach Boys fan, then putting two direct descendents in the Top 10. Later, I hinted at how I should probably be a bigger Animal Collective fan, but am not. I already unsuccessfully tried Sung Tongs (2004), downloaded live recordings to no avail, and even possible album-of-this-year Merriweather Post Pavilion hasn't grabbed me yet. But this one is majestic, for a certain frame of mind.



The album straddles a few extremes: sampladelic experimentalism with pure pop hooks, background washout versus microscopic intricacy, skeletally spare structures built from orchestral layers. First "Comfy in Nautica" enters with some industrial clatter, into a sunny sing-song over a gospel-loop bluesman's foot-stomp handclap pattern. Electronic noises swirl and waves of reverb crash into the ending. Hard to say how much has really happened. "Take Pills" also starts off with some ambient found sounds, then there comes a tambourine. Peeking through is a meandering folksong for hip young adults. At exactly halfway, the beat starts to shuffle up and the voices start chasing after one another. A bright and sunwashed melody about throwing away our drugs. Then a train leaves the station...



"Bros" is epic, and the early part wears Brian Wilson on its sandy, Hawaiian-print sleeve. Even as dark undercurrents begin to tug at weary legs, until the screaming and crying begins. The submerged Spanish rhythm gives way to an upfront and insistent gallop, without affecting too much else. Things keep shifting. Now we've got both rhythms over each other, the singing drifts off, and somehow digital chatter and vibes have already snuck in. Cutting in with backwards-masking vox and stop/start dynamics, more layers start piling up again. Sanity has left the building, there might be a trumpet or other horn, beach bunny giggling, a western tv show gunfight...
A teenage symphony to acid?



Stuck between the two long-form songs, "Im Not" is relatively slight, and transitional. Like a calm between attention storms. The two-parter "Good Girl/Carrots" is as long as "Bros," but breaks it out more. The tabla intro signals the most electronic-rhythmic section of the album, not necessarily to any real benefit. The middle third is a relief after the glitchy siren loop: pretty singing, rolling piano, gears 'n' clockwork click-track(s). The final part is a little closer to side 1's rhythm, noise and voice combos. Afterwards comes the somehow ambient-and-squelchy "Search for Delicious," which is either relaxing or unsettling (depending on how close a listen). And the final track, "Ponytail," is the shortest and most straightforward song, wrapping things up very nicely.



You can see why this album is popular with music critic types, right? Lots of different angles, things to talk about, compare and contrast. Sounds really good too. I prefer the first half, and if the rest were that way it might be a total favorite. But it might not be a better album, and I can understand other people maybe wanting more of the latter half. Which says a lot about a very good record.

Official/Myspace - myspace.com/rippityrippity
Purchase - Amazon
iTunes - Panda Bear

Genre - Gospel Noise Pop
Review - Pitchfork (ended up as their #1 of the year)

Also, I did it! Finished the Top 10 before month's end...

Indricothere - Indricothere (#9, 2007)

"The indricothere is a long-limbed, hornless rhinoceros that evolved in the Eocene epoch and continued through to the early Miocene. During the late Eocene and early Oligocene, the indricothere evolved and quickly grew to huge sizes. The indricothere reached the peak of their evolution through to the early Miocene, where they had become truly gigantic animals. These were the largest land mammals that ever lived, equaling the medium-sized sauropod dinosaurs in size." from Wikipedia



Indricothere plays the kind of music a cheesy sci-fi movie would show a future post-apocalyptic dystopia's youth culture going mad over (an old crank's thinly-veiled put-down of contemporary youth culture's goddamn racket!). A drum machine jackhammers inhumanly and almost arhythmically, unpredictably reversing course or stopping full. A guitar (or two) shreds mercilessly, somehow keeping up with the sadistic robotic assault. Sometimes a synthesizer will slip into the fray temporarily. There are no vocals. It is extreme. It is metal. It is avant-garde.

This is the debut EP from Colin Marston's solo identity, and the idea of a full-length LP makes me shudder. Five songs is just the right amount for such a barrage of what could be viewed electro-grindcore prog. The tracks all have Roman numeral titles, but don't present in their typical order. They are: II, V, IV [embedded above], I, and III. Summarizing each would be silly. They all simultaneously sound the same and contain a mind-boggling variety. Each has numerous and diverse sections, usually a couple that let you catch your breath for a few seconds of heavy metal. "III" even has some portions of clean guitar work. The shorter tracks, "IV" and "I," are probably the more straightforward entry points.


So, Colin Marston. Unbeknownst to me, he made his mark early this millennium playing the Warr Guitar (a Chapman Stick on steroids) with Behold... The Arctopus. They played similarly experimental, progressive extreme-metal as a trio. Then (and now) he played bass in the well-respected Dysrhythmia, another avant-metal band. And most recently, he's shared guitar duties in the mighty Krallice, a USBM band of pure awesomeness. The other guitarist is former Flying Luttenbacher Mick Barr, who also does some Indricotheric stuff as Orthrelm, Ocrilim, Octis, etc... Check out this live video! Gilead Media did a really nice job on both the Indricothere vinyl (comes with cd) and the colored vinyl for Krallice's debut 2xLP!

Official/Myspace - myspace.com/indricothere
Purchase - Gilead Media
iTunes - Indricothere

Genre - Pummeling Technical Blackened Death
Review - Metal Underground

Athlantis - Eyvind Kang (#8, 2007)

"Te quoque Maurtem aduoco, ne dedigneris tuos
hic promere scorpiones, serpentes, aspides,
viperas, hircos, hoedos, pardos, canes,
cynocephalos, apros, pantheras, lupos, onagros,
equos, hyppelaphos, vulpes, tuasque caeteras
bestias atque feras..." - Inquisitio
(Worst year ever to use lyrics for the Top Ten!)


"Andegavensis" from Athlantis (2007)

Eyvind Kang is a composer - like, that's what it says on his business card. (Probably.) But his stuff, like it or loathe it, is clearly composed... most likely with sheet music and everything. Might even be conducted too!

So there's a lot going on here, but it would have to be modernist neo-classical. (Probably.) The first section, "Ministers of Friday" has a noirish feel to it, with a menacing brass ensemble. I've gone ahead and put four of the shorter movements together in one clip, so that also includes track 2: "Vespertiliones," which gives a taste of the choir and chant and drone vocals. Above is "Andegavensis," a great place to start with its unearthly temple voices and transporting acoustic guitar. It's followed by "Rabianara," half of which is bare minimalism with Black Metal/balloon-rubbing vocals. The second half is overwhelming 2001 Monolith wig-out music.



"Inquisitio" is formed by Latinate klaxon announcements, with a congregation responding, back and forth over a slight sitar pattern. (Oh, did I mention all of the 'libretto' is in Latin? It is.) Then a glorious angelic choir emanates from the sky to round out the experience. "Ros Vespertinus" continues the beautiful lady-singing theme, this time solo with absolutely minimal accompaniment. Seriously, it might as well be a cappella. The next two sections,
"Conciliator" (a trumpet reveille) and "Iupitter" (a less hysterical Carmina Burana), are on the video with "Ministers of Friday" linked above.

"Repetito" and "Lamentatio" are aptly named. The first repeats, and the second has sorrowful wailing. I'm not sure if this project is off-putting, esoteric, challenging, or just weird - but I think it's really fascinating. I wonder what the sounds and lyrics mean, in terms of song titles and Atlantis in general. But it might spoil the mystery, the wonder. It definitely makes me want to get more Kang (he has a new album out). Anyway, the title track appears late, and is a bit of subdued and spooky minimalism (female). Followed by "Aquilas" which is subdued and foreboding minimalism (male), culminating with some horrendous screaming. The end of the great city, perhaps?



Might have to bust out my Latin dictionary and see how the epic poetry skills have held up...

Official/Myspace - myspace.com/eyvindkangeyvind
Purchase - Amazon
iTunes - Eyvind Kang

Genre - Noir-Jazz Opera-Chant Neo-Classical
Review - Tiny Mixtapes

Two Hunters (#7, 2007) Wolves in the Throne Room

I think I didn't plan this out so well... Wolves in the Throne Room's Two Hunters (2007) discussed already in the inaugural Black Metal Classics post, with clips for every single song. But it had to be done!!

So, go there first. I'll just lazily post a track each off their two releases from this year. (Hey, I'm trying to finish this before November!)

First: "Ex Cathedra" from Black Cascade (2009), the better of the two albums.




Lastly: "Hate Crystal" from the 2-song EP Malevolent Grain (2009).




Still pretty cool stuff, but Two Hunters is definitely their pinnacle so far. I do like the new cover art better, though [click for lg sizes].



Not quite as dark, but such is progress...

Official - wittr.com/
Myspace - myspace.com/wolvesinthethroneroom
Purchase - All That Is Heavy
iTunes - Wolves in the Throne Room

Genre - Transformative Black Metal
Review - Prefix Mag

Rainbow - Boris (#6, 2007)

Like the musical act this particular list is aiming towards, Boris seems like a band that I should like, that I could like... but it just hasn't worked yet. Really except for Rainbow (2007) - recorded with Michio Kurihara, Japanese guitar-noise demi-god and member of numerous other bands. Notably Ghost, whose Hypnotic Underworld (2004) I highly recommend. But Boris' brand of droning, sludgy, psychedelic doom usually misses the mark for me. This one proves that maybe it's actually me missing the mark.


"Rainbow" from Rainbow (2007)

O there's drones here, including the opener "Rafflesia" [live], but so much more... The title track (embedded above) floats along, all ghostly vocals and understated groove, until Kurihara inappropriately breaks out the fuzzbox overdrive. Boris never flinches. The vocals on this record seem a bit more diverse, along with the music styles. Up next is "Starship Narrator" (below), which cruises on a Krautish pulse with a baritone chant until the singing part kicks off. Then Michio takes command and steers it back into the Fuzz Nebula. That's why he's the co-pilot.



I was a little surprised there were missing songs on YouTube. Boris fans seem like the thorough type. So, the next four songs are on a couple of home-brewed videos (not necessarily my best work). "My Rain" is a miniature, lyrical guitar interlude with a back-masked rhythm. Leading into "Shine"... a somewhat droney but also more musical number with a very cool smoldering, slow-burn front section.



"You Laughed Like a Water Mark" is my favorite Boris song I know. Musically, it's got a similar foundation as "Rainbow," cool and easy-going. But the breathy female voice is replaced by fairly melodic male vocals, and the fuzz lead is more in the groove. I added as much of "Fuzzy Reactor" as would fit, but had to cut a bit off the end, so consider it a bonus track [edit]. A nice sound, actually reminds me a bit of Dragontears, which is high praise indeed.



And the final song (except for the 14,000 alternate versions' bonus tracks), "Sweet No. 1" starts out simultaneously funky, spare and noisy. Then busts out with some Earthless-worthy free-form heavy-guitar jams, alternating with agitated rock-star vocals. Seven minutes of mayhem! It is awesome.

As I mentioned, there are several different formats and releases, with different bonus tracks. I think the coolest is probably "Olhei Para O Vento Varrendo As Nuvens (I Looked Up at the Wind Sweeping Clouds Away)" from the Japanese 2xLP version. It's a 20+ minutes of low-register guitar-amp noise/feedback, building up to some distorted but restrained noise. If that's your sort of thing...

Beyond Rainbow, I would definitely suggest reading about different albums before buying. Boris and Kurihara collaborated again on a two-epic LP, Cloud Chamber (2008), but it appearss to be more experimental, noise-y, and super-rare.

Official - inoxia-rec.com/boris/
Myspace - myspace.com/borisdronevil
Purchase - All That Is Heavy
iTunes - Boris

Genre - Epic Shoegaze Experi-Metal
Review - Pitchfork

Halfway Pitstop 5.5 Top Ten 2007

To avoid the deja vu of repetitive redundancy all over again, I left out my 2008 Top Ten acts from the 2007 Top Ten albums. But if not excluded for variety's sake, a few would have clearly made the cut.


Burning Off Impurities (2007) - Grails [#6, 2008]... Possibly #1 of 2007, and maybe Grails' best album overall - to my knowledge.



Rhythms from a Cosmic Sky (2007) - Earthless [#3, 2008]... Their album that found its way to me first. Here's a 'short' song, only eight minutes, and it's a Groundhogs cover!



George & West (2007, EPs) - Beyond the Wizards Sleeve [#1, 2008] At the risk of being redundantly redundant (see previous post), these would have to be included. Several songs not compiled on Ark.1, including the Star Trek intro/theme and "Hey Bulldog."



2000 Micrograms from Home (2007) - Dragontears [#2, 2008]... Just recently got this one. Some very cool stuff, but can't yet say it would be Top 10 material.




I still haven't made it around to these, although I'm sure they're all more than worthy of my time & money:

Buzz for Aldrin & Monclovia (2007) - The Pillbugs [#4, 2008]

Tio Bitar (2007) - Dungen [#5, 2008]

A Rather Solemn Promise (2007) - Tom Carter & Christian Kiefer [#8, 2008]

Into The Sun: Live At Burg Herzberg dvd (2007) - Space Debris [#7, 2008]... Well, I bought it, but my domestic DVD player can't handle the region.

Os Haxixins - Os Haxixins (#5, 2007)

Somewhere to think, Need to leave you.
It appeared to me on grass, And if the rocks should fall.
David and his irises, In some place of mind - Rays.
Behind the UFO's, Between some sisters.
Later I come back... Acid driven, I returned crazy.
I go with the new! - títulos da canção


"Onde Meditar" from Os Haxixins (2007)

Ignoring the last three decades of musical advances (hell, three and a half!), Os Haxixins do one thing: mid-'60s garage-psych. And they do do it well. Drugs, fuzz, and rockin' in the streets of Sao Paolo, Brazil! Next time you have a happening and it freaks you out... you'll have been to a party where they were playing Os Haxixins, but never one where Os Haxixins were playing!! Based on this interview, I think the name is either Portuguese for Assassins or has something to do with hashish, or is a play on the connection between those.

Seriously, they've got the whole scene down. Songs rush by, with 17 in 40 minutes on the album, 3 minutes is an epic. You get some Mayo Thompson vocal stylings on "Dirty Old Man" (live), but overall, beyond the language, it could be any American punk band from the '60s with a fuzzbox and cheap organ. And it feels as vital as anything since the originals. "Preciso Te Deixar", "Surgia por Sobre a Relva" (live) - that's right, I'm just throwing song links in randomly!


***After tinkering with this, dropping the volume, upping the quality... I think that's the best I can do, without making it a 10min load. The album does not have that fluttering though.***

Not sure if it's purely the garage influence or just the similar levels of studio experience, but they get everything so right/wrong so effortlessly. The way certain instruments (guitar and organ) are so out front, weird early fade-outs while things are still going, etc... Most of the available clips are live (and YouTube), so it doesn't really convey the garage authenticity of the actual recordings. But the songs and the playing are up to the pure sounds of the freakout! Check out the interplay on the back half of "E Se as Pedras Cairem" (embedded above). Or "Em Algum Lugar da Mente" (live), or "Raios" (live)... I want them playing the Astral Headspace Fest 2010!!



There's another studio one, "Depois eu Volto!" And another from the album, "Acido Fincado!" And "Eu Vou de Novo" (live).

Okay. Awesome, right? Here's the A-side to last year's fantastic single, "Depois de um LSD" ("After Some LSD")! Something tells me Mtv Brasil is slightly cooler than the American version... ever was.




Oh, I looked it up: "haxixe" is Portuguese for hashish.

Official/Myspace - myspace.com/oshaxixins
Purchase - Bomp Store [LP]
iTunes - Not yet...

Genre - Brazilian '60s Fuzz Garage
Review - Alborde

Andorra - Caribou (#4, 2007)

"Twirl things around us,
And the shadows they left as they found us,
Or running fingers through your hair" - Sandy


"Melody Day" from Andorra (2007)

I'm really not much of a Beach Boys fan, at all. And my taste in synthesized music is pretty narrow too. So, how did two albums of Wilsonian electronica invade my 2007 Top Ten?! Mainly by making it more modern and twisted up, and by bringing the quality. Andorra by Caribou typically ran behind in critical comparisons (by a wide margin), but I prefer it over the consensus pick.

First some history: once, there was Manitoba. I saw them open for some long-forgotten headliner at Mary Jane's (RIP). They were great! Electronic but sort of band-type music, not exactly rock but not dance music either. Then jerk "Handsome" Dick Manitoba sued, because apparently he thought he invented the word Manitoba (he didn't). Being Canadian, Dan Snaith dropped some acid and was reborn. Anyway, 3 years ago I made this YouTube playlist, which contains most of Manitoba's spectacular Up In Flames (2003). And is basically the live backdrop visuals from the show I saw, released on the Caribou Marino dvd (2005).


Okay, back to the new album. This one has a more clear pop sensibility than Manitoba, but it's still beatier than even Dungen. Not in a techno/dance-beat way, more like a digital Animal (from The Muppets). Each song features some sunny vocal melodies, shining waves of soaring music, usually along with some guitar or other accompaniment. "Melody Day" [at top] is followed by more girl-crazy glory: sing-songy fluting "Sandy," almost early-Floydian "After Hours" then "She's the One"...



Not enough songs about knowing how someone's bad for you, and probably just a terrible person, but still helpless not to love her. This one, Bill Withers' great "Use Me," what else? The chorus really sells the hopelessly-in-love feel, like the great pop music of yore. Then there's yet another song about a girl, "Desiree." I'm going to embed the Pink Room video of "Eli," the most guitarry one. Here's all of the official Caribou YouTubes, which includes many songs performed live in the Pink Room. Great audio quality for internet live recordings!!



And then three final songs, which are all with similar grooviness:
"Sundialing" (live and noisier), "Irene" (official video), and "Niobe" (epic, more electro). Like I said, lots of quality! If it would be your kind of thing, there's also a BBC mini-documentary on Andorra.

That should be enough to get started with the Caribou...

Official/Myspace - myspace.com/cariboumanitoba
Purchase - Merge Records
iTunes - Caribou

Genre - Electronic Psych Pop
Review - Stylus Magazine

All Things Are Light - Linus Pauling Quartet (#3, 2007)

“Sometimes I drink for taste, but
Mostly just to get wasted.” - 40 Oz.


"Alien Abduction" from All Things Are Light (2007)

Most drunkenest LP4 record - ever! “Southern Pine” sounds like a lazy campsite drinkin’ song. “She Bad, She Thowed” is a barfight (at the dearly-departed Proletariat). “Old Crow” and “40 Oz.” are self-explanatory, and “Enchirito” is a booze-fueled fast-food run. Pretty sure there’s a mead hall somewhere in “Waiting for the Axe to Fall.” (Usually, Linus is all about the bonghits...) This is one of the greatest local releases in many a spin around the sun!

It all kicks off with “Alien Abduction” [above], which crams the non-drunk Linus Pauling experience into a three-part epic: (i) stoner-fuzz psych, (2) jazzy space-jam, (3) interstellar pedal-to-the-metal rawk. You can get your very own freeware of this track at label Camera Obscura's MP3 Club, along with other worthy free stuff. Excellent lead-off track, and a real outer-orbit killer live as well.


“Southern Pine” starts mellow, almost droning shoegaze-wise, but eventually it too breaks free into ballistic rifftasm. Finally, the band takes it to that next level where O yeah! and Alright! are all that can be said. “She Bad, She Thowed” is a hard-choogling true story of a hard-fighting lady, with local rap lingo appropriated for the title. And “Old Crow” uses the classic Houston gambit of combining the heaviest riffs with lighter drumming, like pre-Sabbath doom.



The oddball “40 Oz.” finds Linus in a sweet and folky mood, harmonizing (not as scary as it might seem) about being a cheap drunk. “Enchirito” takes La Tapatia to processed-food hell, via Stooges punk-n-saxophone stylings. Faster than a race to the toilet! And how else do you top off such a mountain of riffs and majesty? With a sword metal epic, of course! “Waiting for the Axe to Fall” is like if a Boris Vallejo painting and a Frank Frazetta painting had a baby... who rocked out mercilessly. Thus the video.




Just a note on “HAWG!” -

"In December the band releases an extremely limited 13 copy as part of the Grey Ghost series - HAWG! Grey Ghost #48 - an 11-minute two-chord lecherous pill-popping dying-in-a-hail-of-bullets complete-with-Otis-Redding-Rave-up biker-epic. It sells out on the first day."

You can hear it all on their MySpace page, and that's what pushes All Things Are Light to the coveted #3 slot of the Top 10 of 2007!


What else? There's an occasional blog. And here are some reviews of All Things Are Light: Ptolemaic Terrascope, Foxy Digitalis, and... All Music Guide!

Official - worshipguitars.org/LP4/
Myspace - myspace.com/linuspaulingquartet
Purchase - Saki Store
iTunes - All Things Are Light

Genre - Heavy-Duty Space-Psych
Review - Aural Innovations

Inventions for the New Season - Maserati (#2, 2007)

"..." - Inventions


"12/16" from 10/1/09 show with Mono [Montreal]

I guess using lyrics for the introduction wasn't too swift. Maserati's all-instrumental. Those are the first two songs, and that's the band's sound: prolonged, drifting intros, upshifted to rhythmic speed, lots of chiming delay on guitars. If you like the sound (as do I), then you'll love the whole record. It moves fast from strength to strangther to strongthiest. "Kalimera" takes the intros to song-length, leading into "Synchronicity IV." And then the almost space-rock "This is a Sight We Had One Day from the High Mountain":



That cheesy running fanatic reminds me of the famously (and ridiculously) mustachioed drummer, who also played with dance-rockers !!!. His name is Gerhardt Fuchs, plus he's really super good. Especially on the album's centerpiece, "Show Me The Season," wherein they triple-time Pink Floyd's "One of These Days (I'm Going to Chop You into Little Pieces)" - perfect fit! Then the album brings you down from that high with another less-driving track and the finale, "The World Outside."

Maserati will finish opening Mono's US tour on Saturday (10/17) in Austin. They will then headline at The Mink in Houston, on Monday the 19th - with local shoegazey psych-ers Golden Cities opening! [Sunday night in San Antonio, at the Ten Eleven.]



Early this year, they split one with Zombi, MaseratibmoZ. And just recently re-released their half on Passages (2009), along with some unreleased and other rareties like a Steve Moore (Zombi) remix of "Monoliths." Here are the tracks from the OOP split-LP:

"Monoliths/Thieves"


And "Join Us, Mystic Sister/No More Sages."

Official - ihaveadagger.net
Myspace - myspace.com/maseratirocks
Purchase - Temporary Residence
iTunes - Maserati

Genre - Motorik Delay-Action Post-Rock
Reviews - Prog Archives

Red Album - Baroness (#1, 2007)

"Our trust lies in might wing,
as we thrust ourselves into the drink.
Pitched boats sail and ploughmen toil,
to drift on and work the soil." - Rays on Pinion


"Rays on Pinion" from Red Album (2007)

I'm as surprised as anyone for such a metal album to hit #1 on my own Top 10 of 2007. But... BARONESS ROCKS!! Well, definitely the Red Album. Starting with the opening trifecta of awesomeness: "Rays on Pinion" (above), "The Birthing," "Isak" (both live on Rockpalast, German tv). These three epitomize what's great about good metal today - it's loud, suitable for headbangin', but engaging, almost thoughtful. Baroness can bring a dramatic intro, then they'll unspool a tangle of different musical threads, and just when it's needed, they lay down a monster groove. And just keep doing it!

Guitarist, singer, songwriter, fine artist, main man John Dyer Baizley has one of the most tuneful bellows going. The songs straddle the line between classic boogie-rockin' - tandem harmony lead guitars! - and the now sound of intelligent heaviness. The next few songs show the band's diverse abilities: "Wailing Wintry Wind" (with eerie psychedelic intro), the acoustic "Cockroach en Fleur" (Spanish guitar meets finger-pickin' blues), and "Teeth of a Cogwheel" (metal-soundtrack chase-scene music). Somewhere in there, they drop another bomb of face-melting prog metal: "Wanderlust," with official, professional video...



The record ends where it began, assaulting the listener with more majestic stoner metal goodness, in the form of "Grad" (again live on Rockpalast). So, righteous album, right? In less than a week (10/13), the follow-up Blue Record is released - with available bonus disc of their Roadburn 2009 set! They seem to be great live, but we missed them opening for Clutch because House of Blues runs on kindergarten time. Fortunately, they're back on tour and will grace Houston as headliners in December!! I'm there.

Official/Myspace - myspace.com/yourbaroness
Purchase - Relapse Records
iTunes - Baroness

Genre - New Wave of Southern Boogie Stoner Prog Metal
Review - Treble Zine

Top 10 Albums of 2007!!

These are my Top 10 new releases of 2007. No compilations or re-issues, although there might be a top ten list there alone. I should be posting on each of them, and will add in the links to posts, etc... as we go.

[All album names are now linked to full post on the record.
Song titles link to the sample video.]


#10 Person Pitch - Panda Bear


"Take Pills" from Person Pitch (2007)

Genre - Gospel Noise Pop
Official/Myspace - myspace.com/rippityrippity
Location - Lisbon, Portugal

Review - Pitchfork (ended up as their #1 of the year)
iTunes - Panda Bear
Lala - Person Pitch
Purchase - Amazon


#9 Indricothere - Indricothere


"II" from Indricothere (2007)

Genre - Pummeling Technical Blackened Death
Official/Myspace - myspace.com/indricothere
Location - NYC, NY

Review - Metal Underground
iTunes - Indricothere
Lala - Indricothere
Purchase - Gilead Media


#8 Athlantis - Eyvind Kang


"Andegavenses" from Athlantis (2007)

Genre - Noir-Jazz Opera-Chant Neo-Classical
Official/Myspace - myspace.com/eyvindkangeyvind
Location - Seattle, WA

Review - Tiny Mixtapes
iTunes - Eyvind Kang
Lala - The Yelm Sessions
Purchase - Amazon


#7 Two Hunters - Wolves in the Throne Room


"The Cleansing" from Two Hunters (2007)

Genre - Transformative Black Metal
Official - wittr.com/
Myspace - myspace.com/wolvesinthethroneroom
Location - Olympia, WA

Review - Prefix Mag
iTunes - Wolves in the Throne Room
Lala - Two Hunters
Purchase - All That Is Heavy


#6 Rainbow - Boris (with Michio Kurihara)


"Starship Narrator" from Rainbow (2007)

Genre - Epic Shoegaze Experi-Metal
Official - inoxia-rec.com/boris/
Myspace - myspace.com/borisdronevil
Location - Japan

Review - Pitchfork
iTunes - Boris
Lala - Pink
Purchase - All That Is Heavy


#5 Os Haxixins - Os Haxixins


"Onde Meditar" from Os Haxixins (2007)

Genre - Brazilian '60s Fuzz Garage
Official/Myspace - myspace.com/oshaxixins
Location - Brazil

Review - Alborde
iTunes/Lala - Not yet...
Purchase - Bomp Store [LP]


#4 Andorra - Caribou


"Melody Day" from Andorra (2007)

Genre - Electronic Psych Pop
Official/Myspace - myspace.com/cariboumanitoba
Location - Dundas, ON, Canada

Review - Stylus Magazine
iTunes - Caribou
Lala - Up In Flames
Purchase - Merge Records


#3 All Things Are Light (+ "Hawg!") - Linus Pauling Quartet


"Alien Abduction" from All Things Are Light (2007)

Genre - Heavy-Duty Space-Psych
Official - worshipguitars.org/LP4/
Myspace - myspace.com/linuspaulingquartet
Location - Houston, TX

Review - Aural Innovations
iTunes - All Things Are Light
Lala - All Things Are Light
Purchase - Saki Store


#2 Inventions for the New Season - Maserati


"Inventions" from Inventions for the New Season (2007)

Genre - Motorik Delay-Action Post-Rock
Official - ihaveadagger.net
Myspace - myspace.com/maseratirocks
Location - Athens, GA

Reviews - Prog Archives
iTunes - Maserati
Lala - Inventions for the New Season
Purchase - Temporary Residence


#1 Red Album - Baroness


"Wanderlust" from Red Album (2007)

Genre - New Wave of Southern Boogie Stoner Prog Metal
Official/Myspace - myspace.com/yourbaroness
Location - Savannah, GA

Review - Treble Zine
iTunes - Baroness
Lala - Red Album
Purchase - Relapse Records




And since I've had a little more time, here's an extra ten!

#11 U.F.O.'s At The Zoo... [live] - The Flaming Lips
#12 The Henge - Steve Moore
#13 Sky Blue Sky - Wilco
#14 Live from Dunwich, Violent Professionals - Giallos Flame
#15 La Cucaracha - Ween
#16 Deleted Scenes/Forgotten Dreams - The Caretaker
#17 Healing Through Fire - Orange Goblin
#18 Hits the Hits - Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra
#19 Depressive Rebellion - Aras
#20 Cease to Begin - Band of Horses



Finally, 2007 records from 2008's Top 10 artists:
[Excluded from consideration for this list, but see more here.]

George & West (OOP EP's) - Beyond the Wizards Sleeve [#1]
2000 Micrograms from Home - Dragontears [#2]
Rhythms from a Cosmic Sky - Earthless [#3]
Buzz for Aldrin & Monclovia - The Pillbugs [#4]
Tio Batar - Dungen [#5]
Burning Off Impurities - Grails [#6]
Into The Sun: Live At Burg Herzberg - Space Debris [#7]
A Rather Solemn Promise - Tom Carter & Christian Kiefer [#8]

Legal Music is Fun and Free!

What does the word "corndogs" make you think of? The State Fair? Roadside frydaddy joint on the family vacation? Intestinal distress? Wrong!

The one and only correct answer is: "History Lesson - Pt. II" by the Minutemen.



Now, if that lesson was old news, maybe you thought of Corndogs, the ramshackle Mike Watt-related website. Great! Because it has a bunch of downloadables. The "full concerts" link brings up a good index - I count 9 for the Minutemen, plus later acts' stuff. But the whole place is worth exploring, to the extent that you get into it. The "odds and ends" section also has Minutemen stuff, like the vinyl-only tracks from one of the greatest records of the '80s (Double Nickels on the Dime). Also, the Lucky Sperms (Watt+Sonic Youth) 7" of Daniel Johnston and Beatles covers. Videos also for the d/l.
Get it!



(Damn) This Desert Air is no Minutemen - then again, who is? (Not too sure about those parentheses, nor about the New Jersey desert air...) But still, I saw them offering their debut EP (2007) at the StonerRock HQ and gave it a try. FOR FREE. It's really more like alternative music - maybe Stoner Lite? I dunno, but you can sort out whether you want it for free at the (parenthetical) bandname link, or take a look at this:



(D)TDA - seriously - has some connection with Exploding In Sound, which seems like a decent enough place, blog, live show organizer. And they (the band) are pushing their (the blog's) newest comp. It's apparently the third in a series, "Future Legendary," and it's 19 tracks of Free. As are the 1st two in the series: "Bands You Need to Know 2009" (from Feb) and "Recession Rock Revival" (May). You can stream 'n' sample all the tracks here.

I just discovered the comps part today while putting links together, don't think I even recognize any of the bands, but I'd bet there are a few worth checking out. Let me know if you find anything monumental - and I'll do the same.