Cosmos - Zombi (#1, 2004) The Story So Far...

Holy shit. This post has taken me almost forever. No, seriously... the previous Top 10 of 2004 post was May 31st, 2010. Over two years ago!!

The original delay was for me to somehow get the vinyl-only bonus title track digitized and available. That never happened. Then I guess I just got psyched out by how much I really love Cosmos - it's still my favorite Zombi album. (I think.)

But now it's going in the hopper with an overall discographical history.



"Sequence 1" from Zombi EP (2001)

So it begins. This self-titled debut EP collection of secret-origin demo's is by far the most classically horror-soundtrack stylized of the Zombi albums, although they all have that DNA. All of the tracks are even named "Sequence 1" through "Sequence 8" - as was the (horror OST) style back in the days.

For a long time, I mostly read comparisons to Goblin, probably just because the band name derives from the Dario Argento-edited version of George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead - titled Zombi in Italy (1978) - for which Goblin did the OST. But I've always heard more of the minimalist synthesizer tension of John Carpenter and his other devotees, rather than the often elaborate prog flourishes of Goblin. Probably by necessity, given the fact that Zombi are only a duo. (And later they would seem to edge closer to Tangerine Dream territory, but Goblin's definitely still in there - a bit.)



"DMC-12" from Twilight Sentinel EP (2003)

Only 4 songs on the 2nd EP, but the band has matured quickly. Kind of odd, in that the first track is "Sequence 8 [alt. version]" (last sequence on Zombi), and the second track is "Part 2" of a Cosmos track ("Gemini"). Then the last two songs are automotive related, because... for some reason. You might know the DMC-12 as the classic DeLorean model of stage & screen. And the great title track takes its name from a 40-year old GM light-control technology. The '60s!!

Both EP's together as The Zombi Anthology (2005) are available for download on both Amazon and iTunes. Original EP included a "hidden" bonus version of someone(s) playing Steely Dan's "Green Earrings."



So here we are... Zombi's 2004 classic double-album Cosmos! It's excellent. Caught between earlier growth & development and later experimention & genre explorations, the whole experience covers minimalistic mood pieces, horror-soundtrack vibe, some blown-out prog musicianship, epic synth-drone workouts, and anything else in the grab-bag.



"Orion" and "Cetus" from Cosmos (2004)

The opening one-two punch deals it out. The tight bassline in "Orion," the rolling drum fills, with the synth not really doing all that much work. Although the synthesizer is the "main" instrument, so much action takes place on the drumkit (obviously) and with the bass-work. "Cetus" rocks out so propulsive, even for "space rock." Now that we're here, I guess I should say that Zombi have always been Steve Moore (on synth/bass) and A.E. "Tony" Paterra (on drums/synth). They worked out of Romero's Pittsburgh for a long time, then it seemed like Chicago, and now I think it's from outta Brooklyn plus elsewhere.

That's my 15th video ever, from 9/25/2009. The keyhole wipe!



"Cassiopeia" from Cosmos (2004)

Set sequencer to stun. Now the arpeggiator!

"Cassiopeia is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the vain queen Cassiopeia in Greek mythology, who boasted about her unrivalled beauty," per Wikipedia. As you may have noticed by now, the tunes on Cosmos focus on space, the night sky, and especially constellations.

Wikipedia sez: "Orion, sometimes subtitled The Hunter, is a prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world. It is one of the most conspicuous, and most recognisable constellations in the night sky." I'd never thought of a constellation having a subtitle.

"Cetus is a constellation. Its name refers to Cetus, a sea monster in Greek mythology, although it is often called 'the whale' today." Once again, from our friends at Wikipedia. Read the mythology Wiki links to learn non-Zombi factoids like "[t]he term cetacean originates from cetus."



"Serpens" from Cosmos (2004)

Cosmic vastness and kickin' beats. From here on out, Zombi mostly stretch it out to epic length. Risky, but they were up to the task. We're kinda beyond the horror thing here. Intro from the 2001 wormhole, or maybe the Imperial Vortex? The Sea of Fire? (Flash!) Many twists and turns, a building crescendo, planets collide, victory - or at least survival. (Alien!)

Check it out! Here's some demo's for three of those songs. I think I heard of a CDr release for these, but I've never actually seen it.

And "Serpens ('the Serpent') is a constellation of the northern hemisphere. It is unique among the modern constellations in being split into two non-contiguous parts, Serpens Caput (Serpent's Head) to the west and Serpens Cauda (Serpent's Tail) to the east. Between these two halves lies the constellation of Ophiuchus (the 'Serpent-Bearer')." (Wiki!)



"Gemini" from Cosmos (2004)

A little more epic now... One of the multitudinous things I dig about Zombi is how they balance the soundfield. Too much synth-oriented music occupies the ultra-higher-frequency end of the audible spectrum, which can get excessively grating. But without a bunch of non-synth instruments to get out the way of, we get a lot more deep-bass synth and mid-range, without the ear-splitting screeches. Also, drum & bass! - although not the electro genre of DnB.

Gemini is one of one two (HA!) constellations used here that also serve as an astrological star-sign. "Gemini ... love to talk! It's not just idle chatter with these folks, either. The driving force behind a Gemini's conversation is their mind. The Gemini-born are intellectually inclined, forever probing people and places in search of information." At least according to Astrology.com.

The quite interlude "Andromeda" sounds the most like something from an actual (non-Goblin) Italo horror soundtrack, possibly of anything Zombi ever did. The Andromeda constellation contains the Andromeda galaxy - closest spiral neighbor to The Milky Way - and both are named for the mythological Æthiopian princess, daughter of Cassiopeia and sacrifice to Cetus.



"Taurus [edit]" [complete] from Cosmos (2004)

Taurus is the other star-sign. It's a bull. (Also a once-popular Ford automobile.) Wikipedia informs me that "It is one of the oldest constellations, dating back to at least the Early Bronze Age when it marked the location of the Sun during the spring equinox."

Man, I love this song! It's so ominous and stately, and eventually just bugnuts ending. That video is 2-years-old today... and that brings the album to a majestic close.



"Legacy" from Surface to Air (2006)

Zombi's next full-length record was Surface to Air (#1 Record of 2006). A much more difficult album to delve into, but well worth it. Several tunes still not on YouTube, but I just now discovered a Zombi Bandcamp - entire album streaming!!



The Digitalis maxi-single contained a couple of non-album B-sides in a more electro-space-disco vein - such as "Sapphire" (which would get its own 12" in 2009, with the non-album B-side B-side club banger "Long Mirrored Corridor").

!!!!! A little-known Zombi track appeared on Seed Records, Volume Two (2008): "Sessuale" - stream a bit and/or buy it.

"Spirit Warrior" from Spirit Animal (2009)

The rest of the #2 set of releases from 2009 included the next full album Spirit Animal and their split with Maserati. The latter had one Zombi track - here's 10 minutes of "Infinity."

Spirit Animal brought new instrumentation (guitar!), new cover artist Jeremy Schmidt (keyboardist of Black Mountain), and is by far Zombi's proggiest record. By far. Five extended cuts, with themed song titles ("Spirit Warrior/Animal", "Earthly/Cosmic Powers") - depending on your tastes, this might be the right place to jump in. Stream the whole album.



"Saturnalia" by Steve Moore, from Valerie and Friends comp (2009)

Steve Moore has also released material under his own name, under the alias Gianni Rossi, as Lovelock, and as a member of Miracle and of Titan. Plus various remixes, including one of Maserati's "Monoliths." Here's an old/outdated blog-post about solo Moore. Here's a very recent interview!

A.E. Paterra releases solo work under the name Majeure. He also filled the drum seat for Maserati's last tour (#3 Live Show, 2011).

Their most recent is the split-LP Brainstorm (2012) - stream or buy cassette, or buy the vinyl. Or check out a review...

Genre - Horror Soundtrack Synth-Prog
Official - zombi.us/
Myspace - myspace.com/zombi
Location - Pittsburgh, PA

Review - Sea of Tranquility
Download - Amazon, iTunes
Lala - Cosmos
Purchase - Relapse Records [2xLP]

The Plus and Minus Show - Michael Haaga (#2, 2004)

In the '90s, guitarist Michael Haaga lead Houston thrash heavies dead horse and assisted Pantera's Phil Anselmo with Superjoint Ritual. In 2004, he released his locally-celebrated solo debut, The Plus and Minus Show - in all honesty, a power-pop juggernaut.


"If and When" from The Plus and Minus Show (2004)

Enlisting a wide range of local heroes, winning a slew of Houston Press Music Awards and a pile of acclaim, Haaga's backing band promptly imploded. Other than a few special events, the man has laid low - but at least we have the evidence.



"Same Old Strings" and "Looking Beyond"
from The Plus and Minus Show (2004)

Thus begins the album, pairing the contrasts that would lead Haaga to coin the term "heavy mellow" for his style. "If and When" won the Best Song of the year, but they all rise to about the same level.



"Four Letter Words" from The Plus and Minus Show (2004)

Some with the rock...



"Serious" and "Supernaïve" from The Plus and Minus Show (2004)

... some with a more laid-back style.



"Belong" from The Plus and Minus Show (2004)

With outro lead guitar from Scott Ayers, of Pain Teens, Walking Timebombs, and currently The Exterminating Angels (#17, 2009 Next 10 of Metal). More too where that came from! You can sometimes still find a copy in the local record stores, or maybe Amazon or whatever. (Or Lala, today being the last day of that site...) Check it out!



"Like Asrielle" (dead horse) live by The Plus and Minus Show band

Can't discuss Haaga without a little dead horse, if only indirectly.

Genre - Indie Rock
Official/Myspace - myspace.com/michaelhaaga
Location - Houston, TX

Review - Houston Bands
Download - Amazon, iTunes
Lala - The Plus and Minus Show
Purchase - Amazon

The Willows - Belbury Poly (#4, 2004)

If films have taught me one thing, it's that a British childhood is creepy and malevolent. Based on the albums from Belbury Poly and Ghost Box labelmates, I assume this is all because of music from public radio and television programming. Swerving between rinky-dink fragility and outright menace, Belbury Poly takes the warped remembrance of formative audio wallpaper and explores a dream world of haunted rainy days spent indoors. Or so I've read... I didn't actually grow up English under the influence of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. But here's a Pitchfork article on the Ghost Box aesthetic.


"Wildspot" from The Willows (2004)


"The Willows" from The Willows (2004)

The opening two sort of define the borders, with the short intro-esque "Wildspot" taking the more plinky side. There's actually more of this style on the last Belbury outing (#17, 2009) than here on The Willows. The title track is darker, although not fully as dark as it gets - check out the "Insect Prospectus" trilogy video later. (I'm not doing every track. Check out the Lala link towards the bottom to hear other scary stuff like "Caermaen.")



"A Thin Place" from The Willows (2004)

There's also the The Belbury Parish Magazine, which will keep you up to date with actual goings on and the fictional township of Belbury. Just sayin'... The title "A Thin Place" reminds me of H.P. Lovecraft for some reason, and the staticky interference looming behind obscured dimensions is not inconsistent with that. "The Farmer's Angle" is more upbeat and pleasant, which works well to offset the freak-outs. But obviously I prefer the freakiness.



"Insect Prospectus/A Warning/Thorn" from The Willows (2004)

I could maybe do videos for this whole album, Pong-style, with enough free British govt films. And there are plenty out there! I thought these tunes, three of my favorites, went well together. And this simultaneously mundane and weird documentary fit the general Belbury Poly style nicely. I only chopped it up a lil' bit...



"The Absolute Everything" from The Willows (2004)

This is a good middle-ground, almost default Belbury tune. Not as striking as something like "Thorn," not as peppy as "Wildspot." But a good sound and not like a lot of other stuff I hear much. Now I need to get the 2nd album, The Owl's Map (2006). O yeah, and here's a Ghost Box film: Phenomena and Occurrences: Belbury and Froun Area. Just in case!!

Genre - Hauntological Electro-Experimental
Official - ghostbox.co.uk/belburypoly.htm
Myspace - myspace.com/belburypoly
Location - Belbury, UK

Review - Stylus Magazine
Download - Greedbag, iTunes
Lala - The Willows
Purchase - Greedbag (looks like cd's are sold out)

Happy Birthday - The Pillbugs (#5, 2004)

The Pillbugs do the same thing consistently - write albums crammed with '60s style hooks and melodies with plenty of psychedelic effects, and peace and love. Even though I put them at #4 Discovery of 2008 , it was actually a rediscovery. Because I'd totally forgotten about this 2004 cd, now rare & out-of-print and everything. Why this is the only Pillbugs album it's impossible to still get is kind of a mystery. It's their 3rd, very pop, with lots of strings and woodwinds and such. Maybe some record label business or something...


"Happy Birthday" from Happy Birthday (2004)

Like most Pillbugs cd's, this one has a fairly long running time (1 hour), with a huge number of songs (20). I think I'll just throw out a sampling from the album, and keep the commentary to a minimum. You either dig this kind of retro-popcraft or not... Should be able to tell fairly quickly.



"Your Taste is Mellow/Wild Bird" from Happy Birthday (2004)

I went ahead and included the first two of four "Life As It Happens" interludes that appear throughout the cd. They're the short, trippy instrumentals.



"All in Good Time" from Happy Birthday (2004)

The Pillbugs are from Toledo, OH - and bill themselves as "The World's Most Psychedelic Band." That might be stretching it a bit, but still...



"Climbing the Walls/I Wake Up" from Happy Birthday (2004)

That's about as heavy as The Pillbugs will get - the first song, not the second.



"Peasant Girls" from Happy Birthday (2004)

European fairy tales, classic American animation, and girls... ladies and gentlemen, The Pillbugs!!



"And the Days Go By/Gus of the Fire Brigade"
from Happy Birthday (2004)

The only Bowiesque song I can recall from these guys, I guess he's more '70s that '60s. "Ein zwei drei..." Towards the end of the album, so you get your "Life As It Happens Part 4." So, that's probably about half of Happy Birthday, and the other half's about the same quality. As are their other albums I've got.

Genre - Psych Pop
Official - pillbugs.com/
Myspace - myspace.com/thepillbugs
Location - Toledo, OH

Download - others on iTunes
Lala - Monclovia (pre-EWAWO best-of)
Purchase - Strictly OOP

Hypnotic Underworld - Ghost (#6, 2004)

I forget what's coming up on the Top 10, but 2004 must have been banner year for me to put Hypnotic Underworld at #6. (All rankings are always approximate and fluid from week to week - in my mind!) This is a phenomenal album, very musical - and I need to get more Ghost. Wish I'd heard they played in Texas last year, because I would've been there!


Ghost includes guitar samurai Michio Kurihara, who featured on Boris' Rainbow (#6, 2007), which is how I learned about them. But Masaki Batoh is the main guy. He seems mysterious, maybe a little reclusive, serious, maybe a little mystical. Guess what... they're Japanese!

The first four tracks make up the title suite. And the first part is the most floating and spacious on the album, "God Took a Picture of His Illness on the Ground" [edit]. The record is split between some open jams and some regular song, but if you're new to this psychedelic jazzy instrumental rock exploration, "Hypnotic Underworld, Part 2" might be the place to start out...



"Escaped and Lost Down in Medina" from Hypnotic Underworld (2010)

Parts 3 and 4 are differenter still, with the intensity rising and track lengths shortening quickly. "Aramaic Barbarous Dawn" [live] separates heavy and triumphant, whereas "Leave the World!" blisters for 20 seconds. But maybe an increasingly wound-up and rocking 4-part suite isn't your thing. Hypnotic Underworld offers a huge variety of flavors, while somehow all sounding like the same group.



"Hazy Paradise" from Hypnotic Underworld (2010)

This is a cover of the B-side to this 1970 Dutch-prog single. The sound on this one exceeds the song itself. Everything seems really low, but very clear. The guitar, the reverbed drums, I think there's organ, synth and maybe harpsichord. Or maybe that's the bouzouki. This is the kind of soaring, shredding psych lead guitar that Kurihara is known for.


Or maybe you prefer the Japanese Serge Gainsbourg. "Kiseichukan Nite" features a drifting ambient background, with an Eastern whistle, hand-drums, water drops in the Zen garden. All setting the stage for a Japanese spoken-word vocal, with audible page-turning. "Melodie?" I'd like to see Ghost cover that!

Uh oh, no video for "Piper." Let's see if I make one before posting. The whistle continues for the intro and slower, folky parts of this one. In English: "once I was piper..." The rock breakdown transition really reminds me of something specific, '60s beat band or '70s hard rock or the like. I cannot remember what song it is, though. Another mind-bending solo from Kurihara. He's not always there - but when he steps up, he really unleashes it. (Fine, I made a video - now someone tell me what rock song I'm thinking of!)



"Ganagmanag" from Hypnotic Underworld (2010)

This is probably my favorite tune on the album. Although the structured songs probably take it up to greatness, I really dig even more their loose 'n' jazzy vibe. They are truly the yin and yang of Ghost. Again the quiet balance of the moving parts into something both minimal and almost orchestral is quite a work of art. And followed by a few more of the songs. "Feed" takes its time, but builds up gradually with twining guitar and piano crescendos. "Holy High" mixes a fast Celtic jig with synth cycles, and mostly keeps moving at a breakneck pace.



"Dominoes / Celebration for the Gray Days"

The first part is a Syd Barrett song. Here's an excerpt from a Batoh article where he discusses the covers. I actually prefer the latter's creepy organ drone and ethereal vocals - like most everything else, it's pretty different than everything else. And it ends like a war.

Just a couple more notes. Ghost live in Austin 2009. And self-titled debut album (1990) in five parts: part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5.

Genre - Jazz-Prog Psychedelia
Official/Myspace - myspace.com/ghostjapanpsych
All Music Guide - Ghost
Location - Toyko, Japan

Review - Dusted Magazine
Download - Drag City, iTunes
Purchase - Drag City Records

With No Human Intervention - Aborym (#7, 2004)

Maybe I just like calling them the best Italo-Hungarian Hard/Black Alien Industrial Metal band, by far! But really, this has the most unique take on the Black Metalloid sound of anything since the originators. You'd think the main draw would be the BM+avant superstar frontman and "Voice of Death" Attila Csihar (Mayhem, Sunn O))), The Beast of..., on and on). Partially, but witness the mix of cyber-thrash, straight electronics, even techno!


"With No Human Intervention" from With No Human Intervention

After the Shakespeare-quoting, haunted-radio-tuning seance intro of "Antichristian Codec (Intro)," the title track plunges directly into the raging maelstrom of metal, electro, mystic chants and demonic howls that make up most of this record. Once you grok all of that, the lyrics await [all]. Some of the chanting is Latin: Vivit et non vivit. Black Metalisms glorious as "History bears witness of doctrinal screams!" At half the length, "U.V. Impaler" tackles about 19 times as many different approaches. Chanting now Hungarian. Pounding, shredding, arpeggiating, mellowing, grinding, everything!!


"Humechanics-Virus" from With No Human Intervention (2004)

The riff, with Maxwell's Silver Glitch-Tone! Attila's insane vocals altered further into the depths of sound effect. The musical progression moving towards the end. The middle section with machine noise breakdown, which return to form the basis of "Does Not Compute." Sounds like some kind of printer/lathe cycling through, with additional rhythms gradually layered on. Then it's an all-out "unce-unce-unce" techno beat, which I don't normally like. But I'll tell you why this works better than actual techno: other than the beat and breaks, everything else is working against the rhythm. The machine recording doesn't mesh to it, the synthworks are too floaty to reinforce it.


"Faustian Spirit of the Earth" from With No Human Intervention

Plus another monolith of metal follows, cut from the same cloth as the title track. I'm really digging these lyrics, which I'd never really understood. "Gather your modalistic interchange ability," it begins. Parts of this follow the Absu approach to singing the unsingable - just a few syllables at a time, ignore syntax. "Digital Coat Masque" is another good one. I really like the gothic synth and vocal delay with disco hi-hat sections... the harpsichordian classical-gas not as much. "The Triumph" is 10 minutes long and features some quieter keyboard moments and the female orgasm.



"Black Hole Spell" splits between gloomy synth dirge and more Blackened wailing. Rick Wakeman might even recognize parts of the very end. "Me(n)tal Striken Terror Action 2" was only #10 on the Top 10 Most Ridicvlous Black Metal Song Titles - 4th post! Unusual coda ya got there... "Out Of Shell" gets a bit funky at points, maybe to prepare you. "Chernobyl Generation/The Alienation of a Blackened Heart" two-fer-one. The first builds on pretty straight dancefloor slamming, good for a negative comparison to why "Does Not Compute" is better. The second kinda reminds me of early Black Flag, filtered through 21st century European extreme metal sensibilities. You'll have to check Lala for the outro "Automatik Rave'olution Satan," which is beaty noise-ambient, but only one minute long.

This really could have gone higher on the Top 10. Exceedingly solid album, especially given the unusual style combinations and general noise-making.

Genre - Hard/Black Alien Industrial Metal
Official - code666.net/aborym/
Myspace - myspace.com/aborym666
Location - Italy

Review - Metal Storm
Download - Amazon, iTunes
Lala - With No Human Intervention
Purchase - Amazon

Krautrock-Sessions 1994-2001 - Space Debris (#8, 2004)

This is where it all began, once again. The original, self-released collection of home recordings and demos. Space Debris has made it here before/later (#7, 2008 and #2 of 2005 new releases). Pretty sweet start... As the title would indicate, a revival for Krautrock of some sorts.


"Long Distance Voyager" from Krautrock-Sessions 1994-2001 (2004)

More and more bands have recently taken inspiration from the German wave of experimental rockers in the '70s. But mostly from the heavy hitters like Kraftwerk, Neu!, Tangerine Dream, even a little Can. Those weren't really very typical of most other Kraut bands' sound, which is what Space Debris does more of... Extended space jamming with a lot of lead guitar stylings, organ riffs and explorations, time signature and mood shifts. As I've probably said before, they're sure-footed on this terrain and only stumble when things include vocals and/or get too bluesy. It's okay, just comes off less distinctive when compared to the full-on jams.


"Green Skies" from Krautrock-Sessions 1994-2001

These first two start off the debut cd, and are both available at their official Free Downloads page, which seems to get updated pretty regular. I'm just about to grab the new "Live Mitschnitt Zürich 2009" myself! After these two 'singles' comes the epic "We Were at the Moon Before You Were at the Moon." 16+ minutes of pre-Dark Side Pink Floyd pastiche, with some heaviness added. So you've got some "Saucerful," some "Interstellar," and whole load of "Echoes" - that sometimes almost reaches into Led Zeppelin's "San Francisco" interpolation from The Song Remains' "Stairway."

Then three quick ones. The short, possibly even sped-up, version of "Lorna's Vibrator." Quick and quirky. Then a brief rocker, followed by the more funky but less experimental long version of "Lorna's." Less than 3 minutes long version.


"Phobos was Here" [edit] from Krautrock-Sessions (2004)

And we're back in 10-minute terrain. "Phobos" isn't necessarily better than "At the Moon," but it's punchier for the most part. Quality dips slightly with a slower blues number and then an organ raver. I'd assume these were earlier '90s sessions, but honestly, these types of tunes crop up later as well. Anyway, Space Debris knew where their bread is buttered, so the album finishes strong. "Daydream" ebbs and flows at length, alternately favoring the organ, guitar, and rhythm. With an unusual Czukay-style cut-and-paste right in the center, or maybe the organist just decided the jam wasn't over. "Miranda" fades in and fills out the disc maximum, literally filler. But pretty fun, an almost '50s-style rave-up with Chuck Berry shredding, etc... This is not so typical later on. Like I say, fun!

Space Debris is a really cool little band, and they're doing it all themselves. I haven't heard the newest stuff, but they were still self-recording, self-releasing and self-booking in 2008. Probably now too. A bit expensive to support, but I'm still tempted by the $55 3xLP Elephant Moon. I found it cheaper to order the cd's by e-mailing the band - not sure if that still works. But either way, the music's worth it!

Genre - Kraut Jam
Official - spacedebrisprojekt.de/
Myspace - myspace.com/spacedebrisprojekt
Location - Baden-Württemberg, Swabia, Germany

Review - a few here at Official
Download/Lala - neither...
Purchase - All That Is Heavy

Satanic Panic in the Attic - Of Montreal (#9, 2004)

This was the third and last Of Montreal record I bought. The first was their last as a baroque-pop studio oddity, the second a transitional indie-guitar "band" style album. And this was the beginnings of their quirky electro-dance act, which to my knowledge continues to this day. I got the impression that style and trend continued and deepened, and really just lost interest. But Satanic Panic in the Attic is still mostly the work of a pop songwriter and a guitar-centric band, despite some new electronic influences.


"Disconnect the Dots" from Satanic Panic in the Attic (2004)

Like that! Not necessarily what I'd pick for the lead-off single/video, but that's what they were getting into. Digital handclaps! Pastel geometry-grids! Sweet basslines.


"Lysergic Bliss" from Satanic Panic in the Attic (2004)

There's something about Of Montreal that inspires the drama geek inside to direct its own video productions. Maybe the overly literate lyrics, dramatic singing, and femme-indie DIY spirit (I think this is 100% only Kevin Barnes). I only included some better ones, but I've never seen a higher level of theatrical self-reflexivity on YouTube for any other band. This is a good one to follow "Disconnect the Dots," reassuring that it won't be techno-rave all night long. Plus a pretty wide variety of vibes through the course. After those two relative epics, they get back to their roots: millions of ideas presented in 2-3 minute bursts. Nice xylophone riff in "Will You Come and Fetch Me?" Another home-made job... with stop-motion, laundry hampers and dancing!


"My British Tour Diary" from Satanic Panic in the Attic (2004)

Just what the title indicates: lyrics about people actually giving a shit about the queen (not the band) and cabbies playing truly repellent techno music. Speaking of techno... "Rapture Rapes the Muses" [live] was another of the big songs back when. I'm not sure "gloomy Erebus is an anathema to me" should really be actual lyrics, but that's what you get here. "Eros Entropic Tundra" is just their way of saying "the unrequited love themesong." And just when you needed a quiet, melancholy acoustic song, you are provided with "City Bird."


"Chrissie Kiss The Corpse" [live] at 40 Watt in Athens

When I saw Of Montreal on this tour, this was a pretty standout live track. I was hoping for a pretty even mix from the last few records, but it was almost all Satanic with like one each from the previous two. O yeah, and the suprisingly awesome "More Than A Feeling" encore! "How Lester Lost His Wife" fairly rocks out, with a mellowed synth solo and inexplicable lyrics.


"Spike the Senses" from Satanic Panic in the Attic (2004)

Just one more, for the action figure battle royale! I'm leaving out quite a few, since there's 14 songs, plus a couple of different bonus EP's. Maybe even a third of the covers they were playing on this tour? That sounds familiar. I actually ended up bailing on my last chance to see Of Montreal live - at last year's inaugural FPH Summerfest. Kinda wish I'd seen the Bowie cover.

Genre - Indie-Psych Dance-Pop
Official - ofmontreal.net/
Myspace - myspace.com/ofmontreal
Location - Athens, GA

Review - Stylus Magazine
Download - Polyvinyl Records, iTunes
Lala - Satanic Panic in the Attic
Purchase - Polyvinyl Records

Grapes from the estate. - Oren Ambarchi (#10, 2004)

Oren Ambarchi has a pretty interesting background. Per All Music Guide, "Ambarchi was born in 1969 in Sydney, in a family of Sephardic Jews from Iraq. He spent his teenage years learning to play the drums, favoring free jazz at first." Et cetera... He does mostly ambient-ish stuff, but I was surprised that he's known mainly to use guitar. This is the only album I have, and I would have guessed keyboards of some sort (trad, synth, computer). Also, collaborating with Attila Csihar and the Sunn O))) guys was unexpected!


"Remedios the Beauty" [edit] from Grapes from the Estate (2004)

I'm only going to make one more video, because the 10-minute ambient stuff doesn't seem to get watched too much. There are only 4 long tracks, and none on Lala and YouTube before I got there.
"Remedios the Beauty" is the catchiest of the tracks, although it's repetitive enough that I didn't make another 5 minutes of Part 2.



"Girl with the Silver Eyes" from Grapes from the Estate (2004)

The first tune, "Corkscrew" eases in with a minimalist pattern of tones and hitches. It insinuates very slowly, but in a hypnotic way that seems to vaporize before you notice. Then "Girl with the Silver Eyes" continues in this vein, but heading towards the more rhythmic "Remedios." After which, the album concludes with "Stars Aligned, Web Spun," which stretches past 20 minutes. After the gradual track-by-track build, this recedes almost to Feldmania: single notes stretched to their breaking point, with minimal additions and variations. But after 20 minutes, things add up and tones are clusters and static glitches are looped in and it's a whole new thing.

Seems like Ambarchi's albums don't sound all-too-much alike, which is good. I wouldn't necessarily want a lot of records built on this template. But it's more difficult to know where to proceed, and I'm not quite inspired enough to just dive in and muck around. As much as I enjoy this one whenever I'm in a certain relaxed mood...

Genre - Electro-Acoustic Ambient
Official - orenambarchi.com/
Myspace - myspace.com/45213783
Location - Sydney, Australia

Review - Pitchfork
Download - Amazon ($3.56!), iTunes
Lala - other Ambarchi
Purchase - Amazon

Top 10 Albums of 2004!!

Not much to say, except that I'm really happy with this one. I look forward to posting individually (album-title links) on pretty much all of them! Quite a change.

#10 Grapes from the estate. - Oren Ambarchi


"Remedios the Beauty" [edit] from Grapes from the Estate (2004)

Genre - Electro-Acoustic Ambient
Official - orenambarchi.com/
Myspace - myspace.com/45213783
Location - Sydney, Australia

Review - Pitchfork
Download - Amazon ($3.56!), iTunes
Lala - other Ambarchi
Purchase - Amazon


#9 Satanic Panic in the Attic - Of Montreal


"My British Tour Diary" from Satanic Panic in the Attic (2004)

Genre - Indie-Psych Dance-Pop
Official - ofmontreal.net/
Myspace - myspace.com/ofmontreal
Location - Athens, GA

Review - Stylus Magazine
Download - Polyvinyl Records, iTunes
Lala - Satanic Panic in the Attic
Purchase - Polyvinyl Records


#8 Krautrock-Sessions 1994-2001 - Space Debris


"Long Distance Voyager" from Krautrock-Sessions 1994-2001 (2004)

Genre - Kraut Jam
Official - spacedebrisprojekt.de/
Myspace - myspace.com/spacedebrisprojekt
Location - Baden-Württemberg, Swabia, Germany

Review - a few here at Official
Download/Lala - neither...
Purchase - All That Is Heavy


#7 With No Human Intervention - Aborym


"Digital Goat Masque" from With No Human Intervention (2004)

Genre - Hard/Black Alien Industrial Metal
Official - code666.net/aborym/
Myspace - myspace.com/aborym666
Location - Italy

Review - Metal Storm
Download - Amazon, iTunes
Lala - With No Human Intervention
Purchase - Amazon


#6 Hypnotic Underworld - Ghost


"Ganagmanag" from Hypnotic Underworld (2004)

Genre - Jazz-Prog Psychedelia
Official/Myspace - myspace.com/ghostjapanpsych
All Music Guide - Ghost
Location - Toyko, Japan

Review - Dusted Magazine
Download - Drag City, iTunes
Purchase - Drag City Records


#5 Happy Birthday - The Pillbugs


"Happy Birthday" from Happy Birthday (2004)

Genre - Psych Pop
Official - pillbugs.com/
Myspace - myspace.com/thepillbugs
Location - Toledo, OH

Download - others on iTunes
Lala - Monclovia (pre-EWAWO best-of)
Purchase - Strictly OOP


#4 The Willows - Belbury Poly


"The Willows" from The Willows (2004)

Genre - Hauntological Electro-Experimental
Official - ghostbox.co.uk/belburypoly.htm
Myspace - myspace.com/belburypoly
Location - Britain

Review - Stylus Magazine
Download - Greedbag, iTunes
Lala - The Willows
Purchase - Greedbag


#3 Panopticon - Isis


"In Fiction" from Panopticon (2004)

Genre - Thinking Man's (Post-) Metal
Official - isistheband.com/
Myspace - myspace.com/isis
Location - Los Angeles, CA

Review - Dusted Magazine
Download - Amazon, iTunes
Lala - Panopticon
Purchase - Hydra Head Records [2xLP]


#2 The Plus and Minus Show - Michael Haaga


"If And When" from The Plus and Minus Show (2004)

Genre - Indie Rock
Official/Myspace - myspace.com/michaelhaaga
Location - Houston, TX

Review - Houston Bands
Download - Amazon, iTunes
Lala - The Plus and Minus Show
Purchase - Amazon


#1 Cosmos - Zombi


"Serpens" from Cosmos (2004)

Genre - Horror Soundtrack Synth-Prog
Official - zombi.us/
Myspace - myspace.com/zombi
Location - Pittsburgh, PA

Review - Sea of Tranquility
Download - Amazon, iTunes
Lala - Cosmos
Purchase - Relapse Records [2xLP]



There were actually quite a few I didn't enjoy leaving off, and almost made it a Top Twenty. So, here are some other albums of interest... links to Lala and bandsites, or whatever. Five compilations and five regulars!

Blue Cathedral - Comets on Fire
Ta Det Lugnt - Dungen
Rehab - Rusted Shut
Now Here Is Nowhere - Secret Machines
Let The Light In - 27

Compilation 30-second samples... now:

Confuse Yr Idols - A Tribute to Sonic Youth.
Future Soundtrack of America - Companion disc to liberal fake future dictionary.
Left of the Dial - '80s Underground.
Neurot Recordings I - Great label sampler.
So Young But So Cold - French coldwave.

Zombi.

Been looking for a good reason for this one...



Zombi is a synth/drums duo, now from Chicago, who play horror-soundtrack-inspired neo-prog instrumentals. Great as it sounds! Due to the band name, they're mostly identified with Italian horror soundtracks - specifically Goblin's work for Dario Argento. But the biggest influence I hear is John Carpenter's synth work for his own films. Tangerine Dream gets brought up so much in interviews, that I'm looking forward to checking them out too.

So far, I like all the records. The first couple of EP's are the most derivative, with shorter "sequences." Cosmos (2004) and Surface to Air (2006) start introducing a bit more proggy epic-ness, Cosmos probably being my favorite... just barely. The newest, Spirit Animal (2009), is really epic - bringing in the whole multi-part suites and even guitars!


This is them performing live about a month ago, in their former hometown Pittsburgh. The song is "Infinity" off their OOP split-EP with Maserati (2009). It's their only one with an extended drum solo, but also their only video I could find. This song was playing on my iPod when I got in the car today - and while driving home, I was actually wondering if they ever played it live. Weird!



You can also stream this year's full album, Spirit Animal!

And... Zombi will be playing two more shows this December -
pack yer bags!!

12/18/09 ~ Santo’s Party House ~ New York, NY
12/19/09 ~ Johnny Brenda’s ~ Philadelphia, PA