Monday, September 14, 2009

Earthless (#3, 2008)

Putting the Power back into "power trio" -
That's the business of Earthless... And business is good.


"Blue/From the Ages [edit]" from Live at Roadburn (2008)

"Rhythms From A Cosmic Sky" (their last studio album, 2007) is really good and got me into Earthless, but "Live at Roadburn" (recorded at last year's festival) is their great achievement. I'm not even sure what I'm doing here. I don't think I can add too much beyond this review, which probably subconsciously influenced the previous/first Free Music post's structure:
I’ll be blunt: if you find the idea of twenty-minute tunes that consist chiefly of a solid rock rhythm decorated with oodles of super-fast pedal-drenched blues-scale fretboard meanderings a turn off, Earthless are not the droids you are looking for, and you can go about your business.
This is another case of a band growing out of sorta prominent bands I'd never followed, or even caught up with - Rocket From The Crypt and Nebula mainly. All three guys fit into the music perfectly: they just flat-out jam. If you need a lot of (or any) structure, vocals, tunes, or anything that isn't described above, you're in for a long 90 minutes here. If that appeals, Earthless is really awesome at what they do. You should own it already, or buy it (at the very bottom).

Isaiah
I know what I can add! Earthless knows how to give you a value. If you clicked the shopping link, you might have noticed: $10 for 2xCD, $17 for gatefold 2xLP. Not bad at all, but because of the length of the songs, digital downloads are where to find the real deals - assuming you want to listen to this infernal racket. Especially on the "Re:Live" series of bootlegs (digital-only as far as I can tell).

In suggested buying order:
08/12/2004, 1 song ("Hawkwind"!!!), 50 mins - - $1
06/09/2004, 1 song ("The Can Jam"), 27 mins - - $1
04/06/2004, 1 song ("Sonic Prayer"), 55 mins - - $1
02/16/2005, 2 songs (w/ "Cherry Red"), 1 hour - - $2
Sonic Prayer (studio album), 2 songs, 42 mins - - $2

Finally, Earthless are getting ready to tour - and it's possible that this says they'll come to Houston in November or December, possibly with Baroness!! It's not the epitome of clarity.


Rhythms From A Cosmic Sky
And anyway, just look at those influences on MySpace:
Roky Erickson, Tony McPhee, Fred Cole, John Bonham, Geezer Butler, Lemmy, SLEEP, AMON DUUL 2, HAWKWIND, CAN, LED ZEPP, CREAM, ANIMAL, Mad Dog, Fire, Simply Saucer, The Cramps, Budgie, Spooky Tooth, Guru Guru, Scientists, The Firebirds, Pentagram, Ash Ra Tempel, DMZ, Celtic Frost, Darkthrone, Los Dug Dugs, Upsetters, Burning Spear, Funkadelic, Groundhogs, Bo Diddley, Double O, Vile Cherubs, Crucifix.
That's the kind of thing that makes them #3 of 2008.

[FYI - The video clip embedded starts about 20 minutes into the album's 1st disc: "Blue / From the Ages."]

"I Had To Tell You" - 13th Floor Elevators

Great song, or greatest song? Ever?



13th Floor Elevators
"I Had To Tell You"
(
Roky Erickson/Clementine Hall)
Easter Everywhere (1967)
International Artists


Sweet posters there too!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Dragontears (#2, 2008)

O Denmark - Land of Hamlet, Baby Woodrose and... Danes.
Let your Dragontears flow!


"Sunrise" from Tambourine Freak Machine (2008)

Baby Woodrose play '60s garage revivalism to the Stoner Rock crowd. I'd missed out on them, but last year, side-project/supergroup Dragontears released "Tambourine Freak Machine" (their 2nd). Instead of sharp and punchy, the psychedelics found here expand and sprawl out on a languid flying carpet. Dynamics are parsed out sparingly, in favor of ecstatic repetition and geological layers of guitar texture. It's a trip.

Most of the album can be described as a tuneful, restrained squall. Is a Minimalism of guitar wank possible? It is. "The River" sets the course - slow eddies of delay carry the lead guitar, and the vocals, and chimes, and subtle environmental water-sounds. The drums must wait until the next track, "Sunrise" [embedded above] - the most (relatively) direct thing on display. I was surprised to find a cover here at all, much less Bob Dylan's "Masters of War" - delivered with unexpected stridency, and an almost Spaghetti Western tone. That's right: in 2008, a Danish rock band mixed Dylan and Ennio Morricone with peyote-vision acoustics, and made it work! "The Freedom Seed" is another epic expedition, doing for the flowering of Third-Eye superconsciousness what "The River" did for the flowing of Seventh Chakra life-force energies. The final two tracks could be legitimately called an epilogue (short, instrumental, outro-esque) and a bonus track (significantly different in tone, lesser), but who knows what to think anymore...

2,000 Micrograms From Home
Last year also saw a great 2-song single "Hadron Collider," which I went ahead and bought on iTunes (I think the 7" wasn't available anywhere). It's as good as the album, in much the same way, and maybe even the right place to start.

Still trying to get the debut "2,000 Micrograms From Home" - then I'll circle back around to the origins: Baby Woodrose, On Trial, the Raveonettes, and maybe even Alive with Worms. Looks promising, but the album and single alone would merit #2 on my own personal
Top 10 discoveries of 2008.


Bonus! Apparently, covering 13th Floor Elevators is a Scando psych rite of passage. Here's Dragontears doing "Slide Machine" at this year's Roadburn Festival:




Bonus bonus! Just yesterday, I got fellow Danes Causa Sui's "Summer Sessions, Vols. 2 & 3" in the mail, along with Space Debris' live dvd (from the 2006 Burg Herzberg Festival). Only appropriate to post Denmark's primary jamband, live at this year's fest:

Top 10 Most Ridicvlous
Black Metal Song Titles

I have a conflicted view on most extreme metal genres, most especially Black Metal. On the one hand, I do really like some of it... On the other, it's a patently "ridiculous" artform! [with seemingly endless supplies of ridiculosity.]

Horgh
So, here's yet another "Top 10 Most Ridiculous Black Metal _______" list - on to the song titles. (Titles link to most relevant YouTube video found, band links mostly to MySpace - although there's some Black Metal opposition to participating in the whole internet thing.
Of course...)

10. Me(n)tal Striken Terror Action 2 - by Aborym

9.
Black Elk Speaks, Chokes, And Dies - by Nahvalr

8.
Carnal Malefactor - by Deathspell Omega

7.
The Supreme Necrotic Audnance - by Anaal Nathrakh

6.
Svartesmeden Og Lundamyrstroll (The Blacksmith and the Troll of Lundamyri) - by Windir

5.
Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse - by Dimmu Borgir

4.
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas - by Mayhem

3.
I Am The Black Wizards - by Emperor

2.
The Cognate House Of Courtly Witches Lies West Of County Meath - by Absu [of Plano, TX]

1. Every song title from Impaled Northern Moonforest.
(More free music Downloads!!)

If forced to pick just one... I guess it'd just barely be "Lustfully Worshipping The Inverted Moongoat While Skiing Down The Inverted Necromountain Of Necrodeathmortum" from Boo!
Grim and frostbitten stuff, to be sure.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Free Music for You!

No, this isn't an MP3 blog. (Not yet at least!) But the internet is a web of worldwide proportions, and there's plenty of room for even legal downloads of great quality - or at least of high weirdness.

That's kind of the driving force here: some mixture of quality and weirdness, or something. Anyway, besides the "illegal" downloading, there's also record labels and distributors... but their sites usually just offer single songs (at low bitrates) or sampler collections. Then there's Archive.org and eTree.org, but they'll take a little more explaining (like BrownTracker and the FLips Trading Hub).
So later, dudes!!

I'll shoot for bringing two sources (more or less) for interesting, free and legal, downloads - of decent chunks of music, approximately an album's worth minimum. About weekly.

Recollections from Old London Town
[Click to Free Music ~
Sample tracks]

Approximately an album's worth? You scream out, "Not enough!" - briefly mistaking this for an infomercial taping. Be careful what you wish for. First up is some minimalist dark ambient concept stuff. Rockist snobs, fast forward. The Caretaker takes his/its name from Kubrick's The Shining, doesn't play any instruments, and obsesses on themes of memories: haunted, persistent, or forever lost...
Dusty and forgotten memories, echoes and vibrations from the past. Using as source, recordings from the 1920's and 1930's era of Ballroom music. Often painful and desolate memories, recalled and replayed from beyond the grave of our senses. In amongst this darkness lies the solace of a semi-recognisable melody or phrase, a beacon of light in this often dark and distant ocean of haunted recalled audio.

The newest, maybe best, album ("Persistent Repetition of Phrases," 2008) isn't yet available for free - newly available on vinyl through Forced Exposure! But approximately nine (~9) albums' worth can be found HERE. Six cd's are the epic "Theoretically Pure Anterograde Amnesia," (2005). And then there's also "The Complete Digital Collection (1996-2008)," which lets you pay $25-$50 (you choose) to download pretty much everything, including the last album.

And Discogs.com just pointed me to a current-year release - again for free! Haven't listened to it, but will very soon. Free download of "Recollections from Old London Town" (2009).


Thru Black Holes Band
[Click to Free Music ~
Sample track]

Okay, rock fans, you can come back. Did you hear about the 9 albums of dark ambient manipulations of 1920s... No? Okay, whatever. You like Hawkwind? You like Chrome? What about some noisy Floyd? Sure you do. So, how about twenty-four (24!) self-released cassettes in that same vein? Great space-rock resource Aural-Innovations hosts the ENTIRE DISCOGRAPHY of the Thru Black Holes Band.
Thru Black Holes Band released 24 cassette albums between 1989 - 2004. Based in southern Ohio, the band consisted of Mike Roden, Jerry Rieger and Sug Franklin, with Sug later replaced by Bolt (Bill Rolson). The music was characterized by a brand of Space Rock and Psychedelia inspired by Hawkwind, but with the band exploring many other styles and influences.

Apparently, not much else is known about this "southern Ohio" band, so nothing to do but dive right in. I'm admittedly concerned about those later theme albums: Rasta, Old West, Halloween, Pirates?!?! So I'm starting with "Smoking Glass Wreckage of the Alien Octopus Face" from 1992 (a fertile peak of output), then working my way outward thru time. Really digging it so far!
[Note that each song is downloaded separately - drag, man.]

Smoking Glass Wreckage of the Alien Octopus Face
That oughta settle yer hash for a week or so...

Beyond the Wizards Sleeve (#1, 2008)

My favorite discovery of 2008, and thus #1?
Beyond the Wizards Sleeve!


"Don't Cry Girl" from Beyond the Wizards Sleeve ARK.1 (2008)

Not living in England, or Europe or wherever it is, I'd never heard of Erol Alkan or Richard Norris. Nor the four 12" EPs they made from 2005-2007 as Beyond the Wizards Sleeve: Birth, Spring, George, and West. Also, I don't know even squat about international deejay culture, mash-ups, or any of that business.

But last year, they released Ark.1 on cd, collecting most of the OOP-vinyl-only EP tracks - and that made its way into my ears. Along with familiar songs by Neu! ("Hallogallo"), the Monkees (from Head) and the Rolling Stones ("2,000"), there was a treasure trove of obscurity!


See, BTWS does/did non-dance remixes (or Re-Animations) of non-dance songs, and here they were doing them to some great source material. Most of it from the '60s and '70s, most of it peripherally rock music. So there's soul-shouting organ rave-ups, Near Eastern power-pop, West Coast garage, droney feedbacking blast-offs, and even stranger bedfellows.

And then there's Bill Holt's "Program 10 Part 6" (as "Sunday Morning Sun-g"). Dissatisfied with traditional success - as an investment banker or somesuch - the major Beatles fan decided to drop out and start home-recording with an acoustic guitar, Moog, and the idea of combining the musique concrète of "Revolution #9" with downer folk and primordial melodies. In 1973. The remixing is very limited, but solely for introducing the source, I am seriously grateful.



Some live sets can be downloaded or streamed at Archive.org, with more detail at Erol Alkan's site. All of his podcasts are suscribeable through iTunes. Earlier this year, BTWS released a collection of official Re-Animations - which is fine if you're more into dance remixes and/or bands like Franz Ferdinand, Badly Drawn Boy, Midlake, and Peter, Bjorn and John... or Chemical Brothers, Goldfrapp, and Simian Mobile Disco. Not my cup of tea.

However, as one (awesome/Polish) reviewer asked:
Do you urge chemical big beat in affair with Hungarian spacey rock? Here you are - try and probe convivial, brilliant "Don't Cry Girl".

Indeed.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Relaunch! Top 10 of 2008!!

The Tower is Broken. Black Iron Prison. The Empire never Ended.

Audiofeed~ has been postponed. We're switching over to
Ideobelisk, [ret/ con]text[(ual)/ text(ure)/ text(ile)]:
vertical words on a digital scroll.

The podcast will abide, the blog rolls on...


Ten 2008 albums by my top discoveries from last year
[All rank/bands are now links to full posts on the band.]

#10 Black Mountain

In the Future

"Evil Ways" from In the Future (2008)

Genre - Rock Music
Official - blackmountainarmy.com/
Myspace - myspace.com/blackmountain
Location - Vancouver, BC

Review - Drowned In Sound
iTunes - Black Mountain
Lala - In the Future
Purchase - Jagjaguwar


#9 The Alps

The Alps III

"Labyrinths" from III (2008)

Genre - Easy Noise
Official/Myspace - myspace.com/thealpssf
Location - San Francisco, CA

Review - Dusted Magazine
iTunes - The Alps
Lala - The Alps III
Purchase - Amazon


#8 Tom Carter & Christian Kiefer

From the Great American Songbook

"Camptown Races" From the Great American Songbook (2008)

Genre - Drone Folk
Official/Myspace - myspace.com/christiankiefermusic
Location - California, U.S.A.

Review - Pitchfork Media
iTunes - Tom Carter & Christian Kiefer
Lala - From the Great American Songbook
Purchase - Inertia Music


#7 Space Debris

Elephant Moon

"Japanese Girl" from Elephant Moon (2008)

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

Review - Aural Innovations
iTunes/Lala - Nooooo!
Purchase - All That Is Heavy


#6 Grails

Doomsdayer's Holiday
click For Not Work-Safe (NSFW) Cover

"Predestination Blues" from Doomsdayer's Holiday (2008)

Genre - Tibetan Crime Jazz
Official/Myspace - myspace.com/grailsongs
Location - Portland, OR

Review - Treble zine
iTunes - Grails
Lala - Take Refuge in Clean Living
Purchase - Temporary Residence Ltd.


#5 Dungen

Dungen 4

"Det Tar Tid" from 4 (2008)

Genre - Indie Psych Folk
Official - dungen-music.com/
Myspace - myspace.com/dungen
Location - Sweden

Review - Drowned In Sound
iTunes - Dungen
Lala - Dungen 4
Purchase - All That Is Heavy


#4 The Pillbugs

Everybody Wants A Way Out

"Soundman" from Everybody Wants A Way Out (2008)

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

Review - Hablo Ennui
iTunes - The Pillbugs
Lala - Monclovia (pre-EWAWO best-of)
Purchase - Rainbow Quartz


#3 Earthless

Live at Roadburn

"Blue/From the Ages [edit]" from Live at Roadburn (2008)

Genre - Heavy Jam
Official/Myspace - myspace.com/earthless
Location - San Diego, CA

Review - Rock Metal Music
iTunes - Earthless
Lala - Live at Roadburn
Purchase - Tee Pee Records


#2 Dragontears

Tambourine Freak Machine

"Sunrise" from Tambourine Freak Machine (2008)

Genre - Heavy Psych
Official/Myspace - myspace.com/dragontears2000
Location - Denmark

Review - Aural Innovations
iTunes - Dragontears
Purchase - All That Is Heavy


#1 Beyond the Wizards Sleeve

Beyond the Wizards Sleeve ARK.1

"Don't Cry Girl" from Beyond the Wizards Sleeve ARK.1 (2008)

Genre - Rock Remix
Official - erolalkan.co.uk/
Myspace - myspace.com/beyondthewizardssleeve
Location - The U.K.

Awesome review - Snazzy Antique Boat

iTunes - Erol Alkan podcast
Purchase - Good luck!!


[This list originally posted here 4/23/2009, in slightly different form. Minimal changes made to reflect my current state of mind.
Addition of locations and Lala on 02/23/2010!]