It kicks in at around 4:30; don't bother with anything before that.
Also some new tracks:
Later,
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
A.O.K
Some more Aoki goodness coming your way right now so heads up. Found this gear on bitbeats and loved it
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Footpath
Recently I was reminded of the weird situations that modern technology can get us in; A friend told me about the time I broke up with my last girlfriend, and how she had heard the entire conversation due to an unfortunate situation involving my mobile phone and an open MSN voice convo.
It went a little something like this.
I had been talking to a couple of friends using the built-in laptop microphones we all have over MSN, trying to psych myself up to commit this heinous act of heart-breaking, and when I made the actual phone call to my now-ex on my mobile, I forgot to close this voice conversation I was having. So my friend heard the entirety of my side of the conversation, in a weird kind of internet-eavesdropping incident. This was only revealed to me today infact, well over 4 months since the actual day it happened. Apparently she had told all our friends about this, and they hadn't seen the need to tell me. I saw the hilarious side of what happened, mainly due (I assume) to a subconscious desire to spite my ex, but it just goes to show what can happen hey?
Anyway. Onto today's dose of music. It's another 90's post punk guitar driven collective, Pavement. In seven years between 1992 and 1999, they released five albums, and although they enjoyed only moderate commercial success, they achieved a considerable cult following and became one of the most influential and recognised lo-fi bands of the 90's. Their two most hallowed records were Slanted and Enchanted, and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, placed at #5 and #8 respectively on Pitchfork Media's 100 Best Albums of the 1990's, and given various 5 star and 10/10
Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is probably their most accessible work, and as I'm mostly concerned with introducing you guys to listen to stuff you probably wouldn't consider otherwise, it's a good starting point. The album features highly melodic guitar and bass tracks, heaving and fuzzy beneath the somewhat shaky and frenetic drumming of Gary Young and Steve West. The vocals of Steve Malkmus, often nonsensical and sung shakily and off-key, transform on tracks like Unfair. Standout tracks are Silence Kid, Gold Soundz and Cut Your Hair, but the album is fairly consistently driven by the interaction between the thumping bass of Ibold and Malkmus' inventive guitar melodies, somewhat left-of-centre.
Newark Wilder shows off the band's slower, softer style, harmonics and rhythm guitar floating between very Doors-ish guitar licks acting as gaps between the verses.
The very next track, Unfair picks up the tempo a little bit, leading into Gold Soundz, in my opinion the best track lifted from this record. The wistful, adolescent lyrics weave through the shimmering, playful guitars to create something purely melodic, the only equivalent to which i can relate it being The Sound of Settling by Death Cab For Cutie in its melodic tone.
Enough wankish terminology from me, check out this album, and get into their other releases if you dig it.
Later,
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
ROMBORAMA
Well, it was supposed to be released on the 21st, but I guess as happens to everyone in this digital age we live in, it leaked.
The Bloody Beetroots' debut studio album, Romborama is chock full of thick, heavy beats, huge synths and some pretty ingenious vocal tracks.
The main track to drop off this LP has been Warp 1.9 (feat. Steve Aoki), famous for THAT 'woop woop' vocal sample, but watch out for Awesome (feat. The Cool Kids) and It's Better A DJ On Two Turntables.
I don't feel myself quite so qualified to harp on about electronic music as say, mid 90's post-punk, so I won't waste your time trying to describe it. Let your ears decide.
I will, however, say this: It fucking bangs.
The Bloody Beetroots' debut studio album, Romborama is chock full of thick, heavy beats, huge synths and some pretty ingenious vocal tracks.
The main track to drop off this LP has been Warp 1.9 (feat. Steve Aoki), famous for THAT 'woop woop' vocal sample, but watch out for Awesome (feat. The Cool Kids) and It's Better A DJ On Two Turntables.
I don't feel myself quite so qualified to harp on about electronic music as say, mid 90's post-punk, so I won't waste your time trying to describe it. Let your ears decide.
I will, however, say this: It fucking bangs.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Mr Icecream Introduces...
Yeah, I know this track has been around for a year or so now, but what the fuck.
Just the thing for a case of winter blues.
Later,
Just the thing for a case of winter blues.
Later,
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Noise.
I have always had an affinity for noisy, raw, rocknroll bands. The punk DIY aesthetic and the rocknroll lifestyle go hand in glove with some romantic, anarchic spirit that lets you know that yes indeed you are alive. Noise and fuzz and feedback and long hair and more drugs than Pablo Escobar’s bathroom cabinet.
The songs below are in no particular order and are meant to be a snapshot, a quick look into the last 4 or so decades of noise/raw rock. So, without further ado, I present to you my RAW/NOISE ROCK PLAYLIST.
1. The Stooges – No Fun, The Stooges, 1969
The dumb simplicity of this fuzzed out surf tune is compounded by catchy hand claps and Iggy’s debased howl. Iggy and The Stooges are one of the most loved (and ridiculed) bands ever. Their influence stretches far into subsequent decades, and Iggy’s self-harming stage antics and rampant drug abuse are quintessential.
2. Dinosaur Jr. – Freak Scene, Bug, 1988
Having changed their name from Dinosaur in 1987, they released Bug fresh from signing with Blast First and riding a wave of popularity generated by this song. Characteristically Dinosaur, the extremely high gain, melodic vocals and Mascis’ unique, wandering guitar solos still don’t sound dated. Rivalling Alive, by Pearl Jam for the kind of air guitar epicness possible, Freak Scene is jagged and fast paced, a melodic and catchy 3 and a half minute punk gem.
3. Sonic Youth – Teenage Riot, Daydream Nation, 1988
While Dinosaur Jr. were ripping up kid’s eardrums with Mascis’s heaving guitar, Sonic were quietly going about the business of creating a masterpiece. I’ve already written at length about Daydream Nation, here. Teenage Riot is the best track off this album, a jangling, shimmering chunk of youthful rebellion and a snapshot of a band at the height of their power.
4. Mercy Arms – Shine A Light, Mercy Arms, 2008
20 years later, it is good to know that the spirit of guitar experimentation is still alive. You’ll find it in spades on this album, but Shine A Light is the standout. Be it feedback, weird squelchy effects, whammy bar, string scratches or lightning fast plectrum work, its all there. It’s a shame this band ran out of steam a few months after their debut release, because they were worth seeing just to hear another track, Half Right, which garnered some serious radio airtime last year.
5. The Velvet Underground – Heroin, The Velvet Underground And Nico, 1967
This song builds and builds and builds and builds and builds and builds and builds till it rips you apart in glorious, screetching feedback, Lou Reed’s slow, spaced out voice struggling to be heard among the cacophony. A hurricane of a song.
6. Nirvana – Been A Son, Blew EP, 1989
This preceded Nirvana’s debut effort Bleach. Been A Son is Nirvana at their raucous best, loud, callous, thick and heavy. Kurt’s dark lyrics and Novoselic’s thunderous bass drive the track forward in a mindless, freight train kind of way.
7. The Birthday Party – Happy Birthday, The Birthday Party, 1980
Originally released under the name “The Boys Next Door”, The Birthday Party was re-released when the band changed to The Birthday Party. Nick Cave’s sub-vocalisations, grunts, shrieks and impersonations of a dog on this track, along with the two lead guitarists discordant and jarring riffage ripped chunks out of conventional song-writing and was the first foray into music for Nick Cave, Mick Harvey and Roland S. Thompson.
8. Pixies – Debaser, Doolittle, 1989
Black Francis, the lead singer and guitarist for Pixies had already written a breakthrough album in Surfer Rosa, their debut. Debaser continued in this tradition of catchy yet unconventional songs, the fat drums and fuzzy guitar typical of Pixies style. The vocals, referencing surrealism and Salvador Dali were a pop pastiche, the high pitched yelp of Francis offset by Kim Deal’s sweet innocent pitch. Garnered them even more critical acclaim and cemented them as one of the most influential bands of the 80’s, especially on the subsequent Seattle Grunge explosion.
9. Children Collide – Economy, The Long Now, 2008
First recorded on their Glass Mountain Liars EP, CC re-recorded Economy for their 2008 long player, showcasing their harder-edged, nouveau grunge sound. The chaotic, deliberately discordant guitars and menacing drum track render this an angry listen at the best of times.
10. Animal Collective – For Reverend Green, Strawberry Jam, 2007
Unconventional pretty much fits this 4-piece from New York, New York, their extremes of experimentation and weird instruments causing them to be labelled as freak-folk or noise-pop. They remain hard to categorize however, a testament to their versatility as a song writing force. For Reverend Green has me stumped as to what instruments are used, save the heavily affected guitar and the screamed vocals. An unrelenting ache of a song that pulses and drives relentlessly onwards.
So there it is. My noise/raw rock playlist, in all its longhaired glory. As a sort of disclaimer, let me say this. My musical experience may differ vastly from your own and, probability dictates, from everyone else’s as well. What I’ve seen and heard will shape my perception of noise rock as much as it will yours. Use this list as a guide or a refresher, listen to these songs, buy the albums.
Later,
The songs below are in no particular order and are meant to be a snapshot, a quick look into the last 4 or so decades of noise/raw rock. So, without further ado, I present to you my RAW/NOISE ROCK PLAYLIST.
1. The Stooges – No Fun, The Stooges, 1969
The dumb simplicity of this fuzzed out surf tune is compounded by catchy hand claps and Iggy’s debased howl. Iggy and The Stooges are one of the most loved (and ridiculed) bands ever. Their influence stretches far into subsequent decades, and Iggy’s self-harming stage antics and rampant drug abuse are quintessential.
2. Dinosaur Jr. – Freak Scene, Bug, 1988
Having changed their name from Dinosaur in 1987, they released Bug fresh from signing with Blast First and riding a wave of popularity generated by this song. Characteristically Dinosaur, the extremely high gain, melodic vocals and Mascis’ unique, wandering guitar solos still don’t sound dated. Rivalling Alive, by Pearl Jam for the kind of air guitar epicness possible, Freak Scene is jagged and fast paced, a melodic and catchy 3 and a half minute punk gem.
3. Sonic Youth – Teenage Riot, Daydream Nation, 1988
While Dinosaur Jr. were ripping up kid’s eardrums with Mascis’s heaving guitar, Sonic were quietly going about the business of creating a masterpiece. I’ve already written at length about Daydream Nation, here. Teenage Riot is the best track off this album, a jangling, shimmering chunk of youthful rebellion and a snapshot of a band at the height of their power.
4. Mercy Arms – Shine A Light, Mercy Arms, 2008
20 years later, it is good to know that the spirit of guitar experimentation is still alive. You’ll find it in spades on this album, but Shine A Light is the standout. Be it feedback, weird squelchy effects, whammy bar, string scratches or lightning fast plectrum work, its all there. It’s a shame this band ran out of steam a few months after their debut release, because they were worth seeing just to hear another track, Half Right, which garnered some serious radio airtime last year.
5. The Velvet Underground – Heroin, The Velvet Underground And Nico, 1967
This song builds and builds and builds and builds and builds and builds and builds till it rips you apart in glorious, screetching feedback, Lou Reed’s slow, spaced out voice struggling to be heard among the cacophony. A hurricane of a song.
6. Nirvana – Been A Son, Blew EP, 1989
This preceded Nirvana’s debut effort Bleach. Been A Son is Nirvana at their raucous best, loud, callous, thick and heavy. Kurt’s dark lyrics and Novoselic’s thunderous bass drive the track forward in a mindless, freight train kind of way.
7. The Birthday Party – Happy Birthday, The Birthday Party, 1980
Originally released under the name “The Boys Next Door”, The Birthday Party was re-released when the band changed to The Birthday Party. Nick Cave’s sub-vocalisations, grunts, shrieks and impersonations of a dog on this track, along with the two lead guitarists discordant and jarring riffage ripped chunks out of conventional song-writing and was the first foray into music for Nick Cave, Mick Harvey and Roland S. Thompson.
8. Pixies – Debaser, Doolittle, 1989
Black Francis, the lead singer and guitarist for Pixies had already written a breakthrough album in Surfer Rosa, their debut. Debaser continued in this tradition of catchy yet unconventional songs, the fat drums and fuzzy guitar typical of Pixies style. The vocals, referencing surrealism and Salvador Dali were a pop pastiche, the high pitched yelp of Francis offset by Kim Deal’s sweet innocent pitch. Garnered them even more critical acclaim and cemented them as one of the most influential bands of the 80’s, especially on the subsequent Seattle Grunge explosion.
9. Children Collide – Economy, The Long Now, 2008
First recorded on their Glass Mountain Liars EP, CC re-recorded Economy for their 2008 long player, showcasing their harder-edged, nouveau grunge sound. The chaotic, deliberately discordant guitars and menacing drum track render this an angry listen at the best of times.
10. Animal Collective – For Reverend Green, Strawberry Jam, 2007
Unconventional pretty much fits this 4-piece from New York, New York, their extremes of experimentation and weird instruments causing them to be labelled as freak-folk or noise-pop. They remain hard to categorize however, a testament to their versatility as a song writing force. For Reverend Green has me stumped as to what instruments are used, save the heavily affected guitar and the screamed vocals. An unrelenting ache of a song that pulses and drives relentlessly onwards.
So there it is. My noise/raw rock playlist, in all its longhaired glory. As a sort of disclaimer, let me say this. My musical experience may differ vastly from your own and, probability dictates, from everyone else’s as well. What I’ve seen and heard will shape my perception of noise rock as much as it will yours. Use this list as a guide or a refresher, listen to these songs, buy the albums.
Later,
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