Woman King

2005's Woman King EP by Iron & Wine (aka Sam Beam) showcased Beam's further evolution as a singer/song writer. The stripped down and simpler sounds of his previous work grew into something new here. The songs within are of a fuller stock, which lends itself nicely to Beam's gentle yet prolific story telling abilities. All six tracks pertain to the woes of female protagonists and has a decidedly Biblical feel to it (though Beam himself is in no way Christian). I hold a sincere fondness for Iron & Wine (it can't always be about the Leviathan and Rotting Christ, folks) and of all their work, I always seem to be drawn back to this E.P. "Jezebel," with its' brooding sense of guilt, sorrow and love, may just be the crown jewel of Beam's still fairly young musical career.

..enjoy..

Head Home

For your consideration, good ladies and gentlemen, O'Death's 2006 (re-released in '07) album Head Home.

These Brooklyn gents (originally formed at Westchester's SUNY Purchase) created a frenetic Americana/blue grass opus with this release. Banjos, fiddles, guitars, beards, pianos, etc. are all unleashed with the energy level set to maximum in O'Death's trademark Appalachian/Gypsy Punk style. Traditional Gothic/Americana themes such as death, redemption, God, Satan, death, beards and death are roared, barked and sung by Mr. Greg Jamie . This album is explosive and will inspire you to head on down to the local barn with your finest pair of shit kickers, grab your special lady, and dance like the God damned Devil is nipping at your heels.

..enjoy..

Krallice

Experimental. Black. Drone. Epic. Sonic. Progressive. Minimalist. Hypnotic. Fucking mind blowing.

I would like to introduce you: You, Krallice. Krallice, You. I think you will be friends.

This is their 2008 self titled debut. Some people insist that these guys are not black metal. Some people are dicks.

..enjoy..

Below are a few pics I took from their show last week as direct support for Ludicra @ Europa in Brooklyn. Mayhem were originally supposed to headline the tour, but unceremoniously douched out. I, for one, could not have been happier.

Ludicra EP

There are not enough good words in the entirety of the English lexicon for me to bestow upon these guys. I know I just posted an album of theirs not too long ago, but their performance the other night at Europa in Brooklyn (with Krallice in direct support, oh myyyy) has re energized my already fervent obsession with these San Francisco black metalers.

This is their 3 song EP from 2006, it's only three songs but trust me- it's more than enough for you to handle. Their music is born from a deep and dark place that so many others in the metal world can only pretend to know. I've written this before, but witnessing lead vocalist Laurie Sue Shanaman perform is like playing voyeur to a lost soul struggling through a self inflicted exorcism. She twists and contorts her body and face as she releases an overwhelming tirade of horror and sadness upon the world. Powerful, raw and unnerving, this ain't your mammy's corporate black metal. Please leave your rubber spikes, Hot Topic boots and your mother's mascara at the door.

A wreath to lay on the grave of faith

Below I've included some pics I took from the 4/18/10 show in Brooklyn @ Europa.

ATTENTION !

Hi. I've been doing a lot of thinking as of late and frankly, I've been thinking about you. Yes, you. Sure I don't know who you are or anything about you really, but that's part of the point I'm about to make. Wouldn't this little endeavor of mine be oh so much more enjoyable for everyone involved if you began leaving comments with some of the posts. You could even be anonymous about it... say something nice or say something cruel. I don't give a shit, just say something. I know you're there... and I know there are a number of you. I see the ticker going up and I can track how many downloads there are so let us not pretend. You never know! You may even find that you enjoy leaving comments! Shit, maybe you'll even sign up for a google account and become a follower of this and a myriad of other fun and exciting blogs... give it a whirl kid and remember, all comments left on this blog are counted as extracurricular activities and just may help get you into that college your asshole parents really want you to go to.

Peace & Love,

me.

Madre, Protegenos

I've been inspired to post Madre, Protegenos by the news of the imminent release of a new album...

Ion is Duncan Patterson's (Anathema, Antimatter, etc) solo project and this be his 2006 debut. With the aide of a number of musicians (many of which are particularly fetching ladies from all about the globe) he has created an often pensive and ethereal musical experience. There is a gentleness and organic nature to the album (something often hinted at in his previous works) as well as a definite "world" music vibe. Now relax, I'm not talking Peter Gabriel singing among the tribes people of central Africa (not that there's anything wrong with that), but instead Patterson takes small bits of local flavors and blends them into his music. From Ireland to Spain to the Mediterranean, he has weaved together elements of folk and ambient musics. The result is unique and subtly breathtaking.

Included is a stunning cover of the Irish classic "Goodbye Johnny Dear" which was written by Duncan's great grandfather Johnny Patterson. Johnny was a renowned singer/song writer/performer in Ireland and later America and Australia. He took the oddly unpopular opinion that Catholics and Protestants should live together peacefully in his song "Do Your Best for One Another." At a show on May 31, 1889 a riot erupted during his performance of his ode to peace and he was tragically killed.

Mother, Protect Us

Una Volta

You can thank me in advance for this one...

DeVotchka is truly a beast with a multitude of heads. Part Mariachi, part spaghetti western, and with a healthy dose of Euro-Gypsy... unique is a word that just seems inadequate for these Coloradians. Una Volta is their second proper album(they also had an early live record) and was released upon this beautiful Earth in 2003 (please note: said Earth became more beautiful in direct correlation with said album coming into being). This ridiculously talented four piece gained wider popularity as a result of their scoring and performing the soundtrack for the film Little Miss Sunshine. That was in 2006, which means that this particular album had already been out for three years... and so it should be clear to all that DeVotchka's success was long over do. I hope you all feel shame.

Una Volta, as with everything ever created by these intrepid musical pioneers, is a beautifully charming and passionate affair. They display with perfect clarity and skill a number of musical persuasions, not the least being their roots as a traveling burlesque band. The overwhleming passion and drama of their music is breathtaking (par exemple, please see "Ocean of Lust").

If you have never witnessed DeVotchka perform live I suggest you concentrate all efforts and energies at righting this wrong. You'll die happier... or at least a bit less miserable.

sweet mother of pearl,
won't you give me back my girl?

RIP Pete Steele....Origin of the Feces

A send off for one of metal's most charismatic personalities...

Type O Negative's second album, The Origin of the Feces, was rife with the dry wit that would become just as recognizable as the funeral dirge inspired hymns throughout their career. Here is a band unafraid to laugh at themselves even as they convey the greatest depths of emotional and psychological pains. Pete Steele was the heart of Type O, he is already missed.

My first Type O Negative show was Halloween 1995 at Roseland Ballroom in NYC. Electric Hellfire Club opened and members of the Misfits joined Type O on stage during their set. At the conclusion of their performance, Steele lit a cherry bomb on stage and instructed all in attendance to "get lost...show's ova!" The house lights came on and the capacity crowd just stood there waiting for something to happen. It did. Steele began launching the numerous pumpkins that were set up about the stage into the crowd. As I watched a guy only a few feet in front of me drop like a bag of shit to the ground from the unceremonious joining of his skull and a projectile pumpkin, my friends and I decided to leave. We walked back to Grand Central and got our asses unceremoniously mugged. I love Halloween.

Two or three years later some friends and I traveled into the cold white north, catching the Drab Four in Kitchener, Ontario. EHC were opening again and I was able to speak with Thomas Thorn about the infamous Roseland show. "You were there!?" His cocaine eyes lit up with renewed purpose... "That show was fucking awesome!" Yes it was. I would catch Type O Negative off and on over the following years, they were always sonically overpowering and awe inspiring to witness.

I crossed path with Mr Steele at L'amour some years ago, he had come to see his good friends and European touring partners in Moonspell. He stopped and talked music with me and my dweeby metal head friends for some time. If I remember correctly it was us that said we had to get going. He seemed perfectly content to shoot the shit with us about this band or that. The man was a gentleman, and the coolest fucking thing to ever come out of Brooklyn.

RIP Pete Steele. 1/4/1962 – 4/14/ 2010

...take that D train, take it down to Brighton Beach...

Dances Alone, Dances With Ghosts

I'm not sure why I have this. I'm not sure what I think of it. But, I do know that you should have it too.

One man musical entity Silver Antlers (Skylar) out of Utah, that's right... Utah... became inspired to create something new after the passing of his Grandmother and discovery of her old tyme record collection. So he created the entity Mothers Of Sons and released the album Dances Alone, Dances With Ghosts upon the unsuspecting interweb. He cut, looped and introduced a whole bucket load of white noise and general creepiness to the mixture. Is it good? I really can't listen to it long enough to find out...

There was no album art offered with it, so I took liberties and went with Carol Anne from Poltergeist. I think you'll understand if you listen...

come to the light... no stay away from the light... no, yes come to the light!

Munly & The Lee Lewis Harlots

As a member in good standing of Slim Cessna's Auto Club, Munly Munly (aka: Munly, Jay Munly, Jayson Thompson) is a member of Colorado's Americana revival elite. For your consideration today, I present his 5th non-Auto Club album, 2004's humbly titled Munly & The Lee Lewis Harlots.

Building upon his Alt Country/Gothic-Americana roots, Munly drew from an assemblage of noteworthy talent to create what can only be described as an epic piece of Americana. There is drama and tension within Munly's twisted carnival barker like tales, all accented by his backing players and their ample use of strings and spectral female vocals. Throughout, Munly weaves yarn after yarn with a voice that is equally disturbing as it enthralling. His lyrics unfold into personal narratives with the poetic dexterity of a good old fashioned knife fight. His musical visions are at times frightening, at times humorous, but always addictive. This album was years ahead of its' time when released upon the world in 2004, and it remains so today.

You've Got One-Eyed Intentions.

TOTAL BONUS VIDEO!!

White Devil, Black Metal

Grim... primal... and BLACK. California's one man black metal juggernaut, Leviathan, is a force to be feared, respected and held in a perpetual state of awe. White Devil, Black Metal is soloist Wrest's (aka Jeff Whitehead) 2002 demo. Leviathan's respect for traditional Scandinavian Black Metal is plainly evident, but there is an expansive nature to the creation within. It simultaneously pays homage to the founding corpse painted fathers of Northern Europe, as well as pushes and obliterates the often stagnant boundaries of the "scene." It is rare that such a grim and uncompromising creation can also be so varied and boundless.

There was a time when I sincerely believed that the best or most "real" (whatever that means) black metal had to be European in origin. I thought that the rest of the world would be stuck in a perpetual game of catch up... I could not have been more wrong. While the Euro scene, with some exceptions, has been releasing mediocre after mediocre watered down black metal clone bands, it is the West Coast of the United States that for years has been churning out impressive releases by stunning artists with a healthy variety of musical influences. All this while keeping it brutal and uncompromising. Leviathan are truly among the keepers of black metal's misanthropic flame. There's no corporate black metal here kids...


The original pressing of White Devil, Black Metal... was a whopping 66 hand numbered copies. Now that's kvlt.

white devil!!!! black metal!!!

Dark Age of Reason

Sweden's Arcana released this, their debut album, via Cold Meat Industry in the year of our Lord 1996. I distinctly recall picking up this gem in a Village record shop based on the album cover alone. Those were the days weren't they? It was still before the download revolution destroyed any wonder or adventure in blindly hunting through rows of unknown Cds, just to roll the dice on a hunch. Sometimes you ended up with shit like Shank 456, but other times you discovered a gem like Arcana.

Dark Age of Reason is as haunting as it is beautiful. As moving as it is foreboding. The vocals of Ida Bengtsson are gentle and mesmerizing. It is with a singular sadness that she allows her voice to glide effortlessly over the mournful and barren orchestral dirges. The chants of Peter Pettersson (who is known as Peter Bjärgö nowadays) are stark and unforgiving, serving as a steel willed anchor for the more ethereal and neo-folk moments of the album.

The album unfolds with an eerily calm yet steady determination. As if on the river Styx, Arcana serve as the Ferryman and draws the listener ever further away from the shores of reality.

Dark Age of Reason pairs well with red wine, abandoned churches and hallucinogenics.

..enjoy..

High

I know it hasn't been long since my last New Model Army posting... but I just can't help myself.

There aren't too many musicians who are two decades deep into their journey and are still able to create with such urgent passion and purpose as NMA. Justin Sullivan and the boys are true poets of the working class.

I really posted this because I imagine that there is some grimy old bastard out there that used to be a NMA fan back in the eighties and has since lost touch or interest with them. If you should be that grimy old bastard, first I congratulate you on your mastery of the intraweb, but really I think you need to get back on board with NMA. High (2007) is a perfect reintroduction for you and your old friends. And should you not be an old acquaintance of NMA, what the Hell have you been listening to?

Their 10th album proves that it is not just youth alone that is able to create inspired post punk/rock anthems. Youth has no monopoly on New Model Army's expression of urgent humanism. The music of High is without a doubt more mature as a result of years of finely tuned songwriting for this road tested band ( see: "Sky In Your Eyes" and "Rivers"), but that classic New Model Army call to action is alive and well. I for one am able to sleep just a bit better, knowing that New Model Army still tend to the flame and wave their flag high.

Face into the wind, boys, face into the wind

Trinity

Peaceville Records released My Dying Bride's three early EPs as a single album in 1995. I believe that the original EPs were only available to Peaceville club members... which is probably about the worst way to promote your label's artists. They righted the wrong with the release of Trinity.
By '95 My Dying Bride had already begun to move away from the Death Metal sound, but this collection serves as a bold reminder that these boys from Halifax were once austere members of the Death/Doom triumvirate, sharing the honor with Paradise Lost and Anathema. The cover included here is from the American release, the rest of the world got a pic of a severed Jesus statue head while we got graves with the original EPs' album art on them. Also, the track "The Sexuality of Bereavement" replaced "Transcending (Into the Exquisite)" from the original I am the Bloody Earth EP. Why, you ask? For no good reason that I know of... they just up and switched it. Anyway, this EP collection represents a time in My Dying Bride's catalog which was mired in crushing Death/Doom metal. Still, you can just hear the songs expanding the very genre of Doom with each track. My Dying Bride were creative pioneers even in their early days which is made evident by the poetic and emotive explosion of sound within this collection.

Lay down with beasts,
and welter in my gore

16 Tons (Ten Songs) 2003 KCRW Session

Over time it will become clear to you just how much of an Eels loyalist I am.

I believe this was only available for sale during their "Eels with strings tour" and has since disappeared from the retail world. That's not fair and I think you should be able to enjoy it as much as any other red blooded American who was smart enough to catch the "..with strings" tour. You shouldn't suffer for what I am sure was but a momentary lapse of judgment on your part.

Recorded live in 2003 for the KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic radio show, Mr. E, Kooool G. Murder, Puddin' and Golden Boy laid down some righteous rock and roll for the radio listening public. They performed eight classic Eels tunes (each slightly re-envisioned) and two cover songs. One being "Sixteen Tons" by Merle Travis, and the second being "I'm a loser," which was written by some guys named Lennon and McCarthy. The latter two were apparently in some band a long time ago. Anyway, your Eels collection just got a little cooler with this live album included... even if you don't have a physical copy of it like the hip kids...

it's hard to laugh as you choke

Cinnamon Girl

The late 90s were good times for Brooklyn's Type O Negative. Their brand of gothic/doom metal had taken a decidedly pop tone culminating in the album October Rust. It all seemed to bode well for the mental state of lead singer Mr. Steele, but alas it was not to last... The band's music would soon imitate life and begin to spiral into much angrier and depressed regions. But still, the late 90s were good times. So here, for your listening pleasure, is the single for their cover of Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl." It's a remix by Charlie Clouser, whose credits include NIN membership and various production work with numerous bands including White Zombie. It's a decidedly fun remix, despite its' "Depressed Mode Mix" title. I've always felt that Type O should do an entire album of covers... that has nothing to do with anything really, just thought I'd share that thought with you.

My baby loves to dance...

The Eyeless Horde

So, it is Easter weekend and I'm looking for an appropriate post. I was going to go all serious and put up some seriously heavy Christian themed music. But alas, I've decided to go in another direction...

For the resurrection weekend, we have on display Finland's Hooded Menace and their demo/ep from 2007, The Eyeless Horde. Via crushingly heavy doom with death metal vocals these Fins pay homage to the work of Spanish director and cult-horror hero Armando de Ossorio. For those of you who have deprived yourselves of the treat, Ossorio created a series of four films collectively referred to as the "Blind Dead" in the early '70s in which undead Templar Knights rise from the grave and go about wreaking havoc. Oh yeah, did I mention that they are blind?... But they can hear your ass so don't get all confident. This two song demo/ep is as heavy as it is slow. It plods along with the steadfast determination of a Blind zombie Templar Knight who is going to get you and just may rip off your clothes in the process. Think you can out run a slow as all shit blind zombie? Maybe you can... but they can also ride horses.

shhh...be vewy vewy quiet...

The Mouse & The Mask

Producer extraordinaire Danger Mouse and rapper/villain MF Doom joined forces in 2005 to form the unstoppable hip-hop beast Danger Doom and pay homage to the Cartoon Network's late night absurdity of Adult Swim. A Hip-Hop oddity if there ever was one, this beat friendly and lyrically mesmerizing creation is a masterful answer to all that is popular Hip-Hop/rap these days. Does Kanye West give you unending douche chills? Tired of P-Diddy MTV reality shows? Does an endless use of Auto Tune voice pitch changing shit make you bang your head against the wall?

It is unquestionable that pop hip-hop is a wasteland of lowest common denominator marketing and mind numbingly repetitive sampling. But there are still shining points of creativity within the world of Hip-Hop, Danger Doom is the combination of two of those forces. Guest appearances by the likes of rap emissaries Ghostface, Talib Kweli, and Cee-Lo Green are met by Adult Swim personalities Brak, Harvey Birdman, Master Shake and the rest of ATHF, the cast of Sea Lab 2021 and more. The songs wander freely around cartoon inspired plot lines and animated landscapes. Sound surreal? It is.

I really need you to have this.

slap happy crappiness