Gotham Beggars Syndicate

Hailing from just West of Transylvania, from a country known as BRAZIL, Damn Laser Vampires are pretty God damned odd. Mixing elements of Rockabilly, Polka, New Wave, John Waters, Quentin Tarantino and pure camp horror, this is probably the album that could have saved that pathetic Halloween party you threw this year. Instead you chose to sit around with your loser friends, dressed up as a bunch of douches who went to Party City to buy costumes, and listening to the fuckin' Monster Mash while watching Scream 2. You should have been blasting Damn Laser Vampires while dancing like it's 1962 and you and your undead horde are about to turn your jerk off town into one giant undead/vampire party. Well, at least you know better for next year.

...enjoy...

Click HERE for Video.

Conqueror

BEHOLD! Gates of Slumber's third proper effort, Conqueror.

Does the supposed start to the Holiday season make you want to run full speed through the throngs of living dead at Wal Mart with blood stained Conan sword in hand? Yes, you say? Then this is the album for you. Pure doom. Pure metal. Gates of Slumber is in a metal category all their own. It is called: fucking awesome.

...enjoy...

Mosaic

There are few artists as evocative as David Eugene Edwards. Wovenhand would become his main musical concern as the (now) legendary 16 Horsepower came to its' end. This is Mosaic, the third album under the Wovenhand banner.

D.E.E.'s music is of a startling personal and spiritual nature. His Christian faith is evident throughout, but this ain't no Amy Grant album. It is often bleak in it's stark musical and lyrical landscapes. Mosaic can be soothing, but more often is violent, challenging, and urgent. At times this album can be overwhelming. Edward's has the unique ability to declare faith and spiritual crisis simultaneously- displaying a stunning honesty in his music. At times he seems like a Native American Shaman, possessed by visions and revelations. Within his now established tradition of dark Americana (established under the aforementioned 16 HP), Edwards infuses almost militaristic industrial elements- adding to the drama of it all.

Christian music is a genre I would recommend most people steer clear of- no matter your faith, or lack of faith. It is too often vapid nonsense, created by shallow souls seeking only to fill an economic vacuum and not a spiritual one. But Wovenhand is a bold and lively exception. Edward's is a poet possessed by a muse all his own. He does great service to his faith, showing it to be complicated and difficult while simultaneously being all encompassing and beautiful.

...enjoy...

Here's the link for a fan made video for the song "Dirty Blue"
using the short film The Hangman (1964).

Smiling Dogs

For you consideration: The debut album of once Colorado's, but now Brooklyn's, MAN'S GIN.

Moody, pensive and urgent, Smiling Dogs plays like a series of crime scene snapshots- each offering more questions than answers. Fronted by Cobalt's Erik Wunder, Man's Gin is one of the most innovative musical endeavors of 2010. The vocals of Wunder could easily draw comparisons to a young Chris Cornell while the tone of the album will inevitably draw comparisons to other Seattle luminaries from the 1990's (i.e. Alice in Chains). Think grunge, only darker and more menacing. And while such comparisons are inevitable, Man's Gin has more in common with the dark Americana of 16 Horsepower or the many expressions of a Mr. Dax Riggs (Acid Bath, Deadboy and the Elephantmen, etc.). Ultimately though, Smiling Dogs is an album with a distinct presence all its' own. It pulls the listener into a world of frustration, murder, confusion and despair... all with a pile of blood soaked money on the bed.

If you have already compiled your "Best of 2010" mixtape for you and your cat to listen to at your New Year's Eve party, I must request that you delete Like a G6 and make some room for Man's Gin.

...enjoy...

"Rise From Your Grave!"

After a long hibernation, this tiny and insignificant corner of the intraweb has new life in its' lungs.

Beginning Friday 11/19/10 new posts will begin to appear...rejoice!