The Black Saint blasts off:

Yes! My favorite official SUN RA live album! Recorded in New York City 1968. The lineup is as follows: Ahk Tel Ebah (trumpet, drum), Kwame Hadi (trumpet, drum), Ali Hassan (trombone, drum), Teddy Nance (trombone, drum), Bernard Pettaway (trombone), Marshall Allen (alto sax, flute, oboe, drums), Danny Davis (alto sax, flute), Robert Cummings (bass clarinet), Pat Patrick (baritone sax, flute, drums), John Gilmore (tenor sax, drums), Sun Ra (piano, clavioline), Ronnie Boykins (bass), Nimrod Hunt (drums), James Jackson (drums, flute), Clifford Jarvis (percussion).

A fine record that has now gone out of print.
*NEW LINK* (Rapidshare)

Jazz Planet:

By no means is this one of the best Sun Ra offering; but it happens to be a pretty fine set from the cosmic leader and his Arkestra. This particular album gets a little overlooked and possibly unfairly criticized due to the fact that Ra was digging back to his roots in older sounding "straight jazz" on these recordings rather than his more free and wild leanings. I must admit, "Reflections In Blue" can be a little too squeaky clean for me at times; but it is RA and it's worth hearing for the strangely heartbreaking "I Dream Too Much" which features on of the very few times that SUN RA handles vocal duties on a song.

Dream on

Higher Calling:

Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye - A Tribute To Roky Erikson

1. Reverberation (Doubt) - ZZ Top
2. If You Have Ghosts - John Wesley Harding & The Good Liars
3. I Had To Tell You - Poi Dog Pondering
4. She Lives (In A Time Of Her Own) - Judybats
5. Slip lnside This House - Primal Scream
6. You Don't Love Me Yet - Bongwater
7. I Have Always Been Here Before - Julian Cope
8. You're Gonna Miss Me - Doug Sahm & Sons
9. It's A Cold Night For Alligators - Southern Pacific
10. Fire Engine - Richard Lloyd
11. Bermuda - Vibrating Egg
12. I Walked With A Zombie - R.E.M.
13. Earthquake - Butthole Surfers
14. Don't Slander Me - Lou Ann Barton
15. Red Temple Prayer (Two Headed Dog) - Sister Double Happiness
16. Burn The Flames - Thin White Rope
17. Postures (Leave Your Body Behind) - Chris Thomas
18. Nothing In Return - T Bone Burnett
19. Reverberation (Doubt) - The Jesus & Mary Chain

I've been listening to a lot of Roky Erickson lately and I don't have anything really rare or hard to find by him or his bands. But this tribute Cd may be a treat to those who have never heard it before. This is actually an interesting personal example of being led to the source through direction of the influenced. I haphazardly stumbled upon the original cassette of this tribute album and bought it immediately because I loved Jesus and Mary Chain and was a big fan of Julian Cope. I wore my tape out through repeated playings and I also remember coloring all over the actual cassette body with dayglo markers. Why i did that, I don't quite recall. Anyway, once I got into Roky Erickson's awesome body of work, his melodies were already burned deep within my soul. As everyone knows, nothing beats the original; and nothing beats Roky; but these artists here all share a mutual admiration and respect for one of modern music's underground saviors/heroes and their cover songs on "Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye" do not come across as being completed and recorded as a duty; but rather as an act of love.

Discover

The Bomb revised:

RAPIDSHARE files up now for the Terry Riley "You're No Good" 2 cd.
I guess I won't be using megaupload anymore. Rapidshare only is okay for everyone?

The Bomb:

I want to write more about this amazing Terry Riley album...but I don't want to spoil the fun of the first time listening experience. Let me just say that cd 1 of this release is my favorite Terry Riley recording. I hope you enjoy it.

Cd One is a theme that Riley was commissioned to create for a Philadelphia disco night club and is a feast of moog, tape loops, and plunderphonics.

Cd Two is an excerpt from an all-night live concert that Riley was performing on November 17, 1967. This particular concert was attended by the owner of the disco night club who was so impressed that he commissioned the theme heard on cd One. See how it all works out?

Rapidshare files here: Part One
Part Two

Heavy dream:

Fleshpress offers 2 long, slow building dirges that wallow in their own distorted, hazy, sludge. Pummeling drums, downtuned guitars, tortured throaty vocals...ladies and gentlemen, this is doom. Fleshpress adds some cool elements to their mix with creepy whispered crooning and slo-mo repetitive post rock guitar lines that seem to drape these songs in a misty ambiance. While the overall sound is heavy, the compositions reveal alot of room to grow and the band takes it's time to let these songs grow and unfurl with all their glacial attack. Released on the Kult Of Nihilow record label based out of Finland.

Commence the doom!

Pig crossing:

From the liner notes:
Willi The Pig was recorded at the first incarnation of the Willisau Jazz Festival, Switzerland, August, 1975. The LP was released a year later in an edition of 500, with a beautiful hand-printed cover designed by the festival's director Niklaus Troxler. Never reissued, it became a scarce collector's item. Asked which of her out-of-print records she'd most like to see made available, Irene Schweizer immediately mentioned Willi.

John Tchicai~alto & soprano saxophones, piano
Irene Schweizer~piano
Buschi Niebergall~bass
Makaya Ntshoko~drums

Exceptional free jazz recording!
Here.

straight eggs:

Ahhh...this one brings back some memories. In an age before things like "metalcore" or "mathcore" there was that gnarled up cousin of punk and metal simply known as hardcore. Add a little bit of social awareness, a hatred of alcohol/drugs, and an uncannily bad fashion sense and the Straight Edge Hardcore subculture-within-a- subculture was born. Get your band together, write some short, fast songs, get a guy with a shaved head to yell some catch-phrases over it all, and there ya go. Don't forget your Sharpie pens so every band member can scribble giant X's on their hands for the live shows.

While there were some pretty great Straight Edge hardcore bands (none more mighty than Project X or Gorilla biscuits, methinks) comes this joke band that satirizes every hardcore, posi-core, sXe band that ever existed up to 1988. The really funny thing is that Crucial Youth outplay every one of those bands that they are making fun of...beating them at their own game. "The Posi-Machine" is solid hardcore with absolutely hilarious lyrics promoting dental hygiene, good grades, and condemming (beyond the drugs and drinking) acts of littering, masturbation, and profanity. If you're not already familiar with the old-school sXe mentality, then you may not understand the humor in lyrics like this sample from the crucial-anthem "Be Like Me And Mr. T"... "I pity the fool who drinks alcohol. I pity the fool who takes Tylenol. I pity the fool who mixes 'ludes and gin. They just end up as Karen Ann Quinlin. Be like Me and Mr. T. Drug free!" Hahahahaha...Genius! Or should i say XgeniusX ...?

I was introduced to this band through an old friend of mine when we were both into skateboarding. He would blast Warzone, Youth Of Today, and Minor Threat when we had curb sessions and was pretty seriously involved in being straight-edge. He was overcome with enthusiasm when he discovered Crucial Youth and we would listen to it every chance he'd get. The funny thing is, he didn't know Crucial Youth was a joke...and he often said things to me like "This band doesn't even tolerate swearing...they're the MOST positive band EVER!" hahahahahaha

Start Today!

Stop Smiling:

A lot of people seemed to dig the previous NOMEANSNO post, so here's another excellent album from the Wright Brothers. "MAMA" compiles a collection of early NMN songs that were recorded in 1982 and were some of the first songs that the band had performed in their live shows up to that point in time. There seems to be a stronger jazz influence in these recordings and the compositions tend to carry a certain flowing context. There is very little distorted guitar and pummeling drums here; but it's certainly not a mellow affair by any means. The lyrics on this record are particularly interesting and some very creepy, dark moments pop up, especially on songs like "My Roommate Is Turning Into A Monster" & "Red Devil."

The final four tracks are lifted from the band's untitled 7" (aka "Betrayal, Fear, Anger, Hatred"); and are home recordings that were made around 1981. These songs are wild scuzzy rock songs come across like some deranged psychobilly band. Essential.

Reward thyself (NEW LINK)

The devil's due:

Yoshida Tatsuya's amazing and hyper precise drumming on display with an impressive range of Japan's avant-garde and noise rock heroes! Originally released on the Bloody Butterfly record label in 1994. Here's the full tracklisting:

Devil From The East / A Decade Of Yoshida Tatsuya:

1. 吉田達也 (Yoshida solo) ~ First Light (home recording '83)
2 Phaidia ~ 呪縛 (live at Shibuya Yaneura '84)
3 Malinconia ~ Non Ho Leta (live at Baus Theater '85 feb. 25)
4 あぶらだこ ~ Buy (live summer '85)
5 Ruins ~ Love (recorded at Telecom '86)
6 YBO2 ~ Dogla Magla (recorded at Mib '85)
7 Dissecting Table ~ I Get My Slogan (live at Explosion '88 April 2)
8 ザ・ゲロゲリゲゲゲ (The Gerogerigegege) ~ 共産党におねがいします (Live at Oz '88 Dec. 3)
9 Vasilisk ~ Photongoul (live at Loft '88 Dec 19)
10 High Rise ~ Nuit (live at Loft '89 Jan 18)
11 のいづんずり Ghost~よさこいノイズ踊り (live @ Mandala '89 Nov 12)
12 Zeni Geva ~ 炎 Blaze (Recorded at Take '90)
13 Torture Garden (John Zorn) ~ Blood Sucking Freaks live at Baus Theater '91 may 1)
14 Zoa ~ Disillusive (live at Loft '92 May 2)
15 大陸男対山脈女 ~ King Of Caffeine (live at 2000V '92 May 23)
16 高円寺百景 (Koenjihyakkei aka Hundred Sights Of Koenji) ~ Sunna Zarioki (live at 2000V '92 May 23)
17 吉田達也 (Yoshida solo) ~ Budd (live at Huck Finn '93 Sept. 11)

Do I need to tell you how insane this is?

Pick it up HERE

made in canada:

Where to begin with this one? Hmmm....This is a record that changed my life, let's put it that way. During my "formative" years (haha...will that phase ever pass?), growing up in Waterloo, Iowa, I didn't have much chance to be exposed to scads of new bands or even much music at all. Somehow, I found my way to the college radio show hosted late nights on one of the local stations. Those of you who remember the "glory days" of college radio know exactly what I'm talking about. It seems like every night I was getting turned on to more bands that really excited me and got me heavily interested in music...not just alternative stuff...but music of all genres.

One of the bands whom the DJ played quite regularly was Canada's almighty NOMEANSNO. Right from the start, i dug their name...but hearing their songs on my tiny little bedroom radio really inspired me. When I first heard the title track from this 1988 album "Small Parts Isolated And Destroyed", I thought it was the most insane thing I had ever heard at the time! From ultra-tight precision drumming, to strangely poppy chord workouts...then veering into creepy/humorous chanting, and back again to some funk-fueled punk sludge nerd rock. Another track from this disc that I loved as a kid was the awesome dark plod of "Victory." Wow..intense! Needless to say, this band was waaaay ahead of their time; and their paranoid observations show an intelligence that was rarely voiced on the same level within rock music back then in those "glory days."

NO

grin and bear it:

Huggy bear were an explosive UK band whose music embraced the sounds of noisy punk rock with the voice of a revolutionary manifesto. The songs on "Taking The Rough With The Smooch" are in the vein of a more spazzed-out X-Ray Spex and even some old Sonic Youth sound (as evident on "Sizzlemeet" which sounds like it could have been one of the more racious tracks off of Daydream Nation). The vocals are intense and screamy and each song takes it's turn scrutinizing society's ills with an emphasis on personal (and mostly gender-specific) politics. While most of the songs are spikey, punked-out mini anthems, a few cuts are surprisingly thoughtful in their sound; such as the dreamy "Concrete Life" which romanticizes some fantasy involving violence toward a cop and then goes on to lament that "I'd rather cut off my arms off than see you going out with him." It comes across as being both tender, sleazy, and a little creepy. But with it's creaky guitar and random radio waves lulling along in the background, it's one of the standout tracks on the album. This is a really cool little record and an interesting artifact from the days of the Riot Grrl.

Grrr!

Hamster? I barely know 'er:

If most mainstream Japanese pop music (Morning Musume, Hamasaki Ayumi, etc.) could be compared to candy, then Chocolat's brand of j-pop would be considered ice cream. It's a sugary treat, but not so sweet as to induce rotting of the teeth. British rock, American pop, French groove, and J-pop all merge together here to produce a warm, organic bliss of an album that is cute, catchy, and done with class. The production here (by Tomoki Kanda) is really amazing, with lots of surprises. Bouncing ping-pong balls, chirping crickets, answering machines, and other odd little noises dot this power pop landscape. It's the kind of album that sounds great on the speakers and also yields new rewards when listened to on headphones.

Chocolat doesn't possess a very powerful voice, in fact, it's a bit thin and buried in the mix, but it fits the style of these songs and certainly fits the mood of the album. Every song is worthy of mention...but it's a bit of shame to report that the choice of cover song, Janis Ian's "At Seventeen", is the album's only misstep. But...that doesn't spoil this amazing album full of incredible melodies and great songwriting!

If you are a fan of The Cardigans, Wondermints, The Posies, Puffy, or Shonen Knife, then you will find yourself bowing down at the throne of this unsung pop princess! Hail Chocolat! All hail "Hamster"...an (almost) perfect pop masterpiece!

c'mere

sonuvaglitch:

"Peel Sessions 2 08/09/99"
A fabulous release from the always excellent electronic duo Autechre. Their spooky, splattery brand of twisted techno weaves complex sonic patterns and dizzying rhythms that are challenging; yet strangely catchy. This particular set of recordings finds the group in not so much a "let's mash every one's heads together with this impossibly broken beat" kind of ordeal; and more of a late night alien text-messaging rendezvous. Very high quality listening and kicks Boards Of Canada's ass any day, if you ask me.

Begin transmission

DÜÜL 2 the death:

Absolutely killer live set from my favorite German rock band. Lots of great dynamic space prog trippin' going on here with a flair for some minor freak out improvisations.

"Live In London" also also sporting one of the greatest album covers of all time!
Recorded live on the Pye Mobile at the Greyhound, Croydon on 10th December 1972.

John Weinzierl - guitar & vocals
Lothar Meid - bass guitar & vocals
Chris Karrer - guitar, violin, soprano sax
Falk-U Rogner - organ & synthesizer
Renate Knaup-Krotenschwanz - vocals
D. Secundus Fichelscher - drums
Peter Leopold - drums

Essential!

cha-ching!:

Many of you may be aware of this crazy cool compilation of corporate jingles and product advertisements disguised as pop songs. Each track here is meticulously composed and cleverly staged and many were used in elaborate musicals used to boost product awareness and sales. When taken as a cultural artifact, it can be quite strange, and even disturbing; but these anthems of an era past are valuable audio treasures that are worth a serious listen and a lighthearted chuckle. Pretty intriguing stuff.
You may have heard the tune "My Bathroom Is A Private Kind Of Place",
Now hear the full album

the bloody night:

Recorded by Troum 12/12/1999 at VPRO Radio 5 "De Avonden." Sen was performed by Troum from August to December 1999 at various places in Poland, Germany and the Netherlands.
This is a limited edition of 600 copies.

Excellent drone based sound. Beautiful, mysterious and dark. One of my favorite groups.
Listen...

Ruff Ryders:

I'll be gone for the next few days, so here's a little something to hold you over while i'm gone. This is the 1997 collaboration album between Ween and Boredoms.
Excited yet?

Ruff!

Kill Your Idols:

Long before American Idol and Youtube launched the parade of humiliation as public consumption, most celebrities' flaws and embarrassing moments were rarely on display for people to gawk at. But, thanks to this hilarious historical collection of audio bloopers, the heroes of the past can finally be degraded with the rest of them!
There are many, many highlights to this 2cd set, but a few personal favorites include:

*John Wayne's drunken speech to a college ROTC group on the subject of patriotism.
*Orson Welles fussing with audio engineers over his spoken endorsement of battered codfish products.
*Elizabeth Taylor flubbing her lines again and again on a rare General Hospital television appearance
*Jerry Lewis' hilarious prank calls. One of which involves the comedian torturing a caller who has phoned up Jerry's telethon (and thinking he's talking to a secretary).
*Tommy Lasorda's non stop slew of profanity.
*Famed band leader Buddy Rich verbally biting the heads off his entire crew. Ouch!
*the infamous studio conversation with the band The Troggs, that inspired the movie Spinal Tap.
*Paul Anka going nuclear about his staff's wardrobe.
*Elvis Presley hamming it up.
*Casey Kasem's infamous radio flub the "doggie death dedication"...a classic!

If you're a fan of bloopers, prank calls, flubbed lines, and just good old fashioned profanity (by the truckload), then do yourself a favor and hear it all for yourself now. You may never feel the same way about your beloved screen stars of old.

Part One ~ John Wayne/Jack Palance/Zsa Zsa Gabor/Col. Harland Sanders/Orson Welles/Mickey Rooney/William Shatner/Louis Nye/Carol Burnett/Tim Conway/Elizabeth Taylor/Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis/Jerry Lewis/Peter Sellers/Jonathan Winters/Richard Pryor/Marlon Brando/Elvis Presley/Lionel Barrymore/Don Messick & June Foray/Tom Brokaw/Mike Tyson/Rich "Goose" Gossage/ABC Annouincers/Earl Weaver/Tommy Lasorda/Lee Eila

Part Two ~ Bing Crosby/Billie Holiday/Julie London/Ray Charles/Buddy Rich/Freddie Hubbard/Sammy Davis Jr with Frank Sinatra & Dean Martin/The Troggs/The Beach Boys/Elvis Presley/Casey Kasem/Barry White/Paul Anka/Sky Saxon

I've included hi-res scans of the liner notes HERE because i feel that knowing the context of these recordings makes the humour so much funnier.
Enjoy!

the Twin Peaks of Metal:

A true underground cult metal masterpiece from this American guitar shredding duo! "Reflective Depths Imbibe" takes a bleak atmospheric metal palette and just splatters magnificent sweeping classical guitar solos all over the canvas; adding a completely unique and colorful creation. It's like Yngvie Malmsteen being asked to jam with old Immortal.

But the thing is..this is not fast...no blastbeats or anything like that. The pace usually stays at a mid-paced thud while the guitars just blaze away. Take the time to check out tracks like "Alpinia" with it's gorgeous acoustic guitars that ebb and flow with trills-a-plenty, and the track "Cold Granitic Bliss" is an absolute epic metal symphony...hoo-ha! it's like Cacophony all over again! Bliss, indeed. The other interesting thing about Windham Hell, is that they use vocals, but very very rarely..and when they are used, they are so buried within the mix that you might as well consider them samples or something. It's quite strange.

Oh yea, one more great point I should make about this (now, sadly defunt) band; they are obsessed with David Lynch's "Twin Peaks" television series; which was actually filmed right in their neighborhood. They got first hand views on watching the whole Laura Palmer (and Waldo the bird) saga go down.

It's tough to really draw comparisons to other bands with this group because they seemed to have possessed a very unique and somewhat avant-garde take on the world of underground metal. Both men were musical masterminds and true geniuses who could play, write, and compose some amazing pieces of music. Fans of guitar rock (especially the Shrapnel records variety), bleak metal, and unique atmospheric style should wait no longer and discover this underground gem.

On a sobering note, Windham Hell guitarist, visionary, and all around super nice guy, Eric Friesen recently passed away last year on July 30th, 2006.

RIP

time stereo:

ESP Summer was a duo consisting of Warren Defever (His Name Is Alive) & Ian Masters (of The Pale Saints). They sometimes recorded under the names ESP Neighborhood or ESP Continent. This features acoustic songs with high pitched vocals that are a bit on the twee side; but there are some interesting little electric elements thrown in the mix once in awhile. my favorite cuts are "Golden heart Of The Year" and "No June." recommended as a nice treat for fans of HNIA or Pale Saints (obviously) but fans of Glo-worm, Velour 100 or Belle & Sebastian might also find some enjoyment in this.
(By the way, this is a different recording than the 10" record under the same name). I suppose those ESP boys like to make things a little confusing and mysterious.

esp

Future Jazz:

What to do when you've been fighting evil forces all day? Well, if you're Ultraman, you grab a drink, sit back, listen to your own soft jazz soundtrack. This tribute album contains mellow renditions of themes from the titanic television series. Personally, i like my jazz a bit more hardboiled; so these renditions don't exactly fuel my hyper-jet; but i'm sure someone out there will dig this...at least for the concept alone.

Seven!Seven!Seven!

garage days revisited:

Killer compilation from Uppers Records documenting some of Sweden's garage rock bands during the 80's. From the liner notes:

Towards the mid-eighties music and styles changed on the Swedish pop-scene. Instead of just drawing inspiration from the new wave of British pop, bands started to get more influence by older stuff, like US garage, punk, nederbeat, R&B and psychedelic music. This obviously also meant a change of style in clothing and haircuts; from Caezar (sic) haircuts to long moptops, from bowling shoes to chelsea boots, from Rickenbacker to fuzz and distortion. This is the transition from power pop to garage. Arrghh!!!

VARIOUS ARTISTS - Roots Of Swedish Pop, vol. 2 - The Garage Days

The Creeps - Boyfriends & girlfriends
The Creeps - She's looking good
Backdoor Men - Out of mind
Backdoor Men - People in me
Wylde Mammoths - Nothing I can do
Wylde Mammoths - Run from her
High Speed V - Is it true?
Crimson Shadows - Even I tell lies
Stomach Mouths - Speedfreak
Stomach Mouths - Wild trip
Baby Snakes - She'll be gone
Cornflake Zoo - I don't wanna know

how swede it is

file under ???:

Surely the most unlikely of "supergroups"; The Last Hard Men consisted of:
*Sebastian Bach (Skid Row, Frameshift, Phantom Of The Opera) = vocals, theremin, guitar!
*Jimmy Flemion (underground pop band, Frogs)=guitar, vocals, bass, piano!
*Kelly Deal (The Kelly Deal 6000, The Breeders)=vocals, guitar, bass!
*Jimmy Chamberlain (Smashing Pumpkins, Jimmy Chamberlin Complex)=drums

It's mind-boggling to try and figure out exactly HOW or WHY this band ever came together in the first place; but the sole album that they managed to push out is a rather fun and enjoyable mess. The appeal in this record is determined by just how much of a loose, disjointed approach the listener can handle. Because this is, by no means, a cohesive or focused effort. Although each player seems to pull their weight and take their roles seriously enough; the radical jump between indie pop, rock metal, hair balladry, and covers of Alice Cooper, Scorpions, and show tunes (yes, show tunes) displays more weak links than a Communist sausage farm. It's more or less a showcase for everyone's individual talents as songwriters, rather than a group collaboration. My advice on handling this cd is the same advice i would give for appreciating the horrendous/hilarious cover art: don't think about it, just accept it.

It's nice to imagine that in some sort of distant alternate reality, The Last Hard Men might have become a multi-million record selling superstars and launched a worldwide indie pop metal rock overthrow that demolished the appeal of all the Britney Spears and Mariah Careys on the charts. Ah well...we can dream, can't we?

dream on

other worlds:

This is a cd that i bought years ago and just never took the time to fully listen to. It sat in a pile and eventually got shoved into a box and discarded over time. Until a few days ago, when i re-discovered it while going through some items in my storage closets here. I've tried to find out some more information on this group, but had a difficult time scrounging up anything suitable in English.

The Japanese free jazz ensemble known as Weedbeats (horrendous name, yes, i know...), was/is led by alto sax/melodion player Midori Tomohide; who seems to be a fairly well-known jazz figure within the Japanese improv scene. She was a member of Dub Sonic Trio with Masahiko Okura and also contributed music to the Moondog tribute album "Trees Against The Sky."

This release on Soup Street records (1997) seems to be a live recording at a small club (Shinjuku Pit-Inn, possibly?) and is a nice showcase to the band's spacious and dry semi-cosmic free jazz rattle. The collective tackle a few jazz standards quite well, with Ornette Coleman's "Broken Shadows" and Monk's "Bemsha Swing" being particularly lovely.

discover

a trip to sing-sing;

This is the 90% acapella album from this wacky Japanese female art rock band; and it is a doozy! It features 8 songs of mostly vocals-only selections. In some pieces, there is minimal percussive accompaniment (hand claps, tom-tom drums, etc); and the only song here to feature other instrumentation is the bizarre cover of Kurt Weill/Bertroit Brecht's "Alabama Song."

But the main focus of this album is a showcase for the human vocal chords of Chihiro, Kirilo, and Fuzuki. Their voices soar in and out of haunting, childlike chants into weird off-kilter harmonies that quickly derail into fits of deranged melody. Some of these pieces are infused with so many twists and turns, that it's not hard to imagine that they are using a map of the large intestine as sheet music. I'm trying to imagine how this album was recorded and how long it took to master and memorize these insanely challenging and outrageous songs! Insanity!

"But what are they singing about?" you may wonder?
Allow me to present you with the lyrics to the second song:

"Soulvaki"

Mr. Polish's job is brushing all day.
He use to clean up all the time.
He's always grumble 'bout his life & his fate.
He's got sick and tired of work.

Scale of Anaconda, nasty shark's teeth, neighborhood's feet,
old chimneys, dusty rainbow, girl friend's nostril, ears of piggy.

Brushin' brushin' he's got whole bunch of thing
Weepin' weepin' brand new broom is better to weep.
Rushin' rushin' he's got no time to sleep
Jung had been saying HA-GI-MO-HI-RA!

Mr. Polish' one day out of place, the place he hasn't been at all.
He's got shock because of big number of thing.
It's big enough to make him cry.

100's big old Buddha, ass of baboon, great wall of China,
Stone henge, legs of Sphinx & Eiffel tower, the Statue of liberty.

Brushin' brushin' brushin' entire of world
Weepin' weepin' weepin' fossil shell & mammoth.
Rushin' rushin' rushin' wash your dirty face at first!
Laotse had been saying just like this!!

Let me brush the center of your spinal cord!

Takka dune-dan Taketoki taka toon
Takka dune-dan Taketoki taka taka taka taka
Quoriri quoriri quoriri duneka dudukan
Dukidakaduka Dukidakaduka Dukidakaduka Dukidakaduka
Jyuntaka tokitaka jyunga danga
jyun jyun dakanda
Haite Haite hai-teke-teke hai hai
haite haite
Karakara
Karakorokara-Pi~~~~~!
Karakorokara-Pi~~~~~!
Karakarakoro karakoro pi~~~~~!!
Daido Daido Daido
Dai da-da-da-da-da
da-Da -

Karaoke, anyone?

Chuck Norse:

Definitely one of my all time favorite metal bands ever (although, I have not been very excited about most of their output after the Monumension album). Enslaved's early records evoke that gorgeously raw, yet savagely graceful black metal sound that (as the inside cover states) is Viking Metal. Folk melodies buried under walls of blazing buzz saw guitars (that are playing some of the weirdest, fastest, yet strangely angular and catchy riffs ever!), frantic drums pounding and bashing away with lots of weird fills and jazzy post-rock interludes, dazzling bass that drives every note forward with precision.

The thing that sets Enslaved apart from their counterparts (and probably the factor that has given them incredible longevity in scene where bands debut and vanish in record time), is the fact that they write some damn good songs! Their sense of timing is infused with sheer brilliance and astounding creativity within the melodies, structure, timing, and presentation of this awe-inspiring album.

tall cool one

Sk8 rock/germ warfare:

A cool comp. from Pushead's now defunct Bacteria Sour label. I'm not sure if this contains any exclusive material; but the Doom, Final Conflict, Evil Powers Me, and Septic Death are some quality hardcore thrashy crusty stuff that probably fueled many a late night skating session. The only sore spot on this collection for me, is the inclusion of the stiff and untalented band, Strain. I always loved the artwork and day-glo printing job on this one.

ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT-cut it loose
FINAL CONFLICT-sundown
EVIL POWERS ME-damn it all
CRANKSHAFT-up from down
STRAIN-remorse
STOVEBOLT-crease 2
16-loafer
SEPTIC DEATH-crocodile tears
ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT-on living and dying
CAVITY-perseverance
BLOODTHIRSTY BUTCHERS-water
ZEUS-splitting
FINAL CONFLICT-face extinction
STOVEBOLT-torque
16-texas tunnel
STRAIN-altar
CRANKSHAFT-ofeelia
EVIL POWERS ME-kill
PITCHBLENDE-showroom
DOOM-the nightmare runs

face the taste

IRAN...I ran so far away:

Early release from prolific Muslimgauze. Whatever the personal opinions may be regarding Bryn Jones' politics, it's hard to deny the singular vision with which he crafted his art for many years until his death in 1999.

One important thing to remember when listening to Muslimgauze, he hated the use of sampling and computers used in music. Therefore all of this was recorded using only analog equipment and the instruments were played live by Jones, himself.

These are dreamy, percussion-heavy, reverb drenched, haunting Middle Eastern soundscapes...via Manchester, England.

voices, echoes...

corrextions:

The Tom Waits NIGHT ON EARTH post has been updated with the correct link.
thanks for the heads up.

into the velvet abyss:

Wow. I'm not sure how we went from Ayumi Hamasaki to the Taj-mahal Travellers...perhaps it was Ayu's repetitive eurobeat that made me want to submerge myself in the deep dark drones of the legendary Japanese psyche outfit. Hopefully, the Taj-Mahal Travellers need no introduction. This recording is a live group improvisation that took place at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm on July 1971. Personnel for this show is: Yukio Tsuchiga, Ryo Koika, and Michihiro Kimura.
Dig the killer photos, dig the killer sound!

Drone on and on and oooooooooonnnnnn
Part One
Part Two

浜崎あゆみ:

This is a post for fan of modern mainstream Japanese music. Most of you may be familiar with former actress and singing super sensation Ayumi Hamasaki; who rose from a very poor family to become one of the most powerful and popular Japanese pop idols of the past 15 years. I must admit, I was a bigger fan of J-pop music when I lived in the States; and now that I live here in Japan, I seem to get my fill of mainstream J-pop wherever I turn. Admittedly, most of it is rather turgid crap, but Ayumi Hamasaki's early works still sound pretty good to me, and there is a bit of a nostalgic feeling involved with some of her songs because it always reminds me of the first time that I visited Japan.

This particular release is a very rare single from Ayu's LOVEppears album for the song "Fly High." There are 10 tracks here and they are all remixes and various versions of that song. This features a surprisingly strong and solid sense of variation in these tracks, even though it is all the same song. The overall sound is certainly pop music with a strong trance/eurobeat slant; although a few "rock" guitars and orchestral touches brighten up the proceedings.

01.Fly high "HAL's MIX 2000"
02.Fly high "SAMPLE MADNESS REMIX"
03.Fly high "Supreme Mix"
04.Fly high "Acoustic Orchestra Version"
05.Fly high "SHARP BOYS U.K. VOCAL MIX"
06.Fly high "Saturation Remix"
07.appears "HW Club Mix"
08.Fly high "Dub's F Remix"
09.Fly high -NON STOP Mix- "N.S DANCE MEGA MIX"
10.kanariya "fake compilation"
11.Fly high "Album Version" -Instrumental-
12.Fly high "Vocal Track"

here we go

B-b-biggety-balls:

A quick appetizer, here's the 3 final songs from the CB4 Soundtrack.

1. Sweat Of My Balls
2. Straight Out Of Locash
3. Rapper's Delight

Oh, how I wish i could find this movie on dvd here in Japan...
Gusto!

tonight's the night:

OOP Soundtrack to this Jim Jarmusch film from 1992. Original Soundtrack by Tom Waits. The sort of moody jazz reptile, creaky floorboard, rusty nail, whiskey-in-a-fruit-jar, smoked out gypsy sound that one would expect from Waits. Largely instrumental album with 3 choice vocal cuts. Lovely stuff.

grab it here (NEW LINK)

moving right along, then...

I thought we could use a little ear cleaning after the B. Zepp invasion; so here's a rare compilation of German and Japanese Noise bands each doin' their thing in the spirit of cross-cultural unity.
Lots of great stuff here!

WOHLSTAND ~ German-Japanese Noise-Compilation
*********************************************
1. UFO OR DIE - dog wave
2. FUNF - anstatt
3. GROUND ZERO - Zero 890604/china white
4. Melt Banana - Scrubber
5. Knochengirl - 1234 ihr
6. MERZBOW - Ooga Booga
7. KISSFREAK STEVEN - ice cold hut
8. OMOIDE HATOBA - anarchy
9. PARTY DIKTATOR - big mouth
10. ZENI GEVA - new flesh
11. MUTTER - wer isdt das madchen
12. DEAD CHICKENS - psycholomedo
13. RUINS - Hydromastgroningem
14. SURROGAT - frauen riechen
15. TRICK BEAT - dizzy moonlight
16. VIOLENT ONSEN GEISHA - scream rock balloon
17. SPACE STREAKINGS - kaiki suspense kumo otoko
18. SIELWOLF - rhythmisch/animalisch
19. NULL - wall of silence
20. HP NEIDHARDT - don't cry for me katja

Wohlstand!

Hurts So Good:

First of all, let me say, I am so...so..sorry for this. Oh, you just don't know what you're getting yourself into if you choose to download this one. There are tribute albums, and then...there are TRIBUTE albums! Behold...fucking BASS ZEPPELIN!

I know that I don't even need to keep typing any of this to some of you readers because you've already started the download once you saw the cover; or you've moved on to something else. In fact, I kind of feel like the cop who stands behind the yellow tape and tries to shield the innocent eyes of the public from the shocking horrors of a head on collision. "Go on...move along, everybody...nothing more here to see."

But at the same time...you've got to hear this trashy, tacky, brilliant, genius...eerrrmmm...tasteless, unforgiveable...atrocity! Needless to say, I have "complicated" feelings towards this album.

There are just so many "WTF?!" things on display here. The band name (duh), the album title (not very original, but completely appropriate), the album artwork (what is this anyway? the Japanese version of Razor and Tie?)..but things take a very Anton Maiden-esque turn for the worse(?) once you actually hear the music.

When you think of "bass" records..."Miami Bass" etc. those albums were created to literally boost the sub-sonic field and put those sub-woofers to good use. And the main focus on those records was the beat. So, keeping that in mind, here's the weird thing...the beats are laughably bad here! I have heard better beats on deodorant commercials. The drum machine is a tinny thin buzzing gnat-like pest in the mix. Apparently, when Bass Zeppelin think "bass" they think ...uhhh...the bass...as in analog bass. Or, as the liner notes state..."Analog Mega Bass". Excuse me.

To make things worse (oh god...how much worse could it get?), someone decided to throw some samples in there with the songs. It's weird, but hearing Flavor Flav shouting "Don't Believe The Hype!" over the sub-par jungle version of "Living Loving Maid" is almost too much to bear. But bear with it I must...because it is almost just too good to be true.

1. Immigrant Song
2. Kashmir
3. Heartbreaker
4. Black Dog
5. Good Times, Bad Times
6. Communication Breakdown
7. Living Loving Maid (She's Just A Woman)
8. Whole Lotta Love
9. How Many More Times
10. Trampled Under Foot
11. Moby Dick
12. Houses Of The Holy
13. Stairway To Heaven

1998 East West/R's records, Japan

In Japanese, there is a term "Heta sugi te omoshiroi." and that about sums up the almighty Bass Zeppelin. So..without further hesitation, get ready to laugh, get ready to cry, get ready to throw your shoe at the stereo, get ready to air-bass the night away...

get ready to climb...the Stairway To Bass Heaven!

Gamelan Time!:

Gamelan lovers, take note! This is a very rare cd and is mind blowingly good!
Information is hard to find online; but here is the track listing and some writing from the liner notes:

The Eka Cita Ensemble represented the Badung Prefecture Denpasar region at the 1990 All Bali Gong Kebyar Festival. The Gong Kebyar Festival competition's finals are held every year in June and July, during the Bali State Arts Festival. Groups winning first and second place then give a public concert in the city of Denpasar at an outdoor arena which holds ten thousand people. Participants in this competition represent eight different prefectures, but for the past several years from the Badung and Gianyar prefectures have been monopolizing first and second place with an overwhelming display of force. Three years ago, however, in order to give other prefectures a chance, representatives from these two prefectures were excluded from the competition, and a special concert was established specifically to pit representatives of Badung and Gianyar against each other. This disc is a recording of the 1990 concert.

1. Tabuh Kereasi,"Paksi Ngelayang" 12:40
2. Gong Lelambatan Tabuh Pat,"Tapa Tangis" 22:38
3. Baris Gede "Bandrangan" 15:23
4. Legong Keraton "Supraba Duta" 21:44

Highly Recommended!


bang a gong

Tabla for Two?:

Psycho-Baba is a band led by a Japanese sitar player named Mhayow. Joining his ranks for this album is a cast of talented players and improvisers; among them, Yoshimi P-WE and ATR of BOREDOMS and OOIOO fame. Pleasant, spacey trance-inducing east-meets-west psychedelic electro-ethnic drum circle, kaleidoscopic too-stoned-to-dance songs flow freely on this disc and the mood is as trippy as the cover art would lead you to believe. Fans of later period Boredoms (aka V∞redoms) should appreciate this; as well as those who dig Miles Davis' mid-70's output. Actually, listening to this disc is like one big "Black Satin" smeared all on your stereo.

Ba-ba-boom

No More Gary Jokes:

Are The Strokes still considered the modern day saviors of rock and roll? Who can say....but they are, without question, great songwriters. And someone seemed to think that it would be a good idea to release a cd of midi recordings of songs from "Is This It?" A fairly fun and cute little novelty treat for fans of the band.

Strokin'

Big Woooooooorm!:

Faith No More's Angel Dust was the album that destroyed their career, yet cemented their musical legacy. Since I mentioned the band in the Barnes & Barnes posting; I thought I would put something hard to find here for fans. Here's a killer bonus track from the Japan only release of the album.

As The Worm Turns