Things that sound like bad drugs, dirty hallucinogens: welcome to my summer. It’s been a season of sonic nightmares, beats that hypnotize and swarm, jams conjuring sex and psychosis and so much lava-blood pouring down the walls—and listen, I’m barely even referencing Witch House here.

Some seriously intense sound designers have been working in the creepshow realm too, combining minimal and horror, ambient with gore, and the whole thing comes off subtle and dangerous, like quiet satanism. Acid without the acid, you know, or with the acid if you need authenticity. But some of these jams are so circular and maddening, I’m not sure you will.

ANBB – Ret Marut Handshake

Neubauten’s Blixa Bargeld collaborates with sound manipulator Carsten Nicolai (a.k.a. Alva Noto) on a project that feels destined for a padded room. The rest of the Ret Marut Handshake EP isn’t quite this insane—skip the cover of “One” altogether—but it’s worth it for the screaming, bent-saw backing vocals alone.

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Demdike Stare – Dawn

Tibetan spiritualism. Forest covens. Ouija boards. Demdike Stare combines all manner of creepy touch-points into albums that sprawl and come at you, like hell bubbling up from beneath the earth. This one’s from Forest of Evil, the first album in their 2010 trilogy; second installment Liberation Through Hearing drops next week, and it’s even more intense.

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Fairmont – Puppet With Glass Eyes

Fairmont’s a subtle one. This B-side to the All Dreams Are Nightmares single pulses with this restrained, trance-inducing texture—sort of schizophrenic in all its weird background warbling—but it takes awhile to get at you. Listen to it in a dark room, alone, on repeat.

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Jeremy P. Caulfield – Hush

Everything hollow and echoing, snares like crunching bones; Caulfield hasn’t been this simple in years, and “Hush”—from Dumb Unit’s 10 Year Tango compilation EP—is a thousand times better for it. Such a dark, sexy murder of a song.

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Ben Frost - The Carpathians

Ambient composer Frost creates a languorous, terrifying track (from recent pseudo-masterpiece By The Throat) that sometimes feels like a lost interlude from The Fragile—except even more gorgeous, expansive and nightmarish. Sorry, Trent.

//TENSE// - Introducing & Consume EPs (2010) [Desire/Disaro] // Grade: B+/A-

Houston duo //TENSE// are notable for a number of things. Resurrecting the dark efficiency of EBM. Doing it authentically enough to sound like some lost Wax Trax white label. Being relatively prolific in terms of dance production or at least really effing fast; Introducing and Consume dropped just a few months short of each other. And these are all very, very notable things, but not the notable thing, the real mind boggler: the ways in which //TENSE// are so similar to a specific period of Ministry. The coming of age. Pre-Al Jourgensen Cowboy Hat situation and all that.

Don’t get me wrong: neither Introducing nor Memory, the duo’s self-released debut, are an exact sonic sister to Ministry’s melodic With Sympathy. Introducing especially is straight synth-stabbed EBM, heavy and sequenced, owing as much to Kraftwerk and 90s house as it does the Chicago glory bands that spawned it in the first place. And it’s not unsure of these things; //TENSE// aren’t merely inspired by menacing mid-80s dance here, they’re copying it flat out.

But metaphorically (and pretty much only in retrospect), the EP lives in a similar space to Ministry’s first full-length. When With Sympathy hit in 1983, it was a lockstep approximation of the synth-pop racing up charts, a certain catchy what’s-it-called that the band would reference only in snippets from there on out. Jourgensen has since cast it off as a product of Arista management pressure—“an abortion of an album,” he’s said—but the facts remain: two of the three singles charted, it was danceable to its core and super-easy to like. It may have smiled a bit much, contained just hints of the band Ministry would become, but it almost certainly set the stage for them to become that band.

Now, //TENSE// didn’t create Introducing or Memory under any sort of label pressure. Chances are, they won’t ever disown either, let alone with the bitchy vitriol Jourgensen did With Sympathy. (Though, as a side note here, I’d argue that even if Jourgensen made a conscious decision to hate the album post-facto, he still sang in that faux-British accent at the time and clearly had at least a passing affinity for synth-pop. Most electro producers do, dude; even in his most Everyone Hates Me God Is Dead I’m Tying This Guy To A Grinder And Fucking His Face Off years, Trent Reznor still knew how to play “Sex Dwarf”). But Introducing is just as easy to enjoy in its simplicity—a straightforward genre-expansion of Memory that explodes its bitterness the way Ministry did at first: not what they say, really, but how they say it…and which beat they say it over. The tracks are similarly visceral, stoked to rehash all the stuff so many of us were chomping at the bit to have rehased. “Belle II” and “Cash In” beg for a dance floor; the FM-synthesized melodies wafting over “Boys In Black Leather” wink with the same weird optimism as Ministry’s “Revenge (Did It Again)”. And, like With Sympathy, it’s acquired its fair share of people desperate to call bullshit. Heard it, they say. Why should I care? Trend. Too easy.

But then we get to follow-up EP Consume and the trajectory opens like a forest path: Introducing, however fantastic in its own right, set the stage for this more complicated release—exactly what With Sympathy did (unintentionally) for Ministry’s Every Day Is Halloween 12” and the following Twitch.

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Philly Mix Tape 5 from Drew Leshko on Vimeo.

It’s been a busy week in the world of fixed freestyle. Countless web edits surfaced this week, all showcasing the various riding styles from all over. First up is the 5th Philly Mix Tape. Watch Tony Fast and others keep Philly’s fixed scene alive.

Our next edit mixes track bikes with ‘tarck’ bikes. Buffalo’s VéLOrue coming through with another teaser for their forthcoming project.

Steven Jensen was in LA this month and got to ride with all the southern California fixed freestylers. Pegs are huge on the west coast right now.

Michael Chacon mixes some of the older, spinny fixed freestyle moves with the more modern-day BMX-influenced tricks. He’s got a super smooth style.

Last but not least is a quick web-edit from Sam Erickson of Milwaukee. Antonyo and Kris spending their midwest summers the best way possible, on the bike!

I noticed this tweet last night from Sonic Youth about their top ten films of all time on the Criterion site and thought to myself  “Hey, Sonic Youth is one of my favorite bands, I’m curious to know what their favorite movies are.” So this morning I head over to Criterion to check out the list for hopefully a few new movie selections.

The list is  a bit deceiving because it’s billed as the “top 10 films of all time” but it’s actually 12 and they all just a happen to be Criterion Collection films. So it’s actually Sonic Youth’s top ten films available on the Criterion Collection. Of the twelve I had only seen (or even heard of) a whopping one. Funnily enough that one film, Fat Girl which was listed by Kim Gordon included a note from her saying she hadn’t even seen the film but listed it because she liked the director:

I haven’t seen this, but I really liked A Very Young Girl and The Last Mistress, with Asia Argento, which I thought was brilliant and hilarious. —Kim Gordon

WTF!? Anyway… I don’t know where I’m going with this. I was hoping for a little more inviting (and less pretentious) list of films. I mean come on guys, you know that Robocop is part of the Criterion collection right? Right!?? Sigh. Sonic Youth by the way is playing free tonight at Prospect Park. I mat skip that and watch (#6) The Vanishing instead.

The Men - Immaculada (2010) [Self-Released] // Grade: A

Here I am, living in Brooklyn thinking there’s no good hardcore punk left in NYC. All the bands I grew up listening to from the NY scene have dissolved and call it a lack of motivation, but I never really actively searched out the new generation. Satisfied with metal for the time being, I haven’t dabbled in the genre a whole lot as of late. My disconnect from the hardcore punk scene is probably the same reason why many of you stopped listening to it. There was a time period in the late 90′s where the music was just really fucking good. A lot of bands paved the way for a new generation of bands to shamelessly impersonate. The end result was the 2000′s and hardcore died. Cry shields and skin tight jeans became a staple at every show and rather than moshing for fun, kids would practice ‘moves for the pit’ at home. It was laughable and for a lot of people, was enough reason to ‘move on’. The bands included. Even the great Cave In went down a shoegazy and post-punk path. It didn’t stop there.

While some bands find a way to keep hardcore punk in its roots, others fell victim to the trends. Fast forward to modern times. Hardcore is, generally speaking, going through a bit of a revival. Much like thrash and death metal, there’s a new wave of ‘old school’ hardcore punk brewing and much to my surprise, Brooklyn’s The Men are one of those bands. Their new self-released LP Immaculada has found new ways to revive a long dormant genre. Immaculada builds its character from sounds of the past and present, something that usually proves to unsuccessful model, however with Immaculada they pick just the right direction. Much like Refused did, The Men mix mod, punk and post-hardcore to offer up a healthy breathe of fresh air to the scene. This may sound like a bit of a stretch but I imagine The Men to have taken all their musical influences and combine them in one heterogeneous mixture. If you listen to Side A, you’ll hear a bit of Earth, Lightning Bolt and even Emperor. It’s an interesting combination for sure.

“Stranger Song” sets the stage for Immaculada. An instrumental composition filled with distortion, feedback and one big crescendo. The second track, “Problems/Burning Up” is set up in a similar way. A long intro that collapses into a punk-infused culmination of sounds. In fact, most of the album is set up in this manner. Long, instrumental intros that are pulling in influences for various genres create a bit of a dichotomy in each track. “Grave Desecration” is just about one of the only tracks that begins with a furious upheaval. Akin to early black metal, the sound is heavily compressed, vocals are non-distinguishable and all that’s maintaining order are the constant blast beats accompanied by tremolo-picking and cascading riffs. Here’s where a pattern emerges in Immaculada, each side of the album has a different theme; it’s an ever-apparent schism in the album. “Madonna; The Star Of The Sea” marks another Earth-influence, lots of distortion, sub bass and layers upon layers of texture; it’s gritty as all hell. As the longest and best composed track on the album, it really shows an immense knowledge of music and proves that The Men are composers moreso than musicians.

Immaculada rises from the dead with “Lazarus”. If you recall that schism I referenced earlier, this is where it begins. The little bit of hardcore and punk influence is gone and The Men pull in sounds akin to post-punk and bands like the Lemonheads and the Buzzcocks. There’s a youthful resurgence to the album. It’s more upbeat and holds firmly to the saying that there cannot be darkness without light. This theme continues with “Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition” which reminds me of a lot of bands that were on Initial Records in the mid-90′s. Think more so The Jazz June and Elliot than Planes Mistaken For Stars but it even eerily echos the sounds of early Dinosaur Jr. Now, pause a minute. This album went from being self-reflective and cold to energetic and youthful with one singe flip from side A to side B. Even the up-beat and energetic track “Oh Yoko”, while being slightly abrasive, is still done so in a positive tone. More upbeat than d-beat, it revitalizes Immaculada in its final moments. The title track “Immaculada” brings the LP to a close with one really solid 5-minute long experience.

Somehow The Men have breathed a breathe of fresh air into my lungs. With my teenage years spent flipping through splits and LPs at the local record shop and my adult years spent downloading and deleting files, Immaculada offers up a bit of nostalgia. Don’t expect to hear break-downs and circle pit anthems. Focus on the energy and beauty of the album and you won’t be let down. The Men show that hardcore punk can be beautiful without losing its balls and Immaculada, like albums of the past, will hopefully go on to influence a revival in the NYC hardcore punk scene.

The chances of you getting a hold of one of the original 500 pressings is slim so head over to their blog to pick up a free copy.

What better way to celebrate a Casual Friday than with a naked lady in (and out) of some Мишка? And my friend if you’re viewing this post at work… then you’re indeed having a casual Friday. Just lets not get too casual shall we? Anway…

A few weeks ago we promised there would be a part two of Driven by Boredom’s shoot with adult starlet Dana DeArmond. Well here it is and what a set it is! Dana wears nothing but a Tacoma Plain Flannel as she struts around her bathroom. Definitely a good use of product placement.

Head over to Driven by Boredom for the complete set of the very sexy Dana DeArmond getting very naked! These get even more NSFW… Casual Fridays brah!

So it’s been talked about on Violent J’s twitter for a bit and it’s finally here! His first born son Violent JJ’s debut music video that is. Honestly, I’m at a loss for words. I mean it’s cool that the kid seems to be living the dream life, but the whole thing still reeks of “WTF is going on here!?”

I’ll let you guys check it out and give your opinions, hate, LoLove, whateverthefuck. Until next time, enjoy or something…

Download Telephoned – Keep Them Heads Ringin’ (Click Here)

Here’s a good treat to get your weekend going right, a brand new mixtape (or is it a covers album?) by Brooklyn duo Telephoned. Telephoned consists of vocalist and our old pal Maggie Horn and Sammy Bananas handling all the production.  The duo got their by redoing T-Pain’s “Can’t Believe It.” into their own abstarct club thumping monstrosity. The track proved super popular and the two kept working together eventually releasing their self-titled debut EP on Fool’s Gold earlier this year.

Well the two are back at it again with this fresh new release destined to be in heavy rotation for weeks to come. Keep Them Heads Ringing serves as a great starting point to not only what original tracks Maggie and Sammy are currently working on, but also a heaping spoonful of what’s becoming their trademark “not-quite-cover” songs.

A few choice cuts I’m really feeling are Telephoned’s rendition of Gucci Mane’s “Lemonade” into the Cure’s “Friday I’m in Love” and Maggie crooning Yeasayer’s “O.N.E.” to close the whole thing out. One go through this thing and you’ll understand why they’ve been tapped to support Chromeo (along w/ Holy Ghost!) on their Summer tour.

Unfortunately the tour rolled through NY yesterday and if you missed it…well that sucks. Sorry for only posting this a day late but hey the show was sold out for a while anyway so like me telling you day of was really going to help? Just download this mix, shut up and be happy.

Night Gallery - Constant Struggle (2010) [Rainbow Body] // Grade: A-

I will not say Night Gallery sound like Depeche Mode. I will not say Night Gallery sound like Depeche Mode. I will not say…ok, it’s a comparison you just cannot avoid on the duo’s soon-to-be-released (August 10) LP, Constant Struggle. I earnestly hope the public allow themselves to dive into the eight tracks contained within, and take the time to look deeper than the vocal tones. Those willing to enter Night Gallery’s fold with an open ear, will be rewarded with lush, astutely prepared instrumentation that draws from the glory days of dark-tinted pop.

Constant Struggle is not as much an homage to Music for the Masses-era Depeche Mode, as it is a blending of references already drawn from in members Aaron David Ross and Adam Griffin’s other musical projects. As a collection, the tracks lean closest to definition as synthpop, bolstered with the spirit of the New Romantics. But in the ambling, rhythmic industrial pulse of “Real Normal” and the throaty, low-pitched words of “Sex Curse” you’re tipped to that same sense of cinematic forebodence heard in Ross’ work with Gatekeeper. And while Golden Birthday, the Chicago-based outfit Griffin tours with, is often followed by the genre assignment “lo-fi pop”, the keyboard synthpop that forms that base level of their sound is not far off from the less brooding of Constant Struggle‘s selections (“Mary Bell”, “Fever Dreamer”).

This balance of lighthearted, early electronic pop peppered with darker colors provides Constant Struggle with a framework that allows for endless variety. “Wild Palms” pairs breezy tropicalia with swaying vocals, arriving a product of the Pet Shop Boys influence. On the opposite side of the sonic spectrum, “Too Many Men” is beat-driven, assisted by elongated, heavy words. But the most interesting element in Night Gallery’s mix is that through all their many reference points drawn from the past, they still imbue a sense on nowness to the album. Both the title track and “Fever Dreamer” present themselves vocally as thoroughly modern slices of electronic pop.

If at any point in your life you’ve spent time immersed in the genres of darkwave, synthpop or new wave…or, if you just really love Depeche Mode, Night Gallery is a name that needs to be on your radar.