You ever wonder why you even bother listening to any other band that isn’t Nirvana?
This week I’m giving a nod to In Utero, which often gets the backseat treatment to Nevermind. The Steve Albini produced (credited as: Recorded) In Utero is so bizarre and dark, that I still have a hard time wrapping my head around it. It was recorded in 6 days and all Kurdt’s vocals were done in 6 hours. It’s raw and delicate and morbid and lush, and all other ripe things stitched together in a soggy knot. Every time I hear it I think about how great their next album would have been.
I remember hearing Kurdt speaking about In Utero as an attempt to destroy everything we’ve ever thought about Nirvana. Too bad he succeeded.
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Milk It (1993) – Live in the San Diego Sports Arena, CA
This is my favorite song on In Utero. It’s all bacterial and wretched, like a leaky sore oozing with junkie mucus. As much of a vile trauma tantrum this song is, the composition has an operatic quality to it… and the language of the lyrics is so unsettling. It’s a thin line between between doom and divinity.
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Heart Shaped Box (???) – Live in Milan, Italy
I always thought of “Milk It” as the companion piece to “Heart Shaped Box.” Both songs have that same operatic/orchestral feel to them. The drums on In Utero are all so amazing, but it’s on “Heart Shaped Box” where they reach their most epic altitude. The melody is so complex but simple at the same time, too. “Broken hymen of your highness?”“Eat your cancer when you turn black?” Genius lyrics. What kind of song is this even?
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Scentless Apprentice (1994) – Live in Rome, Italy
Dave Grohl wrote this song. I’m actually surprised that the drums haven’t been sampled by a rap producer. Such a sick beat. Once that riff gets going it all turns into this messy sludgy screechy sculpture. Great guitar tones on this one. The lyrics reference the novel, Perfume, which Kurdt was reading at the time. This seems like it was a fun song to play live.
With Fall in full effect, we over at Мишка LA were reminded of seasons past when loyal mopster Alejandro Caraballo strolled through on a visit from New York. Alejandro definitely comes with it on the Мишка front & was actually in LA for a group art show he took part in at the NorbertEllen Gallery in Downtown LA.
I love knowing that our fans are so dedicated to the brand that they’ll drop by our shop all the way across the country when they have one in their own backyard. We hope the LA show went well for you Alejandro & best of luck with your upcoming shows in Miami & New York. Don’t be a stranger while you’re still out by Brooklyn & see you back in Echo Park when you make the move!
Мишка LA
1547 Echo Park Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90026
213-536-4234
When I was first introduced to Prague-based label AMDISCS—yes, Prague— through a review for gloomer Dream Boat’s Fevers EP, I thought the label would again follow the same, press-friendly principle of others by spreading sentiments of overexposed endowment by boasting of their product’s better-life-through-music remedy. I was curious yet cautious at first. After clicking around their cosmically cluttered website (much like that of a 16-year-old’s pimped out MySpace page), the curiosity started to come more easily. I began to explore the site and the seemingly endless stream of releases that they had put out in their short existence.
Born in 2007 out of Prague’s A.M. 180 promoting collective (having supported shows from the likes of Jens Lekman, SMOG, Q and Not U, Liars and The Locust in the late 00s), the largely digital-only imprint releases music from a global roster of 20+ bands, artists and bedroom producers. The sound of AMDISCS rotates from the colorful, ever-spinning center of the DIY pinwheel, hints label partner Rado Z. over email correspondence back in July. “[We release] healthy sounds…working with artists whom we want to help.”
There are glistening, contemplative dream pop or chillwave references (unouomedude, Teams), revivalist punk energy (Young Adults, Ghost Animal), Animal Collective’s hippie-drip psych (Chrome Wings), and murky experiments in visual panorama (Dream Boat, Mickey Mickey Rourke). Ear-standing interest for the record-making collective—its Czech locale aside—hits once you notice that most of AMDISCS’ current and past releases are offered up as hitch-free downloads; no email to provide or pay-what-you-want box in sight.
“The whole AMDISCS background,” says Rado Z., is based on a “do what you can basis—it’s like a family relationship; we keep ties & managers away from our house [and] when they put away their business cards, they can come in.”
Releasing free music to whoever wants it seems to be the young label’s mantra for now as it doesn’t look like many of the aforementioned businessmen—or sweeping investors for that matter—have loosened their patterned ties for a lunch meeting just yet.
AMDISCS’ Rado Z. and partner Jakub Hosek
A page mentioning a physical release—only a handful of AMDISCS acts actually have them; tapes and CDRs have been released and 7″s and LPs are planned for “pretty soon”—is immediately followed by the all-caps .zip-linked word, DOWNLOAD. They’ve released two packed compilations; one 20-track set about eating meat “somewhere in the middle of universe” called Twilight Sausageand another, monster 44-track double comp called Asapizza Anal.
Their yearly summer Creepy Teepee festival at the GASK gallery, a former Jesuit college in Kutná Hora, Czech Republic, has featured sets from Toro y Moi, Vivian Girls, Fucked Up and HEALTH playing alongside walls hung with cubist paintings. Without much bigger-name crossover collaboration to mention, AMDISCS best-known roster acts are still largely unheard of outside of buzzing hipster circles. There’s Jersey-based synth breezer Com Truise, New York transplants C V L T S who released their debut LVST on cassette and CDR for the imprint or California singer—and K Records-signed—Jeremy Jay, who pressed a 7″ all as mentionable names.
For AMDISCS, there’s no budget to mention, so the free music seems to makes sense. The imprint, Rado Z cites, continues by means of “flapping wings and wizard hats,” which, for now appears to be all the fuel needed.
In many ways, AMDISCS is a throwback to the old notion of an Indie Rock record label, to a time where you could easily trust the quality of each release simply on the label’s tastes alone, even if you’d never heard of the band. All of the bands may have disparate sounds, but they all help put forth one distinct identity, mood and feeling. It’s akin to the sort of music fraternal order labels like Sub Pop, Touch & Go, SST and Matador had established throughout the 80s and 90s. Each band can just as easily be described by using the label’s name or their musical style, be it a lo-fi punk band or experimental witch house… it’ll still make perfect sense.
Let’s hope the collective’s magical DIY skills persist, as notable upcoming releases from LA-based act Railcars’ cover project of Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love album, a remix collection from C V L T S and Massachusetts’ DC-era punk band Young Adult’s debut LP are all set to drop in the coming months. Hopefully the greater music-loving public will soon catch on to what AMDISCS are doing and more labels follow suit.
And what about Dream Boat, the band that initially brought me to discovering AMDISCS? Well AMDISCS just recently presented a split release between them and “deathgazers” Ʌ (Aarrcc) called True Love. And while that was released just over a week ago, Dream Boat will also be releasing their debut LP, Visions, today, September 30th, on AMDISCS as well. Rado Z. was even kind enough to give the Bloglin an exclusive remix by New York’s Silk Flowers that will not be on the new Dream Boat album. Check it out below and head over to AMDISCS site for their new LP, Visions.
I don’t know how much more there is to say about my Gucci Mane interview beyond what I wrote in the blog about it and the comic I did about it. I think I’ve milked this short and awkward interaction with Gucci for more than it was worth. I haven’t seen it yet and can’t say for certain whether or not it will be as good as I hope it is, but you can judge for yourself.
Mega-post alert! There is no feasible way to capture the cluster fuck that is Interbike. For those of you who don’t know what Interbike is, it’s like Magic but for bikes, not streetwear. Read: more nerdy. From all over the globe, companies roll out their new goods for 2011. For brands like Мишка, who have been supporting the local, national and international fixed gear scenes, it’s a big step to have a presence there. So my schedule was pretty hectic.
I flew in Monday and spent the day relaxing and resting up. Jason and Ben from Affinity were en route to Vegas in a rental truck loaded with all of our stuff. Hold Fast, Affinity and Мишка D.A.R.T. all shared a booth. Come Tuesday, Jason and Ben arrived and we got to it! Our intent was to have mother fucking Brooklyn in the house. So our booth was made from scaffolding, wheat paste and construction materials because, hey, that’s our vernacular. Right? Check out more photos below.
You guys remember this right? The Milwaukee x Мишка D.A.R.T. Bruiser. Limited to 50 pieces and molten lava! This bike got more compliments than I was expecting. Everyone was stoked on it!
I caught this dude trying to steal my New Era sample!
Jess was molesting our international family. W-Breast, I mean W-Base in the house!
Totally awesome godfathers of indie rock, Les Savy Fav are back with a super stellar 5th album, Root for Ruin. If you’re new to the band here’s a bit of a rundown for you. They’ve been kickin’ it since 1995 but took a bit of a break then bam! came back strong with Let’s Stay Friends. Their live shows are full of crazy times due to lead singer/front man Tim Harrington’s free spirited freak outs on stage (often stripping off all his clothes). Bass player Syd Butler started up super stellar Frenchkiss Records so that the band could be in full control of their music.
On Root for Ruin, the band has tried some different stuff. They wanted to create an album that would sound great recorded but could hold up to their onstage antics as well (apparently Harrington recorded shirtless to get in the spirit of things). Their inspiration behind the album was to pay homage to their 90s indie roots and the scene from whence they came (even using a talk box to help create some added texture to their sound). Keeping with their 90s theme, drummer Harrison Haynes created the album’s cover art sans Photoshop for a great DIY artsy look.
I have to say that this album is pretty damn raad! As far as creating an album that will hold up to their legendary live performances, I’d say they’ve succeeded. The majority of the tracks have a great amped up energy using power guitar riffs and heavy cymbals, high speed drums. Harrington’s raw vocals really cut through the instrumentals and his energy carries through so well that you can pretty much feel him undressing and freaking out in the studio. Highlights off Root for Ruin include punk vibed “Appetites” and “Excess Energies”, ethereal post punk “Poltergeist”, noise inspired “Clear Spirits” and kickin’ rock tune “High and Unhinged”. You can also hear that 90s rock influence the band was trying to recreate on tracks “Lips N’ Stuff”, “Sleepless in Silverlake”, and “Dear Crutches” (which all kind of dragged on for me).
Les Savy Fav are a cool as fuck band that don’t disappoint on Root for Ruin. This is an all round great time and must listen for sure! Check them out live as soon as you get the chance.
Absolutely killer nouveau disco/synth-pop track and video from Estate called “Nuclear City.” You can find this track off Estate’s recently released 6-track, debut EP, Nuclear City from Mullet Records. Love the Dean Stockwell clips… anyone know what movie they’re from by any chance?
It’s pretty insane that we managed to make a design this intricate in a knitted sweater but it was worth it to commemorate and profit off one of the greatest movies of all time. Did you know that Eraserhead was shot over the course of many years due to lack of funds? David Lynch had a paper route and borrowed money and got a grant to make this movie that seems to be about the absolutely worst feelings that being alive has to offer.
Somehow David Lynch was able to work on this movie long after everyone thought it was a good idea, showing supreme focus and artistic drive that is hard for me to understand at all.
When you wear this thing people notice and feel smart for knowing where it drew inspiration from. Whenever I wear the old Get Wired sweater inspired by the Wire album cover sweater people would be doing triple takes. You really can’t fuck with Мишка’s referential sweaters. Where are you ever going to see another knit Eraserhead sweater for sale? Nowhere, idiot. Show the world that you’re an intense dude or dudella by getting and wearing this.
The Henry’s Head Sweater is available in only black, because that’s the only color it should ever be made in and is constructed of 100% merino wool. Mmmmmm merino!
Мишка
350 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY
718-388-1725
— Мишка LA
1547 Echo Park Ave
Los Angeles, CA
213-536-4234
Drudkh means “wood” in Sanskrit and over the course of their career they’ve created some of the most successful black metal I’ve heard. Embracing folk-influenced music, it focuses on a strong atmosphere enamored with emotion. Their lyrics embrace Slavic mythology, seasons and poetry. In fact, most of their content is derived directly from 19th and 20th century Ukrainian poets. While that sounds like a lot of emo bullshit, Drudkh delivers on all counts. Their newest release, Slavonic Chronicles is short and sweet. Two tracks, both covers, totaling 16 minutes, show you their musical precedents. As the name of the EP implies, these are Slavonic influences. Two tracks packed with power that gave Drudkh their inspiration.
Listening to 10-minute tracks is no easy task. Even with my favorite bands, I often find myself skipping through the long and drawn-out endings. What’s the point ya know? Even with Drudkh’s cover songs, their music tells a story, even if it’s almost impossible to decipher the lyrics. Opening the two-part EP is “Tam Gdzie Gasnie Dzien” and it’s very much traditional black metal. Covering the band Sacreligium, Drudkh pays a bit of an homage to the Polish metal act. Ending the EP is a Master’s Hammer cover, “Indianska Pisen Hruzy”, again a Czech Republic black metal band. Drudkh is keeping it all Eastern European on Slavonic Chronicles. Hence the name no?
Not since their 2009 release Microcosmos had I heard a peep from the band. They’re very much a secretive act, denying interviews and springing releases like this without any PR. But that’s the nature of the game right? To be a mysterious black metal act, you have to be shroud in some unknowing darkness. Because stepping into the darkness, or the woods, is exactly what Drudkh wants you to do. Don’t hesitate on picking this one up, or any of their other releases for that matter.
Gill’s got some competition! I just found these on our twitter stream… Supa Nails out in Berlin did German based DJ, Producer and Promoter Anna Love’s nails up in a Мишка motif. There’s Bear Mops, Keep Watch eyeballs, hell even the mouth from the underside of the Keep Watch New Era brim!
We love seeing these, so girls if we ever inspire your latest trip to the nail salon send it over to us at bloglin@mishkanyc.com. It’s not only tattoos we love around here. Also while you’re at it, also harass Gill to post her nails every time she gets them did.
