It’s been well over a year since I did one of these posts. It’s really not that easy to  just identify albums that are kinda band yet oh so good and enjoyable at just that… hell my last few AAA posts were mostly good albums that kinds just didn’t have good public and critical reactions upon their release just so i had something to post and keep the series going.

This all changed when I had this strong urge to hear Stabbing Westward’s 1996 radio hit “What Do I Have to Do?” Now i could have gone and just YouTubed the clip and gotten my fix but i decided to go balls deep and get the whole album and I’m glad that I did.

Outside of “What Do I Have to Do?” I wasn’t really all that familiar with any other Stabbing Westward songs… growing up up, I viewed them, along with Gravity Kills were just kind of watered down NIN meets Deftones meets Tool whose sole purpose of being was churning out unoffensive and uninspired radio singles reminiscent of other bands. By the time Wither Blister Burn & Peel was released I was 18, in College and just wasn’t as susceptible to that shit as I once was. In a way I was kind of right in my initial assessment, and yet totally off base after hearing this album for the first time some 13 years after it’s release.

So I threw on Wither Blister Burn & Peel for my first real listen of it ever a few weeks ago. I gotta be honest it I was just planning to gnash my teeth and bear through the album until it hit “What Do I Have to Do?”, the album’s third track… but whoa! Opener “I Don’t Believe” and “Shame” (track 2) were some seriously catchy angst-ridden gems! It’s a shame that “Emo” didn’t really take off as a term in pop culture until two years after the release of Wither Blister Burn & Peel because this album is basically “Emodustrial.” I’ve been catching up on over a decade’s worth of guilty pleasure listens on this over the past few weeks. Where was this when I was 16 and heartbroken and angry!?

I think the truly mind boggling thing about Wither Blister Burn & Peel is that it’s pretty solid all the way through. Cheesy as it might be, these guys knew how to pen a catchy song, nay a whole album for a mostly teen fanbase. Usually nowadays when I’m feeling nostalgic and decide to dive back into an album from a 90s with whom I’m only familiar with one or two tracks I tend to discover that’s all worth hearing. hell usually the rest of the albums are downright unbearable to sit through, not with Wither Blister Burn & Peel though. Sure it’s mostly front-loaded with all the super catchy tracks and loses steam as it hits the homestretch, but the rest of the album is definitely higher grade than mere alterna-filler with some melodies and riffs that are catchy in their own right.

Wither Blister Burn & Peel works as a whole cohesive unit even outside of the hits… it ebbs and flows from anger, to atmosphere to sing-a-long fist pumping rage like some kind of  The Downward Spiral lite for anyone too intimidated to get really into NIN. Filter couldn’t even do an album this solid and that dude was in NIN, so I gotta give Stabbing Westward the credit they deserve! As far as pandering blatantly for 90s commercial appeal goes, this was an utter success.

Behold my new guilty retro-pleasure!

Little did I realize that Outkast’s Aquemini was going to be the last album of the golden age of rap. I’m no aficionado, but I reckon the dusty stacks of Rap and Hip Hop records on the shelves of my place definitely qualify this opinion. Yes, there have been plenty of post 1998 gems, no doubt, but you just can’t deny that it’s just… different now. I may start some static by saying this, but I haven’t really loved an Outkast record since Aquemini!

A friend of mine just forwarded me this article where Outkast and the entire creative team around Aquemini reminisce on the process in a track by track retrospective… even Lex Diamonds throws his two-cents in, God.

On Return of the G

Andre 3000: I was young and wilder and some of my fashion choices people didn’t accept at the time. I started getting flak from some people, so they were like, ‘Either he’s gay or on drugs.’ And it’s funny because I was high as hell all the way through Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, but by ATLiens and Aquemini I wasn’t smoking or drinking.

Big Boi: Back then, there was a whole bunch of shit talking. People just couldn’t understand how we were making the type of music we were making. There were a lot of attacks coming at my partner, so we wanted OutKast to be like, ‘You fuck with my homeboy, we gonna fuck you up.’ We wanted to let people know, this man doesn’t stand by himself. I mean, that’s my dog. It’s a team effort.

Andre 3000: With Big Boi standing by me I knew I had to address some of the shit ’cause I can’t have my homeboy looking bad. I knew a lotta people felt like Southernplayalistic was some of our hardest work and they felt like we strayed from that. So ‘Return of the Gangsta’ was trying to give them a sense of, ‘Hey, I’m still a regular person.’

Read ‘The Making of OutKast’s Aquemini‘ a track by track retrospective.

Do you all remember this classic Recon tee? Well this is the “Old New York” they were referring to. Peter Feigenbaum, who some of you may recognize from modern-day kraut rockers Dinowalrus has been busy recreating that vibe in his Trainset Ghetto photography and installation project. He builds these very photo-realistic models of 1980s era NYC slums and photographs them in strange scenarios.

You can check out a gallery of images featuring these small instillations over at Like the Spice. Really incredible looking stuff that flood me back to memories of my youth… especially to what Williamsburg used to look like!

He’s going to be doing a solo exhibition at Open Source Gallery in Park Slope this september!  Its quite a ways off, but I thought I’d give you early warning, as it would be great to see you at the opening.  If not, the show runs thru the end of September.

Trainset Ghetto is voyeurism more than it is hobbyism. It is the physical byproduct of teenage suburban daydreams and attempts to live vicariously through an alien post-urban 1980s landscape that was in no way part of my quotidian existence–a landscape that I caught glimpses of through car rides down the Bruckner Expressway, Henry Chalfant’s graffiti photographs, and movies such as “The French Connection” and “Style Wars”. But this odd juxtaposition of lifestyles is a well-hidden text. I make few overt attempts to exploit this perverse juxtaposition of place and social circumstance in my photographs. Rather, the primary emphasis is always “setting the scene” in a hyper-real, trompe l’oeil manner. Unlike other “scene-setting” photographers like James Cassebere, who works with hazy spatial ambiance, or Gregory Crewdson, who creates uncanny cinematic narratives, Trainset Ghetto is concerned primarily with hyper-realism via an attention to small mundane details of the urban architectural vernacular.

Trainset Ghetto is a by-product of the virtual urban spatial realms that defined my teenage experience in the 1990s-virtual realms found in video games ranging from Sim City to Duke Nuke ‘Em to Grand Theft Auto. The motivation to create Trainset Ghetto was cultivated by experiences in these virtual realms. Additionally, there was a desire to objectify these spatial experiences-a desire that could only be fulfilled via miniaturization, a process in which inhabitable spaces become tangible objects. While artists such as Corey Arcangel have responded to the digital realm of the 1990s using similarly digital means, Trainset Ghetto uses anachronistic, analogue means–the age-old pseudo-craft of model railroading.

I’m totally blown away by some of these and am really looking forward to the show even if it’s about a month away. In the meantime why not read an interview we did with Peter about his band Dinowalrus.

the show opens Saturday, September 4th and will run until September 30th. There will be an opening reception on the 4th from 7-10pm and who knows maybe Dinowalrus will even play?

Saturday September 4th, 7-10pm
Open Source
255 17th St. (Btwn 5th & 6th Ave)
Brooklyn, NY

I don’t know if most of you have seen this or not, but it’s new to me. And while sure, the drunk chick falling on her face while head-banging is funny and all, I was mostly taken by the band in the clip trying to cover Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” It sounded exactly like every band I ever had in high school trying to cover this song.

Key word: trying.

Via All, Everyone, United

Today, SEEN will be taking part in a segment on G4′s Attack of the Show giving away the above pair of custom Jamesons to one lucky viewer. These shoes were custom painted by our own Lamour Supreme for Мишка, as part of the Etnies and SEEN sponsored sneaker auction for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

Part of Lamour Supreme’s illustrious career included airbrushing T-shirts, jackets, jeans, whatever while working at the now defunct UNIQUE in the Village. We asked Lamour to take things back to his airbrushing days and really make the sort of shoe you’d be proud to wear (or win) at your neighborhood “feast.”

Man did Lamour ever go to town on these shoes!!! There’s a stoned Alf, Noid, Kool-Aid Man, a cracked out E.T., a drunk Smurf and even some Gremlins. Basically everything a juvenile delinquent circa 1988 would have asked him to paint on a tee. I think I smell a few “cease and desists” coming our way thanks to Lamour!

These are like the greatest 80′s pop-culture acid trip you’ve never had and are a one of one. If you want them make sure you’re watching today’s Attack of the Show on G4. For images of these bad boys head over to SEEN.

I was out last night at the Faith No More reunion show on the Williamsburg waterfront. While not a perfect show (mostly because “Small Victory” and “Falling to Pieces” weren’t played but they did cover Michael Jackson’s “Ben”) it was a great show, amazing sound and a crowd that looked like one gigantic class of 1993 high school reunion. But this post really isn’t about the show as much as it was something I realized while enjoying it… that guitar sound, where the fuck had it gone!?

Faith No More like many 90s alternative bands had this distinct guitar sound that’s just nonexistent in today’s music scene… well the music scene as covered by the blogs and in small scale TV and radio. I’m sure there are dudes out there that live and breathe Guitar Center and whose idea of new music ended with Tool’s Ænima and are probably rocking that shit hard. However, I’m talking about bands & musicians with actual potential to make meaningful music and not just nostalgic revelry. Maybe there’s something to do with the sound itself… no knock on most modern indie bands technical playing abilities, but maybe being able to really rock a funkdafied metal groove just really requires you to have been sitting at your axe 5 hours a day for 10 years. Somehow I think the internet has eaten into that time over the past decade, who knows?

If you don’t know what this “sound” I’m talking about is, it’s that metallic mid-range funk that sometimes has a Wah on it. It’s in Faith No More’s “Falling to Pieces” (video above) and boy is it ever there in Alice in Chains “Man in the Box” (video below).

Faith No More, Alice in Chains, Rage Against the Machine and White Zombie were clearly the masters of funkdafying a metal guitar but to a lesser extant Jane’s Addiction, Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers and even Pantera (sometimes) all used “that guitar sound” regularly in their careers. So what the hell is my point? I don’t know if I have one, I just really, really miss that goddamn guitar sound and it’s a shame it’s fallen so out of favor.

The only band worth a shit that I can think of that seems to be sort of bringing it back is Torche. All I’m saying is I want more!

And by “Hittin the Pineapple Express” I don’t mean the cross joint… Possibly the best news ever in the hopes of ever seeing another big adventure hit Variety yesterday when the reported that Judd Apatow would be developing Pee-Wee’s next turn in film.

Pic is described as featuring the iconic geek — known for his love of toys and nerdy catchphrases like “I know you are, but what am I?” — in a road pic built around “a gigantic adventure.”

See that there? A road pic built around “a gigantic adventure.” No tents, No acrobats, just exactly what we all want from another Pee-Wee movie… even if it may be a little redundant. Paul Reubens is writing the script with Paul Rust who variety claims he wrote Inglorious Basterds and I Love You, Beth Cooper, but IMDB says something different! Either way I have no clue who he is and I’m just going to hope for the best because there’s no way Tim Burton’s ever regaining his touch.

In the meantime for those of you who for some reason don’t already know, Pee-Wee will be bringing his stage show over to Broadway for 10 weeks starting in late October. Keep the goodwill train rolling Pee-Wee and stay out of the adult theaters until this movie is shot goddammit! Until then…

via Jezebel

Dave and some other dude in younger/happier/drunker days.

I’m a reactionary. Go figure. Ever since I saw Crook’s post from this weekend about Alex Jones’ interview with Dave Mustaine, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the man. Mustaine…not Jones. Or Crook (OK maybe just a little bit Crook). Ironically, even, I haven’t had time to sit and really watch those particular links (with the sound on)—this is just the shallow depths of my hypocrisy—but I HAVE been replaying some of my favorite Megadeth albums on repeat, and I figured I’d share some of my (re-)findings with you-all and see how they shake out.

Before I do, however, maybe I’ll just wax poetic for a second. I have to admit to being one of those kids. One of those kids who, in 1992-93, approached everything the same way: “OK, how does this relate to Metallica?” It seemed that—especially at that time—you could more or less always answer that question pretty clearly, but certainly for Megadeth, the answer was clearer than the rest.

And I have to say, I feel really, really lucky. I’m old enough to have been exposed to Megadeth’s music even a TINY bit before Symphony of Destruction came out, and I’m young enough that I missed a lot of the huge, bloodthirsty rivalry between the two M’s: I didn’t feel like there was anything wrong with liking both bands. I didn’t feel like either was any bigger a sellout than the other…I don’t know why I mention this last point, but, well, there you go. A lot of dudes even a year or two older than me had to pick…one or the other. Which is a shit sandwich.

Dave Mustaine, Taekwondo ambassador!

Anyway. Mustaine is a very talented guy (see above). I think it’s safe to say that the guy knows his way around a goddamn riff, but—and here’s where I get ready to eat my words—I’m just winging it here…steering by feeeeel—he’s a pretty complex great clever awesome interesting lyricist, no? Obviously there are some choice hesher moments, but I’m always really struck by how sharp his couplets can be…how engaging his little verse-long story arcs are. I don’t know…it feels like he’s more than meets the eye.

Which is—absolutely—what I like about the man. I won’t lie to you: ‘Some Kind of Monster’ is one of those movies that I can watch any day, any time. I don’t exactly LOVE it, but—like a few other choice gems that, for whatever reason, i can watch whenever—it’s just always sitting on top of my DVD player. Super-sap and over-engineered emotions aside, Mustaine’s segment of that movie is really captivating. This dude is a dude! I’ve caught a few ‘Behind the Music’-type shows about Megadeth (and Metallica), too, and for whatever reason, whenever Mustaine is on-screen, or someone is talking about him or his antics, I’m completely fascinated.

And so. Here are five of my favorite Megadeth songs (After the jump).  Nothing would delight me more than to hear what yours are…you can see my predilection to a particular era here…I have no defense, other than that I’m a slave to production value. Crook: thank you very much for your post this weekend. I can’t wait to sit down and listen to the dude being a crackpot.

(more…)

Photo by Ysanya Perez

Those of you who have been with us for a while are probably no strangers to Drop The Lime, Trouble & Bass and the Heavy Bass movement they’ve spearheaded right here in New York. Unofficially T&B has been bubbling in Brooklyn’s underground for the last 6 or 7 years but it’s only been in the last 4 years that they’ve really garnered some heavy global attention.

Unfortunately we don’t see our old friend, Drop the Lime as often as we’d like. Much like the sharp rise of Trouble & Bass, and the Heavy Bass sound, DTL’s own star has grown exponentially the past few years. While he may call Brooklyn his home, DTL is more often times nowadays found globe trotting and demolishing anyone and anything that comes in his path.

I first met Luca (Drop the Lime) back in 2003 when he came to a CUT NYC party that The Captain (now also of Trouble & Bass) and myself were throwing in the Lower East Side. I’m not sure what made him come that night, who was playing and who introduced us but we all clicked immediately through our mutual love of moving people through sound. Coincidentally, not too long before that we also met the Syrup Girls for the first time, who were comprised of the lady of bass Star Eyes and her partner Siren. Star Eyes would of course later join DTL alongside Math Head aka Passions and Zack Shadetek in bringing the first the first unofficial T&B party to light. That party also saw Plastician, Skepta and Jammer AKA the Murkleman make their NYC debuts.

Above is some video from the first official Trouble & Bass party at Boogaloo Lounge in the depths of South Williamsburg, (a few blocks from 350 Broadway and currently the new home of Duff’s). It was good times! DTL was the one who opened my mind and ears to the wild and varied sounds of Dubstep and Grime emanating from the UK. DTL’s “Bricks” is my all-time favorite track from the man, and it was one of the first chilled out Dubstep tracks I had heard from him. That and “Wake Up Call” will forever hold a place in most of my playlists.

Over the years Luca has unleashed one club banger after another along with a steady onslaught of amazing remixes. His 2009 single “Set Me Free” featuring the talented Carrie Wilds is already considered a modern classic and it’s gotten everyone salivating at the possibilities of a Drop the Lime album. Rumors has it that we may be very, very close to having our wishes fulfilled!

On the T&B front, the crew recently launched their Heavy Bass Champions of The World label series with Drop the Lime’s “Doomsday Device”, which is everything the title implies that it is.

I’ll leave you off with another classic grimy four to the floor DTL classic, “Like Thunder”. Myself, the NYC music scene, the world and the whole universe owe alot to DTL’s pioneering sound. And if this is your first time hearing his name, fear not, it won’t be the last. Luca will undoubtedly go down as one of the biggest names in dance music this decade, mark my words!

W.N.S.4.L.

Ahh the internet how I love thee? There’s nothing better than stumbling upon a gigantic nostalgic cache of happy memories now is there? Well actually there is. when said database is clean, beautiful which brings me to Consollection. Get it? Console-Collection! Eh maybe it was just me who it took 5 minutes before I realized that the name wasn’t French. Why French? Beats me!

Anyway, like the name implies the site is just one gigantic database of photos and information on video game consoles. The whole site one gigantic landing page with thumbnails arranged in chronological order from 1972′s Magnavox Odyssey to the modern day paper weight console Nintendo Wii. Click them and Viola! System info and more images. But truth be told I think the best part is seeing all of the systems side by side as thumbnails. It makes for a really beautiful image if you ask me!

The site is German, so expect some typos, poor grammar and funny sentence structure (just like on the Bloglin!). Spend some downtime reminiscing (who remembers…better yet had a Virtual Boy?) over some really beautiful and really garish product design. The is great for creative inspiration. I forgot how sleek and just how bulky some of these systems were. Look at that control pad above from the Jaguar CD… who the fuck would enjoy trying to play a game with that!?