Faith No More – Epic

Faith No More - Everything’s Ruined


Faith No More - Midlife Crisis

Faith No More – Surprise You’re Dead

Faith No More - Easy (The Commodores Cover)

Zola Jesus – Stridulum EP (2010) [Sacred Bone] // Grade: A

Stridulum feels like an experiment; Nika Rosa Danilova’s let’s-see-what-happens-if. Let’s see what happens if lo-fi gets a little higher. Let’s see what happens if hooks appear, and things to curl around them. Let’s see what happens on the other side of that gauzy curtain: center stage and a singular spotlight. Because even if this EP isn’t straight-up pop, it’s definitely not not pop, you know what I mean? It’s Zola Jesus three-quarters naked, a 20-minute excursion into sorta-slick and clean territory that manages not to tromp over the haunted vibe that made The Spoils so compelling in the first place.

Because Danilova’s voice, even upfront and naked—maybe especially upfront and naked—still haunts like hell. It kills me to make a Siouxsie comparison (girls get it arbitrarily, especially when they’ve got black hair—I wish I were exaggerating), but Stridulum has a real Juju vibe about it, at least in theory; that tenuous tightrope between clean pop and hazy, fuzzy ambiance. She wails and moans and cuts like a knife, but it’s so…clean. So absolutely intelligible. A total clouds-parting experience; I mean, you can almost see the fuzz dissipate into bubbly little particles right from the opening slash and glitch of “Night”. The noise that enveloped so much of The Spoils is suddenly replaced by an insistent thicket of drums, this army of toms, and tracks like “I Can’t Stand” and the crawling, creeping “Run Me Out” are underscored by a pulse of deeply heavy strings. Simple. Stark. An experiment.

Strike that: a successful experiment. Zola Jesus stripped is still Zola Jesus, and these 20 minutes are just as, if not a little more than, openly irresistible as anything Danilova’s released before. The question, then, is little trickier: how far can she take all this cleanliness before it annihilates the personality—before it becomes the dread Goth/Industrial Lite? Back on that tenuous tightrope we go; it’s super easy to go from “Voodoo Dolly” to “Kiss Them For Me” in a single fell swoop. Then again, I love “Kiss Them For Me”, so maybe it doesn’t matter. Just let Zola be Zola—it’s yet to do anything but totally captivate.

Last Friday I hosted the 29th Midnite Till Death at Don Pedro’s and it was a ridiculous brouhaha of spermwhale proportions.  I had been losing my mind, sleep and hair worrying if it was going to be any good but it turned out that all those freakouts were for naught.  Like a monster from a drum, it was a beast unleashed.

NT were up first. Their name is short for Never Tune. Their songs went from timid to thrashing and the singer has some good Joey Ramone poses and Johnny Ramone hair.

The singer ran around the club and clanged his cow bell until he couldn’t wang it anymore and threw it from him in disgust.

Next up were these guys called Pujol who were from Nashville, a last minute addition to the bill.  That bass drum with the demon mask belongs to them.  Every time the bass drum got drummed the blast would cause the mask to undulate and breathe.  I like that they placed a tributary Rolling Rock in front of the drum.  ”O, mighty kickdrum, we offer you this cheap but pretty good beer in the hopes that you won’t break or slip or collapse if I try to stand on you.”  That’s what they prayed before they started playing.

This is what the band looked like.  The name is pronounce “Poo-jole” but I kept calling them Pujjle anyway.

The Vidiot showed up drunk and looked like he was in the mood for menacing some Canadians.  Fortunately, there were a bunch there for him to wreak havoc with/at.

“Eat my fuck, Canucks!”, he shrieked as he bowled them over like wooden pins.  Shit got ridiiiiiiiiiiculous.  So much rolling around on the floor and people carrying each other around.

(more…)

Broken Bells – S/T (2010) [Columbia] // Grade: A-

On a first listen, the collaboration between producer Dangermouse (Brian Burton) and Shins frontman James Mercer, titled Broken Bells, is a pleasant enough listen, mixing folk-spirited vocals with light electronica. Both parties have long ago proven themselves timeless talents, and it’s this skill that allows the project to stand out, listen after listen.

Cinematic overtones provided by Burton set the stage for Mercer’s thoughtful and radiant lyrics. Across the album, Mercer’s voice carefully rolls over Burton’s sweeping mix of electronically manipulated rock instrumentation, an ebb and flow of gleaming melody.

There’s few surprises across Broken Bells, the album is polished and pristine while remaining completely straight-forward. The lead single, “The High Road”, is one big, dense mass of indie folk, but when Burton gets his hands on the knobs, the dark raincloud parts to sunny skies. From one track to the next, Burton and Mercer work in synchronicity, building to an eventual end with “The Mail & Misery” that tentatively steps into a broader pop direction.

Camp Lo – Coolie High

Jay-Z – Feelin’ It

Sporty Thievz – Cheapskate

Pacewon – I Declare War

Ski Beatz – 24 Hour Karate School (11min Trailer)

Download Ov Curse by Star Eyes & Dust La Rock!

Tomorrow is the big day… Are you ready to embrace the dark with the showcase to end all showcases? We sure hope so, but today we’d like to take a closer look at the impetus in creating the identity behind our SXSW showcase, Star Eyes and Dust La Rock’s Ov Curse Mix.

Back in 2008, Star Eyes did an Industrial/EBM mix for us called 7H3 H4X0R M1X (The Hacker Mix). The soundtrack for evenings in the 90s spent on sugar and caffeine rushed with only  glow of a computer monitor to keep us company. Ever since then I had been trying to get her to do a sequel, but bust schedules prevented it from happening. But late in 2009 we picked the conversation back up. This time around Star Eyes wanted to bring Dust La Rock into the mix to help curate song selection and just handle the overall visuals behind it. Knowing that like myself and Star Eyes, Dust had also grown up a huge fan of Industrial and EBM it made perfect sense that he jump on board. Plus the fact that he’s one of the best designers and illustrators working today also didn’t hurt!

The concept quickly shifter from merely a sequel to the 7H3 H4X0R M1X to it’s own beast. And when it was all said and done, Star Eyes and Dust had created Ov Curse together. Check Star Eyes take on it all below:

Dust La Rock and I spend a lot of time hanging out at banging heavy bass parties, and invariably end up talking about cults or Lords of Acid records while our friends look at us like weirdos. We’ve been talking about collaborating for a while, and now is a great time since Dusty is on a hardcore record-collecting binge and the follow-up to my goth/industrial H4X0R Mix for Мишка is long overdue. Мишка is a perfect partner for this mix, not only for the twisted aesthetic but also because the man Mikhail is a serious, serious darkwave afficionado. After hours of going through our favorite records and mp3s, we arrived at Ov Cvrse, which pairs classics from Front 242, Ministry, and Thrill Kill Kult with newer vibes from the worlds of techno, electro, punk, and even dubstep. I love the concept of “goth” or “darkwave” because it spans so many moods, tempos, and decades; with this mix I wanted to show how relevant music from 20 years ago still sounds alongside current stuff. My only regret is not getting more new bands on here, but I guess I have my work cut out for me on the next one… Enjoy. xx

Those of you who have already downloaded it I’m sure can attest that the mix does just what Star Eyes claims. It celebrates decades of dark based dance music that brings together the familiar and unexpected into the same darkly euphoric ebb and flow. Something that when it all came together spurred the decision to cast our entire SXSW showcase under the banner of what Star Eyes and Dust had created with Ov Curse.

In addition to having the mix available for download, we also printed a small run of physical copes of the mix onto CD which will be available at SXSW and our retail stores. But we couldn’t just stop with CDs… with a graphic concept so strong and so dark as the one that Dust had created, we had to make a t-shirt out of it.

Look at that thing!? How could we not put that graphic on a tee? Dust’s visual concept for Ov Curse was just begging to be placed on black dyed cotton and kept in a closet amongst an army of Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure and Sisters of Mercy T-shirts.

The back merely commemorates our first SXSW showcase ever in classic tour tee style listing all of the acts performing at it. Trust me two years down the line when you read off the name son the back of this tee you’re going to wish you were at the show.

These tees will be available tomorrow at the merch table at our showcase, and those who grab them will get a physical copy of the Ov Curse Mix to go along with them. I really look forward to seeing all of you out in Austin tomorrow. Come by grab a tee, enjoy the show and do say hello to all of us!

Thursday, March 18th, 8pm-2am
Club 1808
Austin, TX
All Ages, Free!

Darkthrone – Circle the Wagons (2010) [Peaceville] // Grade: A

From their roots as a death metal band, to their rise to fame in the black metal scene, the Norwegian-duo Darkthrone is constantly re-inventing their shit-stomping, crust punk, blackened thrash metal sound. Coming a year and a half after Hiking Metal Punks, Circle the Wagons proves that Fenriz and Nocturno Culto are true Norwegian metalheads.

Ever since their hailing masterpiece, The Cult Is Alive (which I constantly reference here) and their best work to date, F.O.A.D., Darkthrone’s experimented with genres outside the “true” Norwegian black metal. In a recent interview with Metal Sucks, Fenriz states why the word “true” in the commonly-tagged “True Norwegian Black Metal” was necessary at the time. He explains:

There was no need for TRUE in the 80s, it was when those misunderstandings of black metal arose in early 90s that there was a need for it. Up to ‘92 we simply played BLACK METAL, then when all the nerds starting “crashing the party” it was time to get some more categories up on the table.

Now, having dismissed black metal almost entirely, Darkthrone has created their own niche in the Norwegian scene, as evident in the opening track on Circle the Wagons. “Those Treasures Will Never Befall You” breathes a bitter breathe of decrepit air into the stagnent Norwegian metal scene. It’s not punk, it’s not death metal and it surely isn’t black metal. It’s just Darkthrone; undeniably beyond any category.

“Running For Borders” slows it down a bit, signaling Nocturno Culto’s special touch. As typical with current Darkthrone releases, each track is sculpted by either of the bandmates. Nocturno’s taste tends to be more on the heavy rock side and Fenriz’s tends to be more thrashy. “I Am The Graves Of The 80’s” steps it back up with a pure crust-infused tribute to “true” metal; an anthem to the days of real metal. Fenriz begins the track with a chant:

“I am the graves of the 80’s… destroy the modern metal and bang your fucking head!”

The album continues in this fashion; one cold and slow heavy metal track, followed by a crust-infused thrash track. “Stylized Corpse” slows the momentum only for the title-track “Circle The Wagons” to come stomping in, ripped jeans, leather vest and shit-kickers flailing. A circle pit of British oi punk energy cross-bred with old 80’s thrash. “20 years later, I take you apart. You’re asking why? I have no heart!”. One thing you’ve got to appreciate and accept with Darkthrone is their song’s simplicity. There’s no deep-meaning, just energetically-composed rock.

“Black Mountain Totem” brings in the Native-American symbolism, as expressed in the new album art followed by “I Am The Working Class”, a track that’s surprisingly uplifting. “Eyes Burst At Dawn” is as close to black metal that you’ll get on Circle the Wagons. It’s a gripping, riff-filled anthem, akin to The Cult Is Alive and one of the more energetic cuts on the album.

Circle the Wagons ends with “Bränn Inte Slottet” which translates to “Don’t Burn the Castle”. It’s just as you’d expect after making your way through the frigid streets of Oslo, a gritty and frozen crust anthem. The first instrumental track in ages from the band and the perfect way to end the album.

When asked the following in his Metal Sucks interview:

Will the next Darkthrone record be reminiscent of the last one? What’s next for the band?

Fenriz replied:

Well, y’all think in ALBUMS, we figure it’s more like a LONG TUBE OF SONGS since we started in ‘87… only we just swoop ‘em up now and then when we have enough for an album. New one is even more HEAVY METAL/SPEED METAL-PUNK than the previous one.

Next for the band? I had 41 emails when I logged on. Now I have 40. Drat.

I agree, Circle the Wagons is a continuation of the band’s previous efforts. Some will cry “sell-outs” and to them I’ll say “fuck off and die”. This band is progressively morphing into one of the best bands to come out of Norway. This album will touch on all the classics and add some new insight into what metal’s all about. It’s definitely worth the purchase!

The Dillinger Escape Plan – Option Paralysis (2010) [Season of Mist] // Grade:D

Oh my fucking lord, how the fuck is this band as big as they are?  The vast majority of this album is the aural equivalent of repeatedly slamming my dick in a bank vault door.  This is possibly one of the most disjointed, grating, heinously annoying albums ever committed to tape.  It’s like the worst fucking parts of Throwdown, mathcore, moshcore, and emo whining rolled into one bloody placenta covered late term abortion. Let’s break Option Paralysis down to it’s component parts shall we?

• The Drummer: Well, honestly I can’t really argue with the drummer, Billy Rymer.  He’s probably just some studio dude.  This is possibly the only +1 for this album.

• Guitar: Alternating between overly in your face mathcore tapping, mosh parts, and the “emo” parts where the singer makes a feeble attempt to “sing” makes me want to flay myself alive.  The only respite is the occasional cock rock part that lasts about 3-6 seconds.  And that’s only respite because it’s less annoying.

• Bass: The best and worst thing I can say about the bass in the album is that this motherfucker is an accomplice to the guitar playing.  Major demerits

• Singer: Greg Puciato is probably the root of all of the worlds problems.  If we hang him in public and broadcast it all over the internet I’ll almost willing to bet that Middle East peace will be achieved in under a year.  Between his thin, hardly capable attempts at the “hardcore scream” to his pathetic forays into actual “singing” on way way too many occasions, I have officially deemed this person to be the archenemy of all things good on earth.

The best part about this album is that it’s not that long  and it’s only two songs away from Discharge on my work computer.

Ov Curse is our official SXSW showcase, but that doesn’t mean that’s where our involvement with this year’s festival ends. From the 18th through the 20th, our buds at Mad Decent and IHEARTCOMIX have organized a monumental Carnival event down in Austin during the festivities.

Ever want to listen to your favorite band while flying on a tilt-a-whirl or riding the Zipper?  What about cotton candy, corn dogs, and rock-n-roll? If so, just step right up!  Step right up and experience all the carny fun and mayhem over three days of free music and booze!  Full blown carny rides, games, as well as fun booths and food galore await all who attend this expansive event.

Set on the immense grounds of the Mexican American Cultural Center, CARNIVILLE Austin will be the event to attend March 18th, 19th, 20th. Catch live music or take a break by shopping at the American Apparel Factory Flea Market.

Musical acts set to perform include: Major Lazer, The Walkmen, Diplo, Glass Candy, The Very Best, Rusko,  Jack Beats, Kid Sister, Hudson Mohawke, Sleigh Bells, Yacht, GZA, Rye Rye, Japanther, The Death Set, plus many, many more.

Unscheduled appearances along with additional surprises await those that come join the fun.  The carnies may or may not be toothless wonders. So come one, come all! Experience the madness of CARNIVILLE Austin 2010!

CARNIVILLE Austin is free to attend, but concert goers must RSVP.  There will be booze, so attendees must be 21 years of age.  For RSVP and additional information go here!

Nitzer Ebb – That Total Age (1987)

Vs.

LFO – Frequencies (1991)

The Game is simple… if only one could exist which would it be? What’s more important… personal relevance, cultural significance, or simply being the better album all other things aside? Choice is yours…