ALL YOUR MONEY

WILL IT BUY YOU LOVE?

I SAY FUCK YOUR MONEY

GIVE US GOURMET PEZ

SO CRUCIAL

MECHANICAL MAN

MECHT MENSCH - ACCEPTANCE EP (BONE AIR, 1983)

totally demented and damaged early US hardcore from Madison, WI. this is the shit that needs to be between your ears. blogged all over. 'nuff said.


ACCEPT
INFO

FOR THE LOVE OF RAY...

twenty years in the game.

Ray Barbee XX Years from Proper on Vimeo.

CHUCK LIVES

in light of the recent Chuck Biscuits death hoax, here's Black Flag's '82 Demos, the only recording he played on with the band and a totally crucial listen. pre- My War sessions from when their label trouble disallowed them being able to release any proper recordings. Biscuits' drumming is so pounding and fierce, and Rollins' vocals on this recording set the tone for the last 3 years of Flag's career. precision and insanity balanced. definitely one of it not the finest moments of this band. also includes a pretty classic interview thats good for a few laughs.


HERE




....oh yeah, and this:

ANOTHER

i've been on a deep mixtape making stint. i love it. it always feels great to put together a new tape idea and get all fussed and worried about the track listing and goof up on recording a few tracks and have to do them over but finally listening to the awesome end product and, better yet, sharing it with some friends or total strangers. this one is a pretty down home mix of country, blues, hillbilly and old-timey americana. probably not going to do an upload, still working on a title for this one, but if anyone's down to trade i'd be way into a mixtape exchange. maybe even a mixtape club?

here's the track listing:

SIDE A

1. Henry Flynt- The Snake
2. Johnny Paycheck - She's All I Got
3. Beans Hambone & El Morrow - Beans
4. David Allen Coe - Willie, Waylon & Me
5. Charlie McCoy - Keep It Clean
6. Burnett & Rutherford - All Night Long Blues
7. Harry Taussig - Sugar Babe, Your Papa Cares For You
8. Bill Anderson - Movie Queen


SIDE B

1. Johnny Paycheck - Barstool Mountain
2. Abner Jay - I'm So Depressed
3. The Carter Family - Hello Stranger
4. David Allen Coe - She Used To Love Me A Lot
5. Reverend Gary Davis - How Happy I Am
6. Johnny Paycheck - Slide Off Of Your Satin Sheets
7. The Legendary Stardust Cowboy - Cactus
8. Bill Anderson - Velvet And Steel
9. The Carter Family - Bury Me Under The Weeping Willow

DEMOS

so believe it or not, there was a time before all the garbage when Metallica didn't make horrible music. before napster, before $300 orchestra seating, before Some Kind Of Monster, even before that wiry Kirk Hammet dude, there was a pretty good thrash band from LA called Metallica. crazy, right?

anyhow, i've been digging these demos and most stuff recorded during the time before Cliff's death and their fall in the 90's, so i thought i'd throw these out there. here's two demos from '82, the No Life 'Til Leather demo and Ron McGovney's Garage demo. Ron's demo is largely comprised of Diamond Head covers (awesome). Lineup for both is:

James Hetfield – vocals, guitar
Dave Mustaine – lead guitar
Ron McGovney – bass guitar
Lars Ulrich – drums, percussion


HERE

TROPICS...

another mix for all you freaks out there.



DJ MICHAEL PAUL HILARIO - THE TROPICS OF OLYMPIA
screwed reggae/rocksteady/dub/dancehall hits



cavernous sizzurp style lo-fi reggae transmissions from the Beach House, oly westside. enjoy under the influence/let me know what ya think...


HERE

MORE MISSISSIPPI...

this is definitely one of my favorite LPs Mississippi has reissued or unearthed, and its also coincidentally the most obscure of all their releases. absolutely no track listing or liner notes, just an eerie cover, assumedly copied from the original LP. and the music is another mysterious thing: titled "70's Thai Orchestra" (though theres no mention anywhere on the sleeve), the music is a psychedelic style of Thai country music called "Molam", which Sublime Frequencies also put out an excellent compilation of. swirling rhythms and strings weave hypnotic patterns with joyous shouts punctuating the mix. total tripped out sound.

here's the good ol' folks at Aquarius Records' review, which will surely do more justice than anything I can serve up:



"A while back we reviewed a cd called Siamese Temple Ball. A truly mysterious disc, with very little in the way of liner notes or any information really, but a record that we all became a little obsessed with and thus listened to it NONstop. We sold tons of copies too.
Then recently, we get a new batch of records from the always amazing Mississippi Records, and one of the records is entitled simply Mysterious Thai LP. So of course we're intrigued. We throw it on, and lo and behold, it's the very same record. Siamese Temple Ball, now on vinyl.
Not sure how this happened, if it was random, or if as we posited back in the day, that maybe Siamese Temple Ball was not actually music from Thailand, but an incredibly well played homage by some Sun City Girls-like worshippers of Eastern musical tradition. Hardly matters, the music is fantastic, wild, emotional, dense, joyous and yes, very very mysterious.
The cd version featured a sticker that proclaimed in faux pidgen English: "Flight comes to Thailand in the Year of the Rat. Siamese Temple Ball provide the lilting soundtrack for a chemical journey. Schoolgirls dance bashfully for the expectant throng. Life continues at a comparatively slow pace away from the rigours of fierce sun-light." Which was then followed by the (label's) description: "In the tradition of Sun City Girls, Ya Ho Wha 13, The Spacious Mind, Taj Mahal Travellers, Mu, Word of Life, Group 1850, and Ghost, Siamese Temple Ball give maximum pleasure for thirsty brains."
Quite a roster of comparisons, the most fitting of which is definitely the Sun City Girls. So while we assume that this record was recorded by a group of precocious, dilettante, ethnomusicologist hipsters, we like to suspend our disbelief and imagine this to be a genuine Folkways-style field recording, as the recording certainly has a genuine field recording presence - a single stereo microphone in a good location. The music itself is a catchy and mesmerizing steady pulse of various and sundry percussion instruments (metal, wood, skin), hollers, yelps, and rococo melodic lines spun out by tinny electric guitars, xylophones, flutes and Khan (mouth organ.) And besides all that, it's really pretty great!
The Mississippi lp version has all new artwork, even more mysterious than the cd, housed in a thick matte finish sleeve, with NO information at all, not even on the lp labels. We're not sure in what capacity, but it was apparently put out in conjunction with Exiled - also from Portland - another great record store. So recommended. And of course, probably WAY too limited..."



so there you have it. limited (and now out of print), mysterious and hypnotic music from "Thailand". excellent.


HERE

DRUG PROBLEM

repost from Kick To Kill. REAL DEAL NASTY RIGHT HERE. a must download.

holy shit this is hard! noxious blend of powerviolence, black/doom metal and total atonal bleakness. samples from STREET TRASH! from wellington, new zealand, where apparently they don't fuck around. theres literally no info about this band online that i can find, and searching "drug problem new zealand" on google turns up some pretty unsettling results. you're just going to have to take my word for it, this shit rules.

album + demo HERE

ITAL DUB

Jamaican records are a funny thing. i can't tell you how many lemons i've bought in the reggae realm. everything from labels on the wrong side, a label that was actually totally ripped and glued on there anyway, warped and almost paper thin vinyl are problems a record collector has to endure in order to hear some classic jamaican cuts on wax.

when i bought this Augustus Pablo record, ITAL DUB, i was surprised to hear the first song on the A side was a full vocal single, not dub at all. then when i downloaded the album, the song was omitted all together. with a little research, i found that the song is actually a classic Jacob Miller & Inner Circle song called "standing firm", which borrows the hook from Dave Brubeck's omnipresent jazz hit "take five" to an amazing effect. so for whatever reason, whoever mastered the record just decided to throw in a little bonus jam in...first thing on the record.

and its kind of a bummer too, because that song is such a scorcher compared to the laid-back heavy dub on this record. but Jacob Miller'd or not the album is pretty sweet, and if you like your dub on the deep bass and melodica end of the spectrum, you'll be stoked.

here's the album, as well as the Miller track so if you're so inclined you can listen to it the way my weirdo vinyl version plays. happy dubbin'.


ITAL DUB
STANDING FIRM

DYNASTY

anyone have a rip of the "GATE" 2x7"?

EDIT: RIP FORTHCOMING, GET PSYCHED

BRAINBOMBS

the masters of no-fi garbage scuzz from Hudiksvall, Sweden. not for the faint of heart or the PC crowd in the slightest. this is their 4th studio album, now out of print on Load Records. featuring members of Swedish crust legends Totalitär.

from the Load site:

"Nobody knows what a Brainbomb is, but with the sounds of this record strapped close to your skull you will not need your fancy pants college thesaurus to figure out exactly what the meaning is. This record is maximum, in-the-red and dealing with more issues than a year of after school specials. Sounds like a fried out speaker blowing a mix of Detroit fueled orgy fun and evil bad-assery. Driving around in your car, being tired, picking up hitchhikers and killing them with hammers and screwdrivers - just some of the raunchy matter touched on in the 36 minute squirt of brain-burned bile. This shit is better than "Burning Hell", their middle finger classic of 1992. A Brainbomb is the hit to your head and the sound your head makes when it hits tarmac. I understand if you don't want to listen to a record that rocks dangerously. I also know where you live and when you get off work...

You've heard of the Hellacopters, Turbonegro, Gluecifer, and Union Carbide Productions. The North Countries know how to churn out the rock...hard. BRAINBOMBS decimate all these bands with their brutal thug rock. This isn't heavy metal, there is no boogie rock on this, and they are not punk rock. Brainbombs go for your jugular. Review this record, play these songs on your radio station. Isn't rock music an outlaw sound? Its not funny, its like hitting yourself with a hammer. Bands like Drunks with Guns and Whitehouse aren't funny either."


HERE

PAYSAGE D'HIVER

supremely bleak and dark one man black metal project from Switzerland. this one's called "Kristal & Isa", one from a slew of limited tapes. fall deep into the void...



HERE

DEATH

already posted everywhere, hardly needs an introduction, this album fucking RIPS. not the 80's speed metal band but DEATH, a detroit-based proto-punk band comprised of three black brothers who would've probably forever hid in the shadows of forgotten music till Drag City issued this collection. recorded in 1974, this is some seriously heavy, fueled rock music with deep political lyrics and blasting fast tempo changes. the blueprint for Bad Brains? maybe. either way, probably the most essential reissue in a while.



HERE

WORMLUST - 2009 DEMO

one song demo, nasty atmospheric black metal from Iceland. random kind of wanky rock parts towards the middle/end that actually are pretty sweet. formerly known as Wolfheart. dig it.

HERE

LITTLE DREAMER

brutalitarians: i've got something for you guys next, promise.

while up in seattle this past weekend, my homie christopher brown pointed out a song playing in between bands at the show we were at and asked "dude have you heard these guys?". nope, hadn't (turns out I actually was at a show they played once and just missed them somehow, woops). so he goes on to describe this band Future Islands from Baltimore while i tried to pay closer attention to the song through the crowd noise. i loved his description, particularly of their singer Sam Herring, painting the portrait of a totally unassuming older dude with a combover who crooned it like nobody's business. he then asked our friend jake who was running the sound to put on the last track of their record "Wave Like Home", this amazing ballad called "Little Dreamer" and we both just stood there listening intently to this dude's totally amazing voice bounce around as the mellow synths and minimal pattering drum machine laid it on thick and sweet in the background. it was really pretty incredible to hear the song, and since then i've tracked down the record and have been jamming this total heartbreaker multiple times daily ever since.



their record is something pretty amazing too: spectacular belted-out vocals throughout and killer synth hooks make it an excellent pop record, something kind of rare to come across these days. i strongly suggest if you're feeling it, pick up the record and support some good independent music. look for this track on makeout mixxx vol. 2, for sure.



LITTLE DREAMER

BUY RECORDS

MYSPACE

AEROSOLS

three 7"s of short, fast blistering hardcore, all released on Youth Attack! oddly enough they all have a heavy Charles Bronson influence to my ears, go figure. pissed, hateful blasts that leave as fast as they came, marking their territory with a sweaty stench. all these are long out of print, so do the nasty and download them here or on any number of other blogs. the soundtrack to splashing beer all around your parents' basement and straight not giving a fuck.




HERE

AN EXCELLENT REMINDER

one thing message boards are good for...reminding you who that one band who did that one song was...

HATEYOURSPECIES PRESENTS: DJ MICHAEL PAUL HILARIO - ULTIMATE MAKEOUT MIXXX VOL. 1!!!

i'm very excited to share with you, faithful bloggers, my first "in-house production" for this blog. now that summer's coming to an end and the chilly breeze of fall is setting in, its the time of year when we seek out that "special someone", the person to keep us warm during the frosty, lonely winter months. and of course someone to MAKE OUT WITH, and thats exactly where this mixtape comes in to play! hand-picked by yours truly (aka DJ MICHAEL PAUL HILARIO), here's some old favorites, some undiscovered gems and some straight-up classics to get you and whoever that special person might be deep in that ZONE. you know which one i'm talkin' about. throw this on your ipod, set up the fireplace while its uploading, mix up a few potent cocktails, hook the ipod up to your stereo at a reasonable volume and let the MAGIC happen...

yours truly,
DJ MICHAEL PAUL HILARIO



click on each side to download.

SIDE A:
1. MC TRACHIOTOMY - VALENTINE (VOCAL VERSION)
2. LOU RAWLS - YOU'LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE (MIDI VERSION)
3. BOBBY BROWN - RONI (EXTENDED MIX)
4.TLC - RED LIGHT SPECIAL
5. THE DELFONICS - DIDN'T I BLOW YOUR MIND THIS TIME?
6. EARTH, WIND & FIRE - REASONS (LIVE)
7. THE MAD LADS - DON'T HAVE TO SHOP AROUND
8. ASH RA - MIDNIGHT ON MARS
9. GRAND NUTZ DA LADIEZ MAN - MY FIRST LOVE
10. (RELAXING OCEAN SOUNDS, FOR THAT LOVIN' MOOD)


SIDE B: *should be fixed now*
1. LL COOL J - I NEED LOVE
2. CAMEO - CANDY
3. EDDIE HOLMAN - HEY THERE LONELY GIRL
4. EGYPTIAN LOVER - I CRY (NIGHT AFTER NIGHT)
5. SEAL - KISSED BY A ROSE
6. KATE BUSH - RUNNIN' UP THAT HILL
7. KRAFTWERK - COMPUTERLIEBE
8. MAJESTIC - BEFORE I CAME
9. ELTON JOHN - CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT?
10. FANCY D - OOH YEAH (BEACH HOUSE EDIT)

RONI

....RELATED SEARCHES.

SWEET REGGAE MUSIC!

so i just scored this Dr. Alban record at a local bookstore here in Olympia, and minus "sing Hallelujah" (see previous post) it has pretty much every hit on it, along with a few other undiscovered gems of awesome euro-dance-hall-pop from the Nigerian dentist from sweden. one of these totally crucial cheese-jams is this one, "SWEET REGGAE MUSIC", all sunny and jumpy island beats with the best off-kilter sax sample i've heard in ages. Alban manages to throw in random and at times subversive lyrics like "Bob Marley died of cancer disease" and "As a dentist, we fill all the holes" is his afro-european island voice almost completely unnoticed amongst his usual party feel-good mainstays, which earns him extra points for just being...well...weird. if you have a penchant for wonky 90's dancehall and don't mind it cut with a strong serving of Ace of Base euro flavor, then this jam's for you!



SWEET REGGAE MUSIC

IRRWISCH

absolutely my favorite black metal discovery of the year is this very well-done demo from dutch dismalists IRRWISCH. pummeling and dark as fuck but with a surprising amount of melodic parts that aren't in the slightest way cheesy or riff-y. the first track is totally CRUSHING. as far as i know this demo from 2008 is the only release so far, but if there's more coming it'll totally be worth the wait.

HERE

Jim O'Rourke...

awesome and thorough blog BIGFATSATANIST just posted a huge wealth of early Jim O'Rourke recordings from the late 80's/early 90's, most of them issued on cassette, to commemorate the release of his new album THE VISITOR (on drag city). these are pretty far off from his more pop-oriented works on albums like EUREKA and INSIGNIFICANCE, landing more in the realm of electro-acoustic drone, free-improv guitar and ambient composition. fans of jim's electronic works will dig these early recordings' dark, brooding and pleasantly lo-fi sound.




blog post HERE

ROCKERS FROM CHANNEL ONE

deep, classic zero-bullshit reggae right here. true weed smoking music for yr dome. 'nuff said.


HERE

ONE MISSISSIPPI, TWO MISSISSIPPI...

i finally got to visit the store of my favorite label (if you read this thing then you know how much i gush about them), the mighty Mississippi Records in Portland. besides it being everything i could have ever hoped it would be (maybe a slight exaggeration) as well as a thorough bummer for my current financial status, i was able to finally cop a few of the mississippi mixtapes, which if you've been following are just as great as most of their official releases. i especially like how most of the mixes aren't exclusively "rarities", that a few of the tracks are recognizable hits you can hum along to when they pop up randomly amidst new treasures. of the 5 tapes i picked up these two have been the best so far. the Phillip Cohran track (side A, track 2 on "Fables of Faubus") is well worth the entire download, so so good.


thanks to Rootstrata for posting these and many others



Mississippi Records Tape Series, Vol. 19 - Fables Of Faubus: Mythic & Political Jazz
HERE





Mississippi Records Tape Series, Vol. 24 - Like I’m Dying: Ska, Rocksteady & Dub
HERE


***its my 50th post! at one point i would have never thought i would keep it up for this long***

DIMPZ

Dimples slugging out "TERMINATOR" at Healthy Times Fun Club. best show of tour, hands down.

PLASTIC SOUL

we listened to this at some point on a lengthy drive on the tour with Dimples and Teen Suicide last week and I was instantly reminded of how much I love this band, despite not having listened to them in a few years. classic san diego rock n' roll with a far more bare-bones approach. the overall sound is fuzzy and raw, interjected with silly faux radio banter and a heaping helping of weirdo beehive humor to get you through the night. the sleaze factor of this record is totally what makes it; I can't help but feeling like it was recorded in one go over a ton of booze and other unmentionables. bar rock from the wrong side of town, most definitely. featuring members of Rocket From The Crypt, Hot Snakes, Tanner, Red Aunts and Tourettes Lautrec.

HERE

PAYCHECK...

just finished out tour with the almighty DIMPLES and TEEN SUICIDE and had an amazing time all up and down the west coast (sickness aside). now posted up in olympia, wa for a few months till i move back to sweden. my life is hectic as fuck sometimes, but its nice to be able to approach every day with no expectations.

anyhow, just a quickie, here's the decided ultimate tour jam selectaaah, jah jah...




with this song, i've officially turned a major corner on country. life is great!

LYSOL

seriously heavy ripper. Melvins at perhaps their best moment, with Joe Preston (THRONES) on bass. play this extremely loud, ok?

HERE

CHLANGDEN 002: CAMBODIAN BALLADS

unknown cambodian pop ballads from the absolutely massive Chlangden series. cannot say that i know a ton about this stuff, but if you enjoy it, here is a HUGE AMOUNT of the label's catalog for download. pretty chilled out all around, sometimes totally beautiful, sometimes so syrup-y sweet and cheesy its almost revolting. fans of Sumblime Frequencies and the like will enjoy this stuff for sure. not a total winner but there are some very awesome tracks that bring to mind the "sound of travelers" tape on plustapes that i've been missing so much (see my "want list" a few posts back). sorry but no track listing or artists names on this one, its how it arrived, but most likely a bulk of the male vocals are from SINN SISAMOUTH, the "King of Khmer Music". thanks Ben!



















HERE
***note: not the actual album art***

FIGHT ON, YOUR TIME AIN'T LONG

another out of print collection of incredible gospel blues from the masters at Mississippi Records. this one is a little bit more dark and downer than a few of their others, which I have to say makes it my favorite of their compilation releases. tons of heavy hitters on this one, every track is beautiful and as always the finest mastering and packaging for your money's worth. of everything the label's released thus far this one has had the most play on my deck. enjoy!



HERE

ITS WU TANG ONE TONIGHT!

this is absolutely PRICELESS material for the true wu heads out there, if its somehow slipped under yr radar...


question: what happens when you let dirty, method, RZA and masta killa loose in the studio on BBC's esteemed Tim Westwood show, with open phone lines full of their adoring british fans?



answer: THIS


dirty quotes for daaaaaays...

THUG SHIT

fav traxxx at the moment:







i love you kristin!

THE LOWBORN

some friends and friends of friends put together by far one of the most fucked up, psychedelic films i've ever bared witness to, and i had the pleasure of attending the first screening of it last night. from YDGN (you're a damn good ninja) productions from san francisco, here's the trailer for the movie you've never heard about that will probably induce vomiting, THE LOWBORN:



YDGN YOUTUBE CHANNEL

REV. GARY DAVIS

so way back in the glory days of the mid-2000's, my friends and i took a road trip from southern california to the promised land of san francisco and oakland. i actually can't remember if we were on tour with our "band" at the time, because a couple of these trips went down before i eventually moved to the bay, but while walking back to the car in berkeley from amoeba, we literally just happened upon this cd. freshly purchased and brand-new in a rasputin records bag, it had probably just been bought and dropped, but with nobody else in sight, we took it for our own. none of us had ever heard of Reverend Gary Davis, none of us really even listened to old time gospel blues, but as soon as we got in the car and put this one in the stereo we all instantly fell in love with Davis' honest and timeless style. we listened to it pretty much exclusively for the rest of the trip, and in turn all became die-hard fan's of his beautifully gritty gospel.

from the R. Crumb "Heroes of the Blues" series, this collection compiles the best of Gary Davis' classic works. with no hesitation, this is one of if not the most favorite collection of country gospel blues, and coincidentally my formal introduction to the genre. enjoy!



















HERE

BIO

SKUGGEHEIM

SKUGGEHEIM - VINTERRIKETS KONGE (Fossbrenna Creations, 2007)

true norwegian black metal that can hold its weight with the classics. skin peeling lo-fi howl and furious breakneck blasts over cavernous and generally original-sounding riffs, if its pure filth and evil you're seeking look no further. crocodile kenny tossed me a bone and gave me his extra copy of this tape, Skuggeheim's 2007 demo "Vinterrikets Konge" and even though i hadn't listened to it in a few months it still holds up as one of the best black metal tapes i've heard in a long long time, maybe ever. also, just because, their name translates to mean "shadow home". brutal.

HERE

PRAISE THE SKULL

FUCK, i have been waiting for this for a long time now...

BRAND NEW BASTARD NOISE RECORDINGS
(CURRENT LINEUP OF NELSON/WALKER/WOOD)

LISTEN HERE

these are seriously ripping my face off, unyielding brutality as only wood can bring it!


other things of mention:

-upcoming BASTARD NOISE/ENDLESS BLOCKADE SPLIT? yes.
-oh and this:

available HERE



...it's raining bastard.

Det går bra nu...

swede thug

so long, mike...

i think everyone has to know by now that the king of pop passed on, and its pretty much a bummer to anyone who's ever loved his music, in spite of all the shit the world stirred up around the poor dude. anyhow, i think my favorite comic character from chris onstad's outstanding webcomic ACHEWOOD (achewood.com) had a few good things to stay about michael's passing, so reposted from the achewood site, here's Ray Smuckles' take on the whole thing:

________________________________________________


On the Sudden Passing of Michael Jackson.
Raymond Q. Smuckles
President, Prime Time Records

It’s bad. It’s bad around here. It’s like today was fake. Even the sunlight seems staged. I wish they’d take it away.

When I got the Celebrity Death Beep on my Blackberry, I blew it off as a dumb rumor. That service is good, but I can see it makin’ mistakes. A false headline at, like, The Onion coulda’ triggered it. Michael had an eye on his health constantly. You know that about him. We all know the lengths he went to for health. Dude slept in a hyperbaric chamber. I like my health, but I ain’t gonna go that far, you know? Michael’s health was, to him, a special, magical thing. Something worth machines.

What I think a lotta folks are feelin’ now is a regret. Not regret that a man died; no. They regret that for almost three decades they been mockin’ this guy. This guy who wrote Thriller, and PYT, and Billie Jean. You know who you are, you Michael deniers, listenin’ to your The Cure or Aerosmith. You always considered Michael’s music silly. Not serious. Lame, mainstream. “Popular.” And his life — everyone gets a kick outta’ watchin’ the mighty fall. It sells paper. It makes us feel falsely superior, from our low places. Yet now, now that he’ll never sing another note, you listen to those songs anew —ABC, I Want You Back, Beat It — and you know who he was. Michael had more talent in his little finger than any act today has among four men. Try wakin’ up tomorrow and writin’ We Are The World. See what you come up with. See if you can get Stevie and Tina to come down to the studio, along with Bruce and Billy and twenty other people who cost a whole hell of a lotta money at the time.

Michael was our music. The next time you’re out alone in your car, and Smooth Criminal comes on, it’s gonna mean somethin’ different to you. You’re not gonna change it this time. You’re gonna hear it and think to yourself, “I missed knowin’ his music in the moment.” I don’t blame The Cure. That was your call. The Cure is just out there, like car horns or people who make noise when they cry. The Cure is a choice. When we hear Michael, it is not a choice to feel the beat. It is not a choice to cock your head and straighten all the fingers on your right hand.

His story went out like a light today, and now all we have is his music. He can’t make any more mistakes.* We can’t say anything bad about him anymore.**

R.I.P., Michael. You moved more wax than anybody, player.***

-=Ray Smuckles=-
Achewood Estates, CA
June 25, 2009

* Unless there is something weird in his will.
** I wish this were true.
*** Except: The Beatles (they had a huge head start), Elvis (even bigger head start), and Bing Crosby (40-year head start, and declining super-fast).

________________________________________________

i hope you're moonwalking somewhere thats way cooler than this heap of a planet, mr. jackson. maybe even on the moon?

HIS RETURN

harmonic doom? heavy new age? anthemic drone? i'm allergic to using catch-all's like "ambient" or "expirimental", and its good too because neither could adequately describe GROWING's 3rd LP from 2005, His Return. huge huge huge sound here, great headphones music. i don't think anyone listening to this will get the "guitar and bass duo" feel from it, and its amazing because thats exactly whats going on. if you ever get a chance to catch them live, their volume will PUNISH your ears, but you might not expect it from the beautiful sound of this record. a different kind of amplifier worship that could hang just as easily with BORIS and EARTH as it could with TANGERINE DREAM.

HERE

WANT WANT WANT

probably will be to no avail, but i've been trying to track down a few recordings i haven't yet drudged up from the quarries of the internetsss.

message me if you got 'em, we could do a trade thing?


TRAVELLERS - SOUND OF TRAVELLERS cassette (plus tapes, 2009)


sadly, i own this tape but destroyed it upon arrival to sweden in our roommate's cheap portable player. fucking weak. total chilled out summertime vibes that i wish i had on these hot days.

same goes to any other rips of plustapes releases (theres gotta be someone out there...)

MIGHTY TURBINES - BEST OF MIGHTY TURBINES (steel records, 19??)


laid back sunny steel drum reggae. i've been known to have a pretty strong distaste for steel drums, but this record jams. my friend plays a cut off this every time we spin records together and it always leaves me wanting more.

-------------

thats about it for now. probably will add more later.

new hawnay troof video...

so i guess i've got a "cameo" the new hawnay troof video for "two week bruise", directed by matt garron. its stuff like this that makes me miss the states the most!

enjoy:

SCAPEGOAT

real powerviolence band from boston. total CROSSED OUT worship going on and thats alright by me. record is still available (3rd pressing) from PAINKILLER so grab it if you like it. this stuff is harrrrd.

HERE

EV'RYONE LISTENS TO RAP MUSIC NOW...

the only "punk" record i brought in my case of LPs i took along to sweden is the totally ridiculous double 8" vinyl reissue of the WRANGLER BRUTES self-released cassette from 2005, so i've been listening to it pretty much non-stop. since it came out, this spastic tape has been on constant rotation for when i just want to listen to something fast and fucked, the way that only a Sam McPheeters project could bring it. from members of BORN AGAINST, MEN'S RECOVERY PROJECT, NAZTI SKINZ, and FAST FORWARD who could expect anything less than blasting, blistering hardcore with a heavy black flag-style lean and totally unhinged vocals? 16 songs in just a few more than 16 minutes, the way a punk record should be.

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and also:

SUMMER OF SKATE

summer '09 is officially the SUMMER OF SKATE. it fucking rules, everyone i know is getting in on it, copping boards and hitting the street. where im living for the time being in malmö is fortunate enough to have some of the nicest skateparks i've ever seen, and since its full-on summer here more or less, all your friends whether riding or not are hanging out till the late hours of the evening at the park, taking turns riding each other's boards and feeling out new runs on the amazingly smooth concrete. its a little overcast today, but still warm, so we're making a picnic to take to the beach (yes, the beach, in sweden), then hitting the park after to chill and ride. perfect fucking days.

thanks to my homie seth for turning me on to this wacky bizness:




anton, if you're reading this, COME TO MALMO NOW! shred 4 eternity, RIP-pin'

MALCOLM X MEMORIAL...

another scorching reissue from mississippi records thats now just as much out of print as the original release.

"An early member of the Sun Ra Arkestra, Philip Cohran went on to record & self-release this LP in 1968, originally in an edition of 1,000. Cohran was a personal friend of Malcolm X, & this is a concept album musically telling the story of Malcolm's political & spiritual journey. It features a tight groove-oriented band (which later evolved into the Pharaohs, & then Earth, Wind, & Fire!) who explore soul, jazz, & Middle Eastern rhythms. A politically radical & intense recording not to be missed. Philip Cohran is a much under-appreciated musical genius, & we are proud to reissue this album for the first time on vinyl. Gatefold LP with archival photos & liner notes."

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RA-DOGGIN'

i've never been able to figure out what the song they play around 2:30 is, if anyone has any leads clue me in.



marshall allen totally ripping sound a new one. i love the panning shots where you can see the percussionists wearing the wizard costumes. so good.

THE CREATOR HAS A MASTER PLAN...

cosmic and ethereal free jazz classic from arguably one of the deepest dudes the game has brought forth. spiritual music of the highest ordinance. Pharoah's tenor on the opening of this record and throughout is incredible, so rich and soulful and blissed out. not exactly an every-day listener for me, but every time i put this album on its the right time.

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MORE INFO

LACK OF INTEREST - TRAPPED INSIDE (SLAP A HAM, 1999)

long outta print, fucking ridiculously fast OG west coast powerviolence with human/pitbull hybrid vocals and some of the worst album art of all time. chris "daddy" dodge released this one on slap a ham (he also plays bass with them now). get into it.

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98 YEAR OLD FRIDGERATOR

ASH RA - BLACKOUTS (1977)

ambient prog and tropical wizard shreddery from kraut legends Ash Ra.

after Ash Ra Tempel (as they were titled in their first incarnation) played their last concert in 1973, the group remained dormant for a few years till re-forming as Ash Ra, a vehicle for more synthesizer based progressive rock music. Blackouts, their 1977 album, is a dense and dreamy recording. sparse and locked-in analog drum machine holds down the fort while floating thick layers of synths and delayed guitar shredding ascend high up into the far reaches of the atmosphere. the way the record was first described to me by my buddy nate was simply "tropical", which seems apt for a lot of the tracking on this record, especially so on the songs where the guitars sound close to hawaiian lap steel playing. the album does kind of have a "age of technology" computer vibe throughout too, and there are moments of total prog meltdown on tracks like "don't trust the kids", where dueling synths and guitars slowly build momentum till it all comes to a chaotic oscillating close. the triumphant closer "lotus, parts I-IV", almost plays out like a funky version of "chariots of fire" at parts, before shifting moods into darker territories, only to sail back to the beach for a victorious close. hammock music for coconut-cracking, acid-soaked summer afternoons meets computer wizard fantasy? you decide, i guess...

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ON A ROPE

when i have the house all to myself, and i want to listen to loud fucking ROCK AND ROLL music and pump my fist in solitude, this is ultimately what i want to listen to. for the haters: sorry if you don't "get it", your loss i suppose. for the lovers and first-timers: simply put, this is fucking ROCK MUSIC the way ROCK MUSIC is supposed to sound. with huge distorted guitars, anvil-heavy drums, sandpaper vocals and peppered with complimentary horn arrangements. from my hometown of san diego, the ultimate mid-90's classic from the finest city's favorite sons, ROCKET FROM THE MOTHERFUCKING CRYPT.



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IF YOU DON'T KNEAD 'EM, I DON'T EAT 'EM!

so i kind of knew it was coming, but i somehow let it slip my brain, and man was i ever excited whilst blog-surfing the other day to come across the brand new LONGMONT POTION CASTLE cd, Vol. 7! mr. castle really upp'd his game for this one and it pays off so well. a good healthy mix of extended outtakes from classic calls, brand new unheard gems and of course some amazing metal shredding under a senseless blur of cut-up oldies.

a little while back i posted the historic Vol. 4 collection, but for those new and unfamiliar, Longmont Potion Castle is a one-man surreal prank call unit from the suburbs of Denver. since the late 80's he's been disturbing the peace with his signature fucked up vernacular and effects-damaged tactics. this new disc is close to being the most outrageous to date. UPS calls to Alex Trebek, Rick Derringer and Eddie Money! more Radio Shack and Orange Julius assault! Vol. 7 is way more effects-laden then past efforts, with hilarious warbled speeds to couple his classic delay onslaught, as well as this brutal action movie type yell thats a welcome new addition to his familiar bag of tricks.

thanks to the dudes over at Lucid Media for posting this, and if you're a freak like i am for this shit, consider buying the album direct from LPC himself.



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HELLO AFRIKA, TELL ME HOW YOU DOIN'?

so im based here sweden for the time, where i guess a sort of 90's retro mockery thing not unlike the US' is going on, you know where 20 somethings like myself actively listen to bad music from their past and laugh about how much they liked it while being internally conflicted about whether they really still do or not? maybe its not that harsh, just innocent nostalgia, but however you slice it swedish kids who lived through the 90's all seem to know at least a few songs by the nigerian dentist-cum-pop star from stockholm known as Dr. Alban (or at least remember his wacky hair).

Alban did the euro-techno-pop thing with a reggae/dancehall/world beat type twist, which launched him to the top of the charts in sweden and other parts of the EU with singles like "hello afrika", a nod to his native land, and "sing hallelujah", which...i guess is just about partying. or something. all the goofy synths, prosthetic drumming and Snow-style dancehall fast raps you could ever want are here on Alban's collection of greatest hits. a classic is "no coke", Alban's anti-drug statement, with its catchy chorus (sung in his thick acccented monotone voice) "no coke/ no heroin/ no hash-hash/ no amphetamine". if silly euro-party anthems are your sort of thing, then this is definitely your day.




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GO BANKRUPT AND DIE

doc dart is one intensely defiant motherfucker. as the frontman for the crucifucks, dart squelched and screamed every obscenity he could muster up in his angry brain. authority was a mere plaything for him, a game with highly adaptable playing strategies. doc didn't only talk about the things that he thought was wrong with the world, he fought them barefisted and spitting.

this, the first crucifucks album, spares no words. doc's nasal yell matches his witty anti-everything lyrics so perfectly. songs like "go bankrupt and die" and "legal genocide" are just so pissed off, its pretty much a given that coupled with their name they probably had a hard time not being banned from even the most "punk" venues in the time, especially in their hometown of lansing, michigan. things get especially harsh on songs like "hinkley had a vision", a classic 80's HC cut directed at christianity, where dart alludes to gassing people and setting them on fire, not long after which he blares out "i wanna take the president, chop off his head and mail it to 'em in a gaaarbage baaaaaag!". the fact that they remained more or less unknown in their time probably saved them from jail time (or at least the rest of them, since doc was good at landing himself in their on the semi-regular). the record is also cut up perfectly with spliced-in samples of local radio talking about the band and both prank and real phone calls to and from the police. simply put, this is one of the most "punk" things ever committed to record, and far more defiant than almost anything the world has managed to expel from its hateful bowels before or since. thanks to the people at alternative tentacles, this classic is available again, so own it if you don't think its more punk rock to just steal it from here.



GUT A COP

and HERE is an amazing 2-part article/interview with Doc (who now only goes by the name "26"), done by another dude who's made a pretty good career out of being witty and pissed off, mr. Sam McPheeters. seriously such a worthwhile read.