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.