Sparklehorse - Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot

Another one for Wong. Sparklehorse was mainly a guy named Mark Linkous. This 1995 record was his debut as Sparklehorse and paved way for his ever changing style to start permeating the indie scene. The music is kinda all over the place; a strangely appealing mix of dream-pop, alt-country and soundscape. Constantly overdosing on one substance or another, this dude was a master of taking drugs to make music to take drugs to. If that's not reason enough to get this record, then I don't know what to tell ya!

Click link, smoke bowl, then listen.

Keepaway - Baby Style EP

Here's one for my buddy Jon Scott. Keepaway gets a lot of comparisons to Animal Collective, which I can totally see; however, these guys seem a lot more palatable for a newcomer to the psych-folk party. Despite being slightly more accessible, Keepaway deserves a spot in the indie sun, and I'm glad Jon Scott told me about these dudes. So if you like Animal Collective, get this record. If you've never heard of Animal Collective, and have no idea what psych-folk means... get with the program, and then download this record. Hope you dig.

CAN YOU DIG IT?

Townes Van Zandt - Live At The Old Quarter, Houston, TX

By request from my nigga The Wong, here is Townes Van Zandt - Live At The Old Quarter. Most people may only know him from his cover of Rolling Stones' 'Dead Flowers', which was featured in The Big Lebowski. If you aren't aware though, Townes Van Zandt was a Texan singer-songwriter who wrote songs about everything from love and love lost, to gettin' drunk and shooting drugs. This one's a 2 parter so make sure you get 'em both!

Part 1
Part 2

No Warning - Ill Blood

NY style hardcore from Canada. Lyrically, this isn't dissimilar from most hardcore, songs about being betrayed and how your friends are great blah, blah, blah. What sets this record apart is the amazing riffing on every track. The perfect blend of Madball and Biohazard. A real heavy groove with just the right metallic bite. Whether you normally dig this sound in hardcore, give this a shot, it rocks. Mix with a near perfect bass sound that isn't lost in the mix as well solid drumming and a vocal sound that fits the music to a "T".

GET THIS SHIT!

Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass

Just for good measure, here's another post to make up for the extended absence.

If you don't know Aesop Rock yet, you have obviously been hiding under a rock. Coming out of New York, Aesop's unique cadence and surreal lyrics have been ruling over the underground hip hop scene since Def Jux picked him up for 2001's Labor Days (which I'll post soon). He's honed his craft even more so since then, and with 2007's None Shall Pass, it is blindingly evident. His lyrics epic and abstract as ever, his production still completely unique (many of the bass lines are total stoner rock fuzz bass), and appearances from John Darnielle from The Mountain Goats, Rob Sonic, and El-P make this record a milestone for real hip hop heads. Here's a sample for the LAZY, and uninformed. It's the first track off the record so it's got a nice long intro, but just make it 55 seconds in and you'll see why Aesop Rock is the illest.







HOW ALIVE ARE YOU?!

Dead Meadow - Feathers

Wow. It's been a month. I've been distracted and, for the last week or so, without my external hard drive (where my music is stored) and Lummox has also been mad busy with real life, but just to try to pick momentum back up, here's some Dead Meadow. Trippy, jammy, and sometimes poppy, Dead Meadow fuse stoner rock and 60's style psychedelic folk to create what can only be described as a joyride jam session. Not necessarily the best the band has to offer, but this record is a great one, and it was already uploaded, so... here you have it! If you're into Blue Cheer, Black Mountain, or just into psychedelic music in general, you should snag this record.


CLICK THIS FOR A JOYRIDE JAM SESSION

Big Business - Here Come The Waterworks

Big Business is that dude from Karp and that dude from Murder City Devils. They are both newer members of  The Melvins, as well, playing on (A) Senile Animal. Massive, sludgy, thundering stoner rock. One of my favorite records lately. These jams WILL get stuck in your head. If you're a fan of The Melvins, Kylesa, Torche, etc... then you should certainly download this record.

THIS SHIT IS HEAVY, BOY!

Frumpy - Frumpy 2

I don't even know where to begin describing Frumpy, but if you are a fan of Deep Purple, Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, or any of the originators of progressive rock music, DEFINITELY take heed. Hailing from Germany, Frumpy lays out epic prog jams with female vocals, and most importantly LOTS OF B3 Organ! This record dropped in 1971, and while they caught on in Germany, Frumpy never quite took over the American market. It's a damn shame too, since I find these dudes (and lady) to be much more talented and considerably more creative than their American counterparts. As with every truly great band, they put out 2 records (this one, obviously the 2nd) and disbanded, although some of the unreleased material did eventually see light. The record consists of 4 epic jams, the best of which I will bestow upon you now in a youtube video. Listen to this sumbitch all the way through (try to pay attention to the bitchin' lyrics too!) and if you don't dig the shit out of it.....we can't be friends.





THIS SONG ISN'T ON THE RECORD BELOW BUT IT'S ALSO AN AMAZING SONG!



CLICKY CLICKY! GET THIS JUNT!

Hawkwind - In Search of Space

Hawkwind was an English space rock band, once touting a pre-Motorhead Lemmy Kilmeister on bass and vocals (in fact, the name Motorhead was taken from the Hawkwind song, Motorhead, the last song Lemmy wrote with Hawkwind). The music is spacey, pre-punk, rock jams with lots of theremin, synthesizers, and sound effects throughout. Lyrics about space travel, quantum physics and (my favorite) getting doped. If you're a fan of Lemmy, get this record. If you're a fan of synthesizers, get this record. If you're a fan of rock 'n roll joyride jam sessions, get this record.

GET IT!

No Hope For The Kids

Hailing from Denmark and featuring members of Amde Petersen's Arme and the Young Wasteners, No Hope For the Kids played catchy, melodic punk much akin to bands coming out of the early LA punk scene. I guarantee that you will be singing along to all of the English lyrics. It's fucking impossible not to. Somehow when I did the vinyl rip of my LP, I left off the final two tracks. Bummer i know, but to make up for it, I included their ridiculously good "Das Reich" EP which had the best song they recorded on the B side, entitled Secret Police.

GET IT!!

Rwake - Voice of Omens

Pronounced 'wake'. Fucking amazing sludgey, doomy, atmospheric dextromethorphan metal from Little Rock, AR, and awesome dudes to boot (used to play with the singer, CT. He is the inspiration of the bit in the blog info about musicians working at catfish restaurants). Dual vocals, moog synth, heavy as fuck drumming, and melt your face guitar shredding, culminating in a hazy cloud of dope smoke and demon juice. The record starts with a neat little foreboding mandolin motif, giving way to Rwake's fist-pumping, gut-wrenching grime. This record was produced by the indomitable Sanford Parker, and in my opinion, this is one of the best sounding records I've ever heard from an engineer's perspective. The drum sounds will pummel you to the ground and crush your chest, while the guitar tones feed ravenously on your face, leaving you in a helpless puddle of blood, sweat, and opiates. This is heavy shit, so find some good, hard drugs and lay this record on. You'll see, but not for long.



DOWNLOAD THIS SHIT!

Why? - Alopecia

Deciding which Why? album to post was a tough choice, but I'm gonna go with Alopecia. The reason it's such a tough call is that Why? has a slightly different sound on every record, and who the fuck knows which one you'd like. As one of the base members of the Anticon collective, Yoni Wolf (formerly known as Why?) has been involved in the avant-garde hip hop scene since 1998. He was one third of art-rap group cLOUDDEAD and later went on to produce solo material, first as a solo act and now teamed up with a band (now collectively known as Why?). The music they make is a very odd mix of indie, pop, and hip hop. Yoni's lyrics are often very personal, expounding on topics such as his fear of death, lost love, gay men fucking at a basketball court in Berlin, faking syphilis for pity, and plenty of other lyrics that will only ever make sense to him. The instrumentation in his band is also pretty interesting, his brother playing drums and xylophones/marimbas, Yoni vocalizing and playing auxillary percussion (extra toms, snare, tamborine, cymbals), and the other two gents playing a rotation of piano, guitar, bass, and any other noisemakers they can get on hand. The music isn't for everyone, but Alopecia is probably the best gateway as it catches them between the more hip hop influenced indie tunes from the previous album, Elephant Eyelash, and Alopecia's follow-up, Eskimo Snow, which seems to be a little more straight forward indie pop. Here is a little sample. If you dig it, get this record!




WHY? haven't you clicked this yet?

Shpongle - Tales of the Inexpressible

In my continuing efforts to get a little of everything on this blog, I knew I was due for some electro-jam. A guy on a message board I frequent brought up Shpongle, and I immediately knew I had to put some Shpongle on this site. The duo consists of Simon Posford, who handles most of the production, and Raja Ram, who lends flute and other arrangements to Posford's psychedelic brand of trance. I've never been good at classifying electronic music, but the best way I could describe this is as very trippy psychedelic trance with a lot of Indian and Asian influence. Top it off with samples from Terence Mckenna and other such drug-induced shamanic talk, and you can't go wrong. This is a great chillout record and anyone into psychedelic culture will appreciate it. Give it a shot.

GET IT!

Love Comes Close

Featuring Wes Eisold of American Nightmare/Give Up the Ghost fame, Cold Cave play a brand of synth based pop akin to New Order with the bellicose mood Joy Division. Really catchy, depressing music. The perfect soundtrack to a day filled with horrible news. I'll be posting the record this single came from in the near future.

Harpoon - Double Gnarly Triple Suicide

Harpoon plays grindy thrash metal, with drum machine drums. While not a big fan of mixing synthetic sounds in my metalz, there are a few exceptions to the rule, and Harpoon are certainly one of them. They play around with their sound quite a bit throughout the album, which makes it stand out a little more than your standard thrash band, and aside from the occasional shrill electronic hi-hat, the production is fuckin' tits! This record will punch you in the dick if you're a fan of thrash, grind, or hardcore. Riff bombs will get dropped, so be prepared!

FRUIT PUNCH 'EM IN THE DICK!

Slow Club - Yeah So

Melding folk, punk, and indie, Slow Club has carved their own niche in the music scene. Lots of fun auxiliary percussion like tambourines, bells, and drumming on wooden chairs,  as well as male/female vocal harmonies, which I am a true sucker for. Sometimes serious, sometimes poppy and dancy, this record pretty much rules from start to finish. A really really fun album to dance and sing along to.

GET IT!

The Melvins + Patton Oswalt 7" split

I just found out last night that this exists. For those who don't know, The Melvins are probably the most seminal stoner/grunge/experimental rock band in the last 20 years, having influenced pretty much every rock band worth their salt. And Patton Oswalt is one of the most hilarious stand up comedians on the planet. If research is correct, there were not very many of these made (like 10?!). The Melvins jam is a cover of The Sonics "Boss Hoss" and the Patton Oswalt bit is him berating a lady in the audience for yapping on her cell phone. This is an essential rarity for a fan of either parties involved.


GET THEM SHITS!

V/A Transylvania Style Punk Rock

A horror themed compilation showcasing a few of the bigger names in the pop punk scene at the time, as well as shining a spotlight on a handful of the active bands playing in and around western PA at the dawn of the millennium. There are truly memorable cuts on here as well as some forgettable ones, but all in all this is a really solid if generally forgotten or completely unknown compilation. Any fans of snotty pop punk, the Ramones, the Misfits or horror can find something to love here.

Band List (in order of appearance):

• Grand Prixx
• the Proteens
• No On 15
• the Peabodys
• Darlington
• the Marbles (Manda and the Marbles)
• Kid With Man Head
• Teenage Girls
• the Huntingtons
• Shy Guys
• the Hissyfits
• Dirt Bike Annie
• Connie Dungs
• the Portmans
• Suziblade
• Tressle Jumper
• Juvenile Wreck
• Attention Deficit
  

GET IT!

Greatest Stop Sign Graffiti Evar

Leaving my neighborhood this morning to get some lunch, i saw this sign and just about ran off the road laughing! I wish I could take credit for doing it, but alas, it was not I. I knew Lum would appreciate this as much as I did, so I had to post it for all to see! BASK IN IT'S TRUTHFUL GLORY!

FRUSTRATED INC.

Why can I not stop listening to Misery by Soul Asylum?! I made the mistake of listening to it the other day and now I can't fucking stop! FUCK, IT'S SO GOOOOOOOD!

The National Acrobat - Complete Recordings

Featuring many known suspects from the ever fertile Louisville hardcore/punk/whatever scenes, TNA managed to wallow in relative obscurity while an active, touring and recording outfit, only really gaining any kind of notoriety after their demise. Taking their name from a Sabbath song and drawing on influences from varied and pioneering acts such as Black Flag, Born Against, Jesus Lizard, and Nation of Ulysses. Taking the sounds of those bands and filtering them through that unique Louisville mindset that has created some of the most memorable bands in the last twenty or so years.

The National Acrobat along with more well known bands like Cave-In, Dillinger Escape Plan, Isis and Botch were part of an important reaction to the stagnation of the hardcore scene in the late 90's. Not content to recycle the the same riffs and posturing, they chose to take the foundations that made punk rock and hardcore revolutionary to them and shape it in their own image. A true sonic fury that fans of any of the previously mentioned bands should be able to enjoy.

Get it here!

Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein

As I promised to provide something for EVERYONE, here is one of my favorite hip hip records. This Cannibal Ox record was the very first album released under El-P's Definitive Jux label, known now for artists like Aesop Rock, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, and RJD2. If you are at all into hip hop, this record should set a new standard by which to compare. I think El-P must've gave these dudes all his best beats to put on this record, because from the opening track, the head-noddic beats just keep coming. This is already considered an essential for true rap heads, and a milestone for hip hop, so don't get caught witcha funk down. GRAB THIS FUCKING RECORD!

GET IT!

Buried At Sea

If the name Sanford Parker means nothing to you, then fucking look it up! Aside from working on the production end of the last two Nachtmystium records, as well as albums for Pelican, Indian, Rwake, and Unearthly Trance, Sanford Parker is also a member of (and did production for) Minsk and black metal super group Twilight. Buried at Sea plays evil, sludgy, LOUD doom metal. Never got the chance to see them live but many of my friends account them as the loudest band they've ever seen live. My favorite track on here is #4, The Aquanaut. So get this record, jam that song loud as piss, then go from there.


GET IT!

ASG/Black Tusk split link was fucked.

I accidently uploaded a version of the ASG/Black Tusk split with some tracks missing. I just went and uploaded the correct one, so if you downloaded it before now and it only had 3 tracks in the folder, go back and get the full junt. Here is the correct link, and it is fixed in the original post as well.


FIXED LINK TO ASG/Black Tusk split

Explosions In The Sky - The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place

This one is blatantly obvious to most of my friends, but I gotta put it up for the uninitiated. Explosions In The Sky, from Austin, TX, play pretty instrumental, guitar based music; this is one of the most moving albums I've ever listened to. There is an accurate quip from a review of this album saying that if this album will crush anyone who has a heart. TRUUUTH! These dudes also composed the film score for that football movie "Friday Night Lights" if you've seen that. If you've never heard of this band, you are behind the times and are seriously missing out. Get this record, spark a bowl, and start it up...you'll see.

GET IT!

Jesuseater - Step Inside My Deathray

This is a tough one to classify. About the only comparison I can make is if you took Kyuss or maybe Fu Manchu and cranked the tempo up a notch or three. That might get you in the ballpark, but even that is doing Jesuseater a disservice. I don't mean to say that they are in some way better or more important than the aforementioned groups, just that I feel that their sound can stand on it's own without making haughty comparisons. Contained herein are ten tracks of crushing, yet melodic, groove laden awesomeness.


GET IT!

Earth - Hex & The Bees Made Honey In The Lions Skull

Earth has been around a looooong time. After starting in 1989 in Seattle, Earth has evolved from being the forebearers of brain melting fuzz-laden drone into the slightly more accessible, yet much more intricate brand of slowcore they are today. Taking influence from a vast array of styles, from Sabbath to Hank Williams, and following a 9 year hiatus, Earth released Hex; Or Printing in the Infernal Method in 2005. It was the first to signal the change of style, one no longer dependent on the loud fuzzy drone.  Hex is much more subtle, crawling along with clean and low-gain guitars and drums, all perfectly sparse, driving you into a hypnotic state as they build layer and layer of sound, creating a sonic space that seems to envelop you like molasses, trapping you in their tidal push and pull. And though their approach was already unique enough, Earth found themselves taking it a step further with 2008's The Bees Made Honey in the Lions Skull. Adding keys and lapsteel, and recruiting legendary jazz/prog guitar aficionado Bill Frisell, they continued the evolution found on Hex, taking their newly found sound into the 5th dimension. Both of these records are just mind melting. No vocals, no pretension. Only sweet, sweet jam.

 Hex; Or Printing in The Infernal Method

GET IT!

The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull

GET IT!

Smells like Nirvana!

I am sure that some people will scoff at the posting of "Weird" Al. I honestly feel that people who shrug off Mr. Yankovic as a novelty act really haven't listened to his tunes. While most folks are familiar with the fantastic parodies Al has done, and there are some great ones on this record, I am posting this one first because of the truly stellar originals on it. In my not so humble opinion "Trigger Happy", "When I was Your Age", and "You Don't Love Me Anymore" are easily his best originals. But those songs aren't just great "Weird" Al songs, they are great songs PERIOD. The way in which they permeate your subconscious is almost diabolical! So without further ado, here is one of, if not the, most fun albums ever recorded. Enjoy!

Get It!

What the fuck is a Moondog?

I know that some of you out there are probably into avant-garde jazz and may be familiar with Louis Thomas (Moondog) Hardin. While I am sure that he made some really interesting tunes, this post isn't about him.

It is about Walter Schreifels' band in between Gorilla Biscuits and Quicksand. This EP was recorded after the Biscuits broke up and before the formation of Quicksand, but was only available as 17th generation tape copies until it's official release in 2006 by Anthology Recordings.

As far as a description of the jams go, I think it is fair to say that this fits pretty much right in between GB and Quicksand. Great tunes all the way through and a great little piece of NYHC history.

GET IT!

Growing - Color Wheel

THIS POST WILL NOT BE FOR ALL! But if you are open minded to music and sound, this record will blow your mind. Hailing from Olympia, Washington and now based in NY, these dudes transcend the concept of a noise band. This record is made entirely on guitar and bass, although you'll be quite hard pressed to pick out any guitar or bass sounds. These guys use nothing but analog effects (MAYBE a few digital, but don't think so...) to create soundscapes that will take you to another planet. If you have ever had any sort of heavy psychedelic experience, you will understand every second of this record. If you've never done drugs in your life, this band sounds the way drugs make you feel. They have several records, all a little different, but this one is definitely one of the best. Again, I warn any "mainstreamers" that this may not be your thing, but if you get this record and listen to it from start to finish (sober OR duped to the gills), you'll come out with an expanded point of view on life and your own existence. PLEASE at least give this record a shot. It certainly changed the way I think about music.

GET IT

Black Eyed Snakes for your blues!

This record is quite an unexpected gem. Featuring Alan Sparhawk, singer and guitarist for Low (one of my favorite bands), this is a pretty big leap from Low's slow, minimalist shoegazey style. Black Eyed Snakes play foot-stompin', leg-kickin juke joint blues, the likes of which you'd never expect from Duluth, Minnesota. Recorded nice and lo-fi, this album easily joins the ranks of Howling Wolf and RL Burnside in keeping true to the roots of blues music. This ain't your daddy's noodly frat-boy blues, so if you got any sense at all, you'll snag this immediately. And yes. His shirt says "I -heart- consensual sex." Lawl.

GET IT

(And if you haven't listened to Low, stay tuned, as I'll probably post an absurd amount of their music very very soon.)

The Peabodys - Are Chick Repellant

Catchy as fuck pop punk from Pennsylvania. The first of many releases for the band. While there's nothing too groundbreaking here, these songs just seem to get under your skin. Chock full of great hooks and catchy choruses. I dare you to download this and not be singing the songs for the rest of the day. I FUCKING DARE YOU!

GET IT!

Joanna Newsom - The Milk Eyed Mender

If you haven't heard Joanna Newsom yet, you best-tah make it so, right now. Her voice may take some getting used to, but her songwriting is absolutely phenomenal. Composing mostly on harp, and sometimes various keyed instruments, her music is what I've described many times as 'chord architecture'. With moods ranging from ecstatic and bubbly to slow and melancholy, there is something for everyone on this record. Please do yourself a favor and give this a shot.

GET IT

Graveyard

This is the debut from Sweden's Graveyard, and it grabs me by the nuts every time I put it on. Old school style bluesy stoner rock in the vein of bands such as Blue Cheer, Witchcraft, Pentagram, and Sabbath. If you like rock music at all, you should get this record. I just can't seem to jam this enough. Download this now, you sumbitches!

GET IT

Gospel and ASG/Black Tusk Split

So just to get a post on this here sumbitch, I'm gonna give you guys 2 of my favorite records lately. I always feel lame trying to describe music, so descriptions will usually lack unless I'm feeling particularly verbose on a given day. Today ain't that day. Get 'em and love em.

Gospel, from Brooklyn I believe, is a band that sort of defies any attempt at explanation. But here is a list of words that could be used in such an attempt: surrealist drug-dazed mathy hardcore prog rock jamology. Fans of Pg. 99, Envy, and City of Caterpillar take heed!

GET IT

Here we have two great bands, Black Tusk (Savannah, GA) and ASG (Wilmington, NC).  Black Tusk has a great sound, quite similar to Kylesa, who also happens to be from Savannah. Their tracks are great on this split, but the ASG tracks far outweigh them in my opinion, so they are who I'll rant about. ASG plays their own unique brand of stoner rock, and all 4 of their tracks on the split show a slightly different side of the band. If I had to make comparisons, I'd say they are similar to Queens of The Stone Age, The Sword, and CKY... but whatever. Just get this and jam the ASG tracks as loud as you can get 'em!

GET IT!

Welcome to Pow! I Gotcha!

Thanks for checking out my blog. We'll see how long I can keep it up! Read the description over to the right for a little info about what you'll find here in the weeks to come. Keep checking back and leave comments/requests and maybe this blog will rule someday!