tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120786212024-03-13T10:44:25.962-07:00OscillatorMarcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.comBlogger167125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-64972029614560031212010-12-07T11:41:00.000-08:002010-12-07T12:29:30.854-08:00La información y el circo de Wikileaks<span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">Wikileaks está chido, pero afrontémoslo, los secretos que se guardan los paises no es algo nuevo.</span> </span></span>Estratégicamente, es importante no hacer público todo lo que se hace o dice para poderse defender de los enemigos mejor y esto es una práctica que se hace desde que existen las formas gubernamentales, por más primitivas. En general, estos secretos se hacen, primeramente para que no lo sepan otros gobiernos.<br /><br />Ahora Wikileaks ha publicado varios documentos para el uso de cualquier persona bajo un manto de igualdad, enfocada a que el público en general tiene derecho de conocer lo que sus gobiernos planean y su relación con otros paises. Por eso digo que está bien pero no son los únicos que se enteran de estos datos.<br /><br /><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">Que los hagan públicos no es simplemente "¡¡Conocimiento a la gente!!", no es una causa social ni un cambio de la modernindad donde la música, el cine y los libros son grátis. Esta situación implica un cambio geopolítico con posibles consecuencias bélicas</span></span></span><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">; consecuencias culeras, no para los gobernantes ni los paises en sí, si no a la gente.</span></span></span><br /><br /><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">Ahora, son públicos estos conocimientos, ya no hay vuelta atrás ¿Qué pretenden hacer con esta información? ¿Nada más decir "nos los chingamos"? ¿Sentirse que le dimos en la madre al gobierno por una sensación juvenil de desprecio a la autoridad, como aventarle un globo de agua a un patrullero? </span></span></span><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">"¡¡¡Pinche Calderon y Obama nos la pelan porque sabemos lo que ustedes no!!!" ¿Eso de qué les sirve? Si sirve para el bien de la gente, chingon, eso sería verdaderamente histórico, </span></span></span><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">que se ocupen estos conocimientos en la vida real (admito, esa sensación de "nos los chingamos" se siente bien pero ¿Cuantos años tienen? ¿14? ¿Con eso se conforman?)<br /></span></span></span><br /><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">Para empezar ¿No piensan que hay otros documentos, mucho más cabrones, que los de Wikileaks ni idea tienen que existen? Neta que inocentes </span></span></span><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content">si lo piensan. Más allá, en el caso de México y otros países, no dijeron nada que no se pueda ver a simple vista, pero claro, la mayoría no lo ve; así que ¿En verdad que peligro existe? ¿Qué revolución?</span></span></span><br /><span class="status-body"><span class="status-content"><span class="entry-content"></span></span></span><br />Por otro lado, pienso que está muy mal que PayPal se haya desafanado de Wikileaks y que les hayan congelado las cuentas de banco. Si apoyan esta causa, no deberían tener broncas para no hacerlo, si alguien no está de acuerdo, pues simplemente que no done, pero esto solo despunta más el dramatismo de la situación, volviéndolo telenovela (abajo expando en esto). Como dijeron, ¿Puedes donar al KKK pero no a Wikileaks? (Por supuesto, PayPal está tomando una decisión de negocios así, y tienen el mismo derecho de negar su servicio que el de ustedes apoyar a Wikileaks).<br /><br />En segunda ¿Están 100% seguros que los Wikileaks son totalmente verídicos? Porque ya parece circo de medios. Simplemente, les conviene a los gobiernos tener un chivo expiatorio por cualquier razón y Julian Assange dijo "YO!! YO QUIERO!!", aunque no hubiera sido su intención; sin embargo lo hace y se está regocijando en su papel de victima.<br /><br />Digamos que los cables de Wikileaks son completamente verdaderos, la atención ya no es hacia lo que están dando a conocer; ahora va con Assange y su "causa". Ahora no es una cuestión de informar la verdad a la gente, es de libertad de expresión. Válido, pero no es el punto de Wikileaks, neutraliza cualquier poder e influencia a cambiar las cosas.<br /><br />Ahora, existe la posibilidad que parte de la información no sea completamente verdadera (no al grado de que sea falsa, pero por lo menos desproporcionada), esto solo nos trae otro ejercicio más del "bueno contra el malo", donde el rebelde se enfrenta al gigante y se vuelve entretenimiento. Se vuelve la telenovela del noticiero y hace un daño más grande: El daño de la desinformación.<br /><br />Por desgracia, la mayor parte de la gente seguirá viviendo su vida como si nada, el mundo permanecerá igual y la memoria de Wikileaks quedará como una efeméride más que tanto nos vale madres. Si hay un punto positivo, una verdadera revolución aquí, es saber como utilizar la información, al igual que no creerse todo lo que nos dicen. Se debe de informar uno, pero también crearse su propia opinión, cuestionarse y hacer algo al respecto, no nada más ponerle "Like" en Facebook, RT y ponerle estrellita de Favorito. No me refiero a armar una revolución, me refiero a aprender a tener criterio y, buscar como beneficiarnos de lo que sabemos y aprendemos, por más mínimo que se pueda.<br /><br />El conocimiento es poder, pero si no se hace nada con él, es poder malgastado.Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-76511008418750795852009-01-26T21:21:00.000-08:002009-01-26T22:10:56.002-08:00The Impact Of A Full Collapse<span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrScZEn8pDgLhmQw60jt6oOdb98IZNdOTbVujCbIqWBBR7ji1PBfyMKUrlidrIMgT2-74z0n00eJjuOhbi1LuEZ5E1sQEe-zHLC8Zqk03YnaAmfilim_GLP3u1qdeApIj8h8x_gA/s1600-h/tomBIG.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrScZEn8pDgLhmQw60jt6oOdb98IZNdOTbVujCbIqWBBR7ji1PBfyMKUrlidrIMgT2-74z0n00eJjuOhbi1LuEZ5E1sQEe-zHLC8Zqk03YnaAmfilim_GLP3u1qdeApIj8h8x_gA/s320/tomBIG.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295850777878309570" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />They will never be a cool band, no matter what they do, they will never be seen as innovative artists and favorites.<br /><br />A few years ago, there was not a band any more scorching in a sentimental way like Thursday, i say “a few years” but it might as well be a lifetime past, in another time and another place it almost seems; sure there were bands that were a lot more scorching with anger and regret (Saetia, Usurp Synapse) and more emotionally sad and desperate (Xiu Xiu for starters), but Thursday was something that was bigger, bolder and more earnest, something that made them both real and at the same time like the ol’ rock bands of yore, full of a mysticism and detachment. They were like few others.<br /><br />Of course, that was a long time ago.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u113/xByTheSea/GeoffRickly.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u113/xByTheSea/GeoffRickly.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >Thursday will always be the band that tries too hard, the band that are way too brash in their sentimentalism, too poetic in their lyrical approach and just over the top enough not to be considered cool; sometime in 2004 the band became immersed in a lot of pressure for being in a major label, and many of their members mentioned the possibility of breaking up. Then they released <span style="font-style: italic;">City By The Light Divided</span>, an unabashed poppy rock album that chased for a hit single and easy listening, betraying their best assets, making them seem like a dumb band at long last. Not that many people didn’t consider Thursday dumb before, casting them as crybabies who just whinned and whinned through their music that wasn’t savvy enough to be considered truly punk and not arty and pretentious enough to be considered truly indie, people in both sides of the critical frame considered the band another emo bunch who got dumped by their girlfriends and decided to bitch all the way to the bank and Myspace. For the most part, it’s their loss, since their early output is worth at the very least an occasional listen.<br /><br />If there was a band that underlined the word “post” in their sound, it’s definitely them; the guitar lines and fractured rhythms did reference hardcore but broke through it for grander pastures while they also retained another post, this one with the suffix “punk”, by namechecking “Ian Curtis” in a song and voicechecking Robert Smith in some of the more anguished tones by throater Geoff Rickly, with lyrics full of existentialist quotes and insufferable feelings; hardly anybody mentioned Thursday along with then emo stalwarts Dashboard Confessional or Saves The Day, since their music was more dissonant, more universal and mature.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVchYNl0TdI0D3YuPcuy1jHDWxShghht7yBdjqRG0TZVraRjdVmZ95RyN558L-y_sfrYrHt_Zd1jgnSWH449CqOGhIhxAj7jG2vHiVGwnu54TUR0F66XoexPzxGgg9TID3q6EwxQ/s1600-h/TOMCBS.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVchYNl0TdI0D3YuPcuy1jHDWxShghht7yBdjqRG0TZVraRjdVmZ95RyN558L-y_sfrYrHt_Zd1jgnSWH449CqOGhIhxAj7jG2vHiVGwnu54TUR0F66XoexPzxGgg9TID3q6EwxQ/s320/TOMCBS.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295850776399047330" border="0" /></a></span><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" ><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />One of the band’s best talents, it turned out, was the ability to craft well-thought out albums, to the point of almost seeming like concept albums; <span style="font-style: italic;">Full Collapse</span> featured many songs that were not only labyrinth-esque in their arrangments, but also hard hitting and going for the heart. “Understanding In A Car Crash” has poetically charged lyrics, but also parts that make it both a fist pumping hardcore number and a sad narrative to be sung by yourself, at different moments in the same song; “I Am The Killer” screams for most of the song, and confesses that it still hides it’s face in the coming days. But it’s “Paris In Flames” that defines the band and it’s moment in time and space, about intolerance for a big chunk of the song but having a chorus that’s memorable for pointing that “we all sing these songs of separation...”, refering to fellow emotional hardcore and not so hardcore bands that treasured sincerity in their feelings (or faking that) as badges of honor and artistic proclamations; the band looked beyond it’s short comings, while still homaging At The Drive-In in a big way, and created some challenging yet very well written songs about more complex emotions than lost love and nostalgia.<br /><br />One undeniable thing about them, though, is that they are of their time, reflecting their surroundings in a way that might seem a bit misplaced if heard today as new music by unexperienced ears; and it’s more evidently on their 2003 record, <span style="font-style: italic;">War All The Time</span>, which reflects the time like few albums without addressing world events directly. While it’s easy to write it off a record that uses the backdrop of 9/11 and the wars in the middle east as more universal emotional fodder, that's hardly the case, as most songs don’t really talk about those events, only the opening lines, “Falling from the top floor, your lungs filled like parachutes, windows come rushing by. People inside are dressed for the funeral in black and white...” and the title track point to the sentiments of the people in the U.S., where pride is either needed to save yourself from drowning or enough to be put to sleep, listening to the lullaby. Elsewhere, Rickly uses the metaphor of being “Asleep In The Chapel” for fundamentalist religious thoughts of revenge, taken by both sides of combatants in the “war on terror”, leaving spirituality out of religion to use it as an excuse, and "Signals Over The Air" talks about attraction and seduction; musically, the band leaves their fondness for ATDI a bit to let themselves flourish in their own style, making each song different from one another yet stringing them together so they can complement each other.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b6/xwhatitis2burnx/geoff.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 550px; height: 413px;" src="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b6/xwhatitis2burnx/geoff.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" lang="EN-US" >Perhaps the problem with Thursday is that they are such an early ’00s band that it’s hard for them to get out of that time period; because now it’s 2009 and they are about to release <span style="font-style: italic;">Common Existance</span>, which seems very confused to me, like they can’t fit anywhere because they don’t know who they want to be. Are they trying to sound like At The Drive In again? Do they want to do an AFI type song? Do they think they need to approach a sort of My Chemical Romance sound? Do they have to chase their audience? It seems like something really insecure from their part, trying on different things so the kids today can like them, instead of doing their own thing, documenting the way they try to relate to an ever collapsing world, but mostly what they achieve is demonstrating how low do you have to be to appreciate the real impact of a full collapse.</span>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-57958710712337256042009-01-25T21:20:00.001-08:002009-01-25T22:26:51.671-08:00Richard Clayderman Is Not Dead/”The Life Of Repo Man Is Always Intense”<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/8821/richardclaydermansx3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 350px;" src="http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/8821/richardclaydermansx3.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I never in my life though i would be searching in Wikipedia for Richard Clayderman, the patron saint of every annoying bar pianist that dare give us the dullest and blandest versions of the most well known piano pieces in existance.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In an event that turned out to be an urban legend, it was said during the late 90’s that Mr. Clayderman was dead, unable to join Yanni and Kenny G to reap the fruits of supermarket music and yuppie poseuring stardom, which seemed quite odd and out of character for such an artist; then, it’s 2009 and lo and behold, i gaze at a giant billboard on top of a building announcing Mr. Clayderman’s show for February 14, Valentines Day. So i think a ghost will be playing for true and pretend lovebirds, one which takes all the soul out of the piano and gives us back a very well mannered corpse to consume.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.pianored.com/images/richard-clayderman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 298px;" src="http://www.pianored.com/images/richard-clayderman.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">And guess what else? The ghost’s name is not even Richard Fucking Clayderman, it’s Philippe Pagès; that doesn’t make him sound like a sensitive wrestler at all!!...by the way, stop acting as if Mickey Rourke just crawled out of his own grave, he was amazing as The Cook in </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Spun</span><span style="font-family:arial;">.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.it.conquest-events.com/files/pianoforte_bianco.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 500px;" src="http://www.it.conquest-events.com/files/pianoforte_bianco.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Not many people can really brag that they got their title as “Prince Of Romance” from Nancy Reagan, and i never thought RC fans really cared about original pressings and reissues, but thanks to Wiki-wiki-wild i know...isn’t technology great?!</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyIF7bRqKgqflSDT16AquNdoCib1WjWnPavHDN9x5gD7sqndiBaAcUgh3ni6SPWeVmlHZw65tfodS334R_ia8P7H511Ej3ZuYES5p2RZP7Qc4_KrWzDZndW1UohCWfOuIKmbEghw/s1600-h/repoman460.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyIF7bRqKgqflSDT16AquNdoCib1WjWnPavHDN9x5gD7sqndiBaAcUgh3ni6SPWeVmlHZw65tfodS334R_ia8P7H511Ej3ZuYES5p2RZP7Qc4_KrWzDZndW1UohCWfOuIKmbEghw/s320/repoman460.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295469111055764882" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">But, to make this post worthwhile, let me tell you about </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Repo Man</span><span style="font-family:arial;">; weird, B movie-ish but surreal and at times incredibly hilarious and all around entertaining piece of cinema that you can watch over and over again, also quotable as fuck. Iggy sings the title song, the Circle Jerks play in a bar scene, polyesther suits and everything, a sort of loungy version of “When The Shit Hits The Fan” (and it’s the Earl Liberty & Chuck Biscuit lineup, no less!), dude from the Plugz scores the movie; fucking classic fun weird trip, and i looooooove it.</span><br /><br /><object style="font-family: arial;" height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/554AX4l1tmw&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/554AX4l1tmw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><object style="font-family: arial;" height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0IzCyp-dwbs&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0IzCyp-dwbs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><object style="font-family: arial;" height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MKIaS0lh-uo&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MKIaS0lh-uo&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">PS: Does Richard Clayderman have any album cover where he isn’t leaning over his piano and resting his elbow in it? He's like the Immortal of the new age shit, always on the cover of his own records.<br /></span>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-81712510098315713262009-01-16T20:31:00.000-08:002009-01-16T20:35:27.222-08:00Monosodic: Grevecht 3 (Fuzz On, 2008/Dec/26) Pt. II<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/8/l_ff757eb8c14f424a9fe5ca2b867d2b55.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 480px; height: 640px;" src="http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/8/l_ff757eb8c14f424a9fe5ca2b867d2b55.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/8/l_ba6e5a2b34014f29bbf4421345417b0e.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/8/l_ba6e5a2b34014f29bbf4421345417b0e.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/52/l_177d3774334543aeaf1ea4ddf9877845.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/52/l_177d3774334543aeaf1ea4ddf9877845.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/25/l_3baa2307c94c45b2bddcbc4ac03e0638.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/25/l_3baa2307c94c45b2bddcbc4ac03e0638.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/58/l_47885a1b887343a5a4d2fb86145eac94.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/58/l_47885a1b887343a5a4d2fb86145eac94.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/44/l_5993712c40e74c21abbf2f1566cefc66.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/44/l_5993712c40e74c21abbf2f1566cefc66.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-6941133719731503632009-01-16T20:26:00.000-08:002009-01-16T20:31:24.820-08:00Monosodic: Grevecht 3 (Fuzz On, 2008/Dec/26)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/45/l_62dfb5863663454c9ebdd849762a74aa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/45/l_62dfb5863663454c9ebdd849762a74aa.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/29/l_1cf8cac708b148c6a695136aa1bda71d.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/29/l_1cf8cac708b148c6a695136aa1bda71d.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/6/l_4c0a70b652d6429e901dd9637b45a2b5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/6/l_4c0a70b652d6429e901dd9637b45a2b5.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/13/l_6894d30abb99466ca55c45082c50039b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/13/l_6894d30abb99466ca55c45082c50039b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/47/l_1502fb51175148d0807e2f661c05ca42.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/47/l_1502fb51175148d0807e2f661c05ca42.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/5/l_04a3abbea7944294ac2fd20124980765.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/5/l_04a3abbea7944294ac2fd20124980765.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-52274177029780059092009-01-13T22:51:00.000-08:002009-01-13T22:53:12.823-08:00New On Kiddieriot<img style="font-family: arial;" src="http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/59/l_c9a7c5475b7f4008a954dde2eb917e56.png" alt="Image" /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">KRR035: Robe. - Glacial cd-r</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Drone that's dark, melancholic and envolving; inspired by the atmosphere generated by doom bands like Earth, Sunn O))), The Goslings and Asva, yet Robe. avoids distortion and chords mostly to concentrate on the ambience of real doom, of hopelessness. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Comes in half sized slim DVD case with insert (featuring a short story by Marcos Hassan) and discs are stenciled. Edition of 50.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Listen: </span><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51); font-family: arial;" href="http://www.last.fm/music/Robe./Glacial">http://www.last.fm/music/Robe./Glacial</a><br /><br /><img style="font-family: arial;" src="http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/49/l_65ddac76dcbd4e8bbe0bab01047acf45.png" alt="Image" /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">KRR019: Rubbish - ¡Disturbio! cd-r</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Frequency abuse, audio collages and harsh as shit noise blasts make up the over-an-hour material that is ¡Disturbio!; yet the way it's cut up and arranged, presents a very particular and quite annoying way of doing sounds that may cause even noise fanatics to turn it off before it's over. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Comes in half sized slim DVD case with insert and discs are stenciled. Edition of 50.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Listen to excerpts and downloads two tracks: (check label site soon for link, solving problem as i type)</span><br /><br /><img style="font-family: arial;" src="http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/58/l_81369fda37e144168cea3661a068dcfd.png" alt="Image" /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">KRR037: I/C/O/C - Hammer For My Riches cd-r</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">First I/C/O/C on KR since the label's first release, I/C/O/C returns with a hardened, merciless assault that's harsh yet trying different things throughout. At 40-plus minutes, one of the project's longest discs. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Comes in half sized slim DVD case and discs are stenciled. Edition of 50.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Listen to excerpts and download a track: </span><!-- m --><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51); font-family: arial;" class="postlink" href="http://www.last.fm/music/I%252FC%252FO%252FC/Hammer+For+My+Riches">http://www.last.fm/music/I%252FC%252FO% ... +My+Riches</a><!-- m --><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">PRICES:</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">MEXICO = $50 pesos mx each (postage paid)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">U.S., CANADA & CENTRAL AMERICA = $7 u.s. dollars (postpaid)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">EUROPE & SOUTH AMERICA = $8 u.s. dollars (postpaid)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">REST OF THE WORLD = $9 u.s. dollars (postpaid)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">PAYMENT FORMS</span><span style="font-family: arial;">: Paypal (bratboy1982[AT]hotmail[DOT]com), Cheques, Money Orders.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Write or PM for trades, wholesale prices and questions.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">STILL AVAILABLE</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> (very few copies left):</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">METEK - 31 cd-r</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">REVERSE MOUTH - Harsher Fist cd-r</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">BUZZARDHAWK - Observations Of Your Proportion 3" cd-r</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">HYBRID FREQUENCY - Transgression Of Human Dignity cd-r</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">DISTRO found at the KR Store</span><span style="font-family: arial;">:</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">*SLOW LISTENER - I Like The Idea Of People, I Just Don't Like People cd-r</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">*TERRORTANK - Filling Empty Spaces With Nothing CD-R</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">*ARMENIA - Diez Sangrantes Piezas Metafóricas CD-R</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">*I/C/O/C - Weesick EP cd-r</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">*AMNIOSIS - Amniosis 2xCD-R</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">*I/C/O/C & AMNIOSIS - Doppelganger c-60</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">*THE NEW PARALLELOGRAMMERS - Series Of Snakes CD-R</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">*VA - Beauty Of A Dead Dog C-60 (feat: VIKI, BAD PARTY, PISCIS, MONOSODIC, AMNIOSIS, LAPATENTEPENDIENTE, MARIO DE VEGA, and more)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">*HYBRID FREQUENCY - Ñ [Hispano Hablante] CD-R</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">*HYBRID FREQUENCY - A Family Portrait CD-R</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">*HYBRID FREQUENCY - America: Land Of The Free CD-R</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">*HYBRID FREQUENCY & MAGGOTRIBE, split CD-R</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">*TIMBRE MARGINAL fanzine</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">For more info, Paypal buttons and more details about Distro:kiddieriot(AT)gmail(DOT)com or </span><!-- m --><a style="font-family: arial;" class="postlink" href="http://www.freewebs.com/kiddieriot">http://www.freewebs.com/kiddieriot</a><!-- m --><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">NEXT</span><span style="font-family: arial;">: Loopool, Scissor Shock/Bubblegum Octopus split cassette, RedSK, Towering Breaker, BBBlood, Arklight and more.</span>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-37811804328573400312009-01-12T22:59:00.001-08:002009-01-12T23:02:00.109-08:00Soon On Kiddieriot<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXD4pPpDar55wZPZfE_EzmFVbbjTNTCI97clu4dAm4z3nuYnDjUHupBL-byPbZfV2JDlu6u_ScTTIAsmIefcCiRzYj698uYHmQSE5qFiDUVn7hDMxqZv-oF6U8SOldkz8mIM6nQ/s1600-h/Jan09LoFi.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXD4pPpDar55wZPZfE_EzmFVbbjTNTCI97clu4dAm4z3nuYnDjUHupBL-byPbZfV2JDlu6u_ScTTIAsmIefcCiRzYj698uYHmQSE5qFiDUVn7hDMxqZv-oF6U8SOldkz8mIM6nQ/s320/Jan09LoFi.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290669780135544562" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Details coming.</span>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-25851057540755851812009-01-06T21:38:00.000-08:002009-01-06T23:48:54.604-08:00Go Fuck Yourself David Keenan! And A Farewell To A Stooge<span style="font-family:arial;">Today i got an email from Amazon, a notice on an order i placed but hadn’t shipped yet; i thought “Finally!!! I can’t believe it’s actually coming my way now!!”. For a few seconds while the email opened, i was giddy with thoughts. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Turns out, giddiness can be a fleeting thing. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Upon reading the email i learned they had cancelled my order for David Keenan’s </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >England's Hidden Reverse</span><span style="font-family:arial;">, the paperback edition of a biography of three of the most inspired and important bands coming from the industrial music revolution, namely Coil, Nurse With Wound and Current 93. The order was placed many months ago when a release date was set but then it disappeared, pushed back until even Amazon gave up on them. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The hardcover version, released some years ago, has been out of print for a long time and second hand copies demand quite a few hundreds of dollars.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Why? Why keep a book out of print? The fact that it’s sold on eBay and the like means there’s an audience for it, so why hold it? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">But, considering the subject matter, i bet Mr. Keenan enjoys the fact that it’s out of print and commanding quite the pretty pennies, making his tome worthy of such rarities as C93’s </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Dogs Blood Rising</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> (Mi-Mort tape version), an original pressing of Coil’s </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >How To Destroy Angels</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> 12” or one of the hand-drawned and signed copies of NWW’s </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Insect And Individual Silenced</span><span style="font-family:arial;">. If only... </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Or are you a cunt like Julian Cope who, by letting his books become rarer, cultivates a bigger cult figure, subject matter or writing skills be damned? Gawd i hope not, what the world needs is less of the likes of him. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So Mr. “Most Everything I Review For The Wire Is Either Sub-Par Or A Work Of Genius”, release the motherfucking book!! i want to read about John Balance, Steven Stapleton, David Tibet and all the people and places they crossed paths with. Release the paperback edition because i can’t pay 200-or-so dollars for a hardcover version, not only because i don’t have that kind of money at the moment but because i don’t want to be disappointed by it and feeling like an idiot for spending so much on something i might not love. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">And once i get my hand on a copy, you better not be a Simon Reynolds or a Julian Cope, i don’t want to read your pretentious opinions, i want to read about the music and the bands! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So, if you have something to do with the delay of your book, go fuck yourself David Keenan! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">*********************************</span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.i94bar.com/images/asheton.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 338px; height: 337px;" src="http://www.i94bar.com/images/asheton.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Unrelatedly, Ron Asheton, guitar extraordinaire for not only the amazing Stooges but also collaborator of Destroy All Monsters among other projects, was found dead today. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It’s really sad because he was one of the very greats, the author of the imposibly-simple-yet-orgasmic riffs for “I Wanna Be Your Dog” or “TV Eye”, one of the noisiest and most steady rhythm players in rock (so much that, when the band reformed with James Williamson on guitar, Ron was relegated to bass and he was incredibly solid and forefronting in the sonic excess of the songs...in other words, he wouldn't let himself be in the back, you had to notice his sound and he locked himself up in the rhythm tight as fuck); his solos were wild, free and bluesy, stripping it of it’s past in the hands of black folk players but having as much sentiment; thousands of guitarists still try to blend the recklessness with tradition the way he did. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Sunday i saw a mini-doc about Iggy and also listened to <span style="font-style: italic;">Metallic K.O.</span>, not having the slightest idea that something was wrong; it’s a sad day for someone that might not have smeared peanut butter or slashed his chest onstage but delivered something as brutal and exciting as that from his guitar when standing onstage. </span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBhcBjQ8CD87FW8umR0TzqcG2V8lgtzZuj5CAfKz4nd4FWggNDGRCk75S4x8CgU8wnzCXT0OoguHk-IChPvsX-7LuXkK5VfWq7sL_MInwu2zF0WT_inkUGWJp069QI9NhTVwp/s1600/Niagara+&+Ron+Asheton+-+Destroy+All+Monsters+1978.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 504px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBhcBjQ8CD87FW8umR0TzqcG2V8lgtzZuj5CAfKz4nd4FWggNDGRCk75S4x8CgU8wnzCXT0OoguHk-IChPvsX-7LuXkK5VfWq7sL_MInwu2zF0WT_inkUGWJp069QI9NhTVwp/s1600/Niagara+&+Ron+Asheton+-+Destroy+All+Monsters+1978.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Go listen to </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >The Stooges</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> and </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Fun House</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> like right now, any chance is as good to listen to those immortal records. Farewell Ron.</span><br /><br /><br /><object style="font-family: arial;" height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/--Xw9erM3uQ&hl=es&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/--Xw9erM3uQ&hl=es&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-78354714572203338912008-12-22T21:45:00.000-08:002009-01-08T22:46:39.725-08:00The 100 or so Best Albums Of 2007 As Enjoyed By Me<span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >100. Thurston Moore - Trees Outside The Academy</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Acoustic over the top freak out rock from Sonic Youth icon.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >99. Clockcleaner - Babylon Rules</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Garage rock craziness and the best release on Load this year.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >98. Religious Knives - Remains</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Droning soundscapes from 2 Double Leopards and half of Mouthus.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">97. Pig Destroyer - Phantom Limb</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Thrash influenced fast grindcore, giving us one of their most dynamic releases.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">96. Behemoth - The Apostasy</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Experimental tones with unusual elements to their blackened death metal shit.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >95. The Bark Haze - Total Joke Era<br /> The Bark Haze</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Free guitar improvs that defy expectations.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >94. Eluvium - Copia</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Ambient tones with just enough dramatic connotations.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >93. Weedeater - Godluck And Goodspeed</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Slow and filthy metal from these Eyehategod disciples.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >92. Burning Star Core - Blood Lightning</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" > <br /> Operator Dead...Post Abandoned</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Total ambience from albums that experiment with mood</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> and technology.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >91. Destroyer Destroyer - Littered With Arrows</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />A hateful, fast moving and brutal promise.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >90. Shellac - Excellent Italian Greyhound</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Quieter and varied songs, some of which give more melody to their jerky angular guitar rock.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">89. RTX - Western Xterminator</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />80's hair metal gets treatment from heroin noise heiress.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">88. Job For A Cowboy - Genesis</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Classic death metal yet with enough of their own take on the genre to make for a good album.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >87. Carlos Giffoni - Arrogance</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Overdriven synth tones for this reinvented noiser.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">86. Orthodox - Gran Poder</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Slow and brutally low ended, with unorganized drumming and flamenco-inspired vocals...i know it's 2006 but i had to include it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >85. Astral Social Club - Super Grease</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" > <br /> Neon Pibroch</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Ambient, droning and electronic from one of the best in the Brit scene.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >84. Zozobra - Harmonic Tremors</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Ex-Cave In members bring a heavy, sludgy album.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >83. The Fall - Reformation Post TLC</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Mark E. Smith embraces krautrock more than usual, and entertains the </span><span style="font-family:arial;">shit out of us.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">82. Gallhammer - Ill Innocense</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Mixing the crusty overtones of Amebix with the ugly yet far reaching metallic stomp of Celtic Frost, these japanese ladies give us a very charismatic album.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">81. Antigama - Resonance</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Eastern bloc grincore that's fast and technical and a good example of one of the biggest scenes in the world.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >80. Pre - Epic Fits</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Spazztic and rocking, girl singer screeches along the band's tight yet chaotic songwriting.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >79. Armenia + Cornucopia - Un Infierno Total</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Two giants of latinamerican noise collaborate and speaker hell ensues.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >78. Jes</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >sica Rylan - Interior Design</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The Artist Known As Can't takes a stab at sound artistry and results in one of her best releases.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">77. 108 - A New Beat From A Dead Heart</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />One of hardcore's harshest bands returns with an incredibly solid album.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">76. BBBlood - Experiment 50</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Britain noiser delivering one of his finer releases.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">75. Xiu Xiu Larsen - ¿Spicchiology?</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Second chapter between both band's collaborations, more soundscapy than before.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >74. Meat Puppets - Rise To Your Knees</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Country punk's finest return with a calm psychedelic affair with long and really well written songs.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >73. Death Ambient - Drunken Forest</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Fred Frith, Ikue Mori, et al, improvise a downward, dark but envolving storm of mood music.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >72. Battles - Mirrored</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Mathy supergroup discover the art of the song and fight with it until both are one.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">71. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Astro </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >- Astral Orange Sunshine</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br />Galax - Never Ending Space Trackin'</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Hiroshi Hasegawa uses his synth to conjure spacey calmness of black holes of pure horrible sound.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">70. Watain - Sworn To The Dark</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Black metal that stomps with pronounciation on the metal and deliver an album of dark hymns.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">69. Prurient - Adam Tied To Stone</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Dom Fernow gives way to harsh and ugly noise.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">68. Bloody Panda - Pheromone</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Combing the snail stomp of Khanate with the drama and melancholy of My Dying</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> Bride, the</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> structures and vocals remain in a land of experimentation while the songs deal with despair.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >67. Jimmy Eat World - Chase This Light</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Returning to their power pop sound of early in this decade, the band deliver heartfelt songs like only they know.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >66. Rubbish - Vexanation, The Great American Outhouse</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Awful and punishing, harsh noise that's different yet unforgivable.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >65. Mayhem - Ordo Ad Chao</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Attila returns to the band and his experimental streak rubs off Hellhammer, Necrobutcher and company for their best post-Euronymous album.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">64. Taint - Sex Sick</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Real life depravity and extreme frequency</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> manipulation from veteran U.S. P.E.-er Keith Brewer.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >63. Circle - Panic</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" > Katapult</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br />Sunburned Circle - The Blaze Game</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br />Pharaoh Overlord - Live In Suomi Finland</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Finland's rock alchemists and warriors, <span style="font-style: italic;">Panic</span> gives way to synth explorations and heavy as shit</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> rock, <span style="font-style: italic;">Katapult </span>conjures up a mescaline-soaked Venom, while jamming with Sunburned Hand Of The Man makes them explore their mutual love for krautrock, giving more focus and magic to their improvisation; while side band P.O. starts a motorik rhythm and an hour later, they are destroying</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> the p.a.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >62. Boris With Michio Kurihara - Rainbow</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />The Tokyo Terrible Three roll back their sonic maelstrom, invite White Heaven/Cosmic Invention/Ghost guitar virtuoso of emotion and deliver one of their most daring</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> releases.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >61. Sigh - Hangman's Hymn</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Thrash metal meets fast paced, pseudo-orchestral elements, reinventing themselves yet again.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >60. Vibracathedral Orchestra - Wisdom Thunderbolt</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Michael Flower and whoever else was around recorded yet again some of the most trascendental long notes of the year.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">59. Silverchair - Young Modern</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Van Dyke Parks returns to arrange the strings for Australia's underestimated</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> pop-alchemists, this time extending his influences more to give Daniel Johns' songs a more whimsical feel, and it works.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">58. Pan Sonic - Kathodivaihe</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Still combining the early Industrial Records sensitivities in sound with IDM-approved beats,</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> <span style="font-style: italic;">Kathodivaihe </span>resonanted like few electronica albums.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >57. Bongripper - Hippie Killer</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Instrumental metal that's not pussy or a direct rip from Neurosis, not afraid to go to quiet, vulnerable</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> places without sounding corny and playing slow, tuned down riffs like they mean business, noisy and fucked.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >56. Darkthrone - F.O.A.D.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Ferniz and Nocturno put on their "Meat Is Murder"-scrawled leather jackets and deliver a love note from black metal to Discharge and the rest</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> of the crust punk nation, with some of the bm's funn</span><span style="font-family:arial;">iest songs, period.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >55. Hentai Lacerator - Covered In Fun</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />40 songs in 14 minutes; fast, unrelentless and with full personality, more than grind, this is a nod to the Gerogerigegege from the gabber/breakcore/harsh noise heart.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">54. Angels Of Light - We Are Him</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Michael Gira brings his career full circle with these collection of mostly cyclical, repetitive songs, like the devastating dirges of early Swans going to heaven for salvation.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >53. Heavy Winged - Feel Inside</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />A free jazz metal noise demolition course in three movements, few records were as crushing as this one.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >52. Wold - Screeching Owl</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Black metal without much use of quiet space, bringing guitar noise to a </span><span style="font-family:arial;">whole new level for these blastbeated nods to the dark.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">51. James Blackshaw - The Cloud Of Knowing</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">American primitive guitar had no better exponent than Mr. Blackshaw, who strums and fingerpicks his 12-string guitar into worlds known and unknown.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >50. Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO - Crystal Pyramid Rainbow In The Sky</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" > <br /> Nam Myo Ho Ren Ge</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" > Kyo</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Crystal Pyramid... </span>brings the band closer to Gong/Mahavishnu/<span style="font-style: italic;">Bitches Brew</span> with sax explosions of netherworld journeys, <span style="font-style: italic;">Nam Myo...</span> proclaims a new order of monks who vocalize themselves into nirvana.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >49. The Angelic Process - Weighting Souls In Sand</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Equal parts beautiful and brutal, the duo manage to give us their definitive statement of polar opposites.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >48. Om - Pilgrimage</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Al and Chris, before breaking one of metal's best rhythm sections, combine equal amounts of the heavy parts of their <span style="font-style: italic;">Variations On A Theme</span> album with the quiter parts of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Conference Of Birds </span>to give us probably the quintessential Om album.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">47. Yellow Swans - At All Ends</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Gabe and Pete wave goodbye with a psychedelic, free forming mutant sound that goes to electronic to punishing, ending their career in style.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >46. Mammal - Lonesome Drifter</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />One of U.S. noise's best artists, Mammal</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> returns from the drum machine explorations to giving us a more experimental work that succeeds in it's sum.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >45. Zoroaster - Dog Magic</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Painfully heavy, slow as fuck and violent in it's delivery, the long songs compromising <span style="font-style: italic;">Dog Magic</span> deliver on the promise the band had made.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >44. Kenji Siratori - Survival Mind</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Prolific? Yes. Spotty? No doubt. Dada/Sci-Fi writer Siratori nonetheless has the ability to really bring a unique perspective to harsh noise when he wants to.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >43. Benighted - Icon</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Death metal that dares go where it usually doesn't dare to go, following up an incredibly tight album with one even more</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> innovative is no small feat.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >42. Boredoms - Super Roots 9</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Eye and Yoshimi celebrate Christmas by playing with a full blown professional choir, resulting in music that's 100% Bore.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >41. Sir Richard Bishop - While My Guitar Violently Bleeds</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Former Sun City Girl Bishop let's his inner Django Reinhardt loose, as seen filtered through the murky, quirky and often scary worldview of the Sir with the undeniable guitar skills and origi</span><span style="font-family:arial;">nality of</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> few.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">40. Hild Sofie Tafjord - Kama</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />The quieter half of Fe-Mail demonstrate that she's not so quiet after all, giving us one of the harshest and most inventive noise releases of the year, via electronics and french horn.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >39. Stars Of The Lid - And Their Refinement Of The Decline</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Droning for 2 and a half hours and 6 sides of vinyl or so, SOTL reminds us of the bliss and fragility of sound.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">38. Original Silence - The First Original Silence</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Thurston Moore, Paal Nilssen-Love, Mats Gustaffson and members of Zu, among others, bring the skronk punk to free jazz for a much needed electrification the likes of Last Exit once did, giving their own take on it</span><span style="font-family:arial;">.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >37. PJ Harvey - White Chalk</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Polly Jean abbandons her guitar and sits on the piano, leaving her blues succubus self fo</span><span style="font-family:arial;">r her more delicate side to shine on one of her best albums.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >36. Unsane - Visqueen</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Noise metal legends return with a bluesier edge to regain their merciless sound.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >35. Suishou No Fune - The Light Of Dark Night</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Live testament of the dark, melancholic psych duo from Japan, mesmerizing onstage in a slightly different way than they do on record.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >34. Baroness - Red Album</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Country rock metal meets prog rock tendencies and amazingly well written, epic songs. More than heirs of Mastodon and/or Eyehategod, a whole other way to play Southern heavy shit.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >33. Pita - A Bas La Culture Marchande</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Peter Rehberg leaves his drum</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> machine home mostly, and decides to explore more sides to his highly experimental and uncontrollable style.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">32. Polysics - Karate House</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Probably their most varied effort, fractured rhythms, pitch-shifted synth pop singalongs and the</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> expected quirkiness make for a strong effort that makes you go from dancing to jumping to slamming in the most fun you probably could get from an album.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >31. LSD Pond - LSD Pond</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br />Alasehir - Sharing The Sacred</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br />Alasehir - The Stone Sentinels</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br />Alumbrados - A Generation Of Vipers</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" > Baikal - Baikal</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Bardo Pond as such didn't release anything this year, but these prove how grea</span><span style="font-family:arial;">t they are; their collaboration with Tokyo's LSD March gives them a way to quiet improvisation, at moments becoming something otherworldly, the Alasehir trio bring guitar psychedelic while the same</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> line up, as Alumbrados, strip the rock out of it for something more abstract. Finally, Bardo becomes Baikal when they go without Isobel's woman touch for a heavy and fucked jam.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >30. Wooden Shjips - Wooden Shjips</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Garagey yet psychedelic in song context.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >29. Trap Them - Sleepwell Deconstructor</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Destructive extreme metal-infused hardcore that one-ups Converge's own excesses with something that approaches death metal brutal riffing and black metal's ultra bleak atmosphere.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">28. To Kill A </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Petty Bourgeoisie - The Patron</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Quiet and melancholic, the songs on this lo-fi document are as pretty as music can get.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">27. Múm - Go Go Smear The Poison Ivy</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Their electro-soundscapes adorn songs that are well written and feel complete.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >26. Hot Cross - Risk Survival</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Screamo without the screaming, Hot Cross had a pedigree of screaming, mathy, Gravity Records-influenced hardcore; for their swan song, the band decides to stop screaming and use melody in unmelodic ways for a set of fulfilling experimental yet well rounded songs.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlG_CLATa0QgRU2cKixVJOTYMvTzjxu_EMsiDUhf7_WXRAJ7-31gOqGVA1obI0YxNQQM3SDeuSi6R41bPiIUc_wAlzRakKIhgA87c2fRBz02H4BeOKR_MN4wEOI8nM-QZxkXBLPg/s1600-h/R-977598-1208779543.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlG_CLATa0QgRU2cKixVJOTYMvTzjxu_EMsiDUhf7_WXRAJ7-31gOqGVA1obI0YxNQQM3SDeuSi6R41bPiIUc_wAlzRakKIhgA87c2fRBz02H4BeOKR_MN4wEOI8nM-QZxkXBLPg/s320/R-977598-1208779543.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288749861592144754" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">25. Smegma - 33 1/3</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Veterans of noise and free</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> rock or whatever, the band pays tribute to the vinyl album the way they know best, by playing their chaotic, quirky yet messy brand of sound with the </span><span style="font-family:arial;">occasional skewed garage rave up. Not a whole lot different from their old stuff, but in this case, it's a good thing.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fonal.com/shop/img_upload/islaja_ulualyyy_cd-record.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 321px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.fonal.com/shop/img_upload/islaja_ulualyyy_cd-record.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">24. Islaja - Ulual Yyy</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Merja Kokkonen, a.k.a. Islaja, brings forth a delicate, folky and intimate collection of songs that, while not as out there as those by fellow countrymen Jan Anderzen or Keijo</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> (after all, this is an album that ends in bird song), demonstrate that sentiment and delivery are still powerful tools.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://klubbharmoni.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/awo-cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 324px; height: 324px;" src="http://klubbharmoni.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/awo-cover.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">23. Einstürzende Neubauten - Alles Wieder Offen</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Almost thirty years after putting hammer to anvil and anguished screaming to jackhammer, the Collapsing New Buildings give way to a powerful yet quieter and well-composed sou</span><span style="font-family:arial;">nd, more satisfying than their last couple of long players and not as out there as their private releases, that completes their range of sounds and feels as well laboured as their power tools n' junk meta</span><span style="font-family:arial;">l past.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.gothtronic.com/Goth/img_/Music1/sub/Oxbowthenarcoticstorycd.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 329px; height: 329px;" src="http://www.gothtronic.com/Goth/img_/Music1/sub/Oxbowthenarcoticstorycd.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">22. Oxbow - The Narcotic Story</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Apocalyptic cabaret rock, as exemplified by the Birthday Party and contemporaries The Jesus Lizard, comes full circle with Oxbow, whose use of decadent rhythms and dissonance comes forth to life via more acoustic instruments on their latest, demonstrating the power emanates from depravity, not distortion; and at the</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> center of it all is Eugene Robinson, whose Bukowski in</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> briefs lyrics and delivery stand second to few in this day and age, which is something much needed.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.toolshed.biz/asset/resource/6587/bad-brains-cover-screen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 329px; height: 329px;" src="http://www.toolshed.biz/asset/resource/6587/bad-brains-cover-screen.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">21. Bad Brains - Build A Nation</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />HR, Dr. Know, Daryl Jennifer and Earl Hudson reunite for a new album and did the impossible, they recorded a fast, heavy and incredibly inspired album that makes it the right sonic succesor to 1982's s/t a.k.a. as the ROIR Tape. After years and album after album of mediocre shit, the band returns to demonstrate they can still bring </span><span style="font-family:arial;">the kind of fast fucked</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> up hardcore they originated. That this is their reunion album and first in 12 years, is an admirable feat.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.boomkat.com/media/stock_images/TYPE024_Cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 333px; height: 333px;" src="http://www.boomkat.com/media/stock_images/TYPE024_Cover.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">20. Zelienople - His/Hers</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Quiet, restrained, yet beautiful; words defy an album so complete.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.boomkat.com/images/87700/333.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 333px; height: 333px;" src="http://static.boomkat.com/images/87700/333.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">19. Oren Ambarchi - In The Pendulum's Embrace</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Between his formative years as a noise merchant from Australia, to his tenure as stalwart of the Touch label and, ultimately, to his adoption as drone metal's godfather with his darker and heavier releases, not to mention his association with Sunn O))) and Southern Lord, there's no telling what</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> Oren Ambarchi might come up</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> with after all. <span style="font-style: italic;">Pendulum</span> embraces the wide eyed optimistic drones of his Touch releases like <span style="font-style: italic;">Grapes From The Estate </span>but with a pronounced bottom that suggest darker things lurking beneath. Probably Oren's most definitive statement.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.jude13.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/arcade-fire1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 324px; height: 324px;" src="http://www.jude13.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/arcade-fire1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">18. The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Funeral </span>brought the attention to Win Butler and company, and the hyp</span><span style="font-family:arial;">e surrounding their d</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ebut might be hard to follow in these hipper-than-thou ages, but the band has delivered an album twice as ambitious and profound as their previous one, with songs that can be hushed while others are celebrations of life with better arrangements and more feeling. They'll probably be remembered better for <span style="font-style: italic;">Funeral</span>, but <span style="font-style: italic;">Neon Bible</span> is the better record.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://thevindaloo.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/twohunters.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 321px; height: 321px;" src="http://thevindaloo.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/twohunters.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">17. Wolves In The Throne Room - Two Hunters</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Coming from the Northwestern backwoods, these three metalheads have adopted the deep in the ancient woods atmospherics of Scandinavian black metal and injected not only with some well deserved barbaric lumberjack sensitivity but otherwise real sensitivity coming from swirling guitars that give more dimension and complicated emotions than pessimism and misery often associated with bm. At times somber, at times hopeful and never letting itself up for a second, the four extra long tracks on <span style="font-style: italic;">Two Hunters</span> show not only considerable growth since their debut LP but also that bm can be trve even if it steps away from it's usual sounds.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.lassemarhaug.no/sound/discography/cd/thegreatsilence.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://www.lassemarhaug.no/sound/discography/cd/thegreatsilence.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">16. Lasse Marhaug - The</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" > Great Silence</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Member of Jaz(z)kam(m)er, Testicle Hazard, Origami Replika, et</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> al. serial collaborator of the stars and all around noise badass, Lasse Marhaug celebrated a big year, coming off from 2006's enormous <span style="font-style: italic;">Metal Music Machine </span>and starting his new label with a (highly recommended) box set of his solo work released on tape in the 90's. Impecable credentials aside, Lasse's business is noise and he delivers it like few, making destructing wave after wave of frequency abuse but never getting purity get in the way of variety of experimentation, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Great Silence</span> is anything but silent, exploring</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> much of the opposite in a great way.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCoHg9TsHbM5Folq_MiTdjKtN_pDj0oc9z6nmQrwy7oZlTklbUwQ0_ByFHRTfyxy98ZTUqsKbu9ZQVfecVXkwBK3J_ufKpjbDO_B6_sdzJ5UXNPEzVdChzq1sTGuzA3XVzChGtA/s1600-h/R-1221080-1201687861.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWCoHg9TsHbM5Folq_MiTdjKtN_pDj0oc9z6nmQrwy7oZlTklbUwQ0_ByFHRTfyxy98ZTUqsKbu9ZQVfecVXkwBK3J_ufKpjbDO_B6_sdzJ5UXNPEzVdChzq1sTGuzA3XVzChGtA/s320/R-1221080-1201687861.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288742685821498050" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">15. Li Jianhong - San Sheng Shi</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />China might not be the hot bed for fuck-my-head-in guitarists like Japan is, but as this album is any indication of it, it's has nothing to do with nationality; Jianhong, member of the hard as fuck noise jazz group D!O!D!O!D!, presents here a guitar only concert that takes the listener from familiar sounds to punishing and destructive, having us questioning if a guitar can</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> possibly make that much of a racket. While it does remind one of the work of Les Ralizes Denudes' Mizutani, Keiji Haino and Jutok Kaneko, among others, Mr. Jianhong projects enough personality</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> making his six string explorations sound like coming from no one but himself.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://microcritic.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/alcest.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 317px; height: 317px;" src="http://microcritic.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/alcest.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">14. Alcest - Souvenir D'un Autre Monde</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Coming as a side project from France's black</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> metal scene, Alcest's sound</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> bears more similarities to My Bloody Valentine than Deathspell Omega; while "shoegazer metal" isn't something exactly new (it's actually the sound of '07 probably), <span style="font-style: italic;">Souvenir... </span>stands head and shoulders above most soundalikes by delivering more emotion and well written songs than sonic excess and it works to their favor. Many avant-metallers might have used dream pop sounds, but few, like Alcest, dared to dream and expose those dreams on wax.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-AnJsDnSVCDYVlEcbBSvAElvOUsWD2GdnKw95H8SLlmeE84-EHVY-97vVUO66xyAiZL2lMhzH37aXGm1FCIQfoCEpwawObxMY_TCyPJtYrV9bZL3UlfjQeGnkknHYNorMSTRG5g/s1600-h/ghost.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-AnJsDnSVCDYVlEcbBSvAElvOUsWD2GdnKw95H8SLlmeE84-EHVY-97vVUO66xyAiZL2lMhzH37aXGm1FCIQfoCEpwawObxMY_TCyPJtYrV9bZL3UlfjQeGnkknHYNorMSTRG5g/s320/ghost.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288742681356115762" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">13. Ghost - In Stormy Nights</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Masaki Batoh and </span><span style="font-family:arial;">company give us one of their most pastoral releases under the nam</span><span style="font-family:arial;">e of his psych collective; while most of the album is devoted to psychedelic and folky sounds with some overreaching sentiments, the song "Hemicyclic Anthelion" balances all by being half as long as the album, as well as being introspective and darker than the other half, evenning all for a very complete listening experience.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://207.228.243.82/ss/Star.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 323px;" src="http://207.228.243.82/ss/Star.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">12. Los Llamarada - The Exploding Now!</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Monterrey, former 90's fertile ground for commercial rock here in Mexico, now gives us a bastard child that attempts to</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> break on through audio; armed with the very rudimentary of instruments and recording equipment, Los Llamarada channel krautrock via The Fall and tra</span><span style="font-family:arial;">scendental enlightment via punk rock's fuck everything except what we're doing; sound and band </span><span style="font-family:arial;">becomes one and, on the riff cycles played by them, lurks something big, scary and essential.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://www.nakasha-spain.com/shop/images/Animal-Collective-Strawberry-Jam-413240.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 324px; height: 324px;" src="https://www.nakasha-spain.com/shop/images/Animal-Collective-Strawberry-Jam-413240.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">11. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">For their latest act, the four acid-washed animals attempted to throw away their lenghty instrumental improvisations and folky singer-songwriter sensibilities, saving just enough writing </span><span style="font-family:arial;">skills and</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> trippy instrumental experimentation to compose the best batch of pop songs they can, and come out of this act as a fresh, reinvented front </span><span style="font-family:arial;">without really changing</span><span style="font-family:arial;">. "For Reverend Green" celebrates something or another while "Fireworks" let's love rule; everywhere in between, the first true song oriented AnCo album presents us a party.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://misterclick.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/municipal-waste.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 325px; height: 325px;" src="http://misterclick.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/municipal-waste.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">10.</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" > Municipal Waste - The Art Of Partying</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Of course, if you aren't a fan of old Metallica, Exodus, Slayer, Anthrax, etc (not to mention D.R.I., Suicidal Tendencies and the like crossover bands), it's very probable that this album might not sound like top ten material; but for us who still headba</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ng to the old riffs of thrash metal, Municipal Waste played our song; a brash, uncompromising heavy n' fast songfest of vaguely metaphorical references to partying, and a soundtrack (by the way of the</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> "Municipal Waste is gonna fuck-you-up!!" chant) to bashing the hard and heavy way.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TUfIdhrXmyKFaN5qeTQAKBYahYvfPlAx0RN77BYCAvroqkyWILilfjhOHK6TxkEl2U5Rh7vQitNu_N1iL3Y3POIOTf6ruBxAGInz2zRULTsA8vf91mtHwi6oc2muaFA1-_3-TQ/s1600-h/l_c51435899ea676f61e4339f20356a9f6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TUfIdhrXmyKFaN5qeTQAKBYahYvfPlAx0RN77BYCAvroqkyWILilfjhOHK6TxkEl2U5Rh7vQitNu_N1iL3Y3POIOTf6ruBxAGInz2zRULTsA8vf91mtHwi6oc2muaFA1-_3-TQ/s320/l_c51435899ea676f61e4339f20356a9f6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288737552892101922" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">9. Descartes A Kant - Paper Dolls</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Coming off as the bastard child of Mr Bungle and Deerhoof, Guadalajara's multi-co</span><span style="font-family:arial;">stumed ones didn't succeeded by being original (which they aren't) or by proving they can play</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> many musical styles on the same song (which they can but, then again, others have done it better); the reason <span style="font-style: italic;">Paper Dolls </span>is such an irresistable album is because they prove they can write memorable songs in ever-shifting sounds and still feel like they</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> do what they like, in the styles tha</span><span style="font-family:arial;">t they like. While their influences show, most of the songs here are so fun and hard (although the lyrical content might not be as euphoric), one can't deny their skills as songwriters or the energetic delivery they perform them with.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.timeoutnewyork.com/resizeImage/htdocs/export_images/622/622.x600.mr.kousokoya.rev.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 153px; height: 170px;" src="http://media.timeoutnewyork.com/resizeImage/htdocs/export_images/622/622.x600.mr.kousokoya.rev.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobwE0XFjQw7y0sdX6CjNT9UNh2SKpFuM0ClAHZdCvqVRVv2q53Eklb2GoUpDNCPee6_nM-ZJJj89IOoiaFGFtT19RVURvi_1FWAED3sZNVIYwW_JLv6ABJLJbqTT3oROk-RuG9g/s1600-h/rnm02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 165px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobwE0XFjQw7y0sdX6CjNT9UNh2SKpFuM0ClAHZdCvqVRVv2q53Eklb2GoUpDNCPee6_nM-ZJJj89IOoiaFGFtT19RVURvi_1FWAED3sZNVIYwW_JLv6ABJLJbqTT3oROk-RuG9g/s320/rnm02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288742678113655778" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />8. Kousokuya - Echoes From Deep Underground</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" > <br /> Ray Night 2006.10.18</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Jutok Kaneko's passing left a hole within japanese psych no one will fill; and, more than an epitaph, these two concerts showcase Jutok's mastery not only in his instrument, but also as a band leader, guiding his bandmates over free passages, melancholic sections, heavy breaks and music that overall doesn't feel improvised as much as transmitted from somewhere deep in the soul and unto our ears. A testament to a great.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZks-pCjEk0DvQmmrktkKFuaBhI1BeZFIms2aJ3IYj-XH-KDyoZKuJV-BgvTp8Z5DB0SBlA9ZmeWkgI6aX9xahrxkoVaYyytTRpgOui0SOytk78z-j32k31hZePL0olebLAx3Fw/s1600-h/R-925971-1185184005.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 317px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZks-pCjEk0DvQmmrktkKFuaBhI1BeZFIms2aJ3IYj-XH-KDyoZKuJV-BgvTp8Z5DB0SBlA9ZmeWkgI6aX9xahrxkoVaYyytTRpgOui0SOytk78z-j32k31hZePL0olebLAx3Fw/s320/R-925971-1185184005.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288737547887112258" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. Sutcliffe Jügend - This Is The Truth</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Power electronics, extreme industrial and harsh noise in general are having some sort of big appreciation period at the moment, as artist</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> old and new are active and fighting for their limited edition runs to sell out first; and while most P.E. performers worships at the altar of Come Org/Broken Flag/Tesco, few really go beyond that altar in their executions. So leave it to these true pioneers and experts in extremism, Kevin Tomkins and Paul Taylor, to</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> re-draw the map and attempt something else to</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> make p.e. more powerful, by giving silence and whispering as much space as screaming and blasting. <span style="font-style: italic;">This Is The Truth</span> might not become a quintessential document of noise, but it surely will be one of the few to blame for shifting perspectives within it.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51iZo8F26iL._SS500_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 367px; height: 367px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51iZo8F26iL._SS500_.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. Melt-Banana - Bambi's Dilemma</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Continuing with their more song-oriented material, Melt-Ba decide to use their hyper-fast attack only where it counts on the main songs of this album, resulting in some of their most memorable in their whole career, while still have the balls to give us a whole section of</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> sub-minute songs AND two synth blasting space truckers. Yako, Agata and Rika don't really change approach but evolve into something, making <span style="font-style: italic;">Bambi's</span> not only the great record it is, but an invitation to expect something else whenever these genius chipmunks decide to drop a follow up.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img13.nnm.ru/imagez/gallery/e/6/2/4/d/e624da00d2caed76adbe0127b47d46ca_full.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 378px; height: 345px;" src="http://img13.nnm.ru/imagez/gallery/e/6/2/4/d/e624da00d2caed76adbe0127b47d46ca_full.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Nadja - Radiance Of Shadows</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Leah Buckareff and Aidan Baker have made good if not great albums before this one, but <span style="font-style: italic;">Radiance Of Shadows</span> delivers everything the duo has been making since Nadja was a pseudonym for Baker's solo explorations: deep bass rumbling underneat, samples and effects giving wave after wave of light and long pieces that surround the listener with something beautiful yet terrifying that's difficult to put into words. On <span style="font-style: italic;">Radiance...</span>, they deliver all this into some of their best written and arranged pieces to bring us probably their definitive and more rounded album, one whose emotional context is so tidal, one wonders how</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> the speakers don't break to let all those sounds loose in the room.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fonal.com/shop/img_upload/kemiallisetystavat__cd-record.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 386px; height: 351px;" src="http://www.fonal.com/shop/img_upload/kemiallisetystavat__cd-record.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Kemialliset Ystävät - Untitled</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Jan Anderzen and associates have many releases, not only as KY but also in many nicknames and configurations, many of those being some of Finland's best avant-whatever artists and groups; still, for this <span style="font-style: italic;">Untitled </span>album, Anderzen and co-conspirators use everything they are known for: random sounds, electric instruments, homemade sound generators, well arranged songs and improvisation to build one of the best, most psychedelic albums ever. Where nothing is what it seems, it could</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> only mean that it invites for multiple listens to be transported somewhere else.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.vivahaterecords.com/_img/_cover/_lp/neurosis_given_g.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://www.vivahaterecords.com/_img/_cover/_lp/neurosis_given_g.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Neurosis - Given To The Rising</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />After wandering out into somber and less metallic regions with their last two albums, the mighty Neurosis probably would be expected to deliver another introspective collection of songs; that they did, but they also returned to playing their brand of heavy, punishing music. That a band can successfully retake their old, signature sound and progress into another with the accumulation of experiments and the atmosphere of their recent albums is something that is not seen everyday, especially when said album is as solid as <span style="font-style: italic;">Through Silver In Blood</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">Enemy Of The Sun</span>, more than ten years apart, is something only Neurosis could have done.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3155/2414771012_cc3d1d1f01_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 352px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3155/2414771012_cc3d1d1f01_o.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Jesu - Conqueror</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Justin Broadrick doesn't have to prove anything to anyone, his latest vehicule Jesu has already demonstrated that it can conjure up sounds both destructive and contemplative, often at the same time; instead of doing just another album of swirling, doomy guitars and face being snobbed over Nadja, Alcest, The Angelic Process, etc. Justin decides to use his sonic powers to perfect his songwriting skills (as left by the last Godflesh album) and give out way for pure emotion to flow through it all. Contemplating life by it's sorrow and it's ecstasy, a song like stand out "Transfigure" explores feeling like crap in such a way that by the time the first verse is repeated, it's more of a celebration instead of a lament, finding hope in loss being a contradiction worthy of the sound within <span style="font-style: italic;">Conqueror</span>.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.ondarock.it/images/cover/chath.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.ondarock.it/images/cover/chath.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br />1. Rhys Chatham - A Crimson Grail (For 400 Electric Guitars)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The composer delivers to Paris a concert like no other could have been done; multi-guitar compositions are nothing new and Glenn Branca can tell you they can be limiting, so when Rhys Chatham, master minimalist, wrote a piece for 400 six stringers, one could only imagining another <span style="font-style: italic;">Guitar Trio</span> or an <span style="font-style: italic;">Ascension Part II</span> even; but, in fact, the sound </span><span style="font-family:arial;">ended up </span><span style="font-family:arial;">being something different. While i can only imagine how amazing it would have been to witness the performance live, the recorded version is something that shines on it's own and proves the power of the piece easier; when played at a low volume, <span style="font-style: italic;">A Crimson Grail</span> becomes a meditative ambient piece of sublime and delicate detail, but when the volume is cranked, the weight of so much would and steel wires comes over you and you are crushed by it's intensity; in other words, this work is as ethereal, envolving and profound as any of the very best drone, instrumental/post rock or ambient albums and as pulverizing, dark and challenging as any of the top avant-metal, noise or heavy psych records released this year. A true work of art.</span>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-68833467382799142022008-12-18T22:43:00.000-08:002008-12-19T00:26:24.563-08:00At What Point Is Too Available...Well...Too Available?<span style="font-family:arial;">Starting to write this, i feel like i'm 50 billionth...actually, being the person that reaches a round number makes it look like something special so no, i feel like i'm the 56 236 986 581 person to give this but i don't care, i need to say this.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The discussion is always there, the words always repeated; music is way too available to everybody in this day and age on the internet; want an album by a polka band from Russia? Get on Soulseek and you'll find thousands to choose from, Want a promo version of Kreator's next album? Just google it the right way and you'll score, Feeling like listening to Throbbing Gristle's pummeling </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >TG24+</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> box set, or better yet to the infamous 50 disc behemoth that is the </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Merzbox</span><span style="font-family:arial;">? There's probably a well-seeded torrent to download from.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Yet all the geezers and the snobs point out regularly that having so much music made available to the public is making them cherish it less than back in the good ol' days when AIDS didn't ruin unsafe sex and skyscrappers were made of chocolate; everything is so disposable now, how can you love it?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I'll give it my take on all this.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I think it's bollocks that, if something's (relatively) easily available, then it's worthless; i've found many of my very favorite bands and artists, old and new, by downloading albums by them; if it wasn't for the internet, i probably would have never even hear about Loop since most of their shit is out of print, just to give you an example.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Back in the day (yes, i'm saying it with a straight face and can't believe it), if i wanted to check out a band i didn't know that was not on the radio in any form i had two options: a) i'd gamble my way in and buy the album in a store for literally 4 times de normal price (i live in a country where most albums i like aren't domestic) or b) i'd buy a pirate cassette copy of an album. Even buying a bootleg tape was difficult, you couldn't just waltz into a street corner and ask for the new Pavement joint, let alone, say, a Teengenerate record and forget it if you wanted to give Captain Beefheart a listen, it just didn't exist; locating a good pirate tape booth was difficult but not impossible, and once there, you had to make do with what they had; i remember getting an Earache sampler because it had TWO Brutal Truth songs and i desperately wanted Brutal Truth material to listen to, sure the tape also featured Godflesh, Carcass, Bolt Thrower, Entombed and Cathedral, but i really didn't like any of them (except for Entombed), i was only interested in Brutal Truth and that's all i could get then (years after, i learned to appreciate and love the other 4 bands in the comp).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Another method was taping shit yourself; a friend had something that you absolutely wanted to hear for yourself, so you asked him/her to borrow the tape/cd and then you'd make your copy, or maybe he/she made the copy for you; i had to actually build a cable, literally build a cable (with help from my mom) to record from my Walkman to the house stereo because it wasn't a double deck thing, i also used to xerox the covers and then color them myself, no matter if it was actual photographs. The only Stone Temple Pilots album i own in my tape collections is a very cartoonesque colored copy of </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Purple</span><span style="font-family:arial;">, while my Danzig's </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >4</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> booklet has the side lid completely drawn by my unsteady, 13-year old hand and is so black, you can't make of any of the printed lyrics...none more black indeed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So, you'd think downloading has solved any of our harebrained schemes to actually listen to music that probably might make us orgasm to sleep at night and fuel our dreams in pursuit of everything's that amazing in life for us...but it hasn't. For many many people, downloading an album can be as tricky as freestyle rapping in french with only a beginners lesson under your belt; it's fucking unbelievable but people CAN'T GOOGLE, either they can't type and haven't even looked at how they spell their beloved band's name or they get lazy when looking at 500+ results and the first page of results don't have any direct links (refining a search is an alien concept to these people, it seems). Worse of all, people think they are entitled to have the album they are looking for for free, getting hostile over people and calling them "dix" and "azzzholez" because they dare make their lazy, cheap ass selves look harder for the mp3s they can probably easily buy.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I download a lot, a whole fucking lot in fact, but that doesn't affect my listening experience or my excitement over music; in fact, in a lot of circumstances, i have to look hard and suffer for my downloading. I listen to a lot of noise, improv, drone and such, shit that is released in micro-editions by closet labels that go out of print in seconds; sometimes i look for a release for weeks, and once i find it, i sometimes have to wait forever for it to download completely, not to mention many of these releases are done on tape and vinyl, which makes it not more difficult but a lot more tiring for the kind person who rips the material and uploads for the people; a few months ago, i struggled to find a clip of about 3 minutes of Jason Zeh's music that hardly represents his work, but it had to do to show someone more or less what he did. Currently, it's probably going to take me months to download every disc of SPK's box Vinyl On Demand put out this year, but you bet it will be sweet to finally listen to it once everything's in my hard drive, just as it was sweet to listen to the 10-disc </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Improvised Music From Japan</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> box i downloaded a few months back, and that didn't take much effort to download, relatively speaking.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So, music is music, more people are listening to it and more people who are predisposed to not really care about it will not care about much, but they'll listen to it; for us who really live for this, things don't change, whether you're awaiting patiently for your mailorder or being queued to download all of Whitehouse's original Aktions, the moment those notes that really mean something to you will sound as sweet as they need to be, the morans and freeloaders be damned.</span>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-62648215594994352622008-11-26T21:32:00.000-08:002008-11-26T21:49:49.800-08:00She's Like A Black Rainbow<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Lga3JM_2NJd3uiEkreonKJIzM8KSny4hi_rDYnXxYwYnSy2xksroQvjklU-ehGz7jGH7EB_v1dyCsuSVoZStBiR6FDV8_nZXcmfDgs_DhzEyjIIzteNBZiVJAfEERfLJMtOV3g/s1600-h/dl-bs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Lga3JM_2NJd3uiEkreonKJIzM8KSny4hi_rDYnXxYwYnSy2xksroQvjklU-ehGz7jGH7EB_v1dyCsuSVoZStBiR6FDV8_nZXcmfDgs_DhzEyjIIzteNBZiVJAfEERfLJMtOV3g/s320/dl-bs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273208038817049650" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51); font-weight: bold;" href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=196746076"><span style="font-family:arial;">Dead Luke </span></a></span><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51); font-style: italic;" href="http://sevententwelve.com/2008/02/26/dead-luke-box-set-preview/"><span style="font-family:arial;">Box Set </span></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://www.sacredbonesrecords.com/"><span style="font-family:arial;">Sacred Bones </span></a></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">OOOo</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Gothic-y vocals and notes swarm around a cushony bed of electronics that are sorta dancy and fun; sounds like something that might not be that seemless, but it is, thanks to the overall rhythms that march on a deathrock roll. Very simplistic but it does the trick, like Crystal Castles wanting to play Christian Death’s </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Only Theater Of Pain</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">and chuffing away all their filler material. A clear highlight is their appropiation of a Rolling Stones classic, converting it to “Jumping Jack Flash Drive”, dressed in bleeping synths and macabre vocal tones. The songs flow somwhere between goth rocking fare and more extended dancy, electronica numbers, mostly on the same songs, flowing in and out of each style, which is interesting and does for good grim dancefloor fodder; but it’s hardly super innovative shit. Tons of fun and danceable.</span><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51); font-family: arial;" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?2loagzdzmry">Dead Luke - Untitled.mp3</a>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-3449345673415312342008-11-24T20:35:00.000-08:002008-11-26T21:18:16.832-08:00The First Star I See...<span style="font-family:arial;">Originally, i wanted to write about Jimmy Eat World in general but, seeing as next year will mark the tenth anniversary of this album, i thought i would write more specifically about it; either way, most of the points don’t change if the subject of band and album are traded.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I encountered Jimmy Eat World in the late 90’s, while investigating on the sounds of the then-intriguing tag of “emo” that no one liked and is way more hated today; still, i didn’t listen to Jimmy until the early ‘00s when i downloaded two songs, “Opener” and the demo of “If You Don’t, Don’t” from the then forthcoming </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Bleed American </span><span style="font-family:arial;">album. I related to both songs and liked them. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Clarity</span><span style="font-family:arial;">, i found later on, while investigating further into the band’s career; funny enough, i don’t remember the first time i listened to it, i remember not thinking or feeling anything afterwards, which is odd. Now, it figures as one of my favorite albums ever, not because it’s groundbreaking musically (which isn’t, really) or lyrically, but it’s a collection of songs that are so well arranged, sequenced and played that, most importantly in my book, i can relate and makes me feel something (which is something that happens with most of my favorite albums, no matter if it’s Bardo Pond’s </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Lapsed</span><span style="font-family:arial;">, Boredoms’ </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Super AE</span><span style="font-family:arial;">, Wigrid’s </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Die Asche Eines Lebens</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> or Merzbow’s </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Venereology</span><span style="font-family:arial;">).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The songs are all delivered with such sincerity without too much vagueness or too much specification, the music and imagery is balanced in such a way that they evoke something personal to you, while making you sing along to their songs; it’s a great album to wallow in your own misery or to scream along in excitement. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">One of my favorite parts of the album is the continuity throughout, especially during the first part; “Believe In What You Want” could be a new section for “Your New Aesthetic” while “Crush”’s verse vocal melody is not that different from some found on the previous song, “A Sunday”, to the point where “Crush” seems like a more aggressive coda to the other song. Another thing that strikes me about this album is the use of strings that is so common to disposable pop these days, but it doesn’t sound cheap or corny, sounds like something that fills the sound, gives it something extra it might lack. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The rocking parts are passionate and loud, the quiet parts are melancholic and earnest, but nothing is what it seems; the aforementioned “Crush” might sound violent (by their standards) but it’s actually an euphoric number about feeling good and happy, while the sadder “A Sunday” talks about losing someone over bad decisions and drugs. Of course, the choruses of “Like a breath” and “As the haze clears from your eyes, on a sunday” might have a different interpretation for every listener, and that’s part of this album’s greatness, in a big way.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Undeniably, there’s a centerpiece in this album in the form of “Just Watch The Fireworks”, a song that begins fairly straight, both lyrically and musically, with arpeggios adorning the verses, a simple drum beat propelling the song and the lyrics all describing...well...watching fireworks, a promise of seeing them again with “you”; strings enter the picture but they are fairly unintrusive, as they have been on the album so far; the real meat of the song, comes on the bridge when Jim Adkins “said said said out loud over and over”, while the strings add to the song without making it a dumb power ballad moment, just giving the music enough strenght without relying on distortion to give it a more noble feeling, one which is reflected on the part where Jim sings after the aforementioned “loud over and over” part that he’ll “stop now, just enough so i can hear you; i’ll stay up as long as it takes” It turns the lyrics from a lonely person’s lament on missing an actual human into someone that might not be with us anymore, it comes from something completely specific (wishing a certain someone was watching the fireworks with you) to something more ambiguous, stopping now to hear a person there or someone in your memory? The way the rest of the song unfolds, it becomes both an emotional confession and a chant of celebration, “as long as it takes” is both a lament of sorrow to hold onto someone and a shout out of happiness to, somehow untangibly, be with that person and share the moment the fireworks go off. It’s not bittersweet, it’s bitter (or more like sad) and sweet. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">My favorite line in the whole album is “The first star i see, may not be, a star”, a song that probably means the most to me now right now, “For Me This Is Heaven” contains some of the band’s most ambitious music compressed into a palatable song format, while it asks big questions for small people, it talks about the end of the time we have now, about how if he doesn’t let himself be happy, then when? And about still feeling the butterflies AND the last goodbye. Is this really heaven? Is it “the comfort of being sad” or is it about still feeling a sublime way about times gone and cherishing them, since we don’t know when our time will end? While i ask myself these questions (after all, i don’t care if it’s about something specific to Jim or anybody in the band; the song is about stuff i relate, that’s why they are important to me), i can’t stop feeling like there’s no need to answer these questions because i already feel what it is about. Whenever i listen to this song, i feel like it’s not only something i know and understand, but something about me.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I love all the songs in this album, but “Goodbye Sky Harbour” has a special place for me, because it proves how great artists Jimmy Eat World are; lyrically, it’s the shortest song on the album but musically, it’s the longest; the lyrics are far from under-realized, they are in fact, as good and expressive as the rest of the album, relying in simplier images and more ambiguity. The music continues with the rockier, Dischord-like angularity the mightier side of </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Clarity</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> possess, but soon leaves it away for an odd timed, layered and repetitive instrumental, recalling a bit of Slint, Tortoise, Tristeza and early Mogwai, after which Jim adds layer after layer of non-wordly vocals, accumulating a big mass of them, with the band leaving and an IDM piece takes over, a track of dancey yet challenging electronica noodling that reminds of Autechre and the gentler side of Aphex Twin. An epic finish for an epic album.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This album is a very personal thing for me, i can't think about objectively much, but i guess it could be that way for everyone who likes it, by design. There's something oddly melancholic and warm about their songs, especially here, that makes it feel like something to play on a gloomy day during your teenage years, or whenever you think about someone you're not with, for a reason or another; perhaps if you turn the volume down for a bit, perhaps you'll hear her/him with you, perhaps all it takes to hear her/him is listening to these songs.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">===============================================<br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?ovmzmnum2ov">Jimmy Eat World - Lucky Denver Mint.mp3</a><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?lz0lj0kkjnz">Jimmy Eat World - Crush.mp3</a><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?zwoyynoq2il">Jimmy Eat World - For Me This Is Heaven (live at La Scala, London 2002).mp3</a><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?hrytwmjjm4n">Jimmy Eat World - Goodbye Sky Harbour (live al La Scala, London 2002).mp3</a><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">===============================================</span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-88628552220510181572008-11-20T20:59:00.000-08:002008-11-20T21:18:56.645-08:00Millions Now Living Will Feel Like Singing Along<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.secretlycanadian.com/press/windsorforthederby/SC141.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 262px;" src="http://www.secretlycanadian.com/press/windsorforthederby/SC141.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;" lang="EN-US"><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51); font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.windsorforthederby.com/">Windsor For The Derby<o:p></o:p></a></span><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51); font-style: italic;" href="http://www.myspace.com/windsorforthederby">How We Lost<o:p></o:p></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://www.secretlycanadian.com/">Secrectly Canadian<o:p></o:p></a></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">OOO<br /><br />Shoegazer indie pop has been all the rage for the past couple of years on semi-underground circles, but what about indie pop with tendencies towards atmospheric instrumental music? Sure, there’s tons of Mogwai lites everywhere, but they are hardly the stuff to sing along, is it? While Windsor For Derby’s music is obviously ambicious instrumentally, it’s not mathy enough to gain comparisons to Unwound and their ilk, and not minimalistic enough to gather some pompous name or place in the “heady, easily liked hipster headphone buzzer” category. Windsor remind me at their most profound of bands like Tortoise, Seefeel and the Kranky roster yet they are not afraid to have melodic vocals that make you sing along but are restrained enough to be cool about it, which isn’t that surprising considering they have released albums on both Trance Syndicate and Young God. The band also has the bravery to include a bunch of simplier, catchier and rockier songs to make you want to dance or jump or something in between; how to balance such desperate camps of direct reaction songwriting with the more cerebral stuff? Take a page from Stereolab’s approach, of course, making it fun and using a few tricks learned from Neu! albums; and, while the stuff is hardly as awesome as the ‘lab’s own material, and you can hear a sort of schism going around between the two camps of songs, write songs well enough not to give them such a hard time about it. More than anything, a fun, harmless listen<o:p></o:p>.</span><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51); font-family: arial;" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?5gjoyzykyth">Windsor For The Derby - Maladies.mp3</a><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51); font-family: arial;" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?gmd4qdnjthz">Windsor For The Derby - Good Things.mp3</a>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-66305727050516239022008-11-20T20:30:00.000-08:002008-11-20T21:23:04.356-08:00Who Watches Them Indeed<span style="font-family:arial;">Here's the trailer for the <span style="font-style: italic;">Watchmen </span>movie:</span><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51); font-family: arial;" href="http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/watchmen/">http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/watchmen/</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I think it looks promising, especially since i thought <span style="font-style: italic;">300 </span>looked like crap and it's the same director and all, still this one looks like it could be a great movie, aside from some details. I'm also not sure if, since i know and love the story already, there's some sort of bias of my part towards this trailer; anyway, i do think it's good.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I read the graphic novel a few months ago and instantly turned me into a comic book fan, it's completely mindblowing; the story is amazing and merciless.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In fact, i was going to be Rorschach for Halloween, but didn't pan out.</span>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-5698334802796193542008-11-17T21:35:00.000-08:002008-11-17T21:47:46.689-08:00Cathedral Of Devastating Wait<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.recordshopx.com/cover/normal/5/59/59601.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.recordshopx.com/cover/normal/5/59/59601.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51); font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;" href="http://www.myspace.com/flightofthebehemoth">Sunn O)))</a><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial;"><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51); font-style: italic;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%B8mkirke">Dømkirke</a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://www.southernlord.com/">Southern Lord</a></span><br />OOOO<br /></span><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It must be scary for the Grimmrobed ones to dare give a master to a pressing plant, or so is the way they are acting; after the almost unanimous acclaim they received for 2005´s (yes, three years ago, kids) <span style="font-style: italic;">Black One</span>, attempting a new album that’s not twice as mindblowing would be considered shit in the eyes of the all knowing, all seeing dronefanhood, so they keep releasing stop gap records while they can. While last year’s <span style="font-style: italic;">Oracle </span>was patchy at best, this year’s <span style="font-style: italic;">Dømkirke </span>is a bit more flourished and developed, continuing to experiment with the drone metal formula borrowed from Earth but adding and substracting many elements, their m.o. for most of their career; opening with a grand organ dirge accompanied by Mayhem’s Attila Csihar’s pseudo-gregorian vocalizations, the band (playing here inside a massive Norwegian cathedral) goes to familiar, if quieter ground on the second side of the offering, with a trombone adding colour to the sustained guitar chords (yep, they have been listening to <a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=412920938">Robe.</a>) while Attila and the organ re-enter the picture around halfway through. Side three, meanwhile continues with a little calmness over more sustained notes and feedback tones (and some sound processing thanks to noise wizard Lasse Marhaug) to scale into a murkier patch of sound that continues to the next side, letting go only to find Attila calming everything with his humming voice accompanied just by the organ to lull the visitors into it’s drone. With a journey that ebbs and flows like this, i’m not sure if it’s good or bad that Sunn O))) keep pushing expectations for their next studio album, considering the high quality of material like this<br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?icn4wmi4hjn">Sunn O))) - Cannon.mp3</a></span><o:p style="font-family: arial;"></o:p></span>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-20546226130001813322008-11-17T21:02:00.000-08:002008-11-17T21:35:45.730-08:00"I Said 'Em-E-Aitch'"<span style="font-family:arial;">So big fucking news, "meh", the popular demi-word that expresses apathetic reaction to situations or exclamations, is already a <a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081117/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_new_word">word </a>by itself.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I can't remember but perhaps there was a time when including a word on the dictionary was something relevant and even exciting to some; on the pre-internet ages, language, no matter what language, was something completely serious and erudite even, learning the correct uses and spellings of words was a matter that separated the boys from the men, the men from the animals and so on; it was something very strict and even pompous to many. Now, and this has to do with my first reaction to this "news" item, nobody gives a crap about language, as long as a word is accepted massively, it's not only well viewed but also accepted. This is the case with "meh".</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I'm not here to preach about the days of old (the ones i wasn't yet born to have witnessed) or to say how shitty people speak and write today, but rather about how easy it is for words to become not only part of our daily lives but also part of our sciences and practices. Like i said, i can't remember when and if it was actual news that a word got included in the dictionary, but it seems now that if a TV character or an internet fad (that may be taken by a TV character later on) gives us a misspelled, misappropiated or plainly a brand new vocalization of a sense or emotion into a word, then a year or two later it's in the dictionary. Why? Is this really progress? Is it the way to go?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">On the one hand, words are nothing other than things that allow us to communicate with one another in the easiest way possible, if by using a word we explain ourselves better, be it gramatically correct or not or existant even, then it's probably a good thing; and if many people use the word (with, exponentially, more people receiving and using said word) and you can universally express something with less effort, then that's the use of language in itself, right there.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">On the other hand, this reeks of catering to the masses, having a dictionary being sold with words the common man can digest and understand, that he/she can relate because he uses them on a regular basis. "New Improve DICTIONARY!!! Now, with 'Meh' and many other of your favorite words!!! Only $19.99". I'm not saying this is something of grave offense or anything, but not because something is popular means it's something good.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I think words, mostly, are irrelevant to communication; as long as the message is clear, words, grammar and all that can take a back seat. But ignorance is bad and can be very dangerous, and giving license to be ignorant to people is just not right. As i said, communication should be clear.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I use 'meh' a lot, but i think the power of the word (a very strong power, might i add) has been losing itself; i'm not sure if it's good or bad, that remains to be seen (although, if less people have the power of using words, then it's possible that the few who still know the art and use of it might use them to their own advantages and get better results). All i know is that the addition of words to the dictionary is nothing to get excited about anymore; or, simply put, M-E-H.</span>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-47602461387756861912008-11-11T22:00:00.000-08:002008-11-12T22:50:41.394-08:00Selling Out A Heart Full Of Soul<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://es.geocities.com/garagesixtie/Yardbirds/Yardbirds_5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 307px; height: 234px;" src="http://es.geocities.com/garagesixtie/Yardbirds/Yardbirds_5.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family:arial;">The Yardbirds, or so do the almighty critics tell us, was the band that gave us the talent of some of the first guitar “virtuosos” in rock music, spawning no less than Eric Clapton (he of Cream, Derek and The Dominos and solo fame), Jeff Beck (he of...uh, the Jeff Beck Group fame and the main inspiration for Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel) and Jimmy Page (he of Led Zeppelin fame). Yet they are wrong if they think that’s all the Yardbirds were about.</span><o:p style="font-family: arial;"></o:p><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">Just listening to their music you get a feeling of exhilar</span><span style="" lang="EN-US">ation that few bands from that era gave, they possessed a sense of desperation and energy that made you smash your head to the wall or dance like a lunatic; sure, they had a very refined perfection to their playing but that counts for squat if it wasn’t for the way they played, like they meant it and with everything they had. No wonder most garage took upon their sound and it wasn’t until the slash-and-burn excesses of Blue Cheer, the Stooges and the MC5 that those levels of energy were exceded.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.artemotore.com/musica/artisti/immagini/20080713190340yardbirds.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 346px; height: 248px;" src="http://www.artemotore.com/musica/artisti/immagini/20080713190340yardbirds.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">Not only were the guitar players excellent in this band, they were all a classic case of the “sum is better than the individual parts” that most great bands have; one of their greatest achievements was the so called rave up part of their songs, a section where they would concentrate into playing harder and more intense until the sound exploded just to go back to where they left off and finish the song (almost 30 years before <span style="font-style: italic;">Daydream Nation</span>), Keith Relf sang with such bravado and intensity but hardly ever letting his voice get out of control, he was not just making the blues standards they used to cover jump, he made them scream! I call bollocks on the reason why Clapton left the Yardbirds, he wasn’t offended by them abandoning their purist roots since they would inject those pure blues numbers with so much adrenaline that they turned them into something else, something that was almost beyond rock back then, something original and all their fucking own.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">But yes, the Yardbirds sold out.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">Clapton, then nicknamed “Slow Hand” and a little later being the subject of many a “Eric Clapton Is God” graffittis, quit the band as they hit the charts with “For Your Love”. The reason i think Clapton quit is because of this song, namely a) the song’s lead instrument is not the guitar and b) it was a smash hit, unlike all the blues songs Clapton favored; but “For Your Love” is anything but a poppy bland attempt at mass comercial success; in fact, it’s one of the best damn songs to ever be recorded in this Earth; seriously, from the first chords of the harpsichord to the backing vocals to Relf’s delivery to the impossibly heavy breakdown in the middle to the grand last chorus, it retained the rave up quality of their blues adaptations but did it in a picture perfect song format.<o:p></o:p><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">Replacing Clapton wasn’t hard, since he recommended a friend of his, Jimmy Page who was then, a studio session player who enjoyed his job and had good pay so he preferred not to join them, instead telling them about his friend Jeff Beck, who had played in minor garage bands in which he experimented with feedback, noise and distortion, something that expanded the band’s sonic palette tenfold coupled with their new found song oriented material, gave the world such blazing recordings such as “Shape Of Things”, “You’re a Better Man Than I” and “Heart Full Of Soul” (the later’s riff originally intended to be played by a sitar), as well as more blues versions like the absolute expressway to their skulls climax of “I’m A Man” that always gives me the chills.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.galvestonmusicscene.com/Blog-Photos/YardbirdsClapton2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 287px;" src="http://www.galvestonmusicscene.com/Blog-Photos/YardbirdsClapton2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" face="arial"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" face="arial"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><br />Bassist Paul Samwell-Smith left the band some time after, giving them an opportunity to invite Page again to the band, with the extremely underrated talents of Chris Dreja leaving the rhythm guitar for the four string to have room for Jeff and Jimmy to really let loose. Problem was, there was almost no time since Beck fell sick and was soon after being falsely diagnosed, he was fired while on the road, ending a truly magical era of music when rumours would fly about him slashing his speakers or loosening the tubes in his amp to get his distortion and when bands, sometimes spearheaded by the very own Yardbirds, would experiment with raga forms or gregorian chants.<o:p></o:p><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">The band went on to have minor hits with Page but they mostly exploited their experimental side, extending their songs and obliterating them to noise onstage, using the studio as an instrument and not caring about the results or having fear; Jimmy introduced the band to his freak folkish song “White Summer” and the prog noise metal of “Dazed & Confused”, developed by Relf and the rest of the band, although they wouldn’t last very long after.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:100%;">Today i listen to this band with immortal melodies, daring ideas and incredibly exciting executions and i wonder about what would it have been to be around when they were around and perhaps watching them live with anyone of their brilliant lineups. Often, people look at me funny when i talk about Clapton and Beck and Page and assure them i positively despise Cream, don’t feel like listening to Led Zeppelin most of the time or that i’m not terribly excited to look into the instrumental work of Beck, rather i refer to their early to mid-60’s selves, as much as Bob Dylan felt old newspapers were more relevant in the sixties than the rags of the day; those were the days when a simple blues standard could make you want to slamdance before you could even think about stuff like that, it was music that makes you feel alive over under sideways down, i’m not sure if then but i’m completely positive that they do now, to me at the very least, with a sip of muddy waters, a fuzzed out sitar line and a heartful of soul to make me feel alive.</span></p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/sevenages/assets/artists/the-yardbirds/gallery/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 323px; height: 136px;" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/sevenages/assets/artists/the-yardbirds/gallery/1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><br /><p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />=====================================================<br /><br /></span><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?2mm5imjtill"><span style="font-family:arial;">The Yardbirds - Too Much Monkey Business (Five Live Yardbirds).mp3</span></a><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?g3icdl0z0dh"><span style="font-family:arial;">The Yardbirds - For Your Love.mp3</span></a><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?zyw4tmmnzio"><span style="font-family:arial;">The Yardbirds - Heart Full Of Soul.mp3</span></a><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?tnzzvhywl0j"><span style="font-family:arial;">The Yardbirds - The Train Kept A-Rollin'.mp3</span></a><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?nzzuuzntiyq"><span style="font-family:arial;">The Yardbirds - I'm A Man (live 1968-Mar-30 Anderson Theater, NYC).mp3</span></a><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?yd2zazmuml5"><span style="font-family:arial;">The Yardbirds - Jeff's Boogie.mp3</span></a><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?jzzuy0yymjx"><span style="font-family:arial;">The Yardbirds - Over Under Sideways Down (live 1968-Mar-30 Anderson Theater, NYC).mp3</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://www.mediafire.com/?lt2rh0yywmx">The Yardbirds - Happening Ten Years Time Ago.mp3</a><br /><br />======================================================<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jSJGEn4FDys&hl=es&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jSJGEn4FDys&hl=es&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yhfuOSHVIow&hl=es&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yhfuOSHVIow&hl=es&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EOheWvkjq78&hl=es&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EOheWvkjq78&hl=es&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nHdB7YRysr4&hl=es&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nHdB7YRysr4&hl=es&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /></span>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-37796373736150245472008-10-06T19:19:00.000-07:002008-10-06T19:36:08.135-07:00Gevecht #2<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/13063353.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/13063353.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><u style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></u>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-79115838940574846662008-09-29T21:35:00.000-07:002008-09-29T21:37:48.701-07:00Denied<span style="font-family: arial;">The Toluca gig got cancelled because of an issue not concerning the bands. Monosodic apologizes to everyone who was going to the gig and we hope to play Toluca some time soon.</span>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-59863610943342419692008-09-25T10:15:00.000-07:002008-09-25T11:34:32.817-07:00Linsay Lohan Is Gay and Some Real News<span style="font-family:arial;">Like most current celebrities, i don't find Lindsay Lohan attractive; she's mildly interesting though.<br /><br /></span> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.judiciaryreport.com/images/lindsay-lohan-drunk.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.judiciaryreport.com/images/lindsay-lohan-drunk.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Now, something that's real news (she's a lesbian? NO SHIT!!!); here's a new track by Monosodic that will be part of the <span style="font-style: italic;">GNO</span> EP which, in case you haven't heard, will be released in three separate installments (two as part of netlabel compilations) with an extra song appearing on an other compilation; all the song titles are inspired by Miley Cyrus. Here's the first song from the set available for everyone to listen:</span><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51); font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;" href="http://freedownloads.last.fm/download/215126373/In%2BThe%2BShower%2BWith%2BHer%2BClothes%2BOn.mp3">Monosodic - In The Shower With Her Clothes On.mp3</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> (right click-Save as)<br /><br /></span> <a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://a287.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/57/l_b2ea353177083420e05ebc05e7435566.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://a287.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/57/l_b2ea353177083420e05ebc05e7435566.png" alt="" border="0" /></a>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-51373361518245704122008-09-24T15:49:00.000-07:002008-09-24T16:07:18.891-07:00This Month's Nocturna<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://a35.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/88/l_2b2368b4f773d136f08df4a115e527e2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://a35.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/88/l_2b2368b4f773d136f08df4a115e527e2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I wrote articles about Acid Mothers Temple and Cannabis Corpse (Municipal Waste member's death metal side project, in case you don't know) for this issue.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">There's tons more that's worth reading (if you can read spanish), you can find out about that here: </span><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51); font-family: arial;" href="http://www.myspace.com/revista_nocturna">www.myspace.com/revista_nocturna</a>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-29559187790683257492008-09-23T00:04:00.000-07:002008-09-23T22:27:03.520-07:00Monosodic Thingy October<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/12349797.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/12349797.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">Friday October 10.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">El Área Chica.</span></span><br /> <span style="font-family:arial;">Villada and Gomez Farías</span><br /> <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Centro, Toluca</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Monosodic </span>(DF): <a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://www.myspace.com/monosodic">www.myspace.com/monosodic</a></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Blindaje </span>(Morelia): <a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://www.myspace.com/blindaje">www.myspace.com/blindaje</a></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Onirismo Automata</span> (DF): <a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://www.myspace.com/onorismoautomata">www.myspace.com/onorismoautomata</a></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Familia Eskeleto</span>: <a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://www.myspace.com/familia_eskeleto">www.myspace.com/familia_eskeleto</a></span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Presale: $35</span>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-56145344595703169042008-09-22T22:44:00.000-07:002008-09-23T11:18:23.274-07:00Don't Go Away Mad, Gerard Cosloy<span style="font-family:arial;">So the other day at the Sonic Youth Message Board, the discussion of the band signing to Matador<span style="font-family:arial;"> started; now, i'm not really for or against any label, but i'm not into label worship or (undeserving) label hatred; that is, i don't love or hate labels, i like and dislike bands left and right, plus there's good years for any label and years that are not that good. People who automatically are into an artist because they are signed to a certain label seems myopic to me and it's something that gets on my nerves.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">After someone pointed out that the label had released stuff by Cat Power, Bardo Pond, Cornelius, Guitar Wolf, Guided By Voices, Mission Of Burma, Pavement and Pussy Galore among others (pretty much all of which i agree are most excellent, i would also add Yo La Tengo and Belle & Sebastian), not to mention all the distro they do for smaller and/or international labels; i made the following remark:</span><br /><br /><blockquote style="font-family:arial;">Yeah, but they also have Love Of Diagrams, Lavender Diamond (granted, they only had an amazing EP i love dearly but the full lenght was awful), Mogwai who have gone pretty much downhill in my opinion since <span style="font-style: italic;">Rock Action</span>, Brightback Smelly Hippie or whatever they're called, the New Pornographers, and i mean bands who are active.<br /><br />The only one right now you mentioned that's still in the label is Cat Power (*of course, then i forgot to mention YLT, B&S, as well as Times New Viking).<br /><br />Fuckers also dropped Bardo Pond (They didn't sell records, eh? NO SHIT!! You should have known that ever since you first listened to them!).<br /><br />Anyhoo, independently of my personal feelings towards <span class="highlight">Matador</span>, no label is god. <span class="highlight">Matador</span>, Geffen, same shit for Sonic Youth.<br /><br />(And don't get me the 'creative freedom' thing, Thurston is just goofing around as always...having released <span style="font-style: italic;">A Thousand Leaves</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">NYC Ghosts & Flowers</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Murray Street</span> on a major is pretty much the most freedom any band has enjoyed in a major since the 70's).<br /></blockquote><span style="font-family:arial;">Now, </span><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51); font-family: arial;" href="http://www.matadorrecords.com/matablog/?p=2512">this item</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> was brought to my attention recently, and so to pinpoint it's relevance, i'll quote the part that concerns us:</span><br /><br /><blockquote style="font-family: arial;">We’ve been chit-chatting for a while now about adding a feature to the Matablog specifically devoted to a former Matador band and/or old moment from the label’s history, and such a move is long overdue. It just so happens this notion came up again a day or two after some rocket scientist posted on the Sonic Youth.com message board that Matador was a big heap o’ crud because we “dropped Bardo Pond.” Listen pal, unless your name is Darren Mock or Barry Hogan, you can fuck off. We put out 4 <a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);" href="http://www.threelobed.com/bardo/">Bardo Pond</a> albums and did the very best we could. Seriously, the web is Blame The Label Central. How about blaming some of the fans who aren’t interesting, attractive, charismatic or funny enough to get anyone to check out their favorite bands?*<br />...<br />(* - we do genuinely believe the majority of Matador record buyers are extremely interesting, attractive, charismatic and funny. <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">Especially when they are giving us money.</span> Even when they’re griping on message boards)<br /><br /></blockquote><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:arial;">I never said that Matador was a crap label and that Sonic Youth shouldn’t sign with them, nor did i ever said that the big meanie label was destroying artists; that’s besides the point even.<o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">Any full time label does decisions, good and bad, for it’s own sake of business survival, that’s a fact; that’s why, to the eyes of artists and fans, sometimes they make “bad choices” we don’t agree with, and there’s periods when rosters change and staff gets drafted and the label gets re-structured, and some feel the “sound” of said label is lost or that the quality of the bands has dropped (all relative as taste is personal), that’s why no label is perfect. Not SST, not Atlantic, not Motown, not Drag City.<o:p></o:p> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">Labels bring the business side to the music, they are the ones putting the money to produce the records and they are the ones who take them to the shops (or to another company that takes them to the shops); a label isn’t a creative entity by nature unless they actually participate in the creative process of the writing and recording of the sound material and, more often than not, when the label actually gets their hands in the way of this process, the results are bad. A label head could be an artist, but then he’s being creative as an artist, not as a label; artwork and graphic design is also not a function of the label but a part of it.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">I’m not decrying “sellout” or indie/punk purity, labels have a very important purpose and, yes, it has to do with money, which is a good thing when done right. Yet labels aren’t to be followed or admired just as bands since they are a mean and not an end, that’s why i think label worship is stupid. I might admire the conviction of a label (Crass, Industrial and Dischord, to name a few), their business strategies and their rosters, but never to the point of buying a shirt or favour them over a band since it’s not a creative entity giving us feelings and sounds like artists do; labels are the way in which we receive those feelings and sounds.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="" lang="EN-US">Trying to do “the very best you could” to “help” Bardo Pond (or any band like that) is a defeating point for an independent label, since the whole point of independent and underground music is about having a way other than that of big business and mass culture. Artists like that are made to stay underground since they are not built for everyone to like; if not, i’m sure Bardo would be playing something more palatable and not long psychedelic dirges. There’s, of course, other artists who are playing music that can be liked by more people if they get a fair push, like you know quite well having Interpol, The New Pornographers and Cat Power on your label, to name a few. Making a band “as big as Interpol” isn’t the only meaning of “success” (by the way, why are you referring to Bardo Pond in past tense?).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style="font-family:arial;">So, i want to clarify:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">1) I don't think Matador is "a big heap o’ crud", i also don't believe it is the absolute paradise of labels; no label is either, at least not forever if it's a real label and not a one-off part time operation or a boutique kind of deal.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">2) Concerning Bardo Pond, it was great that you released four albums by them and backed them all the while they were on the label; my point was, they are not a radio band, not a singles band, not a band that sells tons of records; they weren't when you signed them and they didn't become one by their fourth album with you, you should have realized that. I (myself personally) think that a band like BP are more a band that has their fans who support them but won't become the next big indie craze leaders; i feel like Bardo Pond benefits from a label that supports them while not expecting sky-rocketing sales.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> Of course, businesswise, that might not have been possible and some decisions had to be made.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Gerard, while you invited me to "fuck off"; i, in turn, would like to interview you so you can explain to me and others how you have handled two very successful labels (i write for about four music publications here in Mexico plus another one from the UK, i'm sure any of them would be delighted to print the interview). You can contact me by sending me a private message through the SY Board if you like to or through here.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Sincerely,</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Marcos Hassan.</span><br /><blockquote style="font-family: arial;"></blockquote>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-88190535221174276602008-09-17T18:50:00.000-07:002008-09-17T19:20:24.812-07:00Radio Oscillator #16<span style="font-family: arial;">01. Motörhead - Rock Out</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">02. Thank You - Embryo Imbroglio</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">03. Tsuyama Atsushi - Rock N' Roll White House</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">04. Sonny Sharrock - Blind Willie</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">05. Vivian Girls - Going Insane</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">06. Carcass - Cadaveric Encubator Of Endoparasites (Peel Session)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">07. Original Silence - A Sweeping Parade Of Optimism - Blood Streak (excerpt)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">08. Gal Costa - Cinema Olympia</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">09. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - I See A Darkness</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">10. Usurp Synapse - When Good Pets Go Bad</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">11. Hank Williams - Your Cheatin' Heart</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">12. U.S. Girls - Mutate Machine</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">13. Nachtmystium - Your True Enemy</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">14. Ice Cube - Endangered Species (Tales From The Darkside) [Remix]</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">15. Los Llamarada - The Very Next Moment</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">16. Keith Fullerton Whitman - 21:30 For Acoustic Guitar, Part 2 (excerpt)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">17. Mad River - Amphetamine Gazelle</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">18. Upsidedown Cross - Batallion Of Rats</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">19. Growing - Lens Around</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">20. Joy Division - She's Lost Control (Peel Session)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Download, subscribe, etc: </span><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 0); font-family: arial;" href="http://oscillator.podomatic.com/">http://oscillator.podomatic.com/</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> or on the player to your right.</span>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12078621.post-49358472285950872942008-09-17T18:32:00.000-07:002008-09-18T14:37:27.773-07:00Onscreen Autopsies And A Packed Meatlocker<span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >Gig Review:</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Carcass</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">September 16</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Circo Volador</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">For starters, the venue was sold out, and this is a big place, mind you; totally amazing how packed it was. And Carcass hardly disappointed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Billed to start at 7:30 (which i didn't know until way after the show) i arrived to the venue to find tons of people outside and inside already packing it on the ground floor which made me go to the top seated area where i found a place where i could see the stage and everything very well; the stage had two cloth-screens in each side in front of some amps with drawings of a slashed human torso, on top of the drums there was a screen that had the image of their third album, </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Necroticism</span><span style="font-family:arial;">. The crowd was conformed by tons of people representing the old guard as well as your usual metalheads.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">At about 7:45, the lights went out, the screen changed it's image and an intro tape was played, a narration of some sorts after which a droning note started to fade into it; after a few minutes of this, the band came onstage and started things with "Inpropagation" followed by another album opener, "Buried Dreams" from their </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Heartwork</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> album which informed most of the set. The crowd on the floor weren't moving too much on the accounts of there not being much space to move but there was some crowd surfing; the crowd's response, however, was enormous. On the third song, "Corporal Jigsore Quandary", one of the most well received ones of the set, the projection of the screen showed various body parts being dissected and ending with an eye being implanted on a brain.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The band looked good and dominated the stage with a balance of calm coolness and rocking still intensity with some movement to here and there, Jeff Walker was handling his Les Paul-like hollow-bodied bass with authority and a bit of struggle wearing a Rotten Sound shirt, while Michael Amott was playing a very big Dean Flying V, possing around the stage for a bit; at the other side of the stage, Bill Steer stood there like a guitarist straight out of the 70's, with slightly bell bottomed jeans, a tight brown shirt and his long blonde hair, extracting impossibly low ended heavy riffs of his very vintage looking Les Paul. The band sounded tight and clear (except for the vocals, the microphones were a bit muddy, soundwise), pretty much like the records and like if they never broke up or if they had a different drummer now.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The band played most of </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Heartwork </span><span style="font-family:arial;">and about half of </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Necroticism</span><span style="font-family:arial;">, they deviated from these albums to play "Reek Of Putrefaction" from their masterpiece (or one of their many masterpieces, anyway) </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Symphonies Of Sickness</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> to follow it with "Keep On Rotting In The Free World" (complete with various symbols of many faiths on the screen) from their suicide attempt </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Swan Song</span><span style="font-family:arial;">, after which they went back to the very beginning of their career, playing "Genital Grinder" and "Psyosisified (Rotten To The Gore)" jointly to make it like one decent lenght song. I was pleasantly surprised to hear them switch from playing the more sophisticated side of their career to the more barebones and unpolished era with even more brutality, it was also great listening to Michael and Bill do some grunting live. After these, they left the stage, not an hour after they started their set.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">When they came back, they played "Death Certificate" then the monstrous "Exhume To Consume" and left again; before they came back, Juan Brujo of Brujería came out to yell "Viva México Cabrones!!!" (on account that since the night before, we were celebrating the Independence Day) after which Jeff made a crack about him being his father, he then made a crack about them going backstage to inhale oxygen like Axl Rose or something; he actually made several jokes during the show but most were inaudible thanks to some microphone problems. He then introduced each member of the band, pointing out that Daniel Erlandsson was replacing their original drummer Ken Owen (i heard a section of the crowd chant "Owen, Owen!" earlier during the set) after which he made another joke, this time saying Erlansson owned eBay or something similar, right after which Daniel started pounding a slow beat which gave away the entrance of "Rupture In Purulence", Walker followed with the ultra heavy bassline and then the guitars kicked in, Jeff stood in front of the stage, past his mic stand and played a bit of the song without singing it after which a galloping twin guitar riff started and gave to a fast beat, that of the song "Heartwork"; easily the highlight for many people. The band finished the song, started a riff as a coda to it and ended it all, the screen started to show an autopsy from the first cuts to the body, while the band said their goodbyes to the crowd, throwing picks and drumsticks, with Jeff walking along the space between the barricade and the stage.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Personally, i have two complains, the first being that the show was very short, considering their back catalogue and that they hardly touched anything from their first two records, which brings me to complain number two, namely why the denial of most of </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Reek </span><span style="font-family:arial;">and </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Symphonies</span><span style="font-family:arial;">? To me and many others, this was the highlight of their career, their golden years and best albums; granted, i love </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Necroticism </span><span style="font-family:arial;">and </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Heartwork </span><span style="font-family:arial;">and i know those two are much more popular but come on!!! There's tons of amazing songs in both first records.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Thinking about what i am complaining, i seriously don't feel like it was a waste by any chance, it was more than a great concert, and i'm immensly happy for witnessing one of metal's best bands in action, as if they had never had any major lineup changes or had broken up. Everything was crushing, inspired and amazing; after all it's said and done, i can't complain.<br /><br />Some pictures: <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/metaldragon/sets/72157607349083403/">http://flickr.com/photos/metaldragon/sets/72157607349083403/</a><br /></span>Marcos Hassanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02465279795576273980noreply@blogger.com0