Toddlike's Worthless Music Review Blog

2004-02-26T20:56:00.000-08:00

Out of Business
If you periodically visit here, hoping I'll post more reviews, it ain't happening. I'm out of the review buisness, mostly for good. I have a newer blog, located here, which I am relaunching.

Love.

2002-10-08T21:15:00.000-07:00

Hiatus
Yes, another hiatus.

Not that anyone should really care.

2002-09-25T21:39:00.000-07:00

Morton Feldman - "String Quartet (II)"
I'll be honest here. I don't really have a clue how to review this; it's a five hour string quartet by Morton Feldman, a little-known avant-garde composer who was a contemporary of John Cage. There seems to be a recent Feldman resurgence, which probably would make him happy, if he weren't dead. Feldman's "thing" was, especially towards the end of his life, to create very long works of music which effectively sound like they are suspended in space. In other words, Feldman's pieces don't have a beginning, middle, and end, they 'arrive' and then 'are' for a given length of time, and then just sort of end; no dramatic codas or 1812-style overture cannons going off. Feldman's idea of a big moment is to offer a slight change in tempo, or a move from a long drone to a shorter drone-- or, in some sections, pizzicato. However, this does not mean it's ambient, in any sense of the word; your reviewer finds the work relentlessly tense, even approaching unpleasant in spots, and there are sections which reminded me of a warped Phillip Glass record played at the wrong (much slower) speed. Feldman does not go back to reoccurring themes, and though he does use repetition, it is within very specific chunks of time.

So what does this all add up to? Well, it's a hell of an investment in time, and while there are sections which are "conventionally" beautiful, I'd imagine that a lot of people would find this very hard going. It's recorded very well, and the Ives Ensemble gets a lot of credit for being the first to record this monster (it is seldom played, and has never been recorded). The merely curious, however, would probably be better served by some of Feldman's easier to obtain works (this is a limited HatART set), and those which are, perhaps a little shorter. However, if the description above doesn't put you off, you'll find a hell of a lot to like here. Me, I love this thing; I just wonder how many times I'll do so.

2002-09-23T21:16:00.000-07:00

Fennesz - "Endless Summer"
Hey kids, remember "glitch"? That flavor of the month "innovation" in techno music, where people like Pole, Oval, and Sutekh uses either the real or simulated sound of equipment failure to add texture to ambient noise? Remember snatching up copies of Ovalprocess and trying to figure out what all the fuss was about? Or the time you listened to "Clicks and Cuts, Vol 2" and wondered what the hell I was raving about? Well, gosh darn it if someone didn't come along in the middle of all that and release a record which simply makes 'em all sound like genre wankery. Fennesz's "Endless Summer" takes it's queue from soft, lilting summer pop (hence the title), and runs it through the glitch "process" to make a record with a perfect balance of melody and texture. Unlike his previous efforts, which showcased harsh noises with their glitchery, Fennesz works with his guitar (he always has, I have heard, but I'll be damnned if you can tell), creating light, simple melodies-- the title track being a prime example. He then layers the rapid fade ins and outs, surface noise, and clicks onto the melodies. It sounds like sunlight being filtered through trees, the dark shadows contrasting with the melodies, somehow beautifying the process.

This album is thought through, and thoughtful. An essential release.

2002-09-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

Wilco - "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot"
In which your reviewer lamely passes off an AIM conversation as a review.

ToddLike: np Wilco: "Yankee Hotel..." I don't see what the big fucking deal is.
Internet Cabal Member #323:That's on my Columbia House target .... So you mark this up to Kid A type hype and experimentalism? I might still like it if it's more interesting than the usual dull twang pop Son Volt and Wilco have been serving up ever since the original UT split. But I've always preferred the Wilco records to their SV counterparts.
ToddLike: Much like Radiohead, I find Wilco a good band (if not a bit over influenced by the Beatles), who produces good records that I enjoy, but fail to understand why the critics spooge all over.
ToddLike: It has some interesting production experiments, but nothing original-- if you have heard "I am Trying to Break Your Heart", you'll have a good idea of what's on here.
ToddLike: I liked "Summerteeth" better than this one, actually, mostly because it had the balls to be a straight up pop/rock record.
Internet Cabal Member #323: the only one I've gotten out in over a year is "AM". I've considered selling both my Son Volt CDs, they do so little for me. I HAVE gotten more mileage out of the two Billy Bragg collaborations Wilco did. The music steps up, and I'd rather have Bragg singing unfinished Guthrie chestnuts than his usual self-righteous communist rhetoric. And Tweedy works better with someone like Bragg to bounce off of.
ToddLike: He's now working with Jim O'Rourke on something.
Internet Cabal Member #323: Billy or Tweedy?
ToddLike: Tweedy.
Internet Cabal Member #323: Well, I'd almost rather have O'Rourke trying to make Wilco more interesting than continuing to make Sonic Youth more wanky (or wasting his talents on assholes like Smog and Will Oldham)
ToddLike: I *liked* O'Rourke's laptop record. He does some interesting things. And, it's 45 minutes, which lends it a sense of discipline.
ToddLike: I'd put Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in the same category as "Kid A"... it's "experimental" music for people who don't have any fucking clue what "experimental" means. It's not a bad record at all, and I enjoy it when I listen to it (which isn't a bad thing at all, really), but it's not that amazing or anything.
ToddLike: And, to continue my rant, it sounds like most of the songs were written, then had these wanky touched added to them; like he sort of "thickened" the text with weirdness, rather than having the weirdness in mind. And "Radio Cure" is a shitty song, no matter what you do to it-- Tweedy's voice is horrible on that one.
Internet Cabal Member #323: I still find it ironic that you take pains to put down Kid A and this one (which I cannot back up with actually hearing and liking yet, so...) as music for clueless people but want to continue to harp on several minor metal thing as a work of essential genius? Is it strictly the critical hyperbole being shoved down your throat? Maybe it helps that I keep myself idiosyncratically informed to where all the crap I hear is either about Eminem, Creed, Shakira, and Britney after giving Radiohead its month of novelty spotlight before moving on ----- or Wire and droneON assholes dissing Radiohead and telling me how essential Bardo fucking Pond and Merzbow are.
Internet Cabal Member #323: I'm not totally arguing that any ambitious pop deserves credit ... else I'd be championing U2's past decade and more Bjork than I really like.
Internet Cabal Member #323: But I think it's really callous to marginalize Kid A's ideas to "only appealing to the clueless". I find them a lot more enjoyable than anything Patton has ever done (though I respect his work, it's way too wanky 80% of the time to be really enjoyable when he tries to do rock music instead of voice feedback noise sketches, Zorn sessions, or something)
ToddLike: Hmm. I'd argue that certain things are genius within a genre. Lamb of God, for example, do amazing things with their metal, but I doubt they will have a wider influence. At the end of the day, I *like* this record; but the praise for it seems uninformed-- everyone acts like it's this brave step forward or something. It's not.
ToddLike: Neither was Kid A. It didn't stop it from being a good record. It's just not deserving of the collective critical orgasm it got... just like the last Trail of Dead record.
Internet Cabal Member #323: In the world of current pop music, anything that tries to be more interesting than same ol' same ol' is a step forward and usually brave for guys confined to a silly genre like "No Depression". It doesn't mean it's GOOD .... but I find it a lot more significant and important to this idea of "modern music" than self-righteous wank fests that are sill catering to a genre. It is annoying that only 50% of the pop records that try to do this end up being any good, but that just goes to show you how hard it is to pull off anything like that anymore. And guys like Wilco and Radiohead have had their ears to the 'underground' for a long time, so neither is a dilettante per se. But would it be any less valid if one of those fucking useless R&B or boy/girl singers hooked up with a modern-day Lee Hazlewood and made something more than its parts?
Internet Cabal Member #323: I've probably answered my own question there ... the latter would just sound like the same beat-propelled bombastic shit hipsters try to co-opt like Eminem or Missy Elliott. And I'd be a hypocrite on some level to diss that and praise Radiohead. But the latter didn't feel the absolute NEED to conform to 100 cliches about putting shout-outs, prayers to Jesus, the same heavy beat, and singing in every song with Kid A. It actually has subtle and meditative moments, whether it should be praised or damned for that.
Internet Cabal Member #323: If Kid A were basically 12 versions of "Creep" with drum-n-bass shoved under it, I would have hated it.
Internet Cabal Member #323: which, come to think of it, is exactly what Bjork did for the obnoxiously overrated and overwrought Selmasongs.
ToddLike: Right, right. But the point here is neither album is the "ferociously original" thing that you would think it was if you just *read* about it. It's a dog that has been dyed an unnatural shade of brown or something... it's sort of arresting to look at, but at the end of the day, it's a friggin dog with hair dye on it.

2002-09-09T17:51:00.000-07:00

Dillenger Escape Plan with Mike Patton - "Irony is a Dead Scene"

The Dillenger Escape Plan lost quite a lot when their vocalist, Dimitri, left the band. His hysterical shrieks sounded like nothing less than a man with his back against the wall, railing uselessly at a world which he could neither fight back against or comprehend; as a result, simple lines like "You laughed/ quit laughing" carried a depth that made the Escape Plan's all ready complex and chilling songs masterpieces. It was no surprise that while auditioning new vocalists, they decided to collaborate with Mike Patton; he had handpicked them to open for Mr. Bungle on their last tour, and the Escape Plan's spastic style suits Patton's Naked-City-era-Zorn fetish quite well. The results of this collaboration? Ehh.

Though Patton is, as usual, in fine voice, and his staccato raps work quite well, when he stretches it (as on "Hollywood Squares"), it doesn't fit in with the overall sound; so the band respond by altering the normal attack, which makes the whole affair sound a bit like a ballsier version of Mr. Bungle. Now, that isn't a bad thing, really, but I all ready have a ballsier Mr. Bungle record ("Disco Violante"), and have no need to hear one of the fiercest units out there do the same thing. As a result of this schizophrenic tenancy, the record never coheres, despite its short length (just four songs). I'm also going to ding them for doing a cover of the Aphex Twin's "Come to Daddy". I'm not even sure the Aphex Twin should have done "Come to Daddy," which, disturbing video aside, comes off as a half-joking, half-serious attempt to sound "evil". Here, without the Aphex Twins spastic beats, it just sounds kind of weak.

If The Dillenger Escape Plan were more prolific, this might settle in as an interesting aside in their catalog. Perhaps it's intended that way, but given their slim body of work, this seems like a feeble aside, a kind of tossed off session which only makes me want to hear what the new material with the new permanent vocalist will sound like. It's a C- effort from an A+ band.

2002-09-04T21:02:00.000-07:00

I have returned
Review later this week, I should think.

Love.

2002-08-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

At Burning Man
So would you be, if you knew what was good for you.

Love.

2002-08-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

Mastadon - "Remission"
I didn't care much for Mastadon's debut ep, "Lifesblood", though I really failed to articulate why. Part of it was an annoying set of samples, and there seemed a singular lack of groove. Whatever shortcomings that ep had, "Remission" proves that Mastadon are really a force to be reckoned with; it's a powerful slab of Stoner Metal Core (you read that term here first), with Math Metal skills thrown in. The heart of Mastadon is it's almost jazz-like drumming. No blast beat attack here, and none needed. The guitarist never goes for the big solo, instead offering weird, snakeing, almost Slint like rhythms. The bass player keeps everything moving forward with chugging precision. The amazing things are 1) All of these elements combine very well, and 2) the band is heavy without sacrificing it's intricate nature. "Remission" doesn't have the big riffs that we normally associate with Stoner Rock, but is has the same weight. And they have dropped the samples, as well, for the most part (and the retained ones add atmosphere, instead of feeling tacked on). Check out the bizarre breakdowns in "Trainwreck", where the drummer goes off while the band maintains a steady, chugging pace, or the weird see-saw riff that opens "Ol'e Nessie", which merges in with gentle cymbal crashes before launching into an Isis like metalcore tune, all without ever really changing it's basic structure.

The production is very good, with every element clearly discernable, and nicely seperated. It's refreshing to hear an underground album that doesn't sound like it was recorded in an air-raid shelter. This is a great, original metal album-- I often give good marks to Metal records that fit within certain genres, figuring that fans will know what to expect. With "Remission", I'd encourage fans and non fans to give the record a shot-- this album shows that there's still room for innovation in Metal, and that being heavy doesn't mean you have to recycle old Sabbath riffs. Fuck yeah.

2002-08-12T19:48:00.000-07:00

John Cage, In Memorium
John Cage died 10 years ago today, just shy of his 80th birthday. He remained an active composer and performer fairly close to his death. Someone I know passed along this anecdote:

"...[Cage] asked me how I was doing. I said I felt very confused and lost and started telling how I cancelled my concert, how difficult it was to switch to electronic music and so on. I said I was thinking of finding a teaching job, he said "don¹t, it is a waste of time." I mentioned my plan to sell national anthems to the new nations popping out here and there those days,
he said THAT I should pursue. Then he abruptly asked my age. I said "I¹m forty now." "I thought so," he said, "you exactly sound like you are forty." He told me to relax and be patient. "You are going through the most difficult year of your life. Just give it a little time, you¹ll see that in a year or two half of the unnecessities in your life will disappear and leave you in peace and everything will be wonderful." It sounded like the best thing one could say to me at that point, said in the best of all
possible manners. He leaned forward and said "guess how old I am!" I said "you must be in your late seventies." "I am turning eighty this year." "How does that feel?" "It feels like soon I will be left with no unnecessity whatsoever."

Cage's music, for all of its stated "purposelessness" has ended up meaning a lot to me over the years. His persona, his life, his unwavering dedication to his art are a true inspiration. I wish I had a tenth of what he did, and I wish that I could have met the man.

I hope that my unnescssitys pass as well as his did.

Love.

2002-08-06T01:22:00.000-07:00

Cutting Back
Ok Gang (all four of you), it's this way... when I started this thing, I deliberately pursued an aggressive review schedule, figuring the discipline would do me good. It did, in a way, as some of what I've written here I have been really proud of... however, I see more and more dreck, or, at least that's the way I percieve it.

Lest you think I'm quitting, I'm not. Just cutting back a little. I'll be publishing on this blog once or twice a week only. Which days? To be honest, there's no real way to determine that. It kind of saddens me, but really, it's for the best... This site was started because I love music; these days, I find it fairly hard to enjoy much. That will pass, I believe, and I can go back to being a complete loon.

As always, love.

2002-08-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

Rondellus - "Sabbatum"
Yep, it's a bunch of Black Sabbath covers sung in Latin and played by Estonian church musicians. The sort of thing you come across... no, wait. Actually, it's the sort of thing you don't come across very often. I apparently have a thing for weird covers records, having given high marks to Kozelek's acoustic AC/DC tribute, and also a bluegrass AC/DC tribute (though I heard a bluegrass version of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" this weekend which sucked the big warty one). "Sabbatum" isn't as engaging as either one of those records, but still pretty good in a Dead Can Dance kinda way. The "clever" conciet here is that Iommi and Co were actually covering these songs, as recorded here in their "original" format. Basically, this is fairly minimal; a percussion instrument or two, some dronelike strings, and either a solo vocalist (both male and female), and small ensembles. Despite the recognizable melodies (especially on tunes like "War Pigs" "After Forever" and "Solitude"), this does sound amazingly like old religious music; the use of latin no doubt solidifies all of this. The concept can wear a little thin, and some of the choices ("A National Acrobat") seem a little odd, and, apparently some songs were left off due to the religious convictions of the performers (hard to get churchgoing Estonians to sing "my name is Lucifer, please take my hand", apparently).

Generally, this works as either nice background music, or an interesting take on Sabbath. But it's far from essential; it doesn't reveal anything new in the music, it simply places it in an odd context. You'll have a good time with it, but unless you appricate the early classical stylings, you probably won't have any need to go back to it very often.

2002-07-31T13:48:00.000-07:00

Hiatus
Due to a few circumstances beyond my control, the review site will not be updated until next Monday, August 5th.

Oh well, it's not like you're going to die if I don't update or anything.

The lame e/n blog will have it's usual spotty weirdness.

Love.

2002-07-30T19:36:00.000-07:00

No Review
Busy like beaver.

Or something.

Love.

2002-07-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

Tarentel - "The Order of Things"
A lot of lazy reviewers compare Tarentel to groups like Godspeed You Black Emperor! or Explosions in the Sky. I may be lazy, but I won't misinform you. Tartentel are closer to Papa M or Stars of the Lid; their music is about quieter moments, and there are no huge bursts of emotion to be found on "The Order of Things". The group works with a lot of drones and whirs; the sounds of guitars being plugged in, simple, repetative riffs which are given plenty of space to breathe. The songs function well within their limted scope, Tarentel can be a bit of a one note act (that note is kind of a sad, yearning sound), when they do break the mold, as they do on "Death in the Mind of the Living", it's usually just to add some different sound to their drone/guitar/drum mix (in this case a female voice), and not to change their overall tone.

It's well done stuff, but not particularly amazing or essential. You'll enjoy your time with "The Order of Things", though, and sometimes, that's exactly what you need.

2002-07-25T20:05:00.001-07:00

Next Review
On Monday.

Love.

2002-07-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

Benumb/Pig Destroyer - Split 3" CD
Ahh Grindcore. Genre I love and hate, and this split CD contains bands I hate and love. Let's start with Benumb (actually, they have an umlaut over the "u" but I'll be fucked if I know how to HTML that). What do you get if you combine a decent drummer with 30,000 guys who can't play their instruments at all, and someone who can't even scream properly? Yes, you get Benumb. Did I mention that all of their records sound like they were recorded by someone who doesn't know he meaning of the word "mix"? And that they are a bunch of reactionaries? Nothing beats incomptently played poltical rantings.

Having dispensed with the crap, we move on to Pig Destroyer's contribution. Recorded as a sort of warm up to last years friggin excellent "Prowler in the Yard", this stuff kills. Intense, chilling, riff oriented grind that's not afraid to sound good. These brief assaults are played with crisp, amazing precision, a vocalist who is in control of his shit, and a real sense of the impact that good grind can have. 7 songs in just under 10 minutes, yet packed with all kinds of musical ideas-- No, this isn't going to convert the unfaithful; and yeah, it's damn short, but I maintain that this stuff is best served in small doses anyway. If you haven't picked up "Prowler in the Yard", do. If you have it, this makes a nice companion piece. And I'm sure there might be someone out there who likes Benumb. I just don't want to have to talk to them about it.

2002-07-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

Langely Schools Project - "Innocence/Despair"
Ahh, "Outsider" music. You know, music made by people who are nuts and stuff. Like Wesley Willis. We like Wesley for his musical talent, right? Not because he's a 300lb schizophrenic who shouts "Generation Next!" inbetween songs. We're laughing with him, right? And when we listen to this record of a group of middle school students from rural canada play stuff like "Space Oddity" with minimal instrumentation, it's because it's so odd, right? No group of "indie" scensters would ever think of laughing at someone with mental problems, or a bunch of Canadian schoolkids, right?

Truth be told, there ain't much to laugh about here. This is a vanity press record of an interesting, fairly radical way of teaching kids music, using popular songs of the day. Occasionally, the arrangements are cool, especially when the song itself is kind of strange to begin with ("Space Oddity" for example). Sometimes, it sounds like a bunch of kids clapping and randomly singing ("Saturday Night"). Sometimes, it's flat out dull (any one of the Beach Boys tunes on the record). But it never trancends what it basically is; a bunch of children having a good time discovering that they can play pop songs with minimal training. Is it fun? In spots. Is it worth it? Unless yer Gore Fucking Metal about this sort of thing (read : overly pretentious hipster who wants to talk about "musical purity" OR person who finds this sort of thing endlessly freaking amusing while your friends beg you to turn off the goddamn stereo before they melt the CD down and pour the plastic and aluminum down your throat)... probably not. However, it is a hell of a lot more listenable than a lot of "outsider" stuff, so if you have always wanted to hear something you read about in the dusty corners of Spin magazine (who appear to endorse this up the ying yang; I was unaware that Spin still existed), or in "Songs in the Key of Z", well, go for it. You may be mystified, but you'll get to hear what some of this nonsense is about. Me, I'll stick with the Shaggs.

2002-07-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

No Room, No Room
Too busy tonight... apologies, and, as always....

Love.

2002-07-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

Robert Rich - "Trances/Drones"
Some days, I just can't be bothered, and this record is the perfect soundtrack. You may assume that is a bad thing, but you would be wrong. I have written in the past about Rich's "Somnium", which is a 7 hour piece designed to be listened to in one's sleep. "Trances/Drones" seems to be an earlier, more busy version of that work, filled with a lot more "events" while preserving the longer structures (the shortest piece runs around 12 minutes or so). Rich has a degree in psychology, and his music seems to move on that sort of a level, finding your body's internal patterns and working with them. As another reviewer pointed out, it's very, very disturbing to have any of these pieces turned off in the middle, as they seem to pull you along, and demand some sort of resolution.

What do they actually sound like? They are less new age-y than other Rich pieces your reviewer has heard; no bamboo flutes or rain sound effects here. Rich is big on organic-sounding textures, but they are laregly absent here; this album sounds like electronic music, all swirls and long chords. There are no attempts to imitate "real" instruments, nor does Rich play any of the real instruments he has been known to in the past. There is a lot of material here, for sure, and a lot of it verges on boring, but never really is boring. It's an odd state to be in, but a relaxed one, one without boundaries or rough edges. The perfect soundtrack for rainy days, boring afternoons, or just a desire for someplace quiet and gentle to go.

2002-07-18T20:03:00.000-07:00

With Apologies
Next review on Monday.

Love.

2002-07-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

Tragedy
When the feelins gone and you can't go on...

No review tonight.

2002-07-16T22:11:00.000-07:00

Hood - "Cold House"
Perspective is an interesting thing when you review stuff. Things which seem like they will burn brightly can fade out (I remember how much I dug US Maple when I first heard them, but I can't remember the last time I sat and listened to their records), things which I didn't like can grow on me (Skinless' "Foreshadowing our Demise" springs to mind); and things which appear to be works of genius, can, given time, reveal their true selves. Hood's album "Cold House" is a good case in point. Hood combine Autechre-esque tecno, glistening, jazzy guitar, and understated, english accented vocals. Rappers occasionally show up in the mix as well. If all of this sounds like a recipie for disaster, nothing could be further from the truth; the opener "They Removed all Trace that Anything Ever Happened Here" sets the tone: a static-y, irregular beat starts things off, we get a few glistening guitar chords, the vocalist (barely) comes in, and, at the end of the track, a rapper repeats a group of nonsense phrases until fade out. It's mastefully executed, and well produced. However, upon repeated listens, Hood seem a bit of a one trick pony.

It's a great trick, there's no doubt about it; I challenge anyone to find something with a more original sound released recently. But once they reveal it, it doesn't particularly go anywhere, and I don't think I have sat and paid attention to it on more than a couple of occasions, it tends to slide into the background once you have gotten over the inital shock of the sound. Mostly, the problem here is with the vocals. I belive the singer is trying to sound disaffected and detached, but ends up sounding listless and a little bored at times. At other times, he sounds like a poor man's Bernard Summner.

It's unfortunate, but what has been forged here manages to be original and forgettable at the same time. Worth hearing, but maybe not owning.

2002-07-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

Super Happy Fun Monday Review - 3Mp3s by "Salty the Pocketknife"
The convergence of a series of in jokes, brought forward by someone I don't know at all, lead me to check out that band that Dustin Diamond (yes, "Screech" from Saved By the Bell) plays bass in. Not wanting to spend the $7 for their CD, I downloaded the sample tracks and checked em out. I don't know what role Diamond plays in the band, or how much songwriting he does or whatnot, but he seems to be a pretty good bass player. And the rest of the band ain't bad either; they sound like a punkier version of Primus with a female lead singer-- rubbery bass lines, snaky guitar parts, tempo changes it's all kind of in there. "Pour no Gasoline" demonstrates this the best, with it's manic opening, shouty little one word. at. a. time. verses, and a sort of pop punk chorus all fused together in a 3 minute song. Their biggest Primus-y nod "Red Panties 145" doesn't fare as well, mostly because the vocalist is trying to hard to sound vampy; it doesn't really work all that well. (And I will admit to an irrational hatred of the word "panties"). In fact, the vocalist is the biggest fly in the Salty the Pocketknife ointment; she doesn't restrain herself particularly well. Maybe that isn't the point, but her use of growls and vibrato can be distracting, and detract from the song in general.

But hey, they sound like they are enjoying themselves, and they sound like good musicians, and they even sound like they don't particularly care about making it huge in the world of music. That's not a bad thing, really.

2002-07-12T12:37:00.000-07:00

Next Review
Monday, I hope.

Love.

2002-07-11T19:35:00.000-07:00

Karp - "Self Titled LP"
For Christmas a couple of years ago, my friend's wife gave him a bunch of gift certificates to Rasputin records. While we were in the store, we heard a track by Karp, and decided to pick up their records. Not knowing which one to grab, he bought "Heavy Metal Suplex" and I bought "Self Titled LP". We took them back to my house, had a couple of beers, and threw on the record. Then track 3 came on. We played it again. And again. And a fourth and fifth time. The song is called "Bastard of Disguise" and is one of the most amazing songs ever recorded by any band ever. It's both hilarious and hard charging, with a riff to kill for, great shouty vocals, and a rhythmic backbone that most bands would easily kill for. And that sums up the Karp approach to music. The opener, "Bacon Industry" sets the tone, with it's chugging drum part, cooler-than-you chord progression, and sense of humor.

The humor is the key ingredient in the mix; Karp aren't winking at you, or making fun of the metal they play, they are just goddamned funny. And they're not ashamed of being a metal band, either (though some folks might call it grunge. Karp would kick their asses for that). And, as awesome as this record is, there isn't a lot to the formula-- Karp aren't complicated. Nor do they need to be. What they are is in firm control of their music, loud as hell, and cooler than God. And a damn sight more amusing. It's a shame that Karp split shortly after this record (it was their finest hour). But, what the hell are you going to follow this with? Not only essential, but achieves "fucking classic" status.

2002-07-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

John Cage - "Indeterminacy"
I first read about Cage in the liner notes to some Ambient music compilation. They referred to him as one of the fathers of Ambient, which is a bunch of crap. Ambient music was/is a kind of sonic wallpaper, something used to decorate a room. Cage saw most of his output as a set of objects with no purpose. "Indeterminacy" seems to be an exeption to the rule; part manifesto, part collection of anecdotes, part explanation of Cage's mindset and musical theories, it's one of Cage's more "accessible" works (outside of his earliest), and is based around a collection of stories. Each story is one minute in length, with Cage slowing down or speeding up his speech to match the time limit. In another room, out of earshot of Cage, David Tudor plays the piano parts from "Concert for Piano and Orchestra" while using sound effects for the orchestra parts (radios being tuned, an amplified slinky). The net effect is a little education about Cage while hearing something distinctly Cagean.

Here's the little secret most reviewers wont tell you: It's charming. Cage's eccentric personality and slightly effeminate voice make him sound like your cool old uncle, and while his facination with Zen and things India sound a little dated in the here and now, the stories themselves retain their interest after multiple listens. I can recite chunks of the record whole, but each time I listen, it sounds like Cage is uncovering these stories, not reciting them. Both as a piece of music, and an introduction to what the man was about, "Indeterminacy" shines bright with each listen, and I always walk away from it in a slightly better mood, seeing the world in a slightly different way. If you are remotely interested in Cage, this is one of the best jumping off points. If you'd like other reccomendations, e-mail me or something. But pick this one up, if you see it.

2002-07-09T20:57:00.000-07:00

No Review Tonight
Just too depressed.

Later.

2002-07-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

Richie Hawtwin - "Decks, EFX & 909"
One of the hazards of being a reviewer who doesn't get paid to review stuff is that you can miss out on a cool thing without ever realizing it. Because no one sends a music review site that calls itself "worthless" promo anythings (note to all record companies, especially weird ones with tiny budgets, send me your shit now), I am not always "hip to the scene" the way my brother and sister reviewers might be. Now, I have always been a fan of Hawtwin's minimalist techno alter ego "Plastikman", I've never picked up any of his DJ sets. Until now, that is. And I must kick myself for doing it. Not so much a DJ set as a complete remix of the music involved, as the title implies, Hawtwin uses someone else's music as a base (fairly short samples), combined with his own effects, and a 909 drum machine for a steady, driving beat... the kind of thing my DJ friends would call "bangin'" back in the day (cause I'm so friggin old skool). The result is a breathtaking disc that sounds like a damn good time on the dancefloor while maintaining that slightly weird, paranoid edge that permeates a lot of Plastikman work.

This is largely, I suspect, due to Hawtwin's deft mixing in of repetative squeaks and clicks. While they fit in with the over all mix, they still sound slightly out of place. Perhaps, though, it has more to do with the subtle rhythm shifts. While the overall effect is a straight propulsion forward (and I'd imagine the BPM count remains fairly consistent), Hawtwin is constantly changing the radio dial... if you're dancing, you might miss it, but there is a lot going on here. In short, Hawtwin puts the "dance" back into "intellegent dance music". The results speak for themselves here, and this is a world class set. If you missed it, like I did, then pick it up.

And someone, please try and keep me current.

2002-07-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

On the Stairs I Smoke a Cigarette Alone
Mexican kids out shooting fire works below,
And hey baby, it's the 4th of July,
Whatever happened I, I apologize.

Next review, Monday.

Love.

2002-07-02T22:23:00.000-07:00

Sleep - "Jerusalem"
If VH1 didn't suck hairy warty donkey balls, they would do a "Behind the Music" about Sleep. Early gods of the stoner rock revival, unabashed Sabbath worshippers, and a band which gave Stoner rock its Stonehenge in the form of "Jerusalem", one of the most dense and massive albums ever made. It's a 53 minute song (divided aribitrarily into 6 sections, apparently at the instistance of the record company that finally released it), which caused the breakup of the band, cost way more than it should have to make, and went unreleased for a long time. But the story of the record isn't the only story here. The music is truly inspired, and, despite it's length, the record is never dull, thanks to some excellent percussion work which really drives the whole thing forward. The guitarwork and solos are also top notch, and though the tune uses the same elongated themes and progressions, it feels different enough as it goes along to hold interest. Dramatic, minimal sections act as bridges between the long fields of drones. Even the lyrics, which appear to be a kind of mixture of pot worship and the odd religious thoughts that Matt Pike fleshed out a bit more with High on Fire, are given a rhythmic weight. Make no mistake, this is heavy stuff, even when it's not. You dig? But it also is pretention free... there's no grand plan or design here; it's still (just) a rock record.

"Jerusalem" is a gigantic fucking monument to the raw power of three chords and a throaty growl, and is absolutely essential listening for anyone who wants to hear Stoner Rock at it's most extreme, and at it's best.

2002-07-01T18:54:00.000-07:00

Coil - "Moon's Milk (in Four Phases)"

Let's begin this review with a couple of confessions. First, your reviewer likes horribly pretentious things. He saw Derek Jarman's "Blue" in a theater (Coil did some of the soundtrack work for the film, if memory serves me correctly). He owns a copy of "Begotten", which may be the single most pretentious film ever made. And he writes about himself in the third person on occasion. Secondly, he loathes "limited edition" anythings. In some cases, when an artist releases something as a "limited edition", it's a tacit acknowledgement that there aren't say more that 600 people who will actually want the CD. There's a CD called "Music for the Same 500 People" that has been in my local record shop for like 10 months. I'd buy it, but I am afraid. However, it's also a kind of tacit acknowledgement that the band and it's fans don't want everyone listening.

Coil is probably most famous for three things : 1- The video/cover version they did of "Tainted Love" 2- Their "unreleased" version of the soundtrack to Hellraiser (actually a collection of fragments), and 3- Their ridiculous distribution system, which means that their CDs run anywhere from $18 to $26, depending on where you buy them. This double CD is actually a collection of music released on each solstice and equinox for a year (groan), and appeared to not suffer from the normal "Coil pricing model".

It's a royally spotty effort, with Coil's atmospheric passages mixed in with occasional live instruments, and bad spoken poetry (one song features the narrator simply asking questions like "where's my phone call? where is summer?" until you want to call him to tell him to shut up). Apparently, the songs were put together by doing the keyboards and vocals first, then adding arrangements, and it shows. Very little here coheres into anything, and Coil seem to have a limited pallatte on which to draw. Too many songs feature someone farting around with pitch benders and echo effects, which make the stuff too jarring to be creepy (which strikes me as the intended effect). The spoken word parts contain random fragments of imagery which never add up to anything. It also doesn't sound very current-- at several points it reminded me of what people in the 80's were saying music "of the future" would be like, and during one track, I thought "this would have worked very well in a Planetarium in the 70's".

"Moon's Milk" is at it's best when it becomes more song oriented, with tracks like "Rosa Decidua" adding female vocals into the mix for some gorgeous atmospherics, and a couple of tracks where the spoken word is dropped for a sort of vauge Gregorian Chant. And, being a sucker for a weird Christmas tune, I found "Christmas is Drawing Near" had the right blend of spookyness and reverence Largely, however, what we have is pretentiousness that never trancends, or moves either the intellect (the arrangements here are too simple) or the soul. This was your reviewer's first foray into the world of Coil, and he would love to hear that this isn't their best work, but this release isn't going to get me to grab one of those $26 CDs anytime soon.

2002-06-27T22:05:00.000-07:00

Next Review
On Monday.

As always, Love.

2002-06-27T22:04:00.000-07:00

Hemdale - "Rad Jackson"
"Rad Jackson", for better or worse, collects the recorded output of Hemdale, a band which never really got past a few singles, and demos which were apparently a hot commodity among tape traders. Basically a grindcore outfit with the same sense of humor as Anal Cunt (featuring song titles like "Licking Mental Patient's Cum off the Sheets" and "It Burns... and it Just Plain Smells Bad"), featuring low belching vocals, which, to my ear sounds like the lyrics to every song are "you, you spew, you, eeeyoooo" (they are not printed on the CD card, meaning you will never know if the lyrics are as sick/funny/clever as the song titles). For what it's worth, it's played well, but the early grindcore style never really grabbed me, and Hemdale's output was never very well recorded (it varies wildly depending on what the original source was), meaning that the "grindcore blur" sounds a lot like mud a whole lot of the time. This kind of thing is best taken in small doses, and "Rad Jackson" outstays it's welcome-- unless yer really Gore Fucking Metal about early grindcore. The rest of us should pass.

2002-06-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

Uphill Battle - "Uphill Battle"
Some definitions:

Uphill:
ADJECTIVE
1. Located on high or higher ground: "an uphill mine entrance." 2. Going up a hill or slope: "an uphill climb." 3. Marked by difficulty or strong resistance; laborious: "an uphill election campaign against a popular incumbent."

Battle:
NOUN
1. a. An encounter between opposing forces: "an important battle in the Pacific campaign." b. Armed fighting; combat: "wounded in battle." 2. A match between two combatants: "trial by battle." 3. a. A protracted controversy or struggle: "won the battle of the budget." b. An intense competition: "a battle of wits."

Generic Metalcore with nothing to reccomend it:
Uphill Battle.

Come on, Relapse... you can do way better than this sort of thing. From their "let's ape the singer of Dillenger Escape Plan" vocals to the tedious wanna be death metal drumming, there's just nothing unique or original here. A yawn fest from start to finish.

2002-06-25T18:43:00.000-07:00

Southern Isolation - "Southern Isolation"
Memory plays tricks on you from time to time. For example, I remember when I first heard this, I was impressed by it. Now, it strikes me as generic and, in spots, actually silly. For the record, this is Phil Anselmo's girlfriend (at least I gather that from the liner notes) singing and playing the guitar, with minimal arangements inna singer/songwriter style. It's on Anselmo's Baphomet/Housecore label (which is now being distributed by Relapse), so I guess he's free to put in liner notes about how "the critics can go fuck themselves" (and, in fact, he does). Lest you think it's sour grapes against Mr. Anselmo for telling me to go fuck myself, I'll say a few nice things. 1- His girlfriend appears to be hot. 2- She has a fine singing voice. It's kinda smoky, sultry, and without too much vibrato (something I am hugely prejudiced against). 3- She appears to play the guitar passibly.

What she can't do very well, it seems, is write material that suits her style. The lyrics here are dippy, and she tries whispering them from time to time, which just sounds darned goofy. The guitar playing, while passable (as I may have mentioned a few sentances ago), resorts to the same chugging strokes; she doesn't have any feel for the delicate side of the instrument. Fine, if you are singing around a campfire. Not fine for a recording, even if you are shagging Phil Anselmo while he's instructing me to go fuck myself. The last sin here is that this is all sort of generic. The best track on here "I Got Lost In Myself Again" sounds like something Fleetwood Mac might have done at some point, with it's little "owooooo" chorus and echo-y repeating of the name of the song. "Comeback and Let Me In (Going Down that Road)" features that annoying whisper, and honky tonk piano. Nice enough first try, but not enough to make me forget that she's Phil Anselmo's girlfriend.

Or that Phil thinks I should fuck myself, and not others.

2002-06-24T19:07:00.000-07:00

Liar
No review today. Sorry... will try and get back on a more regular schedule.

2002-06-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

Next Review
Monday. Welcome me back, and stuff.

Love.

2002-06-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

John Zorn - "IAO"
Zorn yadda yadda avant-garde blah blah NYC scene hooda hada album inspired by Alastair Crowley zeedle deedle big black magic phony yadda yadda blah blah. And so on. For all of the cool things Zorn does, from time to time he stumbles, and produces something like IAO. More or less a collection of short pieces related by theme rather than by type. "Invocation" is a percussion piece with "spooky" atmospherics, "Sex Magick" sounds like a drum circle "Mysteries" sounds like me farting around on my roomate's keyboard when I was in college. The "metal" track here "Leviathan" is Zorn-metal-by-the-numbers. The whole album, in fact, is Zorn-by-the numbers, lacking the challenges of his seriously avante garde works, or the off kilter weirdness of his hardcore and jazz experiements. Like "The Gift" before it, this album is touted as "accessible", but unlike that record, this one just seems uninspired, or a collection of ideas from Zorn's dusty filing cabinet.

Usually, when Zorn is bad he is either incoherent (Locus Solus, for example (yes, I know it has it's defenders)), or a little too spastic. He's almost never boring, but, unfortunately, "IAO" is one of those rare Zorn records that dissapoints on that score. A shame, really, since he's generally more hit than miss; this seems like an occasion where he didn't even swing.

2002-06-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

Origin - "Informis Infintas Inhumanitas"
Follow ups. Been reviewing a lot of them lately, and I had thought of reviewing the follow up to "Obscura" today, but this little CD showed up. I was blown away by Origin's self titled debut; and although I described it as "so generic it's good", there was something in the lock-step precision and powerful multi pronged vocal attack that kept me coming back to it. Like the better records of Cannibal Corpse, these guys innovate just enough to make it all worthwhile; and the technicality and precision with which it was done was undenyable. I sold it a little short, in other words. On "Informis Infintas Inhumanitas", they raise the bar, increasing the speed of their stacatto attack to near inhuman proportions, and the resulting blur of sound is ferocious and all-consuming. These guys mean business. The opener "Larvae of the Lie" sets the tone, with sheets of white noise guitar, neck-snapping beats, and vocalists hissing and growling like they are possessed. Tracks like "Mental Torment" showcase the extreme stop-and-start precision of the band, where every instrument (and the vocals) are synchronized to the beat, while others ("Portal", for example) break this precision, adding some variety to the proceedings. Again, it innovates from the previous record just enough, while retaining the core sound.

Drawbacks? A few; they have the irritating habit of occasionally placing "clever" samples at the beginning of some tracks (a trend in metal, unfortunately) which get stale on repeated listens. The vocals could be higher in the mix (especially the hissing, hoarse ones, which almost always seem to be buried under the guitar). But if you like your music brutal and technical, you'll find a lot to like here, and, if you're like me, you'll come back to this one for more. Well worth the money.

2002-06-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

Gorguts - "Obscura"
Gorguts have what may be one of the single dumbest sounding names in Death Metal, a genre not noted for it's overall intelligence. That they chose to make a sort of concept album about vauge spiritual notions is fairly surprising. That it is complex and mathmatical, and, well, obscure as it is turns out to be a larger surprise. This album is amazingly dense and complex, to the point that it's a sort of Death Metal free jazz-- parts appear unrelated, the music moves in different directions, comes back together, and is played with a nearly unmatched ferocity. The fly in the ointment, as is usually the case with this sort of thing, are the vocals. You either like or don't like the "cookie monster" school of vocals; I happen to think they serve the music well, but I have met a number of people who find them so off putting as to not give much in the genre a try. Obscura will appeal to Death Metal fans looking for something which pushes the edges of the genre, and non-fans looking for an intellegent album of extreme music. Give it a shot.

2002-05-31T13:49:00.000-07:00

Summer Lovin' Happened so Fast
Howdy, all three of my loyal readers. The staff of Toddlike's Worthless Music Review Blog, which would be me, is taking a break. Don't cry, for I will return with irrelevant reviews of records that nobody listens to, with the occasional Eminem review on JUNE 18th. In the meantime, amuse yourselves with the archive, read the e/n blog (which will be updated sporadically), and leave comments about how much you miss me and how you just don't know what to buy at the CD store because "Toddlike hasn't updated".

As always, Love.

2002-05-30T21:19:00.000-07:00

Eminem - "The Eminem Show"
Your reviewer has to admit something here : he doesn't know shit about hip-hop. Basically, I either tend to gravitate toward the weird (say, Cannibal Ox, or Dr. Octagon), or the overexposed (Snoop Dogg, and today's review subject). Whatever you happen to think about Eminem as a political figure (witness all the protests and controversy that he actively courts and picks at), musically, he's always struck me as pretty spiffy... mostly, according to a friend who knows this sort of thing better than I do, it's largely due to Dr. Dre's production, and, for sure, he's a damn fine producer (except for "Sing for the Moment", which just borrows Aerosmith way to heavily (run DMC has all ready done this one)), and his sound is all over this record. But Eminem is also talented; his mile a minute style combines with a pretty effective voice. On the opener "White America", for example, he sounds alternately menacing and like he's joking, which is not the easiest thing in the world to pull off. On "Halie's Song" he's surprisingly tender, and, yes, fatherly.

No, he's not treading any new ground-- and, on a near song for song basis, this paralells "The Marshall Mathers LP"; you have your attacks on his mother ("Cleanin out My Closet"), boasting ("Business"), juvenile humor ("Drips","Superman"), and so on. It feels a little less bloated than the "Marshall Mathers", though there's quite a bit of material here. But, as I may have mentioned, oh, yesterday, "more of the same" isn't always a bad thing. Lyrically, he seems a tad more introspective, and a little more mature (at least on some of the tracks), but it's nothing that really gets in the way of the record, and the silly moments don't hold it back, either. I'd expect that I'll probably do with "The Eminiem Show" what I did with the last record, listen to it a whole bunch and then put it away, mostly forgotten. That's not a bad thing, and if you're curious about this whole Eminem thing, well, this is just as fine a place to start as anywhere. It's entertaining, and, strangely, it's probably entertaining to me for many of the same reasons I dig Death Metal; but just not as musically compelling. Your milage may vary, but I'll defend this one, to a point. It's worth a listen.

2002-05-29T21:08:00.000-07:00

High on Fire - "Surrounded by Theives"
More of the same can be a tricky proposition. In the case of someone like Eminem, more of the same can be a good thing; you aren't expecting him to break out of the box, maybe you've overplayed his last record, and a new one, while basically the same thing, isn't so bad. The same holds true for groups like the post Bon Scott AC/DC; nobody is expecting them to branch out in new directions, and any new AC/DC album is probably going to feel fairly comfortable to it's fans. With High on Fire, it's even trickier. Their winning combination of bludgeoning, repetative riffs, shouted vocals, and some quasi-religious imagery made "The Art of Self Defense" a stoner rock classic. It's live, raw feel showcased the overwhelming sound of the band, and the instantly recognizable big riffs made is a perfect album to bang ones head or to relax with "the pot" (as the kids say). Needless to say, "Surrounded by Thieves" was highly anticipated by those of us who like this sort of thing, and the news that the band had joined the Relapse stable was cool too, as it meant they would get decent distribution, and it also meant that Relapse was opening it's doors to a different kind of metal.

Notice that I've droned on for a whole paragraph without actually mentioning much about the record? There's not really much to tell. There's a bit more polish here, but not so much that it distracts from the overall proceedings. I find the drum sound kind of weak, which is a shame, since Des Kensel is a pretty cool drummer, who really knows how to work his cymbals. The vocals are a bit further up in the mix as well, which is not the most amazing of ideas, since Matt Pike's vocals, while acceptable, really shouldn't be showcased, and draw attention to the increasingly goofy D & D influenced lyrics that the band seem to be focused on; with songs like "The Yeti" and "Razor Hoofs" (which seems to be about some sort of killer deer attack). Yep, there are some kick ass moments on the record. The opening of "Hung Drawn and Quartered" for example, is some of the most frantic and vicious music the band has yet recorded, but overall, this just doesn't feel as driving as their last effort. But really, it's ultimately more of the same, but that same isn't as amazing as it was the first time around. If you get the chance, go see 'em live; then pick up one of their discs to remind you of the experience-- but I just can't reccomend this outright.

2002-05-28T19:22:00.000-07:00

The Microphones - "Tests"
I've been a Microphones fan for what seems like a long time, but really isn't. They haven't been around all that long, really, and my introduction to them "It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water" is only a couple of years old. "Tests" is the first album by the Microphones, aside from stuff on cassette you'll never find; I think some of that stuff is on "Tests" but I don't rightly recall, and am too damn lazy to get the liner notes from my headphoned comfort. "Stop rambling and tell us, how is 'Tests'?" you say? Well, "Tests" is a pretty darn good slice of the Microphones, without some of the ambition of the later records, and with more of the weird studio experimentation that the Microphones use to turn their pop songs into lo-fi statements of purpose. The album pulls together the themes which they seem to be obsessed with (love and death), without all the references to the Glow, the Moon, or the Ocean that seem to figure so prominently in later recordings.

Instead, many of the songs mention the recording process itself. Phil Elvirum sings about being a preamp and having microphone fingers on one track, on another, he speaks of hiding in the backroom, recording the actions of some unknown lover. Using the process as both a sung metaphor and one which reveals itself in the sound of the record is a cool idea (so on the weird Half-Japanese esque track where he sings about "high pitch treble monster", the treble goes all the way up); but sometimes it sounds a little like Elvirum is still trying to learn exactly what his new portastudio is capable of, and, as a result the affair can feel a little overlong. Its saving grace, and perhaps the saving grace of the band as a whole, is a remarkable lack of pretention... you can still hear the quiet little pop songs buried in all of this, and unlike say, Iran, the Microphones are never embarassed about their pop references, nor are they buried beneath layers of fuzz. Instead, the studio weirdness here actually enhances the music instead of hiding it. Elvirum is having fun with this material, and you should as well. It's worth seeking out.

2002-05-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

See Ya
Next review Tuesday.

Love.

2002-05-23T21:16:00.000-07:00

Damien Juardo & Gathered in Song - "I Break Chairs"

It's always weird when an established artist takes a new direction. Leaves you wondering-- was their previous direction some sort of failure? Are they just bored? Is this a natural evolution of their sound? For "I Break Chairs", Damien Jurado has assembled a rock band, and has made a rock record-- distorted guitars, bar chords, they're all here. It's a far cry from his previous, minimalist urban folk outing.

It works, to some extent. Juardo seems to be having a bit more fun than normal; on the opening track "Paper Wings" he indulges in a bit of shouting, and a bit of singing out of his range. It gives everything a nice, loose, raw feel, which a lot of "pure rock" lacks. But a lot of it is fairly generic,though there are some interesting Sonic-Youth-esque touches on a song or two; notably "The Never Ending Tide". Juardo's lyrics often get buried in the mix, which is a shame, as he's in the running with Jason Molina as one the best lyricists out there. Chalk this one up as an interesting idea which could have used a bit of restraint-- it's a good enough record to reccomend, but you'll probably be more satisfied with his earlier records. Try "The Ghost of David" first.

2002-05-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

Reviewless Wednesday
Hmmm... I should really just consider posting on Mon, Tues, and Thurs, and stop this darn Charade.

And I try, and I fail.

Love.

2002-05-21T21:32:00.000-07:00

Fransisco Lopez - "Untitled #123"
Fransisco Lopez is at the forefront of what has become to be known, amongst it's few adherents and listeners, as "lowercase" sound. It's effectively a branch of Avant-Garde music that gives a great deal of creedence to notions of silence and tiny moments of sound, and which draws inspiration from Feldman and Cage. The focus for a lot of "lowercase" artists is the barely audible, and for Lopez as well, this was largely true. Last year, someone gave Lopez a Meshuggah record, and her recorded "Untitled #104", one of the biggest pieces of shit I have ever heard. The barely processed record was basically a set of cut ups of one riff, and sounded like it was "composed" in a matter of minutes.

Lopez does a lot better with Untitled #123, which was recorded at the Silophone, and then subjected to processing later. It begins with a big chunk of silence, followed by a gigantic drone, which mutates into what the record label accurately describes as "some of the most demanding low-end ambience one is likely to experience." It's stark, mechanical, and fairly creepy, kind of like a lost moment from the Eraserhead soundtrack without all the steam hiss and weird organ breaks. Eventually, it becomes extrodinarliy noisy, before cutting out into more low rumbles. It's a great isolationist record, and since isolationism as a movement seems to be really dead, I'll take them where I can find them. And, it's good to know that "#104" was an abberation in an otherwise interesting discography. Reccomended, especially if you like the scary, isolating things in life.

2002-05-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

Damien Juardo - "Postcards and Audio Letters"
Damien Juardo is best known for his Urban Folk music, with it's tales of various folks who usually find themselves in various depressing situations; he's recieved a lot of critical acclaim, if not a heck of a lot of popular support. His newest "I Break Chairs" is a more or less straightforward rock album. And then there is this-- it's a collection of old audiotapes found by Mr. Juardo at thrift stores, packaged with a bunch of reproductions of polaroids, set up as "postcards". And the conversations on here range from very disturbing ("Our Kid is Getting Hurt"), rambling ("Robert 1972") and nerdy ("Waking Dawn"). I think I know what Juardo is doing with this; his fictional stories are sort of in competition (or perhaps inspired by) the very real ones we hear on the disc; the problem is, he sets his stories to neat instrumentals, and sings, and all that sort of stuff; he does none of those things here. And, for some reason, the longest piece here is also the most rambling and unclear, in sharp contrast to Juardo's own brand of composition, which is excellent at relaying a lot of information in a minimal amount of time ("Medicine" from "Ghost of David" for example, tells a complicated story about three people in under five minutes).

It's not an idea without merit, and certainly, early Scanner mined the same row (a love of eavesdropping and the airing of material never really designed to be released in this format), but ultimately, the banality shines through on most of the tracks, and while there are some neat moments (a family going from talking about happy christmas to a miscarriage in the matter of minutes), as a whole, it's just simply not worth the money you'd spend for it. Someone once suggested it would have been a better idea for Juardo to offer this stuff up in MP3 format on his site; I would have to agree.

2002-05-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

Next Review
On Monday.

Be good to each other.

Love.

2002-05-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine - "Rampton"
I'll admit two things here : 1) I have only listened to this record once. Normally I give things at least three spins before putting them down, and I am usually listening to the record when I write the review. 2) I was strongly prejudiced against this one, since it is basically the same concept as Khanate (a strong contender, so far, for biggest pile of crap this year)-- take a bunch of guys from "extreme" bands, and have 'em play slow. In this case, however, a couple of them are from Earth-o-Phile band Sunn)))0, so I had to give it a shot. And it ain't too bad, actually. The first track "He Who Accepts All That Is Given" is the best (and longest) track hear, all low Sunn)))0 hums and fairly manic percussion. Sure, the vocals aren't up to much (basically shouted on beat, though at least it's a nice, low, non-cookie monster growl), and the lyrics, well... who cares? They're really beside the point. Unfortunately, on the second track "New Pants and Shirt" the vocals are the focus, but at 7 minutes or so, it's the shortest thing here. All in all, as a genre exercise, this isn't a bad effort-- and as such, I doubt it has much staying power. But my first impression is favorable, and, given the overall crop of drone-a-thon metal out there, it seems good enough to warrant another listen. Maybe later, though. I have other things I'd rather hear, at the moment.

2002-05-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

No Review Tonight
Have other things to do, but hey, that's not such a bad thing.

Love.

2002-05-14T21:29:00.000-07:00

Tribes of Neurot - "Adaptation and Survival"
I've got a love/hate relationship with the guys from Neurosis. I admire their independence, and their evil, sludgy sound. But oftentimes, they are just sort of, well, dull-- confusing overlong and epic, with song structures that go nowhere. Tribes of Neurot is a "side project" of Neurosis, who, since the release of "Times of Grace" and "Grace" (the latter being a Neurot record designed to be played at the same time as the former, a Neurosis record) seem to be interested in having the listener sort of "participate" in the listening process. This set came packaged originally as a 5", 7" and 10" record, designed to be mixed together at different speeds, and, presumably thrown into the middle of illbient DJ sets to annoy the heck out of the audience. The source material? Insect noises. Though heavily processed, you'll still be swatting at your own head occasionally as high pitched buzzing flies from channel to channel. There are some liner notes which make dubious claims like "all advances made by human civilization were first made by insects"-- which is why you meet a lot of insect computer programmers and bus drivers, I suppose.

The CD version comes with two CDs, the first of which contain the contents of the aforementioned records, mastered onto a single disc. If you were inclined, you could rip them, and then use software to maniupulate the tracks together, and whatnot-- I'm too lazy. I'll say I sort of like this stuff; it has a hazy ambient feel to it, not too incredibly noisy, but irritating enough to probably bug (a hahahaha! I said bug) anyone without a serious commitment to "avant-garde soundscapes". I refuse to believe that the opera singing like noise in the background of track 4 is an insect noise, however.

The second disc is a mix of the songs on the first disc, put together nicely. It has more of a cohesive feel, and, for some reason, feels darker and gloomier than the first one, though it maintains that same sort of noisy amibent quality. The boys from Neurot encourage you to play both discs at the same time, presumably with the first set to random, to get your own mix going as well. I haven't tried it, and, to be honest, I'm probably not likely to, but it doesn't seem like it would add up to anything better or worse than what's originally presented-- there would just be more of it. This isn't the most inspiring weirdo record I have heard, but it's not too badly put together, and there are some cool enough moments on it to warrant another listen or three; I just wonder how long it will continue to buzz around the inside of my head once some time has elapsed.

2002-05-13T19:30:00.000-07:00

The Brian Jonestown Massacre - "Give it Back!" AND "Bringing it all Back Home (Again)"
My first Brian Jonestown Massacre experience was at a small bar in San Fransisco. My friend told me "they wear their influences on their sleeves". They not only do that, but they have bits of their influences running down their chins, and leaving stains on the fronts of their shirts. Well, more accurately, he does, since BJM's only (un)stable memeber is Anton Newcombe-- during the first show I saw, he got into an argument with his band mates, at one point telling one of them "just stay on your side of the stage". All of these shenanigans aside, BJM play music equally influenced by the 60's (Byrds, Stones), and the late 80's shoegazer explosion (too many to list here). On "Give it Back!" the songs are divided about 40/60 along these lines-- I tend to prefer the more shoegazer-y numbers, not because of my personal preference, but rather, at least on "Give it Back!" these are the numbers that Newcombe's rotating cast seem more adept at. The opener "Super-Sonic" is a perfect piece of drone pop, with it's 60's influences showing in the use of a sitar and tambourine, keeping a steady melodic and rhythmic pulse, while the guitars are allowed to flow in and around the mix, making odd noises, then flowing back in. It's this dynamic that makes this record interesting-- the sheer amount of sonic information, even if it's fairly basic, gives the proceesings a rich, multi textured feel.

When they go more "basic" as on "Malela", it just sounds sort of flat-- it's not bad or anything, it's just sort of not fully there; and it sounds too close to the sources that BJM are drawing from. And tracks like "#1 Hit Jam" just have a tossed off, lazy feel. Overall, though, this is a pretty solid introduction to who the BJM are, and what they stand for.

"Bringing it All Back Home (Again)" finds the BJM in full on Rolling Stones on Country mode, and it's a much more consistant record than "Give it Back!". It's also a heck of a lot shorter. But that's ok, since the work as a whole feels more fully realized. Abandoing the drones and shoegazer elements entirely, Newcombe focuses more on songwriting, and less on sonic trickery-- the results are clear on tracks like "Mansion in the Sky", and "Reign On" (featuring a guest vocalist who sounds a heck of a lot like Hope Sandoval), some of the most purely emotional material that BJM has ever produced. "Arkansas Revisited" goes on a bit too long. but, then again, it's probably supposed to. When dealing with the BJM's brand of music, you often know where you are, but you are never really sure where you are going, and that's a good thing.

2002-05-09T22:42:00.001-07:00

Next Review Monday
That is all.

Love.

2002-05-09T22:42:00.000-07:00

Namanax - "Cascading Waves of Electronic Turbulance"
I alluded to this one in my review of Merzbow's "Amlux". Basically, this is loop music taken to an extreme. The majority of the disc is a 45 minute ode to the possibilites of the loop, a single buzzing tone run through various effects for 45 minutes, brought in and out of distortion, and, in the middle third, completely obliterated by noise. It's a fulfillment of Eno's promise that the most extreme of music can be ambient, and it's an interesting exercise in it's own right-- Namanax would move away from this sound after this record, instead opting to work with Tokyo monster movie sounds, a sure sign that they didn't take all of this too seriously. But they took it seriously enough; this is very extreme music, and, without the regular rhythm provided by the loop, would not be music at all.

So what's it good for? I guess that depends on your perspective; it's oddly relaxing, and stimulating at the same time. It's good for ending parties (nobody will stick around for all 45 minutes of it, unless they are into this sort of thing (and believe me, nobody is). And it's just generally good noise music-- in a field in which "everyone can do it" Namanax have the discipline and prodction ability to demonstrate that, no, not everyone can do it-- or at least they can't do it in quite such a righteous manner. Buzzz. Click Whirrr. Buzz. Click Whirrr. Essential for noiseniks.

2002-05-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

No Sugar Tonight
It's a Goddamn, It's a Goddamn...

Too busy. Hopefully tomorrow.

Love.

2002-05-07T20:22:00.000-07:00

Kid 606 - "PS I Love You"
Punk rock doesn't belong with IDM. That was my conclusion after hearing Kid 606's earlier work, which combined Kid 606's annoying "see how not pretentious I am" attitude with rapid cut noise-fests, variations on the same themes, and tracks that could only be described as filled with contempt for the listener. He snapped on a few amusing song titles, and, wey-hey! instant IDM "celebrity", with rags like The Wire lining up to praise him because he once cited Merzbow as an influence. It comes as a big surprise to me that this record is a well crafted, thought through, and at times downright beautiful set.

He starts things off with record clicking noises on "Sing It", dropping in static-y, Autechre like beats. "Whereweleftoff" sounds like an outtake from early Aphex Twin, all quiet beats and gentle melody, and by "Sometimes" the Kid has moved into Eno-esque territory, with layered drones and female-chorus sounds. And there are points of reference like that on every track-- but instead of aping or mocking, these sound like actual tributes; maybe Kid 606 does really love these guys, after all. By the time he does get to the most Kid 606-ish track "Fuck Up Everything You Can Before Slowing Down", you've taken a little tour of IDM as seen through the eyes of the man; with his own touches on the way. Creative, intellegent, and still not taking itself overly seriously, Kid 606 has grown up just a little, in just the right ways... I look forward to seeing what is next.

2002-05-06T20:31:00.000-07:00

Earth - "Extra Capsular Extraction"
This has been sort of a holy grail for me, as a Dylan Carlson fan from way back, I've never been able to find the damn thing. I have no idea if it was reissued or what, but there was a copy, sitting in front of me at the local record store on Sunday, so I snapped it up, brought it home, and was really, really underwhelmed. Unlike the extermities of Earth's 2nd and 3rd albums (or the recently reissued live ep), or the pyrotechnics of the last, this one sounds kinda Melvins-y, only without the Melvins mad skills. Carlson riffs, a drummer drums-- on one track he sings (though some sort of filter), and one Kurt Kobain (as he is credited) screams.

Not that sounding like pure sludge era Melvins is a bad thing; and the first track has a neato coda, with a keyboard sound and long drones... the trademark Earth Sunn Amp guitar sound is there too. Like the bonus tracks on "Sunn Amps and Smashed Guitars" reissue, this is the sort of thing that shows you where the band was headed, they just weren't there yet. For those of us who worship at the temple of Dylan, it's cool to see the humble beginnings of the mighty Earth; just as we find his last "straight" rock album cool-- it's still Earth, after all, just not the heavier than thou one.

2002-05-02T21:33:00.000-07:00

Next Review
The next review will be on Monday.

Love.

2002-05-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

Merzbow - "Amlux"
Good ol' Masami. You just can't keep up with the guy. A release every 20 seconds, a 50 CD box set, frequent guest appearances and 'remixes' of/on other people's stuff. I'm really surprised I haven't met anyone who's at least met the guy; as I should know enough people by now. "How is release 204,532,123 by Merzbow?" you ask. And I answer, "it's good, actually. But it's neither the return to roots that was sort of implied, nor is it terrifyingly original or essential". Let me explain. "Important Records," largely known for their outrageous collector scum pricing on eBay, have done a great job with the hype machine on this one-- Amlux is effectively a four track collection of work which sorta hearkens back to Merzbow's early experimentation with tape loops; this means that each track is built from several loops which are layered and then run through processes, perhaps in real time (it sounds that way)-- bass and treble levels drop up and down, distortion is added and removed, elements are subtracted and added into the sound, but the core 'source' remains consistant throught each track. Depending on your perspective, this can be maddening or hypnotic. Outfits like Namanax have carried this sort of thing to a logical extreme with the 45 minute "Cascading Waves of Electronic Turbulance" lp, which sort of sets the standard for loop based noise.

Merzbow keeps things shorter, with two tracks lasting around 15-20 minutes, and two at about 5 a throw, with the best of the lot being the vaugely scary "luxurious automobile" which features a core feedback loop with random steam hiss static coming out at various points in space; the effect is quite neat, and, unlike a lot of Akitas recent "slap some random sample on some noise and call it an exploration of a genre" crapola, this actually sounds composed and thought through. It almost seems as if Akita's towering reputation is justified. However, it's not. Aube has been doing this sort of thing for ages; the aformentioned Namanax did it better, and even though Akita may have started it all (and I am unwilling to plunk down $500 for the Merzbox to hear his early works), it's been handled by other artists in more interesting and challenging ways. Having said all that, I find Amlux in fairly heavy rotation when I want a bit of noise; its ambient qualities and undemanding nature make for an appealing, if not essential listen.

2002-05-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

Damon and Naomi - "With Ghost"
Addmitting one's ignorance can cost you cred as a reviewer, but since I have no cred anyway, here goes... I have never heard a single note of Ghost's music, the apparent collaberators with Damon and Naomi on this record; from reading around, I gather they share similar musical philosophies, and Ghost's contributions are hard to figure. Which, if you think about it, should be just fine; nobody wants a collaberator to completely take over their sound, and Damon and Naomi may have just needed a little outsider perspective on their formula. Whatever Ghost's contributions, or non contributions were, they work very well here, and this is easily my favorite record by the somnambulent duo. The opener, "Mirror Phase" sets the tone; shimmering guitars, airy vocals, understated drum work, and the occasional sample (chants, what sounds like a musical saw). To be honest, not a lot changes through the record, even the "louder" numbers like "I Dreamed of the Caucasus" are really only different because they feature odd, squeaking guitar solos.

Somehow, however, Damon and Naomi pull it off-- the whole thing has a dreamlike quality, and the religious tone on some of the tunes like "Judah and the Macabees" lend the proceedings some weight. In fact, another review I read compared it to a set of hymns, which (again at the risk of losing cred for stealing an idea from someone elses' review) isn't a bad comparison-- these aren't weighty and stodgy hymns, however, they are pretty and sad ones. And there's a neat-o cover of His Name is Alive's "Blue Moon" on there as well. Now, what more can you ask for? A little more variety, perhaps; but really, when the formula is this good, you may not have the desire to change it too much.

2002-04-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

The Melvins - "Hostile Ambient Takeover"
The Melvins have been plodding along for some time now, through major label deals and weirdness, constant touring, and Leif Garrett doing vocals on a cover song, all without really ever getting recognized by anyone outside of a rabid fanbase. Their response has ranged from self mockery (describing the trilogy of records they released a few years back as "the Career Suicide Trilogy") to occasional attempts to alienate their core audience (last years experimental/noise record "Collossus of Destiny"). Their fanbase has responded by going to the shows, buying the records, and discussing Buzzo's Genius amongst themselves. If nobody listens to The Melvins, they listen to a fan of The Melvins even less. So, when I say "this is a great record", you've probably skipped down to the archives to see if I have ever reviewed anything you actually enjoy.

The openers "Black Octopus" and "Dr. Greek" are a rock workout; with some of the keyboards they used on "Electroretard" thrown in for good measure-- they move through several genres "Little Judas Chongo" has a country feel, "The Fool, the Meddling Idiot" sounds like a lost Butthole Surfers track... through all of this, however, it still sounds like The Melvins. There's the genius; and what makes this album so compelling. It's been said that they are the greatest cover band in the world; to some extent "Hostile Ambient Takeover" proves that, without a single cover in sight. Chameleon like, with a trademarked intensity, "Hostile Ambient Takeover" delivers the goods.

2002-04-29T22:14:00.000-07:00

Husker Du - "Zen Arcade"
When I heard this album at 16, it rocked my little world; I'd heard the Sonic Youth/Mission of Burma end of the underground, but hadn't really heard any "hardcore" until that point. I was too young to have heard Black Flag-- I'd heard of them, I think. I can't remember what made me get this record, I was a Rolling Stone subscriber back then, maybe it got a mention. Regardless, from the opening distorted guitars to the closing jam, the record was something of a revalation, fiercely emotional, loud as hell, and intellegent at the same time. I hadn't heard stuff like this before.

Now, of course, there's quite a bit of stuff like this out there, though Zen Arcade remains a unique record. Recorded in 72 straight hours, most of the songs on first take, this was raw punk rock. But Husker Du had begun to experiment, and were working towards something grander; indeed, in time, they would lay the blueprint for the melodic punk that we eventually called "grunge". For now, however, they were still furious. On tracks like "Beyond the Threshold", and "Pride" the band rips through some of the most throat shredding hardcore they ever did, but with "Pink Turns to Blue" they gave their songs additional length, and gave the mass of sound more shape. The album showed people that hardcore didn't have to be all lightning fast, and, importantly, it didn't always have to be angry. Songs like "Chartered Trips" and "Never Talking to You Again" demonstrated the band's ability to express sadness and regret; even if, on it's face, the music seemed bitter.

The greatest compliment I can think to pay the record is that I still feel those emotions when I listen to the record. It hasn't lost any of it's power, after all the listens I have given it, in all the formats I've had it in. It's still an amazing work of art.

2002-04-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

In Case You Haven't Guessed
Next Review Monday.

Love.

2002-04-25T22:10:00.000-07:00

Ozzy Osbourne - "Diary of a Madman"
This was the second of Ozzy's comeback discs. "Blizzard of Ozz", the first one, always gets the nods from the critics, and "Diary" is often regarded as a poor stepchild; it was recorded a lot more quickly than "Blizzard," mostly because the band was anxious to go out on tour. I tend to think of both albums as a grab bag of both good and bad-- while I admire Randy Rhoads' technical skills, his use of classical motifs can get a bit tiresome, but it has more to do with the long shadow he left in the world of metal than anything else; this band's infuence on the world of metal in the 80's was enormous; the solo on "Flying High Again", fortunately or unfortunately was the prototype for dozens, if not hundreds of plank spankers hoping to make it big.

The good. The outstanding tracks on this album "Flying High Again", "Over the Mountain", "You Can't Kill Rock and Roll" "S.A.T.O." combine Osbournes surprisingly damn good lyrics with memorable riffs. And Ozzy's lyrics are good; though we tend to remember the choruses, his verses
are filled with interesing images, and he's capable of making the whole "rock and roll forever" thing sound like a statement of purpose, rather than an empty phrase. His voice is expressive and dynamic, as well.

The bad. The clunkers here "Little Dolls" "Tonight", really just sort of sound overlong, without enough ideas to support their length. The "voodoo agogo" story of "Little Dolls" is more amusing than scary. The production, though remastered still sounds high and thin to me; but then again, 80's metal had that treble-y tone to it, so it's proabably just a bit dated sounding. The cover art is just darned goofy, but hey, so is Ozzy.

Generally speaking, I like this one quite a bit, even if it is flawed, the tracks on it are well worn; it sounds, for the most part like an old friend. An old friend who will do all of your drugs and piss on your sofa when you are not looking, but a friend nonetheless. After 20 plus years, the whole thing sounds charming, probably not the intent of the band, but hey, it means it has lasting appeal. Give it a shot sometime.

2002-04-24T23:32:00.000-07:00

No Time, No Time
Running around like a damn jackrabbit all evening. No review.

Why not suggest something for me in the comments section?

Love.

2002-04-23T22:33:00.000-07:00

Various - "Clicks and Cuts"
Generally, I'm not a big fan of compilations; you usually end up with a couple of good tracks (most likely by someone you like all ready), a handful of ok ones, and a majority of stinkers. There are exceptions to the rule, and generally, they occur when a compilation is more about an asthetic than a label or set of bands. "OHM", a 3CD set of early electronic music, is a good example, and Clicks and Cuts is another. Clicks and Cuts deals with "glitch" based IDM; a small subset of electronic music which is based around the notion that music can be found in the failure of equipment; in some cases, this arises from a happy accident, mostly, however, the "glitches" in glitch IDM are executed deliberately; Oval, for example, has written software which creates the errors heard on most of his records.

The glitch here usually tends toward the ambient. The opener "Kern", for example, is all delicate beats and shimmering backgrounds. The second disc tends to get a little more "danceable", with tracks like "Maschine," but the more danceable numbers feature fractured melodies instead of fractured beats.

The basic problem with glitch IDM is the very nature of the music limits it a bit, rather than opening it up; one thing that's noticeable throught all of Clicks and Cuts is the samey-ness of the artists on here; even Pole's track isn't a standout, and he's been one of the more inventive of these folks (though his brand of glitch filled dub is beginning to sound played out, as well). Once you've made something around clicks and pops, those clicks and pops define the sound; there's no sense of liberation here, and while this makes an excellent snapshot of a 'scene' that many will never even hear about, let alone care about, it's also a snapshot of something that isn't going to propel electronic music into the next whatever. Taken on it's own terms, and with it's own asthetic, though, Clicks and Cuts is a very enjoyable listen. Just don't overdose on this stuff, and you'll be fine.

2002-04-22T20:48:00.000-07:00

Discordance Axis - "The Inalienable Dreamless"
This turned out to be the last relase for "grindcore ninja commando team" Discordance Axis, who were deliberately obscure in a genre all ready pushed to the sides of obscurity by it's sheer extremity; rarely photographed, shunning interviews, their website is a confusing mass of weird links (though the news section is actually straightforward), these guys defied convention about what grindcore stood for, and even how it should be packaged (this one came in a DVD box with oddly new age looking packaging). It's superbly executed, with amazingly frenetic drumming, and intricate, angular guitarwork; without the distortion (and at about half the speed), these could be math rock leads. The lyrics, too, rise above the normal annoying politicing and mindless brutality of most grindcore, with references to Phillip K Dick, TS Eliot and Joseph Conrad all in the mix somewhere. Almost all of the songs clock in at under two minutes, and the whole thing is over in about 20; I'm not so sure that more was needed, as this music is relentlessly intense. I should point out, as well, that the production is excellent, a rarity on Grindcore records.

Discordance Axis proved that grindcore could be more than the sum of it's parts, without softening it's sound. It's not going to convert the faithless, or convince your mother that grindcore is anything but a big wall o' noise, but it's powerful, and manages to sound both frightening and frightened (listen to the vocal shrieks on "Castration Rite"). This album both defines and redefines an entire genre of music; something very rare these days. It's a shame that Discordance Axis won't be putting anything else out, but then again, every band should go out swinging this damn hard.

2002-04-19T08:17:00.000-07:00

Next Review Monday
Go out and Play.

Love.

2002-04-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

100% Genuine
On the "sliding into obscurity" scale, I present this little gem. Apparently, a couple of artists set up a voicemail box for "adult personals" and present the results on this CD. There are some 40 ads here, from tender requests for companionship to hilariously specific fetishes -- "I like polished brown brouges with white ankle socks", and amazingly unerotic descriptions -- "it must be a good nine inch" of the male body. The whole thing is both amusing and terrifying, and leaves you in need of a shower afterwards. It's an oddly compelling listen.

2002-04-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

The Mountain Goats - "All Hail West Texas"
There are some mandatory things to mention in every review about the Mountain Goats : there's only one guy in the band. The band largely records on a cheap boombox with a condenser microphone. There doesn't appear to be a whole lot going on in the music, but the songwriting is amazing. These things, by and large, are true on "All Hail West Texas", a brilliant album of folk songs which tell a variety of stories; from broken dreams to happy moments on a motorcycle, all carried off with the most basic of tools. Sad, funny, beautiful music, a great example of creativity in action, and a moment of hope for anyone who's ever shouted into a condenser mic. Go get this one.

2002-04-15T14:05:00.000-07:00

Mogwai - "My Father, My King" (ep)
After the unfocused and noodling "Come On Die Young", Mogwai surprised a lot of folk with "Rock Action" (and went on forever about the title of the record), which saw the band focusing on intricate song structure and math-rock stylings, forgoing the extreme shifts in volume and layers of fuzz which marked their earlier efforts. Perhaps to appease fans of the fuzz drenched sound, Mogwai released this "companion piece", which is one long track, melody lifted from a Jewish hymn. It's fairly clever, bringing the melody in and out of focus while never really losing it, adding and subtracting instruments and elements from the sound, it's obviously well thought out and well excuted. Steve "I produce everything" Albini does his usual excellent job of making the whole production sound crisp, and his reverb-free studio enviornment means you can hear each individual element, no mean feat, especially in the chaotic latter half of the song.

For some reason, however, the whole affair makes me yawn. Mogwai have done this sort of thing before ("Mogwai Fear Satan"), and the comparison to "Death Metal" on the little sticker on the front of the record is just crap. For such a noisy record, it lacks power. Part of it, I think, is Mogwai's subsitution of volume dynamics for tempo changes, the record plods along at the same pace, up until the "we don't really know how to end this, so everyone make some feedback and fiddle with your delay pedal" ending, and the reliance on the same melody means little opportunity for experimentation-- occasional veering from the core would have been welcome. "My Father, My King" is just sort of there. Mogwai are still an interesting act; this is just an uninteresting record.

2002-04-14T22:31:00.000-07:00

Mortician - "Chainsaw Dismemberment" AND "Domain of Death"
What interests me about this record is that I can use the same adjectives to describe it as I would a record I actually enjoyed. "Punishing". "Loud". "Repetitive". "Noisy". None of these are bad words, in my mind. I could describe a bunch of my favorite bands this way. Early Swans spring readily to mind.

This, however, is punishing, loud, repetitive, and noisy in a way that sucks. Sucks a lot. Sucks in the sort of way that should make for an amusing review, but probably won't. This is "extreme" metal which consists of a) guitars tuned so low you wonder if there is any tension on the strings b) bass tuned so low it just becomes a series of rumbling noises (I don't thing there is any tension on the bass strings, from the sound) and c) a drum machine. Yes, a goddamn drum machine. "Programmed to kill" says one website. "Programmed the same fucking way each song," says your reviewer. And every song follows the same formula : there is a sample from an 80's slasher flick (it may make for a fun game of "spot the sample" the first time through, but none of them are very obscure), the drum machine starts. There is a low series of farting noises (I am guessing these are the guitars). The vocalist steps in with an unnaturally low voice (they claim it's not pitch shifted, but I have my doubts) and mumbles something along the lines of "Axe chops your head/ Knife carves your flesh". Not that you will have clue one what the hell is being sung, even with the lyrics sheet. I'm convinced this guy just grunts out patterns, then fills in something approximating the meter on the lyrics sheet.

I'm unhappy to say I own two Mortician albums; the other one "Domain of Death" I bought more or less because I couldn't believe someone could record something as bad as "Chainsaw Dismemberment" twice. Oh, was I ever wrong. The songs follow the same formula; down to the samples. I will say the cover art is better on "Domain" with it's neato tableaux of living dead. Yay cover art!

2002-04-11T21:54:00.000-07:00

Reviewless
I actually have gone through the whole day without listening to a thing. So, no review.

Love.

2002-04-10T22:19:00.000-07:00

Exhumed - "Slaughtercult"
I find myself saying quite a bit "if you are a fan..."; the thing is, if you like angry, loud deathmetal, you have to be discriminating. There are 10,000,000 bands out there, it seems, and there are differences. For example, the first album by Exhumed "Gore Metal" I really, really loathe. The vocals sound awful, the guitarwork is muddy, and they rely way too much on similar sounding patterns-- the result is an album which sounds like a gigantic blur, with no memorable tunes. If you're a fan, you might give it some room, but more than likely, it will end up on the shelf, collecting dust. "Slaughtercult," however, kicks things into overdrive. The opener "Decrepit Crecendo" features a great riff, and excellent drumwork. The album largely abandons the belching frog vocals of the first one, instead operating with a high pitched scream. The solos sound like solos, instead of random fretboard hammering. And the production is vastly improved; granted, you can't hear the bass, but when the hell is the last time that mattered? Yes, the lyrics are stupid, supremely so... but, really, the band is called Exhumed.

If you're a fan, you probably should get this one. I hereby retire that phrase. I think, instead, I will use "Gore Fucking Metal!"

Er, something.

2002-04-09T19:08:00.000-07:00

Sonic Youth - "Bad Moon Rising"
There was a time, many moons ago, when Sonic Youth ruled my little universe. In many ways, they are responsible for a lot of my tastes. I first heard Bad Moon Rising back in high school, and it was completely awe-inspiring. Pulling it down from a dusty shelf and re listening to it, after Sonic Youth's descent into noodling and mediocrity, this album reminds me of what made them such a great, fierce unit. Their first two albums, "Sonic Youth" and "Confusion is Sex" hinted at the possibilities of their alternate tuning and noise weirdness. Bad Moon Rising fufilled it.

The simple, mathematical opening lines of "Intro" give way to a loud shimmering sea of chaotic, vibrant, emotional noise, which still retains it's melodic backbone. The album moves through an amazing range of emotions, while retaining it's dark underbelly. Most of the lyrical content is as bizarre as the music that surrounds it ("I'm Insane", for example, is a list of dime store paperback book titles, arranged cleverly). Musically, Sonic Youth were never this inventive again (though they did an excellent job of making their sound tighter and more melodic), from the loud depth charge bangs that punctuate "I'm Insane" to the regulated feedback of "Ghost Bitch", on this album the band push at the edge of what their instruments are capable of-- experimental music in the truest sense of the word-- but it never loses it's cohesive feel. "Bad Moon Rising" is a towering achievement, and still a good listen.

2002-04-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

Iran - "Iran"
"Low Fi" is a term which is often put to music that doesn't deserve the tag; most "lo fi" bands work hard at acheiving their sound; sometimes this is a matter of philosophy (The Mountain Goats, who consider the sound of the cheap boom box used for recording albums an "extra instrument"), due to budget (Pavement's first album), or to emphasize a certain attitude (Pussy Galore). Arguably, lo-fi bands spend as much time worrying about the way something sounds as Pink Floyd ever did; they just care about something else entirely. Iran's music sounds carefully and deliberately constructed at exactly the same time it sounds as though someone spilled a coke over the master tapes; the recording is dense and layered, in spots overwhelmingly so. There's a lot of information here, amplifier hum, wheezing tape, random buzzing and feedback, combined with a sort of folk-pop in the background.

It's a similar philosophy to Flying Saucer Attack, except where FSA were all dialated pupil sounding explosions of white noise and echo, Iran is more mechanical. The opening track is filled with the sounds of tape being started and stopped at seemingly random points; the more melodic tracks frequently end with harsh three note feedback codas, some of them longer than the actual song. It all adds up to an album that makes a lot of demands on the listener; without a lot of explanation as to why it makes the demands. Not that this is always a bad thing, but there's something missing from Iran's overall take, some element that doesn't make the musical philosophy clear. Perhaps they don't have a philosophy, perhaps they don't need one, or perhaps I'm too dumb to "get it", but Iran just leaves me cold, and wanting.

2002-04-07T18:33:00.000-07:00

Peer to Peer Review- Freemypokey.com
As part of the Peer to Peer Review project, I was asked to review this site, and, to be honest, I don't know what to say about it. The address and color scheme are cool, and I like the use of frames. However, the site has an annoying tendancy to auto-refresh (presumably for the webcam and random "word of wisdom"), making it very difficult to scroll down to read the older entries.

Freemypokey is apparently a personal journal of. The author describes himself : "...a 20 year old kid who lives at home and does nothing..." And that really sums it up. The site doesn't say why he's at home, if he studies, or what the story behind the site is. It's updated infrequently, and when it is, it's often fragmentary. For example, the entry for 3-17-02 : "Um, yah my twin is evil." It sounds like there is a story attached... but not further details. We also learn of the authors car trouble, and there are several entries in which thr author reveals he has done nothing all day. And he has a toe problem of some description.

The cam hasn't been updated since 3/6/02, and, as of this writing, the site hasn't been updated in a couple of weeks. Blogs are a unique form of communication; they can say as much, or as little, about the author as the as he or she wishes. You can lie, tell stories, or share thoughts. I'm not sure what the author of freemypokey.com has in mind, the site almost has no content. There's certainly nothing offensive in that, but I am curious as to why it's there.

2002-04-04T18:20:00.000-08:00

Weird Hours
The next review will be posted on Monday, as I am pulling some funky hours for the rest of the week. Peruse the archive, or (shudder) read the e/n blog, if you want Toddlike entertainment.

Love.

2002-04-03T20:06:00.000-08:00

Global Communication - "76:14"
Released during the heyday of "pure ambient", "76:14" holds up very well, especially when considering the other big acts of the time. Part of it's sucess is a concentration on melody and tone over using effects and clever sampling to achieve it's mood. What may also help it, generally, is it's upbeat tone. Without attempting to be overly blissful, or strangely psychedelic, the album's pieces are generally happy sounding-- the saddest the album gets is on the closer "12:18" with it's repeated "ahh" noises and distant organ, it sounds like a loving tribute to "Music for Airports". Other tracks, like "9:39" and "7:39" come fairly close to being danceable, without sacrificing their ambient roots.

The choice of Global Communication to work largely without samples, as well, means that the material cannot be 'dated' -- it also means, at times, that the band can stray dangerously close to Vangelis territory (then again, they probably wouldn't be insulted by that), but without all of the obvious emotion that saddles "new age" music in general. This is the real deal : composed, articulate, and with an amazing production, it sounds as good now as it did when it was released.

2002-04-02T22:20:00.000-08:00

Adrian Crowley - "When You are Here, You are Family"
Since Nick Drake's resurrection, it's been fashionable to compare anyone who writes slow, sad music to him. Adrian Crowley is the latest victim of such comparisons-- the simple fact of the matter is, almost everyone suffers from such comparisons, even if there are similarities. Crowley is superficially similar- minimal instrumentation, slight voice, emotional content... but really, Crowley cuts his own music, his own way, and does it excellently. The opener "Tall Ships" illustrates this very well, Crowley's fragile voice blending with the guitars, cello and drums, until the chorus, where it becomes distinct and emotion filled. Crowley never overstates, but isn't afraid of emoting, either. His guitarwork is excellent as well; no flash, but plenty of skill.

The album feels like a travelouge through old, haunted places, Crowley's lyrics frequently focus on solitude and memory, rather than immediate experience, but the album's emotions are very real ones. This is a first class set, impeccibly recorded, thought out, and delivered. Well worth picking up.

2002-04-01T14:31:00.000-08:00

Britney Spears - "Britney"
Throw away your other albums. Musical perfection has arrived, and it is on this CD. Spears proves herself to be a cross format genius, covering old 60's hits (after you hear her version of "I Love Rock N' Roll", you'll wonder what Joan Jett was thinking), disco (listen to the beautiful "anticipating") and ballads (the heart wrenching "I'm Not Yet a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" brings tears to my eyes each time I listen to it) with equal power and control. And her voice has never been finer, with an expressive, dynamic range -- she runs the gamut of emotions, from A to B. The production is crisp and clear, Steve Albini, eat your heart out, for there are contenders to your throne. Don't walk, or even run to the record store for this winner... you'll want to get in your car and drive as fast as you can. If you run over anyone on the way to the store, fuck 'em. You NEED THIS RECORD.

2002-03-29T19:15:00.000-08:00

Boris - "Absoluteego +"
What's that? Sleep's "Jerusalem" too short for you? Earth's "Earth 2" just have too much going on for you to get your mind around? Sunn0))) has the annoying habit of letting Merzbow work on their records? Well, Boris has your solution, and it's called "Absoluteego". Consisting of one very long track, which is actually a 7-8 minute "song" bookended by an extremely long intro and amazingly long outro, Boris don't mess around a whole lot with fancy solos or even chords. The first ten minutes of this opus is basically the same iterative bass note. Eventually, someone plugs in a guitar, but doesn't play, creating a layer of static. Then the drummer kicks in, slowly... towards the middle everything accelerates, and it all sort of weirdly coheres into a song, albeit a song which is played at volumes so loud that I imagine this being recorded in a concrete air shelter rather than a studio. The song fades out, we go back to a note, and eventually to a good 15 miuntes of looped feedback; the loop is slowed down... and it all... ends...

"Yes O mighty reviewer, but is it any good?" I hear you asking. "Furthermore, may I be mother to your children?" The answer to the second question is probably. The answer to the first is, well you probably all ready know. If the description above makes you think "Jesus, what an ordeal" I'd reccomend you stay awat from this one; Earth and Sunn0)) fans probably are in their cars driving to the record store right now, and people who liked "Jerusalem" a whole lot will probably find this one lacking a bit, though it will get bonus points for some damned spiffy packaging.

The "+" in the title refers to a "bonus track" called "DroneEvil2"; it sounds remarkably like bass feedback.

2002-03-28T19:16:00.000-08:00

Isis - "Celestial"
When they are not in Old Man Gloom, or running Hydrahead, or whatever it is they do with the rest of their time, the members of Isis gather together and make truly awe-inspiring sludge/metalcore which features, interestingly, a keyboard player. Don't worry, he's not there ruining the proceedings, and, in fact, gives Isis interesting places to go, adding bunches of interesting accents to their (mostly) slow, heavy, repetative sound. Dynamics in their songs come not from changes in tempo, but rather from dropping in and adding elements, a typical Isis song has a heavy, mathmatical feel to it, and their cryptic song titles and packaging, along with reocurring samples (sonar bleeps, computer keyboard tappings) give me the impression that Isis are working with some overall concept.

What is that concept? You may be asking... well, to be honest, I don't have a clue; the singer shouts, Dillenger Escape Plan style, at times his voice is so hysterical you fear he's about to breakdown, or his voice will give. If this is an attempt to communicate a message, it's a failure; however, you'll be too busy being crushed by the weight of this stuff to care. The music of Isis is amazingly powerful, and they are able to pull emotions other than anger from their brand of heavy, something a lot of metalcore bands fail at. It's also amazingly complex; check out the rapid fire basslines on "Deconstructing Towers" as an example. This is a band in full control of their sound, and their creativity.

2002-03-27T20:44:00.000-08:00

Aphex Twin - "I Care Because You Do"
Most electronically based music tends to have a short shelf life. Listening to the Orb's "Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld", for example, is no longer the amazing psychedelic journey it once was, if only because it's dub effects and sampling became commonplace. The Aphex Twin, generally speaking, paid a little more attention to composition, his works tend to have a bit more staying power. "I Care Because You Do" sounds like Aphex Twin's attempt to blend his abstract ambient works with his more danceable numbers, and the peanut-butter-in-chocolate nature of this album works nicely.

The opener "Acrid Avid Jam Shred" is a great example, with it's almost pastoral melody blending in with thudding percussion, without any of the jarring changes that would characterize later works. "The Waxen Pith" has an almost Phillip Glass feel, again, mixed in with almost random percussion noises (Phillip Glass, oddly enough, did an orchestrated version of "Icct Hedral"). The album's incredibly harsh single "Ventolin" (allegedly based around the wheezing noise heard during an Asthma attack) is astounding in it's feroicity, even today. My favorites tend to lean toward the gentler numbers; though I have to say I find the sampled porn in "Come on You Slags!" hilarious.

After the dissapointment of what may or may not be The Aphex Twin's last record "Drukqs", it's good to hear that his legacy still sounds solid; and if you are only ever going to own one Aphex Twin album, I daresay this is the one to get.

2002-03-25T12:33:00.000-08:00

Khanate - "Khanate"
Listen up. I'm only going to say this once. Playing slow does not mean you are Swans, Melvins, or Earth. Playing slow does not mean you are "punishing". Playing slow only means you are playing slow. Having band members from other, better bands (O.L.D., Scorn, etc.) does not mean the combination will work well. Giving someone the credit "vokills" for "vocals" may as well read "unfocused shrieking". Stopping every minute or so, waiting for feedback, then restarting does not sound interesting, if you are building songs around it. Lastly, don't play 10 minute songs unless you have 10 minutes worth of ideas.

I don't want to waste more time on this, so I will simply list synonyms for dull : boring, drear, dreary, dry, humdrum, irksome, monotonous, stuffy, tedious, tiresome, uninteresting, weariful, wearisome, weary, arid, aseptic, colorless, drab, dry, earthbound, flat, flavorless, lackluster, lifeless, lusterless, matter-of-fact, pedestrian, prosaic, spiritless, sterile, stodgy, unimaginative, uninspired.

Got it? Excellent. End of today's lesson. For your homework, avoid this one like the plague.

2002-03-21T22:55:00.000-08:00

Boards Of Canada - "Geodaggi"
The long awaited full length follow up to "Music Has the Right to Children" sees Boards of Canada in a slightly darker mood, though still playing with the soft, organic sounds that have become their signature. They continue playing with their set of tricks-- far away voice samples, snippets from educational films, rhythms which are at once gentle and a bit "off" sounding. Basically, there are two schools of thought here : Either you will be dissapointed that BoC haven't really 'revolutionized' their sound, or you'll find this a fine record . I happen to fall into the latter category. Just don't go into it expecting anything radically different. Boards of Canada have spent a long time crafting their beautiful place out in the country, and there's no reason for them to move away from it.

2002-03-20T20:58:00.000-08:00

Bruce Springsteen - "Nebraska"
I am a sucker for a good sad song. I could spend the rest of this review self-analyzing, but I'll spare all two of my readers that, and just leave it with that statement. "Nebraska" is a collection of sad songs; most of them pretty darned good, written by one of the most persistant figures in rock. It was released in 1982, after his big commercial breakthrough, and apparently surprised a lot of people when it was released. It was recorded on a four track (mostly with an acoustic), sometimes fairly shoddily, the low quality adding to the stark, removed feel of the record. Springsteen barely sings on some of these songs, and on tracks like "Highway Patrolman" it almost seems in danger of vanishing.

Critiques? Well, sometimes Springsteen seems too caught up in the stories, and almost forgets the music. "Johnny 99" uses a 50s rock riff with the same chugga chugga chugga pattern through the whole song that gets a little monotonous. And I doubt many of the people Springsteen sings about would be as poetic or articulate about their situations as he is.

But that's really beside the point. "Nebraska" does a wonderful job at painting pictures of desolate wastelands, dilapadated houses, and regret. Springsteen was never this emotional again (he simply substituted bombast for emotion), and this is a fine listen, even for people who can't call themselves fans.

2002-03-20T15:13:00.000-08:00

Back
Today's review will be of Springsteen's "Nebraska", for what it's worth.

2002-03-18T12:37:00.000-08:00

Gone Fishin'
Well, not really, but on a quick vacation. Back in a couple of days.

2002-03-15T21:50:00.000-08:00

The Appleseed Cast - "Low Level Owl - I and II"
If R.E.M. hadn't started to suck, they might have come up with something kind of like this; a big, sprawling (two discs, sold seperately) conceptless concept album filled with subtle, graceful moments, and huge emotion. Though the comparison doesn't make much sense musically, The Appleseed Cast's vauge lyrics and buried vocals, along with a sense of sentimental yearning put early R.E.M. in my mind; however, their actual sound is quite different, sounding like an odd mix of the Byrds, emo-punk (and, in fact their prior albums are fairly straightly played emo), with a touch of the epic thrown in. All layered vocals and simple, though mathmatical riffs, their music also has a shoegazery swirl to it without getting lost in a haze of effects. And it's simply beautiful.

Vol 1 is the more straightforward of the two records, opening with a quiet instrumental, and then heading into The Appleseed Cast's take on pop tunes, "On Reflection" and "Blind Man's Arrow" use basic chord structures and echoed vocals, and "Steps and Numbers" has an amazingly catchy chorus. As the album moves along, the songs become more experimental, and epic in scope, but without ever losing their pop core. And that's the key to the sucess of the record-- The Appleseed Cast never go for the big statement, the monumental crecendo, or the amazing solo. Even at it most highly experimental, say "The Argument", it remains understated, even when working on fairly lengthy tunes (most of these songs clock in at over 5 minutes, save for some short instrumental interludes).

Despite it's length, "Low Level Owl" never outstays it's welcome, and after a listening, I sometimes throw the first disc back in, and start again. I can't think of higher praise. This is the first essential record I have heard all year.

2002-03-15T12:59:00.000-08:00

And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - "Source Tags and Codes"
Don't be fooled. This isn't a bad album, really, but it's vastly overrated. Every critic I have read seems tripping all over themselves to praise this one, and I can't figure out why. I actually liked AYWKUBTTOD's album "Madonna" quite a bit, with it's hateful lyrics and straightfoward rock with a twist sensability. This is more of the same, with some other crap thrown in (likely a result of this being a major label release). It in no way represents a quantum leap forward. They have a furious drum section, a lead singer with good, strong, shouty voice, and guitars that no critic is allowed to write a review of without mentioning Sonic Youth.

Having dispensed with that formality, I find myself in the awkward position of not having much to say about it. It's not a total waste of time, and those who dig indie rawk will certainly find this pleasing; I doubt, however, they will find it memorable.

2002-03-14T20:54:00.000-08:00

No Review Today
Don't cry for me.

Well, go ahead.

2002-03-13T13:22:00.000-08:00

Brighter Death Now - "The Slaughterhouse"
Before their (or more accurately, his) rebirth as a "power electronics" artist, Brighter Death Now recorded this sort of stuff. "The Slaughterhouse", from what I can determine, is BDN's earliest effort, originally released on casette, with the spooooky picture of a goth kid on a sofa. For your edification, here is the tracklist : Dead Bones. Cadaver. Death Party. The Last Call. Grave. Death. Consumers. Grave Cracker. Slaughterhouse.

Now, if you are not laughing hysterically by now, there is something seriously wrong with you. This is one of the most unintentionally funny things I have ever heard. Like "Plan 9" funny. Take the opener, "Dead Bones". A slow, vaugely ominous drumbeat. Someone making "Aaaaaahhhhaaaaaahhhhh" moaning noises, and then, the lyrics (helpfully, these are printed on the front cover) "Death has overcome/ Graves are opened/ Dead bones absorbing life". I imagine the vocalist intoning these words with a flashlight held under his chin. Not once do DBN indicate they are attempting to be funny, which just adds to the overall atmosphere. On "Death", it simply sounds like he let the tape run while running a dishwasher, or something. Basically, BDN at that time was a Boss "Dr Rhythm" drum machine and some effects pedals, along with a casette deck, and it shows. It also sounds as if whoever was programming Dr. Rhythm didn't read the manual- nearly every track has the same "thud thud thud" drum part.

BDN would go on, in time, to do some interesting work (though I have friends who would debate that); this, however, is a bit of a disaster, with the seriousness and lack of variety kills it. Dead.

2002-03-12T10:32:00.000-08:00

Robert Rich - "Somnium"
I have to admit, I am more intrigued by the idea of Somnium than I am by the actual music; and I have never stayed awake during it's duration. Which, according to Mr. Rich, is exactly the idea. "Somnium" is a video DVD which, through some minor compression and trickery, holds 7 hours of audio, in three sections. It's a studio recording of a "sleep concert"-- Rich periodically gives concerts in which he invites the audience to sleep while he does his thing at the mixing desk. Whether the psychological suggestion that I should sleep during this stuff works, or whether this has some magical property is a matter of debate. For the record, the first hour or so reminds me of the other stuff I heard on "Humidity" (reviewed below)... rainfall, a few distant flutes, a low, pulsing drone. It then settles in to a regular, slow, almost background sound and... I... drift... off...

Rich seems to think this stuff will help trigger lucid dreams and deeper sleep. For the record, since I have to sleep on my sofa to listen, I don't sleep any deeper. Nor can I report any amazing dreams or experiences. It's a neat idea, for sure. Someday, I'd like to hear the whole thing. For now, however... zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

2002-03-11T12:08:00.000-08:00

DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist - "Product Placement"
I was incredibly stoked when I found a copy of DJ Shadow's "Brainfreeze" in a non bootleg format (it was released in incredibly small numbers); especially since I loved "Entroducing" and DJ Shadow is amazingly non-prolific. "Brainfreeze" defines "turntablism" in my mind, with it's off kilter mixes, scratching, and deep old school funk combined with Shadow's trademark weird beats. So when I heard that Shadow and Cut Chemist were releasing a sequel of sorts to "Brainfreeze", I snapped it right up. "Product Placement" is essentially the same idea, mixed into two long tracks, only more downtempo... On first pass, it seemed to be the sort of ambient counterpart of the first set; but really, it's just an inferior product. While "Brainfreeze" was a showcase for the funk and old R & B that Shadow and Chemist seem to love, "Product Placement" focuses more on familiar samples-- "Whole Lotta Love", for example, combined with advertising slogans, and ideas which must have seemed funny (there is an overlong passage which uses a horrible "rap" called "Cookin' With Gas" which was, as you may have guessed, a commercial for natural gas) but just fall flat.

The biggest dissapointment is the re-use of some tracks from "Brainfreeze" (An alternate version of "Funky DJ" called "Funky Black Man", for example); while this have may worked live (as with "Brainfreeze" there was a mini tour--- which is where most of these CDs were sold) it just comes across as lazy. This could have been redeemed with a clever mix, but sometimes, when the old songs are playing, even the scratching sounds almost identical.

I've given this one a number of chances, but, basically, this is a third rate product from top-tier talent; a dissapointment of the highest order.

2002-03-07T20:34:00.000-08:00

Devin Townsend - "Ocean Machine"
I first became aware of Mr. Townsends work through "Strapping Young Lad", his Dillenger Escape Plan esque project; they combine the sort of guitar virtuoisity for which Townsend is apparently famous with a raw anger which few bands manage to achieve. "Why not check out some of his other works"? I thought.

Well, the answer is simple. Townsend, by and large, concerns himself with "progressive" metal, and this is a progressive metal album. For the record, it's well played, well thought through, and well produced. It just suffers from progressive metal syndrome, which is the triumph of virsuosity and pretentiousness over emotion. I have no doubt that Townsend is a phenominal talent; and I have no doubt that this will float the boat of anyone remotely connected with progressive metal. Me, I need to stay the hell away from this stuff.

Oh well, a failed experiment. These things happen. No hard feelings, Devin.

2002-03-07T12:16:00.000-08:00

Review a Bit Later On
Worked some ka-krazy hours.