Chumbawamba

Readymades (2002)

After Shelley
All In Vain
Donґt pass go
Donґt try this at home
Home with me
If it is to be, it is up to me
Jacobґs ladder (Not in my name)
Jacobґs Ladder
One way or the other
Salt fare, North Sea
Sewing up crap
Song for len shackleton
When iґm bad
Without reason or rhyme (The killing of Harry Stanley)

link (part_1  part_2)

Once listeners accept that Chumbawamba got lucky and will never, ever have another "Tubthumping" in them, the better off they'll all be. And the sooner they recognize this, the sooner they can begin to enjoy the subtle charms of this anarchist combo. Because beneath the snarky, self-imposed label, Chumbawamba is a pretty smart pop band, heavy on hooks and even heavier on ideological grandstanding. Readymades basically follows the pattern laid out on their previous two albums. The pop is a little more forward, as is the political theorizing, but it's a consistent listen (more so than the Tubthumper album). Best moment: the wispy folk and anti-capitalist sentiment of "Don't Try This at Home."

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Bad Brains

Build a Nation (2007)

01 Give Thanks And Praises
02 Jah People Make The World Go Round
03 Pure Love
04 Natty Dreadlocks 'Pon The Mountain Top
05 Build A Nation
06 Expand Your Soul
07 Jah Love
08 Let There Be Angels (Just Like You)
09 Universal Peace
10 Roll On
11 Until Kingdom Comes
12 In The Beginning
13 Send You No More Flowers
14 Peace Be Unto Thee

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Considering that the Beastie Boys were a fledgling punk group before they were rappers and MCA (Adam Yauch) was often seen slam-dancing front and center at Bad Brains' legendary early performances, he would seem the perfect candidate to produce and resurrect the newly reunited group. In truth, he does a fantastic job capturing Bad Brains on Build a Nation, and they rock nearly as hard as they did in their glory days before they switched to funk metal -- Yauch explained that his goal was to replicate the raw sound that he remembers from their live shows and the first self-titled Reach Out International Records tape. Although the group recalls some of its best hardcore roots with an added concrete-shattering low end not found in a lot of its early recordings, the problem is that frontman H.R. simply doesn't have the energy or larynx that he once did, and has to resort to a lower octave and sing in an Anthony Kiedis "Give It Away" vocal style. But who can blame him? It was over 25 years ago when he unleashed his furious shriek and wide array of spastic crooning voices, and it takes a young man's fire to spew microphone venom with that ferocity. Often, he moans his vocal lines in an imitation Lee Perry reggae voice (even on the punkier songs) and has to resort to a lot more studio trickery and delays to make up for his lack of dynamics.
This washy style of singing doesn't always feel completely appropriate, but it fits perfectly when the Brains flip the switch to their reggae grooves, which now sound more authentic than ever. This should be no surprise since their last album consisted of only dub music, and their yellow, red, and green album art looks remarkably like a Marley bootleg with a track listing that includes "Natty Dreadlocks 'Pon the Mountaintop" and "Jah People Make the World Go Round." Since the album was recorded at the B-Boys' Oscilloscope Laboratories, many of the reggae numbers have elements of the Beasties' instrumentals on The Mix Up; it sounds like keyboardist-for-hire Jamie Saft may have borrowed Money Mark's organ while Yauch added some of the percussive instruments laying around the room for a few numbers. Even when the washed-out dubby vocals coincide with thrashing guitars, the heavy songs work remarkably well, too. The combination of the two styles makes for an interesting result, especially in "Let There Be Angels (Just Like You)" and "Universal Peace." While Bad Brains never quite match the intensity of their early days, this is easily the best record they've released since Quickness, and maybe even since I Against I. Fans of H.R., Gary, Darryl, and Earl should be happy to hear that they're finally back on track and sounding relevant again.

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Lou Reed. Part 4

Set the Twilight Reeling (1996)

01 - Egg Cream
02 - NYC Man
03 - Finish Line
04 - Trade In
05 - Hang on to Your Emotions
06 - Sex With Your Parents (Motherfucker), Pt. II [Live]
07 - Hookywooky
08 - The Proposition
09 - Adventurer
10 - Riptide
11 - Set the Twilight Reeling
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After contemplating the decline of New York City, the passing of his mentor Andy Warhol, his place in (perhaps) the greatest American rock band of all time, and the very nature of life and death, in 1996 Lou Reed finally began to consider a really important subject -- where to get a good chocolate egg cream. "Egg Cream" kicked off Set the Twilight Reeling, and for many fans it was a kick to hear Reed cranking up his amps and having some fun again, but much of the rest of the album turned out not to be as lightweight as the opener would have led you to expect. On Set the Twilight Reeling, Reed is preoccupied with relationships, as he tries to figure if he wants a long-term commitment ("Trade In"), if he's better off as a lone wolf ("NYC Man"), if he's in love ("The Proposition"), or if he just wants to fool around ("Hookywooky"). Reed rocks a lot harder here than on the two albums that preceded it (and plays plenty of great crunchy guitar), but much of the album is set in a mellow mid-tempo groove that's casual and comfortable but not especially compelling. And while "Sex With Your Parents (Motherfucker), Pt. II" is an amusing attack on conservative politicians, his logic isn't exactly clear. Longtime fans are no doubt grateful that Reed's relatively unfocused and unsubstantial albums these days are such a vast improvement over his fallow period in the 1970s, but for the most part Set the Twilight Reeling sounds like a standard issue 1990s Lou Reed album -- smart, well-crafted, with plenty of guitar, but nothing terribly special, either. (allmusic.com)

Ecstasy (2000)

01 - Paranoia Key of E
02 - Mystic Child
03 - Mad
04 - Ecstasy
05 - Modern Dance
06 - Tatters
07 - Future Farmers of America
08 - Turning Time Around
09 - White Prism
10 - Rock Minuet
11 - Baton Rouge
12 - Like a Possum
13 - Rouge
14 - Big Sky

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Never let it be said that Lou Reed has lost the ability to surprise his audience; who would have thought that at the age of 58, on his first album of the new millennium, Reed would offer us an 18-minute guitar distortion workout with lyrics abut kinky sex, dangerous drugs, and (here's the surprise) imagining what it would be like to be a possum? For the most part, Ecstasy finds Reed obsessed with love and sex, though (as you might expect) his take on romance is hardly rosy ("Paranoia Key of E," "Mad," and "Tatters" all document a relationship at the point of collapse, while "Baton Rouge" is an eccentric but moving elegy for a love that didn't last) and Eros is usually messy ("White Prism"), obsessive ("Ecstasy"), or unhealthy and perverse ("Rock Minuet"). Reed genuinely seems to be stretching towards new lyrical and musical ground here, but while some of his experiments work, several pointedly do not, with the epic "Like a Possum" only the album's most spectacular miscalculation. Still, Reed and producer Hal Wilner take some chances with the arrangements that pay off, particularly the subtle horn charts that dot several songs, and Reed's superb rhythm section (Fernando Saunders on bass and Tony "Thunder" Smith on drums) gives these songs a rock-solid foundation for the leader's guitar workouts. As Reed and his band hit fifth gear on the album's rousing closer, "Big Sky," he once again proves that even his uneven works include a few songs you'll certainly want to have in your collection -- as long as they're not about possums. (allmusic.com)

The Raven (2003)

01 - Overture
02 - Edgar Allan Poe
03 - Call On Me
04 - The Valley of Unrest
05 - A Thousand Departed Friends
06 - Change
07 - The Bed
08 - Perfect Day
09 - The Raven
10 - Balloon
11 - Broadway Song
12 - Blind Rage
13 - Burning Embers
14 - Vanishing Act
15 - Guilty
16 - I Wanna Know (The Pit and the Pendulum)
17 - Science of the Mind
18 - Hop Frog
19 - Tripitena's Speech
20 - Who Am I (Tripitena's Song)
21 - Guardian Angel

link (part_1 part_2)

Edgar Allan Poe was a man who usually looked on the dark side of life, had more than a few less-than-healthy romantic and sexual obsessions, was known to dabble in dangerous drugs, and was fascinated with the possibilities of the English language, so it's no wonder why Lou Reed regards Poe as a kindred spirit. In his liner notes to the album The Raven, Reed touches on the parallels between their work when he writes, "I have reread and rewritten Poe to ask the same questions again. Who am I? Why am I drawn to do what I should not?...Why do we love what we cannot have? Why do we have a passion for exactly the wrong thing?" Reed's obsession with Poe's work found a creative outlet when visionary theatrical director Robert Wilson commissioned Reed to adapt Poe's works to music for a production called POE-Try, and The Raven collects the material Reed wrote for this project, as well as a number of dramatic interpretations of Poe's work, featuring performances by Willem Dafoe, Steve Buscemi, Elizabeth Ashley, Amanda Plummer, and others. The limited-edition two-disc version of The Raven gives a nearly equal balance to words and music; while the single-disc edition is dominated by Reed's songs, the double-disc set features a much greater number of spoken-word pieces, most of which have been filtered through Reed's imagination, with a more intense focus on sex, drugs, and conflict as a result. While the condensed version of The Raven sounds like one of the oddest and most audacious rock albums of recent memory, the complete edition feels more like a lengthy performance piece (albeit a rather unusual one), and while it lacks something in the way of a central narrative, the focus on the letter as well as the spirit of Poe's work seems a great deal clearer here. The pitch of the acting is sometimes a bit sharp (especially Dafoe, who seems to be projecting to the last row of the balcony), but the con brio performances certainly suit the tenor of the material and Poe's writing style. Musically, The Raven is all over the map, leaping from low-key acoustic pieces to full-bore, window-rattling rock & roll, with a number of stops along the way. Reed also touches more than casually on his own past as well, with new recordings of "The Bed" and "Perfect Day" added to the sequence, and for a man not known for his ability to collaborate well, The Raven is jam-packed with guest artists, including David Bowie, the Five Blind Boys of Alabama, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Ornette Coleman, and Laurie Anderson, all of whom are used to their best advantage. The mix of ingredients on The Raven is heady, and the result is more than a little bizarre, but there's no mistaking the fact that Reed's heart and soul are in this music; even the most oddball moments bleed with passion and commitment, whether he's handing the vocal mic over to Buscemi for a faux-lounge number, conjuring up brutal guitar distortion while his band wails behind him, or confronting his fears and desires with just a piano to guide him. Truth to tell, Reed hasn't sounded this committed and engaged on record since Magic and Loss over a decade before; The Raven reaches for more than it can grasp, especially in its two-hours-plus expanded edition, and is dotted with experiments that don't work and ideas that don't connect with their surroundings. But the good stuff is strong enough that anyone who cares about Lou Reed's body of work, or Edgar Allan Poe's literary legacy, ought to give it a careful listen. (allmusic.com)

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Lou Reed. Part 3

Legendary Hearts (1983)

01 - Legendary Hearts
02 - Don't Talk to Me About Work
03 - Make Up Mind
04 - Martial Law
05 - The Last Shot
06 - Turn Out the Light
07 - Pow Wow
08 - Betrayed
09 - Bottoming Out
10 - Home of the Brave
11 - Rooftop Garden
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If Legendary Hearts seemed like a disappointment in 1983, that was largely because the year before Lou Reed had released The Blue Mask, one of the finest albums of his career, and Legendary Hearts just wasn't quite as good. But pull it off the shelf today, give it a listen, and Legendary Hearts easily shuts down nearly anything Reed released in the 1970s; if it's a less obvious masterpiece than The Blue Mask, it makes clear that Reed was once again in firm command of his strengths, and making the most of them in the studio. Guitarist Robert Quine and bassist Fernando Saunders were both back on board from The Blue Mask, and they reaffirmed their status as the linchpins of the strongest band of Reed's solo career, and drummer Fred Maher rocked harder (and with fewer frills) than Doane Perry. The bracing cross-talk of Reed's and Quine's guitars had lost nothing in the year separating the two albums, and if Reed didn't seem to be aiming quite as high as a songwriter this time out, most of the tracks were every bit as intelligent and soul-searching as The Blue Mask's lineup; if there were a few moments of comic relief, like "Don't Talk to Me About Work" and "Pow Wow," no one could argue that Reed hadn't earned a few laughs after songs like "Make Up Mind," "The Last Shot," and "Betrayed." On Legendary Hearts, Reed was writing great songs, playing them with enthusiasm and imagination, and singing them with all his heart and soul, and if it wasn't his best album, it was more than good enough to confirm that the brilliance of The Blue Mask was no fluke, and that Reed had reestablished himself as one of the most important artists in American rock. (allmusic.com)

New York (1989)

01 - Romeo Had Juliette
02 - Halloween Parade (Aids)
03 - Dirty Blvd.
04 - Endless Cycle
05 - There Is No Time
06 - Last Great American Whale
07 - Beginning of a Great Adventure
08 - Busload of Faith
09 - Sick of You
10 - Hold On
11 - Good Evening Mr. Waldheim
12 - Xmas in February
13 - Strawman
14 - Dime Story Mystery [To Andy - Honey]
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New York City figured so prominently in Lou Reed's music for so long that it's surprising it took him until 1989 to make an album simply called New York, a set of 14 scenes and sketches that represents the strongest, best-realized set of songs of Reed's solo career. While Reed's 1982 comeback, The Blue Mask, sometimes found him reaching for effects, New York's accumulated details and deft caricatures hit bull's-eye after bull's-eye for 57 minutes, and do so with an easy stride and striking lyrical facility. New York also found Reed writing about the larger world rather than personal concerns for a change, and in the beautiful, decaying heart of New York City, he found plenty to talk about -- the devastating impact of AIDS in "Halloween Parade," the vicious circle of child abuse "Endless Cycle," the plight of the homeless in "Xmas in February" -- and even on the songs where he pointedly mounts a soapbox, Reed does so with an intelligence and smart-assed wit that makes him sound opinionated rather than preachy -- like a New Yorker. And when Reed does look into his own life, it's with humor and perception; "Beginning of a Great Adventure" is a hilarious meditation on the possibilities of parenthood, and "Dime Store Mystery" is a moving elegy to his former patron Andy Warhol. Reed also unveiled a new band on this set, and while guitarist Mike Rathke didn't challenge Reed the way Robert Quine did, Reed wasn't needing much prodding to play at the peak of his form, and Ron Wasserman proved Reed's superb taste in bass players had not failed him. Produced with subtle intelligence and a minimum of flash, New York is a masterpiece of literate, adult rock & roll, and the finest album of Reed's solo career. (allmusic.com)

Songs for Drella (1990)

01 - Smalltown
02 - Open House
03 - Style It Takes
04 - Work
05 - Trouble With Classicists
06 - Starlight
07 - Faces and Names
08 - Images
09 - Slip Away (A Warning)
10 - It Wasn't Me
11 - I Believe
12 - Nobody But You
13 - A Dream
14 - Forever Changed
15 - Hello It's Me
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John Cale, the co-founder of The Velvet Underground, left the group in 1968 after tensions between himself and Lou Reed became intolerable; neither had much charitable to say about one other after that, and they seemed to share only one significant area of agreement -- they both maintained a great respect and admiration for Andy Warhol, the artist whose patronage of the group helped them reach their first significant audience. So it was fitting that after Warhol's death in 1987, Reed and Cale began working together for the first time since White Light/White Heat on a cycle of songs about the artist's life and times. Starkly constructed around Cale's keyboards, Reed's guitar, and their voices, Songs for Drella is a performance piece about Andy Warhol, his rise to fame, and his troubled years in the limelight. Reed and Cale take turns on vocals, sometimes singing as the character of Andy and elsewhere offering their observations on the man they knew. On a roll after New York, Reed's songs are strong and pithy, and display a great feel for the character of Andy, and while Cale brought fewer tunes to the table, they're all superb, especially "Style It Takes" and "A Dream," a spoken word piece inspired by Warhol's posthumously published diaries. If Songs for Drella seems modest from a musical standpoint, it's likely neither Reed nor Cale wanted the music to distract from their story, and here they paint a portrait of Warhol that has far more depth and poignancy than his public image would have led one to expect. It's a moving and deeply felt tribute to a misunderstood man, and it's a pleasure to hear these two comrades-in-arms working together again, even if their renewed collaboration was destined to be short-lived. (allmusic.com)

Magic and Loss (1992)

01 - Dorita
02 - What's Good
03 - Power and Glory
04 - Magician
05 - Sword of Damocles
06 - Goodby Mass
07 - Cremation
08 - Dreamin'
09 - No Chance
10 - Warrior King
11 - Harry's Circumcision
12 - Gassed and Stoked
13 - Power and Glory, Pt. 2
14 - Magic and Loss
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With 1982's The Blue Mask, Lou Reed began approaching more mature and challenging themes in his music, and in 1992, Reed decided it was time to tackle the Most Serious Theme of All -- Death. Reed lost two close friends to cancer within the space of a year, and the experience informed Magic and Loss, a set of 14 songs about loss, illness, and mortality. It would have been easy for a project like this to sound morbid, but Reed avoids that; the emotions that dominate these songs are fear and helplessness in the face of a disease (and a fate) not fully understood, and Reed's songs struggle to balance these anxieties with bravery, humor, and an understanding of the notion that death is an inevitable part of life -- that you can't have the magic without the loss. It's obvious that Reed worked on this material with great care, and Magic and Loss contains some of his most intelligent and emotionally intense work as a lyricist. However, Reed hits many of the same themes over and over again, and while Reed and his accompanists -- guitarist Mike Rathke, bassist Rob Wasserman, and percussionist Michael Blair -- approach the music with skill and impeccable chops, many of these songs are a bit samey; the album's most memorable tunes are the ones that pull it out of its mid-tempo rut, like the grooving "What's Good" and the guitar workout "Gassed and Stoked." Magic and Loss is an intensely heartfelt piece of music, possessing a taste and subtlety one might never have expected from Reed, but its good taste almost works against it; it's a sincere bit of public mourning, but perhaps a more rousing wake might have been a more meaningful tribute to the departed. (allmusic.com)

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Lou Reed. Part 2

Coney Island Baby (1976)

01 - Crazy Feeling
02 - Charley's Girl
03 - She's My Best Friend
04 - Kicks
05 - A Gift
06 - Ooohhh Baby
07 - Nonody's Business
08 - Coney Island Baby
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From 1972's Transformer onward, Lou Reed spent most of the '70s playing the druggy decadence card for all it was worth, with increasingly mixed results. But on 1976's Coney Island Baby, Reed's songwriting began to move into warmer, more compassionate territory, and the result was his most approachable album since Loaded. On most of the tracks, Reed stripped his band back down to guitar, bass, and drums, and the results were both leaner and a lot more comfortable than the leaden over-production of Sally Can't Dance or Berlin. "Crazy Feeling," "She's My Best Friend," and "Coney Island Baby" found Reed actually writing recognizable love songs for a change, and while Reed pursued his traditional interest in the underside of the hipster's life on "Charlie's Girl" and "Nobody's Business," he did so with a breezy, freewheeling air that was truly a relief after the lethargic tone of Sally Can't Dance. "Kicks" used an audio-tape collage to generate atmospheric tension that gave its tale of drugs and death a chilling quality that was far more effective than his usual blasé take on the subject, and "Coney Island Baby" was the polar opposite, a song about love and regret that was as sincere and heart-tugging as anything the man has ever recorded. Coney Island Baby sounds casual on the surface, but emotionally it's as compelling as anything Lou Reed released in the 1970s, and proved he could write about real people with recognizable emotions as well as anyone in rock music -- something you might not have guessed from most of the solo albums that preceded it. (allmusic.com)

Rock and Roll Heart (1976)

01 - I Belive In Love
02 - Banging On My Drum
03 - Follow The Leader
04 - You Wear It So Well
05 - Ladies Pay
06 - Rock And Roll Heart
07 - Chooser And The Chosen One
08 - Senselessly Cruel
09 - Chain To Fame
10 - Vicious Circle
11 - A Sheltered Life
12 - Temporary Thing

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Rock and Roll Heart was Lou Reed's first album for Arista Records, and one senses that he wanted to come up with something saleable for his new sponsors. Uptempo numbers with pop hooks dominate the set, the 12 songs zip by in an efficient 38 minutes, and instead of Reed's trademark meditations on the dark side of life, the lyrics are (for the most part) lean bursts of verse and chorus, in which the artist sings the praises of good times in general and rock & roll in particular (then again, on "I Believe in Love," Reed pledges his allegiance to both "good time music" and "the iron cross," a bit of perversity to remind us whose album this is). But if Rock and Roll Heart sounds like "Lou Reed Lite," there are more than a few flashes of Reed's inarguable talent. His band is in fine form (especially Marty Fogel on sax and Michael Fonfara on keyboards). "Banging on My Drum" is a crunchy rocker that recalls his work with the Velvet Underground; "A Sheltered Life" is an amusing bit of VU archeology (the Velvets demoed the song, but this marked its first appearance on record); and the closer, "Temporary Thing," is a bitter, haunting narrative that foreshadows Reed's next album, the harrowing masterpiece Street Hassle. (allmusic.com)

Street Hassle (1978)

01 - Gimmie Some Good Times
02 - Dirt
03 - Street Hassle
04 - I Wanna Be Black
05 - Real Good Time Together
06 - Shooting Star
07 - Leave Me Alone
08 - Wait

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The rise of the punk/new wave movement in the late '70s proved just how pervasive Lou Reed's influence had been through the past decade, but it also gave him some stiff competition, as suddenly Reed was no longer the only poet of the New York streets. 1978's Street Hassle was Reed's first album after punk had gained public currency, and Reed appeared to have taken the minimal approach of punk to heart. With the exception of Metal Machine Music, Street Hassle was Reed's rawest set of the 1970s; partly recorded live, with arrangements stripped to the bone, Street Hassle was dark, deep, and ominous, a 180-degree turn from the polished neo-glam of Transformer. Lyrically, Street Hassle found Reed looking deep into himself, and not liking what he saw. Opening with an uncharitable parody of "Sweet Jane," Street Hassle found Reed acknowledging just how much a self-parody he'd become in the 1970s, and just how much he hated himself for it, on songs like "Dirt" and "Shooting Star." Street Hassle was Reed's most creatively ambitious album since Berlin, and it sounded revelatory on first release in 1978. Sadly, time has magnified its flaws; the Lenny Bruce-inspired "I Wanna Be Black" sounds like a bad idea today, and the murk of the album's binaural mix isn't especially flattering to anyone. But the album's best moments are genuinely exciting, and the title cut, a three-movement poetic tone poem about life on the New York streets, is one of the most audacious and deeply moving moments of Reed's solo career. Raw, wounded, and unapologetically difficult, Street Hassle isn't the masterpiece Reed was shooting for, but it's still among the most powerful and compelling albums he released during the 1970s, and too personal and affecting to ignore. (allmusic.com)

The Blue Mask (1982)

01 - My House
02 - Women
03 - Underneath the Bottle
04 - Gun
05 - The Blue Mask
06 - Average Guy
07 - Heroine
08 - Waves of Fear
09 - Day John Kennedy Died
10 - Heavenly Arms
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In 1982, 12 years after he left the Velvet Underground, Lou Reed released The Blue Mask, the first album where he lived up to the potential he displayed in the most groundbreaking of all American rock bands. The Blue Mask was Reed's first album after he overcame a long-standing addiction to alcohol and drugs, and it reveals a renewed focus and dedication to craft -- for the first time in years, Reed had written an entire album's worth of moving, compelling songs, and was performing them with keen skill and genuine emotional commitment. Reed was also playing electric guitar again, and with the edgy genius he summoned up on White Light/White Heat. Just as importantly, he brought Robert Quine on board as his second guitarist, giving Reed a worthy foil who at once brought great musical ideas to the table, and encouraged the bandleader to make the most of his own guitar work. (Reed also got superb support from his rhythm section, bassist extraordinaire Fernando Saunders and ace drummer Doane Perry). As Reed stripped his band back to a muscular two-guitars/bass/drums format, he also shed the faux-decadent "Rock N Roll Animal" persona that had dominated his solo work and wrote clearly and fearlessly of his life, his thoughts, and his fears, performing the songs with supreme authority whether he was playing with quiet subtlety (such as the lovely "My House" or the unnerving "The Gun") or cranked-to-ten fury (the paranoid "Waves of Fear" and the emotionally devastating title cut). Intelligent, passionate, literate, mature, and thoroughly heartfelt, The Blue Mask was everything Reed's fans had been looking for in his work for years, and it's vivid proof that for some rockers, life can begin on the far side of 35. (allmusic.com)

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Lou Reed. Part 1

Transformer (1972)

01 - Vicious
02 - Andy's Chest
03 - Perfect Day
04 - Hangin' Round
05 - Walk On The Wild Side
06 - Make Up
07 - Satellite Of Love
08 - Wagon Wheel
09 - New York Telephone Conversation
10 - I'm So Free
11 - Goodnight Ladies
12 - Hangin' Round (Acoustic Demo)
13 - Perfect Day (Acoustic Demo)

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David Bowie has never been shy about acknowledging his influences, and since the boho decadence and sexual ambiguity of the Velvet Underground's music had a major impact on Bowie's work, it was only fitting that as Ziggy Stardust mania was reaching its peak, Bowie would offer Lou Reed some much needed help with his career, which was stuck in neutral after his first solo album came and went. Musically, Reed's work didn't have too much in common with the sonic bombast of the glam scene, but at least it was a place where his eccentricities could find a comfortable home, and on Transformer Bowie and his right-hand man, Mick Ronson, crafted a new sound for Reed that was better fitting (and more commercially astute) than the ambivalent tone of his first solo album. Ronson adds some guitar raunch to "Vicious" and "Hangin' Round" that's a lot flashier than what Reed cranked out with the Velvets, but still honors Lou's strengths in guitar-driven hard rock, while the imaginative arrangements Ronson cooked up for "Perfect Day," "Walk on the Wild Side," and "Goodnight Ladies" blend pop polish with musical thinking just as distinctive as Reed's lyrical conceits. And while Reed occasionally overplays his hand in writing stuff he figured the glam kids wanted ("Make Up" and "I'm So Free" being the most obvious examples), "Perfect Day," "Walk on the Wild Side," and "New York Telephone Conversation" proved he could still write about the demimonde with both perception and respect. The sound and style of Transformer would in many ways define Reed's career in the 1970s, and while it led him into a style that proved to be a dead end, you can't deny that Bowie and Ronson gave their hero a new lease on life -- and a solid album in the bargain. (allmusic.com)

Berlin (1973)

01 - Berlin
02 - Lady Day
03- Men Of Good Fortune
04 - Caroline Says
05 - How Do You Think It Feels
06 - Oh Jim
07 - Caroline Says II
08 - The Kids
09 - The Bed
10 - Sad Song

link

Transformer and "Walk on the Wild Side" were both major hits in 1972, to the surprise of both Lou Reed and the music industry, and with Reed suddenly a hot commodity, he used his newly won clout to make the most ambitious album of his career, Berlin. Berlin was the musical equivalent of a drug-addled kid set loose in a candy store; the album's songs, which form a loose story line about a doomed romance between two chemically fueled bohemians, were fleshed out with a huge, boomy production (Bob Ezrin at his most grandiose) and arrangements overloaded with guitars, keyboards, horns, strings, and any other kitchen sink that was handy (the session band included Jack Bruce, Steve Winwood, Aynsley Dunbar, and Tony Levin). And while Reed had often been accused of focusing on the dark side of life, he and Ezrin approached Berlin as their opportunity to make The Most Depressing Album of All Time, and they hardly missed a trick. This all seemed a bit much for an artist who made such superb use of the two-guitars/bass/drums lineup with the Velvet Underground, especially since Reed doesn't even play electric guitar on the album; the sheer size of Berlin ultimately overpowers both Reed and his material. But if Berlin is largely a failure of ambition, that sets it apart from the vast majority of Reed's lesser works; Lou's vocals are both precise and impassioned, and though a few of the songs are little more than sketches, the best -- "How Do You Think It Feels," "Oh, Jim," "The Kids," and "Sad Song" -- are powerful, bitter stuff. It's hard not to be impressed by Berlin, given the sheer scope of the project, but while it earns an A for effort, the actual execution merits more of a B-. (allmusic.com)

Rock N Roll Animal (1974)

01 - Intro - Sweet Jane
02 - Heroin
03 - White Light - White Heat
04 - Lady Day
05 - Rock 'N' Roll
link

In 1974, after the commercial disaster of his album Berlin, Lou Reed needed a hit, and Rock N Roll Animal was a rare display of commercial acumen on his part, just the right album at just the right time. Recorded in concert with Reed's crack road band at the peak of their form, Rock N Roll Animal offered a set of his most anthemic songs (most dating from his days with the Velvet Underground) in arrangements that presented his lean, effective melodies and street-level lyrics in their most user-friendly form (or at least as user friendly as an album with a song called "Heroin" can get). Early-'70s arena rock bombast is often the order of the day, but guitarists Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter use their six-string muscle to lift these songs up, not weigh them down, and with Reed's passionate but controlled vocals riding over the top, "Sweet Jane," "White Light/White Heat," and "Rock 'n' Roll" finally sound like the radio hits they always should have been. Reed would rarely sound this commercial again, but Rock N Roll Animal proves he could please a crowd when he had to. The revised CD reissue of Rock N Roll Animal released in 2000 offers markedly better sound than the album's initial release, along with two bonus cuts that give a better idea of how this band approached the material from Berlin on-stage, as well as an amusing moment of Reed verbally sparring with a heckler. (allmusic.com)

Sally Can't Dance (1974)

01 - Ride Sally Ride
02 - Animal Language
03 - Baby Face
04 - N. Y. Stars
05 - Kill Your Sons
06 - Ennui
07 - Sally Can't Dance
08 - Billy
09 - Good Taste

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On the live album Rock N Roll Animal, Lou Reed showed he'd learned how to give his audience what they wanted, and do it well. Sally Can't Dance, on the other hand, was the polar opposite, a remarkably cynical album that pandered to the lowest common denominator of the market that had bought Transformer and Rock N Roll Animal, and didn't even do it with much flair. Reed's performances here are limited to vocals, except for some sloppy acoustic guitar on one track (this from the man who helped reinvent electric guitar with the Velvet Underground), and the sodden, overblown arrangements sink most of these tunes before they get past the first chorus; much of the time, Reed sounds like an afterthought on his own album. And while Reed's best songwriting ranks with the best rock of his generation, Sally Can't Dance is cluttered with throwaways that reach for the boho decadence of Transformer and come up empty (with special recognition going to the bizarre and truly puzzling "Animal Language"). Side two does offer two worthwhile songs: "Kill Your Sons," a powerful and deeply personal remembrance of Reed's bouts with shock treatment and brutal psychotherapy, which he would revisit in a much stronger performance on 1984's Live in Italy, and "Billy," a witty and surprisingly poignant remembrance of an old friend and how their paths in life diverged. But otherwise, Sally Can't Dance has the distinction of being the worst studio album of Reed's career; Metal Machine Music may have been a lot more annoying, but at least he was trying on that one. (allmusic.com)

Technorati tags: Lou Reed

Einstürzende Neubauten. Vol. 4

Die Hamletmaschine (1991)

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Faustmusik (1996)

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One of the more curious works in Einstürzende Neubauten's long and varied career, 1996's Faustmusik is a close relative of 1991's Die Hamletmaschine, their score for an avant-garde reinterpretation of Shakespeare's play. This play, by Werner Schwab, is more of an oratorio than an opera, with the focus entirely on the recitation and singing of Schwab's German verse by Einstürzende Neubauten's lead singer, Blixa Bargeld (as Mephistopheles, appropriately enough!) and other actors. Einstürzende Neubauten's musical contribution is entirely incidental, and sounds at times like they're merely playing rehearsal tapes for a low-key, nearly ambient album behind the actors. Those who aren't fans of experimental European theater, don't speak German, and are interested primarily in hearing Einstürzende Neubauten's familiar industrial power should look elsewhere, but there's a certain creepy beauty to much of this album, particularly the nightmarish "Das Orchestrion," a slowly building cacophony of voices and drones. (allmusic.com)

9-15-2000 Brussels (2002)

01 - Silence is sexy
02 - Sabrina
03 - Dingsaller
04 - Die Interimsliebenden
05 - Nnnaaammmm
06 - Haus der Lüge
07 - Zebulon
08 - Newton`s Gravitätlichkeit
09 - Zampano
10 - Ein seltenter Vogel
11 - Beauty
12 - Die Befindlichkeit des Landes
13 - Sonnenbarke

14 - Die Schlacht von Babel
15 - Redukt
16 - Jubel
17 - Musentango
18 - Alles
19 - Ende Neu
20 - Yü Gung
21 - Installation No.1
22 - Salamandrina

link (part_1 part_2)

Strategies Against Architecture '80-'83 (1984)

01 - Tanz Debil
02 - Schmerzen Hören
03 - Mikroben
04 - Krieg In Den Städten
05 - Zum Tier Machen
06 - Draußen Ist Feindlich
07 - Stahlversion
08 - Schwarz
09 - Negativ Nein
10 - Kalte Sterne
11 - Spaltung
12 - U-Haft Muzak
13 - Gestohlenes Band (ORF)
14 - Schwarz (Mutieirt)
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Einsturzende's first compilation album summed up all that was brilliant and thrilling about the young band, who perhaps more than anyone else encapsulated exactly what "industrial" consisted of -- honest-to-goodness mechanistic pummeling and musique concrete remade for a newer generation. Selections from Schwarz and Kollaps feature, along with single-only cuts and various live performances as well, giving a striking picture of the group's varying approaches. Bargeld's rasped, whispered vocals and sudden screams crawl with threat and dread in a consciously dramatic but never overtly hammy fashion, while the rough rhythms and harsh clattering which serves as a bed for his delivery touches on everything from free jazz to minimal Krautrock rhythms. That the volume often gets amped to its absolute highest is only to be expected, but silence and space between sound matters just as much, especially on a slew of songs toward the end. Guitars and bass appear more often than might be expected, but the way they're played is something else entirely, muddied deep in the mix or roaring as undifferentiated noise stabbing in here and there. It's also interesting to hear the earlier version of the band in contrast with the later, when a slightly more formal rock presentation took the fore. Given that on the recordings here the group consisted mostly of percussionists beating on metal and whatever else was to hand, it's little wonder things sound even more aggressive. Maybe for some this will only sound like the backing music on a Sprockets sketch, but the impact on any number of sound terrorists then and since from this album can't be measured. (allmusic.com)

Strategies Against Architecture II (1991)

01 Abfackeln!
02 Partynummer (Live)
03 Z.N.S.
04 Die Elektrik (Merle)
05 Intermezzo Yu-Gung (Live)
06 Seele Brennt
07 Blutvergiftung
08 Sand
09 Kangolicht
10 Armenia (Live)
11 Ein Stuhl In Der Holle

12 Vanadium I Ching
13 Leid Und Elend (Live)
14 DNS-Wasserturm
15 Armenia II (Live)
16 Fackeln!
17 Ich Bin's
18 Hirnlego
19 Wardrobe
20 Bildbeschreibung
22 Haus Der Luge (Live)
23 Jordache
24 Kein Bestandteil Sein (Alternative ending)
link (part_1 part_2)

Complementing the original Strategies collection, this double-disc affair covers the years 1984 to 1990, featuring the noted Bargeld/Unruh/Einheit/Chung/Hacke lineup of the group. With an informative, witty booklet providing a slew of pictures and complete liner notes for each track, Architecture II focuses on the band's continued rude creative health through the rest of the decade, inventing and perfecting a wide variety of approaches that would help define industrial music. Power tools and heavy machinery still get used and abused throughout, Bargeld's vocals remain in extremis screeching or nervy, unsettlingly calm semi-crooning, both loud and soft tracks appear with regularity. It's abrasive and strangely beautiful at its best, art music via studio manipulation turned into gripping aural entertainment. As with the first Strategies, studio recordings get mixed with various live efforts as well -- in one instance, a fiery rip through "Haus der Luege" is grafted with the audience reaction from a completely separate concert once the quintet lit the stage on fire! Many highlights appear -- besides the aforementioned "Haus der Luege," there are a number of versions of the fierce "Abfackeln!," a blistering concert take on "Yu-Gung," the centuries-old death shuffle of "Ein Stuhl in der Hoelle." Two interesting diversions capture the sly humor of the group -- first, there's the 1985 studio take on the Lee Hazlewood/Nancy Sinatra song "Sand," partial evidence of Bargeld's dual alliance with Nick Cave via the Bad Seeds, perhaps. The liner notes claim that the group "detected a Neubaten feel" in the original -- but if the idea means use of studio sonics, why not? Meanwhile, one of the variants of "Abfackeln!" is a 1988 Jordache jeans ad, of all things -- brief, but amusing, with the store's name bleeped out at the end because they refused to pay up! (allmusic.com)

Technorati tags: Einstürzende Neubauten

Einstürzende Neubauten. Vol. 3

Silence Is Sexy (2000)

01 - Sabrina
02 - Silence Is Sexy
03 - In Circles
04 - Newtons Gravitätlichkeit
05 - Zampano
06 - Heaven Is of Honey
07 - Beauty
08 - Die Befindlichkeit des Landes
09 - Sonnenbarke
10 - Musentango
11 - Alles
12 - Redukt
13 - Dingsaller
14 - Anrufe in Abwesenheit
15 - Pelikanol

link (part_1 part_2)

Odds are no one banked on Einstürzende Neubauten lasting 20 years. What were the odds of such a destructive band surviving two decades? Did the Stooges ever stand a chance of writing a song called "1989"? More importantly, who would have thought that the milestone year would see the release of one of Neubauten's finest records? Though Silence Is Sexy might retain some of the band's recent song-based developments that have left some fans puzzled, its closest touchstone is 1987's Richterskala. They might not be as unsettling or destructive as they were in their early days, but they still know how to capture the imagination and warp the senses. As with Richterskala, restraint is a key element. The schlock of recent outings is done away with to focus more on stark restraint. Bargeld doesn't really let his vocal chords rip often, and their trademark clangorous overload isn't resorted to much. "Sabrina" is one of the tracks that brings to mind their excellent album from 1987. Swaying strings and plaintive percussive taps frame Blixa Bargeld's whispers as he waxes like a bawdier Bryan Ferry. Those who reveled in Neubauten's familiar undead bass sound will find the record goes down a treat. At nearly 70 minutes, it's a bit sprawling, but it allows the gang to represent every element that has made them vital and influential to experimental music throughout the last twenty years. Irregardless of your pickiness with Neubauten's material -- what you like/hate about them -- anyone could piece together 40 minutes of the record for an ace Cliff's Notes version. [Early editions came with a second disc, consisting solely of the 19-minute long "Pelikanol." A scraping, hypnotic track, Bargeld uses his voice as a drone instrument to great effect.]

Berlin Babylon [SOUNDTRACK] (2001)

01 - Berlin Babylon (Titel)
02 - Godzilla In Mitte
03 - Overtüre mit Helikoptern
04 - Walkie Talkie Babylon
05 - Trauermarsch
06 - Glas 1 (Sony-Center)
07 - Befindlichkeit (Baustellenversion)
08 - Der Engel Der Geschichte
09 - Beauty (Tiergartentunnel)
10 - Glas 2 (Richtfest)
11 - Architektur ist Geiselnahme
12 - Gästeliste
13 - Die Befindlichkeit des Landes
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Berlin Babylon is a 2001 documentary film directed by Hubertus Siegert with industrial music performed by Einstürzende Neubauten. The film's main focus is on the extensive rebuilding projects in Berlin after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It features internationally acclaimed architects including Rem Koolhaas, Renzo Piano and I.M. Pei. Some sequences are characterized by time-lapse photography along with the narration of Der Engel der Geschichte (the Angel of History). The documentary also contains stock footage of demolitions of the buildings which were left to stand in ruins after the second world war. (wikipedia.org)

Supporter Album #1 (2003)

01 - Dead Friends (Around the Corner)
02 - Perpetuum Mobile
03 - X
04 - Ein seltener Vogel (Bunkerversion)
05 - Airplane Miniature #4
06 - Airplane Miniature #3
07 - Insomnia
08 - Selbstportrait mit Kater
09 - Compressors in the Dark

link (part_1 part_2)

Perpetuum Mobile (2004)

01 - Ich Gehe Jetz
02 - Perpetuum Mobile
03 - Ein Leichtes Leises Säuseln
04 - Selbstportrait Mit Kater
05 - Boreas
06 - Ein Seltener Vogel
07 - Ozean Und Brandung
08 - Paradiesseits
09 - Youme & Meyou
10 - Der Weg Ins Freie
11 - Dead Friends (Around The Corner)
12 - Grundstück
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Technorati tags: Einstürzende Neubauten

Einstürzende Neubauten. Vol. 2

Five on the Open-Ended Richter-Scale (1987)

01 - Zersoerte Zelle
02 - Morning Dew
03 - Ich Bin's
04 - Modimidofrsaso
05 - 12 Staedte
06 - Keine Schoenheit Ohne Gefahr
07 - Kein Bestandteil Sein
08 - Adler Kommt Spaeter
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Imagine a child that's been given a toy with detailed directions. Frustrated with its complexities, the child throws out the directions and chucks the toy against a wall, proceeding to step on it, bite it, smash it, and ultimately break it into as many pieces as he can. Bored with merely making as much noise as possible with the toy, the child begins to examine its parts and how it works. Though the child puts it together in a way that was not intended, the child becomes enamored with the new toy. Funf Auf Der Nach is where Neubauten truly grab hold of their broken elements and fashion them into something completely unique and (relatively) contemporary at the same time. Take their sleazy, spaghetti-westernized cover of Tim Rose's "Morning Dew" for instance, and the structured manner in which the record glides by. Very subdued and darkly ambient throughout, it's nowhere near the aural riots of yesteryear. For its lack of cacophony, and as restrained and formed as it is, Neubauten are just as unsettling, gripping, and tension-ridden as ever -- they're just finding a new way to be all of that. You expect the big release during the closer, "Kein Bestandteil Sein," but you don't get it. Funf auf der Nach is like watching a stalker cleverly follow its prey for miles, only to watch it shy away just short of lodging a knife into the back of the followed. (allmusic.com)

Haus der Lüge (1989)

01 - Prolog
02 - Feurio!
03 - Ein Stuhl in der Hölle
04 - Haus der Lüge - Epilog
05 - Fiat Lux- A) Fiat Lux B) Maifestspiele C) Hirnlego
06 - Schwindel
07 - Der Kuss
08 - Feurio (Caffery,Einheit Remix)
09 - Partymucke
10 - Feurio (Turen offen)
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The final Einsturzende album of the 1980s found the group wrapping up that decade on a high note; while Haus der Luege barely lasts over half an hour, it's designed for maximum impact, and that it creates. The seasoned five-person lineup clatters and bangs away with fire, though the focus is more on straightforward industrial-tinged rock, as opposed to full-on industrial banging and relentless sonic experimentation. Things fully fire after an alternating voice/noise "Prolog" with "Feurio!," one of the band's strongest singles. With an ominous death-disco rhythm stop-starting under it all, swirling wails and cries in the mix, and sudden guitar lines filling out the sound, Bargeld's declamatory vocal approach in full effect. It's perhaps one of the most "industrial dance" songs the group's ever done, but it feels like a logical conclusion of their sound rather than a sudden embrace of Wax Trax! esthetics. Equally impressive is the title track, starting with a soft chime before turning into a dangerously funky aggro-crawl. Much of the album's second half is taken up by the lengthy "Fiat Lux," broken into three separate sections. Low in volume and astonishingly subtle until its final, overtly rhythmic conclusion, it's a testament to Einsturzende's abilities at the opposite end of where they are most often stereotyped as working, ambient instead of full-on noise. Bargeld's singing and a soft, central keyboard loop provides the main hooks for the piece, even when an array of random samples and noises starts surfacing about halfway through the track. Add in some blunt, interesting cover art and an appreciative essay from writer Biba Kopf, and Haus der Luege is another Einsturzende success. (allmusic.com)

Tabula Rasa (1993)

01 - Die Interimsliebenden
02 - Zebulon
03 - Blume
04 - 12305(te Nacht)
05 - Sie
06 - Wüste
07 - Headcleaner I
08 - Headcleaner II
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Neubauten's '90s productions may not have been anything like the old fans might have expected, but Tabula Rasa tries somehow to keep up the tradition, without falling into repeating and instead bringing something new to their music. Tabula Rasa is, for our good, a very diversive album. Even though only songs "Die Interimsliebenden" and "Headcleaner" seem to have any character, every song has a catch that keeps the interest on. The keyword for Tabula Rasa is "ambience." Neubauten hold their aggression long way to the end of the album, and all the power and noise unbends as a 15-minute magnum opus, "Headcleaner." Before that there's 22 minutes of quiet but tight dark ambient. The opener, "Die Interimsliebenden," may be the only relaxed song on the album, and that's why Tabula Rasa may feel like a very pressuring album to listen all way thru. The tracks as single songs are very good indeed, but as a whole they form a very tight -- and maybe too tight -- whole. And Blixa Bargeld's weird lyrics don't ease the pressures. But Tabula Rasa is not a bad album, but just not a masterpiece like Kollaps either. When thinking about the rest of the works this group has done over the '90s, this is a good shot anyway. (allmusic.com)

Ende Neu (1996)

01 - Was Ist Ist
02 - Stella Maris
03 - Die Explosion im Festspielhaus
04 - Installation N°1
05 - NNNAAAMMM
06 - Ende Neu
07 - The Garden
08 - Der Schacht von Babel
09 - Bili Rubin
link (part_1 part_2)

On their 1996 release Ende Neu (ending-new), the quintessential scientists of the post-avant-garde abstain from focusing on listener disintegration tactics as they did on prior albums, but opt instead to hone their craftsmanship in new compositional areas. Some followers of their earlier material might object to the obvious and comparatively conventional song structure and style that is displayed on Ende Neu -- picking up a power tool to highlight a piece rather than centering the entire work around it, or leaving a stage before setting it ablaze -- but the destruction has already been performed, and now they are erecting the brave new anti-building of musical art. Exploring intricate processions of time and toying with melodious harmonies, Blixa Bargeld and Co. seem to have matured gracefully. The opening cut, "Was ist ist," is a furious, fast-paced slander on the constant wanting of mankind while simultaneously serving as a tongue-in-cheek remark on how absolute, scientific power overrules impossibility. From there, Ende Neu continues to musically rewrite the band's style, using familiar topics such as ethereal chaos ("Die Explosion Im Festspielhaus"), cosmic complacency ("The Garden"), revolt ("Installation No.1"), and even a Kafka-esque piece, "Der Schacht Von Babel." This is the first release since the departure of founding band member Mark Chung, and it is obvious that the remaining members have taken the time to contribute to the void left by his departure. Ende Neu delivers a precision-fed matrix of audio-encrypted knowledge in a manner not like the chaotic Neubauten of the early '80s, but more strategic, and more mature. (allmusic.com)

Technorati tags: Einstürzende Neubauten

Einstürzende Neubauten. Vol. 1

Kollaps (1981)

01 - Tanz Debil
02 - Steh Auf Berlin
03 - Negativ Nein
04 - U-Haft Muza
05 - Draussen Ist Feindlich
06 - Hören Mit Schmerzen
07 - Jet 'M
08 - Kollaps
09 - Sehnsucht
10 - Vorm Krieg
11 - Hirnsäge
12 - Abstieg And Zerfall
13 - Helga
14 - Negativ Nein [Live]
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Einstürzende Neubauten's first album, as one might imagine, is their most primitive and radical effort, the purest expression of their original aesthetic. This makes the album both historically significant and conceptually intriguing, of course, but what's most interesting about this album is that it still sounds surprising decades after its release. Often, albums that are considered extreme art statements upon their debut sound almost quaint a few years later, but while Kollaps perhaps sounds less extreme to ears that heard industrial music turned into disco pabulum by the likes of Nine Inch Nails than it did before, songs like the eight-minute title track and the rumbling live closer, "Negativ Nein," are still a fascinating blend of rhythm and random bashing, tonality and atonality, with anguished vocals by Blixa Bargeld that often seem to have little connection with anything else in the piece. The brief tracks, like the 80-second "Sehnsucht," are even more extreme explorations of pure noise. Starting as early as the next album, Einstürzende Neubauten would begin slowly introducing more mainstream musical concepts into their aesthetic, making Kollaps as undiluted a listening experience as there is in the entire catalog. (allmusic.com)

Drawings of Patient O.T. (1983)

01 - Vanadium-I-Ching
02 - Hospitalistische Kinder - Engel der Vernichtung
03 - Abfackeln!
04 - Neun Arme
05 - Herde
06 - Merle (Die Elektrik)
07 - Zeichnungen der Patienten O.T.
08 - Finger und Zähne
09 - Falschgeld
10 - Styropor
11 - Armenia
12 - Die genaue Zeit
13 - DNS Wasserturm
14 - Wardrobe
15 - Blutvergiftung
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Einstürzende Neubauten's second album, 1983's Zeichnungen des Patienten O.T. (Drawings of Patient O.T.), is less extreme than their 1981 debut, but it's still a challenging listen. The title comes from the drawings of Oswald Tschirtner, a Swiss mental patient whose work is prized by collectors of "outsider artists," and the comparison is apt. Einstürzende Neubauten's music has the same bizarre leaps of logic and random connections that one finds in that sort of visual or verbal art, although starting with this album, the music is just controlled and sculpted enough to reveal that yes, the group does know exactly what they're doing. Many of the pieces are more songlike than the group's earlier work, with actual melodies encoded in the banging and howling, and a couple tracks that could even be called almost pretty. "Armenia" is the highlight, based on an Eastern European folk song form and featuring some long, droning, sustained notes that are similar to what some European post-minimalist composers (Gavin Bryars, Michael Nyman, etc.) were doing around the same time. Zeichnungen des Patienten O.T. is the best balance between Einstürzende Neubauten's chaotic early work and the more refined albums to come, and is possibly their best work.

Halber Mensch (1985)

01 - Halber Mensch
02 - Yü-Gung (Fütter Mein Ego)
03 - Trinklied
04 - Z.N.S.
05 - Seele brennt
06 - Sehnsucht (zitternd)
07 - Der Tod ist ein Dandy
08 - Letztes Biest (am Himmel)
09 - Das Schaben
10 - Sand
11 - Yü-Gung (Adrian Sherwood-Mix)
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Though it's a bit less intentionally noisy than previous Neubaten material, ½ Mensch is, in a way, the group's masterpiece. The inspired use of such "traditional" instruments as a grand piano alongside the band's characteristic blazing percussion make for a record similar more to their compositional influences like Stockhausen than their nearest contemporaries, Throbbing Gristle or Cabaret Voltaire. The record that showed Einstürzende Neubaten could rise above the concept of noise for its own sake to reach another level of noise-oriented post-punk music, ½ Mensch is an excellent feat of industrial music. (allmusic.com)

Technorati tags: Einstürzende Neubauten

Fucked Up, Got Ambushed, Zipped In. Pt. 2

In on the Kill Taker (1993)

01 - Facet Squared
02 - Public Witness Program
03 - Returning The Screw
04 - Smallpox Champion
05 - Rend It
06 - 23 Beats Off
07 - Sweet And Low
08 - Cassavetes
09 - Great Cop
10 - Walken's Syndrome
11 - Instrument
12 - Last Chance For A Slow Dance
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In on the Kill Taker is like scrubbing your face with steel wool. It finds the band relying on rusty guitar shards that scrape, seethe, and hiss, further removing itself from the sound of 13 Songs and Repeater. Harsh and grating, Fugazi surprisingly produces sheer noise at times, best witnessed in the lengthy closing of "23 Beats Off" and the unintentional Gremlins homage that opens "Walken's Syndrome." Joe Lally's bass and Brendan Canty's drums are relegated to acting as a guide; they're pushed -- but not squashed -- down in the mix, allowing for Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto's guitars to take control, corrosively so. It's probably Fugazi's least digestible record from front to back, but each track has its own attractive qualities, even if not immediately perceptible. "Facet Squared" and "Public Witness Program" open the record furiously, but the majority of the following "Return the Screw" is hardly audible, aside from occasional vocal tantrums. A good amount of time is spent alternating between low-key guitar noodling and intrusive bursts of aggression. They're smart with their sequencing, placing the gentle instrumental "Sweet and Low" (the only track where Lally plays a prominent role) after the exhaustive cacophony of "23 Beats Off," and generally piecing together a set of rather diverse tracks that flows well. Picciotto's anti-Hollywood rant on the properly titled "Cassavetes" is a classic Fugazi moment, as is his similarly name-dropping "Walken's Syndrome." Buried at the end of the record are two excellent lurchers, MacKaye's "Instrument" and Picciotto's "Last Chance for a Slow Dance." Not Fugazi's finest hour, but one of its most daring and rewarding. (allmusic.com)

Red Medicine (1995)

01 - Do You Like Me
02 - Bed For The Scraping
03 - Latest Disgrace
04 - Birthday Pony
05 - Forensic Scene
06 - Combination Lock
07 - Fell, Destroyed
08 - By You
09 - Version
10 - Target
11 - Back To Base
12 - Downed City
13 - Long Distance Runner
link (part_1 part_2)

Retreating from the skinned-knee production values of In on the Kill Taker, Red Medicine packs more rhythmic punch and shows more range. With more drive and playful goings-on, the arrangements sound much looser than on Kill Taker, while remaining just as gut-kicking and brainy. The experimentation, which adds liveliness, doesn't sound measured. Even Joe Lally is allowed to sing, and it just happens to be one of the best songs on the record. Running against the theory that Fugazi is a pack of killjoys, numerous instances pop up where the band's twisted sense of humor is apparent. The sinister ha-has that open "Birthday Pony," the android sample in the pleasant (!) instrumental "Combination Lock," and random piano plinks all manage to find a welcome place. But the most uncharacteristic track is the "Blade Runner in Kingston" slo-mo instrumental "Version," featuring clarinet skronks, dubwise rhythm, incidental zaps, and -- get this -- no guitars. Picciotto declares in the immediately following "Target" that he hates the sound of guitars. What gives? It's clearly a rumination against corporate America's capitalization/bastardization of "punk" aesthetics. If anyone had the right to comment, it was Fugazi. "Back to Base" and "Downed City" (another dubby intro here) return to more standard issue, hardcore roots Fugazi, full of the soaring guitars that the band is most known for. Closing out the nearly flawless second side is yet another contemplative exit track, "Long Distance Runner." Acting as a daily affirmation of sorts to combat lethargy, MacKaye opines, "If I stop to catch my breath/I might catch a piece of death." (allmusic.com)

End Hits (1998)

01 - Break
02 - Place Position
03 - Recap Modotti
04 - No Surprise
05 - Five Corporations
06 - Caustic Acrostic
07 - Closed Captioned
08 - Floating Boy
09 - Foreman's Dog
10 - Arpeggiator
11 - Guilford Fall
12 - Pink Frosty
13 - F/D
link (part_1 part_2)

Scary -- "Closed Captioned" through "Foreman's Dog" provides the worst stretch of material the Fugazi has recorded, full of disjointed patches and awkward moments. There's a virtually complete disregard for linearity that makes things seem stitched together, rather than the seamlessness you've grown accustomed to. Within that chunk and various points in the remainder, the arrangements sound like they're on the verge of collapse, and not in a violently riveting manner. One thing comes to mind, and that's boredom -- perhaps not for the artists involved, but likely for the listener.
There are some great moments, however, so End Hits only dips its toes in failure. The epileptic "Lust for Life"-style "Five Corporations" has the riffs and rage, with Ian MacKaye taking the music industry to task for being the slow, incestuously festering beast that it is. Though the band seems to lack the stamina for instrumental wowing they once had, the songwriting is still there. On-point as always, MacKaye remains lyrically immolated: "Check the math here/Check in ten years/Clusterf*ck theory/Buy them up and shut them down/Then repeat in every town/Every town will be the same." Nigh on two decades of punk army service, MacKaye is still far away from running out of relevant things to say. Other highlights include "Break" and "Place Position." MacKaye and Picciotto's mantra-like barking of "yawn yawn yawn" during the latter could stop you to think, "Wait, that was kind of funny," amidst all the fist-pumping. Altogether, the least of the band's LPs so far; yes kids, even Fugazi makes mistakes. A minor blebby, it's nothing to disown the band for. (allmusic.com)

Instrument (1999)

01 - Pink Frosty [Demo]
02 - Lusty Scripps
03 - Arpeggiator [Demo]
04 - Afterthought
05 - Trio's
06 - Turkish Disco
07 - Me & Thumbelina
08 - Floating Boy [Demo]
09 - Link Track
10 - Little Debbie
11 - H.B.
12 - I'm So Tired
13 - Rend it [Demo]
14 - Closed Captioned [Demo]
15 - Guilford Fall [Demo]
16 - Swingset
17 - Shaken all Over
18 - Slo Crostic
link (part_1 part_2)

Fugazi finally released a career retrospective after more than a decade together, though in true indie fashion, Instrument is far from your average band's greatest-hits collection. In truth, it's the soundtrack to a documentary produced by the band with filmmaker Jem Cohen. While the film contains footage from live dates, studio work, and intimate home-movie tapes, the soundtrack itself focuses on unreleased studio tracks and outtakes with never-before-heard songs, including "I'm So Tired," "Swingset," "Slo Crostick," and "Turkish Disco." (allmusic.com)

Furniture [EP] (2001)

01 - Furniture
02 - Number 5
03 - Hello Morning
link

Released in conjunction with Argument, Furniture is a three-song EP putting together older tracks that had yet to be put on disc. Running with similar consistency to the 3 Songs EP that preceded Repeater, these older songs still sound fresh. "Furniture," with its trademark Ian MacKaye call-response vocal, would have been quite comfortable on either of the first two EPs. The Guy Picciotto-led "Hello Morning" is reminiscent of "Break-In," while the driving instrumental second track, "Number 5," is scorching. Thankfully kept separate from the very different Argument, this should be heard by any Fugazi fan, no matter what time of the band they consider the best. (allmusic.com)

The Argument (2001)

01 - Untitled
02 - Cashout
03 - Full Disclosure
04 - Epic Problem
05 - Life And Limb
06 - The Kill
07 - Strangelight
08 - Oh
09 - Ex-Spectator
10 - Nightshop
11 - Argument
link (part_1 part_2)

It's unfortunate that a band so forward looking as Fugazi has been criticized over and over for not remaking "Waiting Room" or "Repeater." Some have called them sellouts, regardless of the band's integrity and class, while others consider them elitists, "guiding" the Washington, D.C., scene. This could not be further from the truth. As the film and soundtrack to Instrument proved, this is a band that is only concerned with musical growth, with each album improving on its predecessor. But no album they have put together has the jump ahead that The Argument has. Being both ear-shattering and spine-tingling at once, this is Fugazi at their "musical" best. Incorporating melody with texture and their signature angular approach, the band has raised the bar for themselves and others once again. The first "full" track, "Cashout" (an anti-gentrification anthem), is classic stuff, with a subtle guitar line exploding into a screaming chorus, but this time there is less of an emphasis on the screaming and more on the gentle melody of the verse. Slower tracks like "The Kill" and "Life and Limb" touch on strange new territory. Gentle with sense of swagger, these songs lack none of the power that the band is known for, while the two-drum assault of "Ex-Spectator" (courtesy of Brendan Canty and second drummer Jerry Busher) has just as much potency on disc as it does live. And the final song, "Argument," with its rolling guitar lines, dreamy breakdown, and vocals that build from gentle to screaming, may be the best closer on a Fugazi record since "Promises." Listeners may be surprised to hear strings open up the record, or piano guiding the brilliant "Strangelight," but this is the album that proves once and for all that Fugazi has become a purely musical force.
Fifteen years in and Fugazi is still progressing. It makes one wonder what they're capable of in the future. (allmusic.com)

Live at Irving Plaza NYC, April 4th, 1995

01 - Introduction
02 - Turnover
03 - Styrofoam
04 - Public Witness Program
05 - Birthday Pony
06 - Exit Only
07 - And The Same
08 - My Latest Disgrace
09 - By You
10 - Long Division
11 - Fell, Destroyed
12 - Suggestion
13 - Burning
14 - Back To Base
15 - Do You Like Me
16 - Instrument
17 - Two Beats Off
18 - Repeater
19 - Encore Break
20 - Joe #1
21 - Bed For The Scraping
22 - Forensic Scene
23 - Sweet And Low
24 - Shut The Door

link (part_1 part_2)

 

Peel Sessions - 11/12/1988 - Fugazi

01 - Waiting Room
02 - Break In
03 - Merchandise
04 - Glueman
link

TX - 13/12/1988

Producer - Dale Griffin

Engineer - Mike Engles

Studio - The Hippodrome, Golders Green, London

 

Technorati tags: Fugazi

Fucked Up, Got Ambushed, Zipped In. Pt. 1

13 Songs (1990)

01 - Waiting Room
02 - Bulldog Front
03 - Bad Mouth
04 - Burning
05 - Give Me the Cure
06 - Suggestion
07 - Glue Man
08 - Margin Walker
09 - And the Same
10 - Burning Too
11 - Provisional
12 - Lockdown
13 - Promises
link

Disregarding all the wordiness and adjectives that can be heaped like a pile of horse dung at Disneyland upon great, timeless albums, the importance of this record can perhaps be more suitably measured by the number of people who remember the first time they heard it. 13 Songs (a combination of the Fugazi and Margin Walker EPs) is usually among the first records that spring to mind when defining alternative rock. Furious, intelligent, artful, and entirely musical, it's a baker's dozen of cannon shots to the gut -- not just a batch of emotionally visceral and defiant songs recorded by angry young men, but something greater. Nearly every song here reaches an anthemic level without falling prey to pomposity. Most of these songs are anthems of the self rather than a rallying cry of accusation or unification, with "Waiting Room" and "Suggestion" serving as two examples. The attention-getting drop into silence that occurs at the 22-second mark of the former is instantly memorable. The relentless ska/reggae-inflected drive of the song is equally effective, as Ian MacKaye tells everyone listening to get off their behinds and do what they want. During the Meters-meets-Ruts thrust of "Suggestion," MacKaye switches genders for an entirely convincing rant on the objectification of women. Guy Picciotto takes on the persona of an addict on "Glue Man," whose blurred sense of reality is also conveyed in the warped, psychedelic guitars. Picciotto threatens to set himself on fire during "Margin Walker"; given the spirited play of the remaining members, it sounds like the same could be said for the rest of them. Foreshadowing the band's knack for introspective and mid-tempo concluding tracks, the disc ends with MacKaye's "Promises," examining the pitfalls of trust in relationships of any nature. A landmark record.

Repeater + 3 Songs (1990)

01 - Turnover
02 - Repeater
03 - Brendan #1
04 - Merchandise
05 - Blueprint
06 - Sieve-Fisted Find
07 - Greed
08 - Two Beats Off
09 - Styrofoam
10 - Reprovisional
11 - Shut The Door
12 - Song #1
13 - Joe #1
14 - Break-In
link

With its righteous disdain for capitalism and the almighty dollar, Repeater's themes update Gang of Four's Solid Gold. Lines/slogans like "When I need something, I reach out and grab it," and "You are not what you own," bear this out. Repeater honestly gets a little stifling in its unrelenting conviction and grandstanding. It's not too difficult to see why the band was allegedly lacking a sense of humor at this stage; they could have been yelling about filing their taxes, after all. The title makes sense, if only by mistake. But -- and that's a big but -- Repeater nearly matches the early EPs with its musical invention and skill, spitting out another serving of excellence, making the finger-pointing a little easier to digest. Few rhythm sections of the time had the great interplay of Joe Lally and Brendan Canty. Likewise, the guitar playing and interaction of Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto almost always get overlooked, thanks to all the other subjects brought up when the band is talked about. A guitar magazine even rated Repeater as one of the best guitar records of the '90s, and rightfully so. Anemic revs spiked by pig squeals (or is it a screeching train?) highlight the title track, one of the band's finest moments. As always, MacKaye and Picciotto's noise-terrorism-as-guitar-joust avoids flashiness, used as much as rhythm as punctuation device. Sharp, angular, jagged, and precise. Other gnarling highlights include the preachy "Styrofoam," the late-breaking "Sieve-Fisted Find," and the somewhat ironic "Merchandise," which skewers Mr. Business Owner by asking, "What could a businessman ever want more than to have us sucking in his store?" Not everyone can do mail order, guys. [The CD version adds the 3 Songs 7" as a bonus, titled Repeater + 3 Songs.] (allmusic.com)

Stage Dive Masters (1990)

01 - Styrofoam
02 - Turnover
03 - And the same
04 - Runaway
05 - Merchandise
06 - Sieve Fisted Find Reclamation
07 - Break In
08 - Song #1
09 - Margin Walker Bad Mouth Waiting Room
10 - Long Division Blueprint
11 - Shut the Door
12 - Promises
13 - Reprovisional
link (part_1 part_2)

Steady Diet of Nothing (1991)

01 - Exit Only
02 - Reclamation
03 - Nice New Outfit
04 - Stacks
05 - Latin Roots
06 - Steady Diet
07 - Long Division
08 - Runaway Return
09 - Polish
10 - Dear Justice Letter
11 - KYEO
link

From the opening swarms of "Exit Only," you can tell Steady Diet of Nothing will differ from Fugazi's earlier records. Repeater's excellence can't be denied, but the band stood in danger of stagnating its sound. To its benefit, Fugazi made some changes, employing more herk-a-jerk rhythms and dub influences, and changing up the lyrical focus. Actually, the lyrics get a bit vague -- bordering on equivocality at times -- which has its advantages and disadvantages. With Steady Diet, Fugazi get more economical and less forceful. Though not nearly as neck-gnawing as Repeater, Steady Diet still packs a sizable wallop, but with slower tempos and less deliberate instrumentation. As always, a poison-tipped dart is pointed at the government, media, and major entertainment outlets. Ian MacKaye's "destroy your television" rant on "Polish" is one of the more direct and simple songs. His "KYEO" comes straight from the rice paddy or homefront, depending on interpretation. It urges the listener to always remain aware, whether awaiting the enemy's next battle move or remaining blissfully unaware of how people can be taken advantage of by others. As with the rest of the band's catalog, lyrics are provided in the booklet. This makes things much easier on the intent listener, as both Picciotto and MacKaye have weird voices that become unintelligible when howled over their instrumental din. The lyric sheet is most useful on Picciotto's "Latin Roots." He's not warning you that "it's time to meet Jamaicans," as it sounds, but rather "it's time to meet your makers." Not quite lending itself to "Purple Haze"-like levels of butchery, but important to point out nonetheless. (allmusic.com)

Technorati tags: Fugazi

Clutch. Pt. 3

Pitchfork & Lost Needles (2005)

01 - Wicker
02 - Arcadia
03 - Juggernaut
04 - Far Country
05 - Neros Fiddle
06 - Passive Restraints
07 - Bacchanal
08 - Milk Of Human Kindness
09 - What Would A Wookie Do
10 - Bottoms Up Socrates

link

Pitchfork & Lost Needles includes Clutch's debut 7" in its four-song entirety and augments that with unreleased tracks and demo versions. As this set proves, the veteran quartet began as a band crouched between the Melvins, a viscous form of hardcore (think a slower, more economic Sick of It All), and the literate but still loud post-punk of Jawbox. "Wicker" is in blistering half-time, its layers of needling guitars and Neil Fallon's yawping proclamations ("Pacemaker! LIFE TAKER!") skinned to their barest, most powerful essence. "Arcadia" is three minutes of stocky thud, the sort of thing flannel-shirted bullies would blast from crappy boom boxes in the early '90s. The unreleased tracks are equally strong, from the low-slung grind of the perfectly named "Nero's Fiddle" to the relatively upbeat "Passive Restraints," a song tailor-made for pissing off parents or turfing lawns. "What Would a Wookie Do?" and "Bottoms Up, Socrates" date from the Robot Hive: Exodus sessions. As such they're more nuanced than Clutch's early work, but not by much. Fallon's vocals and lyrics take a higher position in the mix and an additional organ adds depth. But "Socrates" still finds a way to turn its breezy introduction into a righteous chorus anthem. The demos of "Bacchanal" and "Milk of Human Kindness" -- both songs dating from Transnational Speedway League -- aren't too different from their final versions besides being a bit more satisfyingly raw. Pitchfork & Lost Needles is a great pickup for both Clutch diehards and the uninitiated, since the populations of both groups are so large. Everyone can revel in it, then share the surgical thread when it's time for sewing ears back on. (allmusic.com)

From Beale Street to Oblivion (2007)

01 - You Cant Stop Progress
02 - Power Player
03 - The Devil And Me
04 - Whites Ferry
05 - Child Of  The City
06 - Electric Worry
07 - One Eye Dollar
08 - Rapture Of Riddley Walker
09 - When Vegans Attack
10 - Opossum Minister
11 - Black Umrella
12 - Mr. Shiny Cadillacness

link

Circa the early 21st century, it has become quite uncommon for hard rock bands to create a substantial following the old-fashioned way -- nonstop touring -- rather than having to rely on MTV and radio's stamp of approval. But Clutch have done it their way since the very beginning, and their tenth full-length overall, 2007's From Beale Street to Oblivion, may just be their strongest and most focused recording yet. The riffs are still meaty, the still somewhat new addition of organ has added a deep classic rock dimension, and Neil Fallon's pissed-off trucker vocals are as, well, ballsy as ever (if you want emo-boy whining you've come to the wrong place, buster). Unlike some similar-styled bands that completely align themselves with either stoner metal or retro-rock, Clutch borrow equally from both, as evidenced by such standouts as the album-opening big rock of "You Can't Stop Progress," the Southern rockish "The Devil & Me," and the snake-hiding-in-the-grass boogie of "Electric Worry." And Clutch get extra points for offering one of the best lyrics you're going to hear on a 2007 rock recording -- "You can always tell the terrorist/By his cologne and the watch on his wrist" (from the furious 'n' defiant "Power Player"). If you long for the days when Soundgarden were still a functioning band, Kyuss were still patrolling the desert, and Black Sabbath had yet to make up with Ozzy, Clutch will definitely not let you down with From Beale Street to Oblivion. (allmusic.com)

Technorati tags: Clutch

Clutch. Pt. 2

Live at the Googolplex (2003)

01 - Who Wants To Rock?
02 - Pure Rock Fury
03 - Sea Of Destruction
04 - Immortal
05 - Careful With That Mic...
06 - Impetus
07 - El Jefe Speaks
08 - Rock And Roll Outlaw
09 - 12 Oz. Epilogue
10 - Big News 1
11 - Big News 2
12 - Brazenhead
13 - The Soapmakers
14 - Escape From The Prison Planet
15 - Rats

link (part_1 part_2)

Although they may look more like a group of scientists or librarians than a rock band, don't be fooled by their appearance -- Clutch are easily one of metal's top live acts. While the majority of modern-day metal bands stick close to the studio versions on-stage, Clutch is an exception, as they've been known to follow in the same "jamming" path as pre-punk '70s-era rockers. However, Clutch's 2003 concert set, Live at the Googolplex, does not include a smorgasbord of jamming, like some fans who have caught the band live would expect. The group's guitarist, Tim Sult, has long been one of metal's most underrated guitarists (especially in the riff department) and in a way, Googolplex serves as a showcase for Sult's talents, especially on such tracks as "Sea of Destruction" and "Rats." And there are a few moments when Clutch manage to sneak some jams into the set (but again, not as many or as long as one would expect) -- "Careful with That Mic...," "Escape from the Prison Planet," etc. Containing most of Clutch's strongest tracks, Live at the Googolplex is an adequate sampler for newcomers until the group issues a true "best-of" collection.

Blast Tyrant (2004)

01 - Mercury
02 - Profits Of Doom
03 - The Mob Goes Wild
04 - Cypress Grove
05 - Promoter
06 - Regulator
07 - Worm Drink
08 - Army Of Bono
09 - Spleen Merchant
10 - Swollen Goat
11 - Goat Warfare
12 - Subtle Hustle
13 - Ghost
14 - La Curandera
15 - English Pounds

link (part_1 part_2)

Few bands have managed to prosper inside a bubble of their own devising and outside the constricting rules of the music business as successfully and for as long as Maryland's Clutch; who continue to unleash album after album of barely evolving, groovy stoner rock, regardless of label affiliation and changing trends. In fact, the only concession made with their sixth album (give or take a few EPs and "odds and sods" sets), 2004's Blast Tyrant, was its reported first-time adoption of digital recording, although you'd never really know it from the end results. Of interchangeable sonics with pretty much any of their previous albums, most of Blast Tyrant's numbers are textbook and unmistakably Clutch, with their punchy, often circular-sounding guitar riffs, gruff vocal delivery, and über-ironic lyrics distinguished into three by now familiar categories: tales of unfathomably obscure imagery ("Spleen Merchant," "(In the Wake Of) The Sollen Goat," and "Eulogy for a Ghost"); darkly comical diatribes ("Profits of Doom," "Army of Bono," and "Subtle Hustle"); and politicized rants such as "Worm Drink" and the standout "The Mob Goes Wild" (which seriously rails against the government's poor handling of wartime death, while laughingly encouraging "everybody to move to Canada now, bum rush the border guard," etc.). Additional mentionables -- for good and ill -- include opener "Mercury" (part song, part feedback, all free-form), the unusually acoustic and psychedelic "The Regulator," the Hammond-laced instrumental "Wysiwyg," and the particularly memorable "(Notes From the Trial Of) La Curandera" -- all of which also fit into the above three cited categories. In other words, Blast Tyrant is likely to confound those who have previously been confounded, and appease those who were previously appeased, leaving Clutch, as always, safely ensconced in their timeless and impenetrable creative bubble.

Robot Hive: Exodus (2005)

01 - The Incomparable Mr. Flannery
02 - Burning Beard
03 - Gullah
04 - Mice And Gods
05 - Pulaski Skyway
06 - Never Be Moved
07 - 10001110101
08 - Small Upsetters
09 - Circus Maximus
10 - Tripping The Alarm
11 - 10000 Witnesses
12 - Land Of Pleasant Living
13 - Gravel Road
14 - Whos Been Talking

link

Can someone please get Clutch a publicity transfusion? While the band has built a rabid fanbase in its 15-plus years of havoc, the intuitive, volatile grooves of Robot Hive: Exodus deserve a closer listen from the clueless types still dawdling over Clutch's musical category. The record satisfies fans of 2004's Blast Tyrant and keeps on trucking stylistically, still featuring Neil Fallon's guttural cerebralisms ("Oh, but to just dine on sewage, cold seagull pie/Wrestle albino alligators and spin the good lie") but incorporating more of additional organ/keys man Mick Schauer and pushing out jams thicker than prehistoric amber. Opener "Incomparable Mr. Flannery" drops references to Dokken, Camaros, and downtown Detroit watering holes on its way to rolling with the moustache and supernova. The track's a good example of producer J. Robbins' feel throughout Robot Hive. He keeps the pace nimble, and that accentuates both the percussion's high end and the organic feel of Clutch's guitar/base strut. They aren't drop-tuning clones or vintage gearheads with no originality. Progressions are found within the riffs, and the blunt bottom end glances off smart lyrics and clever instrumental turns. Clutch offers heavy lifting for the thinking man. Schauer's Hammond shines on "10001110101," where a Deep Purple stomp sets up Fallon's observations of lunatics and the "Robot Lords of Tokyo." "Gravel Road" and "Who's Been Talking?" tinge the blues with heaviness, and "10,000 Witnesses" wouldn't be out of place on a North Mississippi Allstars record. There are also straight-on bangers here, like "Mice and Gods" or the awesomely named "Burning Beard," and "Never be Moved" works a great balance between boogey-metal guitar, Schauer's organ, and righteous gospel proclamations to "get your evolution on." On Robot Hive: Exodus Clutch knows its strengths, but continually challenges them. The band's always pushing the boundaries, and it's time the world outside the underground found that out. (allmusic.com)

Technorati tags: Clutch

Clutch. Pt. 1

Transnational Speedway League: Anthems, Anecdotes & Undeniable Truths (1993)

01 - A Shogun Named Marcus
02 - El Jefe Speaks
03 - Binge And Purge
04 - 12 Ounce Epilogue
05 - Bacchanal
06 - Milk Of Human Kindness
07 - Rats
08 - Earthworm
09 - Heirloom 13
10 - Walking In The Great Shining Path Of Monster Trucks
11 - Effigy

link

On the surface, it may sound as if Clutch is mining the same vein as contemporary metal artists like Korn and Corrosion of Conformity, but with a solid set of grooves to keep their humorous material from becoming too hokey, they set themselves above most of their peers through dogged hard rocking and consistent songwriting prowess. Highlights on Transnational Speedway League include the entire first side, most notably "A Shogun Named Marcus" and "Binge and Purge." The latter song makes good fun of the ultra-macho posturings most modern metal bands are guilty of, while retaining the light/heavy contrast that has become a part of the genre. Although the material wanes in quality during the last half, Transnational Speedway League is still one of the brighter debuts to emerge in the '90s.

Clutch (1995)

01 - Big News 1
02 - Big News 2
03 - Rock n Roll Outlaw
04 - Texan Book Of The Dead
05 - Escape From The Prison Planet
06 - Spacegrass
07 - I Have The Body Of John Wilkes Booth
08 - Tight Like That
09 - Animal Farm
10 - Droid
11 - The House That Peterbilt
12 - 7 Jam
13 - Tim Sult Vs. The Greys

link

Moving the guitars forward in the mix paid off in spades for Clutch, who continued with their familiar formula of mixing Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath on their sophomore album. Without straying at all from its roots, the band adds a little more funk to its sound à la Primus, which makes for a more consistent set of songs than last time. Not to mention that the stars shine brighter than they did last time around: "Spacegrass" alone should have become an instant classic, but following minor rotation on hard rock stations, the song -- and the band with it -- was delegated a cult status, compared to the likes of contemporaries Coal Chamber and Korn.

The Elephant Riders (1998)

01 - The Elephant Riders
02 - Ship Of Gold
03 - Eight Times Over Miss October
04 - The Soapmakers
05 - The Yeti
06 - Muchas Veces
07 - Green Buckets
08 - Wishbone
09 - Crackerjack
10 - The Dragonfly

link

Moving to a major label hardly dilutes Clutch's music. The Elephant Riders finds the band continuing the stylistic breakthroughs of Clutch, sharpening their guitar attack while adding subliminal elements of funk to their rhythms. Furthermore, their songwriting has strengthened; no longer are they simply riff-oriented rockers who get off on the sheer force of sound, turning in a set of consistently strong songs that suggest a song cycle. It's an impressive effort that hopefully should bring them an audience the size of Deftones, if not Korn. (allmusic.com)

Technorati tags: Clutch

Mick Harvey

Two of Diamonds (2007)

01 - Photograph
02 - I Don't Want You On My Mind
03 - Sad Dark Eyes
04 - Here I Am
05 - Blue Arrows
06 - No Doubt
07 - Everything Is Fixed
08 - A Walk On The Wild Side
09 - Little Star
10 - Slow-Motion-Movie-Star
11 - Out Of Time Man
12 - Home Is Far From Here

link

Two of Diamonds is Bad Seed Mick Harvey's fourth proper solo album -- there are a number of soundtracks out there that also bear his name -- and his third recording overall in two years. Other artists' songs principally make up the set -- particularly Australians who've moved and influenced him -- with a few tunes of his own placed strategically. The album opens with a killer reading of the Saints' "Photograph" that bring out all the pathos and grief in the original, but is added to by Harvey's use of Rosie Westbrook's double bass and Thomas Wylder's drumming. The bookend track is a nod to his ex-bandmate Simon Bonney, frontman of Crime & the City Solution; Harvey was their musical director after the Birthday Party split. There are also tunes here by the Triffids and the Loved Ones. What sets this recording apart from its predecessors is that Harvey is using what feels like a real band instead of either doing things himself, as he did on One Man's Treasure, or groups of studio pals. Along with Wylder and Westbook are James Johnston on guitar and organ and Julitha Ryan on piano and backing vocals. PJ Harvey's drummer/keyboardist Rob Ellis also appears on a cut. The originals here are gorgeous, among the finest songs Harvey's ever written. "Blue Arrows" is a skeletal song with Harvey playing guitars and piano and Westbook's bass filled with spirit. Two and a half minutes in length, it hovers, shimmers, and floats while leaving its bittersweet melody embedded in the heart of the listener. Then there's "Little Star," again under three minutes long, that emerges via a fade-in of piano and guitars playing a repetitive, nearly droning theme. Harvey's vocal comes from the last couple of centuries somewhere, out of time and space, and glides through the lyric, another love song to the listener on the wind until the refrain, when the portrait of love's past is considered over distance and time itself like an open palm that contains blackened rose petals -- dead, gone, treasured. Two of Diamonds' moody, brooding sweetness is the next step Harvey takes out from under Nick Cave's long shadow and into his own musical identity, keeping the listener in reverie for the album's entire run. Sadly beautiful, it's one of those sleepers that deserves to be heard, whispered about, and imprinted in the heart. (allmusic.com)

Technorati tags: Mick Harvey

Marc Almond. New

Stardom Road (2007)

01. I Have Lived
02. I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten
03. Bedsitter Images
04. The London Boys
05. Strangers In The Night
06. The Ballad Of The Sad Young Men
07. Stardom Road
08. Kitsch
09. Backstage (I'm Lonely)
10. Dream Lover
11. Happy Heart
12. Redeem Me (Beauty Will Redeem The World)
13. The Curtain Falls

link

Visions of Excess is the title of a collection of essays by the late French writer, bibliophile, cultural critic/anthropologist, and pornographer Georges Bataille. Bataille's work has always been close to Marc Almond's heart, so much so that he's been part of a tribute gig to him released as The Violent Silence. Almond's work as a solo artist apart from Soft Cell has been so wide-ranging and abundant -- wildly careening between post-pop R&B, cabaret songs, electronics, classic and kitschy pop, glam, French chanson, disco, and more -- that it embodies the entire notion of "excess." That's far from a bad thing, and though he's missed the mark with his records from time to time, he's never done anything that would be remotely considered untrue to his vision. Each recording has been a snapshot of where Almond as an artist was at the time of any work's creation. Sure, this is a lot to say for a pop singer, but then Scott Walker and Jacques Brel were pop singers, too, as was Lotte Lenya in her native Germany before the Second World War, and it's from this tradition that Almond's work comes. Indeed, his life -- both aesthetic and everyday -- is the stuff of a collection of poems by Paul Verlaine or Charles Baudelaire, or Laure, Bataille's gloriously infamous lover.Stardom Road is more than just another collection of covers from Almond. He's done them before, but never like this. According to Almond -- whose last three studio recordings (1999's Open All Night, 2001's Stranger Things, and 2003's Heart on Snow) have been deeply focused, beautifully executed efforts -- this offering, his first since a motorcycle accident in 2004 that almost killed him, is a portrait of all of his major influences rolled into one, a musical biography of sources, as it were. And indeed, with tracks written by Charles Aznavour, David Bowie, Al Stewart, Bert Kaempfert, Bobby Darin, James Last, Sol Weinstein, and a few others, he's at least got chapter one down, to be sure. It's an ambitious sortie into the world of pop. Almond appears with everything from strings to full-on horn sections and orchestras as well as in some slightly smaller settings. There's a deeply moving duet with Antony Hegarty on Fran Landesman's classic early-'50s anthem "Ballad of the Sad Young Men," and with Sarah Cracknell on Westlake's "I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten," which is a slightly modern update of the original arrangement by Keith Mansfield. Then there's the nugget "Backstage (I'm Lonely)," with Jools Holland on piano and Kiki Dee and Anna Ross on backing vocals (and some additional lyrics by Almond).
These aren't merely name-check collabs for Almond. He put every ounce of inspiration into these performances. The arrangements in these tracks and a few others are top-notch, full and beautiful and gloriously overblown. But there's another side as well, such as his beautiful acoustic guitars, piano, drum kit, and strings reading of Aznavour's anthem "I Have Lived," in English. It's expressive, redemptive, and full of revelation. Indeed, Almond sings this one as if he's written it himself: "I'm an artist/I've never been a saint...." (For the uninitiated, along with Edith Piaf, Maurice Chevalier, Charles Trenet, Léo Ferré, and of course Serge Gainsbourg, Aznavour is a bona fide hero of French culture.) The version of Darin's "Dream Lover" is a dark mirror image: a single electric guitar and programming are the backdrop of this cut, and if director David Lynch ever hears this he'll be signing Almond to sing on one of his soundtracks. It's an awesome interpretation of the song, and even Darin would be proud. Yep, there is a cover of Barry Ryan's "Kitsch" here, and of course Almond plays it up because what the tune expresses has been part and parcel of Almond's aesthetic from the word go: trash and treasure, the gutter and the palace, or perhaps the palace of the gutter.
Likewise, Al Stewart's "Bedsitter Images" and Bowie's "London Boys" offer different sides to the same story: the terminal outsider, whose deep loneliness leads him to dreams and visions of grandeur, longing, and the desire to be loved for what he is -- decadent, hopelessly out of step, and in pain. But Almond's no whiner; he celebrates his condition as an artist. There is a new song here, too -- an original called "Redeem Me (Beauty Will Redeem the World)," which sums up the artist, the person, and the various personas and rolls them into one. The words, delivery, and melody in all its swinging breezy gentleness need to be heard; it's an injustice to quote those lyrics out of that context. The set finally ends with Weinstein's "The Curtain Falls." Accompanied by Igor Outkine's accordion, strings, and a tuba, it is a beautiful, deeply moving, and warmly sad yet humorous sendoff into the silence. Almond's voice has never been less histrionic, yet more expressive; Stardom Road eclipses even Open All Night as his finest studio moment as a solo artist. (allmusic.com)

Technorati tags: Marc Almond

65daysofstatic

The Fall of Math (2004)

01 - Another Code Against the Gone
02 - Install a Beak in the Heart that Clucks Time in Arabic
03 - Retreat! Retreat!
04 - Default This
05 - I Swallowed Hard, Like I Understood
06 - The Fall of Math
07 - This Cat Is a Landmine
08 - The Last Home Recording
09 - Hole
10 - Fix the Sky a Little
11 - Aren't We Running?

link

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One Time for All Time (2006)

01 - Drove Through Ghosts To Get Here
02 - Await Rescue
03 - 23kid
04 - Welcome To The Times
05 - Mean Low Water
06 - Climbing On Roofs (The Desperate Edit)
07 - The Big Afraid
08 - 65 Doesn't Understand You
09 - Radio Protector

link

 

 

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The Destruction of Small Ideas (2007)

01 - When We Were Younger & Better
02 - A Failsafe
03 - Don't Go Down to Sorrow
04 - Wax Futures
05 - These Things You Can't Unlearn
06 - Lyonesse
07 - Music is Music as Devices are Kisses is Everything
08 - The Distant & Mechanised Glow of Eastern European Dance Parties
09 - Little Victories
10 - Primer
11 - White Peak,Dark Peak
12 - The Conspiracy of Seeds
link

Focusing on instrumental post-rock with live and electronic percussion, 65daysofstatic is based in Sheffield, England. The band, whose name originates from an unreleased John Carpenter film, formed in 2001 as a trio (Joe Shrewsbury, Paul Wolinski, and Iain Armstrong). Armstrong left in May 2003 and by the end of the year Rob Jones (drums) and Gareth Hughes (bass) were added. The band released three albums: The Fall of Math (2004), One Time for All Time (2005), and The Destruction of Small Ideas (2007). As of spring 2007, the lineup included Shrewsbury (guitar), Wolinski (guitar, programming), Jones (drums), and Simon Wright (bass, programming).

Technorati tags: 65daysofstatic

Alan Vega

Lonely Jukebox [bootleg] 1984

01 - Jukebox Baby
02 - Je T'Adore
03 - Wipeout Beat
04 - Video Babe
05 - American Dreamer
06 - Goodbye Darling
07 - California Girl
08 - Magdalena
09 - So Lonely

link

 

 

 

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Cubist Blues (1996)

01 - Fat City
02 - Fly away
03 - Freedom
04 - Candy man
05 - Come on Lord
06 - Promised land
07 - Lover of love
08 - Sister
09 - Too late
10 - Do not do not
11 - Werewolf
12 - Dream baby revisited
link (part_1 part_2)

One half of the seminal electronic duo Suicide, Alan Vega was born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1948. He began his career as a visual artist, gaining notoriety for his "light sculptures"; eventually Vega opened his own lower Manhattan gallery space, which he dubbed the Project of Living Artists. The Project served as a stomping grounds for the likes of the New York Dolls, Television, and Blondie as well as the 15-piece jazz group Reverend B., which featured a musician named Martin Rev on electric piano. Soon, Vega and Rev formed Suicide, whose minimalist, aggressive music -- a fusion of Rev's ominous, repetitive keyboards and Vega's rockabilly snarl -- helped paved the direction for the electronic artists of the future.
Suicide disbanded in 1980, and both Vega and Rev undertook solo careers. Vega's self-titled 1980 debut and his 1981 effort Collision Drive continued to explore the fractured rockabilly identity he had established in his earlier work. 1983's Saturn Strip, produced by longtime fan Ric Ocasek, marked Vega's debut for Elektra Records; corporate relations soured during production for 1985's Just a Million Dreams, however, and at one point the label even attempted to remove the singer from his own studio sessions.
Suicide briefly re-formed in 1988; a year later the solo Vega appeared, followed in 1990 by Deuce Avenue. After the release of 1991's Power on to Zero Hour, Suicide again reunited and toured. In 1995, Vega resurfaced as a solo artist with New Raceion; a year later, he returned with Dujang Prang. At the turn of the decade, he also began exploring new media outlets: Deuce Avenue War/The Warriors v3 97, his first book of photography, appeared in 1990, while Cripple Nation, a collection of prose and lyrics, bowed in 1991. Power on to Zero Hour and Cubist Blues (with Alex Chilton and Ben Vaughn) wrapped up his '90s recordings, followed in the early 2000s by yet another Suicide re-formation (which yielded 2002's American Supreme) and 2007's solo Station on Blast First Records (allmusic.com)

Technorati tags: Alan Vega, Suicide

Revolting Cocks

Big Sexy Land (1986)

01 - 38
02 - We Shall Cleanse The World
03 - Attack Ships On Fire
04 - Big Sexy Land
05 - Union Carbide (West Virginia)
06 - TV Mind
07 - You Often Forget (Malignant)
08 - No Devotion
09 - Union Carbide (Bhopal Mix)
10 - Attack Ships On Fire
11 - No Devotion
12 - TV Mind (Remix)
13 - On Fire
link (part_1 part_2)

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You Goddamned Son of a Bitch (1988)

01 - You Goddamned Son Of A Bitch
02 - Cattle Grind
03 - We Shall Cleanse The World
04 - 38
05 - In The Neck
06 - You Often Forget
07 - TV Mind

08 - Union Carbide
09 - Attack Ships On Fire
10 - No Devotion
11 - Stainless Steel Providers Live In Glasgow
12 - P.I.L. Live In Glasgow

link (part_1 part_2)

Beers, Steers + Queers (1990)

01 - Beers, Steers & Queers
02 - (Let's Get) Physical
03 - In The Neck
04 - Cattle Grind (Studio Mix)
05 - Stainless Steel Providers
06 - Something Wonderful
07 - Can't Sit Still
08 - At The Top
09 - Razor's Edge
10 - Get Down
11 - Beers, Steers & Queers (Drop Your Britches Mix)
12 - Beers, Steers & Queers (Take 'Em Right Off Mix)
13 - (Let's Talk) Physical
link (part_1 part_2)

Linger Ficken' Good... (1993)

01 - Gila Copter
02 - Creep
03 - Mr. Lucky
04 - Crackin' Up
05 - Sergio
06 - Da Ya Think I'm Sexy (Cover Version)
07 - The Rockabye
08 - Butcher Flower's Woman
09 - Dirt
10 - Linger Ficken' Good
link

 

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Cocked and Loaded (2006)

01 - Fire Engine
02 - Ten Million Ways to Die
03 - Caliente (Dark Entries)
04 - Prune Tang
05 - Dead End Streets
06 - Pole Grinder
07 - Jack in the Crack
08 - Devil Cock
09 - Viagra Culture
10 - Revolting Cock au Lait
link

Rumor has it the gents who make up Revolting Cocks came upon the name by their usual debauchery. Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen was out for a hard night of drinking with some friends, so hard that the bartender threw them out, declaring them a bunch of revolting cocks. The name was first applied to one of Jourgensen's many side projects in 1995, when he partnered with Luc Van Acker and Front 242's Richard 23 to bring art and the dancefloor closer together. As recordings progressed, things went in a different direction and the chaotic, snide, and sleazy sounds that were taking over had Richard 23 making an exit over creative differences. He departed in 1986, right as the band's debut, Big Sexy Land, was being released by the seminal industrial label Wax Trax! The album featured the Blade Runner homage and club hit "Attack Ships on Fire," while the artwork introduced "the Three Guys," anonymous faces from an old photograph that would represent the band on album covers for years to come. Ministry associates Paul Barker, Chris Connelly, and Bill Rieflin would join Van Acker and Jourgensen for a tour supporting the album, recordings of which surfaced in 1988 on the live album and video You Goddamned Son of a Bitch.
The nihilistic party attitude of the band had now officially taken over any grand artistic aspirations, and if the success of 1989's Stainless Steel Providers didn't prove their audience was right there with them, college radio and clubs being dominated by 1990's "Beers, Steers + Queers" certainly did. Beers, Steers + Queers, the album, followed that same year and included two cover versions of "(Let's Get) Physical," one a simple loop of the word "physical" that goes on for 13 minutes. The band celebrated the album's release by touring the country with the Skatenigs -- whose vocalist, Phil Owen, had contributed to Beers -- and the always-vile Mentors as support. Linger Ficken' Good... from 1993 was a more subdued album, but it was still shocking that the Warner Bros.-associated Sire released the album and helped the band score another club hit with their cover of Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?"
Years passed and it seemed the Revco were officially over until 2004, when the track "Prune Tang" appeared on the Internet, announcing the coming of their next album, Purple Head. The Ryko label reissued the band's first two albums that year with bonus tracks, but the new album failed to appear. A year later, a cover version of Bauhaus' "Dark Entries" with Butthole Surfer Gibby Haynes as vocalist appeared on the Saw II soundtrack. Haynes joined Jello Biafra, Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander, Davíd Garza, and ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, along with veterans Jourgensen and Owen (now known as Phildo Owen) for 2006's Cocked and Loaded. The album appeared on Jourgensen's 13th Planet label and was the first Revco release to not feature "the Three Guys" on the cover. (allmusic.com)

Technorati tags: Revolting Cocks

XTC. Pt. 4

Apple Venus, Pt. 1 (1999)

01 - River Of Orchids
02 - I'd Like That
03 - Easter Theatre
04 - Knights In Shining Karma
05 - Frivolous Tonight
06 - Greenman
07 - Your Dictionary
08 - Fruit Nut
09 - I Can't Own Her
10 - Harvest Festival
11 - The Last Balloon
link

Seven years is a long time between records, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that Apple Venus is a significant step forward from Nonsuch, but the sparse strings and circular arrangements of "River of Orchids" nevertheless come as a shock, especially since its slow build-up feels as ominous and intellectual as 20th century classical music. It provides the keynote for the album, setting the stage for an ambitious, unpredictable, and strangely beautiful record. Although there are similarities with the pastoral Skylarking or parts of Nonsuch, there is really no comparable record in XTC's canon, given its sustained mood, experimentalism, and glimpses of confession. Colin Moulding wrote the brightest tunes on the record, and while the bouncy "Frivolous Tonight" and "Fruit Nut" will be endearing to any longtime XTC fan, they don't fit the tone of Apple Venus, which feels like an Andy Partridge solo album -- not just a confessional, but a grand outpouring of ideas. Partridge insisted that Apple Venus be released in two parts -- Gregory left partially because he believed the album would be stronger if it was consolidated to one record -- presumably because all his songs on Pt. 1 are of a piece, sharing similar lyrical and musical themes. Split between orchestral and acoustic pop, Apple Venus is alternately lush and melancholy, sometimes within one song. Some of Partridge's darkest work is here, such as the vindictive "Your Dictionary," yet the album overall has a hopeful note -- the perfect aural encapsulation of their long, bitter struggle of the '90s. The strike was frustrating for the band and fans alike, but perhaps the extended layoff paid off in sharpening Partridge's focus, since Apple Venus, Pt. 1 easily ranks as one of XTC's greatest works.

Wasp Star [Apple Venus, Pt. 2] (2000)

01 - Playground
02 - Stupidly Happy
03 - In Another Life
04 - My Brown Guitar
05 - Boarded Up
06 - I'm The Man Who Murdered Love
07 - We're All Light
08 - Standing In For Joe
09 - Wounded Horse
10 - You And The Clouds Will Still Be Beautiful
11 - Church Of Women
12 - The Wheel And The Maypole
link

Anyone expecting Wasp Star: Apple Venus, Vol. 2 to continue the majestic acoustic-orchestral blends of Apple Venus will be disappointed, because it's a straightforward collection of sharp, witty, well-constructed pop songs. Directness is perhaps the oddest thing about Wasp Star - it's unassuming pop from a band that operated on a conceptual plain for nearly 20 years. It could be argued that all the songs that fit a dark, introspective mood went to Apple Venus, XTC's first album after seven years in exile, while Wasp Star wound up as a clearinghouse for everything else. If that is true, it ignores a basic fact -- XTC's leftovers are better than most band's keepers. "Leftovers" isn't quite an accurate term, either. These songs are orphans, tunes without a particular project, which may mean that Wasp Star is an album of moments, but there's plenty to cherish here. Colin Moulding is in fine shape, with the spare "Boarded Up" and the clever "Standing in for Joe." Andy Partridge has a few tricks up his sleeve -- his compositions are heavy on electric guitars, he builds "Wounded Horse" around a blues riff, and "You and the Clouds Will Still Be Beautiful" is just about the breeziest thing he's ever written -- but for the most part, he's in pop craftsman mode, turning out expert, layered tunes that may not push his talents but certainly exploit his capabilities to their fullest. After all, most pop bands would give their eyeteeth to have songs as smart, melodic, and memorable as "Playground," "Stupidly Happy," "My Brown Guitar" and "I'm the Man Who Murdered Love" as their orphans -- and if these constitute an average XTC album, that's a testament to what a terrific band they are. (allmusic.com)

Technorati tags: XTC

XTC. Pt. 3

Skylarking (1986)

01 - Summer`s Cauldron
02 - Grass
03 - The Meeting Place
04 - That's Really Super, Supergirl
05 - Ballet For A Rainy Day
06 - 1000 Umbrellas
07 - Season Cycle
08 - Earn Enough For Us
09 - Big Day
10 - Another Satellite
11 - The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul
12 - Dear God
13 - Dying
14 - Sacrificial Bonfire
link

Working with producer Todd Rundgren didn't necessarily bring XTC a sense of sonic cohesion -- after all, every record since English Settlement followed its own interior logic -- but it did help the group sharpen its focus, making Skylarking its tightest record since Drums and Wires. Ironically, Skylarking had little to do with new wave and everything to do with the lush, post-psychedelic pop of the Beatles and Beach Boys. Combining the charming pastoral feel of Mummer with the classicist English pop of The Big Express, XTC expand their signature sound by enhancing their intelligently melodic pop with graceful, lyrical arrangements and sweeping, detailed instrumentation. Rundgren may have devised the sequencing, helping the record feel like a song cycle even if it doesn't play like one, but what really impresses is the consistency and depth of Andy Partridge's and Colin Moulding's songs. Each song is a small gem, marrying sweet, catchy melodies to decidedly adult lyrical themes, from celebrations of love ("Grass") and marriage ("Big Day") to skepticism about maturation ("Earn Enough for Us") and religion ("Dear God"). Moulding's songs complement Partridge's songs better than before, and each writer is at a melodic and lyrical peak, which Rundgren helps convey with his supple production. The result is a pop masterpiece -- an album that has great ambitions and fulfills them with ease. [The initial release of Skylarking didn't feature "Dear God," which was originally the B-side of "Grass." After "Dear God" became an unexpected hit, "Mermaid Smile" was pulled from the album so the hit single could be added.]

Oranges & Lemons (1989)

01 - Garden Of Earthly Delights
02 - Mayor Of Simpleton
03 - King For A Day
04 - Here Comes President Kill Again
05 - The Loving
06 - Poor Skeleton Steps Out
07 - One Of The Millions
08 - Scarecrow People
09 - Merely A Man
10 - Cynical Days
11 - Across This Antheap
12 - Hold Me My Daddy
13 - Pink Thing
14 - Miniature Sun
15 - Chalkhills And Children
link (part_1 part_2)

Skylarking was an ambitious yet concise record, one that recalled such graceful concept albums as Pet Sounds and Sgt. Pepper, so it wasn't entirely a surprise that XTC embraced psychedelia on its double-album follow-up, Oranges & Lemons, especially if their celebrated Dukes of Stratosphear side project was taken into consideration as well. Oranges & Lemons lacks the singular focus of Skylarking, but at its best, it's just as impressive as its predecessor. Instead of revelling in the form of psychedelic pop, as they did with the Dukes, XTC bring the genre's sensibility to the mature pop of Skylarking, spiking it with a wry, occasionally absurd sense of humor missing from its predecessor. The result is a record exploding with details, not the least of which are backward guitars, sound effects, and head-spinningly eclectic arrangements. It's sonically rich and filled with immaculately crafted songs, but Oranges & Lemons falls just short of being a tour de force, since each song feels like an island -- they work well as individual tracks, but they don't form a cohesive statement. However, that's a minor complaint, because Colin Moulding and Andy Partridge in particular are in peak form, contributing some of their very finest songs in "Garden of Earthly Delights," "The Loving," "One of the Millions," "Merely a Man," "Pink Thing," and the elegiac "Chalkhills and Children." Such songs make the relative weaknesses of the album well worth enduring.

Nonsuch (1992)

01 - The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead
02 - My Bird Performs
03 - Dear Madam Barnum
04 - Humble Daisy
05 - The Smartfelt Monkeys
06 - The Disappointed
07 - Holly Up On Poppy
08 - Crocodile
09 - Rook
10 - Omnibus
11 - That Wave
12 - Then She Appeared
13 - War Dance
14 - Wrapped In Grey
15 - The Ugly Underneath
16 - Bungalow
17 - Books Are Burning

link (part_1 part_2)

Since Skylarking, each XTC album was carefully composed and crafted, and Nonsuch is no different. Working with producer Gus Dudgeon (Elton John), XTC crafted their most immaculate album to date with Nonsuch. A measured and reflective record, recalling the Beach Boys more than the Beatles, the album retains some of their late-'80s psychedelic flourishes, but those have been integrated into an elaborate, lush pop setting that falls somewhere between Skylarking and Oranges & Lemons. While it lacks the thematic unity of Skylarking, as well as the grandstanding eclecticism of Oranges & Lemons, Nonsuch is in many ways more musically consistent, presenting a set of 17 wonderfully detailed and immediately catchy pop songs, ranging from the relatively rocking "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" to the sweet "Holly up on Poppy." Occasionally, the album dips slightly lyrically -- Colin Moulding's "The Smartest Monkeys" and "War Dance" are a little too preachy -- but never musically, making Nonsuch a modest, minor masterpiece. (allmusic.com)

Technorati tags: XTC

XTC. Pt. 2

English Settlement (1982)

01 - Runaways
02 - Ball And Chain
03 - Senses Working Overtime
04 - Jason And The Argonauts
05 - No Thugs In Our House
06 - Yacht Dance
07 - All Of A Sudden (It's Too Late)
08 - Melt The Guns
09 - Leisure
10 - It's Nearly Africa
11 - Knuckle Down
12 - Fly On The Wall
13 - Down In The Cockpit
14 - English Roundabout
15 - Snowman
link (part_1 part_2)

Andy Partridge's discovery of the 12-string guitar set the tone for English Settlement, an album that moved away from the pop gloss of Black Sea in favor of lighter, though still rhythmically heavy, acoustic numbers with more complex and intricate instrumentation. There are plenty of pop gems -- "Senses Working Overtime" stands as one of their finest songs -- but the main focus seems to be the more expansive sound; most of the songs are drawn out to near-epic length, ultimately taking some of the impact of the songs away. Despite several terrific tracks, English Settlement seems more a transitional album than anything else, although the textural sound of the album is quite remarkable, indicating the direction they would take in their post-touring incarnation.

Mummer (1983)

01 - Beating Of Hearts
02 - Wonderland
03 - Love On A Farmboy's Wages
04 - Great Fire
05 - Deliver Us From The Elements
06 - Human Alchemy
07 - Ladybird
08 - In Loving Memory Of A Name
09 - Me And The Wind
10 - Funk Pop A Roll
11 - Frost Circus
12 - Jump
13 - Toys
14 - Gold
15 - Procession Towards Learning Land
16 - Desert Island
link (part_1 part_2)

Mummer, the first album to follow Andy Partridge's mental breakdown, which led to XTC's retirement from touring, is very much the work of an eccentric in isolation. The album is a collection that builds on the groundwork of English Settlement with gentle, acoustic songs that evoke pastoral images and peaceful times. There are moments of real inspiration, resulting in some of the band's finest songs to date -- "Love on a Farmboy's Wages," "Great Fire," and "Lady Bird" -- and the sound sets a pleasingly consistent mood, although the sameness tends to work against the lesser material. Only the out-of-place afterthought of "Funk Pop a Roll," a tirade against the music industry, breaks things up, recapturing the abrasive Partridge of past. [When Mummer was reissued on CD, six tracks were added to the middle of the album. While "Jump," "Toys," and "Desert Island" are welcome additions of pop confection, the atmospheric instrumentals "Frost Circus" and "Processions Toward the Learning Land," from the simply bizarre Homo Safari Series, serve to disrupt the album's flow.]

The Big Express (1984)

01 - Wake Up
02 - All You Pretty Girls
03 - Shake You Donkey Up
04 - Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her
05 - This World Over
06 - The Everyday Story Of Smalltown
07 - I Bought Myself A Liarbird
08 - Reign Of Blows
09 - You're The Wish You Are I Had
10 - I Remember The Sun
11 - Train Running Low On Soul Coal
12 - Red Brick Dream
13 - Wash Away
14 - Blue Overall
link (part_1 part_2)

XTC took full advantage of their studio-bound status with The Big Express, creating their most painstakingly detailed, multi-layered, sonically dynamic album to date. The more upbeat material and brighter sound recall some of the band's earlier moments, but most of all, The Big Express signals a turning point for the band, setting the blueprint for their later approach -- a combination of studio perfection matched with impeccable songcraft that results in a thoroughly consistent and enjoyable album beginning to end. Skylarking, the album that followed, gets much more glory, and certainly its impact was greater (this one was virtually ignored), but really, The Big Express covers much of the same territory and is just as strong an album in many ways. [Three songs were added to the middle of the CD reissue -- "Red Brick Dream," "Washaway," and "Blue Overall" -- but they fit seamlessly into the complete picture.] (allmusic.com)

Technorati tags: XTC

XTC. Pt. 1

White Music (1978)

01 - Radios In Motion
02 - Cross Wires
03 - This Is Pop
04 - Do What You Do
05 - Statue Of Liberty
06 - All Along The Watchtower
07 - Into The Atomic Age
08 - I'll Set Myself On Fire
09 - I'm Bugged
10 - New Town Animal In A Furnished Cage
11 - Spinning Top
12 - Neon Shuffle
13 - Science Fiction
14 - She's So Square
15 - Dance Band
16 - Hang Onto The Night
17 - Heatwave
18 - Traffic Light Rock
19 - Instant Tunes
link

XTC's first full album, White Music shows the band going full-throttle in true punk spirit. More dissonant than their latter period, the young band shines with directionless energy and a good sense of humor. Highlights include the catchy singles "This Is Pop" and "Radios in Motion" as well as a jumpy version of "All Along the Watchtower." Their first release, 3D EP, has been appended to the CD version.

Drums and Wires (1980)

01 - Making Plans For Nigel
02 - Helicopter
03 - Day In Day Out
04 - When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty
05 - Ten Feet Tall
06 - Roads Girdle The Globe
08 - Chain Of Command
09 - Limelight
10 - Real By Reel
11 - Millions
12 - That Is The Way
13 - Outside World
14 - Scissor Man
15 - Complicated Game
link

The album that followed the lineup change, Drums and Wires, marks a turning point for the band, with a more subdued set of songs that reflect an increasing songwriting proficiency. The aimless energy of the first two albums is focused into a cohesive statement with a distinctive voice that retains their clever humor, quirky wordplay, and decidedly British flavor. Musically, Drums and Wires, titled to reflect the big drum sound they developed for the album, is certainly driven by the powerful rhythms and angular, mainly minimalistic arrangements, but the addition of a second guitarist also allows for some inventive and interesting guitar work (the "wires") that made up for the lack of Andrews' odd flourishes -- the tension between the two sounds creates some truly inspired, nervy pop. Colin Moulding also comes into his own as a songwriter, penning XTC's first substantial hit, the new wave classic "Making Plans for Nigel." [The CD reissue contains tracks from the bonus single originally included with the LP -- "Limelight" and "Chain of Command" -- as well as "Life Begins at the Hop."]

Black Sea (1980)

01 - Respectable Street
02 - General And Majors
03 - Living Through Another Cuba
04 - Love At First Sight
05 - Rocket From A Bottle
06 - No Language In Our Lungs
07 - Smokeless Zone
08 - Don't Lose Your Temper
09 - The Somnambulist
10 - Towers Of London
11 - Paper & Iron (Notes & Coins)
12 - Burning With Optimism's Flames
13 - Sgt. Rock (Is Going To Help Me)
14 - Travels In Nihilon
link (part_1 part_2)

XTC continue on with the big drum sound of Drums and Wires, adding more polish and an even heavier-hitting approach for Black Sea -- their arrangements are fuller and they rock harder than ever before. Where Drums and Wires implied social commentary, Black Sea more directly addresses sociopolitical concerns, handling them not strictly in a theoretical sense, but rather showing a human response to the circumstances. Of course, the band's skewed outlook and mid-'60s pop sense keeps things from becoming too heavy -- included are some of their finest songs, like "Respectable Street," "Generals and Majors," and "Towers of London," as well as the thoroughly enjoyable pop fluff throwaway "Sgt. Rock (Is Going to Help Me)" to keep the mood light. All in all, there isn't a bad song in the bunch -- Black Sea is their most consistent album to date -- and although XTC always operated on the fringes, the album is their most commercial-sounding, fitting in perfectly with the new wave of the late '70s/early '80s. [The 1987 CD reissue adds three tracks -- "Smokeless Zone," "Don't Lose Your Temper," and "The Somnambulist" -- to the middle of the album. And while the extras are welcomed (especially "Don't Lose Your Temper"), they really should have been tacked on to the end rather than disrupting the original.] (allmusic.com)

Technorati tags: XTC

Pelican

Australasia (2003)

01 - Nightendday
02 - Drought
03 - Angel Tears
04 - GW
05 - Untitled
06 - Australasia
link (part_1 part_2)

Although they already released a self-titled EP that was longer than many bands' regular albums, Australasia is the first official full-length by Chicago art-metal instrumentalists Pelican. It's maybe too easy to draw comparisons to Isis, especially since that band's Aaron Turner signed them and released this album on his label, but there are similarities: the layered guitars, the sense of dynamics, and the expansive, slowly unfolding songwriting approach. One major difference is that while Isis uses vocals, sparingly at least, Pelican don't use any vocals. Another difference is that their songs actually veer into major keys for extended periods. Still, there is plenty of darker minor-key riffing as well, the band splitting the difference between Sabbath-Melvins-Neurosis-style heaviness and more post-rock epic tendencies. This CD has six tracks, clocking in at around eight or nine minutes apiece, and apart from one acoustic guitar/piano interlude, there's not a huge deal of variety over the course of the album. They do basically one thing, but they do it well. Australasia will likely please most aficionados of Hydra Head's growing roster of "instru-metal" talents, as well as that subset of indie/post-rock listeners who are interested in metal/hardcore music but tend to dislike the vocals.

The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw (2005)

01 - Last Day Of Winter
02 - Autumn Into Summer
03 - March To The Sea
04 -
05 - Red Ran Amber
06 - Aurora Borealis
07 - Sirius
link (part_1 part_2)

A new style of metal rose in the early 21st century; one that was light on the vocals and heavy on the instrumentals. But it certainly wasn't your dad's familiar metal instrumental -- prog-like overindulgence gave way to sounds alternating between dreamy soundscapes and crushing riffs -- as evidenced by groups like Pelican. On the group's second full-length for Hydra Head, 2005's The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw, Pelican introduce a new texture to its sonic palette: acoustic guitars. But those expecting a full-on flamenco guitar concerto will have to look elsewhere, as they're used sparingly. The phrase "the type of album you have to listen to all the way through" seems custom-made for the moody and atmospheric Fire, as it really is a sort of aural roller coaster. With the same stylistic thread running throughout many of the album's seven tracks, individual standouts are hard to pinpoint, but if push came to shove, you can't go wrong with the epic album opener, "Last Day of Winter."

City of Echoes (2007)

01 - Bliss in Concrete
02 - City of Echoes
03 - Spaceship Broken-Parts Needed
04 - Winds With Hands
05 - Dead Between the Walls
06 - Lost in the Headlights
07 - Far From Fields
08 - A Delicate Sense of Balance

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The nearly rabid critical acclaim that followed Pelican's debut full-length, Australasia, in 2003 and the sludge and blast of 2005's The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw (both on Aaron Turner's Hydra Head imprint) has been both blessing and curse for the band upon the release of 2007's City of Echoes. In other words, there is a tension surrounding the album's release that creates a make-or-break situation among fans and critics. While the recordings have some similar traits -- they are the same band, after all -- City of Echoes moves off the dock into sonic waters they've not entered before. Playing a guitar-saturated brand of extreme music is fraught with obstacles at this juncture -- especially after the nearly incessant touring that followed Fire and exposed them to so many people who had never heard them before and ratcheted up the underground culture's level of desire for something bigger and better. Pelican have done the only things they could do under these circumstances: shut the door on the outside world, take a rest, and figure out new ways of writing -- they pull out the stops by using craft and restraint to write actual "songs." It's a left turn, admittedly, but ultimately one that works. For starters, the tunes are shorter than on previous offerings -- the longest thing here is the title cut, which is just a shade over seven minutes. The band's rhythm section has been criticized, particularly drummer Larry Herweg for his thudding, previously metronomic style (some who only heard recordings thought Pelican used a drum machine -- ouch!). Here, Herweg is allowed a far greater range of expression, and actually plays against the beat in places, seeming to be out of time, while creating a new space for the guitars to enter in terms of tempo and texture. Elsewhere, the melodies Pelican built into their chugging riff style have been accented to create a more taut sense of dynamics.
The title cut begins with a nearly sweet, lithe guitar melody played by Trevor DeBrauw and countered by "rhythm" guitarist Laurent Schroeder-Lebec; when the power switches on at the minute mark, the collision erupts but a different melody counters the riff. These two guitarists play very different things, moving toward each other, almost in counterpoint -- which they actually do elsewhere. Schroeder-Lebec must know the entire history of metal; the riffing he employs is sheer power tempered by glam-metal's sense of lyric and delivery. DeBrauw works his lines in like a knife edge to balance the equation as bassist Bryan Herweg walks the tightrope between. There is movement -- plenty of it, in fact, from loud to soft or vice versa and back again. The one-note piano line that commences "Spaceship Broken -- Parts Needed" is weighted by Bryan's bassline (and he even gets a low drone so distorted, fuzzed-up, and over-amped it feels like punishment) as the guitarists enter with repetitive melodics and subtly reverbed chord figures. The backbeat presence of Larry Herweg's snare and kick drum offers the only clue that something else is about to happen, and it does. It erupts out the very same riff and roils and curdles along fretboards and near blastbeats. The acoustic guitars introduced sparingly on Fire are back, but they have a solid presence here, more than as ephemera. The track "Winds with Hands" forgoes the rhythm section altogether. Both guitarists begin on acoustics, weaving melodic patterns that are trancelike and intricate (think the Jimmy Page intro to "Going to California" and "Over the Hills and Far Away" to get a hint), and gradually evolve into others. They give way as DeBrauw brings a high-pitched electric into the mix somewhere and transforms the cut in its intensity, as volume and lyric melody become the foreground to counter once again. It's beautiful and dark, seductive and forbidding, all at the same time. The sheer bass sludge that kicks off "Dead Between the Walls" is all poison, louder than God. When the guitarists enter, Schroeder-Lebec think he's in Judas Priest (Hell Bent for Leather era), riffing his ass off when DeBrauw drops some evil lead line to counter -- nope, not a solo. It crackles along in a surge until it transforms itself at the midpoint into...one of the best surprises here.
The aggression that began on the album's opener, "Bliss in Concrete," continues with the heavy metal riffing that commences "Lost in the Headlights." We are talking heavy-duty late-'70s/early-'80s metal with a Pelican twist. The lead lines are knotty and confounding, so the rhythm section needs to be circular. Schroeder-Lebec is an awesome rhythm guitarist. His sense of time is truly refreshing. The album ends in the most puzzling manner possible with the slowly evolving low-tuned drone of Bryan's bassline and acoustic and electric guitars that shimmer and shape a sparse melody, so gradually and elegantly that it's hard to believe this is the closing tune. It has its moments of power, but the record whispers, rather than blasts, to a close. It may dishearten some fans, but anyone who digs into the bone marrow of City of Echoes will understand that this is a real stepping stone for Pelican. As a band they've refused to take the easy way out or paint themselves into a corner or play to expectations. They've moved forward without losing sight of what makes them unique, and by doing so, they've moved the entire instrumental heavy music genre forward as well. Some underground conservatives may claim "sellout," whatever that means, but Pelican have ensured that they have a new path of exploration open to them -- perhaps several simultaneously. A backlash may occur, but it's critically groundless. The craft and care put into City of Echoes is a breath of fresh air and puts them back into a musically territorial space all their own. (allmusic.com)

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Against Me!

New Wave (2007)

01 - New Wave
02 - Up The Cuts
03 - Thrash Unreal
04 - White People For Peace
05 - Stop!
06 - Borne On The Fm Waves Of The Heart
07 - Piss And Vinegar
08 - American Abroad
09 - Animal
10 - The Ocean
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There is a legion of Against Me! fans who want only for the band's music to sound exactly as it did on Reinventing Axl Rose -- scrappy punk/folk and nothing else. But with as talented a songwriter as Tom Gabel leading the way, it's ridiculous to think that the band would be satisfied complying. Growth is necessary; change is inevitable. In the case of New Wave, different doesn't automatically mean bad. As their first album on major label Sire, it's a straight-up rock record. Especially thanks to Butch Vig in the production seat, New Wave is crisp, direct, and sharp. It's clean, but not glossy; it's defiant; it's brash; it's heartfelt. And while it's true that New Wave doesn't initially hit with the same force as prior albums, a few spins later and the record has found its footing and sinks in brilliantly. Though the sound is not raw and gritty like those early days, the passion behind the songs is the exact same. There is a real sense of frustration guiding these tracks -- with society, with the music scene -- but as the title track incites, "We can be the bands we wanna hear/We can define our own generation," Against Me! shows resilience. The catchy bounce-step of songs like "Up the Cuts" and "Stop!" (one of their danciest numbers yet) recognizes the hollowness of fame and hype, and the former's probing "Are you restless like me?" is as urgent a plea as you'll hear on record this year. Lead single "White People for Peace" brilliantly acknowledges both the need for and futility of protest songs, one of many instances that prove that despite sonic changes, Gabel's tongue has only sharpened. Overall, the concise ten-song set is the most direct batch of songs Against Me! has written thus far, yet the band constantly mixes things up, as in the meditative closer, "The Ocean," the dark, fuzzed-out anti-romanticism of "Animal," and the realization of love faded in the arresting duet between Gabel and Tegan Quin (of Tegan and Sara) in "Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart." New Wave is over way too soon, but the vitality rippling through every barked word is electric and makes up for all left behind on the cutting room floor. It just means you can press repeat that much sooner. Signing to Sire didn't make the band sellouts -- especially not when the music is still delivered with as much steadfast conviction and genuine emotion as it is. Who knows where they'll go next, but as for the 2000s, Against Me! remains one of the most exciting and significant bands operating in punk. (allmusic.com)

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Broken Social Scene

Feel Good Lost (2001)

01 I Slept With Bonhomme At The CBC
02 Guilty Cubicles
03 Love And Mathematics
04 Passport Radio
05 Alive In 85
06 Prison Province
07 Blues For Uncle Gibb
08 Stomach Song
09 Mossbraker
10 Feel Good Lost
11 Last Place
12 Cranley's Gonna Make It

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Broken Social Scene cast an abstract web of dream pop, shoegaze, and indie rock for their debut album, Feel Good Lost. Essentially, it's an album of instrumentals. The title itself hints at the collective's effort in composing a lush soundscape of strings, brass, guitars, and pianos with an added dash of electronic beats. Songs such as "Guilty Cubicles" and "Blues for Uncle Gibb" alone showcase the band's well-crafted mind trip. For a first album, though, Broken Social Scene's care in allowing each song to breathe without the constructs of fancy production and contrived lyrics is what makes the dozen-track selection so impressive. It's expressive without expressing too much. Broken Social Scene leave it up to the mixture of instruments to draw upon some kind of palette. From the layered warbling of "Stomach Song" to the majestic horn arrangements of the gossamer "Passport Radio," the intricacies of Feel Good Lost find a band focused on creating an inventive style of music as well as a group that is insanely ambitious. It might not catch on with indie rock fans right away and it will most likely be an overlooked debut, but its breadth shows promise. (allmusic.com)

You Forgot It in People (2002)

01 Capture The Flag
02 KC Accidental
03 Stars And Sons
04 Almost Crimes
05 Looks Just Like The Sun
06 Pacific Theme
07 Anthems For A Seventeen Year - Old Girl
08 Cause = Time
09 Late Night Bedroom Rock For The Missionaries
10 Shampoo Suicide
11 Lover's Spit
12 I'm Still Your Fag
13 Pitter Patter Goes My Heart

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Since the release of Feel Good Lost, Toronto music collective Broken Social Scene became a bit more collective, swelling from two members to ten (plus guests). As you'd expect with such a dramatic rise in membership, there's a lot more variety this time out -- the first two tracks are a case in point, in fact: the first track is a fairly airy instrumental number with a Mark Isham-like feel, but track two slams it off the rails with a driving beat and wailing guitars. Main members Brendan Canning and Kevin Drew even sing this time around (on "Cause = Time" Drew sounds almost like J Mascis); Leslie Feist and Emily Haines take their turns on other tracks. According to one of the members of this incarnation of the group, trying to not "who did what" on this album would be almost an entire review in itself, as everyone took turns playing different instruments on different tracks and the whole thing was built from the ground up in a very collective fashion. Although listeners who found the first Broken Social Scene release a nice ambient pop treat may be put off by this one's all-over-the-map approach, it's certainly a much more accessible release overall and there's bound to be something in here that you'll enjoy. (allmusic.com)

Broken Social Scene (2005)

01 Our Faces Split The Coast In Half
02 Ibi Dreams Of Pavement (A Better Day)
03 7/4 (Shoreline)
04 Finish Your Collapse And Stay For Breakfast
05 Major Label Debut
06 Fire Eye'd Boy
07 Windsurfing Nation
08 Swimmers
09 Hotel
10 Handjobs For The Holidays
11 Superconnected
12 Bandwitch
13 Tremoloa Debut
14 It's All Gonna Break

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In Canada, Broken Social Scene is somewhat of a phenomenon. Since wooing fans and critics alike with their 2003 Juno Award-winning album You Forgot It in People, the band's peculiar popularity has made them stars. The community that surrounds the 15-member-plus band is a family-like atmosphere with its many Canadian artists and musicians. When listening to Broken Social Scene, you also get the individual sounds of Feist, Stars, Memphis, Metric, and Apostle of Hustle, among others. It's camaraderie and education combined. The lush dynamic that carries Broken Social Scene's self-titled third effort is definitely built upon that. The 14-song set is as bright and moving as the band's previous efforts, but Broken Social Scene holds more charisma, more depth, and surely more complexities. The mix isn't messy in conventional terms. It's artistically untidy without production boundaries. Album opener "Our Faces Split the Coast in Half," which features the Dears' Murray Lightburn, makes a grand entrance with its polished horn arrangements, tight guitar riffs, and hypnotic harmonies. Additional standouts include indie rock moments such as "7/4 (Shoreline)" and the nervy "Fire Eye'd Boy." Handclaps and crowd chatter dosie-do with a sharp rock aesthetic on "Windsurfing Nation," which was the original title. Here, Toronto rapper K-Os and Feist vocally find their way through this majestic cinematic backdrop for one of its finest songs. From here, Broken Social Scene is a simply a rush of mini epics: "Handjobs for the Holidays," "Superconnected," and album closer "It's All Gonna Break" (this could have been a Nada Surf song) showcase how smart, creative, and brilliant this band truly is. Broken Social Scene are more than a collective; they're an orchestra for both the slacker generation and the literati. (allmusic.com)

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Anthrax

Armed and Dangerous (1985)

01 - Armed And Dangerous (Studio)
02 - Raise Hell (Studio)
03 - God Save The Queen (Studio - Non Lp)
04 - Metal Thrashing Mad (Live)
05 - Panic (Live)
06 - Soldiers Of Metal (Collector's Rare Track)
07 - Howling Furies (Collector's Rare Track)

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Before they started incorporating hardcore punk and rap into their thrash sound, Anthrax pumped out Iron Maiden-inspired metal that only hinted at their future. With the album split between vocalists Neil Turbin and Joey Belladonna, one can see why the latter got to keep his job. Turbin's high-register yelp is an acquired taste, lacking the emphasis that the material needs. He can hit the notes, but he lacks the presence that would make Belladonna more effective. Luckily, he is only present on the last two tracks, which were not originally on the album but made it onto the CD release. Belladonna's clear wail would be more suited to power metal à la Helloween, but it was his voice that also differentiated Anthrax from their thrash contemporaries. This is his first recorded appearance, and he displays more personality and range on his five songs than most of his post-1986 output. Giving the cover of "God Save the Queen" a sarcastic snarl, unleashing his banshee wail on the title track, making the remakes of "Metal Thrashing Mad" and "Panic" twice as good: these are the reasons why he was the obvious choice for their '80s material. It would be years before the band's direction clashed with Belladonna's abilities, but here they found the perfect singer for what they were doing at the time. It may not be their best work, and they may have even started the annoying trend of heavy metal Sex Pistols covers, but Armed and Dangerous was the first sign that the band was going to be one of the major forces in the emerging speed metal scene.

Spreading the Disease (1985)

01 - A.I.R.
02 - Lone Justice
03 - Madhouse
04 - S.S.C. /Stand Or Fall
05 - The Enemy
06 - Aftershock
07 - Armed And Dangerous
08 - Medusa
09 - Gung-Ho
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Anthrax's first album with vocalist Joey Belladonna is a huge leap forward, featuring strongly rhythmic, pounding riffs and vocals that alternate between hardcore-type shouting and surprising amounts of melody. Two tracks left over from the Dan Lilker days are here as well. The traditional metal lyrical fare is more original, while also introducing a penchant for paying tribute to favorite fictional characters and pop culture artifacts ("Lone Justice" and "Medusa" are prime examples). One of Anthrax's best efforts.

Among the Living (1987)

01 - Among The Living
02 - Caught In A Mosh
03 - I Am The Law
04 - Efilnikufesin (N.F.L)
05 - A Skeleton In The Closet
06 - Indians
07 - One World
08 - A.D.I./Horror Of It All
09 - Imitation Of Life

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Generally considered the band's best album, Among the Living broadened the scope of Anthrax's subject matter with socially conscious lyrics addressing prejudice, violence, drug abuse ("Efilnikufesin [N.F.L.]," a rip on John Belushi), and the hollowness of the music business, as well as a politically correct ode to the "Indians." However, the band refuses to take itself too seriously, also recording tributes to Stephen King and Judge Dredd. Musically, the band delivers a powerful, aggressive roar driven by impossibly fast riffing and the changing tempos and collectively shouted vocals of hardcore, especially on the classic "Caught in a Mosh." The brutal rhythm guitar work of Scott Ian and the explosive drumming of Charlie Benante relentlessly push the songs along while still maintaining a solid groove, and more than make up for some lyrical awkwardness. Among the Living remains arguably Anthrax's foremost achievement. (allmusic.com)

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Happy Mondays. New

Uncle Dysfunktional (2007)

01 - Jellybean
02 - Angels & Whores
03 - Deviants
04 - Rats With Wings
05 - Cuntry Disco
06 - In The Blood
07 - Anti Warhole On The Dancefloor
08 - Rush Rush
09 - Uncle Dysfunktional
10 - Dr Dick
11 - Weather
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Along with the Stone Roses, Happy Mondays were the leaders of the late-'80s/early-'90s dance club-influenced Manchester scene, experiencing a brief moment in the spotlight before collapsing in 1992. While the Stone Roses were based in '60s pop, adding only a slight hint of dance music, Happy Mondays immersed themselves in the club and rave culture, eventually becoming the most recognizable band of that drug-fueled scene. The Mondays' music relied heavily on the sound and rhythm of house music, spiked with '70s soul licks and swirling '60s psychedelia. It was bright, colorful music that had fractured melodies that never quite gelled into cohesive songs.
Unwittingly or not, Happy Mondays personified the ugly side of rave culture. They were thugs, purely and simply -- they brought out the latent violence that lay beneath the surface of any drug culture, even one as seemingly beatific as England's late-'80s/early-'90s rave scene. Under the leadership of vocalist Shaun Ryder, the group sounded and acted like thugs, especially in comparison with their peace-loving peers, the Stone Roses. Ryder's lyrics were twisted and surrealistic, loaded with bizarre pop culture references, drug slang, and menacing sexuality. Appropriately, their music was as convoluted. Happy Mondays were one of the first rock bands to integrate hip-hop techniques into their music. They didn't sample, but they borrowed melodies and lyrics and, in the process, committed rock blasphemy. For a band that celebrated their vulgarity and excessiveness, Happy Mondays appropriately were undone by their addictions, but they left behind a surprisingly influential legacy, apparent in everyone from dance bands like the Chemical Brothers to rock & rollers like Oasis.
With their second album, 1988's Bummed, Happy Mondays became British superstars, particularly Ryder. Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches, released in 1990, marked the height of the band's popularity, creativity, and influence; although the record made the Top 100 albums chart in America, it didn't establish them as stars in the U.S. After that, the fall was quick. By the time they released their next studio album, Yes, Please, Manchester had disappeared from public consciousness; it sold respectably, but the group didn't have the commercial impact that they had just two years before. Besides the lack of public interest, Shaun Ryder had become addicted to heroin, tearing the band apart in the process. At a high-level record contract meeting, Ryder walked out for some "Kentucky Fried Chicken," which was the band's slang for heroin. He never returned and the group quickly fell apart.
Ryder and the Mondays' full-time dancer, Bez, re-emerged in the mid-'90s with Black Grape. The band released its critically acclaimed debut, It's Great When You're Straight...Yeah, late in the summer of 1995. Black Grape's sound pursued the same direction as the Mondays, only with a harder, grittier edge to their sound and lyrics. In 2007, 15 years since their last record, the band (minus about half the original members, including guitarist Mark Day) released their fifth studio album, Uncle Dysfunktional. (allmusic.com)

 

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Red Sparowes

Every Red Heart Shines Toward the Red Sun (2006)

01 - The Great Leap Forward
02 - We Stood Transfixed In Blank Devotion
03 - Like The Howling Glory Of The Darkest Winds
04 - A Message Of Avarice Rained Down
05 - Annihilate The Sparrow
06 - And By Our Own Hand Did Every Last Bird Lie Silent In Their Puddles
07 - Millions Starved
08 - Finally As That Blazing Sun Shone Down Upon Us

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Red Sparowes play a form of intensified, experimental post-rock with a notable use of pedal steel guitar. The Los Angeles act formed in 2003 and features current and former members of other bands: guitarist Bryant Clifford Meyer (Isis), guitarist Josh Graham (visuals for Neurosis), bassist Greg Burns (Halifax Pier), bassist/guitarist Andy Arahood (Angel Hair), and drummer David Clifford (Pleasure Forever). After recording demos for their debut album, they toured with the Dillinger Escape Plan and Made Out of Babies. Following the departure of original bassist/guitarist Jeff Caxide (Isis) and drummer Dana Berkowitz in late 2004, At the Soundless Dawn was issued in February 2005 through Neurot, home to Neurosis. Red Sparowes toured Europe in spring 2005 and the U.S. later that year with Pelican, Big Business, and Breather Resist. The next album, Every Red Heart Shines Toward the Red Sun, was released in September 2006. (allmusic.com)

 

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