Love Knows No Borders, Part 2

Round 2 of our musical journey, more tunes from both sides of the pond that helped Jenny and I to exist together and some very good tunes if I may say so myself. Download and enjoy!


Love Knows No Borders, Part 2: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?nuc3ch5a7155ss6

A Winter's Solstice

Through the maddening onslaught of Christmas songs and "holiday cheer" this past month, I felt I needed to put together a personal mix of songs that represented the season for myself. Something blustery and mysterious. No holiday event necessary to enjoy this hour and 20 minutes of music, just a good gray rainy day...

A Winter's Solstice: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?y0qj5ptlaf2hcff

A Little Bit 'o' Soul, Part 2

So I'm still awake and I couldn't really stop at 1, so here is a second addition for your listening pleasure! I know this is nothing original or really even artistically respectable but if I'm remembered for nothing more than the meticulous order in which I set and meshed these tracks then so be it. I enjoy the fuck out of it and that's all that matters!

A Little Bit 'o' Soul, Part 2: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?yttx4a0d9a4tyyz

A Little Bit 'o' Soul, Part 1

Shuffling through my collection of Soul, R&B, Rap and Electronica today I decided there are far too many gems and it's wholly necessary to put them into one place in as fluid and splendid a playlist as possible. And so here we go, over an hour of pure soul in one solid listen. Enjoy!

A Little Bit 'o' Soul: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?99nytn7thpyd89r

A lot's changed

It's clear to me that purging is necessary and so I give you this: two unnecessarily long and elaborate mixes it's taken me months to fine tune. I thought it was finished (this one mix which has since evolved into two) on August 31st of 2011 and it was on that day that everything in my life changed. And so therefore, this mix I felt had something much more significant underlying and I had to let it breathe so I gave it a Siamese counterpart. Each dealing in some way with an aspect of this radical threshold I'm still coming to terms with. I really can't say that anybody but myself is meant to enjoy them (and anybody who knows me knows just how private I am about these things) but it's therapeutic nonetheless. I'm including no track titles or artists because that destroys the journey. These are meant for long bus rides or as a soundtrack to a much overdue walk with minimal disruption and you won't find dance beats here, sorry ya'll.
These are very much soundtracks, both figuratively and literally, I've taken a liking to dissecting and reassembling for my own dastardly dramatic purposes. To each their part, I've also taken a keen interest in Worldly genres that I felt contributed to the many facets of my ideas and you can't deny these sorts of impregnable sounds once they've taken hold. And so, with no further ado:

The Wrath of God (Part 1): http://www.mediafire.com/?1ecf17j5u55odvh

Skull Incisions (Part 2): http://mediafire.com/download.php?5ipbi6087014fey

and PS, this is all very likely to change. I'm never satisfied with my work. Sorry...
PPS, as I warned, there were small details that needed tweaking in Part 2, but alas! There it is!
PPPS, reworked Skull Incisions and I'm very pleased with the outcome.

Ludwig Van Beethoven's 7th Symphony - II. Allegretto

Today I give you a piece I'd all but forgotten about until I saw The King's Speech recently (yes the inspirational powerhouse making its rounds at the awards ceremonies right now). It's among Beethoven's best works and a part of, in my humble opinion, Beethoven's greatest symphony. So focused and stirring, Allegretto (meaning A Little Lively) sent me through a fury of research on Beethoven's life and times long ago so that I might get a better understanding of it. There was no shortage of turmoil when he penned this piece so it's up to interpretation but nevertheless it's a work of anger and frustration. Crank your speakers up or pop on some headphones and do listen!

The Melvins

Today requires a hats off to Rock & Roll greatness. While the world was spooning their beloved 80's hair metal rockstars the little known Melvins were creating their own brand of sludgy rock hell we now know for better and worse as GRUNGE as far back as 1983. Pioneers to follow were the Yardbirds of Grunge, Green River and The Screaming Trees; Mark Lanegan's humble beginnings. Still, nobody could get quite as dirty, loud and give a single fuck less than The Melvins. You catch them playing to this day and they'll box your ears with brass knuckled fists!

Enjoy...



...and this...



...and finally:

David Vanian & The Phantom Chords

David Vanian is remembered today as 80's doom and gloom royalty thanks to his legendary punk outfit, The Damned. They damn near created the look, sound and feel of what we today call "goth" and while that may not pan out to be a good thing, The Damned are immortally Punk! David Vanian's one-off side project,

David Vanian & The Phantom Chords on the other hand have been all but forgotten and it's a damn shame. Their only released album is full to the gums with monster horror hops dipped in Vanians own rocka-country-westernbilly brew and with bootstompers like Voodoo Doll, Fever in My Blood and the instant classic Whiskey and Me it makes me hopping mad he hasn't saddled this bitch and ridden it in 15 years. It's all a bit of a shitty mess, Vanian has more projects than he knows what to do with and The Damned can't decide what to do with themselves anymore. All you can do is appreciate what's been given. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD HERE:
http://rapidshare.com/files/67066639/Dave_Vanian___The_Phantom_Chords__1st._lp_-_1995_.rar.html

The Dark Stuff

I'm sick that I haven't found time to write in more than 6 months, mainly for myself. It's the only way to really sort shit out. Whether or not anybody reads it is irrelevant, it's the purging and sorting that's the good stuff, the medicine. Not only have I not written but with the chaos going on my ears were more or less switched off. It wasn't until I picked up Nick Kent's "The Dark Stuff" that I really felt like I was depriving myself. Stories of the real hell raisers like Jerry Lee Lewis and his devil may care bedlam, the music that was born of good and evil, occupied by saints, demons and the devil himself, brewed with moonshine squeezed straight from the devil's asshole. The good shit. I was taking life WAY too seriously.
So yes I've been back on the prowl and I've found some good good shit. It's all about word of mouth if you want something really damn good. And so I'll stop rambling and begin a walkthrough of my findings, continually updated for the next couple of days and onward! This blog cannot die!!!

I am becoming a wino

that is all.

The soul still beats on!

A lovely woman just introduced me to these fellows and I'm won. The dirty southern gospel rock of days old are still beating on, we just gotta seek it out!

Before he was bad, he was a bad mother fucker

David Allan Coe's got a reputation for being the grandfather of raunchy country, but before he got there, he was a lowly bum sitting on deathrow for killing a man. It was there he wrote the first album of his infamous career, "Penitentiary Blues". Here, he wasn't so much country as he was a soulful bluesman, bursting with misery and pleads of mercy upon his warden. Bluesy wordplay, southern marinated guitar work and a touch of voodoo craftsmanship makes this whole thing a work of mad brilliance. Now, you listen to Monkey David Wine and see what I mean.

A little peace of mind amidst the mad world

An absolutely ecstatic cover by an ecstatic band.

This'll take you back....or somewhere

The Dukes of Stratosphear (AKA XTC)


And of course...the defining Dukes of Stratosphear song.....25 O'Clock!!!


and finally, what psychedelic album's complete without a song of golden dresses?

Charles Manson and The Family

Very eerie recordings here.

Laying the blueprints for a menacing step forward in Punk

Punk definitely saved us from the mediocrity of Classic Rock giants like Yes and The Eagles but I think the real meat and depth of this era in Rock came along with the help of two fantastic bands.
A little known group today in contrast to The Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks or Ramones; The Outsiders were actually the first Punk outfit to release their own self-released LP in 1977. That's saying a lot considering the strong fiber of Punk's DIY motif. They railed and ranted for 3 years until Adrian Borland grew weary of the unrelenting blitz Rock-form and yearned for some greater texture, tension and range. With this, The Sound was born, helping to lay the blueprints for Post-Punk; a much darker, more personal expansive sound than a lot of the trash Punk that pushed onward. Adrian is given the freedom to slow it down, way down. Just listen to:
Total Recall
and observe the cautious bass lines. The lyrics are liberated from the anti-government bravado and free to explore. The Punk philosophy isn't exclusive to government disdain after all.

Another group that still pushes it to this very day is Killing Joke, headed by the musically diverse Jaz Coleman. Their first self-titled LP can be considered a true Punk classic while it still cut a clear path in the New Wave direction. Listen to:
Complications
and you'll get a feel for the sheer doom behind the chugging guitar and the unmistakable New Wave synthesizers that are backing. It's perfectly vicious, maintaining the Punk sensibilities but the slight implication of mood gives them a sinister edge that the four-guitar blitzkrieg attack can miss out on. Mr. Coleman has also collaborated with Anne Dudley on an instrumental album "Songs From The Victorious City". It's here that his criminally wide range in musical intrigue shows through and I'd advise you to check it out if you're curious about that crazy Middle Eastern sound. And be sure to check out some other Post-Punk innovators like Television, Magazine, Public Image Ltd. (Johnny Rotten's brainchild), Joy Division, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and especially Wire. Some of you that can't really tolerate the abrasive Punk surface might enjoy the second-age a little more!

VA VA VOOM!!!

From the Frisco bay, check out this single track. Low Flying Owls were a very short lived band but they left some rollicking gems in their wake. Check em out, play 'em on the road, keep their tunes alive!
Va Va Voom!

The Entrance Band is back!

Guy Blakeslee's come out of hiding at last! This reclusive string plucking lunatic put on the best guitar-driven show I've ever seen and that doesn't go without mentioning the trio. As a band they will melt your face off with their ridiculous chemistry. The addition of lovely bassist Paz Lenchantin creates a sort of spiritual stage dance as the two twist about to the fanatical guitar's direction. Watch as the trio do their thing in very fine form:

If The Entrance Band is doing anything at all, they are making the guitar interesting again. February! Doug Fir Lounge! GO!!! And listen to these tracks while you're at it:
Grim Reaper Blues
and a Rapidshare download: Valium Blues


*photos courtesy of Nicole Cook*

New York Dolls - Cause I SEZ So

The seventies birthed a new level of insanity in the world of music and pop culture. One band, however, can safely stake their claim in outlining the blueprints for two bold new fronts; Glam Rock and Punk. They blitzed the stage with their chaos concentrate and defied convention (something that required extreme measures as it was, given the time period) by obliterating their instruments with smart, simple, blazing guitar lines while decked in woman's drag and a hearty variety of Revlon product. Even David Bowie, the Rock & Roll chameleon, was spotted at their shows with pen and paper, taking notes. Morrissey and members of R.E.M. are also cited as major devotees. They aren't as widely recognized but the New York Dolls made an unmistakable footprint in the direction of our great musical monument, fashioning the simplicity and ferocity of a new age and giving form to a musical style that would become a staple in the minds of fiery restless youth.

Yet, as is true with most influential groups, their reign of terror was short lived. They disbanded in 1975 and the spoils of their legacy have been riddled with an element of tragedy in the decades to follow. Soon after Johnny Thunders split, he ignited a mightily successful solo career in the Punk Rock arena. Being a dope fiend however, his trashy lifestyle soon caught up with him and a little over a decade after he found his limelight he was found dead in his hotel room under very suspicious circumstances. It remains a favorite topic among musical conspiracy theorists but we won't dive into that mess. Jerry Nolan lived no longer than a few months after Thunders, succumbing to bacterial meningitis and bacterial pneumonia. What's worse, Arthur "Killer" Kane passed away in 2004 by accelerated Leukemia, just 22 days after the first New York Dolls reunion concert.

So with their legendary status aside and only two of the original band members still intact, how might a rebirthed comeback fare in today's music world? We've seen a fair amount of classic rockers come crawling out of retirement and a good deal of them have been less than satisfying. Just think of a hunched and decrepit Robert Plant doing his best to croak and wail for tens of thousands of fans completely aside from the fact that his once-thunderous, God-like voice has long since left him and you'll grasp the idea. A healthy artist's music is progressive, never static. Just as musical taste evolves and builds upon itself, so does an artist's inspiration and outlet. On that basis, I'm not convinced that thirty to forty years down the road, these legendary Classic Rockers are in the same old place they started. Sure, give the people what they want, but do it with some grace and dignity! Certain anomalies exist, of course. AC/DC's charm is that they will always and forever stick to their raunchy formula and the world loves them for it. They're as certain as death and taxes.

So, in this year of 2009, a time riddled with Indie folk bands that don't really speak much to folk at all, worldwide economic turmoil and just three and a half years away from the Mayan prophesied apocalypse we're given 'Cause I Sez So,' a brand new album from the New York Dolls. How on earth do we handle this? I made a grave error in my approach. First thing I did was listen to their debut album to refresh myself. I got all hyped up and giddy about it, then dived headlong into this thing and oh, how it hurt. Thirty-four years in hibernation and they're trying to pick up right where they left off and it doesn't work at all. On a Rock & Roll scale, it's nearly first class in concept when juxtaposed to most retro-rockers today. The instruments are crunchy and alive, Johansen's got a nice raspy howl but my problem was in their approach. The first track is a cringer, it says it all in the title 'Cause I Sez So.' They're pulling this attitude that seems utterly forced and pretty hilarious, chucking hokey slang all over us and mucking up the songs. If not for the lyrical tripe these songs would have some great potential as album openers, but ultimately, after quite a few plays it's still just painful to sit through.

The album continues like this four songs in, but with the first few jangly acoustic notes of 'My World' my ears perked up. None of the songs before seemed nearly as engaging. This second wave of songs are injected with cherry red blood and played with a stranglehold, it’s like the ship changes direction entirely. 'This is Ridiculous' could claim to be Screamin' Jay Hawkin's illegitimate baby child in a generation gone wrong with the punchy guitar and Johansen's bluesy snarl. He taps into his licit anger for us (the misplaced attitude now pulled off very well) and bridges a connection with this fractious lyrical frankness that the Blues Gods of the golden age were renowned for. Further down the line the ladies flirt with Spanish guitar and some fine whistling in a lamenting 'Temptation to Exist,' followed by a straight up Country Rock tune that, to my surprise, works beautifully with the ingredients on hand. They've tapped into their seasoned potential at last. 'Making Rain' and 'Temptation To Exist' are sung with more conviction and sincerity than anything precedent since they’re embracing themes more pertinent today. All the same, they give us a re-working of 'Trash' from their debut with a slick Reggae groove, reminding us that they are still ultimately the masters of their domain. And onward the album twists and turns with some generous surprises that make it worthwhile in the end. Perhaps the biggest surprise of all is the closer, ‘Exorcism of Despair,’ which comes and goes quicker than any other track but with that it taps into the fury of great Punk Rock and leaves us hungering for more.

None of this is necessarily groundbreaking musical excavation by any means, but it's a worthy showcasing of artistic growth (two-thirds of it anyway). For me it begs the question, what was their intent with this album? I don't think they were looking to bring the New York Dolls back in the name of evening drag shows. They're all talented, ambitious musicians in their own right with fantastic chemistry and I think this album's a vehicle for bigger and better things to come. Their old punchy sound is well behind them as is made evident in the beginning of the album and they're clearly interested in exploring. A good deal of that weight is on us as fans of music; progressive music. The New York Dolls are a thing of the past no matter which way we look at it, what we're given instead is a name full of interesting frontiers. Let them explore. And in that respect, I recommend the same to anyone who thinks they know just how far they've strayed on this release. Take some time to listen to their original influences; the old timey Rhythm and Blues, American Girl Groups of the 50's and 60's, Tyrannosaurus Rex, early Rolling Stones. See just how far of a jump these guys were to begin with and you can start to appreciate their need to progress today.

Blind purchases

So imagine my curiosity when stumbling upon an album in Everyday Music that featured no text as an indicator for the music or even a price tag, just a volcanic eruption of color in a lyrical abstract painting. Intrigued, I took it home and gave it a spin with nothing to go on but a very open mind. What I was presented with is something I'm still mystified by as I sit here months later. Inducting the first track is a choir of crawling, cautious, rattling strings that lay the sonic terrain for a sax that swirls in and out, clucking and stumbling, whining and waning like a wounded animal searching for a place to die peacefully. The sax and strings flirt in revolutions while the drums steadily take more prominence, and onward they creep warily around each other until they reach the five minute mark and explode into violent bloody end; all players throwing their suppressions out the window and beating their instruments into oblivion. The instruments spoke volumes. And the story they were telling interjected me with bloodthirsty fascination. This is the freedom and experimental embrace that I love about Jazz.
I can't claim to be a Jazz aficionado. It's a class all its own and the ear has to acquire a taste for the unexpected. I will say that I've always found the generic, straight-up form of Jazz (saxophone, bass, basic drums) to be less than exciting. I'm more intrigued by the raw vicious experimental aspects and it seems to me that those vistas were the original draw of Jazz to begin with. The form had all but dropped from radar until innovators like Miles Davis and John Coltrane detonated the music scene and changed what everybody thought they knew. This gave air to innovations and genre bendings of all sort. Just listen to Alice Coltrane's numerous incantations, perhaps the best example being 'Journey in Satchidananda' for a true illustration in pushing the bar.
I later found the name of this mysterious group. 'Kammerflimmer Kollektief' and their album 'Incommunicado' continues much the same as the first track, very free and never predictable. Composed of just six tracks, some go as long as twelve minutes and other more bombastic numbers are as brief as forty five seconds ensuring the experience keeps you on your toes. The album flirts with vast walks of influence, fusing essence of avante-garde rock with some more modern renowned experimental lunatics like Marc Ribot and Bill Frisell, both which have a signature sound I've been able to detect yet constantly pull very pleasant surprises out of their hat to keep the creative juices flowing. Even Johnny Rotten's gotten his hands dirty with some neurotic concoctions in his Public Image Ltd. project, check out Flowers of Romance for a very free laced, tribal jazz experimentation. I highly recommend making a blind purchase, throw yourself into some section of your local music store you tend to avoid and take a chance. It's a big world and the sky's the limit.