D. Boon, Rest in Peace

Ween - Live in Toronto

Gene and Dean spreading the love with the Shit Creek Boys.

nuff said
actually, there's more

Television - Live at the Old Waldorf

One of Television's final concerts prior to reunion, this recording sounds like heaven after listening to 'The Blow-Up', the only other widely available Television live release. Make no mistake about it, Television truly were one of the greats. While Richard Lloyd (it might be Tom Verlaine, I'm not sure) appears to be slightly dominated in the mix, Billy Ficca and Fred Smith prove themselves to be one of the swingingest rhythm sections. The bass rocks jubilantly, while the snare and cymbal crack remain consistent.

Highlights include "The Dream's Dream", and, as always, "Little Johnny Jewel" and "Marquee Moon", easily one of my 10 favorite songs.

Also, if you have not already, I implore you to obtain a copy of 'Marquee Moon', one of my favorite records of all-time. So, if you feel you can trust my judgment,

entre

Rock for Light by Bad Brains

This is the original PVC Records mix, since the CD release, though containing a few bonus tracks, features a bungled track listing and the majority of tracks (all but the reggae blips) being slightly off-pitch, sped up even further. I have no idea why.

HOWEVER; this o.g. mix is one of the best punk albums I have ever heard. While the production is A LOT shinier than the self-titled ROIR cassette (this album produced by Ric Ocasek), the Brains still bring the thunder. While the bass is practically inaudible, tracks like "Attitude", "Joshua's Song", and "How Low Can a Punk Get?" still rip with abandon. The reggae is take-it-or-leave-it, depending on your own opinion. Myself, sometimes I dig it, other times, it screeches things to a hault.

Either way,

classic.

not music, but...

Today's featured article on Wikipedia is Frank Zappa.

I'm so happy, for some reason...

VIVA LA ZAPPA

Plastic Surgery Disasters by Dead Kennedys

The Dead Kennedy's second full-length shows that they do not fall into the trap of 'punks barely competent enough to play their own instruments'. In fact, East Bay Ray's guitar and Klaus Fluoride's bass intertwine into a beautiful effect, with Ray being all about psychedelic textures. The riff in "Moon Over Marin" is a fantastic example of this style, and Jello actually plays it down (vocally).

Then, you have the psychosis of "Well Paid Scientist", "Government Flu", "Halloween", and the classic "Riot". Fantastic, even with everything being too trebly for its own damn good.

But it's so damn good!

I thought of a funny at work last night, since I've been listening to the DK's more often lately...

Guy 1: "Hey, I can tell you've been listening to the Dead Kennedy's all day!"
Guy 2: "How? Is it because of my mohawk and spiked leather jacket with my Dead Kennedy's patch and "Nazi Punks Fuck Off!" t-shirt?"
Guy 1: "No, I can smell the Jello on you!"

click here once your gut is done busted

Lovelyville by Thinking Fellers Union Local 282

Definitely one of their more challenging albums, this is as rewarding, if not more so, than their other albums. The melody will practically stop at some points, only for a small resolve. Plus, their cover of "Green Eyed Lady" is a damn hoot.

I can't recommend this band more, give all their albums a chance. Also included is 'The Crowded Diaper', bonus tracks to the CD release that amount to TFUL282's 'noise album'.

282 or die

The Stolen Singles by Arab on Radar

Arab on Radar were a noise band from Providence. This is a collection of various singles, splits, and their three-song demo or something like that. The bottom line is that you get to hear Ahab the Arab go from a PiL-type band (groovy-dub-bass lines) to their raison-d'etre or whatever:

Making music that sounds absolutely retarded.

This is actually probably their easiest release to get into, since their bassist performs on the majority of tracks. After she left the band, no one decided to replace her, so the scrankly-dank guitars were turned even further past '11' into high-pitched tinny goodness.

Y'know, I don't need to apologize for a lack of posts. This shit is free, and I don't even know how many people visit. Not to be a comment whore, but it'd be appreciated :'(.

one click away from a crack whore

Youth of America by the Wipers

First off, congratulations to Barack Obama. Now all we can hope for is Wu-Tang Clan to be at the inauguration. Now, onto the R-O-C-K in the USA...



Greg Sage is truly one of the great unsung heroes of independent music. The first three Wipers albums (this being the second) are classics of punk rock, and, this album in particular, show how one band with a single-minded goal can achieve so much by seemingly doing so little. Take the 10-minute title track; by stretching what could have been standard fare for a full 10-minutes, complete with a seemingly endless psych jam, and still keeping an accessibly melody at it's core, just proves how great this band could be.

It's not like I'm asking you to devote your life to punk rock, but why the fuck would you not want to?

Also, if you like what you hear, I implore you to buy the Wipers Box Set. For $20, you get 'Is This Real?', 'Youth of America', and 'Over the Edge' (the aforementioned classics) remastered with a few bonus tracks and rare goodies, replete with liner notes by Sage himself! Essential.

dun-na-na-na-nuh

MISSION OF BURMA BUNDLE

Mission of Burma are one of the definitive bands of the late '70's-early '80's punk scene. Breaking up after their first full-length, their legacy is still relatively small, since reuniting and releasing two righteous comebacks, 'OnoffOn' and 'The Obliterati'.


Their first single contains "Academy Fight Song" and "Max Ernst". The A-side is a CLASSIC. Infectious melody, exploding verses, this song embodies their early sound. The flip features an infectious 'da-da' chant, and cools down nicely from the explosive A.




Their first EP is one of the best recorded. Beginning with quite possibly the DEFINITIVE Burma song, "That's When I Reach for My Revolver", this release is comparably slick to the live sound of 'VS.', while still blazing new trails for those more daring. Also, this contains what may very well be considered the first "post-rock" song, "All World Cowboy Romance".



The only full-length release from the original line-up is astonishing in it's unrelenting attack, while still sneaking in some of the greatest post-punk moves known to man, and dedicated listeners. Essential.



I realize I haven't posted in quite a while, but what can you do? If you appreciate thinking man's rock music, MoB are highly recommended listening.

i'm not not not your download link

The Fall - 458489 A-Sides

The counterpoint. With Brix in the band, Mark definitely seemed to almost mellow out. This collection is a good companion to 'Totally Wired', but it is the only Fall album that most people would want/need. Singles like "C.R.E.E.P.""Cruisers Creek", and "L.A." show the band's progression into later material. Even though no line-up has been constant, there is a definite growth evident on this material.

the fall-uh

Celebrate the New Dark Age by Polvo

This EP is one of Polvo's finest releases. In "Fractured", the riff depends on whammy bar. Tremelo. Whangy. Whatever you want to call it, it sounds amazing. "Tragic Carpet Ride" swings, "Every Holy Shroud" grooves, and "Solitary Set" sounds like "Band on the Run".

like chandeliers

TFUL282 - Strangers from the Universe

This album is catchy. Less filler, and more emphasis on creating solid, smart hooks. The name is no exaggeration - these fellers, and fellette, had their thinking caps on. You want a comparison? Something viable to sink your teeth into? Beck's 'Mellow Gold'.

...but only in that it starts off with the catchy, near "novelty" song, and then continuing to sound nothing like it again. But don't get me wrong, they sound nothing like Beck. It is a sound unto their own. Smart, creative, fun. Except "Noble Experiment", which is about the end of mankind.

feller free since '93

You're Living All Over Me by Dinosaur Jr

This is one of my all-time favorites. J Mascis lets loose some of the noisiest, out of control guitar melodies you are likely to hear, while Lou and Murph hold down the rock solid rhythm. Nothing too complicated, to be sure, but everything comes together as an alternative rock milestone. The loud-quiet-loud dynamic has been exploited ad nauseum, but this is a crux in Dinosaur's sound. Without the dynamics, how else would you be able to tell that they can blow the fucking doors down without even trying?

It's all here. The classic "Little Fury Things", complete with screams-via Lee Ranaldo, "In a Jar", with it's bass-led verses, and the unbelievably awesome "The Lung". Essentially a guitar solo with pauses for a sole verse, this song is classic by the very definition. Also worthy, "Kracked" and "Sludgefeast", but the whole damn record breathes life, and closes with the very first Sebadoh song, "Poledo"!

i'm waiting

Tago Mago by Can

Can were experimental artists who made their records through improvisation and tape manipulation, yet wholly maintaining to a psychedelic, highly rhythmic form of music. The grooves are deep in this one, the kind that rest in your bones after a few plays. You may not consider this to be perfect, and that's not expected. But this album, when it delivers, it hits the spot. All about mood, and "Mushroom".

"Paperhouse" is unbeatable.

take me ta mars

Drive Like Jehu

The best thing about Drive Like Jehu is that even though they only have two albums (and a single), the albums only slightly sound similar. This self-titled debut is a little punkier and loose than the rather tight 'Yank Crime'.



This album is fantastic, if you pay attention to it. Everything is so uniformly tight, yet noisy, that it can tend to play as a seamless track. The energy and great since of dynamics within the group all come to fruition on their final album.


talk dirty to me

L.A.M.F. by the Heartbreakers

No relation to Tom Petty. Led by Johnny Thunders, and at one-time, yes, Richard Hell was a member. But he's not on this album. It's just he parted with Television, then Television just became amazing, but Hell had the Voidoids, so I guess it all worked out. "Blank Generation" is pretty sweet.

But I digress, download this if you want some honest rock and roll. I'd wager most of the profit from this album went to drugs and whatnot, so this is almost short enough to feel like they gathered enough material to actually record an album, release it, get the juice.

Stone cold classics include "Born to Lose" and "Chinese Rocks", written by Dee Dee Ramone.

LAMF

Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band

"Hay, what's this doing here?"

Hear me out: This record just sounds wrong. This is not "music", this is a true work of art from a captivating artist. As with all great art, there is nothing else quite like it. And therein lies the charm of this album. After repeated listening, you start to recognize more and more. Listen as much as you want, because this is a long one. Practically 80-minutes of Beefheart. Sure, there's a few instrumentals here and there, and a few with just Don Van Vliet doing his thang. You owe it to yourself as a forward-thinking individual to listen to this album, knowing you are in a secret society of sorts, and actually appreciate 'Trout Mask Replica'.

do it

Isn't Anything by My Bloody Valentine

Yes, 'Loveless' is the classic, but this first album is crucially underrated, constantly waiting idly by for someone to give it a chance. This is probably an exaggeration, but the following statement is not: Kevin Shields deserves every guitar geek's love. THE SOUNDS, MAN! 'Soft as Snow'? 'Cupid Come'? And if 'Feed Me with Your Kiss' doesn't have your head wrapped in fuzz glory, I just wonder if there is still hope for rock and roll.

And hey, I can actually see the Dinosaur Jr comparisons now!

want some candy?

Melvins - LEECH (bootleg)

This contains singles, B-sides, compilation tracks, bonus tracks, and TWO (the) FLIPPER COVERS! Also contains covers of (the) Germs, (the) KISS, (the) Mudhoney, (the) Velvet Underground, and (the) MC5.

If you like your Melvins rare and obscure,

click me

Melvins - The Making Love Demos

This is the 'Gluey Porch Treatments' line-up (with Matt Lukin on bass) just plain KICKING ASS all over songs that could appear somewhat sterile on 'Ozma'. Recorded on a four-track, the recording is surprisingly clear for how old the tape is. But it's nothing like Phil Spector...

buzz

Godspeed You! Black Emperor's Peel Session

Another excellent Peel recording. It's Godspeed.

uxo

666 by Melt-Banana

This is extremely short. Three songs, but all of them are addictive. A great start to a budding MxBx collection. It's kind of hard to describe how Melt-Banana sound to a newcomer, but it's punky, noisy, and sometimes abrasive.

banana-melt

some At the Drive-In...

'Hell Paso', At the Drive-In's debut 7" is long out of print, but automatically the group's energy is on display. Though not as fascinating as their later material, this is definitely a key piece of their history. And "Grand Mox Turkin" is a Star Wars reference!




'¡Alfaro Vive, Carajo!' is where things warm up. Listen to the bass line in "Bradley Smith" and tell me that these wiry young punks are not full of righteous energy.





'Acrobatic Tenement' is At the Drive-In's first full length, and my personal favorite release of theirs. The production qualities only accentuate the phenomenal energy level maintained throughout. This is music full of catchy dynamics, and an intense level of emotion. Before 'Relationship of Command', At the Drive-In released this influential masterpiece.




'El Gran Orgo' continues down the path of 'Acrobatic Tenement' only slightly, while showing how the band's growth evidenced on 'in/CASINO/OUT' and 'Relationship of Command' was no fluke. Amazing.


better than the mars volta and sparta

The Fall: Totally Wired - The Rough Trade Anthology

This compilation is an excellent starting point for the bottomless pit that is known as The Fall discography. An overview from their early tenure on the super-hip Rough Trade, it's not hard to decide if you like The Fall by listening to this record. However, they DID get a bit 'poppier' in the mid-'80's (thanx Brix), so you might enjoy the mid-ground instead of this loose, yet convinced bile that the legendary bastard Mark E. Smith deemed fit to release on an unknowing public.

mes is god 1
mes is god 2

Groovy Hate Fuck by Pussy Galore

Pussy Galore. One of the most famous Bond girls for purely moral reasons lends her name to a young Jon Spencer and his gang of trashy, obscene brats. With the utmost contempt for their contemporaries in the '80's DC "straight edge" movement, Pussy Galore soon moved to New York, and ol' Bob Bert, fresh from Sonic Youth played trashcan percussion.

The record is vulgar, and thoroughly obscene. But don't let the attitude fool you! "Cunt Tease"? That 'fuck you!' is one of the catchiest uses of said phrase ever! "Constant Pain" does push it, but do you think they care?

dig it

Super Roots 7 by Boredoms

Ok, so you're familiar with 'Vision Creation Newsun', right? Ok, good. Before Boredoms shot off into the unknown with that beautiful album, there was their lengthy cover of the Mekons "Where Were You" riff. It might seem almost doom-like hearing that, but "7 --> (Boriginal)" is all of the energy and solar channels from 'Vision Creation Newsun' condensed into one 20-minute juggernaut. About the length of an actual space launch.

And the remixes are pretty sweet. Good start for Boremania to kick in. And it's an exercise in rhythm, since Eye got bit by the electronic bug long ago.

commence countdown

TFUL282: Mother of All Saints

Thinking Fellers Union Local 282. It's criminal that most of you are unfamiliar. The fact that they consistently released some of the smartest and best creative melodic know-how in the late '80's, early '90's, and still went largely unnoticed outside of a constantly growing cult following is one of the things in this world that just does not make sense.

'Mother of All Saints' is packed (almost 70-minutes) with that special quality that makes independent rock so... special. Just listen to "Hornet's Heart" or "Hive", and you'll know what I'm talking about. It almost fits a certain mood, however, and there is plenty of "Feller filler" (impromptu moments in rehearsal, some are funny, others just push it).

please enjoy.

get some

Today's Active Lifestyles by Polvo

Polvo are largely unknown because they fell into the trap of playing smart guitar-oriented songs instead of pandering to a market, not that they didn't WANT to be successful, dig? "Today's Active Lifestyles" is usually considered their best, but, in all honesty, just about any and all Polvo is GOOD Polvo. Math-rock for those who can't count.

support nc

Lightning Bolt's Peel Session

(as of 7/12/10 the following sentence is irrelevant) While I have not been lucky enough to experience the cacophony of Lightning Bolt live (yet...), I can estimate that this John Peel session comes fairly close to being an accurate representation, except for the part where you lose hearing for three days.

Like every Peel session I have ever heard, this is very well recorded. Studio quality, but in front of a small audience. Feel the energy flowing from your speakers, and let the wonderful pop melodies of Lightning Bolt melt your soul.

free