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