Without making mention of the widening of the generation gap, I have to provide a little background on this series. The second car I ever owned was a '96 Toyota Camry that, although didn't have the power steering necessary to prevent its inevitable demise, did possess a tape deck that acted as a jukebox for some of the best hang outs I've ever had. Nearly every weekend I would drive around with a few friends (including Woods and our friend Paul) and crank what I called "Tape Deck Classics," basically albums I had purchased on cassette "before I saved up enough money to install a CD player in my car." The CD player never did get installed in that car and with good reason, we were having way too much fun listening to classic albums the (semi) old fashioned kind of way.
One of the first tapes that got cranked up was General Surgery's classic album "Necrology." I really have no idea when I bought this album, I swear it just appeared in my bedroom one day like a gift from the Easter Bunny or something. The original 1991 Relapse pressing, my copy of this classic album didn't act as a dorky collector's item like it does for so many now, this thing got played...often. In between jamming the "Live from Metropolis 107.9 Radio Hip Hop Show," "Grotesque Laceration of Mortified Flesh" and "Crimson Concerto" would be jammed on full blast while the heads banged on. For those of you unfamiliar with General Surgery, conduct a Google search, I'm having too much fun on my nostalgia trip.
Listen to the Full EP Here:
Just as quickly as "Necrology" appeared in my room on that fateful day, it seemed to disappear just as quickly. I sold the Camry, got a car with a CD player, and that tape seemed to be lost forever until recently when I was cleaning out some old boxes. I picked it up, marveled at the dusty case and stained inner booklet, and smiled the kind of smile that only a few close friends truly understand. I have never owned this album on any other format and I never will, it's forever a "Tape Deck Classic."
The debut from Baltimore's Angel Dust, Xtra Raw is a huge breath of fresh air for the ever monotonous punk/hardcore scene. Comprised of members from other local Baltimore bands (trapped under ice, turnstile, mindset) Angel Dust comes out swinging with the power and and intensity of bands like the Bad Brains and early Hüsker Dü on their debut Xtra Raw. Fast, stripped down and noisy punk. Plus they do a killer Poison Idea cover...but you'll have to catch them on the road to hear it. You can pick up the Xtra Raw 7" from React Records or catch them on tour with Twitching Tongues and Downpresser.
Coffins has always been a pretty interesting band insofar as they've managed to create a sound that transcends genre confinement. Combining the heaviness and extremity of death metal, the grooves of sludge, and the attitude of punk, this Japanese quartet's latest release "The Fleshland" takes no prisoners and continues the band's tradition of sonic doom / death torment. This record isn't just heavy, it's thick and incredibly dense to the point that the ringing from the guitars creates a consistent wall of sound that soars over each track like a dark cloud following you to hell. "Here Comes Perdition" exemplifies this perfectly and when the 3:31 mark hits and those riffs decide to get sludgey, you honestly are hypnotized by the power of the guitars. Taking cue from many early black metal bands, Coffins' emphasis on guitars is reminiscent of early proto-black metal acts like Celtic Frost, Hellhammer, and even Bathory. The drums are there, but they don't stand out in the mix or in the music in the same way as many metal acts, it is the guitars and the riffs that take center stage for Coffins and it gives the songs their particular identities.
"Here Comes Perdition"
The influence of early heavy metal is so apparent in the sound of Coffins that it is no wonder why this band is most popular outside of the inner circles of death metal subcultures where a love for not only old school metal but sludge and doom are also celebrated regularly. The slow heavy ending of "No Savior" remind listeners of Candlemass and even Cathedral with its punishing groove and underlining melody. In terms of production, I applaud Coffins for achieving a solid and clear sound while maintaining the integrity of the band's live feel. The drums are perfectly recorded and nothing is overly displayed but not too far removed in the overall mix. Overall, this is a well crafted record and a record that will certainly please the band's long time fans while capturing the attention of many new ones as well.
For anyone that has known me for any length of time, this isn't news, but i wish future employers didn't drug test. Getting stoned and listening to an album might be the most amazing thing ever. I might have done this only a few times in my life because i'm too paranoid about piss tests getting in the way of gainful employment. I couldn't tell you how many years it's been...but I digress. There is just nothing like the perception changes when listening to an album in some great audiophile headphones where the stereo separation just gets weird and the bass punches you in the back of your eyes. So when I say an album makes me want to do drugs it genuinely is the highest compliment I can pay it. That means I want to get lost in the sonic landscape it presents.
Troubadour by The Stepkids on Stones Throw Records wins this accolade.
I caught these guys at the House Of Blues Cleveland opening up for Mayer Hawthorne last year and was beyond pleasantly surprised with the opener (The Stepkids.) Their first album was a beautifully crafted psychedelic pop gem with a 60s vibe and killer harmonies that can only be attained with three lead vocalists in a band. Normally at this point the band hones the pop elements into a succinct formula and gives you a more streamlined IV of hooks. Rarely does a band go farther out on the sophomore album and see how far they can push their sound. Kudos to these boys on not playing it safe.
I listened to the album once through and was immediately confused. All the parts were still there, but there were all these new elements that i wasn't sure how they worked. Then it hit me, they are a progressive jazz trio. The hooks are still there but there is all this interesting Jazz guitar work and arrangement buried in what often borders on the edge of seventies porn score and at the same time 90's Daft Punk. All of this is woven into the swash of synthesizers, flutes and trumpets expertly. I could go on but I feel like I would just sound like a gushing fanboy beyond what even I am willing to endure. To me this is hands down the most interesting album I've heard in years. I wish i could get high and feel the instruments all floating around my head but I guess certain things just go along with being an adult. So somebody tell me how it is. I'll live vicariously.
-Nicky P
This is one of the worst songs on the disc...so...high bar...right...
First there was Black Flag, then there was Rollins with Black Flag, then Keith founded the Circle Jerks, then he got mad and formed OFF!, then Black Flag got back with original founder and SST owner Greg Ginn, then Morris got mad again and formed FLAG, and now Rollins and everyone are getting the living shit sued out of them. So, the question remains, exactly who is the asshole in this whole saga?
It's a crazy story, but in a nutshell this whole Black Flag thing isn't about budding egos, it's about money and what happens when a band becomes a commodity. While this may seem odd and out of context for many punk rockers, when a band reaches a measure of success things not only become complicated, they often become disgusting and horrid. Greg Ginn is suing the members of the newly formed FLAG and also Henry Garfield (aka Henry Rollins) for using his property without his consent. According to Ginn and his lawyers, Rollins and Morris fraudulently sent in trademark applications claiming to be the proprietors of the Black Flag name and logo and stated they have "been actively been performing as Black Flag since 1978." Their proof of this? Bootleg SST T-Shirts. In essence, they tried to trademark something that Ginn and SST Records claim to own which, in the United States, actually is illegal and a pretty asshole move if it's the factual case.
The lawsuit (which can be viewed in full here: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com//sites/default/files/custom/Documents/ESQ/SSTRecordsvRollins.pdf) is full of jargon that bluntly states that Ginn essentially is Black Flag and that he and his label own it. In a very KISS manner, Ginn boldly claims that Morris was merely a footnote in the history of the band and that Rollins was nothing more than a singer for hire for five years. Ginn's legal point aside, he comes across as bitter about not cashing in on the creativity of these "footnotes." Those new Black Flag songs, by the way, are so fucking terrible they aren't even mentioned in this article.
Why would Rollins and Morris do this? They must be the assholes! Well, that's where it gets a little trickier than you may expect. Again, according to Ginn, these two assholes simply want to trademark the bars, logo, and name for royalty money. You see, these Black Flag shirts sell for a pretty penny and Mr. Ginn doesn't want these robber barons getting a larger chunk than what is owed to them, plain and simple. Recent witnesses to FLAG shows will see them selling shirts with the "uneven bars" logo, the very logo that Ginn and team are trying to get a trademark cancellation of.
But that's just one side of the story...
According to Keith Morris, he claims he and his fellow FLAG members have done nothing wrong and refuse to be "bullied" by Ginn and his SST goon squad. He has not, however, commented on his alleged fraud or explained just how what he has done is not illegal. It's fine to call Ginn a rock star goon who is greedy and power hungry, but Keith may need a better defense in court.
But neither Morris nor Garfield the Cat are at the center of this controversy, at the center is Chuck Dukowski. In 2007 after Dukowski filed a lawsuit against SST for lack of royalty money for his part in the Black Flag discography, Dukowski settled out of court with Ginn and agreed to "never perform under the Black Flag name ever again." This ominous warning from Ginn who, quite frankly, sounded a little bit like an asshole there, went unheeded and thus FLAG was born. It may not be Black Flag, but if it looks like a fish and smells like a fish, Ginn and company will surely make it a point to flush it down the shitter!
FLAG
So what does this all mean? Whose the asshole here? The fact of the
matter is that everyone involved is a bit of an asshole, but surely Ginn
has to outdo everyone by being the biggest one of them all. The fact is
that Morris and Rollins have not been using Black Flag since 1978, the
band is over and not a part of their current musical projects. So, in a
nutshell, their attempt to get one past the trademark office was not
only foolish, it was downright bold. As for Ginn, he is obviously motivated by nothing more than capitalism. For better or worse, Black Flag is a product to be sold and there are plenty of hungry customers. Morris and company may seem to be harmlessly cleaning the house, but the problem is they're using a vacuum cleaner that doesn't belong to them and the guy across the hallway is a HUGE asshole. I support FLAG because I love the passion and enthusiasm Dukowski and Morris have for the tunes. Although I understand legally where Gregg Ginn is coming from, his attempt to quell the momentum of the FLAG project is motivated by greed and will most likely be he and his label's downfall. Not that I care too much, it will mean one less asshole everyone has to deal with.
2014 marks the twentieth anniversary of Emperor's "In the Nightside Eclipse," one of the most significant black metal albums in history and arguably one of the best metal records ever made. In accordance with this landmark release, Emperor has announced they will be performing a few select festival dates in 2014 with original drummer (and convicted murderer) Faust. For metal fans, this may be the most important reunion in a long time and with good reason, Emperor can finally be relevant and fresh again. Currently, black metal's top acts (Watain, Craft, etc.) represent the genre's shift from the Norwegian sound of the 90s to a more Swedish-esque sound influenced by bands like Dissection and proto-black metal acts like Celtic Frost. Emperor's sound isn't the current trend in black metal, and that makes this reunion all the more special and significant, the timing is perfect.
"I am the Black Wizards"
There will be no album, there will be no huge tour, there will just be Emperor celebrating a time when they were the standard bearers of their genre. Is this disappointing and possibly an opportunistic display? Perhaps, but if I could I'd be right up front banging my head for this one!
Anyone who has known me for longer than two hours knows that I have been a borderline obsessive Nine Inch Nails fan since I was old enough to ride my bike to local record stores and buy their CD's. I've always felt like they were a band that had an intricate universe of their own to explore and enjoy. There were all types of rare and unique experiences they offered in many different ways that 90% of radio bands did not offer. When a new NIN album comes out there seemed to be an extensive amount of work putting into album artwork, music videos, live production, and of course good music. It seems Trent has long left those days of carefully crafting unique music (for Nine Inch Nails) behind him. I sat down and gave this album about twenty listens from start to finish before I blurted out how much I loved or hated the day it was leaked online, as I saw thousands of people online did. This band to me has always been a much more personal listening experience than just hearing the "new hit single" on the radio and spewing out your dipshit opinion 20 seconds into the first track.
In my opinion, good musicians always surprise you with brand new batch
of music with similar core ingredients. It's the same role comedians
have to take on. A good comic can't come out and simply a variation of
the same jokes expecting laughs and it's just the same for musicians who
can't keep
re-releasing the same material. I knew that the new NIN would sound
nothing like his most recent releases (and thank fucking God for that) but I was still hoping it wouldn't be different in such an awful way.
Let's just get straight to it, this album fucking sucks. It was a huge disappoint not only as a huge Nine Inch Nails fan, but as a fan of good music in general. I was by no means hoping to hear Trent recycle any old guitar parts, lyrics, or melodies from previous albums, I was just hoping the album didn't sound like fucking club music. The reason Trent is such a hero of mine musically is because he always reinvents himself in an appealing way. To me, it seems he was trying too hard to NOT sound like his old music to be able to say he was trying something different. His music always gave me a visual of his studio work flow. I could always envision all the different live drummers, session guitarists, pianists, and it always made the album more appealing. All I can picture is Trent on his laptop with headphones making this incredibly stale sounding record. It was always great to hear organic instruments get married up with electronics.. but I think on this album Trent kept all of his guitars and live drummers out of the studio.
The first single was "Came Back Haunted" which I felt was incorrectly named. The title should have been "Came Back Dance Pop" because there isn't anything "haunting" about this song. The video was done by a hero of mine David Lynch. When I first heard of the collaboration I pissed myself a little. What could be better? Trent makes weird but interesting music and David does the same for film. This video sincerely pissed me off. Apparently Michael J. Fox was camera man for this sack of shit video and Trent's three year old son Lazarus must have been responsible for the visuals because it just looks flat out silly.
So why bother even giving it one star let alone 1.5 after all the shit I'm talking on it? I do respect any human being who is their own person, especially if it isn't naturally a particular popular style. I think it would have been easy for Trent to come back with live drums and screaming guitars and please the "true fans" but I think the true fans understand that the only reason they have respect for Trent is because his music was something he personally felt to be right. The more I read and listened to his explanations of the albums creative process the less I could justify actually liking the music. It basically sounds like he made a bunch of electronic demos on his laptop over the course of a few months, got a handful of extremely talented musicians to turn the album into something live and then abruptly went back to everything sounding like someone who just recently purchased a drum machine.
The respect for the album came from one specific track off the album and the behind the scenes look at just how much work is being put into the live aspect of the current NIN lineup. It was the Trent Reznor I had originally fallen in love with! He didn't just have a cool idea, he was actually executing the idea both aggressively and successfully. My only obvious complaint is that the music sounds the exact same (at best) as it did for the last 15 years, minus the fact that Trent is now struggling to sing as loud when he was younger. I was super bummed to find out Adrien Belew would not be a part of the NIN lineup as previously announced. I think he would've taken the sound into an entirely different realm. As posted by both Trent and Adrien in different words, that lineup did not work. So the live show looks fucking flawless and Nine Inch Nails will always be not so arguably one of the best live bands ever, but I feel he's milked that long enough and needs to focus more on presenting better music to compliment his production.
I did also find it to be refreshingly different that the album was released in two different mastering formats. One release is made for people who put the album on their iPod and play it through their computer speakers that are probably plugged in backwards without really detecting any differences in the audio quality at all. You can turn it all the way without any of the frequencies fighting for your ears attention. The other format is not necessarily meant to played at a loud volume but preserves the full range. So basically one sounds cool loud and the other sounds fucking amazing at a more reasonable level. That to me is something brand new for national acts to take part in and was a cool thing to hear about.
Various Methods of Escape
This track is hands down the best Nine Inch Nails track since The Fragile in 1999. I had goosebumps throughout, it had new elements old tracks did not and was just down right a damn good song. The music evolved from electronic to a gritty live band sound and the lyrics instantly struck a main vein for me. It to me is what makes a great Nine Inch Nails song. It tells a story both musically and lyrically, it starts in one place and ends up in another and it gets stuck in your head! My only "complaint" on the song was the trend this album has of overusing the seemingly exact same club music drum sequence, but when the live drums and guitars kick in near the end all is well again. In my eyes, this song is the one track that Trent kept of the failed experiment of creating a live band around the electronic based record.
Now to be fair, other tracks on this album did grow on me a tiny bit, but they were of no comparison to this track or his lyrical content on.. pretty much With Teeth (2005) and back. When I heard tracks like "A copy of a" I could not stop from laughing. The music sounded like someone programmed the song on ecstasy and the lyrics make Lady Gaga look like a fucking poet. The song "Satellite" is a great example of how fucking awful this album is. The music sounds like it was made in twenty minutes in Garageband by a stoned teenage girl and the lyrics were clearly an inspiration while Trent sat on Google Maps while stalking someone. Lyrically the album makes it clear he doesn't have much to say in the vein of Nine Inch Nails anymore.. so my advice is don't! He'll moan a few corny lines and then it's followed up by extremely over used delay and effects.
By in large, it was great to see Trent challenging his audience in a different way but I felt this was far too far of a leap for people who aren't deaf to get into. The video above is Trent in 1997 before the Fragile had been released and he explains that if a record is "safe" that it's ridiculous. That was when he claimed the Fragile was to be a much more hip hop sounding record, and then didn't. That's exactly the attitude I respect and feel has been pulled off on his records before, just not as of too recent. I feel he's getting lazier and lazier when it comes to writing Nine Inch Nails music. His soundtrack work is impeccable on the other hand.
For someone that I've always drew inspiration from on a writing and recording aspect of music for tips and tricks, he really seems to be relying too heavily on laptop sounding plug-ins and almost factory preset sounding sequences. There's no soul anymore! It's just radio pop now! He's missing the grit and girth that even his soundtrack work with Atticus Ross has had. The album is definitely worth a listen if you're curious, but I would go into listen to the album as if it were a dance pop album so you're not disappointed.
Another huge complaint of mine is seeing how insanely expensive it is to see business Reznor with a band that said he would never step foot on stage again. Back in 2009, I saw "the last" NIN show in Los Angeles and didn't pay half the price you have to pay now to see them from a mile away in an arena. This was something that all bands claimed to be out of their hands but Trent always seemed to pull strings to bring prices down for fans. That's yet another ingredient missing as a result that he "came back greedy."
Am I the only one who has a problem with him directly ripping himself off? Did he just draw a complete blank and just recycle the same album artwork? Were times that tough creatively? The artwork on this new album and fonts are exactly the same from the Downward Spiral, even admitted by Trent himself. This again cannot be pulled off in any other creative outlet like movies or comedy. Everything from the music, lyrics, even the artwork sounds rushed, boring and uninteresting.
Trent, my man.. STOP! Make soundtracks, make breakfast for your lovely children and make love to your gorgeous wife. You said yourself that if you found yourself to be a radically different human being that it would be time to do something else. Do that. I think he came to that conclusion when he formed How to Destroy Angels but when it didn't make half the sales a new NIN record would, it was time for a comeback!
A lot of talk has been going on the interwebs the last few weeks since this songs performance at the MTV VMA's about it's lyrical content. I just finished reading an article and photo essay about how this song is a mirror of how rapists talk to their victims just a few minutes ago. I enjoy the simple beat and catchy hook. I'm a sucker for a great hook. Up until 10 minutes ago i never cared about the lyrics enough to worry about them. Having now read the lyrics i'm even more upset at the light the song is being viewed in.
While the candor is exceptionally juvenile and employs vernacular that is certainly offensive: the much lauded "You the finest bitch in this place" lyric. I fail to see where it is "Rapey." I'm sure i'm pissing most of America off by saying this, but the whole song reads as a call for a woman to escape the bondage of the expectation of chastity and relationships that treat a womens sexuality as subservient to a man. The song may promote promiscuity but in all the instances i can see in the song it's all just childish boasting about how the singer can give the female in question what he thinks she desires. One childish prostration after another he asks her to pay attention to him and exhibits why he would be valuable to her in her liberated state where he won't judge her for immodesty.
To sum up the song is not. "I know what you want now take it." It's more "The world has unfairly tried to put all women into one camp and i say break out, but while you're at it, if you're horny, I got the goods."
If you think it advocates rape you're prolly an asshole. If you think it's stupid and presumptuous you're probably a reasonably intelligent person or at the very least not a d-bag who thinks all men are rapists in hiding.
I'm not sure if this works on this blog but it is about a song so i feel like it's worth a shot.
Texas has been steadily churning out some of the best punk and hardcore bands the past few years, and The Impalers are no exception. Comprised of members of Hatred Surge and Mammoth Grinder, The Impalers unleash a new LP on 504 Records of pure Venom worship - ripping from start to finish. Hard to imagine anyone into punk, metal, or even some NWOBHM not being into this band.
Released in 1988, "Punishment for Decadence" is still the standard bearer for technically proficient thrash and in my opinion the best European thrash release of the 80s. Miles ahead of their peers in terms of musicianship and lyrical content, Coroner's second record displayed melody, harsh grooves, and enough speed to satisfy any thrash craving. "Skeleton on Your Shoulder" and "Absorbed" demonstrate how to perfectly blend proficiency with memorable songwriting, making this album digestible and enjoyable despite completely mind blowing. Guitarist Tommy T. Baron's solos on this album are some of the best in thrash history, especially on tracks like "Masked Jackal" and "New Breed" which showcase the band's capability to warm the listener up before taking them on a whirlwind of progression. That was one of Coroner's best traits, their songs were constantly forward moving and avoided stagnation at all costs, something that many progressive and technical bands fail to achieve.
"Skeleton On Your Shoulder"
1988 was a pretty pivotal year for thrash metal as "...And Justice for All" and "So Far, So Good, So What?" represented thrash metal at its musical apex and in the midst of a period when bands were taking the genre to its musical limit in terms of technicality and intricate songwriting. Likewise, the infant genre of death metal was challenging audiences' ideas of extremity with records like "Leprosy" by Death and "Malleus Maleficarum" by Pestilence. In a nutshell, "Punishment for Decadence" was one of thrash metal's swansongs before the genre faded into obscurity. Although not the most commercially successful, it would prove to be extremely influential on many emerging bands such as Gorguts and Suffocation who in the coming years would challenge the limitations of their musical genres in a similar vein as "Decadence..." did. If you're looking for an important piece of thrash history, I highly recommend picking this up. If you have this gem and you've forgotten about it, here's your reminder.
After being one of the pioneering Norwegian black metal bands, Ulver helped define the dark ambient genre through their constant experimentation and utter lack of regard for genre distinctions. Divisive to say the least, purists everywhere will surely be miserable with their performance at this year's Maryland Deathfest, but if Ulver listened to those people years ago they wouldn't be one of the most influential European acts ever. Sorry dorks, you'll always have Judas Iscariot I guess.
Motorhead- "1916"
If you need an explanation why, go fuck yourself.
Uncurbed- "Keeps the Banner High"
One of the best swedish crust bands, Uncurbed's D-beat makes you want to drink, drive fast, and drive fast while drinking. Classic.
Aura Noir- "Out to Die"
Celtic Frost, check. Sodom, check. Sarcofago, double check. If you like your black metal mixed with your thrash, spin this time machine all the way back to '87 and let's get this fucking party started. Hail Satan!
Corrections House is comprised of Mike IX Williams (Eyehategod), Scott Kelly (Neurosis), Sanford Parker (Minsk), and Bruce Lamont (Yakuza). Such a lineup is bound to make any fan of stoner / doom / sludge / post metal salivate with excitement and with good reason, these musicians' resumes are some of the most impressive in the business and collaborations like this are always fun and stimulating. Their "Hoax the System" 7" is a great introduction for the band's upcoming full length album "Last City Zero" that will be available October 29th on Neurot Recordings.
I can't lie, I was a bit skeptical of this collaboration. Despite my infatuation with most of the members' individual bodies of work, I wasn't sure exactly what direction the music would take. What you can expect is an eclectic mixture of ambiance, metal, and electronics that utilizes the characteristics of each member quite impressively. In a nutshell, this works, and it works exceptionally well. "Hoax The System" is very Whitehouse / Godflesh inspired and Mike IX sounds fresh in a sound that you otherwise wouldn't expect him to be a part of. The electronics and undertones of Kelly's guitar are entrancing and hypnotic, very well done indeed.
Lately I've been getting really into a lot of free jazz, particularly Charles Gayle whose music I find simply riveting and inspiring. The spontaneity and uncertainty of jazz paradoxically makes me calm, clear, and focused. I never know where Gayle is headed but I never seem to mind, it always ends pleasantly. "Trio Streets" is Gayle at his most agile, demonstrating both the elasticity of his tones and the vast landscape of his emotions. Drummer Michael "TA" Thompson simply compliments everything Gayle plays and Larry Roland is one of the smoothest bassists ever and his pulse never rises enough to sound hurried or confused.
I find the similarities between punk and jazz be obvious and apparent. Punk, at least my interpretation of that term, has always theoretically maintained the significance of eliminating sonic, political, and social limitations, something that free jazz represents arguably better than any genre of music. Without restraints or barriers, norms or morays, the instruments are free to roam, free to explore new uncharted terrain. This is something we all long for, something that free jazz offers the world.
So, today on my way out the door for work i grabbed 3 CD's to listen to whule i drive around for 8 hours. I started off with Diamond Light Boogie by The Cherry Poppin Daddies (someday i'll get into why this album was awesome also.) The second disc was Chris Cornells Euphoria Morning (my reason why Audioslave never should have happened.) and the last disc was First Band On The Moon by The Cardigans.
The latter of which i want to laude tonight. I missed the album when it came out largely because i was twelve and didn't have money to buy a ton of albums, not to mention i lived out in the boonies and there was little chance of hearing anything but the hits that MTV threw at me. I recall getting the soundtrack to Romeo + Juliet entirely because of the song Lovefool though. As a bonus i got some other wicked tracks not least of which was a sweet Everclear track Local God (still one of my favorite bands to this day even if pop-rock turned into just pop.) Anyway, before i digress even further I loved the song and found the album containing it at a buybacks about a year ago. I ripped it and filed it away because i had about 20 other discs that i deemed more immediately listenable. I had not touched the disc since.
Today i realized how erroneous that decision was. I can't believe i deprived myself of such saccharine sweetness for so long. I know little about the band other than what i am now picking up on Wikipedia but these Swedish geniuses certainly nailed it at least once. I was in love even before i even heard this gem nestled into the later half of the album but this sold it for me. This is possibly one of the most interesting re-visioning I've ever heard.
I urge you go and give this thing a spin or if you did and you've moved on even better or if you're thinking shut up weird guy on the metal blog that's ok too (but i'll piss in your eyes in your dreams if this is the case, be warned.)
Ugly, snotty, loud, abrasive, and showing no signs of giving this up anytime soon, Chicago's Culo have released their first full length album on Deranged entitled "My Life Sucks and I could Care Less." If you enjoyed their first two E.P.s ("Military Trend" and "Toxic Vision"), you'll certainly be cranking the volume up on "My Life Sucks...." Their capacity to make such a familiar sound interesting and exciting is certainly an achievement and one that sets them apart from many bands claiming to have a fraction of the same intensity. A little less hurried than their past efforts, this record demonstrates that when Culo takes its time as a band to make a full length record, the results are staggering. Imagine Government Warning with a bit more attitude and you get the general idea of what Culo is about. This sound is a primitive reminder of hardcore b.c., a time when metal was nowhere in sight and being punk still exemplified being in contrast to the social norms of the day. The best part about this isn't that its some hipster nod to the past, you can actually tell these kids believe what they're playing. Don't be fooled by what surfaces here, there are other dynamics at work in Culo's sound, particularly the underscored melodic leads and hooks in the album's title track and "Sick Sick Sick" gives a passing nod to and indie, almost pop sense of chord progression. Intricately produced and cleverly executed, to pass this record off as punks disregarding the quality of their product wouldn't only be false, it would be insulting.
