I don't really remember how "Purple Rain" came into my possession, all I know is that every time I put this record on I have a blast. Cool rhythm is all Prince is about and if you are able to sit still when this shit comes on you need to check your pulse or lay down on train tracks overnight and just give up. Combining the funkiness of Parliament with the soul of James and enough sexual innuendo to make Gene Simmons blush like a twelve year old girl, "Purple Rain" is a classic album through and through. This album had FOUR top ten singles on the ol' Billboard back in '85 ("When Doves Cry," "Let's Go Crazy," "Purple Rain," and "I Would Die for You"), an impressive accomplishment given the album's experimental nature. While some tracks are rather minimalistic musically (like the bassless "When Doves Cry"), others are full on rockers. A perfect combination of R&B, funk, pop, and rock, "Purple Rain" is maybe one of the best albums of the 80s.
Oh sunshine, The loving beauty, Pass me by, Should I waste my
time In your valley, Beneath your sky?
This week marks the 20th anniversary of a record that I'm sure has influenced everyone who contributes to Illustrious Words, "Welcome to Sky Valley." Certainly the best album in the Kyuss catalog and one of the most influential records of the 90s, this album re-wrote the rulebook for heavy music and is one of the records responsible for the development of stoner rock. One of my favorite things about "Sky Valley" is that it is broken up into three parts, making it impossible to skip tracks on the CD version and forcing the listener to actually jam the record all the way through. Another reason I love this record is it captures a sense of place arguably better than any album I've ever listened to. When you listen to "Welcome to Sky Valley" you are transported to Palm Desert, California instantly. You can smell the musty air, feel the heat, and experience the lost time. This is a magical album that truly documents a collection of musicians losing themselves in their art. No matter how much time goes by this album will always be timeless.
Within the group name exists a full description of what they have set out to accomplish with their album Dysnomia. I suggest you start to listen to it before continuing.
They have captured something primitive and beautiful here. An ignorant and superficial mind will overlook the album and write it off as boring or some other bullshit. It does require some work on the listeners part to truly understand and appreciate it.
Its about 45 minutes long and continuous. It should be listened to as such because listening to only one song is taking it out of context, much like one might eat a cup of flour to know what a cookie tastes like. You sort of have to surrender yourself to it, become entranced by it, at least once. Besides the music itself, its an amazing work for other reasons.
This was created by three guys playing acoustic instruments. Don't let the precision and production fool you. This shit is not done with computers and they can pull it off live. The group is composed of bassist Aakaash Israni, pianist Amino Belyamani
and drummer Qasim Naqvi. They started collaborating back in 2007 in LA after a drunken tennis match. They started making free form jazz; locking themselves in a pitch black with no prior knowledge of what they were going to do. Take a listen to their earlier albums just to hear how different they are.
They then set off to make this rhythmic masterpiece, which more closely resembles African drum circles than anything else recent. A part from the whole, each instrument is carrying its own rhythm. Try just listening to one instrument, then another and compare the rhythms. Its fuckin' bananas. They seem to have nothing to do with each other. Yet as a whole they make this gestalt of a myriad of shifting feelings. In this section of the album I feel like I might raise my ancestors from the world of the dead, and in that section I felt like I wanted to rip someones face off in obsolete rage, and still yet in another section I felt I could achieve meditative bliss.
Give it an honest listen. They just had a live show at Mahalls and I'm sorry you missed it. They're coming back to Ohio in November, somewhere in Columbus. Don't miss it. Shit's historic.
Today I found out that someone actually reads this blog so I decided that, even though I'm having a rather crappy day, I'll post some tunes that pick me up when I'm feeling blue.
Pantera- "A New Level"
When life gets you down and you feel a tad downtrodden, Phil Anselmo is always there to remind you to find inner strength and hit people with a bat.
James Brown- "The Big Payback"
You can't fuck with James any day of the week. You GOT TA PAY BACK the people that are fucking you over if that has you down in the dumps. Tell 'em James.
Minor Threat- "Betray"
This song always puts things in perspective. People come and go, friends grow distant, things change.
New Order- "The Perfect Kiss"
I really have no explanation for this one, New Order just makes me want to dance a lot.
These are the albums that I've been jamming this week. This has been a pretty busy week, my band To Dust is finishing up an EP so in the near future I'll be posting songs and updates for that. Anywho, jam these fucking records because they are the bees' fuckin' knees.
Saturnine- Demo (2012)
Saturnine an all female doom metal / sludge band from Bologna, Italy that absolutely crushes! Super dark and heavy riffs are met with some ultra eerie shrieking vocals and a very ominous atmosphere. If you think this is a gimmick, check your ignorance at the door because this is the real deal kids. Expect a full length album on Razorback Records within the year and bare witness to big things from these Italian birds.
Morbid Angel- "Domination" (Giant, 1995)
"Domination" wasn't my favorite album by Morbid Angel as a youngster but as the years go by I notice myself listening to it more than any of their other records. The songs on "Domination" are noticeably more well put together than any of their earlier material and the band never sounded beefier and heavier than on this album. Tracks like "Eyes to See, Ears to Hear," "Dominate," "Where the Slime Live," and "Dawn of the Angry" are some of the best death metal songs of the 90s and Erik Rutan's playing is just insane on "Domination." Jam this and head bang until you have to ride the short bus.
Deftones- "Around the Fur" (Maverick / Warner Bros., 1997)
After a night out with the girlfriend she threw on "My Own Summer (Shove It)" and I immediately spent the next day listening to "Around the Fur" over and over. One of the most interesting and influential bands of the 90s, this is still the Deftones album that I listen to more than any other. "White Pony" may have catapulted them to the next level of success, but nothing can top the grooves of this record and its unique way of sucking you in.
Looking for an Answer- "Exctincion" (Living Dead Society, 2007)
Menacing vegan grindcore from Madrid, Spain. Nothing groundbreaking, but definitely capable of breaking your jaw in three places.
State of Fear- "Discography" (Profane Existence, 2004)
I hung out with some friends last week and after a couple of bong rotations, a bowl pack or two, and several shots of fireball, a State of Fear LP appeared. Long story short, this has been in rotation since. BLOODTHIRSTY SYSTEM!!!!
Here is my list of ten irreplaceable albums. As I've told Novak and other friends before, I like to refer to these as "desert island" records, albums that I would bring with me if I were to be stranded indefinitely in solitude. Each record is special to me for a unique reason and signifies a specific moment in my life. Listing these albums according to how much I care for them is unfitting (since I appreciate them all equally), so I am utilizing a trick I learned from the film High Fidelity and listing them autobiographically. These records mean more to me than any others, I hope you enjoy and give them a spin.
Nirvana- "From the Muddy Banks of the Wishka" (DGC, 1996)
My sister Gina was the first person to get me into music. Before she forced me to listen to Nirvana every day between 1993 and 1996, I didn't even care about music at all. I was lucky enough to have an older sister to bare witness to the mania surrounding this band first hand and they really were something special. No band since the Beatles had the world by the balls. I was immediately enthralled by Kurt Cobain, he was everything I wanted to be and I felt like every word he wrote was written to me personally. When he died in 1994, Gina took the day off from school and cried as if a family member had died. We watched Courtney Love read the suicide note on MTV that day and we knew the world had lost someone special. She was so depressed she gave a lot of her memorabilia away. I managed to snag a copy of "Muddy Banks..." during this time and, although it's not my favorite Nirvana album, it is definitely irreplaceable for its sentimental value.
Wu -Tang Clan- "Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers" (Loud, 1993)
The greatest hip hop album of the 90s and my one irreplaceable hip hop record, 36 Chambers is a classic in every way shape and form. Although still highly respected today by younger fans, Wu-Tang was the group in the 90s and absolutely no one could touch them bar for bar. Everything about this record reflected the group's unique abilities, philosophy, and message that transcended rap and entertainment and drastically influenced who I would become and what I would eventually spend hours in college studying.
Misfits- "Walk Among Us" (Plan 9, 1982)
The quintessential Misfits album, "Walk Among US" is certainly irreplaceable for any fan of punk or hardcore. This band was among the first bands I really ever got into and certainly one of the first bands in the underground music culture that I fell in love with. Everything about their image, music, and art fit my interests. As a huge horror movie fan, I fell in love with the band and still love throwing this album on with friends and yelling the lyrics.
At the Gates- "Slaughter of the Soul" (Earache, 1995)
By the time I was starting high school I was already a full on metal head. My best friend Anthony and I were rabid collectors of death, thrash, and black metal. Each month we read Terrorizer magazine like it was the Bible and learned as much as we could about different genres of extreme music. This is the best extreme metal release of all time and arguably the best metal record in history. You may disagree, but know that you are wrong.
Pig Destroyer- "Prowler in the Yard" (Relapse, 2001)
The most vicious record of all time with the angriest vocal delivery known to man, "Prowler in the Yard" was a game changer for me and helped me transition from a death metal obsessed nerd to a fan of other styles of music including grindcore, hardcore, and powerviolence. One of the most eclectic records in Relapse history, the second full length by Pig Destroyer set the bar for every band that followed them playing this style of music. Legendary shit to say the least.
Ulver- "Nattens Madrigal- Aate til Ulven I Madden" (Century Media, 1996)
Although I've only had a passing interest in black metal over the years, Ulver's "Eight Hymns to the Wolf in Man" is the best personification of black metal ever released. The best low-fi metal album ever, Hymns' ferocity is unmatched to this day. I could have picked any Ulver album for this list since they are one of my favorite bands ever, but their last piece of the black metal trilogy made me a fan and they've been impressing me ever since. The riff at 1:50 is the most evil thing ever recorded in human history.
Negative Approach- "Tied Down" (Touch and Go, 1983)
Negative Approach is the first "old school" hardcore band that I ever got into and they are the very best hardcore band ever in my not so humble opinion. I don't have anything else to say about them or this album. Own it.
Eyehategod- "Take As Needed for Pain" (Century Media, 1993)
I never picked up an Eyehategod record because, well, they have the lamest name in music history. The second I heard the walls of feedback, the heroin-soaked vocals of Mike IX, and the bluesy Black Sabbath wrestling the Melvins at a Discharge show riffs I knew I made a huge fucking mistake. I also knew that I would be listening to this band for the rest of my life. As my friend Matt Bolles always says, Eyehategod is "Rock Bottom Rock," the kind of shit that only the drug abused and downtrodden can make perfectly. Although massively influential, no other band has been able to capture the mood and aura of Eyehategod. When I was in college and battling crippling depression, I realized how powerful this album is. Sometimes it made me look at the knife and think it all needed to end, sometimes I headbanged in delight and loved life to the fullest, sometimes I chilled out and jammed it, sometimes it was just background noise. No matter what, it was always there for me and always will be.
Poison Idea- "Feel the Darkness" (American Leather, 1990)
"Soul of washrag, you show no sadness. Face of poker, you show no fear. Overwhelming, you show no mercy. Mediocre, you show no tears." Dedicated to everyone who has ever broken my heart. Poison Idea's "Feel the Darkness" is my favorite punk / hardcore / whatever genre you want to call it record. Every song is an anthem and has more conviction than anything else calling itself punk.
The Stooges- "Funhouse" (Elektra, 1970)
"Funhouse" is an album that my Aunt Joanne told me that I would absolutely love when I was older, but was too young to really understand at the age of sixteen. She was right, this is the best rock n' roll album ever made, period. Dirty, ugly, obnoxious, and chaotic, The Stooges were at the top of their game when this came out in 1970. People didn't get it then, and the fact that it took until 2010 to induct this band into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame is evidence that many people still don't.
House flood? Ex-girlfriend sell all your shit for shit? Don't worry dorks, I've got you covered! I'm sure it would be hard to replace every CD and record if my house exploded, but these would be the first 10 albums I'd go out and replace.
Brian Eno- Here Come the Warm Jets
This is one of my all time favorite albums. Eno's very first solo album and he fucking nailed it. There are sounds on this record that sound like they were made last week with digital processors, but were engineered back in 74. I actually have a fairly extensive post in the drafts on here about Eno. There are plenty of bands with extensive discographys, but it's always hit or miss. With Brian Eno, it's always hit and this was the start of it all.
Talking Heads- Remain in Light
This is one of my favorite sounding records, for an entirely different reason than other albums. It's so crisp and clean sounding, without losing any layers what so ever. Catchy, weird, but still well written songs! Woods fucking hates the Talking Heads, but he is also hates cats so what does he know?
David Bowie- Low
Perfect album. I may have heard this album from start to finish 10,302,291 times by now. It's made all types of blog posts from me before for most listened to albums, top 10 albums, etc. If you haven't listened to this, you should glue your foot in your ass. This would be one of the first three albums I'd replace if my studio blew up.
Tool- Lateralus
Much like Remain in Light, this is (for different reasons) also one of my favorite sounding records. The drums are fucking PERFECT. They're huge, but mixed well. Crisp, but all kinds of low end. Any time I think I have a good mix for a band, I refer to this album and feel like I'm back at square one. It sounds so good it pisses me off.
The Clash- London Calling
One of the most important albums of all time. This is a no bullshit album. It sounds ok production wise, but the songs are so fucking timeless that it could've been recorded on a cell phone and I'd still love it. It was my first taste of music that spoke against something while making your toes tap.
Autolux- Future Perfect
Forever my all time favorite album. The guitars on this album are amaaaazing. I always reference this albums for guitar and bass tones. It has an amazing atmosphere that suck me in every single time. Perfect from front to back.
Pixies- Doolittle
I know this list is comprised of go-to albums that I feel everyone should know like the back of their hands, but I really can't stress enough how important this album is to music. The Pixies are one of the most underrated bands in the world.
The Hives- Vena Vidi Vicious
This is hands down one of the most energetic active rock n' roll bands of my generation. From the first to very last song, it's a constant grand finale. I think most people discredit this band because they're so radio friendly, but go on youtube and watch a live video from any of their shows and it will all make sense.
My Bloody Valentine- Loveless
If you made a list and this wasn't on there, we aren't friends. One of the most important albums of the 90's. I could just imagine the conversations that must have gone on mixing this album (which took over two years) because everything is "wrong" by typical standards. There are walls of guitars, sweeping noise throughout all of the melodies, and the vocals act almost as another instrument rather than a focal point. It's important for albums like these to be released because it doesn't just break all the rules, it makes you cum.
Nine Inch Nails- The Fragile
You didn't really think I can make an essential list without having Nails on it, did you? It wasn't a hard decision which record to pick because this has always been my favorite. Although honestly I haven't given it as many listens the last few years as I did the last.. 10 years straight? One of the few albums that can INSTANTLY suck me into vivid places in my head. 10/10
If you don't have these albums, you should be ashamed. Get off facebook, pause your video game, kiss a pickle, and go buy these!!
The very first album I ever bought by Sepultura and still to this day a fixture in my collection, "Beneath the Remains" is arguably the band's best record and certainly their most aggressive. A perfect storm of thrash and early death metal influences, "Beneath..." is a no holds barred assault from start to finish. Blistering licks, pounding drums, ferocious vocals, and a pretty damn cool album cover make this album so special. I first picked this up at a used record store in Lyndhurst, OH when I was in 9th grade. My friend Anthony had pretty much forced me to listen to "Arise" (which I loved), but when I couldn't find that one I "settled" for this album because it looked like it had a cool cover and an old school sound. Although teenage years are defined by horrible decisions often, this was not one of them to say the least. "Beneath the Remains fucking rips! Somewhat overshadowed by the success of "Arise" and "Chaos A.D.," this album was definitely a game changer and assisted in the evolution from thrash metal to death metal. In the coming years Sepultura would bridge more gaps and, for better or worse, aid in the creation of newer sounds in metal and alter the course of music. Enough with all of the yappin' though, throw this tape, CD, or whatever on and get that head a bangin'!!!
When I was about 11-12 years old, discovering new music and digging through my dads massive record collection was all I cared about next to skateboarding. The two went seamlessly hand-in-hand. Watching the music in skate videos flow with the lines, the songs matching perfectly with the snaps of boards, it was perfect. Up until this point, I mainly listened to older punk and metal vinyl/tapes my dad had, but around this time, 1999-2000, rap was huge - from DMX, to all the Cash Money records, Dr.Dre had just put out his comeback record and although these all have their place in the scheme of things, it wasn't really me. A friend of mine I grew up skateboarding with gave me a bootleg tape his older brother had, and it completely changed hip-hop for me from that point on. It was a bootlegged tape of MF Doom's debut, Operation Doomsday (which wouldn't see a real tape release until over a decade later when it was re-released). The album was released in 1999 on Bobbito Garcia's label, Fondle 'Em Records in NYC. The album is very sample heavy, ranging from Isaac Hayes, the Deele, James Brown, and even The Beatles and his verses were much more witty, and sharp compared to what I was used to. It wasn't your typical gangster shit that was huge at the time, and it wasn't that 80's Sugar Hill Gang/Afrika Bambatta nonsense either (again, those have their place - just not with me). I was sucked in immediately...I remember getting rides from my mom to local record shops and annoying the shit out of the employees asking for more artists similar to Doom. The lo-fi style production with Doom's vocal delivery and weirder transitions into different pieces music would be the start of how I would view hip-hop. The start of my love for NYC/East Coast hip hop - and the start of start of what I think hip-hop could be.
It was 1993...or 4...or something like that. My mother was always listening to R & B from the 1960s while she cleaned the house and cooked the finest Italian food in Cuyahoga County. Most kids who eventually listen to aggressive music grew up listening to Led Zeppelin, Sabbath, and all of that stuff, but in the Reed house it was Luther Vandross, James Brown, The Temptations, and others. By the time I was old enough to start listening to music on my own I loved a show called All That on Nick that, if you are unfamiliar with, apologize to everyone you see today for your utter lameness. Being a sort of "Saturday Night Live for kids," All That featured live music, mostly from R & B and hip hop groups that weren't as dangerous as the Tupacs and Biggies of the day. When I first listened to TLC I was floored, excited, and something that I would understand in later years to be horny. Smooth beats, catchy hooks, awesome voices, a little rap, and plenty of Chili's hotness, the debut album from TLC is still a classic no matter what form you listen to it on.
