Saturday, December 29, 2012

Missing Link - 'Entourage Garage'

Here's a lost classic from the third-wave ska era...if there is such a thing. I first heard Missing Link on one of those JetSet mp3 compilations that came with various magazines in the 90's. A few years later, I finally located a copy of their sole release in a cutout bin. Why these guys never made it to the level of a Mighty Mighty Bosstones is beyond me. As far as I know, this is the only group aside from Sublime that successfully mixed hip hop and ska. I dunno why more groups didn't try a style like this...it seems obvious to me. However, whereas Sublime was a complex musical stew, this release is pretty much just third wave ska with turntables and a bunch of rappers.

The rappers are your average rapid-fire white boys, and the music is kinda generic, but the overall effect is a whole lot of fun. If you have any interest in ska, you'll probably dig this. Holds up a lot better than most other mid-90's ska releases.

Missing Link - 'Entourage Garage'
Tracklist:

1. La La
2. Na Na
3. Pussy Cat in the Kangol Hat
4. That Guy
5. Secret Mission
6. Wall Street
7. Barfly
8. Kama Sutra
9. L.I.N.K.
10. Bong Hit Sound
11. Bong Trip 2
12. Pass the Suds
13. Gong Sound (Dinner is Served)
14. Can't Remember
15. Fly Girl
16. G.P.C.
17. Drunken Man
18. Madd Boxx



***RE-UPLOADED 11/25/14***


DOWNLOAD

What? There's still good music? (aka Bizarro Jerry's top 10 for 2012)

Yep, that's right...

Everybody else does it...

The only problem with me is that I DESPISE most modern music...I pretty much hear MAYBE one thing each year that I keep in rotation. Everything else is rehash, or just awful new ideas. So, it was pretty surprising to find that I liked a lot more music this year than in the past. I mean, it's still going to be a stretch to make this a ten-item list, but that's pretty good for me considering.

No particular order.

1. Lil Ugly Mane - 'Mista Thug Isolation'
I've been diggin' this a lot recently...didn't like it so much when I heard it over summer, but then I got into old Memphis shit and realized just how genius this fucker is. Plus, I love the concept of producer/rapper split personalities. Shawn Kemp is the producer, but Lil Ugly Mane is his rap caricature. And WHAT a caricature. Constantly doped-out pimp who makes references to the Ernest movies and drinking Vernors in the same 8 bars. The beats are all dusty-sounding and creepy as hell.

2. SpaceGhostPurrp - 'Mysterious Phonk: The Chronicles of SpvcxGhxztPvrrp'
A cohort of Ugly Mane's, this dude broke through and got signed to 4AD (best known for putting out Pixies and Red House Painters albums)...The more I listen to this album, the less I like his lyrics, but the beats are undeniably cool. I heard he's considering doing JUST production work, which might be a good idea. Not that he's a bad rapper...just a little too heavy on the sex rhymes...to the point where it's annoying. Oh well. 'Git Ya Head Bust' is probably the coolest rap song I've heard this year.

3. OFWGKTA - 'The OF Tape, Vol. 2'
Still kinda disappointed these guys aren't blowing up like I thought they would. I mean, I was all ready for these folks to be the next Nirvana and save pop music. Oh well, maybe it'll just be a lil longer of a process. We'll see once Earl's solo album drops...I'm betting it'll be the best thing this crew puts out to date. As it stands, I didn't like this QUITE as much as 'Goblin,' and I don't like either as much as 'Earl,' but I still like this a lot. Some of the beats are a little too 'commercial' sounding (Mike G, I'm lookin' at you) but overall, it's fun. Not as over-the-top as Tyler's albums, not as weird either, but as the world's first 'proper' introduction to the Wolfgang crew, it's great. Everybody can freak out about Frank Ocean's album if they want, but I really didn't think it held a candle to this shit.

4. Kendrick Lamar - 'good kid, m.A.A.d city'
To be honest, I haven't even listened to this all the way through. I heard 'Section.80' earlier this year and thought it was really cool, and even cooler since this guy's career is really taking off. Then I heard 'Poetic Justice' on the radio and figured he's just gonna become the next Drake. But, what with all my friends raving about this album, I'm giving it a second listen as we speak, and it's pretty good. Not as interesting to my ears as the previously-mentioned album, but WAYYYYY better than anything those fucks Kanye, Drake or Lil Wayne could come up with. Still cool that he's doing something different and getting recognized for it.

5. Death Grips - 'NO LOVE DEEP WEB'
 

(No picture, cuz I don't wanna put a disclaimer on the blog for ONE post. Look it up if you're really curious, it's just Zach Hill's dick with the title written on it.)

Hmmm, which Death Grips album to put on here? I mean, they put out TWO this year. I'm going with the one that immediately stuck with me more. I loved 'Ex-Military,' but then they got rid of all the cool samples on 'The Money Store,' so I didn't give it a fair shot. To me, this seems like an improvement on the sample-less style of MS. A lot more 'evil' sounding, which makes sense considering the real-life drama surrounding the album. These guys seem like genuinely unstable, crazy people. We'll see what happens.

6. Burzum - 'Umskiptar'
Everybody's pretty harsh on ol' Varg these days...it's either 'oh he's an evil racist, so I don't even give his music the time of day' or 'oh, his music's garbage now that he's paid his debt to society.' Whatever. This guy got out of jail and went right back to work after like 20 years, and I have respect for that. Also, the three records he's put out since then are some of the best black metal coming out these days, this one being my favorite. I dunno, I just really like the fact that the atmospheric tracks have guitar and words now.

7. Deftones - 'Koi No Yokan'
If you couldn't guess from the big post I devoted to this album a while back, I liked it quite a bit. Not quite up to the level of 'White Pony' or 'Around the Fur,' but it's another solid Deftones release for sure. I think I like it better than both 'Diamond Eyes' and 'Saturday Night Wrist,' but that might be the 'new album blindness' talkin'...

8. The Frogs - 'Count Yer Blessingsz'/'Squirrel Bunny Jupiter Deluxe'
I'd feel like a dick for not including this double-release, considering the recent death of Dennis Flemion, one-half of the group. Sure, it's not a 'Racially Yours,' but it's a fitting send-off to the group, which is weird considering it came out about a week before Dennis' passing. One album is serious songs, the other is the joke songs the group is known for. Both are completely worth your time.

9. Quakers - S/T
I don't know much about this album, other than one of the producers (it's rap) came from Portishead. It's also got a rapper called Guilty Simpson who I've heard of, but beyond that, i'unno. It's really cool, though. Something like 40 songs, all of them very short. Some of the beats definitely remind me of the classic trip-hop sound, but then there's old school De La Soul-style tracks, weird spacey stuff, and tracks that have a whole new sound. Like the best mixtape (REAL mixtape, not 'rap' mixtape) of rap music 89-2012, but it's not, it's an album. How bout that?

10. V/A - 'Tomorrow's Achievements: Parry Music Library 1976-86'
Okay...it doesn't REALLY count cuz it's an archive release, but I honestly can't find anything else to put on here. At least, not without bending the truth a little, and I'm not into that. What you've got here is one of the coolest library music releases ever....total BBC PBS cheese...ALL synth. Some songs are totally atmospheric, and others are like lost backing music for 'Night Rider.' Love it.


...and some notes about the state of music in 2012, if you're interested:

*Killer Mike is boring and unoriginal. Why is everybody losing their shit about this guy?
*Frank Ocean's album was pretty cool, and definitely more original than ANY R&B released since the days of the Fugees, but I think that has a tendency to make people look for something that isn't there. He still uses a lot of auto-tune, and had a lot of help making the music, but he's on the right track for a pop musician.
*If you are in a band, please consider NOT over-producing your shit. This rendered so many albums unlistenable to me. It might be the thing to do nowadays, but so was gated reverb in the 80's.
*God damn a lot of shitty music is coming out these days. Please, no more 'wave' stuff...i.e. 'chillwave.' If you wanna write shitty 80's dance songs, then call it like it is. It's not ironic or cool just cuz you've got some hipstery blurry photo on the album cover.
*Rap music is where it's at. I think rock might be exhausted as a genre. It had its heyday in the 60's/70's, and again in the 90's. Currently, however, hip hop/rap is the only genre with consistently interesting albums coming out.
*Lots of sorta-cool releases happened, but they just didn't hold my attention. Guided By Voices and Dinosaur Jr both put out competent releases this year, but neither expanded on their sound, or refined it in a way they haven't tried before. Sorry folks, but Dinosaur is NOT 'just as good' as they were in the 80's, or even the 90's. I'd take one of J's solo Dinosaur outings over new stuff any day.

Lastly, my band (recently disbanded) put out two full-lengths this year. How 'bout that? You can hear both HERE.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Bizarro Jerry's Trash Radio, Vol. 10

Back to metal this week, but here's last week's Trash Radio...lotsa weirdo shit.


Tracklist:

The Atlantics - Bombora
N.O.D. - Niggaz Of Destruction
Konrad - It's Only a Matrix
Roland Bocquet - Digital Vision
Parker, Steve and Kevin Harrison - Caught Then Drowned Affection
Old - Disconnect Self
The Dead C - Suffer Bomb Damage
Psycho Jesus - Tylerdurden
Dillinger Escape Plan - Calculating Infinity
Mahmoud Awad - Girls, Girls, Girls!!!
Mongo Santamaria - Watermelon Man
Misantropical Painforest - Wood Chain Summoning
Dave Dub - The Treatment
Sensational - Craving Satisfaction
Macintosh Plus - (Title in Japanese)
Jay Roosevelt - Glass House
Guy Boyer and Jean-Yves Guihal - Golf Driving
Library: Rouge - Alpha
Lewis - Cool Night in Paris
Grant Moros - Death Be the Penalty
Secret Birds - Zen Pyramid
Prince Jammy - 32 Bit Chip
The HATE Noise - Earth (My Beautiful Home)
SPV Click - Playa Posse All So Deep
Incubator - Games of a Moonmurder
Keith Hudson - Satia
Franco Battiato - Bandiera Bianca
Casino Gardens - Soda Cans
Shudder to Think - White Page
YlangYlang - 2 Stoned 2 Dream
Pizzo, San Quinn, Silkk and Master P - High Fo Xmas
Pyramids - Pressure
Davy Walklett - Darkness Divide
Jandek - I Knew You Would Leave
Les Luthiers - Oi Gadonaya
Poor Boy Rappers - Low Rider Rap
Essex - Cemetary Stomp
Leviathan - He Whom Shadows Move Towards
Residents - Lights Out
Three 6 Mafia - Niggaz Ain't Barin' Dat

Friday, December 14, 2012

Bizarro Jerry's Trash Radio, Vol. 9 - Slime City Edition

Here's the entire show that contained last week's Slime City podcast. The music I surrounded it with is equally weird, I think.


Tracklist:

Butthole Surfers - Strangers Die Everyday
Three 6 Mafia - Smoked Out, Loced Out
Otis G. Johnson - Time to Go Home
Five Starcle Men - Mommy on Drugs
DeWolfe - Chinese Torture
Young Bleed - Murderous
SFHHH - Day Care
Eyehategod - Run it Into the Ground
Godorrhoea - (Various)
Ruth White - Tower
Death - Night Demon
Black Mayonnaise - Graveyard
Hendrickson Road House - Things I Never Had
Ann Summer - Plastisk Population
Koopsta Knicca - Purple Thang
Bizarro Jerry's Slime City
Lil Ugly Mane - Radiation (Lung Pollution) (ft. Supa Sortahuman)
Gangsta Pat - I Wanna Smoke
Video Liszt - Pictures of Machine Men
Dale Jenkins - Depression
Tomo Akikawabaya - Dream of No Pillow
Mirag - Black Temple Carved in Smoke Pt. 2
Fog - The Smell of Failure
Kingpin Skinny Pimp - Long Story
Fudge Tunnel - Hate Song
Gary Wilson - Loneliness
Man City Lion - Tid Lom Ta Lai (Drinking Whiskey Until I'm Blurred)
Reco - Jolly Jolly Buddy Buddy
The Astrology Album - Sagittarius
Enon - Cruel

NOTE: 'Slime City' begins after the Koopsta track.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Slime City #1

...and here's that experimental, meta-radio broadcast I posted about earlier. It's an aural trip through Slime City, a region with more gyms than churches...similar to the moods conjured up by the music of James Ferraro and Casino Gardens. In fact, a couple James Ferraro tracks make appearances, as well as lots of dirty south lo-fi rap, library music, and weird synth stuff...LOTS of sound effects and 80's commercials, too.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Forte 11-30-12

Gonna do a couple more Trash Radios, so this is the last Forte for a few weeks, even though that seems to piss off the metalheads in Kalamazoo. WIDR podcasts here.

Tracklist:

Saint Vitus - Dying Inside
Skeleton of God - Urine Garden
Left Lane Cruiser - Black Lung
Smargoth - The Anvil of Fate
7000 Dying Rats - Paranoid
Aggressor - Barabas
Amen - When a Man Dies a Woman
Salem's Wych - Run From the Devil
Zarach 'Baal' Tharagh - Black sheep forever.
Sempiternal Deathreign - Creep-O-Rama
Absent Distance - Goliath's Brow (ft. Karlo Horvat)
Flagitious Idiosyncrasy in the Dilapidation - In the Gray Room
Timeghoul - Occurrence on Mimas
Jesters of Destiny - Diggin' That Grave
Nuit Noire - Magical Blast
Graveyard - Thin Line
Incubator - Plants of the Bizarre
Ufomammut - God
Wasteform - Cycles of Tyranny
Skeleton of God - Withered Humans
Bongripper - Reefer Sutherland
Internal Void - Desolate Cemetery
Solefald - Countryside Bohemians
Mortuary Drape - The Last Supper
Gigantic Brain - Animal Implant
Aspid - Tam Gde Noch
Gadget - Black Light
The Gault - Outer Dark
Skeleton of God - Cerebral Vipers
Burzum - Dunkelheit

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Return to Trash Radio

For those of you who liked my Trash Radio broadcasts this summer, I'm bringin' 'em back for a few more editions. The first one is going to be something different. It's my first stab at what might be called 'experimental' or 'meta' radio...it's an aural trip to a place called Slime City...kind of like getting sucked into a 1980's made-for-tv-movie and exercise video all at once...or at least that's what it's supposed to be like. It's a sound collage made up of library music, lo-fi, 80's commercials, exercise videos, and hypnotic hip hop. Anyhow, here's how it's going down.

I'm doing this in the Forte slot on WIDR FM...11 pm to 2 am this Friday night (EST). The Slime City broadcast will be an hour long, and will appear right in the middle of the show.

You can stream WIDR live here. Just click on the 'Listen Now' icon in the upper right-hand corner.

Sometimes the web stream lags, so if you hear punk rock, keep listening...I should be on in a bit.

Of course, I'll upload the podcast here at some point.

If it goes over well, I might do a few more Slime City broadcasts, and I'll definitely be doing some more Trash Radio things.

Friday, November 30, 2012

Forte 11-16-12

...a week behind on these 'cuz I was sick last week. Oh well, here's my show from two weeks ago. As always, you can get the podcast RITE HERE. iTunes only, I think.

Tracklist:

Iron Maiden - Killers
Primordial - The Burning Season
Incubator - Thinkin' Green - Believe in Grey
Yakuza - Chicago Typewriter
Decimator - Mutant Lieutenant
Blood Feast - Cannibal
Hellhammer - Maniac
Dub Trio - Felicitation
O.L.D. - Vein Water
Von - Devil Pig
Harvester - Cosmonautical Mile
Ripping Corpse - Beyond Humanity
Medieval Steel - Echoes
Pyha - Song of the Elderly
Enslaved - Hollow Inside
Devolved - Terminal Enslavement
downset. - Eyes Shut Tight
Diskord - Inane Existence
Puya - Montate
Bad Acid Trip - Strange Humans
Spaceboy - The Melting World
De Magia Veterum - I Am the Vine
Spastic Ink - To Counter and Groove in E Minor
Snot - Absent
Satan - Hunt You Down
Breadwinner - Kisses Men on the Mouth
Ash Pool - Under Zyklon Blue
The Deadlights - Bitter
Rotting Christ - One with the Forest
Gehennah - 666, Drunks and Rock'n'Roll
Orange 9mm - Failure
Cannibal Corpse - Sanded Faceless
maudlin of the Well - The Ferryman
Tiamat - Winter Dawn
Crypt of Kerberos - Yule Horror
Dead Horse - Like Asrielle
Napalm Death - Display to Me...

Thursday, November 29, 2012

More Obscuro

Y'all are just eatin' this up, so I'll do three more.

Episode 61 - 4-2-10 CIRCUIT RIDER - 'S/T'

Tracklist:

Jerry Solomon - They Came from Everywhere
Bob Smith - Don't Tell Lady Tonight
Carson's Raiders - The Teenage March
The O - Do It
Full Dimensional - Weeds
Raymond Scott - Sleepy Time
Jandek - Bells and Voices
Hot Poop - Screamin'
Pineapples - Come On Closer
Crime - Piss on Your Dog
Algebra Suicide - Lethargy
Boa Constrictor and a Natural Vine - Devil and the Ace of Spades
Emil Richards and the Microtonal Blues Band - Mantra
Circuit Rider - Old Time Feeling
Circuit Rider - How Long
Circuit Rider - Forever Angel's Proud
Circuit Rider - Laught
Circuit Rider - Just for Today
Circuit Rider - Limousine Ride
Circuit Rider - Billy Bad Billy
Circuit Rider - Chinese
Circuit Rider - Red Dog
Circuit Rider - Old Charlie
Art Carney - Song of the Sewer
Heartbeat Brothers - Growing Up
Henry Flynt - Jumping Wired
Stroke Band - Son of Sam
Danny Espy - When Will the Sun Shine

Episode 62 - 4-9-10 DEBRIS - 'STATIC DISPOSAL'

Tracklist:

Svaty Vincent - Absolutni Vedomi
Flugeldar - I Wish You Were a Puppy Forever
Nobunny - I Am a Girlfriend
Linval Thompson and Big Joe - Smoke Marijuana
Freddie Blassie - Pencil Neck Geek
Madrigal - Tambula
Drug Problem - Sexually Transmitted Text Message
Eddy Detroit - Evil Dark Face
Ruth White - Evening Harmony
Anton LaVey - ...On Satanism
MC Trachiotomy - Long to Hold You
MC Trachiotomy - You're On the Phone
Debris - One Way Spit
Debris - Female S
Debris - Witness
Debris - Tricia
Debris - Boyfriend
Debris - Leisurely Waiting
Debris - New Smooth Lunch
Debris - Manhattan
Debris - Flight Taken
Debris - Tell Me
Debris - Blue Girls
Thai Orchestra - (Unknown Track 1)
Wicked Witch - Fancy Dancer (Previously Unreleased Re-Mix)
Husbands - Who's Got the Pot?
Phew - Mapping

Episode 63 - 4-16-10 SENSATIONAL - 'LOADED WITH POWER'

Tracklist:

Edan - Migraine (Almighty Dust Mix)
Hurt 'Em Bad and the S.C. Band - Monday Night Football
MC Trachiotomy - Discover It
Ricky B - Shake it fa ya Hood
Del the Funky Homosapien - Back in the Chamber
Zagu Brown - State of Mind
MC Potbelly - Santa is Dead
Basehead - 2000 B.C.
The O - Nausea Bluez
Dr. Clarke - H1N1 Rap
V1rus - Wolverine is a Bitch
Z-Man - Historical Moments
Lil Mac - Gangsta Groove
Esham - HeltersKKKelter
Sensational - Thick Marker
Sensational - Where it Started at
Sensational - Freak Styler
Sensational - Skit N' Scatterin'
Sensational - Vibration
Sensational - Hardcore
Sensational - Craving Satisfaction
Sensational - Bumpity Bump
Sensational - Served Proper
Sensational - Waistline Unstraight
Sensational - Ripping It
Sensational - After Hours
Sensational - Freaky Alert
Sensational - Umm
Sensational - When I Deal Minze
Subtitle ft. Radioinactive - 28
Orko the Sykotik Alien - Put it on Cassette

NOTE: We didn't quite make it through the Sensational album, which is a bit longer than your average LP. This is also like my first attempt at 'Incredibly Strange Rap,' of which there are many.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Obscuro 'casts

Episode 58 - 3-5-10 BLACK WIDOW - 'SACRIFICE'

Tracklist:

The Astrology Album - Aquarius
Harry Perry - Message
Little Howlin' Wolf - Shangri-La
Raven - Can't You See
Lil Mac - Young and Embarrassed
Exuma - Snake
Desiree - God of Hell
Rita Lee - Tempo Nublado
Jimi LaLumia and the Psychotic Frogs - Fucked By the Devil
Clem Hutchins - White Cloud
Zu - Chthonian
Black Widow - In Ancient Days
Black Widow - Way to Power
Black Widow - Come to the Sabbat
Black Widow - Conjuration
Black Widow - Seduction
Black Widow - Attack of the Demon
Black Widow - Sacrifice
Bobby Brown - My Hawaiian Home

Episode 59 - 3-12-10 BIZARRO JERRY'S RECORD FAIR

Tracklist:

Sleep - Dragonaut
Captain Beefheart - Dropout Boogie
Sunny Day Real Estate - J'Nuh
Iron Maiden - Purgatory
Fat Boys - Hell No!
Hawkwind - Down Through the Night
Dillinger - Cocaine in My Brain
Fifty Foot Hose - Rose
Mission of Burma - Trem Two
The Bevis Frond - City of the Sun
Melvins - Ligature
Beastie Boys - Rhymin and Stealin
Peter Tosh - Legalize It
Moss - Dragged to the Roots
Zakarrias - Country Out of Reach
Link Wray and His Ray Men - The Swag
Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire
The Fuzz - Nailed
Roky Erickson and the Aliens - I Think of Demons
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Baby Appeal
Rage Against the Machine - People of the Sun
Syd Barrett - Rats
Slint - Nosferatu Man

NOTE: I think I bought a bunch of records at a record fair, and was excited about it, so this whole show is from my vinyl.

Episode 60 - 3-26-10 WIDR ALLNIDR

Tracklist:

Whiskey Pickers Live in the WIDR Studios
Sandoz - Apple Core Machine
Hawkwind - Earth Calling
Kenneth Higney - No Heavy Trucking
gONNA gET gOT - Da Story (Slick Rick Remix)
Pain Teens - Shock Treatment
Circuit Rider - Red Dog
Stephen David Heitkotter - Fly Over the Moon
Ende Shneafliet - Champagne
Prince G and the Clever MC's - Happy Holiday
Patron Saints - Flower
Rotten Wood Moon Live in the WIDR Studios

NOTE: Technically, this is episode 61, but whatev. I lost a podcast along the way, apparently, but such is life. This is the WIDR ALLNIDR, which I created with my buddy Golden Joe, and which we still do yearly at WIDR. It's 12 hours of live, on-air music (with breaks in between obviously for set-up and take-down).

Sunday, November 25, 2012

No rules - punk rock

So, I made a Rate Your Music account, and started putting together some lists. I figured since I've got all this crazy music, I might as well share it with others.

This particular list is exactly the same as the one I created on Rate Your Music.

To preface, these are some of (what I think are) the most forward-thinking albums of the original punk rock era. Real experimentation, real dudes, really new ideas. These also happen to be some of my favorite albums...not just in the punk-rock spectrum of music.

Minutemen - 'Double Nickels on the Dime' - punk + avant-funk-Creedence-worship
Husker Du - 'Zen Arcade' - punk + psych-pop
The Secret Syde - 'Hidden Secrets' - punk + surf-psych
Operation Ivy - 'Energy' - punk + ska
Dead Milkmen - 'Big Lizard in My Backyard' - punk + stoner comedy
Rudimentary Peni - 'Death Church' - punk + crazy
Meat Puppets - 'II' - punk + country-psych
Sun City Girls - 'S/T' - punk + middle-eastern
Pere Ubu - 'The Modern Dance' - punk + avant-garde
Wire - 'Pink Flag' - punk + art
Black Flag - 'My War' - punk + sludge-art
NoMeansNo - 'Wrong' - punk + jazz-fusion
Dead Kennedys - 'Frankenchrist' - punk + evil surf
Flipper - 'Album: Generic Flipper' - punk + mean
Dicks - 'Kill From the Heart' - punk + blues
Rudimentary Peni - 'Cacophony' - punk + Lovecraft
Wipers - 'Youth of America' - punk + psych
Big Boys - 'Skinny Elvis' - punk + funk
The Homosexuals - 'The Homosexuals' Record' - punk + art-lo-fi
Kortatu - 'S/T' - punk + ska
Suicidal Tendencies - 'S/T' - punk + skate-metal
Cardiacs - 'The Seaside' - punk + Zappa
The Cure - 'Three Imaginary Boys' - punk + minimal-sad
Butthole Surfers - 'Psychic...Powerless...Another Man's Sac' - punk + noise-experimental-crazy-drugs
The Flesh Eaters - 'A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die' - punk + goth-billy
Bad Brains - 'Rock for Light' - punk + reggae

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Obscuro podcasts

After beating you over the head with nu-metal all week, here are three more Obscuro! podcasts for your listening pleasure. We left off at February, 2010.

Episode 55 - 2-12-10

Tracklist:

Sound Ceremony - Invitation to the Bizarre
Alvin Dahn - You're Driving Me Mad
Jerry Solomon - Chivalry of Early 50's
Jerry Solomon - Denied (All of Human Life)
Cloroform - Hostile Takeover
Twilight Nuages - Lonely Clown
Bruce Haack - Mallangong
Ego Summit - Novocaine
Dean Milan - Do it Like a Dog
Dimentia 13 - Can You Hear the Walls Melting
Minister and Nuns - It Feels Good to Be Good
Rustic Hinge - T on the Lawn for 3
Jandek - The Side of the Road
Sklof - Bonnie Prince Charlie
White Noise - The Visitations
Morty Shann and the Morticians - Movin' In
The Kids of Widney High - Hollywood
Arcesia - Soul Wings
This Heat - The Fall of Saigon/Testcard
Comus - Song to Comus
Coven - Pact with Lucifer
The Kinbotes - Zombie Girl
Jeep - Monkey Named John
The Lat-Teens - Smoke Shop
Nicodemus and Matchez - Legend of the Headless Harley Rider
Jerry Rayson - Espaco--With Space

Episode 56 - 2-19-10

Tracklist:

Parafruit - Keep it in the Closet
Richard Powell - Where Has the Love Gone?
Dwarr - Animals
YaHoWa 13 - Pain
Debris - Manhattan
Rockin' Richie Ray - Baseball Card Lover
Red Krayola - Miss X
Erica Pomerance - Julius
Eddy Detroit - Mephisto Cigars (Folk Version)
The Screamers - Vertigo
Kit Ream - Wines
V-3 - Caucasian White
Sun City Girls - Blue Mambo
Exuma - Fire in the Hole
Bobb Trimble - Armour of the Shroud
Perry L. Jackson - Desert Wind
Sandy Hurvitz - Three Hawks
The Frogs - Children Run Away
Woodstock Al - Communication Breakdown
Sunburned Hand of the Man - The Underground Press
Adult - The End
Bill Bissett and th' Mandan Massacre - Awake in th' Red Desert
Jim Shepard - A Streetcar Named Depression
Mij - Two Stars
Wild Man Fischer - Serrano Beach
Pip Proud - A Bird in the Engine
Creepy John Thomas - Trippin' Like a Dog and Rockin' Like a Bitch

Episode 57 - 2-26-10 LOFIO

Tracklist:

Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments - My Mysterious Death (Turn it Up)
Gibson Bros. - Big Pine Boogie
Rocket from the Tombs - Ain't it Fun
Gibson Bros. - Moon Twist
electric eels - Accident
V-3 - Horse Kick
Ego Summit (ft. Mike Rep) - Black Hole
Pere Ubu - Small was Fast
Ego Summit (ft. Tommy Jay) - Novocaine
Mike Rep and the Quotas - Mama was a Schizo, Daddy was a Vegetable Man
V-3 - Forever Low Man
Tommy Jay - I was There
Pi Corp - Devil Weed
Jim Shepard - Burn Forward
Bassholes - Blackbird
electric eels - Dead Man's Curve
Pere Ubu - Final Solution
Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments - Is She Shy
Pere Ubu - Chinese Radiation
Jim Shepard - Pull the Switch, Henry
Rocket from the Tombs - Transfusion
V-3 - American Face
Tommy Jay - Village Idiot
Pere Ubu - Nonalignment Pact
Mike Rep and the Quotas - Rocket Music On
Vertical Slit - 7:00 AM Jam
Jim Shepard - Interstate/End
Ego Summit (ft. Ron House) - Beyond the Laws
Ego Summit (ft. Jim Shepard) - Illogical

NOTE: This episode focuses on the multiple lo-fi groups/artists from Columbus, OH that I've come to love. I don't know why I didn't expand it into OTHER Ohio cities and play Guided By Voices and Brainiac, but I must've had a reason. Still a good collection of tunes, some dating back to the mid-70's.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Nu-metal appreciation week 4 - Orange 9mm and Jimmie's Chicken Shack

It's Saturday...the steady stream of nu-metal will dry up soon enough, don't worry.

I posted Orange 9mm's 'Tragic' album a looonnnng time ago as part of my Kutout Bin Klassics series, but the link has long been gone. Not much else I can say about this'un....let's see...

They started as a late-era hardcore band (like Quicksand, Failure, etc) but morphed into a rap-metal act in the late 90's...posers?? No. I read someone describe the production here as similar to AmRep stuff, and I won't deny it. It's very hard edged...lots of vocal distortion and buzzsaw guitar tones. There's also a LOT of catchiness...a lot lot lot lot of great songs. The lyrics are more apathetic than most nu-metal and it's got a lot more of an 'indie rock' influence, which might be why they never broke through to the mainstream. Whatever the case, 'Failure' is the SINGLE best rap-metal song of all time. Plus, 'Kiss it Goodbye' is the ONLY acoustic rap-metal song I've ever heard.

Orange 9mm - 'Tragic'
Tracklist:

1. Fire in the Hole
2. Tragic
3. 7
4. Gun to Your Head
5. Stick Shift
6. Dead in the Water
7. Method
8. Crowd Control
9. Muted
10. Take You Away
11. Failure
12. Feel It
13. Kiss it Goodbye

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The other album I'm posting is another one that, to me, transcends music genres. Jimmie's Chicken Shack might have a stupid name, dreadlock white dudes and a black bassist, but they are NOT your average nu-metal band. Vocalist/guitarist Jimi Haha was a pro-surfer who decided to start a band in the early 90's. He has a VERY unusual guitar style that I would compare to Les Claypool's bass style, but more riff-oriented. It's like he's telling you a joke with his guitar...the riffs are just so goofy. Try listening to 'Spiderweb' and not immediately picking up a guitar and trying to play it. He also has good lyrics. Sometimes they lean a little too much into 311-overwhelmingly-pukingly-positive fodder, but usually he translates his 'stoner dude who hates everything but still has hope that not all people are stupid as fuck' attitude perfectly into lyrics. 'When You Die, You're Dead' might be the best 'message' song of the nu-metal era...unfortunately, none of their other stuff is really all that great. 2nd LP sounded more like Sugar Ray, then they kinda got lost in the major label shuffle. I gave their 'comeback' album a listen and it was okay...the coolest thing being a cover of Fugazi's 'Waiting Room.'

Jimmie's Chicken Shack - 'Pushing the Salmanilla Envelope'
Tracklist:

1. Dropping Anchor
2. Outhouse
3. High
4. Spiderweb
5. Blood
6. This is Not Hell
7. Milk
8. Hole
9. School Bus
10. Another Day
11. Sitting with the Dog
12. When You Die You're Dead

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Friday, November 16, 2012

Forte 11-9-12

Back in business with the playlists...dunno if this one will be uploaded yet, but HERE is the podcast page...sometimes things get done very slowly at WIDR, but I guarantee all the shows will be listenable there pretty soon.

Voivod - Prolog/Experiment
Bologna Violenta - Paura in Citt
Nihil Nocturne - Phenomenon
Coroner - Metamorphosis
Surachai - Void
Morgus - Violent Beatings
Mudbath - Loserwood
Meathook Seed - A Furred Grave
Sodom - Sepulchral Voice
Circle of Ouroborus - These Days and Years to Kill
The Black Meat Procession - Fudge Tunnel
Atheist - Second to Sun
False - The Key of Passing Suffering
Fear of God - Running Through the Blood
Obliveon - Droidomized
Dragged Into Sunlight - Part II of 'Widowmaker'
Optimum Wound Profile - Melt
Executioner - Going Blind
Lento - The Roof
Deftones - Swerve City
Deftones - Gauze
EYETOFUK - Orgasm Killed Bill
Morbid Angel - Invocation of the Continual One
Wrath of the Weak - The Thunderstorm
ID-VISION - Destination Cybermind
DBC - Heliosphere
Acid King - Evil Satan
Bolt Thrower - Psychological Warfare
Reveille - Perfect World
Burzum - Key to the Gate
Possessed - Burning in Hell
Multicide - Zero Element
Cythrawl - Pact of Blood with the Black Stag

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Nu-metal appreciation week 3 - The Deadlights, downset. and Deftones (again)

...and another...

...week's almost through, so if yer hatin' this, no worries.

What sparked this mega-post was the release of the new Deftones album 'Koi No Yokan' which I covered in the first post. So, it only makes sense to post the very first 'tones release, their demo '(Like) Linus.' I can't really recommend this to a non-Deftones fan...and even somebody who likes them might not get into it. I'm kind of indifferent. There are a few cool songs here that don't appear on any studio album, but MOST of the unreleased tracks just blow. The band wasn't sure if they wanted to take the more hard-rock approach that ended up on 'Adrenaline' or do a more laid-back, 311/Incubus-stye thing. I'm really REALLY glad they chose the former, although I guess they would've still been pioneers either way. Mostly, this is just a cool snapshot of a band in their very early years...plus it's super rare, so there's that.

Deftones - '(Like) Linus' Demo
Tracklist:

1. Like Linus
2. Hump
3. Answers
4. Some People
5. Christmas
6. Plastic
7. Venison
8. Gift (aka Guest)
9. Freaks
10. Engine No. 9
11. Roots
12. 7 Words
13. Teething

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Also being featured in this post is the sophomore album by downset. This band always struck me as a working man's Rage Against the Machine. They didn't have the smarts of Zach or Tom Morello, or the musical chops to write crazy riffs 'n shit, but they made solid rap-metal. Above-average lyrics, and well-written songs. Never heard the debut, but I think it was more rap-oriented, which is strange because they took a much more hardcore-punk direction later on...think they did some stuff on Epitaph after they got dropped by their major in the great rap-metal purge of 2001.

downset. - 'Do We Speak a Dead Language?'
Tracklist:

1. Intro
2. Empower
3. Eyes Shut Tight
4. Keep On Breathing
5. Hurl a Stone
6. Fire
7. Touch
8. Against the Spirits
9. Sickness
10. Pocket Full of Fatcaps
11. Sangre De Mis Manos
12. Horrifying
13. Sickness (Reprise)
14. Permanent Days Unmoving
15. Ashes in Hand

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Lastly, here's a group called The Deadlights who only released this one album. Just another act to completely disappear once people stopped caring about nu-metal, but one I actually felt pretty bad about, even at the time. If shit like this reached a wider audience, maybe nu-metal would've never disappeared (what a scary thought.) These guys tweaked the formula just enough to do their own thing. Kinda like Tool, but not as experimental, and with a vocalist who is less love him/hate him. I always thought this singer did the whispered verse/shouted chorus wayyyyy better than anyone else. Creepy, too. This self-titled disc is one of the strongest of the nu-metal era.

The Deadlights - S/T
Tracklist:

1. Bitter
2. Amplifier
3. Nothing
4. Sweet Oblivion
5. Junk
6. Sado
7. Foolish Pride
8. Whores
9. Pox Eclipse
10. Distant Sun
11. Time
12. Falling Down

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Monday, November 12, 2012

Nu-metal appreciation week 2 - Union Underground, (Hed) PE and Snot

So here's another one of these posts.

I'm sorry if you aren't amused by nu-metal like I am. I 'came of age' in the late 90's, when this shit was all over the place. My goal here isn't exactly to make fun of nu-metal because, obviously, the last post was the Deftones, who I love. Moreso, I'm showin' ya some of the more 'essential' albums from this genre. I mean, you're not going to find any Limp Bizkit or Korn here, because fuck those guys.

First up, we've got the debut (and only) release from the Texas band Union Underground, 'An Education in Rebellion.' I remember hearing 'Turn Me On, Mr. Deadman' at a friend's house and being pretty impressed by it, but I was in 7th grade. Looking back, these guys are kind of a watered-down Marilyn Manson specially packaged for mall dorks, but they really weren't too bad. I'd rather listen to this album than Manson's stuff, honestly. It's kind of like generic industrial metal crossed with generic grunge-rock with a pinch of generic rap-metal riffage. Nothing very original, obviously, but how can you not want to rock out to a song that has the lyric 'trippin' like a fuckhead?'

Other great lyrics:

'Come on, come on, come on, get up, get up, south Texas deathride, you motherfuck.'
'Look at this, a little faggot is a millionaire.'
'I get so high that I trip with Jesus.'
...need I go on? C'mon...you NEED this one.

The Union Underground - '...An Education in Rebellion'
Tracklist:

1. ...An Education in Rebellion
2. Drivel
3. South Texas Deathride
4. Turn Me On, Mr. Deadman
5. Until You Crack
6. Killing the Fly
7. Natural High
8. Revolution Man
9. Trip With Jesus
10. Bitter
11. The Friend Song

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Next is the debut, self-released EP by (Hed) PE, 'Church of Realities.' In my eyes, these guys were always a little more legit than your average 'rap-rock' group. First of all, they started way earlier (1994...that's like the stone age in rap metal years)...they also had a black dude rapping/yelling. Before your PC-alarm goes off, think about where rap music came from, now try and name another black rap-metal vocalist. I can think of two. ANYHOW. They call themselves 'g-punk' nowadays, and all they do is complain about how they 'found' this sound first and they're way better than 'all those other bands.' Whatever. This and their first official disc are pretty cool. Solid rapping, and a singer who sounds legitimately crazy, unlike Jonathan Davis.

(Hed)PE - 'Church of Realities' EP
Tracklist:

1. Intro
2. 1st Song
3. Hangman
4. Darky
5. IFO
6. Ground
7. Spam
8. Hill
9. (Untitled)

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Lastly, one of my alltime favorite albums, the debut (and, sadly, only disc) by Snot. This band's career was tragically cut short by the death of the vocalist Lynn Strait (and his cool-ass dog) when they were hit by a drunk driver. Maybe they would've gotten totally lame on album two like so many other bands, but if you've ever heard Amen (which features basically the whole instrumental lineup of the band and vocalist Casey Chaos) it doesn't seem like it. Way more punk than the other nu-metal bands...they even have a rant against Mr. Brett. Way funkier than anybody else, too. Lots of people say this band is overhyped because of the tragedy surrounding them, but fuck that, this is a true classic...these guys did their own thing, and had fun. So what if there's too many boring instrumentals on this disc?

Snot - 'Get Some'
Tracklist:

1. Snot
2. Stoopid
3. Joy Ride
4. The Box
5. Snooze Button
6. 313
7. Get Some
8. Deadfall
9. I Jus' Lie
10. Get Some O' Deez
11. Unplugged
12. Tecato
13. Mr. Brett
14. Get Some Keez
15. My Balls

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Friday, November 9, 2012

Nu-metal appreciation week 1 - Deftones and Reveille

I don't know if that's a national thing or not...just wanted to post some of this stuff. I'm always surprised by the number of people who don't know that there are legit nu-metal bands. Okay, okay, Deftones aren't REALLY nu-metal, and they transcended genres a long while back anyhow, but I really wanted to post their new album here.

But...it's not out yet! How about that? Let's see how long this shit lasts before I get an e-mail asking me to take it down...Whatever, I love the Deftones...one of my all-time favorite bands, and you'd be a stupid liar if you said I wasn't going to buy this shit the day it comes out.

So, how does it sound? Awesome. My only complaint is that new Deftones stuff suffers from some serious over-producing, but you can't really damage songs this good. This'un's definitely more mellow than any other release....I think it tops 'Diamond Eyes' which was really great, too. Kind of like what 'Saturday Night Wrist' could've been if it was better, I guess.

Deftones - 'Koi No Yokan'
Tracklist:

1. Swerve City
2. Romantic Dreams
3. Leathers
4. Poltergeist
5. Entombed
6. Graphic Nature
7. Tempest
8. Gauze
9. Rosemary
10. Goon Squad
11. What Happened to You?

DLZZ

Also, I'm posting the debut album by Reveille. Remember these fellas? They always reminded me of a really stripped-down version of Rage Against the Machine with Steve Albini (?) rapping. Really minimal production and a harsh noise-rock kinda sound. I wish radio shit still sounded this raw...

Reveille - 'Laced'
Tracklist:

1. Butterfly
2. Perfect World
3. Permanent (Take a Look Around)
4. Phoenix
5. Untied
6. Rise and Blind
7. Judas
8. Flesh and Blood
9. Feel
10. Aftertaste
11. Splitt (Comin' Out Swingin')
12. Dark Horizons

DEE ELL

...I'll continue to post this stuff all week assuming it looks like people are reading it. Even if you're totally against this shit, everyone needs to reminisce sometime...

Forte 11-2-12

Last week's episode of Forte is up on the WIDR podcast page.

No playlist unfortunately because the WIDR website is undergoing renovation. Oh well. I'll try to post something interesting tomorrow afternoon.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Svaty Vincent - S/T

More 'outsider' metal for y'all....Don't know much about this guy, other than he's from Russia and he's really angry. Most of the lyrics seem blatantly satanic, and the music is aggressive and primitive. It's unclear if Svaty Vincent is just the vocalist, or if he plays all the stuff himself. To me, it sounds like a live recording, so I'm guessing he's just the vocalist. A track from this 1990 album appeared on the original 'Incredibly Strange Metal' compilation, and rightfully so. I play this disc on my metal show when I want people to call and complain (which is often.)
Tracklist:

1. Zmrtvychvstani
2. Rikaji o mne, ze jsem divnej, zaplat panbuh, ze mam tak vysoke postaveni
3. Patologicka agresivni deviace
4. Nekroman
5. Krucifix
6. Absolutni vedomi
7. Spirocheta Vincenti
8. Lucifere!

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2 albums by Malicious Onslaught

Here are the two studio albums by Malicious Onslaught, a death metal band from New York formed in 1986. 'Brutal Gore' is the more well-known of the two, but not necessarily in a positive way. Supposedly, this is one of the worst metal albums of all time, though I don't think that's really true. The musicians are perfectly capable, and the band has a competent (if generic) death/grind sound. Most people cite the production as the real problem here. It does indeed sound like the band hired some drugged-out hippy to record the album...effects that have no place in death metal constantly pop up...odd clips and synths...all sorts of pitch-shifted delay and whatnot...kind of like the engineer deliberately ruined the record. I do think, however, the production is what SAVES this album, because it keeps it from being another faceless death/grind album, and sends it into the realm of 'totally fucked.'

What's even stranger is that, upon doing some research, I found their first, lesser-known album 'Rebellious Mayhem.' This one is pretty similar to 'Brutal Gore' in terms of production and playing, which makes the production on THAT album all the more baffling. Why work with what sounds like the SAME ENGINEER when he completely fucked up your first album, too? These two albums are very interesting if you've had any sound-engineering experience. Just listen and think about how some of these decisions got made...very confusing.

Malicious Onslaught - 'Rebellious Mayhem' - 1992
Tracklist:

1. Transgressor
2. Beyond Evil
3. Rebellious Mayhem
4. Emotional Death
5. Extinction of God
6. Speculate the Future
7. Thrashed Black
8. Revenge of the Innocent

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Malicious Onslaught - 'Brutal Gore' - 1994
Tracklist:

1. The Morgue
2. Satanic Killing
3. Blademare
4. Submerged in Silence
5. Carcassed
6. Brutal Gore
7. Internal Decay
8. Productive Destruction

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