Gamingforce Music Exposure Club™

Lifesavas / Spirit In Stone
Label: Quannum Projects
Year: 2003
Genre: Hip-Hop



DOWNLOAD LINK

1. Soldierfied
2. It's Over
3. What If It's True?
4. Living Time/Life: Movement (feat. The Gift of Gab)
5. Fever
6. Hellohihey
7. Head Excercise
8. Selector (feat. J-Live)
9. Fa'Show
10. State of the World/Apocalypse/War
11. Resist
12. 5th Horseman
13. Skeletons
14. Emerge (feat. Lateef The Truthspeaker and Lyrics Born 'Latyrx', Blakcalicious, and DJ Shadow)
15. Me
16. Spirit In Stone Outro

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When I first heard of 2 boys from Portland cutting a moderate swath of innovation through the underground hip-hop scene I was convinced that it was mostly hype. I'm not sure what suddenly possesed me to pick up this album when I saw it at FYE, but something just kind of felt right about this. Expecting a moderate letdown I was pleasantly surprised to be met with a socially aware and spiritually connected outing by close labelmates of the infinitely innovative Blackalicious.

Comparison to the juggernaut Blackalicious are inevitable, but rest assured that this is no accidental tourist riding on the coattails... These two cats have a sound and wit to match their ambition. Give it a spin and I guarantee a throwback to head-bobbin' days of dope beats and lyrical prowess.

"Son you gotta stand for somethin' even if you're sittin' down."

Ciao.

Kenso - III (1985)
Japanese Prog Rock/Jazz Fusion



1. Sacred dream I (2:49)
2. Power of the glory (4:16)
3.The breeze whispered through my mind (1:12)
4. Far East celebration (2:43)
5. La liberté de l'esprit (6:11)
6. Patter of the groovy (0:51)
7. Turn to solution (6:34)
8. Nostalgia (2:54)
9. Sacred dream II (6:04)
10. Beginnings (6:36)
Bonus track:
11. Sea (6:08)

I'm no good at writing reviews, so I'll just say "it's Japanese prog rock/jazz fusion, and it's good". If, for some reason, that shouldn't be enough, have a look here and/or here.

Download!

Cheers.

Pere Ubu - modern Dance ( 1978, Blank, American Underground )



Track Listing:

1. Non-alignment Pact 3:19
2. The Modern Dance 3:30
3. Laughing 4:37
4. Street Waves 3:06
5. Chinese Radiation 3:29
6. Life Stinks 1:52
7. Real World 4:01
8. Over My Head 3:49
9. Sentimental Journey 6:08
10. Humor Me 2:43

Overview:

There isn't a Pere Ubu recording you can imagine living without. The Modern Dance remains the essential Ubu purchase (as does the follow-up, Dub Housing). For sure, Mercury had no idea what they had on their hands when they released this as part of their punk rock offshoot label Blank, but it remains a classic slice of art-punk. It announces itself quite boldly: the first sound you hear is a painfully high-pitched whine of feedback, but then Tom Herman's postmodern Chuck Berry riffing kicks off the brilliant "Non-Alignment Pact," and you soon realize that this is punk rock unlike any you've ever heard. David Thomas' caterwauling is funny and moving, Scott Krauss (drums) and Tony Maimone (bass) are one of the great unheralded rhythm sections in all of rock, and the "difficult" tracks like "Street Waves," "Chinese Radiation," and the terrifying "Humor Me" are revelatory, and way ahead of their time. The Modern Dance is the signature sound of the avant-garage: art rock, punk rock, and garage rock mixing together joyously and fearlessly.

I wanna make a deal with you girl and be recognized around the world

Ciao.

DMBQ - The Essential Sounds From The Far East
Label: Estrus Records
Year: 2005
Genre: Noise Rock



DOWNLOAD LINK

1. She Walks
2. Taste
3. Mo-Ya Mo-Ya
4. Nowhere
5. Mirror Baby
6. Dm
7. Nothing
8. Swamp King
9. Happening
10. Are You Satisfied?
11. Fuu Chuu (bonus track)
12. Wild Hue (bonus track)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

NOTE: This is paragraph is a side story and has nothing to do with the review. You may skip to the next paragraph if you wish to read an actual review of this album...

In the Central Valley (more specifically Visalia) nothing ever happens. It is the ideal place for a retired couple or a growing family because of its conservative standards and family-friendly atmosphere. So last night when a friend of mine last night told me, "Hey there's a Japanese rock band playing at Howie and Sons Pizza." in the back of my mind I thought, "It can't possibly be DMBQ. There's just NO WAY." Imagine my surprise when the last band to set up and rock a small joint with an audience of no more than 200 just breaks out and riles up the crowd in the way that only a questionable joint like our very own Howie and Sons can get riled up. Only last night did I find out that they have a new album out and I just HAD to share it with the rest of you guys.

DMBQ is a high-energy fusion of noise rock and garage-punk that has been part of the underground Tokyo scene for well over 15 years. I first heard of DMBQ in 2000 when a friend of mine made a mix CD with his favorite indie rock bands and a track on there called "Equipment" got my attention. I collected a couple of their albums and really admired the way everything from the seemingly random nature of the guitar riffs and the non-stop drumming just never let up on the listener. This is definitely the kind of rock that you have the most primal urge to get up and start jumping off the walls and there's too much energy contained in these tracks for petty words; you have to experience it for yourself. Your ears will definitely be ringing, but the ringing is downright orgasmic so give this album a spin through your sound system... Your reverberating ears will thank you later.

This is the last album that the original line-up of the band will ever record together since their drummer Mana "China" Nishiura was killed in a car accident late last year while on tour with the band.

R.I.P. China.

Cheers.

Talamasca - Zodiac (2003)
Quality: 320 kbps
Trance



Track Listing:
1. Aries
2. Taurus
3. Gemini
4. Cancer
5. Leo
6. Virgo
7. Libra
8. Scorpio
9. Sagittarius
10. Capricorn
11. Aquarius
12. Pisces
Total Run Time: 78:30

Talamasca apparently means "animal mask" in some language, and what better cd for such a band to record than songs concerning the 12 Zodiac signs. Their sound is somewhat industrial with a hint of psytrance. All of the songs are very rhythmic.

Probably one the best parts of this album is the ability to imagine the animal portrayed in the song while it plays. Leo sounds as if a cybernetic lion is coming out of a cave and chasing a scraed shitless bunch of gazelle. Gemini has a twin melody that play one after the other, till the end when it seems they fight each other. I was quite impressed by the CD as a whole, and I'd have to say my favorites from it are Cancer and Aquarius.

DOWNLOAD LINKY

Ciao.

Dark Nation - The Prequel EP (2006)
Quality: VBR Standard
Genre: Experimental/Jazz Fusion



Track Listing
1. "Battle Theme 2" - 3:19
2. "Alien Planet" - 4:42
3. "Boss Battle" (Co-Produced by Soldier X) - 2:38
4. "Throwing Dice" - 2:32
5. "Kicked by the Piano" - 4:02
6. "The March" - 4:57
7. "Trip to Jupiter" - 5:16
8. "Opera Antics" - 6:02
9. "Anecdote" - 2:34
10. "March of the Gods" - 3:58
11. "Jazz Trance" - 13:20

Total Run Time: 37:31

Self-Review:
The title Prequel is self-evident in that some of the songs featured on my album are not of the quality that you would expect of a commercial CD found in a large retail store. Instead the album goes various directions and is in some ways both a preview and a 'before-the main attaction' offering of music for Dark Nation, expected at a later point.

Notes:
Yes this is my own 'Debut' Album, re-released (From the previous thread) here so that more people on GFF may download and enjoy. Please feel free to comment on my efforts. As I am not as proficient a vocalist as I'd like to be, vocals have been ommitted from this first production. Soldier X is the stagename for a close friend of mine currently in the marines, but I still got give credit to his singular effort

Also, I will be replacing the self-review with a peer review... once someone reviews it!

Here is the download link:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/y1mxge

Cheers.

Xploding Plastix - Amateur Girlfriends Go Proskirt Agents (2001 Norway release)
Genre: Acid Jazz


1. Sports, Not Heavy Crime
2. Funnybones and Lazylegs
3. 6-Hours Starlight
4. Behind the Eightball
5. Single Stroke Ruffs
6. Treat Me Mean, I Need the Reputation
7. Relieved Beyond Repair
8. Tintinnamputation
9. More Powah to Yah
10. Having Smarter Babies
11. Far-Flung Tonic
12. Happy Jizz Girls
13. Doubletalk Gets Through to You
14. Comatose Luck

Review: coming...

Download link

Ciao.

Bark Psychosis - Codename: Dustsucker ( 2004, Fire, Post-Rock)



Track Listing:

1. from what is said to when it's read 5:27
2. The Black Meat 6:50
3. Miss Abuse 6:10
4. 400 winters 5:48
5. Dr. Innocuous/Ketamoid 1:04
6. Burning the City 5:10
7. Inqb8tr 7:59
8. Shapeshifting 6:02
9. Rose 5:50

Overview:

It's not unusual for bands to go on hiatus. Seemingly every group takes a break at some point in their careers, but, for Bark Psychosis, the process was more than a simple timeout. Founder Graham Sutton, after eight years in the group, chose to concentrate on his Boymerang project in 1994, and Bark Psychosis lay dormant for five years. In 1999, however, Sutton began work on the music that would become ///Codenameustsucker, and, five years later, the album has finally been released. Bark Psychosis were silent for ten years, a length of time that could make or break a group's career. Such a suspension of public activities will often result in one of two outcomes – a rabid desire on the part of critics and the band's fanbase for a return, and a triumphant re-entry into the consciousness of the public eye; or a general ambivalence that leaves a band in the lurch upon their return, damning them to failure. For every Bon Jovi or Mission of Burma, who find success in their comebacks, there are the ill-fated attempts of countless bands whose quest for resurgence may never even reach the pubic eye (or ear), even on the level of independent music. Luckily, for Sutton and Bark Psychosis, this doesn't seem to be an applicable issue.

Augmented by a group of 14 musicians and vocalists, Sutton leads the group through nine dreamy numbers which don’t often vary from a formula that might be tired in 2004, but something that Sutton pulls of with a vitality that many others lack. The lush opener “From What is Said to When it’s Read” sets the bar a bit higher than the rest of the album is able to reach, but most of ///Codenameustsucker’s tracks are far from disappointing. The melodic trumpet of “The Black Meat” dampens the ambience of the track, but the hints of elevator music that arise don’t infringe upon the majority of the disc. Sutton’s skill as an architect of the swell-and-rise doesn’t exactly teach the old dog of space rock new tricks, but it’s more than enough to imbue something special into Bark Psychosis’ music, an almost addictive quality that leaves the mind awash in sound and color. The use of piano on “Miss Abuse” and “Burning the City” provides a stoic beauty to the tracks, especially in contrast to the stark, almost violent ending of the latter.

Before the lengthy construction of this album, Graham Sutton’s mind had been away from Bark Psychosis for a few years, but it’s hard to tell. ///Codenameustsucker is largely without missteps or ill-advised ideas; instead it’s a fresh look at the sound that he’d once eschewed. It’s nothing brazenly new, but there’s no need for it to be. The nighttime dream that is ///Codenameustsucker is enveloping enough that there’s not much need to worry about such minor squabbles, as, with this music, the details aren’t what matter in the end.

Sonic Immersion

Double Post:
Arsis - A Diamond for Disease ( 2005, Willowtip, Metal )



Track Listing:

1. A Diamond for Disease 12:52
2. Roses on White Lace 4:17
3. The Promise of Never 2:51

Overview:

"The nice part about a full length is that a band has a lot of room to breathe and explore, expand their sound, build a connection to the listener and in some instances, when they hit a rough patch there is the possibility to smooth things over by the next song. An EP on the other hand, there is no time to waste and fans tend to be unforgiving when they shell out cash for usually not a whole lot of new material, since EP's (with a few expceptions) are notorious for throwaways and filler until the next album. Most labels tack on multimedia portions, live cuts, never before seen photos/artwork, everything but the kitchen sink to boost sales. It's nice though when an EP pulls through without all of the glitter and is gold by quality of its content alone, even when running time is not exactly plentiful. Arsis is the band, and "A Diamond For Disease" is such a release. Opening with the unwavering, absolutely stunning title track, Arsis sculpts a sonic masterpiece over 12 plus minutes, weaving through various genres against a strong backdrop of melodic, progressive death/thrash metal. This tune was originally composed for the Ballet Deviare in NYC and if you can get away from the traditional interpretations of the art (as is obvious that particular company does), it's not too difficult to envision this powerful epic syncing up with the delicate but timeless nature of ballet. This one offering justifies the price of the EP, but Arsis doesn't stop there. They rip their way through a cover of "Roses on White Lace" by Simry Cooper and truly make it their own. In recent years, there have been a few metal bands covering Mr. Shock Rocker turned Mr. Pro Golfer (most notably Children Of Bodom) but Arsis blow all contenders away. The final bit of brutal beauty on this gem is "The Promise Of Never" which is under three minutes but packs a lot of punch, and is kind of a nice yin to the raging yang of the the title track. Lyrically, both originals have words of weight and grace, and fit perfectly with the music, as does the artwork. Production is perfect. I don't know what else to say but to use that age old cliche of "this record is amazing" but damnit, it's so true with "A Diamond For Disease." What are you still reading this review for? Go out and buy this bands entire catalog. You won't regret it."



Another masterful piece of work from the dudes called Arsis

Double Post:
We have all been asked at least once in are life if their is someone we aspire to be, well i aspire to be D.Boon.

The Minutemen - 3-way tie (to last) ( 1985, SST, Punk )



Track Listing

1. Price of Paradise 3:39
2. Lost 2:33
3. The Big Stick 2:35
4. Political Nightmare 3:56
5. Courage 2:35
6. Have you Ever Seen the Rain? 2:30
7. The Red and the Black 4:09
8. Spoken Word Piece 1:07
9. No One 3:29
10. Stories 1:36
11. What Is It? 1:51
12. Ack Ack Ack :27
13. Just Another Soldier 1:58
14. Hittin' The Bong :41
15. Bermuda 1:41

D. Boon's death in December 1985 was one of rock's most tragic occurrences. And, a decade later, I find that it still affects the way I listen to this, the "final" Minutemen record. Boon was hitting his stride here; the songs were emphatic, smart, and marked by his increasing sociopolitical awareness. Boon did not suffer fools gladly, and this record (as does the best of the Minutemen) retains a strong sense of moral indignation (listen to "The Price of Paradise" and "The Big Stick"). One fact that shouldn't be lost in eulogizing over Boon was the significant role Mike Watt was playing in the band. This hadn't happened overnight, but with each successive record Watt's confidence as a bass player and songwriter was growing, and by the time of 3-Way Tie, his skills were in full flower -- so much so that one side of the record is called Side D., the other Side Mike. Dense and driving, this is a bittersweet moment closing an excellent band's career.

I heard one the other day, can't belive it's true. We Still love you Dennes Boon

Cheers.

Bass 305 - The Best Of

Release: January 1998
Label: D.M. Records
Genre: Electronica / Old-school Acid Techno / Turntablism



Addictive. Though they proclaim themselves as maestros of bass (the album cover even sports a "May damage speakers" warning), many of the tracks they create are way more diverse in style - some are slow and balladic while others are very danceable and club-worthy. This 'Best Of' compilation is a good summary of their music up to '97 with even a few unreleased tracks, however each album leading up to this release is something to behold in itself.

Track List
01. The Science of Sound (Low Frequency Audio Test)
02. Techno Bass (Eurobass Mix)
03. Digital Bass (Ultra Car Mix)
04. Into the Future-Bass (Berlin Radio Interpretation)
05. Pure Tone (Low Frequency Audio Version)
06. Computer Bass (Rebel Science London Version)
07. Rebel Science (Ultra Low Computer Mix)
08. Bach 305 (Tribal Bass Mix)
09. Look Aggressively Towards the Future (Interactive Bass Test)
10. Cyber Travel
11. Fire and Rain
12. Brazil
13. Elan (High Tech Quad Version)
14. Vision of the Future (Ultra Bass Mix)
15. Dance of India (World Beat Mix)
16. Krypton Forest
17. Bass Epilogue (The Communication Operation)
18. Pink Noise
19. Left-Right Test (Sine Wave Sweep)

Download Link
(This album and other associated paraphernalia may also be found on my server {see signature}.)

Ciao.

Cryptopsy - none So Vile ( 1996, Century media, Metal )



Track Listing:

1. Benedictine Convulsions 3:57
2. Crown of Thorns 3:57
3. Dead and Dripping 3:52
4. Grave of the Fathers 4:10
5. Lichmistress 2:30
6. Orgiastic Disembowelment 4:50
7. Phobophile 4:37
8. Slit Your Guts 4:00

Overview:

Cryptopsy's second album and its last with original vocalist Lord Worm, None So Vile offers just about everything a listener could want from an extreme death metal recording. It's incredibly tight, fast, and complex; the riffs are well-placed and darkly catchy; the guitar solos are completely over the top; and the vocals -- a mix of psychotic low-end growls and tortured screams -- are suitably intense and scary. Combine those ingredients with Lord Worm's creative handling of death metal subject matter (you'll have to consult the lyrics, since the vocals are indecipherable), the sparing but effective use of samples, and the simply awe-inspiring presence and stamina of drummer Flo Mounier, and you have the makings of a classic album. The brief 32-minute playing time is wholly appropriate and helps compensate for the album's only mentionable flaw, which is that the lack of dynamic variation leads to a slight feeling of sameness that sets in midway through. The gloomy, classical-tinged piano intro to "Phobophile," the album's sixth and incidentally most memorable track, does add a welcomed contrast and helps break up the flow. In any case, listeners should be aware that this album is almost entirely relentless and not for the faint of heart. Subsequent Cryptopsy albums may be more innovative in their use of out-there time signatures and guitar harmonies, for example, but None So Vile achieves near perfection on its own terms, within the death metal genre.

Serving Jesus christ on a platter since 1992

Double Post:
Meat Puppets ( 1982, Rykodisc, Punk )



Track Listing:

1. Reward 1:11
2. Lover Offering 1:28
3. Blue-green God 1:22
4. walking Boss 2:52
5. Melons rising :53
6. Saturday Morning 1:30
7. Our Friends 2:11
8. Tumblin' Tumbleweeds 2:02
9. Milo sorgum and Maize 2:15
10. Meat puppets 1:38
11. Playing Dead 1:28
12. Pitter Box :50
13. Electromud :47
14. The Gold mine 1:02

bonus tracks:

15. In a Car 1:21
16. Big House 1:06
17. Doplhin Field 1:09
18. Out in the Gardener 1:03
19. Foreign Lawns :37
20. Meat Puppets 1:33
21. Everybody's Talking 2:41
22. H-Elenore 1:39
23. Hair 1:25
24. I got a Right 2:40
25. I am a Child 2:14
26. Franklin's Tower 4:51
27. Milo Sorgum and Maize 1:32
28. Electromud :45
29. Love offering 1:02
30. Saturday Morning 1:11
31. Magic Toy Missing 1:27
32. Unpleasant 1:02

Overview:

Although the Meat Puppets would later become best known for their intriguing blend of country, punk, rock, folk, psychedelia, and whatever else they could toss in their musical blender, the trio's 1982 self-titled full-length debut was a furious hardcore album. Totally ferocious and red hot, the album rarely lets up on its full-throttle attack -- Curt Kirkwood's vocals bear little resemblance to the wasted, off-key country-rock warbling on such seminal releases as Meat Puppets II and Up on the Sun; instead, the singing style consists of larynx-shredding screaming that renders the lyrics incomprehensible. Still, there's something special about such slop-rockers as "Love Offering," "Blue-Green God," "Saturday Morning," and "Our Friends." And as a sign of things to come, for a few brief fleeting moments, the band attempts to conquer country (on covers of "Walking Boss" and "Tumblin' Tumbleweeds"). The 1999 Rykodisc reissue more than doubled the original album's track listing, including their early In a Car EP and a total of 12 outtakes/demos, the best of the bunch being covers of the Stooges' "I Got a Right," Neil Young's "I Am a Child," and the Grateful Dead's "Franklin's Tower."

Rock it

Espers - Espers ( 2004, Locust, Folk-Rock )



Track Listing:

1. Flowery Noontide 4:15
2. Meadow 4:16
3. Riding 4:14
4. Voices 3:49
5. Hearts & Daggers 8:39
6. Byss & Abyss 6:08
7. Daughter 3:09
8. Travel Mountains 6:30

Acid-folk maestro Greg Weeks' psychedelic trio Espers -- with Meg Baird and Brooke Sietinsons -- has created a delicate and blissfully unsettling debut. Weeks' autoharp on tracks like "Flowery Noontide" conjures images of home-baked-'60s folk played by sincere and optimistic flower children and dark and dreamy drifters. "Meadow," similarly, recalls the sunshine and doom chamber pop and subtle acoustic guitar of Donovan on "Susan on the West Coast Waiting" or "Atlantis," or Fairport Convention. "Riding" could easily fit on the Super Furry Animals brilliant and catchy West Coast pop collection Phantom Power -- but then "Voices" is nearly as hazy and Far Eastern as Six Organs of Admittance, and "Hearts & Daggers" is over eight minutes of druggy, medieval-inspired British baroque noise. Espers' music is entirely incongruous with the trends of 2003-2004 -- from the devil-may-care rock of Jet and the Strokes, to the over-the-top, cosmic, and sexy wunder-metal of the Darkness. But you can't help but feel that Espers are onto something -- not quite the soft-is-the-new-loud irony of Belle & Sebastian, but a more sinister and trippy picture of a foreboding horizon in the midst of the most beautiful sunset.

Transform my wedding band, from a white to a crimson red

Klaus Nomi - Klaus Nomi ( 1982, RCA, Synth Pop )



Track Listing:

1. Keys of Life 2:29
2. Lightning Strikes 3:01
3. The Twist 3:12
4. Nomi Song 2:50
5. You don't Own Me 3:42
6. The Cold Song 4:06
7. Wasting My Time 4:17
8. Total Eclipse 3:33
9. Nomi Chant 1:55
10. Samson and Delilah ( Aria ) 3:47

Overview:

It only takes a quick look at the cover to get a reasonably decent idea that this isn't your typical pop album: Decked out in a grossly oversized suit and heavy theatrical makeup, Klaus Nomi is not your typical pop singer, either. Both the cover and the music within lean heavily to the dramatic -- Nomi's delivery is all in a very operatic falsetto, though most of the music itself is more of the early-'80s European dance school (indeed, one of his collaborators here was Man Parrish, probably best-known for his later work with Man 2 Man). Only one of the tracks here was self-penned; rather, Nomi gets down to work here as an interpreter, turning in suitably skewed versions of "Lightning Strikes" and Chubby Checker's "The Twist." The real highlights here are his take on Kristian Hoffman's song "Total Eclipse," and a rather straight (ahem) reading of the aria from Saint-Saens' classical work Samson and Delilah. It's pretty hard to imagine your typical classical music buff embracing this song, let alone the entire album, but fans of off-kilter pop music will certainly find a lot to love about this album. Sadly Klaus Nomi was one of the first prominent people to have died of AIDS when he succumbed to it in 1983.

Check out the Movie " The Nomi Song" if you enjoyed this album as it's based on his life

Cheers.

TV On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes

Year: 2004
Label: Touch & Go
Genre: Indie



From Amazon:
TVOTR is a highly original group from Brooklyn, NY characterized by vocals that range from crazily high-pitched to group chanting and a pop-based sound that’s rampantly experimental but always melodic. Unlike their school-of-’78-in-’04 peers such as the Rapture and Interpol, TVOTR’s music is as rooted in blues, free jazz and gospel as it is the post-punk canon or contemporary electronic music. This makes Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes far more interesting, naturally; the purely vocal "Ambulance" is novel and exciting as anything by Björk, Spongehead Experience or Pere Ubu. With lyrics that impressively, and un-preachingly, tackle issues of race and war, this finalist for 2004’s Shortlist Competition easily ranks among the best albums of that year. --Mike McGonigal

Tracks:
1. The Wrong Way
2. Staring At The Sun
3. Dreams
4. King Eternal
5. Ambulance
6. Poppy
7. Don't Love You
8. Bomb Yourself
9. Wear You Out

Bomb Your Country

Tricky Woo - Sometimes I Cry

Year: 1999
Label: Sonic Unyon
Genre: Garage



Read This Review!

Tracks:
1. Altamont Raven
2. Fly the Orient
3. Born Due
4. Allright
5. Let the Good Times Roll
6. I Need Love
7. Sad Eyed Woman
8. Hypnotic Persuasion
9. Electric Orchard
10. Fell from a Cloud
11. Tails of a Sunray
12. Lady of the Wind

Let's get saved by Rock 'N' Roll

Sunn O))) - Black One

Year: 2005
Label: Sonic Unyon
Genre: Doom Metal



Another very comprehensive review.

Tracks:
1. Sin Nanna
2. It Took the Night to Believe
3. Cursed Realms (of the Winterdemons)
4. Orthodox Caveman
5. Candlegoat
6. Cry For the Weeper
7. Bathory Erzsebet

Get It

Pig Destroyer - Terrifyer

Year: 2004
Label: Relapse
Genre: Grindcore



These long reviews keep on coming

Tracks:
1. Intro
2. Pretty in Casts
3. Boy Constrictor
4. Scarlet Hourglass
5. Thumbsucker
6. Gravedancer
7. Lost Cause
8. Sourheart
9. Towering Flesh
10. Song of Filth
11. Verminess
12. Torture Ballad
13. Restraining Order Blues
14. Carrion Fairy
15. Downpour Girl
16. Soft Assassin
17. Dead Carnations
18. Crippled Horses
19. The Gentleman
20. Crawl of Time
21. Terrifyer

Towering Flesh!

Leon Redbone - On The Track

Year: 1975
Label: Warner Bros.
Genre: Hard to nail, but very laid back. It sounds like it should have come out in 1930.



From Amazon:
Once cited by Bob Dylan as the first performer he'd want to sign to his own label, Leon Redbone instead made his 1976 recording debut with Warner Brothers. On the Track carries a "very special thanks" to Jelly Roll Morton and Jimmie Rodgers, and indeed sounds like the offspring of the pioneering jazzman and the early hillbilly blues singer, with perhaps a bit of Bing Crosby tossed in. Aided by a small horn section (including a prominent tuba) and violinist Joe Venuti, among others, the disc is a gorgeous, affectionate tribute to pre-World War II vernacular music. Redbone croons and growls his way through a repertoire that includes Rodgers, Fats Waller, Irving Berlin, and "Polly Wolly Doodle," the last of which inspired album-cover artist Chuck Jones to include "a grasshopper sittin' on the railroad track... pickin' his teeth with a carpet tack." Redbone and crew rise to peak after peak (hear Venuti's finessed high-wire act on "Some of These Days"), resulting in a record that makes for perfect Saturday night and Sunday morning listening. --Rickey Wright

If you like this, definitely try to check out his Saturday Night Live performances from the first season. He's something to see.

Tracks:
1. Sweet Mama Hurry Home or I'll Be Gone
2. Ain't Misbehavin'
3. My Walking Stick
4. Lazybones
5. Marie
6. Desert Blues (Big Chief Buffalo Nickel)
7. Lulu's Back in Town
8. Some of These Days
9. Big Time Woman
10. Haunted House
11. Polly Wolly Doodle

Ain't Misbehavin'

Charles Manson - LIE

Year: 1970
Label: Original label unknown by me, but later CD reissues by ESP-Disk
Genre: Folk



You can't really find a review of this that's unbiased, because of Manson's later actions. This album was recorded about a year before the murders. It's actually a pretty good piece of music. Sure, there are a few flops, as in most protest oriented music, such as "Mechanical Man", but tracks like "Look At Your Game Girl" make up for it. Think what you want of it, but I take this album as a reminder that no one can have only one side. He was a madman, but he could still sing. Different sources have spoken of his friendships with Dennis Wilson and Neil Young, and Young has spoken in interviews of his admiration for Manson's musical ability. It's an interesting listen as an important archival piece, if nothing else.

Tracks:
1. Look At Your Game Girl
2. Ego
3. Mechanical Man
4. People Say I'm No Good
5. Home Is Where You're Happy
6. Arkansas
7. I'll Never Say Never To Always
8. Garbage Dump
9. Don't Do Anything Illegal
10. Sick City
11. Cease To Exit
12. Big Iron Door
13. I Once Knew Knew A Man
14. Eyes Of A Dreamer

The Love And Terror Cult

Ciao.

Leonard Cohen - Songs ( 1968, Columbia, Folk )



Track Listing:

1. Suzanne 3:48
2. Master Song 5:55
3. Winter Lady 2:16
4. The Stranger Song 5:00
5. Sisters of Mercy 3:32
6. So Long, Marianne 5:38
7. Hey, That's no Way to Say Goodbye 2:55
8. Stories of the Street 4:35
9. Teachers 3:01
10. One of us Cannot Be Wrong 4:23


Overview:

(Note: I probably consider this album the strongest acoustic folk album of the 60's, even better then anything dylan ever did during that era. Dylan was generally more consistent with his realeses, but Cohen when at his peak, is the pinnacle of Folk music )

A breathtaking and perfect debut, Songs of Leonard Cohen marked the emergence of one of the most enduring, unique, and brilliant voices in popular music. Led off by the gorgeous "Suzanne," previously a hit for both Judy Collins and Noel Harrison, the album is an exposed nerve, a Fellini-esque parade of losers, victims, and fallen angels. Brittle and unforgiving, tracks like "So Long, Marianne," "Winter Lady," and "Sisters of Mercy" are unflinchingly honest and desolate; the subdued beauty of the songs' spartan backdrop only adds to their force -- Cohen takes acoustic folk, for so long a musical expression of empowerment and hope, and bleeds it dry of all its redemptive qualities. A masterpiece of perversity and pain.

Benjamin Braddock didn't invest in plastics, he invested in Folk

Boris - Akuma no Uta ( 2003, Southern Lord , Sludge )



Track Listing:

1. Introduction 9:41
2. Ibitsu 3:21
3. Furi 3:19
4. Naki Kyoku 12:13
5. Ano Onna No Onryou 9:32
6. Akuma No Uta 6:28

Overview:

Easily identifiable by its rather clever, Nick Drake/Bryter Layter-inspired cover art, Boris' Akuma No Uta in many ways offers a back-to-front cross-section of the Japanese trio's entire career, in all of its many stylistic varieties. Both the nine-minute, molten lava introduction and the closing title track delve in ambient drone tendencies (reminiscent of Earth and label mates Sunn 0)))), while a pair of comparatively brief submissions -- "Ibitsu" and "Furi" -- offer succinct, rudely distorted acid garage psych (think the Stooges, only cruder and heavier, or Spine of God-era Monster Magnet, but more energetic). As for the mid-album piece de resistance, "Naki Kyoku," it takes all of 12 minutes to carry out a gradual crescendo: from its mildly psychedelic, oddly "Freebird"-esque beginnings, through an extended mid-section offsetting equal parts guitar soloing and vocal chanting with fluid bass twiddling over ambient space rock sound effects, before finally arriving at a suitably shuddering sonic earthquake with its feedback-laced finale that's fit to level Tokyo. Standing out negatively amid all of this is the loose and unfocused, mid-paced jam number "Ano Onna No Onryou," which comes off both overlong and uninspired by comparison. Still, five winners out of six attempts is nothing to wrinkle your nose at, making Akuma No Uta almost guaranteed to please both longtime Boris aficionados and newcomers looking to sample a good summary of their talents.

Although scarce in japan, the chronic is magnificent ( belive me, i've tried it plenty o times ) to the point of inspiring some of the greatest stonrockers ever

Ghost - Hypnotic Underground ( 2004, Drag-rock, Japanese Psychedlic rock )



Track Listing:

1. HU Pt:1 God Took a Picture of His Illness on This 13:31
2. HU Pt: 2 Escaped and Lost Down in Medina 7:09
3. HU Pt:3 Aramaic barbarous Dawn 2:54
4. Leave this world! :22
5. Hazy Paradise 4:52
6. Kiseichukan Nite 5:03
7. Piper 6:41
8. Ganagmanag 10:04
9. Feed 7:07
10. Holy High 6:09
11. Dominoes - Celbration for the Gray Days 6:43

Overview:

Five years after releasing both Snuffbox Immanence and Tune In, Turn On, Free Tibet, Ghost returned with Hypnotic Underworld, and there were some changes in the band. Cellist Hiromichi Sakamoto and percussionist Setsuko Furuya (whose marimba gave those albums such a distinct sound) are gone, replaced by a great young rhythm section of Takuyuki Moriya (bass, conta bass, cello) and Junzo Tateiwa (drums, tabla, percussion). Also, Ghost co-founder Taishi Takizawa continues as producer but rejoins the group as a musician as well (he has served only as producer since the mid-'90s). Of course, Masaki Batoh is still here, along with longtime keyboard player Kazuo Ogino and guitar hero Michio Kurihara. With a brief U.S. tour (October 2002) under its belt, the band really jelled, and with Hypnotic Underworld, Ghost have released their most expansive set yet. The four-part title track starts somewhere near the Heliocentric Worlds, with Takizawa's sax playing over the sparest of bass figures and percussion as wisps of electronic ether float in and out. This morphs into a fuzzbass-led groove with great soprano sax that leads into a hard rock movement with a choir adding to Batoh's vocals and an ending so surprising I'll leave it for the listener. This epic track is followed by a glorious cover of Earth & Fire's "Hazy Paradise." The production here is amazing, with harpsichords, Mellotron, and sitar melting into each other and a majestic Kurihara guitar solo at the end. "Kiseichukan Nite" features a very pretty Celtic harp and recorder over a simple bass ostinato and Batoh speaking in Japanese with little washes of electronic treatment creeping in. This album is all over the place stylistically, yet it all sounds like Ghost, even with the electronic treatments and almost prog rock keyboards that hadn't been present on their prior albums. They turn in a version of Syd Barrett's "Dominoes" that is so completely personalized as to be virtually unrecognizable. "Piper" is a rocker featuring some blistering guitar work, and "Ganagmanag" is a classic Ghost-style instrumental trance jam, highlighted by Takizawa's flute and amazing production work. Batoh's vocals have never been stronger, and Ogino's various keyboards add a new dimension to the Ghost sound. Kurihara, as mentioned, is brilliant on electric guitar. The sound achieved by Takizawa and the band is a stunning mixture of ancient acoustic, hard electric, and electronic that Jimmy Page should be envious of. Hypnotic Underworld is a new high-water mark from one of rock's most interesting bands. Highly recommended.

One of the greatest albums ever to come from the land of convenience store hell

Ananda Shankar - Ananda Shankar ( 1970, Reprise, Sitar/Moog )



Track Listing:

1. Jumpin' Jack Flash 3:55
2. Snow Flower 2:49
3. Light My Fire 3:32
4. Mamata ( affection ) 3:09
5. Metamorphosis 6:50
6. Sagar ( The Ocean ) 13:16
7. Dance Indra 3:53
8. Raghupate 3:28

Overview:

Sure, this record really isn't more than an exploitation of the crossover between psychedelic music and Eastern sounds, but that shouldn't detract anyone from listening to it in its entirety; in fact, that would be a huge mistake. The opener, the sitar- and Moog-soaked take on "Jumpin' Jack Flash," is performed perfectly, with every choice accent milked for maximum drama. Once the novelty of sitar-dosed covers of your favorite songs wears off, you really begin to notice how excellent the performances are on this record. Ananda Shankar manages to bridge the gap between kitsch and fine art on these tracks, from the opener all the way to the cover of "Light My Fire." One minute he is playing simple notes like it was taking the place of a guitar, at other times utilizing the full reign of the sitar's sound possibilities. The originals on the album follow an equally impressive path. The dreamy, hazy bliss of tracks like "Snow Flower" and "Mamata" is both meditative and slinky -- light melodies with twisted atmospherics and tweaked Moogs. The drum breaks in the gurgling "Metamorphosis" are worth the price of the album alone. For the most part, the album rarely strays from the East-meets-West formula, with the Eastern rhythms getting the short shrift and the focus relying on Western funk and pop styles getting an Eastern makeover. Not that this is bad at all, but when the track "Sagar" ends, you realize that this record could have been much more than it was. This specific track guides the listener through a space/water odyssey over the course of 13 minutes. It's a slow build that gains momentum as the music progresses and flashes of acoustic guitar help the rhythm along. The final track is a great mixture of folk guitars that takes the focus away from the sitar for once, instead incorporating vocals and a chorus that manages to lock into a repeated chant that is the unexpected highlight of the album.
Tracks

Let in sing in praise for the one without a second

John Fahey - death chants, breakdowns and military waltzes ( 1963/67, takoma, Acoustic Guitar Maestro)



Track Listing ( Note: Both the 63 and 67 recordings are in the zip )

1. Sunflower River blues 63 2:35
2. When the Springtime Comes Again 3:52
3. Stomping Tonight on the Pennsylvania - Alabama Border 6:58
4. Some Summer Day 3:22
5. On the Beach at Waikiki 2:57
6. Spanish Dance 63 1:55
7. John Henry Variations 63 5:41
8. The Downfall of the Adelphi Rolling Grist mill 3:38
9. Take a Look At that baby 1:26
10. Dance of the Inhabitants 2:30
11. Episcopal Hymn 63 1:13

Overview:

Fahey recorded two entirely different versions of this record: one issued in 1963 and one mostly of re-recordings in 1967. The CD reissue of Death Chants, Breakdowns and Military Waltzes does Fahey fans a massive favor by combining both versions onto one disc. Preceded only by the super-rare original version of Blind Joe Death, the 1963 LP of Death Chants was the first Fahey album to gain reasonably wide distribution. It's a work that beautifully displays both Fahey's virtuosity on folk and blues guitar and a distinct composing voice that draws much from folk and blues traditions, but is not quite part of either school. Fahey's gift for making music that's tranquil and evocative, but also with enough odd angularity and minor melody to give it depth and ambiguity, is evident right from the start, and heard to best advantage on "When the Springtime Comes Again," "Some Summer Day," and the epic "America." Even on the pieces with more straight blues connections, Fahey achieves a full and reverberant quality that sets it off not just from the average country blues revivalists of the period, but from vintage country blues itself. He takes a journey into the avant-garde with "The Downfall of the Adelphi Rolling Grist Mill," a creepy duet with flute player Nancy McLean. On the re-recorded versions that comprised most of the 1967 version of Death Chants, the fidelity is clearer, and having improved his technique Fahey probably felt more satisfied with these renditions. But as often happens on remakes, it must be said that the originals have an intangibly more affecting, more mysterious quality that does not come through as strongly on the more carefully executed rehauls.

A story of desolate war hero told by the acoustic guitar

Double Post:
Neu! - Neu! ( 1972, Astralwerks, Kraut-Rock )



Track Listing:

1. Hallogallo 10:07
2. Sonderangerbot 4:51
3. Weissensee 6:46
4. Im Glück 6:53
5. Negativland 9:57
6. Lieber Honig 7:18

Overview:

Fresh after leaving Kraftwerk in the fall of 1971 for what they perceived to be a lack of vision, guitarist Michael Rother and drummer Klaus Dinger formed their own unit and changed the face of German rock forever -- eventually influencing their former employer, Florian Schneider of Kraftwerk. The 1974 album Autobahn was a genteel reconsideration of the music played here. Neu! created a sound that was literally made for cruising in an automobile. While here in the States people were flipping out over "Radar Love" by Golden Earring, if they'd known about this first Neu! disc, they would never have bothered. Dinger's mechanical, cut time drumming and Rother's two-note bass runs adorned with cleverly manipulated and dreamy guitar riffs and fills were the hallmarks of the "motorik" sound that would become the band's trademark. On "Hallogallo", which opens the disc, the listener encounters a timeless rock & roll sound world. The driving guitar playing one chord in different cadences and rhythmic patters, the four-snare to the floor pulse with a high hat and bass drum for ballast, and a bassline that is used more for keeping the drummer on time than as a rhythm instrument in its own right. These are draped in Rother's liquidy, cascading single note drones and runs, so even as the tune's momentum propels the listener into a movement oriented robotic dance, the guitar's lyrical economy brings an aesthetic beauty into the mix that opens the space up from inside. The tense ambient soundscape of "Sonderangebot" balances things a bit before the slower-than-Neil Young "Weissensee" opens with a subtle industrial clamor and opens up into a lyrical exploration of distorted slide guitar aesthetics with an uncharacteristic drum elegance that keeps the guitar in check. "Im Glück" tracks a restrained, droning path through the textural palette of the guitar, treated with whispering distortion and echo. All hell breaks loose again on Dinger's "Negativland" as an industrial soundscape eventually gives way to a bass and guitar squall as darkly enticing as anything on Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures. It's really obvious now how the JD's sound was influenced by this simply and darkly delicious brew of noise, bass throb, percussive hypnosis, and an oddly placed, strangely under-mixed, guitar. Rother's style had as much to do with not playing as it did with virtuosity, and his fills of open chords, stuttered cadences, and broken syntax provided a much needed diversion for the metronymic regularity of the rhythm section. Rother didn't riff; he painted a mix with whatever was necessary to get the point across. His mannerisms here are not to draw attention to himself, but rather to that numbing, incessant rhythm provided wondrously by Dinger. Neu!'s debut album was driving music for the apocalypse in 1971. These official CD reissues, remastered by Neu! with Herbert Gronmeyer, are the first official ones. Their sound is phenomenal and the strange dropouts and fades are intentional. They are worthy packages. Oddly enough, after a millennial change and a constant stream of samples being taken from it, and its influence saturating both the rock and electronica scenes, it still sounds ahead of its time.

The pinnacle of German Music

Cheers.

Dinosaur Jr. - You're Living All Over Me (1987, SST Records, Alternative (yes, really))



Tracklisting:

1. "Little Fury Things" – 3:05
2. "Kracked" – 2:51
3. "Sludgefeast" – 5:14
4. "The Lung" – 3:51
5. "Raisans" – 3:48
6. "Tarpit" – 4:33
7. "In a Jar" – 3:26
8. "Lose" – 3:08
9. "Poledo" – 5:40
10. "Show Me the Way" – 3:45

This album is HUGE. I mean HUGE. Guitarist J Mascis lead the way in creating that Phil Spector -esque "Wall of Sound" guitar noise that the shoegazers would adopt as their badge. It's amazing to think it was released in 1987. This, along with 1988's Bug and their 1985 eponymous debut, were huge influences on both Nirvana and Radiohead, and, in my opinion, set the stage for things to come in the '90s.

This album is eclectic. Jumping from segmet to segment between songs, and almost never slowing down -- the ninth track, Poledo is a notable exception. Interestingly, both tracks 8 and 9 are credited to bassist Lou Barlow. The album returns in full force for a rousing cover of Peter Frampton's Show Me The Way, where guitarist J Mascis wows with his impressive reproduction of Frampton's signature talkbox effect using his army of distortion, tremolo and wa-wa pedals. Throughout the album, rock solid drummer Murph holds things down tight, while J wails and produces lots and lots of guitar noise. Lou provides most of the melody, with his bass-played-through-Marshall sound. The only complaint I have about this album is the mix. It's not as strong as it could be (especially in the lower bass areas; it can get a bit tinny at times). Mascis has commented on this, so it's a shortcoming they were aware of, apparently.

Dinosaur Jr broke up shortly after the release of Bug (Mascis and Barlow fought over creative control; Barlow lost, and was kicked out). However, they rejoined this past summer and did a reunion tour. They're continuing it and apparently releasing a new album (and coming to the 9:30 club :superhappy.

Dinosaur Jr - You're Living All Over Me

Ciao.

T.Rex - The Slider ( 1972, Mercury, Glam-Rock )



Track Listing:

1. Metal Guru 2:29
2. Mystic Lady 3:14
3. Rock On 3:28
4. The Slider 3:22
5. Baby Boomerang 2:18
6. Spaceball Richochet 3:37
7. Buick Mackane 3:34
8. Telegram Sam 3:45
9. Rabbit Fighter 3:57
10. Baby Strange 3:06
11. Ballrooms of Mars 4:09
12. Chariot Choogle 2:45
13. Main Man 4:19
14. Cadillac 3:54
15. Thunderwing 3:46
16. Lady 2:11

Overview:

Buoyed by two U.K. number one singles in "Telegram Sam" and "Metal Guru," The Slider became T. Rex's most popular record on both sides of the Atlantic, despite the fact that it produced no hits in the U.S. The Slider essentially replicates all the virtues of Electric Warrior, crammed with effortless hooks and trashy fun. All of Bolan's signatures are here -- mystical folk-tinged ballads, overt sexual come-ons crooned over sleazy, bopping boogies, loopy nonsense poetry, and a mastery of the three-minute pop song form. The main difference is that the trippy mix of Electric Warrior is replaced by a fuller, more immediate-sounding production. Bolan's guitar has a harder bite, the backing choruses are more up-front, and the arrangements are thicker-sounding, even introducing a string section on some cuts (both ballads and rockers). Even with the beefier production, T. Rex still doesn't sound nearly as heavy as many of the bands it influenced (and even a few of its glam contemporaries), but that's partly intentional -- Bolan's love of a good groove takes precedence over fast tempos or high-volume crunch. Lyrically, Bolan's flair for the sublimely ridiculous is fully intact, but he has way too much style for The Slider to sound truly stupid, especially given the playful, knowing wink in his delivery. It's nearly impossible not to get caught up in the irresistible rush of melodies and cheery good times. Even if it treads largely the same ground as Electric Warrior, The Slider is flawlessly executed, and every bit the classic that its predecessor is.

September 1977, the day glam rock died

V/A - Nao Wave:The Sexual Life of the Savages: Underground Post-Punk in São Paulo, Brazil 1982-88



Track Listing:

1. As Mercenarias - Inimigo 1:30
2. As Mercenanias - Panico 1:55
3. akira s et as garotas que erraram - sobre as pernas 4:36
4. akira s et as garotas que erraram - eu dirijo o carro bomba 1:44
5. Fellini - Rock Europeu 3:43
6. Gang 90 - Jack Kerouac 4:28
7. Chance - Samba De morro 4:30
8. Patife - Poema Em Linha Reta 2:06
9. Patife - Teu Bem 3:45 ( My favorite song on this comp )
10. Gueto - Borboleta 3:04
11. Nau - Madame Oraculo 2:54
12. Chance - Striptease de Madame X 6:00
13. Smack - For a Daqui 2:58
14. Smack - Mediocridade Afinal 4:01
15. Fellini - Zum Zum Zazoeira 5:35
16. Muzak - Iha Urbana 3:11
17. Cabine C - Tao Perto 2:35
18. Harry - You have Gone Wrong 5:04

Overview:

Music has long been one of Brazil's most valuable natural resources -- perhaps not from an economic standpoint, but most certainly in terms of cultural significance. Dating back to the popularity of bossa nova among American jazz audiences in the 1960s, the influence of Brazilian-born sounds has frequently been felt beyond the country's borders. Brazilian artists have traditionally allowed international sources to inform their work as well, a trend that came to prominence with the Tropicalia movement of the late '60s and early '70s and continues to this day in all genres of music from hardcore to favela funk.

The second half of that equation is explored on The Sexual Life of the Savages, a compilation that pays tribute to the 1980s post-punk scene in São Paulo, Brazil. As radio programmer Bruno Verner describes in his informative (and slightly hyperbolic) liner notes, the story of this particular movement has its roots in the post-punk music of both the United States and England. Through a tentative connection with Brazilian expatriate Arto Lindsay -- guitarist and leader of New York "No Wave" band DNA -- records by the Contortions, Pere Ubu, Gang of Four, A Certain Ratio, and others began to make their way onto the turntables of São Paulo DJs and musicians. Shortly thereafter, bands like Gang 90, As Mercenárias, Akira S et As Garotas Que Errarem, Fellini, Smack, Patife, Nau, and Gueto began to spring up throughout the city, offering -- as heard in the tracks compiled here -- a diverse range of interpretations of the Northern Hemisphere's cutting edge sounds.

Verner also makes note of the scene's communal nature, detailing certain musicians' dual, triple, and sometimes quadruple duties in the numerous bands active at the time. Yet he neglects to cover another matter of cultural significance that's obvious from even a cursory examination of the package: the extensive role of women in São Paulo's musical community. Over half the bands featured on The Sexual Life of the Savages have at least one, if not more, female members. Varner and his co-complier Eliete Mejorado even elect to start the set with As Mercenárias, an all-female quartet that makes the Slits sound tame in comparison; the energetic blast of "Inimigo" and "Panico" gets the disc off to an excellent start, barely passing three minutes combined. Nau also contributes some primal feminine energy to the compilation, with vocalist Vange Leonel perched snottily atop the raw guitar riff of "Madame Oraculo".

If there's one drawback to the disc as a whole, it's the relative transparency of many of the bands' inspirations, which doesn't diminish its importance as much as it makes for an entertaining critical exercise. Patife, for example, takes a Talking Heads approach, mixing hectic polyrhythms with wiry guitar and pop sensibility on "Poema em Linha Reta" and "Teu Bem". Smack is more like a streamlined Television, with Edgard Scandurra and Sergio Pamplona's dual guitars snaking through the minor keys of "For a Daqui" and "Mediocridade Afinal". The shadow of darker-hued post-punk bands like Joy Division and PiL also hangs over much of the work collected here, particularly in the keyboard-heavy dance-punk of Akira S et As Garotas Que Errarem -- the double-tracked vocals and Jah Wobble bass of "Eu Dirijo o Carro Bomba" make for one of the disc's more bizarre moments.

But there's plenty of subtlety to be found -- and it's the groups that put an unusual twist on their influences that have the most impact on the disc's overall story. Chance's subversion of samba via a stock drum machine preset on "Samba de Morro" shows one of the compilation's most original approaches, as the band layers it with atmospheric vocals and dissonant chords to create something more in line with the Tropicalia artists' liberal experimentation with traditional Brazilian song forms. Similarly, Fellini's "Zum Zum Zazoeira" substitutes a Farfisa organ for the era's customary synthesizers, momentarily blurring the temporal context with a retro sound that was far from fashionable at the time.

As the disc focuses on one location, it's certainly only a small piece of a much larger picture of Brazilian music in the 1980s -- Verner is careful to note that the scene represented here is one of at least three concurrent movements in São Paulo alone, not to mention what was happening in Rio de Janeiro and other cities. But considering the fact that most of this music was recorded for independent labels that have long since folded, its availability -- and impressively remastered sound -- in itself is truly remarkable. And as with nearly any compilation, there are a few bands that were mercifully limited to one track, but that doesn't make the collection any less vital to anyone who's interested in Brazilian music or post-punk in general.

Brazilian Post-Punk exists? Whaaat!?

Cheers.

Die Verbannten Kinder Evas - In Darkness Let Me Dwell
Year: 1999
Label: Napalm Records
Genre: Neoclassical/Ambient



1. Intro
2. Brief Even as Bright
3. On a Faded Violet
4. Overpast
5. Cease Sorrows Now
6. In Darkness Let Me Dwell
7. Shall I Strive?
8. Arise from Dreams of Thee
9. From Silent Night

Can't say much about this.. uploaded for Arkhangelsk. Side project of Silenius and Protector from Austrian epic metal band Summoning. I've only really listened to the album once, but I did like it lots.

http://rapidshare.de/files/15806801/DVKE.rar.html

Ciao.

No longer going to waste my time uploading music for ungrateful cunts.

Cheers.

Tori Amos - Strange Little Girls

Year: 2001
Label: Atlantic
Genre: "Adult Alternative", but don't let that turn you off



From Amazon:
Tori Amos's Strange Little Girls is a departure as she takes 12 songs written by men about women and delivers them from the female perspective. "Words are like guns" she says, "a person has to take responsibility for their words." So she turns Eminem's "'97 Bonnie & Clyde" into a song of dark misogyny, and reinterprets the Boomtown Rats' "I Don't Like Mondays" with quiet, melodious keyboards and a reflective voice. Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" has been completely recast as banshee rock, while The Stranglers' "Strange Little Girl" has a new post-punk power. Sometimes Amos's own compositions have a tendency to ramble, but these four-minute nuggets have concentrated her skills wonderfully. It's an ambitious record, but one that works. --Lucy O'Brien

Never mind the covers mentioned in this review, she does Slayer's Raining Blood! Definitely an interesting concept. And if you're wondering, "Time" is a Tom Waits cover, not a Pink Floyd cover.

Tracks:
1. New Age
2. 97' Bonnie & Clyde
3. Strange Little Girl
4. Enjoy The Silence
5. Rattlesnakes
6. I'm Not In Love
7. Time
8. Heart Of Gold
9. I Don't Like Mondays
10. Raining Blood
11. Happiness Is A Warm Gun
12. Real Men

Get It!

Broken Flowers Soundtrack

Year: 2005
Label: Universal
Genre: It's a soundtrack, it's all over the place



From Amazon:
Will this soundtrack do for Ethiopian composer and musician Mulatu Astatke what Titanic did for Celine Dion? Well...maybe on a much, much smaller scale. Astatke's circle of Western fans has already expanded thanks to the compilation Ethiopiques, Vol. 4: Ethio Jazz & Musique Instrumentale, 1969-¬1974, and Jim Jarmusch's movie puts his hypnotic instrumentals to great use. This isn't surprising, since Jarmusch is a filmmaker with a natural affinity for music and its use onscreen. Here, a three-minute excerpt from stoner-rock legend Sleep's titanic "Dopesmoker" only offers a sample of the song (it actually lasts an hour) but it still sounds awesome, especially stuck between an Astatke track and Gabriel Fauré's "Requiem, Op. 48 (Pie Jesu)." Garage vets the Greenhornes and Holly Golightly contribute tracks together and separately, while indie-rockers Brian Jonestown Massacre¹s "Not If You Were the Last Dandy on Earth" (an answer song to the Dandy Warhols' "Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth") sounds as bilious now as it did in 1997. This is a rare case of a soundtrack that pulls together a broad range of artists yet remains oddly consistent--no doubt because it was assembled by a director with vision instead of a focus group. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Tracks:
1. There Is an End - Holly Golightly w/ The Greenhornes
2. Yegelle Tezeta - Mulatu Astatke
3. Ride Your Donkey - The Tennors
4. I Want You - Marvin Gaye
5. Yekermo Sew - Mulatu Astatke
6. Not if You Were the Last Dandy on Earth - The Brian Jonestown Massacre
7. Tell Me Now So I Know - Holly Golightly
8. Gubelye - Mulatu Astatke
9. Dopesmoker - Sleep
10. Requiem, Op. 48 (Pie Jesu) - Oxford Camerata
11. Ethanopium - Dengue Fever,
12. Unnatural Habitat - The Greenhornes
13. Ethanopium - Dengue Fever
14. Requiem, Op, 48 (Pie Jesu) - Oxford Camerata
15. Unnatural Habitat - The Greenhornes

Download

Daniel Johnston - Continued Story/Hi How Are You

Year: 1983/1985
Label: Homestead
Genre: Some people call this "outsider art", I call it a great pop record



Poor sound quality, questionable singing ability, not so great musicianship, undeniably brilliant. Daniel Johnston is for pop music what Venom is to metal. This is two of his home recordings on one CD, which is pretty hard to find. There is really too much to be said about him to fit here, so look at his website, here. There is a documentary feature coming out about Daniel, see the trailer here.

Tracks:
1. It's Over
2. Ain't No Woman Gonna Make A George Jones Outta Me
3. The Dead Dog Laughing In The Cloud
4. Funeral Home
5. Her Blues
6. Running Water Revisited
7. I Saw Her Standing There
8. Casper
9. Ghost Of Our Love
10. Fly Eye
11. Etiquette
12. A Walk In The Wind
13. Dem Blues
14. Girls
15. Poor You
16. Big Business Monkey
17. Walking The Cow
18. I Picture Myself With A Guitar
19. Despair Came Knocking
20. I Am A Baby (In My Universe)
21. Nervous Love
22. I'll Never Marry
23. Get Yourself Together
24. Running Water
25. Desperate Man Blues
26. Hey Joe
27. She Called Pest Control
28. Keep Punching Joe
29. No More Pushing Joe Around

Try to remember

The Fall - Bend Sinister

Year: 1986
Label: Beggar's Banquet
Genre: post-punk



From Amazon:
Arguably the peak of "Brix Smith-era" Fall--rousing, almost commercial, loaded with killer riffs--Bend Sinister is still one of the band's most rounded and satisfying records. As the group alternate edgy bubblegum pop and crepuscular experimentalism, Mark E Smith flits between playful ("Terry Waite Sez", "Riddler") and disgruntled ("Gross Chapel", "Shoulder Pads" and the fuming hymn of hate to the nanny state that is "US 80s and 90s"). It even boasts one of The Fall's mid-1980s hits and still maybe the group's best-known recording, their evergreen take on The Other Half's 1960s amphetamine anthem "Mr Pharmacist". One of the most advisable points of entry for Fall novices and a favourite of long-time devotees, Bend Sinister is probably the best example of The Fall as a great rock group: rumbling, potent and direct. --Taylor Parkes

You have to love Mark E. Smith's accented rambling vocal, in all of this band's work. One of the best.

Tracks:
1. R.O.D.
2. Dktr. Faustus
3. Shoulder Pads 1
4. Mr. Pharmacist
5. Gross Chapel - British Grenadiers
6. Living Too Late
7. U.S. 80's-90's
8. Terry Waite Sez
9. Bournemouth Runner
10. Riddler!
11. Shoulder Pads 2
12. Auto-Tech Pilot

The Manchester Sound

Keep The Pressure Down: Essential Roots Reggae Rarities

Year: 1999 (recorded 1974-1977)
Label: Black Solidarity
Genre: Reggae



Go here and scroll down for a nice long review.

Tracks:
1. Mother Liza - Leroy Smart
2. Mr. Ellis - Bobby Ellis
3. Tina May - Vin Gordon
4. Mirror Mirror - Leroy Smart
5. Warning - Desmond Young
6. Keep The Pressure Down - Errol Dunkley
7. Happiness Is My Desire - Leroy Smart
8. Hell And Sorrow - Hortense Ellis
9. Tribulation - Big Youth
10. Black Cinderella - Errol Dunkley
11. The Best Big Youth - Big Youth
12. Cinderella In Black - Augustus Pablo
13. Zion Youth - Vin Gordon
14. Black I Am - Scatty Bell

Keep It Real

The Pixies - Live In Winnipeg, MB - 04.14.04

Year: 2004
Label: DiscLive
Genre: a grunge predecessor



Show review.

I can't believe I missed this. Sold out in three minutes - I was there in four. There were only 1000 copies pressed, so I guess I'm still lucky in a way.

Tracks:
1. Winterlong
2. Nimrod's Son
3. Holiday Song
4. Here Comes Your Man
5. Vamos
6. Blown Away
7. In Heaven (The Lady In The Radiator Song)/Wave Of Mutilation
8. Bone Machine
9. Subbacultcha
10. Cactus
11. Monkey Gone To Heaven
12. Is She Weird
13. Debaser
14. Gouge Away
15. Crackity Jones
16. Something About You
17. Isla de Encanta
18. Broken Face
19. Head On
20. Tame
21. Gigantic
22. Into The White
23. Where Is My Mind?
24. La La Love You

You got your good things, and I've got mine.

Public Enemy - New Whirl Odor

Year: 2005
Label: Outside Music
Genre: Rap



From The BBC:
With 50 Cent applauding the Bush administration for its post-hurricane New Orlean's clean-up, it might be understating it to claim that hip hop has changed somewhat since Public Enemy's late Eighties heyday. Their overtly political stance seems about as contemporary as The Cabbage Patch Kids.
But they remain a relevant voice. And - despite that appalling pun of a title and Flavor Flav's unsavoury appearance on Channel 5's Farm - this is a surprisingly decent album. OK, it's not A Nation Of Millions... , but Chuck D is still one of raps all-time great voices and always worth tuning in to.
Lacking that classic Bomb Squad production their overall power is lessened. That said, on tracks like "Superman's Black In The Building" - which mutates into a 11-minute jazz freakout - Public Enemy retain their capacity to surprise and enthral. -- Adam Webb

Tracks:
1. ...And No One Broadcasted Louder Than... (Intro)
2. New Whirl Odor
3. Bring That Beat Back
4. 66.6 Strikes Again
5. MKLVFKWR
6. What a Fool Believes
7. Makes You Blind
8. Preachin' to the Quiet
9. Either We Together or We Ain't (SIW Stepstrumental)
10. Revolution
11. Check What You're Listening To
12. As Long as the People Got Something to Say
13. Y'All Don't Know
14. Either You Get It by Now or You Don't
15. Superman's Black in the Building

Get It

Sleep - Vol. 1

Year: 1991
Label: Very Small
Genre: Doom



From AMG:
"For all their budding, precocious talent, Sleep's 1991 debut, Volume One, quickly betrays their still quite heavy debt to doom metal forefathers like Black Sabbath, Witchfinder, and Saint Vitus. Driven by Matt Pike and Justin Marler's lumbering mass of low-tuned guitar riffs, Al Cisneros' (still going as Luke here) serpentine bass and ragged screams, and drummer Chris Haikus' cyclopean kit pummeling, occasional highlights such as "The Suffering," "Nebuchadnezzar's Dream," and "The Wall of Yawn" prove less memorable than they are sensorially overwhelming. And yet, ironically, Sleep's rhythm guitars would never again be kept as under control, nor would their leads sound quite as refined as they do here (see the cleaner harmonies employed to good use on "Numb" and "Catatonic," for example). This was probably due to the onetime involvement of the significantly less stoned Marler, who would soon exchange the group for a monastery where he would study to become a monk. Fittingly enough, however, losing the versatility of a second guitarist was exactly what Sleep needed to focus their singular power into a crushing force, and the remaining trio would flourish immediately behind the sheer physicality of Pike's six-string style, as proven by 1993's superlative sophomore LP, Sleep's Holy Mountain."

An important precursor to their later work, and still a good listen.

Tracks:
1. Stillborn
2. The Suffering
3. Numb
4. Anguish
5. Catatonic
6. Nebuchadnezzar's Dream
7. The Wall Of Yawn
8. Prey
9. Scourge

Behind The Wall

The Sonics - Boom

Year: 1966
Label: Norton
Genre: Garage



From AMG:
The Sonics' second album is every bit as explosive and influential as their debut outing, loaded with gritty Northwest rock & roll. Sandwiched in between the abrasive classics of "Cinderella" and "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" (with the Wailers on backing vocals), the funk sass of "The Hustler" and "Shot Down," the demonic "He's Waitin'," and the sledgehammer, inside-out version of "Louie, Louie" (only three chords to play and they don't even play 'em) are the band's straight-ahead takes on old R&B chestnuts like "Skinny Minnie," "Let the Good Times Roll," "Don't You Just Know It," "Since I Fell for You," "Hitch Hike," and a nice barn-burning version of "Jenny Jenny." Where the Wailers cut down the trees and paved the highway, the Sonics were the first group from their neck of the woods to take that music somewhere wilder than their original inspirations. The second chapter of Northwest rock & roll after you absorb the Wailers' Golden Crest sides.

NOTE: This is a rip from the original vinyl, and is therefore without the last four tracks of most listings (The Hustler, The Witch (alternate take), Psycho (live), and The Witch (live)).

Some folks like water, some folks like wine, but I like the taste of straight strychnine.

The Sword - Age Of Winters

Year: 2006
Label: Kemado
Genre: Doom



Some review.

Tracks:
1. Celestial Crown
2. Barael's Blade
3. Freya
4. Winter's Wolves
5. The Horned Goddess
6. Iron Swan
7. Lament For The Aurochs
8. March Of The Lor
9. Ebethron

This album kicked my ass, let it kick yours.

Ciao.

Prosthetic Cunt - Fuckin' your daughter with a frozen vomit fuck stick! ( 2001, Primitive Recordings, Grind)



Track Listing:

1. Puny Earthlings :38
2. banging That Girl :36
3. Coffee :18
4. Deadly Cottage :26
5. Bigger Boat Legged Woman :14
6. Dog Got Knocked the Fuck Out :28
7. Good Knights :13
8. Hand Me the Fucking Keys :30
9. Space Jungle :32
10. Sputnik :35
11. Punish You Good :26
12. Ooooh I'm Dying :18
13. Lizard Death :10
14. Monster and Wolves :30
15. Let's Be Friends :15
16. I'll Buy That For a Dollar :26
17. Kickin' My ass :23
18. Puddles of Drool :15
19. Drink It :21
20. Hiding From the Normalites of Existence :32
21. Concentration :21
22. Doing Bad Things to Her Butt with my Mind :52
23. Food Stealing Funeral Crasher :31
24. A Lack of Wires is Turning me into a Troll :19
25. Automated Doody Stick Dispenser :28
26. Concrete Block Cunticide :42
27. Fuck Her In the Ass, Punch Her In the Head 1:39
28. Year of the Insane 21520 :27
29. Confusion 1:11
30. The Ants Wanna Eat the Freak :50
31. Mortal Cock bat :53
32. They Come Out and Go on the Thing 1:14
33. Chocking on Human Cinder Shit :30
34. Vomit-Stuffed Rectum :59
35. A Bowl Too Far :46
36. Completely Nubular Pointed Shoes :7
37. I've Got Freak Soup 1:02
38. A Few more Bars of the Retarded :39
39. Prehistoric Blunt :11
40. Ultra Maximizing in the Taj Mahal :47

Overview:

Have you ever looked at a CD and not be able to decipher what style of music it was. Or what you would getting into if you were to buy it? That definitely is not a problem for anyone's eyes who gazes upon the debut album by Prosthetic Cunt. Imagine, if you will, a CD cover depicting aliens sexually manipulating a naked woman, and a title affectionately deemed, Fuckin' your daughter with a frozen vomit fuck stick! The first conjuration of thoughts for any avid metal listener (or any music listener for that matter) would be that this CD has to be amazingly heavy and definitely not your 'run of the mill' goregrind record. In all honestly, this record is quite possibly the most entertaining music venture this side of Uranus. Let me ask you a question? How many goregrind-oriented records can you truly say amuse and entertain while retaining their musical integrity? And keep the listener on the floor laughing while being mesmerized by the musical output? Not many! Where most goregrind bands take themselves seriously (or so it seems) with their plethora of sickening lyrical content and imagery, Prosthetic Cunt are totally in the music game for the fun of it! Speeding drum machine intricacy intermingled with sickeningly heavy guitar riffs - sometimes slowing down to a turtle's pace - and top-notch samples (The Simpons, Friday, National Lampoon, to Eddie Murphy) make for a totally enlightening experience. In only 23 minutes totaling 40 tracks, Prosthetic Cunt manage to forge the sound of a well-oiled music machine with speeding blastbeats and brutal riffing, integrating brooding death metal. With a sense of humor! Forty tracks in 23 minutes, you say? What is the world coming to? Funny you should ask! Included in the liner notes are explanations of how the world is being used by two eccentric aliens hell-bent on using the best characteristics of Earth's women to create the perfect model for their use and amusement. To round out the musical cacophony, there are totally indecipherable low-ended death growls that are so sick and vomit-inducing that one will find themselves seductively drawn to their toilet bowl for another round of their regurgitated dinner remains! All joking aside, this amazing CD is comprised of Mortician's Roger Beaujard (guitars and drum programming) and Relapse Record's own Carl Schultz (vocal arrangements and samples), so you know there is an full metal jacket backing this record. This record may not be for everyone, but for those who can stomach the intensity of what's being presented, there is a huge frozen vomit fuck stick waiting for you at the end of the tunnel!

Take your Fuckstick

Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame ( 1971, Legacy, Jazz Fusion )



Track Listing:

1. Meeting Of the Spirits 6:53
2. Dawn 5:16
3. Noonward Race 6:29
4. A Lotus On Irish Streams 5:41
5. Vital Transformations 6:16
6. The Dance of Maya 7:19
7. You Know You Know 5:07
8. Awakening 3:29

Overview:

This is the album that made John McLaughlin a semi-household name, a furious, high-energy, yet rigorously conceived meeting of virtuosos that, for all intents and purposes, defined the fusion of jazz and rock a year after Miles Davis' Bitches Brew breakthrough. It also inadvertently led to the derogatory connotation of the word fusion, for it paved the way for an army of imitators, many of whose excesses and commercial panderings devalued the entire movement. Though much was made of the influence of jazz-influenced improvisation in the Mahavishnu band, it is the rock element that predominates, stemming directly from the electronic innovations of Jimi Hendrix. The improvisations, particularly McLaughlin's post-Hendrix machine-gun assaults on double-necked electric guitar and Jerry Goodman's flights on electric violin, owe more to the freakouts that had been circulating in progressive rock circles than to jazz, based as they often are on ostinatos on one chord. These still sound genuinely thrilling today on CD, as McLaughlin and Goodman battle Jan Hammer's keyboards, Rick Laird's bass, and especially Billy Cobham's hard-charging drums, whose jazz-trained technique pushed the envelope for all rock drummers. What doesn't date so well are the composed medium- and high-velocity unison passages that are played in such tight lockstep that they can't breathe. There is also time out for quieter, reflective numbers that are drenched in studied spirituality ("A Lotus on Irish Streams") or irony ("You Know You Know"); McLaughlin was to do better in that department with less-driven colleagues elsewhere in his career. Aimed with absolute precision at young rock fans, this record was wildly popular in its day, and it may have been the cause of more blown-out home amplifiers than any other record this side of Deep Purple.

It is recommended that you light a blunt while listening to this record

Cheers.

Alio Die - Password For Entheogenic Experience (1997)
Genre: Dark Ambient



Entheogenic is defined to be "causing to be in God." This album has only one track to it, being Password for Entheogenic Experience. The song is 1:03:59 long, and is not a continuous mix of several songs. It is but one discrete song, and it is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. It is not beautiful in the classical sense, but after listening to it for a while, it really gets into your head. The result is an eerie sense of calm and quiet, especially on listening to the song fully. This is not a song one could listen to in a car ride or browsing the Internet. This is a song for one to save to a CD or mp3 player and listen to lying down in a dark bedroom.

Does it create a entheogenic experience? I wouldn't say that, but the sense of calm and serenity you get afterwards is unmatched.

See if you become in God by listening to it

Ciao.

The Stone Roses - Stone Roses ( 1989, Silvertone, Indie Rock )



Track Listing:

1. I wanna be Adored 4:52
2. She Bangs the Drum 3:45
3. Elephant Stone 3:04
4. Waterfall 4:40
5. Don't Stop 5:20
6. Bye Bye bad Man 4:04
7. Elizabeth My Dear :56
8. Songs For My Sugar Spun Sister 3:26
9. Made of Stone 4:16
10. Shoot You Down 4:13
11. This Is The One 4:59
12. I Am the Resurrection 8:14
13. Fools Gold 9:54

Overview:

ince the Stone Roses were the nominal leaders of Britain's "Madchester" scene -- an indie rock phenomenon that fused guitar pop with drug-fueled rave and dance culture -- it's rather ironic that their eponymous debut only hints at dance music. What made the Stone Roses important was how they welcomed dance and pop together, treating them as if they were the same beast. Equally important was the Roses' cool, detached arrogance, which was personified by Ian Brown's nonchalant vocals. Brown's effortless malevolence is brought to life with songs that equal both his sentiments and his voice -- "I Wanna Be Adored," with its creeping bassline and waves of cool guitar hooks, doesn't demand adoration, it just expects it. Similarly, Brown can claim "I Am the Resurrection" and lie back, as if there were no room for debate. But the key to The Stone Roses is John Squire's layers of simple, exceedingly catchy hooks and how the rhythm section of Reni and Mani always imply dance rhythms without overtly going into the disco. On "She Bangs the Drums" and "Elephant Stone," the hooks wind into the rhythm inseparably -- the '60s hooks and the rolling beats manage to convey the colorful, neo-psychedelic world of acid house. Squire's riffs are bright and catchy, recalling the British Invasion while suggesting the future with their phased, echoey effects. The Stone Roses was a two-fold revolution -- it brought dance music to an audience that was previously obsessed with droning guitars, while it revived the concept of classic pop songwriting, and the repercussions of its achievement could be heard throughout the '90s, even if the Stone Roses could never achieve this level of achievement again.

Stone me, why can't you see, You're a no-one nowhere washed up baby who'd look better dead

Cheers.

Go! Go! 7188
Label: Toshiba EMI
Year: 2000
Genre: JRock
Official Site: http://www.breast.co.jp/gogo7188/


Dasoku Hokou (Crawl Like a Snake)

1. Jet Ninjin (Jet Carrot)
2. Yuge
3. Yukuefumei
4. Taiyou (Sun)
5. Kanojo to Watashi
6. Koi No Uta (Song of Love)
7. Seibu
8. Nukarumi (Mud)
9. Rokku (Rock)
10. Punk
11. Koganemushi

This is Go! Go! 7188's first album, Dasoku Hokou (Crawl Like a Snake). It showcases the surf-rock influenced style that band members Yuu (Primary Vocal + Lead Guitar), Akko (Backup Vocal + Guitar), and Taaki (Drummer) have to provide.
The Album opens up with Jet Ninjin, a very catchy song which happens to be the group's first single and first opportunity to show off their talents (link below).
We hear Yuu's wonderful vocals, Akko's excellent backup vocals, Taaki's enthusiastic drumming, and rocking guitar lines not only in this track but most other tracks in the album.
Yuge provides more rock in the major tonality, until Yukuefumue, shich manages to shift to a minor sound, while remaining it's surf-rock appeal.
Taiyou reverts to a very cheerful and truly vigorous mood, being another released single of the group.
Kanojo no Watashi borders on melancholy, without losing the same style of the last few songs.
Koi No Uta is a slow rock ballad type of song, that is a total change of pace from most other songs from Go! Go! 7188, still enjoyable, and is another released single.
Seibu goes back to the style similar to the first few songs.
Nukarumi comes the closest to mainstream depressing music, starting out with sole garbage mic vocals, leading into a slower paced trudge through the rest of the way.
Rokku picks up the pace with an energetic guitar line and call-and-response type of vocal.
Punk showcases more of the same.
The album ends off with Koganemushi, an instrumental showing off the trio's guitar and drumming prowess.

Overall, you should give Dasoku Hokou (and Go! Go! 7188 in general) a listen if you are interested in a diverse collection of rock, with surf influence. Akko sings the backup harmonies quite well, and Taaki has vigorous drumming line in just about every song. Yuu vocal's really make the songs shine, and the almost improvisational guitar lines really help out.


Jet Ninjin
(Whole Album to appear on an ftp possibly sometime....)

Ciao.

T.Rex - Unicorn

Year: 1969
Label: A & M
Genre: proggy glam folk



See if you can catch the John Peel appearance (ok, so it's pretty obvious really). Listen to T.Rex. You know why (or if you don't, scroll up and read Iwata's big blurb, as I'm in a bit of a rush just now).

Tracks:
1. Chariots Of Silk
2. 'Pon A Hill
3. The Seal Of Seasons
4. The Throat Of Winter
5. Cat Black (The Wizard's Hat)
6. Stones For Avalon
7. She Was Born To Be My Unicorn
8. Like A White Star, Tangled And Far, Tulip That's What You Are
9. Warlord Of The Royal Crocodiles
10. Evenings Of Damask
11. The Sea Beasts
12. Iscariot
13. Nijinsky Hind
14. The Pilgrim's Tale
15. The Misty Coast of Albany
16. Romany Soup

DOWNLOAD!

Cheers.

Allegory Chapel Ltd. - When Angels Fall
Year: 1994
Label: Charnel Music
Catalogue #: CHCD-15
Genre: Industrial/noise/experimental



1. Introduction (Allegory of the Frozen Heart)
2. Trajectory Calculations
3. Predatory Instincts
4. Self-Destructive Jealousy & Delusions of Intimacy
5. Escalate the Violence!
6. P x Q
7. Recital 587
8. Requiem for Thee Possessed

I have to say that this is quite probably one of the best albums I've ever listened to. Wonderful compositional skills indeed. Goes beyond "just" noise (which is pretty damn good, to be honest) and mixes it with vocal samples and symphonic/orchestral elements to create a pretty wonderful piece of terror.

http://rapidshare.de/files/9598064/Allegory_Chapel_Ltd_-_When_Angels_Fall.zip.html

Ciao.

L'Ame Immortelle - Gezeiten (2004, Rock)



Track List:
1. Es Zieht Dich Davon ------ 5:27
2. 5 Jahre ------------------ 4:13
3. Fear --------------------- 4:24
4. Stumme Schreie ---------- 3:32
5. Fallen Angel -------------- 5:04
6. Gezeiten ----------------- 4:25
7. Rain --------------------- 3:38
8. Masquerade -------------- 3:36
9. Kingdom ------------------ 5:34
10. Calling ------------------- 4:26
11. Ohne Dich --------------- 7:39
12. Believe In Me ------------ 4:27
13. Without You ------------- 4:05

Gezeiten (meaning "Tides" in German) is not a typical rock album. The first song opens up with a distortion high pitched sound that turns to an electronica-esque song later. I did not want to think upon hearing the first song, but upon listening to the subsequent songs, I could see why they gave it the Rock category. Some tracks are somewhat down-tempo and relaxing, while the rest are fairly metal sounding. Some songs are in English while some are in German. The language barriers are non-existant in this album, though, as each song gets it's point across. I rather liked this album, as I always loves a female vocalist with a good and strong voice. The guitar work is good as well. I would have to say I liked Stumme Schreie the best from this album, and I truly liked the way the album ended with the song Without You (which is not an oridnary down-tempo emo song as the title may suggest).

Bring in the tides.

Cheers.

Burt Ward - The Boy Wonder Sessions

Year: 1966
Label: M.G.M. (but mostly never released)
Genre: 60's bubblegum pop gone wrong



That's right, Robin himself, Burt Ward recorded a single in 1966. Produced by Frank Zappa (who also gets a writing credit for "Boy Wonder, I Love You"), you can't help but love to hate this crime against music. Two tracks came out on a 45, and this bootleg comes with that along with backing track "The Comedian", and another original, the hilariously indignant "Teenage Bill Of Rights". Check the lyrics to "Boy Wonder, I Love You":

Boy Wonder, I love you
Boy Wonder, I love you
Ooh ooh ooh

Hi, kids! It's me, your pal, the Boy Wonder, taking this opportunity to catch up on my fan mail. Even as a Boy Wonder it's really hard to read all the tons of mail I get. Here is a happy letter from someone just about your age:

"Dear you, wonderful, fabulous, magnificent, exquisite Boy Wonder, A cold chill runs up my spine everytime I see you sock a villain, and, oh, how I cry when you're even scratch. Please, don't send me a mimeograph copy of interesting facts about you, I want your handwriting. I have a whole wall on my room dedicated to you.

Oh, Boy Wonder, I'm making a gum wrapper chain to symbolize my love for you.
It's going to be as long as I am tall, and I'm 5 foot 10 inches in stocking feet. Please, Boy Wonder, PLEASE, come next Saturday and sleep for a week or two. I will feed you breakfast in bed, I will make your bed for you, and I like you so much that I want you to spend the whole summer with me.

I hope you know this is a girl writing.

(swoon, shriek)

Boy Wonder, I love you
Boy Wonder, I love you
Boy Wonder, I love you
Boy Wonder, I love you

I have to expect that Zappa had a good laugh over this; it's hard to tell whether Ward is being serious or not. He doesn't sing as much as speak over the music, thankfully, but watch out on "Orange Colored Sky".

Tracks:
1. Various False Starts
2. The Comedian
3. Boy Wonder, I Love You
4. Orange Colored Sky
5. Teenage Bill Of Rights

Hotcha!

13th Floor Elevators - The Psychedelic Sounds Of

Year: 1966
Label: International Artists
Genre: Psychedelia



From AMG:
Did the 13th Floor Elevators invent psychedelic rock? Aficionados will be debating that point for decades, but if Roky Erickson and his fellow travelers into inner space weren't there first, they were certainly close to the front of the line, and there are few albums from the early stages of the psych movement that sound as distinctively trippy -- and remain as pleasing -- as the group's groundbreaking debut, The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators. In 1966, psychedelia hadn't been around long enough for its clichés to be set in stone, and Psychedelic Sounds thankfully avoids most of them; while the sensuous twists of the melodies and the charming psychobabble of the lyrics make it sound like these folks were indulging in something stronger than Pearl Beer, at this point the Elevators sounded like a smarter-than-average folk-rock band with a truly uncommon level of intensity. Roky Erickson's vocals are strong and compelling throughout, whether he's wailing like some lysergic James Brown or murmuring quietly, and Stacy Sutherland's guitar leads -- long on melodic invention without a lot of pointless heroics -- are a real treat to hear. And nobody played electric jug quite like Tommy Hall...actually, nobody played it at all besides him, but his oddball noises gave the band a truly unique sonic texture. If you want to argue that psychedelia was as much a frame of mind as a musical style, it's instructive to compare the recording of "You're Gonna Miss Me" by Erickson's earlier band, the Spades, to the version on this album -- the difference is more attitudinal than anything else, but it's enough to make all the difference in the world. (The division is even clearer between the Spades' "We Sell Soul" and the rewrite on Psychedelic Sounds, "Don't Fall Down"). The 13th Floor Elevators were trailblazers in the psychedelic rock scene, and in time they'd pay a heavy price for exploring the outer edges of musical and psychological possibility, but along the way they left behind a few fine albums, and The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators remains a potent delight.

Tracks:
1. You're Gonna Miss Me
2. Roller Coaster
3. Splash 1
4. Reverberation
5. Don't Fall Down
6. Fire Engine
7. Thru the Rhythm
8. You Don't Know (How Young You Are)
9. Kingdom of Heaven
10. Monkey Island
11. Tried to Hide

You didn't realize

Ciao.