Bloodrock-USA

This band isn't new, active or even truly well known. But they are a good, kick ass rock and roll band needed to get some good fun after that long month. I love that album cover above as well.



Fantastic little opener, isn't?

I also love track 5 and 6, quite a bit:

5


6

------for the anxious, there's more------

There's more (track 2 and 8)



track 3


track 4


7


9


cd bonus-10


I guess I gave you the whole cd. Well, it's a good one. I hope you feel the same.

They also have more great material, including one about death on a plane, which would have been perfect for halloween.. but.. let's not speak of it again.

The gnarly end...

Saving the most horrific, scariest, most stomach churning for last, sure to make you throw up your candy...



Can you handle it?




Are you Sure?




OK I warn you...








Ok, ok, kidding. It's boring, but hardly scary (the holiday special that is, troll 2 is still gut busting funny).

But yes, I hope you enjoyed this experiment of a image a day foir this favorite time o f year. It was thoroughly exhausting, and if not for candy i would have collapsed long ago. Now to detox this sugar.


Hey, how did I wind up in this long Hallway?

In this big mansion...

I wish I had some help...



Ahh... oh my! A good non dio or ozzy black Sabbath song! Yes, yes, guitar riffs that stick in the mind, black attire, crosses, crows, pseudo goth ladies who scream in unison, a tight confined placed, surrounded in isolation.. it's a Halloween (non) miracle. This is what trickery of the treat should be.

Oh, don't agree? Not good enough. There's always this..



Better now? Thought so.

Happy Halloween. Now go watch part III: Season of the witch!

No more Love

Not a video, nor even live, but this collaboration between Robert Smith of the Cure and Crystal Castles is one of the most infectious tracks I've heard in ages. A wall of sound, but totally danceable.

Pyragony by Com Truise

Both the A and B side from the new-ish (and free) single by the electronic synth artist Com Truise (not a typo), a favorite artist of mine to put on in the background and zone out and do work to. So, no qualms about spotlighting him in the off again/ on again new music showcase.

Perhaps some are annoyed at music not made by people in a band with instruments, and while I definitely do favor the former, this is some chill tunes indeed. Check out his website where you can see the above single, his free ep (or conversely, expanded and better sounding priced re-release, which is well worth it I assure you) or his many remixes, many of which are excellent.

Enjoy!

Com Truise | Melting Circuits since 1985™

From the Darkest Part of the North

Feeling in an experimental mood, and one I can't help but share. This is the opening track to an astonishing lp of dark ambient music, ostensibly (and I use that word somewhat loosely) in relation to black metal. The man's real name is Varg Vikernes, whose history and place in music is.. complicated to say the least(and will no doubt be of some controversy those that know him).

Nonetheless this track was not only appreciated by me but also a friend who dislikes this sort of music in general, hence an appeal to a potentially unknowing audience seems ideal. I hope you enjoy it as much as she did. Enjoy.

A song to hold you over

Terribly sorry for lack of posts , much madness in my life recently. I will go back and fill in all the dates for may and up to half of June soon, and then hopefully resume a regular schedule (hopefully).

Thanks for all your patience. and enjoy one of my favorite songs, done rather artfully and oddly. A soulful black song of suffering, with German expressionism thrown in (but then maybe only the first two minutes). Enjoy, and more stuff coming soon.

Arming Eritrea (live 2008) by Future of The Left

Another entry in the on again-off again category of new bands worth a damn. This may seem something of a cheat it is more a super group,of two existing bands mclusky(drums, vocals- guitars) and jarcrew (bass)*, so they are not new in the strictest sense of the word. Still, their distorted guitars, surreal-made up on the cuff lyrics, and general stage presence cannot be denied. Perhaps best seen in a pub or small room, but they have the audio muscle to move arena audiences. Well done, boys.

Bonus: The House That Hope Built


*=Well, before he left.

Spewing venom (and humor)

The frontman rants to end all rants. The entire audio is ripped from one fateful night in 1986 as the recordist thought it was all too funny to leave to the ashes of history. I agree (and love this band, by the way). May this be the first of many laughs today.

Score of the rings

Heard this on the radio while driving. Bakshi is a figure of controversy, and few, if any, rank higher than his adaption of the cult Lord of the Rings book. But, despite some flaws, I find it an engaging film (and at times it reminds me of the art direction of Prince Valet). One area where it definitely succeeds, and I don't think I've ever heard anyone compliment, is the score by the great Leonard Rosenman. Definitely shreds the Howard Shore score, by a mile. Enjoy this playlist and tell me if you agree.

Heaven and Hell for Burton

A watercolor design/concept art by Tim Burton himself for 1989 Batman, Simple, evocative but interesting, much like Burton himself at the time.

From Pee Wees' Big Adventure to Ed Wood (my personnel favorite) Tim Burton was an amazing director full of inventions and style. Now his movies are so soaked in middle aged melodrama blandness that even lesser entries like Sleepy Hollow look good.

Perhaps Burton should have followed this thought from the Dio led Black Sabbath-now called Heaven and Hell(whatever, they put great albums, so the name doesn't matter).

Turk (live 2008) by High on Fire

Continuing to show good, recent musical talent (yes it does exist, just doesn't get much attention).

Of High on Fire fellow fan ribos had this to say (of their latest album and of them in general):

"It's too fast to properly be doom, not fierce enough to be thrash, too sludgy to be traditional heavy metal (in the vein of Motörhead), but too rocking to be sludge/stoner metal. High On Fire sits somewhere in this nebulous, not-really-defined realm where they lack any notable qualities to push them into a specific genre... and normally such a case would sound like a confused gobbledegook of influence worship.

But this is different. This kicks ass."

I'm not sure I could have said it better myself. They are clearly inspired by several different ideas and styles, but are not slaves to them. This is just solid craftsmanship and dedication, by people who put out albums to please people and doesn't cater to one band member's ego. Make no mistake, they are impressive musicians(they also have unusual gear, guitarist Matt Pike has a nine string guitar and drummer Des Kensel has an 30% larger drum kit). I honestly can't think of better trio, in any genre right now. Correct in the comments if wrong.
Enjoy.

PS: they are also great for putting on while drawing, especially if you like to draw fantastical creatures like those form "Wizards".

Bonus: Blessed Black Wings

Early Hanna-Barbera Explosion

I love me some HB cartoons, especially the early ones(and isn't that above picture great?). A really informative blog discusses these classic years at length, and even puts up incredibly rare (and incredibly catchy ) music from each episode. Enjoy!

Yowp: Stuff about Early Hanna-Barbera Cartoons

Phone Home (live 2004) by Dillinger Escape Plan

I have a a tag called music, and yet I so rarely use it. Time for change.

I love a lot of musicians that are uncontroversial choices( ie, their place is already secure). Such as Johnny Cash, Iron Maiden, Pixies, Charles Mingus, Frank Sinatra, Muddy Waters, Frank Zappa, Black Flag, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Patsy Cline, etc, etc.

All great , and I like them because I experienced a great euphoria, a sense of joy when hearing them. I didn't like them because others do. Still, I don't have to exactly defend them. It's like saying your favorite band is the Beatles, no one is really going to challenge that (on grounds that their greatness is stated for years).

It's far more debatable (and interesting) to note modern bands, who are more or less new, who don't have a massive legacy. Combined with the consistent cry that there is no good music made today I must note one of my favorite new bands, The Dillinger Escape Plan.

Once called greater than the Beatles (debatable, but certainly a more frenzied and physical live act) Dillinger is a band that has been around for a decade, made a few alums, and is certainly not unknown, but deserves all recognition they can get. Their work is is that rare blend of destroying riffs with actual accessibility (to a point). This is one of their mellower songs above, with not quite as much screaming. But they also have scorching technical numbers, laid back electronic,a warped pop song,and more on their albums.

They are also easily one of the great live acts I have seen, especially in a small club. Definitely check out their works (personal favorites are Sunshine the werewolf, black bubblegum, and Mouth of Ghosts[the last being quite beautiful] and of course Phone Home).

Any suggestions for great new bands you guys like (even ones completely different from this) be sure to let me know. I am always on the look out for new stuff.


Bonus: Sunshine the Werewolf (flavour or Dillinger in frenzied live setting)

The Dillinger Escape Plan - Sunshine The Werewolf - by XAVY from Xavy [Perrone Salvatore] on Vimeo.

Most Dangerous Music (by Hironobu Kageyama)

This might be the flimsiest excuse for a post I have ever had. This is really only the soundtrack for an anime, but I do like it so. The actual anime is enjoyable, if completely over the top ridiculous. Definitely for people who think modern anime characters are too petite and especially for those who love the road warrior(which of course includes me).

I guarantee you will have a hard time forgetting what little English there actually is in this song out of your head. There's no real reason for liking it, it's just awesome rock-synth that is totally 80's. And from Japan no less! Preposterous, yet so delicious. (Incidentally, this is not the order presented in the anime, quite the opposite; and, yes, the middle is instrumental only).

Edit: The singer in these songs (the one whose combination of English and Japanese is so delightful) is called Hironobu Kageyama. I assumed he didn't do anything else but apparently this was his first of many songs for anime. And he has his own band of other vocalists. Hmm. Neat. Checkout more info here.

Zombies, stop-motion Joes, and the Thing

Zombie Zomibe:Driving Clip Simon Gesrel Xavier Ehretsmann (6:25)


Continuing the music and animation theme:

Zombie Zombie is a band influenced by Goblin (a band headed by horror great Dario Argento, who score a great deal of his films) and the early electric score of director John Carpenter. They also pay tribute to his best film--and one of the best films ever-- The Thing by recreating it with G.I. Joes and scoring it themselves. I think it's one of the best remakes/reimagining of a superb film, which in itself is one of the best remakes/reimagining of all time. Well done.

Spider Tunes

67's Spiderman Bizarre Background Music Podcast!










WFMU's Kliph Nesteroff:

"The second and third season music tracks come from the KPM music library in England, they still exist, and they sound great. The podcast also features some reminiscence from the man who provided Spiderman's voice in the series (as well as "Hermie" in Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer), Paul Soles.

Perhaps the most revelatory piece of information that the discovery of these KPM masters unearthed is the name of the tracks themselves. Since the music was recorded for generic purposes to be used by anybody for any project or production, the sounds do not possess Spiderman related titles. However, if you've ever had the frightening experience of watching the notorious episode Revolt in the Fifth Dimension, you likely felt that it was a psychedelic cartoon made by animators high on acid. Turns out that the title of the crazy music in that episode was, indeed, titled LSD!"

My thoughts:

Although it is not cartoony is the slightest(and often verges on the abominable human style of Filmation) the Spiderman Series was often quite fun and(once Ralph Bakshi took over) very bizzare--but artistic; it's easy to seen prototypes of the work seen in Frtiz the cat and Wizards--. Once such way to note as such is the unusual background music played in the film itself.* I guess it does show that tone and intention can change even the drabbest material. As Ebert was fond of saying" Movies are not what they are about , but how they they are about ". Bakshi proved it only too well.

*Another thing to consider: how often the great music in Bakshi's films compliment his techniques. What would the fantastical mystique of Wizards be without Andrew Belling's great synthesizer score, or the instant retro felling of Hey Good Lookin" sans John Madara and Ric Sandler's great and authentic sounding 50's tunes? Even proponents of the aforementioned movies (such as Weirdo, who is otherwise very complete in his love for Hey Good Lookin') overlook what the full wonder of the medium of film/animation produces.

By the way, check out my previous post on Bakshi (including Revolt in the Fifth Dimension) here.

Also, I'm posting a lot of these at night and and setting for at a later time,as my work has been very consuming lately. Sorry if some incompressible ideas or misapplied words happen.

I Like Thee, Michael Anthony

I like thee, Michael Anthony.
I’m not sure why.
Could it be because you put out a delicious bbq and hot sauce?
Could it be because you never get your due in Van Halen?
Could it be that, when asked to bass solo in said band, you performed a funky doom metal sound that re-enacted a dinosaur in tar, thus showing unusual wit?
Could it be because you tell people the way shit is, even Eddie?
Could it be because you took a pay cut to allow Van Hagar to tour as full unit, showing more love towards the fans than the dollar?
Or could it be because your lack of involvement for VHIII resulted in mediocrity?
Whatever the reason, Michael Anthony, I like thee.