MBV MBV MBV

 If you haven't listened to Loveless you need to choose one of the following options:

A) Get the fuck off my blog you uncultured scum.
B) Click the download link immediately, locate the nearest pair of headphones or quality speakers--and spent the next 48 minutes doing nothing but staring at the ceiling and listening to this. And thank me later.

Ok so I am going to acknowledge that My Bloody Valentine isn't an original thing to post, however--it's raining out and this blog needs to be christened with the obligatory Loveless post. Recorded in 19 different studios, over the course of two years, and costing Creation Records £250,000--Loveless is a record fraught with one of the most conflict filled, costly, and high maintenance histories. Maybe it fell flat on it's face from a financial and commercial standpoint--but musically, I have no qualms saying that it's one of the most gorgeous compositions ever recorded--and extremely influential in creating a solid soundscape that future shoegaze bands could modify and build upon.

This album is really Kevin Shields' baby. Even the exhaustive production process speaks to Shield's general lack of concern for practicalities and his blasé (or as some would say, lazy) attitude towards the pressure to release material in a timely fashion. After the release of Loveless in 1991, MBV has been cagey about their intentions to record another album. However, the black hole left by MBV post-Loveless has created a culture of fantastic shoegaze bands in their wake.

The iconic fuzzy sound of Loveless comes from the "glide guitar" technique which causes the strings to wobble slightly in and out of tune giving the sensation of multiple guitars, when in fact it was just Kevin Shields.

About the vocals:
"According to Shields, because the band had spent so long working on the album's vocals, he "couldn't tolerate really clear vocals, where you just hear one voice", thus "it had to be more like a sound." Butcher explained her "dreamy, sensual" style vocals, saying, "Often when we do vocals, it's 7:30 in the morning; I've usually just fallen asleep and have to be woken up to sing." To aid this effect, Shields and Ó Cíosóig even sampled Butcher's voice and reused it as instrumentation." (Source)

Loveless isn't a set of songs with a couple hits hidden among weaker tracks. Loveless is a unified, cohesive album. Each track communicates with another, and a chronological story is created as opposed to snapshots of sound, emotion, evocation of memory. The transformations of sound from track to track illuminate things within each other--giving the album a rare kind of depth and intelligence.

So download this, and don't do anything else. Just listen. This is one of those albums you'll remember listening to for the first time, at least I do...and one that will stick around forever, encapsulated in its own self-created musical universe.

When I look at you, I don't know what I feel--once in a while.

Riot grrrl fangirl

Bikini Kill is what gets me through Mondays and midterms.

Generique. Flippa.

So, Flipper. Created from the wreckage of Sleepers and Negative Trend, Flipper was is a San Francisco based punk band that formed in 1979 and continues to release material on and off (most recently two LPS: Fight and LOVE, 2009.) The thing that distinguishes Flipper from other punk groups of the time is that their music is slower. It's cacophonous--filled with symbols, whistles, and raspy cries of sex bomb and cheap fucker. Flipper's sound on Generic (1982) ranges from "Life," a pop track with a sound reminiscent of The Velvet Underground meets Iggy Pop to the unapologetic, capricious "Sex Bomb." Unlike Black Flag's Damaged (1981), whose relentless, spasmodic tracks are held together tightly in an album well suited to prodigious foot-tapping--Flipper has an almost clumsy, rolling sound.

The genius of Generic is its ability to be both caustic and fun to listen to. Generic is generally considered to be a "punk" album (whatever that broad and largely inclusive name entails), but it has a distinctively post-punk edge to it.

Get it. Love it. Do it. Now.

 sexbombsexbombsexbombsexbomb

Mika Miko

Punk/Riot Grrrl from LA. Mika Miko is a bunch of girls with guitars and an awesome sense of humor. That's not to say that they aren't good musicians--they really are. Each song is imbued with a strong bassline, and energized vocals reminiscent of Bikini Kill with a little bit of Vivian Girls thrown in.

The problem I tend to have with punk is that often it takes itself far too seriously--and often a little self mockery can go a long way in making a band more interesting. Mika Miko has a unique kind of energy that can take the form of an endearing pop-style track, or straight up hardcore. Their 2006 album C.Y.S.L.A.B.F. is whirlwind 20 minutes of bittersweet punk that will leave you ready to handle a major case of the Mondays...or in my case, midterms.

If you don't download the album, at least watch this video for "Business Cats"...and pretend you're driving around LA wreaking havoc and climbing on drum sets.

C.Y.S.L.A.B.F. (2006)

P.S: Jennifer from Cold Cave was in Mika Miko first...and I like her way better here. Cold Cave suffers from the plight of taking themselves way too seriously, especially with their new single.

Ceremony

No we're not talking about the shitty hardcore band--we're talking about the shoegaze group formed from Skywave minus Oliver Ackermann. I have no qualms saying that both A Place to Bury Strangers and Ceremony eclipse Skywave in both quality and innovation. Ceremony has managed to maintain an incredible level of creativity from their self titled album released on Safranin in 2005, to settling in with the Killer Pimp label (also home to A Place To Bury Strangers) and the release of Rocket Fire in 2010. Shoegaze is an interesting genre, as it has allowed for a wide number of great bands and musicians, but can also be extremely narrow in the range of emotion and sound that gets represented.

Ceremony, unlike A Place to Bury Strangers, toned down the fuzz-factor and amped up the synthesizers--to achieve a sound reminiscent of 1980's new wave, a la Depeche Mode and Television. Ceremony puts more influence on their lyrics than APTBS, perhaps because the lyrics are far more audible, not drowned a layer of overwhelming volume. Whereas the tracks on Rocket Fire blend together to create one conclusive, amorphous sound--Ceremony's 2007 album, Disappear, gives us 11 unique, solid pieces of music. From the sentimental, aptly titled "Cold Cold Night" to the vindictive, driving "Heard You Call My Name," Disappear is, in my opinion, Ceremony's strongest release to date.

I continue to compare Ceremony and A Place to Bury Strangers because I think that the similarities and differences between the two reveal the essential personalities of each group. My personal opinion is that APTBS is the more "masculine" of the groups--boasting a louder, more intense industrial sound. Ceremony, on the other hand seems to identify itself with more traditional shoegaze groups like Fleeting Joys and My Bloody Valentine. They occasionally feature female vocalists, and their lyrics are tender and sentimental despite the layers of distortion.

Actually, "Ego Death" is the one song by A Place to Bury Strangers that sounds like Ceremony could have written it (check out the synth action at 3:55, before it gets loud again.)

 

Ceremony Disappear (Safranin 2007)

The Sound of 1000 White Supremacists With Hammers

Mexican Punk ftw

I don't care if you think this is shitty, I think it's awesome (and so does JC at We Fucking Love Music.) Pretty much standard punk, but in Spanish. Like a really greasy taco that manages to be bad in the most delicious way (oh sorry am I being racist?) I can't find any information on Los Margaritos online, but I think Melcochambre Sonico is their only official release, but I could be wrong.

When I put the stuff on their last.fm page through a shitty translator, I get:

Group of regiomontano punk. They are described to themselves with the following phrase: “Rock not sucked”. They inject in scene a contagious energy and mount a spectacle that leaves wanting more ROCK you! 

Ok so I guess we'll never know anything more about this group unless I learn to speak Spanish. However, check it out and enjoy the cover art.

melcochambre sonico (2009)

Slowdive: Machine Gun

Live video of Slowdive performing "Machine Gun" at their last show ever in Toronto, 1994. This song is so ridiculously perfect, I can't even handle it.

And here's a better quality version of the song of their album Live In Oslo (my personal favorite.) I'll post this album eventually, but this song...holy shit. One of my favorites ever.

Crazy Spirit 7"...again

Yes I am aware that I am probably the millionth person to blog about last year's Crazy Spirit 7". (I promise I didn't find them on icoulddietomorrow, I try not to re-post all their content, even though I did steal their download link.) As of now, the 7" inch is all they've released, which has everyone panting in anticipation for new releases (yes, as well as being great musicians, the members of Crazy Spirit are masters in the art of giving their fans a terrible case of blueballs, thus perpetuating their own mysterious existence.)

This 6-track gem packs a punch of pure, unadulterated garage punk. The vocals are stretched out thin, acidic, and entirely unlike the cool, monotone post-punk bands I've written about in the past couple of days (i.e APTBS and PRF.) This releases deals out screeching, wailing, epileptic fits, and concludes within 10 minutes, leaving the listener in a frustrated, "what the fuck do I do now, I need more" state. And that's what makes CS so fantastic.

This is their blog with nothing on it

Best ten minutes you'll spend today hating everything and everyone:

Crazy Spirit 7" (2010)

You're a woman, I'm a machine.

Death From Above 1979 is a special group in the sense that they manage to span two seemingly irreconcilable genres: "dance" and "punk." The result is a barrage of electro-fuck---breathy, bitchy songs about hate sex and ex girlfriends. You're A Woman, I'm A Machine makes hating everyone a blast. Where some would say that DFA 1979 is sell-out, glossy noise-rock--I think it's genius. The album combines extroverted and introverted tendencies, and brings us back to what loud music is all about: expressing emotion. And if in the course of expression, we have fun, all the better. You're A Woman, I'm A Machine is fun in a gritty, lightning paced way. Every song is different, every song switches up the cadence and unleashes a new tempestuous surge of emotion--from rage, to lust, to panic.

Even better? After a highly publicized, venomous split---DFA has finally gotten back together and signed on to play at Coachella. Oh hell yes.

There are also some damn good remixes of DFA out there, like this one from MSTRKRFT

You're A Woman, I'm A Machine (2005)

A Place To Bury Strangers

Speaking of favorite albums, and favorite bands--I am obligated to mention A Place to Bury Strangers. Affectionately (or maybe not) known as "NYC's loudest band," APTBS takes the best of shoegaze and makes it louder and grainier--effectively bringing it out of the 1990's and into the 21st century.

Their self titled album, (released in 2007) has garnered countless comparisons to The Jesus & Mary Chain's Psychocandy (1985.) APTBS is a little less sentimental than the traditional British shoegazers, and a little more gritty. The frontman, Oliver Ackermann, runs the Brooklyn venue/recording studio Death By Audio and designs custom pedals. So yeah, APTBS isn't just a couple hipsters with equipment. Ackermann formed APTBS after his shoegaze band Skywave broke up (the remaining members of Skywave went on to form Ceremony, also on the Killer Pimp label.)

APTBS takes the tender, sentimental notes of traditional shoegaze (think Slowdive or Fleeting Joys) and drowns it in an overwhelming mass of feedback (think Ringo Deathstarr, with balls.) The result is a sound both harsh and soft, a smothering, atmospheric din. The breakout track on the album, "Ocean" is a tenacious six minutes reminiscent of the early Joy Division recordings---the sound is moody, echoing, funereal.

APTBS should also be commended for consistently putting out material and being involved in the music community instead of holing up and resting on their laurels (yes, I'm looking at you Kevin Shields.) They've done some fantastic remixes lately, notably of School of Seven Bells' "Windstorm."

APTBS (Self Titled) 2007

Songs About Fucking

Big Black's 1987 album Songs About Fucking is one of my all time favorites. It suffices to say that Steve Albini is a genius, and everything he's ever done is awesome. However much I love Rapeman and Shellac--Big Black will always have a special place in my heart.

From the driving, paralyzed "Tiny, King of the Jews" to the relentless, pissy pop hit "He's A Whore" (recorded with Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick) to the absolutely kick ass cover of Kraftwerk's "The Model," Songs About Fucking is BB's best release, and shows the widest range of their musical creativity. In the style of classic punk bands, the tracks don't drag on--they're crisp, fast, and raw as fuck. The first few times through the album, it's grating, foreign, repulsive. But it's also catchy--a shifty, sweaty amphetamine high.

I think I fucked your
girlfriend once.
Maybe twice, I don't remember
Then I fucked all your
friends' girlfriends
Now they hate you.

L Dopa fix me

Wolf Eyes

In an attempt to satisfy an intense industrial noise craving (it happens) I downloaded Burned Mind, Wolf Eyes' 2004 release off Sub Pop Records. I've known about Wolf Eyes for a while but always dismissed them as "too intense." In fact what I discovered is they're far more melodic than many industrial noise outfits. As opposed to straight distortion and squealing, the sound is pulsating, rhythmic-- almost reminiscent of dubstep in a nuclear hailstorm.

The surprising thing about Burned Mind is that it isn't what I would deem "abrasive." Instead of recoiling in horror, ears ringing, listeners are drawn in by the steady rhythms in each track. The sound conjures up images of a heavily galvanized world, of decay and the steady march of some horrible fate, "a second coming" of steel and barbed wire. The heartbeat grows fainter in some songs, receding into a wall of indiscernible fuzz, but it comes back, and unifies the album--growing faster, slower, louder, softer.

A few of my favorite tracks are "Ancient Delay" (the sound of a thousand massive lights short circuiting, plus some whales moaning in the background--I'm not kidding,) "Black Vomit," "Stabbed In The Face,"  and "Village Oblivia."

I am a transformer

Burial Hex

I originally discovered Burial Hex off the split he did with Zola Jesus in 2009. On his Myspace he writes, "Burial Hex is a composition cycle of Horror Electronics to be executed in preparation for thee final mysteries coming in the twilight of this Kali Yuga."

Burial Hex has an extremely intelligent, organic sound. Unlike some artists, he doesn't cash in on dramatic stage performances and a riotous personal life. This is honest, raw sound coming from one man in Wisconsin.

I played the prolific, 18-minute track, "Will To The Chapel" on my radio show last night. Despite being scared shitless listening to it at 3am at the broadcast studio in the basement of an old dorm--it's a mesmerizing track. The thing that BH does so well is his creation of a narrative, the track has a beginning, middle, and end. One gets the sense of watching something germinate, reach its zenith, and then wither away. There's a terrifying humanity to the sound, underneath the distortion and pedal-generated clamor one can hear voices--screaming, wailing, pleading--and the sound takes on an almost cinematic quality. This is industrial with a scathingly human facet.

The man behind Burial Hex, Clay Ruby, should be commended for the sheer volume of material he releases (below is a picture listing every one of his releases to date.) The link below is for the album Initiations, released in 2008 on Aurora Borealis. The album consists of four long tracks, of which "Will To The Chapel" and "River of Los" stand out in particular.

Initiations

PSA #2 from Sean Gray of Fan Death Records

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