CONSTANTINOPLE

2011-03-26T16:51:00.001-07:00

ALBERT AYLER
The Impulse Story - (2006)

Albert Ayler was a lightning rod for criticism both from within the music community and from without. His free-thinking approach made him a bane for jazz traditionalists, and his incorporation of popular American musical styles like soul, R&B, and even rock made him a sellout to the free jazz crowd. His volume in The Impulse Story series -- one of ten individual artist titles to accompany both the book The House That Trane Built: The Impulse Story by Ashley Kahn and the four-CD label history set of the same name from Universal, is in many ways the very evidence of both points on the scale. There are ten cuts on this set, and the first three -- "Holy Ghost," "Truth Is Marching In," and "Angels" -- come from the celebrated Live in Greenwich Village: The Complete Impulse Recordings double-disc set. They offer the best recorded evidence up to that point -- 1965 and 1966 -- of Ayler's use of gospel music and marching rhythms in his free jazz approach. All are lengthy pieces with three different lineups. There are two shorter tunes from Love Cry, recorded and issued in 1967 -- including a lovely short version of "Bells." The lineup was bassist Alan Silva, Don Ayler on trumpet, and drummer Milford Graves. Three more come from the very controversial New Grass set, one with wildly varying musics and lineups. There's the title track, Albert's spoken word apologia "Message from Albert," and "Free at Last," with Pretty Purdie on drums and Call Cobbs playing electric harpsichord, as well as Bill Folwell on electric bass, backing vocalists, and a slew of horns arranged faux Memphis style. There is only one track -- the title -- from the equally combative Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe issued in 1969, which featured Bobby Few on piano, a pair of bassists -- Folwell and Stafford James -- with Mary Maria Parks singing and Muhammad Ali on drums. Finally, there are two tracks from the posthumously released Last Album: Parks' "Water Music," with the same lineup sans Parks left over from Music Is the Healing Force, and a completely crazy duet between Ayler on bagpipes and electric guitarist Henry Vestine recorded during those same sessions. In sum, this package is perhaps even more controversial than the individual albums it was culled from, and not the best introduction to Ayler out there. But then, given that no period of his music could make everyone -- with very few exceptions -- happy, this is perhaps the most fitting package of all. (allmusic.com)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=Y4E1O0AD

2011-03-26T10:27:00.000-07:00

NOVELLER
Paint On The Shadows - (2009)

Mystery hides in the shadows, dreaming of colors that don't yet exist. Noveller is Sarah Lipstate. She is a young musician and filmmaker currently living in Bushwick, Brooklyn. When she is not busy working on Noveller music or making films she also plays guitar in the band Parts & Labor. Paint on the Shadows is her overdue debut LP full of beautiful floating guitar lines, breathtaking soundscapes and precise sculptures of spiraling sound created by Sarah using double-neck guitar, a tape player, and various electronic manipulations. Sitting comfortably between some of the most well done 'avant-garde' music and the new generation of new sound masters. These are studio tracks recorded by Colin Martson and produced by Sarah Lipstate and Carlos Giffoni.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DRM3TAQ6

2011-03-24T18:34:00.001-07:00

ALEXANDER HACKE & DANIELLE De PICCIOTTO
Hitman's Heel - (2011)

The collection of road songs. Ballads, gypsy rolls, Italo Western piano tunes, heavy guitar riffs entangled with sound loops and Autoharp picking could best be described as industrial blues transporting the audience into a world of the uncompromising explorer. Their new album goes back to the basics. After deciding to give up their house in Berlin 2010 the couple is on the road in search of new horizons. Celebrating this restless nomadic lifestyle they decided to go back to classic songwriting, without sequencing or electronic processing. Concentrating purely on their instruments (guitar, autoharp, keyboards, drums) their songs can be performed on any stage and unplugged. Disregarding fashion, conventions or everyday standards, their lyrics speak of the world they are discovering.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=R5BOBB6R

2011-03-24T18:19:00.001-07:00

TOLERANCE
Divin - (1981)

Divin is a particularly portentous recording, with minimal, bumping electronics propelled by legions of robot drum machines and draped in gauzy ghost shapes. The result is an austere electro-hybrid that fully anticipates much of the minimal electronic threat currently stoking so many boilers. But what really makes Divin stand out from a thousand animated circuit boards is its odd recording quality. The whole thing feels like its broadcast through a thick greyscale fug, the same kind of muzzy distance that that makes the weakest of shortwave broadcasts seem so hopelessly forlorn. Rumour has it that Agi was also the man behind the legendary Voice records, who issued the ultra mysterious Brast Burn and Karuna Khyal records that turned up on the Nurse With Wound list alongside Tolerance themselves and were later reissued by Paradigm. So call Divin another thrilling piece in the puzzle.

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2011-03-23T20:38:00.000-07:00

ZOOGZ RIFT
Island Of Living Puke - (1986)

Another in the line of eccentric rock experimentalists led by Zappa and Beefheart, Zoogz Rift was influenced by those two as well as figures artistic (Dali) and literary/sociological (Ayn Rand, author of the objectivist pillar Atlas Shrugged). Born in New Jersey but later a resident of California, Rift began recording in the 1979 with Idiots on the Miniature Golf Course, for Snout Records. The album began a long association with his two major collaborators, Richie Häss and John Van Zelm Trubee (also a member of the Ugly Janitors of America), and proved similar to the zany freak-out of Beefheart, to whom it's dedicated. Much of Zoogz Rift's eccentricities began to be overwhelmed by his growing musical ability in the mid-'80s, and though albums like Amputees in Limbo, Island of Living Puke and the three volumes included in the Water trilogy were hardly commercial propositions, they found Rift embracing synthesizers and samplers as well as the traditional guitars. His last LP in a long series for the punk label SST Records was 1989's Torment, after which Rift recorded for Trigon and the German label Musical Tragedies. (allmusic.com)

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2011-03-21T14:39:00.000-07:00

DK3
Soul Machine - (1995)

Formed as a duo by ex-Jesus Lizard guitarist Duane Denison and ex-Mule, Laughing Hyenas, and Jesus Lizard percussionist Jim Kimball, the Denison-Kimball Trio specialized in cool, jazzy instrumentals. With the addition of reeds player Ken Vandermark in 1995, the group was renamed DK3. The recipient of a degree in classical guitar from Eastern Michigan University, Denison formed Jesus Lizard in the late '80s with former members of Scratch Acid, David Yow on vocals and David Sims on bass. Although they initially relied on a drum machine, the band was solidified with the addition of drummer Mac McNeilly before recording their debut album, Head, in 1990. Over the next decade, Denison and Jesus Lizard released an additional seven albums before disbanding in 2000. Performing as a guest on albums by the Revolting Cocks (Linger Ficken' Good), Sally Timms, and Firewater following the demise of Jesus Lizard, Denison joined with Kimball to form the Denison-Kimball Trio. Their debut recording, released in 1994, provided the soundtrack of an indie film, Walls in the City, starring ex-Jesus Lizard frontman David Yow. Their second album, Soul Machine, followed a year later. (allmusic.com)

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2011-03-21T14:29:00.000-07:00

THE AFGHAN WHIGS
Uptown Avondale EP - (1992)

The Afghan Whigs' final recording for Sub Pop, Uptown Avondale is anything but a contractual obligation -- a five-track EP comprising four R&B covers and a remake of Congregation's unlisted bonus track "Milez Iz Ded" (here retitled "The Rebirth of the Cool"), it's a soulful, scorching collection that captures the band at their gritty best. Quickly dispelling any lingering doubts that Greg Dulli's soul-man aspirations are anything but genuine, the disc's covers of chestnuts like Freda Payne's "Band of Gold" and the Supremes' "Come See About Me" are remarkable, remaining true to the music's R&B roots but infused with the Whigs' noise-punk energy -- Dulli sings like a man possessed, rejuvenating this familiar material with both reverence and attitude. (allmusic.com)

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2011-03-21T13:51:00.000-07:00

UNREST
A Factory Record EP - (1991)

Anyone who knows anything about the Teenbeat label knows that Mark Robinson (leader of the label and of Unrest) is a Factory Records fanatic. Thus it is only fitting that he would release a single comprising covers of great tunes from the Factory discography. On this co-release with Sub-Pop (part of its single-of-the-month series), we get covers of songs by Crispy Ambulance, ESG, Crawling Chaos, and Miaow (in that order). The Miaow cover was later released on the BPM compilation, which is stil available from Teenbeat.

http://www.mediafire.com/?f7npbcm0jlp1e7x

2011-03-17T19:07:00.001-07:00

JOHN PARISH
How Animals Move - (2002)

John Parish nearly outdoes himself with the beautiful, elegiac How Animals Move. If it weren't for the fact that basically everything he's turned his hands to has come out golden, one might be surprised. His second solo album is a mostly mournful affair, but its poetic melodies, bubbly textures, and percolating, suspense-packed notes are consistently invigorating. Guest stars like longtime collaborator and friend PJ Harvey, Portishead's Adrian Utley, Giant Sand's Howe Gelb, and vocalists Rose De Wolf and David Donahue add additional magic to the proceedings. How Animals Move is one of those albums that feels like a score to an imaginary film; some weepy, epic, road movie with transcendent emotions. But how many imaginary film scores do a cover of The The? Parish's does, with a subtle take on Matt Johnson's "Shrunken Man" that fits perfectly in with his own compositions. From the opening seconds of the violin solo in "Absolute Beauty Is an Absolute Curse," to the schizophrenic modern jazz amalgamation of "The Florida Recount,"; from the Talk Talk-like "Without Warning His Heart Stopped Beating," to the somber tone poems of "Lord It's a Happy Land," Parish's brilliance continues. The fractured anthemic pop of "Stable Life" contrasts beautifully with the 40-minute mark where PJ Harvey tackles "Airplane Blues" like a Dixieland "fifty-foot queenie." The album stuns with both atmosphere and tension. A little bit of DJ Shadow, a touch of David Holmes, a helping of Woody Guthrie, a hint of Miles Davis improvisation, and a nod to Ry Cooder all come to mind as inspirations for Parish here. It takes a true craftsman to chisel music that's as subtle yet as fascinating as the songs Parish consistently offers. How Animals Move is another wonderful opus from John Parish, and another example of his fine compositions and musical mastery. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?799637zj529vonm

2011-03-17T18:42:00.001-07:00

PORTISHEAD
Dummy - (1994)

Portishead's album debut is a brilliant, surprisingly natural synthesis of claustrophobic spy soundtracks, dark breakbeats inspired by frontman Geoff Barrow's love of hip-hop, and a vocalist (Beth Gibbons) in the classic confessional singer/songwriter mold. Beginning with the otherworldly theremin and martial beats of "Mysterons," Dummy hits an early high with "Sour Times," a post-modern torch song driven by a Lalo Schifrin sample. The chilling atmospheres conjured by Adrian Utley's excellent guitar work and Barrow's turntables and keyboards prove the perfect foil for Gibbons, who balances sultriness and melancholia in equal measure. Occasionally reminiscent of a torchier version of Sade, Gibbons provides a clear focus for these songs, with Barrow and company behind her laying down one of the best full-length productions ever heard in the dance world. Where previous acts like Massive Attack had attracted dance heads in the main, Portishead crossed over to an American, alternative audience, connecting with the legion of angst-ridden indie fans as well. Better than any album before it, Dummy merged the pinpoint-precise productions of the dance world with pop hallmarks like great songwriting and excellent vocal performances. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?uym3kb2xkd14ujv

2011-03-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

THE RESIDENTS
1997: The Missing Year - The Marlboro Eyeball Experience - (2009)

Also volunteering at the fund raiser was the house manager for the Fillmore in San Francisco. After seeing The Residents' performance, the promoter was so excited, he immediately invited the group to perform five shows at The Fillmore the following Halloween. Having never played this historic venue before, The Residents immediately accepted and began preparations.Soon another request came in, this time from the unlikely source of Marlboro cigarettes - in Germany. Searching for an event on which to focus their advertising at the Popkomm music trade show in Cologne, the tobacco giant suggested a short performance, 20-30 minutes in length, that could be video taped for television; it was to be performed 3 or 4 times with a changing audience. The small crowd was limited to people who won tickets in response to cigarette ads. (Leaving no opportunity for addiction unanswered, Marlboro also showered the audience with free smokes while waiting to take their turn as an audience member.) Aided by MTV producer and friend, John Payson, The Residents adapted a piece from the Adobe performance, transforming it into a 30 minute performance vehicle, Disfigured Night. The Residents performed Disfigured Night four times that evening; several months later, the piece was later broadcast on national television in Germany.

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2011-02-28T18:48:00.000-08:00

ZERO BOYS
Vicious Circle - (1982)

When he walked into Keystone Recording in Indianapolis on August 18, 1981, Zero Boys singer Paul Mahern told producer/engineer John Helms he wanted his band's debut LP to "sound like the Germs' GI," released two years prior. "He really nailed it!" laughed Mahern recently. Much agreed: Few records have ever sounded this whizbang buzzing. And whereas GI transformed an appallingly shambolic L.A. band into a shocking powerhouse, Vicious Circle merely snared a smokin' Indiana band that'd been rehearsing five hours a day -- so tight they spun this corker out in just two days, by recording live together. It still bursts out of your speaker on CD as it did off a needle when released on Nimrod records 19 years ago. Terry Hollywood's razor-zinging guitar and Tufty Clough's Speedy Gonzalez' bing-bing-bing bass playing (fastest fingers in the Midwest) burn like blowtorches, and drummer Mark Cutsinger plays like he IV'ed amphetamines. Mahern sings like a hurrying rabbit, rapid-firing words about assassinations/celebrity-shootings, anti-nostalgia, having a "high time," and, well, doing speed. Whereas other records of the new hardcore scene tried to sound tough, this was like Johnny Thunders, Sex Pistols, Ramones, Dictators, and S.L.F. on 45, smiling like dopes. Reissued with two bonus tracks from the same session, Vicious Circle remains a vicious pleasure of frenzied attitude, chops, speed, tight playing, and rocket-launching zeal. (allmusic.com)

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2011-02-28T18:03:00.000-08:00

YOUTH BRIGADE
Sink With Kalifornija - (1984)

One of the lesser-known bands to come out of the early-'80s West Coast punk rock explosion, Youth Brigade was formed by a trio of brothers (Shawn, Mark, and Adam Stern) at the end of summer 1980 in Los Angeles. Originally supplemented with other members, the group went back to a trio in early 1982, the same year they founded their own independent record label, BYO (Better Youth Organization). Later that year, the group issued their very first release, the three-track EP Someone Got Their Head Kicked In, before recording their full-length debut, Sound and Fury. Their debut hit a snag, however -- shortly after its initial release, the group halted further pressings when they realized they weren't entirely satisfied with how it came out, resulting in the release of a reworked version in June 1983. Another three-song EP, What Price?, hit the racks in the spring of 1984, resulting in Youth Brigade's first tour of Europe. Despite being able to obtain success entirely on their own terms, Adam Stern decided to leave the band in 1985 in order to return to art school. Adam's final show was scheduled in June of the same year at Fenders Ballroom in Long Beach, CA, which was recorded and issued as the Sink with Kalifornija album, and Shawn and Mark opted to carry on without Adam. Eventually Adam returned to Youth Brigade, as the trio toured both North America and Europe. In 1991, the group took a break as its members concentrated on other projects (Mark and Adam with the swing revival band Royal Crown Revue, and Shawn with the pop-punk outfit That's It!). Youth Brigade would pick up where they left off shortly thereafter, as they issued several albums throughout the remainder of the decade: 1994's Happy Hour, 1996's To Sell the Truth, and 1998's Out of Print. BYO Records also continued to operate strong through the years, releasing albums from bands like Pinhead Circus, the Unseen, the Business, and many more; the label also began a well-received series of split releases (Leatherface and Hot Water Music being the first), which Youth Brigade took part in on a 1999 split with San Francisco's Swingin' Utters. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?j6upkmd669tnu3g

2011-02-27T20:49:00.000-08:00

X
Los Angeles - (1980)

By the late '70s, punk rock and hardcore were infiltrating the Los Angeles music scene. Such bands as Black Flag, the Germs, and, especially, X were the leaders of the pack, prompting an avalanche of copycat bands and eventually signing record contracts themselves. X's debut, Los Angeles, is considered by many to be one of punk's all-time finest recordings, and with good reason. Most punk bands used their musical inability to create their own style, but X actually consisted of some truly gifted musicians, including rockabilly guitarist Billy Zoom, bassist John Doe, and frontwoman Exene Cervenka, who, with Doe, penned poetic lyrics and perfected sweet yet biting vocal harmonies. Los Angeles is prime X, offering such all-time classics as the venomous "Your Phone's Off the Hook, but You're Not," a tale of date rape called "Johnny Hit and Run Paulene," and two of their best anthems (and enduring concert favorites), "Nausea" and the title track. While they were tagged as a punk rock act from the get-go (many felt that this eventually proved a hindrance), X are not easily categorized. Although they utilize elements of punk's frenzy and electricity, they also add country, ballads, and rockabilly to the mix.

http://www.mediafire.com/?lq01uk276axddda

2011-02-27T20:40:00.000-08:00

WIRE
Pink Flag - (1977)

Perhaps the most original debut album to come out of the first wave of British punk, Wire's Pink Flag plays like The Ramones Go to Art School -- song after song careens past in a glorious, stripped-down rush. However, unlike the Ramones, Wire ultimately made their mark through unpredictability. Very few of the songs followed traditional verse/chorus structures -- if one or two riffs sufficed, no more were added; if a musical hook or lyric didn't need to be repeated, Wire immediately stopped playing, accounting for the album's brevity (21 songs in under 36 minutes on the original version). The sometimes dissonant, minimalist arrangements allow for space and interplay between the instruments; Colin Newman isn't always the most comprehensible singer, but he displays an acerbic wit and balances the occasional lyrical abstraction with plenty of bile in his delivery. Many punk bands aimed to strip rock & roll of its excess, but Wire took the concept a step further, cutting punk itself down to its essence and achieving an even more concentrated impact. Some of the tracks may seem at first like underdeveloped sketches or fragments, but further listening demonstrates that in most cases, the music is memorable even without the repetition and structure most ears have come to expect -- it simply requires a bit more concentration. And Wire are full of ideas; for such a fiercely minimalist band, they display quite a musical range, spanning slow, haunting texture exercises, warped power pop, punk anthems, and proto-hardcore rants -- it's recognizable, yet simultaneously quite unlike anything that preceded it. Pink Flag's enduring influence pops up in hardcore, post-punk, alternative rock, and even Britpop, and it still remains a fresh, invigorating listen today: a fascinating, highly inventive rethinking of punk rock and its freedom to make up your own rules. (allmusic.com)

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2011-02-24T17:04:00.000-08:00

THE VANDALS
When In Rome Do As The Vandals - (1984)

As snotty punk albums go, When in Rome seems unexceptional on the surface. There are the tasteless joke songs ("Viking Suite," about a man disturbingly fond of little boys in costumes, presented as a mock prog-style rock opera). There's the requisite cheesy cover ("Hocus Pocus" by Focus, renamed "It's Not Unusual," complete with tuneless howls and shrieks that are even more painful than the original's yodeling). One key difference is that the band is quirky enough to experiment with different sounds (rather than just three-chord punk) and flexible enough to be successful at it. From the mock Western "Mohawk Town" to the Caribbean lilt of "Rico," the Vandals display a surprising musical versatility. Lyrically, the band is still rather one-dimensional, relying too much on jokes and schtick (such as the cheap shots at RV dwellers on "Airstream"), although "Slap of Luv," told from the point of view of a domestic abuser, is a surprisingly astute character piece. Still, the Vandals definitely display some real originality and talent on When in Rome, making it a notch above most indie punk albums. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?dad9z2smnbbai07

2011-02-24T16:59:00.000-08:00

U.K. SUBS
Another Kind Of Blues - (1979)

The U.K. Subs' debut can easily stand alongside any other punk classics released during its heyday. Musically, the Subs are similar to the early Clash, but where the Clash spit out balls of fiery rage, the Subs leaven their bile with sardonic humor. "Tomorrow's Girls" imagines a futuristic Venus who "will be pre-programmed," and the music spits out a hilarious series of mock computer beeps. "Crash Course" promises staid executives that, just by listening to the Subs' music and buying up the right clothes, they, too, can "learn" punk rock. Only the sneeringly sexist "All I Wanna Know" hits a sour note. The music is rooted in the typical punk influences: the New York Dolls, the Velvet Underground, and early Who, but the band adds a twist of classic '60s British R&B groups like the Yardbirds. It's melodic, punchy, and fast, delivering the necessary bite without ever becoming too abrasive or sugary. Another Kind of Blues is an impressive debut from the classic punk era.

http://www.mediafire.com/?46b3o9ok5oz1vc7

2011-02-23T18:12:00.000-08:00

TELEVISION
Marquee Moon - (1977)

Marquee Moon is a revolutionary album, but it's a subtle, understated revolution. Without question, it is a guitar rock album -- it's astonishing to hear the interplay between Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd -- but it is a guitar rock album unlike any other. Where their predecessors in the New York punk scene, most notably the Velvet Underground, had fused blues structures with avant-garde flourishes, Television completely strip away any sense of swing or groove, even when they are playing standard three-chord changes. Marquee Moon is comprised entirely of tense garage rockers that spiral into heady intellectual territory, which is achieved through the group's long, interweaving instrumental sections, not through Verlaine's words. That alone made Marquee Moon a trailblazing album -- it's impossible to imagine post-punk soundscapes without it. Of course, it wouldn't have had such an impact if Verlaine hadn't written an excellent set of songs that conveyed a fractured urban mythology unlike any of his contemporaries. From the nervy opener, "See No Evil," to the majestic title track, there is simply not a bad song on the entire record. And what has kept Marquee Moon fresh over the years is how Television flesh out Verlaine's poetry into sweeping sonic epics.

http://www.mediafire.com/?62ezfznjiyt59zt

2011-02-23T17:56:00.000-08:00

SOCIAL DISTORTION
Mommy's Little Monster - (1983)

Seminal Orange County punk band Social Distortion's first full-length album Mommy's Little Monster is the epitome of early-'80s suburban California punk and provided inspiration for many future Californians, including the Offspring and Rancid. Mommy's Little Monster finds the band supplying plenty of attitude and aggression as they rip through nine tracks worth of hard, fast, power chord-filled tracks loaded with snarling anti-establishment lyrics and themes. Songs like "The Creeps (I Just Want to Give You") and "Telling Them" show a young punk group that is very angry, and they were going to let society know it whether they wanted to hear it or not. The title track, "Mommy's Little Monster," with its descriptions of the girl with blue hair and the unemployed young punk who loves to drink and fight, gives you a good idea of the characters Social Distortion was surrounded by in the scene of the day. Although the low budget production gives the album a genuine early genre feel, it tends to hinder some of the potential power of most of the tracks presented here. As frontman Mike Ness matured as a songwriter the band went on to record stronger albums later in their career, but Mommy's Little Monster is a fine document of the raw early stages of a great influential American punk band that would go on to influence countless others in the future. (allmusic.com)

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2011-02-23T17:47:00.000-08:00

THE SEX PISTOLS
Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols - (1977)

While mostly accurate, dismissing Never Mind the Bollocks as merely a series of loud, ragged midtempo rockers with a harsh, grating vocalist and not much melody would be a terrible error. Already anthemic songs are rendered positively transcendent by Johnny Rotten's rabid, foaming delivery. His bitterly sarcastic attacks on pretentious affectation and the very foundations of British society were all carried out in the most confrontational, impolite manner possible. Most imitators of the Pistols' angry nihilism missed the point: underneath the shock tactics and theatrical negativity were social critiques carefully designed for maximum impact. Never Mind the Bollocks perfectly articulated the frustration, rage, and dissatisfaction of the British working class with the establishment, a spirit quick to translate itself to strictly rock & roll terms. The Pistols paved the way for countless other bands to make similarly rebellious statements, but arguably none were as daring or effective. It's easy to see how the band's roaring energy, overwhelmingly snotty attitude, and Rotten's furious ranting sparked a musical revolution, and those qualities haven't diminished one bit over time. Never Mind the Bollocks is simply one of the greatest, most inspiring rock records of all time. (allmusic.com)

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2011-02-21T18:59:00.001-08:00

THE RAMONES
Ramones - (1976)

With the three-chord assault of "Blitzkrieg Bop," The Ramones begins at a blinding speed and never once over the course of its 14 songs does it let up. The Ramones is all about speed, hooks, stupidity, and simplicity. The songs are imaginative reductions of early rock & roll, girl group pop, and surf rock. Not only is the music boiled down to its essentials, but the Ramones offer a twisted, comical take on pop culture with their lyrics, whether it's the horror schlock of "I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement," the drug deals of "53rd and 3rd," the gleeful violence of "Beat on the Brat," or the maniacal stupidity of "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue." And the cover of Chris Montez's "Let's Dance" isn't a throwaway -- with its single-minded beat and lyrics, it encapsulates everything the group loves about pre-Beatles rock & roll. They don't alter the structure, or the intent, of the song, they simply make it louder and faster. And that's the key to all of the Ramones' music -- it's simple rock & roll, played simply, loud, and very, very fast. None of the songs clock in at any longer than two and half minutes, and most are considerably shorter. In comparison to some of the music the album inspired, The Ramones sounds a little tame -- it's a little too clean, and compared to their insanely fast live albums, it even sounds a little slow -- but there's no denying that it still sounds brilliantly fresh and intoxicatingly fun. (allmusic.com)

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2011-02-21T18:50:00.000-08:00

RANCID
Rancid - (1993)

This is where it all starts. Without any reminiscing about their former band, Operation Ivy, Matt Freeman (bass) and Tim Armstrong (guitar/vocals) blast through their debut without any hints of ska or blatant Clash plagiarizing. On the contrary, this album rips through 15 tracks of high-energy punk that's accompanied by heavy bass leads and Armstrong's permanently slurred vocals. And to top it all off, the lyrical content deals with urban blight and the lifestyle of being a public nuisance. With this trademark sound, Rancid provide the perfect soundtrack for any car chase that includes massive property damage; is it a wonder MTV wouldn't touch this? (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?gr6eqbm773926wz

2011-02-19T15:21:00.000-08:00

THE QUEERS
Don't Back Down - (1996)

It doesn't get any better than this. On Don't Back Down the rip-roaring punk songs with no melody ("No Tit," for instance) are more than counterbalanced by the many mind-blowingly catchy songs ("Punk Rock Girls," "Number One," "Janelle, Janelle," ad nauseam). Some of the songs, dare it be said, even surpass many of Brian Wilson's perfect pop songs. Whereas the Ben Weasel-fronted group the Riverdales aspire to be nothing more than Ramones imitators, the Queers successfully use the musical vocabularies developed by the Ramones (as well as Brian Wilson and others) and take their songs to new levels.

http://www.mediafire.com/?tq4uc4xha55mcbm

2011-02-19T14:38:00.000-08:00

PETER AND THE TEST TUBE BABIES
The Punk Singles Collection - (1996)

Chasing the Brighton-based punks from their "Banned from the Pubs" debut in 1982 through to the "Keys to the City" 45 three years later, The Punk Singles Collection is a reminder that, for all the on-stage hijinks and the complaints that they were essentially a novelty band, Peter & the Test Tube Babies were actually responsible for some of the hardest-hitting singles of the early '80s Oi! heyday. As usual with the series, 23 tracks round up both A- and B-sides, so a big hurrah for the resurrection of some genuinely classic flips -- "Moped Lads," "Up Yer Bum," "Trapper Ain't Got a Bird" -- and the frenetic live blitz that rounded up "Spirit of Keith Moon" and "Vicars Wank Too" at the very end of the original band's career. "Rotting in the Fart Sack," too, marks out the Test Tubes as a genuinely inspired assault on all that the polite music critic held dear -- and, if The Punk Singles Collection doesn't quite contradict the notion that everything this band did was intended as a joke, at least it has a good laugh trying. (allmusic.com)

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2011-02-17T18:22:00.001-08:00

OFF!
First Four EP's - (2010)

Keith Morris, one of the pioneers of the Los Angeles hardcore punk scene as lead singer with the first lineup of Black Flag and founder of the Circle Jerks, returns to his roots in fast, loud, confrontational music with the group Off! Off!'s story began when Keith Morris and guitarist Greg Hetson began mapping out plans to make a new Circle Jerks album, and Dimitri Coats of the Burning Brides was brought in to produce the sessions. Neither Morris nor Coats were happy with the material that had been proposed for the album, and the two began writing a fresh batch of songs. Hetson didn't see eye to eye with Coats as producer, so Morris and Coats decided to use their songs for a project of their own, and formed Off! as a vehicle for their material. With Morris on vocals on Coats on guitar, the new group's lineup became complete when Steven McDonald (of Redd Kross) agreed to play bass and Mario Rubalcaba (ex-Hot Snakes and Rocket from the Crypt) signed on as drummer. Off! made their live debut at the 2010 South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin, TX, and received enthusiastic reviews for their urgent, energetic songs, which more than one reporter compared to early Black Flag. The band made their recording debut in 2010 with the four 7" vinyl box set, First Four EPs, which also saw a CD release in early 2011 on Vice. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?5r1xvx4dr71kmkb

2011-02-17T18:14:00.000-08:00

NOFX
Punk In Drublic - (1994)

With their 1994 album Punk in Drublic, NOFX truly hit their stride. The quartet didn't change their approach at all -- at their core, they remain a heavy, speed-addled, hook-conscious post-hardcore punk group -- but their songwriting has improved, as has their attack. Prior to this record, they merely showed promise, but with Punk in Drublic they fulfilled their potential.

http://www.mediafire.com/?c9yopwpny1pbpsc

2011-02-16T18:22:00.000-08:00

MINUTEMEN
Ballot Result - (1987)

Before they had even released 3-Way Tie for Last in the fall of 1985, the Minutemen had blocked out plans for their next album, which was to be a sprawling three-LP set featuring three sides of studio material and three sides of live recordings. Initial pressings of 3-Way Tie included a ballot so fans could vote for the songs to be included on the live half of the upcoming album; the tragic death of D. Boon meant the Minutemen would never make another studio album, but Mike Watt and George Hurley compiled the ballots sent in by fans and used the results as the basis for this album, which uses radio broadcasts, studio outtakes, rehearsal tapes, and audience recordings to assemble a final tribute to their fallen comrade. As you might expect, the quality of the sound varies quite a bit from track to track (though there's nothing as awful as the stuff on side two of The Politics of Time), and there are a few items here that were outtakes for a good reason (like the overlong version of "Mr. Robot's Holy Orders" or the spontaneous soundtrack improvisation "Hell"). But for the most part, Ballot Result is a fitting memorial that makes clear the Minutemen were just as strong onstage as they were in the studio and that their songs were smart, provocative, adventurous, and stand up well to the test of time. The fiery first side of material from the WREK-FM broadcast previously bootlegged on Just a Minute, Men alone makes this album well worth owning, and there are plenty of other gems scattered through the rest of the set. Ballot Result is hardly the ideal Minutemen live album, but it offers tangible evidence that they were one of the greatest American bands of their time, and that's not an accomplishment to be sneezed at. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?u0rffhnt3ump4ei

2011-02-16T18:17:00.000-08:00

MISFITS
Earth A.D. - (1983)

With their second album, the incredibly short Earth A.D., Misfits speed up the tempo even more, which combined with their amateur musicianship to produce a wall of thrashy sonic murk. Additionally, Earth A.D. doesn't have the same catchy melodies that made previous Misfits records so exciting; however, the cassette and CD reissues append the three-song Die, Die My Darling single, which injects a burst of melodicism that makes the set more listenable. Dedicated fans will certainly want this album; others might be more inclined to hear it broken up over the two-CD compilations, which contain all of its tracks.

http://www.mediafire.com/?sqsg1ut35c85pzj

2011-02-16T18:09:00.000-08:00

LEATHERFACE
Mush - (1992)

Recorded at the Greenhouse in London in May 1991, Mush captures the original Leatherface lineup of Frankie Stubbs (vocals/guitar), Steve Charlton (bass), Andrew Laing (drums), and Richie 'Dickie' Hammond (guitar, backing vocals). Originally released in Britain on the Fire subsidiary Roughneck, the album was licensed by Seed Records (an offshoot of Atlantic) in an attempt to pick up on some of that Nirvana action. Sadly, the label never bothered to promote it, and Mush -- one of the most intense records of the '90s, with some of the fiercest playing and song dynamics -- was passed over. Ever since, however, word of mouth has kept interest in the record alive -- so much so that, nearly ten years later, it's considered one of the best albums of the decade. Furthermore, in "I Want the Moon" Leatherface had written at least one bona fide punk-rock classic. The fact that it's one of only a handful of easily obtainable Leatherface releases makes Mush the obvious starting point for anyone wishing to check out this cult outfit.

http://www.mediafire.com/?mv5j557tycou0jt

2011-02-15T20:45:00.000-08:00

KILLING JOKE
Killing Joke - (1980)

Since 1980, there have been a hundred bands who sound like this; but before Steve Albini and Al Jourgensen made it hip, the cold metallic throb of Killing Joke was exciting and fresh. The harshly sung vocals riding over the pulsating synth lines of the opener "Requiem" have a vigor and passion that few imitators have managed to match. The precise riffs and tight rhythms found in songs like "Wardance" would influence a generation of hardcore musicians; yet "The Wait," with its thrashing guitars and angry vocals, would find itself covered on a Metallica album only six years later. That such a bleak and furious album could have such a widespread influence is a testament to its importance. Certain parts of the album have not dated well; the vocals and drums are mixed in such a way that they lose some of their effectiveness, and the fact that so many other bands have used this same formula does take some of the visceral feeling away. But this is an underground classic and deserves better than its relative unknown status. Fans of most kinds of heavy music will probably find something they like about this band, and this is a good a place as any to start the collection.(allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?plfwh5vlvc97j0y

2011-02-15T20:17:00.000-08:00

JERRY'S KIDS
Is This My World? - (1983)

Boston hardcore/punk's Jerry's Kids (named after a long-running fund-raising organization that comedian Jerry Lewis formed for children with cerebral palsy) formed originally in 1981, rising out of a local scene that included such bands as SS Decontrol, the F.U.'s, Freeze, Negative FX, and Gang Green (the latter of which would often swap members with Jerry's Kids off and on). Jerry's Kids caught their first break in 1982, when they were featured on a compilation of local talent (This Is Boston, Not L.A.), which created a buzz for the band beyond just Boston. 1983 saw the release of their debut album for X-Claim Records, Is This My World. The group spilt from the label shortly thereafter, leading to the album being shortly out of print, before the Taang! label reissued it. 1989 saw the release of their second and final release, Kill Kill Kill, before splitting up. Although there were plenty of switches in the Jerry's Kids lineup, the best-known included members Rick Jones on vocals and bass, Rockin' Bob Cenci on lead guitar, Dave Aronson on rhythm guitar, and Jack Clark on drums.

http://www.mediafire.com/?clp0i34jtj5d4jf

2011-02-10T18:11:00.000-08:00

IGGY AND THE STOOGES
Raw Power - (1973)

In 1972, the Stooges were near the point of collapse when David Bowie's management team, MainMan, took a chance on the band at Bowie's behest. By this point, guitarist Ron Asheton and bassist Dave Alexander had been edged out of the picture, and James Williamson had signed on as Iggy's new guitar mangler; Asheton rejoined the band shortly before recording commenced on Raw Power, but was forced to play second fiddle to Williamson as bassist. By most accounts, tensions were high during the recording of Raw Power, and the album sounds like the work of a band on its last legs -- though rather than grinding to a halt, Iggy & the Stooges appeared ready to explode like an ammunition dump. From a technical standpoint, Williamson was a more gifted guitar player than Asheton (not that that was ever the point), but his sheets of metallic fuzz were still more basic (and punishing) than what anyone was used to in 1973, while Ron Asheton played his bass like a weapon of revenge, and his brother Scott Asheton remained a powerhouse behind the drums. But the most remarkable change came from the singer; Raw Power revealed Iggy as a howling, smirking, lunatic genius. Whether quietly brooding ("Gimme Danger") or inviting the apocalypse ("Search and Destroy"), Iggy had never sounded quite so focused as he did here, and his lyrics displayed an intensity that was more than a bit disquieting. In many ways, almost all Raw Power has in common with the two Stooges albums that preceded it is its primal sound, but while the Stooges once sounded like the wildest (and weirdest) gang in town, Raw Power found them heavily armed and ready to destroy the world -- that is, if they didn't destroy themselves first. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?2x1bdo1pcl7fz4r

2011-02-10T17:26:00.000-08:00

HUSKER DU
Zen Arcade - (1984)

In many ways, it's impossible to overestimate the impact of Hüsker Dü's Zen Arcade on the American rock underground in the '80s. It's the record that exploded the limits of hardcore and what it could achieve. Hüsker Dü broke all of the rules with Zen Arcade. First and foremost, it's a sprawling concept album, even if the concept isn't immediately clear or comprehensible. More important are the individual songs. Both Bob Mould and Grant Hart abandoned the strict "fast, hard, loud" rules of hardcore punk with their songs for Zen Arcade. Without turning down the volume, Hüsker Dü try everything -- pop songs, tape experiments, acoustic songs, pianos, noisy psychedelia. Hüsker Dü willed themselves to make such a sprawling record -- as the liner notes state, the album was recorded and mixed within 85 hours and consists almost entirely of first takes. That reckless, ridiculously single-minded approach does result in some weak moments -- the sound is thin and the instrumentals drag on a bit too long -- but it's also the key to the success of Zen Arcade. Hüsker Dü sound phenomenally strong and possessed, as if they could do anything. The sonic experimentation is bolstered by Mould and Hart's increased sense of songcraft. Neither writer is afraid to let his pop influences show on Zen Arcade, which gives the songs -- from the unrestrained rage of "Something I Learned Today" and the bitter, acoustic "Never Talking to You Again" to the eerie "Pink Turns to Blue" and anthemic "Turn On the News" -- their weight. It's music that is informed by hardcore punk and indie rock ideals without being limited by them. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?0e6bgk0yyqfobdv

2011-02-09T18:08:00.001-08:00

THE GERMS
(GI) - (1979)

A blast of self-lacerating L.A. punk in its original glory, (GI) is simply classic; a commanding, rampaging sneer at everyone and everything infused with a particular, disturbed vision. Said vision belongs to Darby Crash, whose proclivities for charismatic manipulation were already well established before he fully spelled them out in lyrics like "Lexicon Devil," here featuring in a re-recording, and "Richie Dagger's Crime." His David Bowie worship was also paramount -- "Land of Treason," "Communist Eyes," and "Strange Notes" are just three numbers featuring his transformation of the apocalyptic aesthetics of albums like Diamond Dogs and Station to Station toward more brutal ends. Practically speaking, his snarling star quality comes through more than his words, but it's more than enough on that front. Pat Smear has an equal claim to being the album's star, though, and for good reason -- not only did he co-write everything, his clipped, catchy monster riffing was as pure punk in the late-'70s sense as anything, wasting no time on anything extraneous. Lorna Doom and Don Bolles keep up the side as a kickass rhythm section, Bolles in particular making a good mark in the first of his many drumming stints over the moons. Joan Jett's production got knocked at the time for perceived thinness, but she and engineer Pat Burnette actually did a great job at recording the band with crisp, strong results. The notorious closing number, "Shut Down (Annihilation Man)," makes for a nicely balanced contrast to the 42-second opener, "What We Do Is Secret." While the latter song is pure hyperspeed, Crash sounding like he's about to run out of breath on the shout-along chorus, "Shut Down (Annihilation Man)," recorded at a club gig, shows how the Germs could (quite intentionally) tick off an audience via long, meandering numbers if they so chose. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?vd8uagv6tsl116u

2011-02-09T18:02:00.000-08:00

GORILLA BISCUITS
Start Today - (1989)

Vying with Minor Threat for the title of "The Godfathers of Hardcore" are Gorilla Biscuits, and Start Today is the record that demonstrates their merits. Presented with both humor and energy, this is the record that proved straight edge kids knew how to have a good time, and that they had some pretty good musical ideas as well. Focusing on the hyper rants of lead singer Civ, and pushed along with loud and chunky guitar riffs by Walter Schreifel (later of Quicksand), the record sees the band tackle topics ranging from pets to friends and even to pride in the hardcore scene. It's certainly not without its politics, but the tone is surprisingly light, and Civ is clearly giving his opinion more than he is trying to convince others of anything. From the trumpets that announce the record's start, which are immediately followed by a chugging guitar chord, Gorilla Biscuits never really let up on the listener. Unlike so much of what the group influenced, there aren't a great deal of slowed-down musical interludes and unintelligible screams, though the band's tasteful use of the half-time "mosh part" makes it clear where they might have steered some of their copycats wrong. Start Today is a terrific representation of the beginnings of hardcore music, and for those involved in the scene it is certainly required listening.

http://www.mediafire.com/?dlyy1wyz1yfl081

2011-02-07T15:47:00.000-08:00

FEAR
The Record - (1982)

In many ways, punk rock was a musical ink-blot test, and different people tended to see different things in it. Some saw punk as a call to organize the proletariat, others an opportunity to smash the state, some thought it was just a good excuse to get drunk and party, and a few folks figured it might be a easy way to make some quick money. Fear, however, had a fairly unique perspective -- they seemingly embraced punk as an efficient way to piss off everyone around them, and there's no arguing that they achieved their goals with flying colors on their first and best album, The Record. Between the anthemic "Let's Have a War" ("...so you can go die!") and the inevitable closer "No More Nothing," Fear (and particularly frontman Lee Ving) seemed to have a bit of something to offend just about everyone, though women, New Yorkers, and (especially) gays seems to suffer the greatest brunt of his wrath. It would have been easy to dismiss Fear as a bunch of lunk-headed hate-mongers if it weren't for the fact the band played with daunting skill and bruising intensity (there were one of the few L.A. punk bands who never got hit with the charge "They can't play"), and the fact that they were often quite funny -- like a well-told ethnic joke, you can't help but laugh as much as you might hate yourself for it (the band also managed to sound pretty convincing when they "meant it"). Does that make it OK? Not really. Does that make the record easier to listen to? Frankly yes. It makes sense that John Belushi was a big fan of Fear, because The Record sounds like the punk equivalent of the movie Animal House -- puerile, offensive, and often reveling in its own ignorance, but pretty entertaining on a non-think level while it lasts. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?a1oa3k4d3zfudnx

2011-02-07T15:34:00.000-08:00

EMBRACE
Embrace - (1987)

The band's one album, taken from two separate mid-'80s recording sessions, finds the fusion of Faith's instrumentalists and Minor Threat's singer -- Ian MacKaye himself, older brother of Faith's singer Alex -- a successful enough blast of post-hardcore. It's no surprise per se that MacKaye wanted to push himself more strongly in future; compared to Fugazi, Embrace is fine but nowhere near as gripping or inventive. As a vehicle for his righteous, cutting lyrics and strong voice, though, it's more than fine. With engineering help from the legendary Don Zientara, everything's well-recorded and produced, MacKaye clearly cutting through the heavy band crunch. Interestingly, the instruments that come through the best are Ivor Hanson's drums, a neat switch around from the usual domination via guitar. Not that Michael Hampton's work sounds weak or poor; if anything, he brings a sharp turn-of-the-'80s U.K. style to fore, with the understated inventiveness of John McGeoch's early work in Magazine and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Consider his exuberant performance on "Dance of Days," both fiery and just pretty enough. Compared to both Faith's and Minor Threat's work in general, Embrace tries for something a touch poppier and a little less immediately frenetic, like a pause for breath after a full-on rampage. MacKaye's lyrical aim dwells as much on personal concerns and a search for courage as much as anything, continuing the themes of earlier efforts as "Look Back and Laugh." "Building" revolves around self-accusations of failure, while the shimmering, reverb-touched drive of "Do Not Consider Yourself Free" urges vigilance with the realization that "there are others held captive." It's not quite the birth of emo -- if anything, Rites of Spring found themselves saddled with that peculiar honor -- but it's easy enough to imagine more than a few '90s bands taking the words as holy writ.

http://www.mediafire.com/?e8eu5qmc4jxe000

2011-02-05T16:22:00.000-08:00

DEAD KENNEDYS
Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables - (1980)

A hyper-speed blast of ultra-polemical, left-wing hardcore punk, and bitingly funny sarcasm, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables stands as the Dead Kennedys' signature statement. As one of the first hardcore albums, it was a galvanizing influence on the musical and attitudinal development of the genre, also helping to kickstart the fertile California scene. The record's tactics are not subtle in the least; Jello Biafra's odd warble and spat-out lyrics leave no doubt as to what he thinks, baiting his targets of conservatism, violence, overbearing authority, and capitalist greed with a viciously satirical sarcasm that keeps his unflinchingly political outlook from becoming too didactic. The thin production dilutes some of the music's power, but the ragged speed-blur still packs a wallop, and the hooks cribbed from surf and rockabilly give it a gonzo edge. The songwriting isn't consistent all the way through the album, but classics like "Kill the Poor," "Let's Lynch the Landlord," "Chemical Warfare," "California Über Alles," and "Holiday In Cambodia" helped define the hardcore genre and, thus, must be heard. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?gr1oc1mka0p9ir8

2011-02-05T15:54:00.000-08:00

DEAD BOYS
Young Loud And Snotty - (1977)

Fellow Cleveland types Pere Ubu may have won the artistic kudos for their adventurous, surprising work, but if the goal was just to rock and rock again, the Dead Boys had them totally trumped. As both title phrase and capsule description, Young, Loud & Snotty accurately defines the predominating aesthetic so well that one could just leave it at that, but there's a lot more going on here than on the face of it. With perhaps surprising great production from demi-famous '70s rocket Genya Ravan, the five-some found something sonically smack in-between the US garage/punk heritage of the past and the more modern thrashings from overseas. Bators sneers, gobs, gasps, and whines with the best of them, but he knows his rock history, as does his bandmates. Zero and Chrome aren't guitar virtuosos, but they do know what makes a song great and aren't afraid to concentrate on that, while the Magnum/Blitz rhythm section keeps things moving as it does. In some ways songs like "All This and More" and "I Need Lunch" simply emerge from an alternate '50s, with admittedly much more feedback and stereo sound. Stone cold rock classic "Sonic Reducer" starts things off -- amusingly -- with all sorts of phased drums and other fripperies that later generations wouldn't consider punk at all. That said, it's still blunt, brilliantly sung by Bators and kicks out the jams with messy energy. Other all-time greats include the perfect bored-and-needing-kicks anthem "Ain't Nothin' to Do" and the thoroughly wrong "Caught With the Meat In Your Mouth." There's even a rock oldie -- a cover of "Hey Little Girl" live onstage at spiritual home CBGB's. And why not? With great punk rock and great rock, Young, Loud and Snotty still packs a punch.

http://www.mediafire.com/?63jnrujevk1eost

2011-02-03T18:19:00.000-08:00

CIRCLE JERKS
Group Sex - (1980)

Keith Morris once described his brief tenure as Black Flag's lead singer by saying, "I was the Tasmanian devil, the court jester; I was the dog on the chain who was let out of the cage." So it made sense that after the beer-swilling frontman decided to move on, he would form a band even less subtle and more obnoxious than Black Flag (who represented punk rock at its most brutal in 1979). Group Sex, the first "album" from Morris' group the Circle Jerks, barrels through 14 songs in just under 16 minutes, and pretty much defined the state of the art in SoCal hardcore, circa 1980: raging minor-chord guitar bashing (courtesy of Greg Hetson, later in Bad Religion), speedy drumming (Lucky Lehrer punctuates his manic four-four stomp with short, frantic rolls whenever possible), and a bassist (Roger Rogerson) trying to keep up with it all while Morris bellows about sex ("I Just Want Some Skank"), drugs ("Wasted"), politics ("Paid Vacation"), the idle rich ("Beverly Hills"), and his own post-teenage rage ("World Up My Ass"). Some of it's funny, some of it seems to be serious, and it's all one not-so-long blast of raging energy. As such things go, it's tight, reasonably well played, the songs kinda sorta have hooks, and Keith Morris is a pretty good frontman, but if you're looking for nuance, you're pretty much out of luck. Then again, if you were looking for nuance in a Circle Jerks album, you've obviously been misinformed as to how this punk rock stuff works. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?m4benrb541hlbr1

2011-02-03T18:12:00.001-08:00

THE CLASH
The Clash - (1977)

Never Mind the Bollocks may have appeared revolutionary, but the Clash's eponymous debut album was pure, unadulterated rage and fury, fueled by passion for both rock & roll and revolution. Though the cliché about punk rock was that the bands couldn't play, the key to the Clash is that although they gave that illusion, they really could play -- hard. The charging, relentless rhythms, primitive three-chord rockers, and the poor sound quality give the album a nervy, vital energy. Joe Strummer's slurred wails perfectly compliment the edgy rock, while Mick Jones' clearer singing and charged guitar breaks make his numbers righteously anthemic. Even at this early stage, the Clash were experimenting with reggae, most notably on the Junior Murvin cover "Police & Thieves" and the extraordinary "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais," which was one of five tracks added to the American edition of The Clash. "Deny," "Protex Blue," "Cheat," and "48 Hours" were removed from the British edition and replaced for the U.S. release with the British-only singles "Complete Control," "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais," "Clash City Rockers," "I Fought the Law," and "Jail Guitar Doors," all of which were stronger than the items they replaced. Though the sequencing and selection were slightly different, the core of the album remained the same, and each song retained its power individually. In 2000, Columbia/Legacy reissued and remastered the album to include the U.K. songs. Few punk songs expressed anger quite as bracingly as "White Riot," "I'm So Bored With the U.S.A.," "Career Opportunities," and "London's Burning," and their power is all the more incredible today. Rock & roll is rarely as edgy, invigorating, and sonically revolutionary as The Clash.

http://www.mediafire.com/?gvyvdm5tvle7z27

2011-02-02T20:14:00.000-08:00

BLACK FLAG
Nervous Breakdown EP - (1978)

Laying down the groundwork for what would become one of the most visceral bands of all time, Nervous Breakdown was the first release from Los Angeles' Black Flag. While it is certainly more "punk" than their later work (singer Keith Morris sounds like a graduate from the Johnny Rotten school of diction, and Greg Ginn's guitar work is less modal), all the songs have the basic elements of what made Black Flag special: rage, anger, intensity, cynicism. Most definitely the blueprint for what would be termed L.A. hardcore, Nervous Breakdown is one of the quintessential releases in the history of American punk/independent music.

http://www.mediafire.com/?udpcprpv12ltdll

2011-02-02T20:06:00.001-08:00

BUZZCOCKS
Another Music In A Different Kitchen - (1978)

General judgment holds the Buzzcocks' peerless singles, the definition of punk-pop at its finest, as the best expression of their work. However, while the singles showcased one particular side of the band, albums like the group's long-playing debut Another Music showcased the foursome's other influences, sometimes brilliantly. The big secret is Shelley's worship of Krautrock's obsessive focus on repetition and rhythm, which transforms what would be "simply" basic punk songs into at-times monstrous epics. The ghost of Can particular hovers even on some of the shorter songs -- unsurprising, given Shelley's worship of that band's guitarist Michael Karoli. "Moving Away From the Pulsebeat" is the best instance of this, with a rumbling Maher rhythm supporting some trancelike guitar lines. As for the sheer rush of pop craziness, Another Music is simply crammed with stellar examples. Lead-off track "Fast Cars" starts with the opening of Spiral Scratch's "Boredom"'s intentionally hilarious two-note solo intact, before ripping into a slightly bemusing critique of the objects in question. Most of the similar tracks on the album may be more distinct for their speed, but Shelley in particular always seems to sneak in at least one astonishing line per song, sometimes on his own and sometimes thanks to Devoto via older cowritten tunes redone for the record. One favorite standout: "All this slurping and sucking -- it's putting me off my food!" on "You Tear Me Up." Top all this off with any number of perfect moments -- the guitar work during the breaks on "Love Battery," the energizing yet nervous coda of "Fiction Romance," the soaring angst throughout "I Don't Mind" -- and Another Music flat out succeeds. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?b9y8up8ilkk8ia7

2011-02-01T19:08:00.000-08:00

THE AVENGERS
Died For Your Sins - (1999)

Although it remains a secret, the two greatest U.S. punk bands walked this earth in the late '70s, the Weirdos and the Avengers. Due to the paucity of indie labels and stores at the time, their stunning live sets went down to history, documented by a couple of barely distributed singles and EPs. Thus, their historical legends were such that both groups were exhumed by seminal retrospective LPs. However, this secret has had the surprising effect of forcing Avengers frontwoman Penelope Houston to raid her own vaults for recordings, something she seemed unwilling to do for two decades. The first happy result is this burning piece of plastic. The second is a reunion with guitarist Greg Ingraham to record three '77 songs for the first time, which stack up to the original days. Houston found no less than seven "new" originals and eight unheard alternate versions of the songs that forged the band's lasting reputation. Best of all, since 16 of the 18 cuts are live on stage or in rehearsal, one can best see what they had to offer in their natural habitat. No modern punk outfit could match this breakneck drive, this pulsing energy, and most of all this indomitable spirit of conviction. Even on the one or two live cuts where the sound quality is a tad submerged, the blast of the band and the painful edge is shocking. Though The Avengers remains the best document for newcomers, since it benefits from studio quality, Died is nevertheless a motherload. Whether you're a fanatic or curious, if the speed and adrenaline in these recordings don't make the hairs on your arms stand up, you're probably on downers. After all, this is the band that blew the Sex Pistols off the stage at their final gig.

http://www.mediafire.com/?235bmn3u9u1ye8w

2011-02-01T19:00:00.000-08:00

ADOLESCENTS
Adolescents - (1981)

The first and best wave of L.A. punk bands from 1977-1979 all broke up under-documented and unsigned, with the exception of X, the Germs, and, to a lesser extent, the Plugz. But the legacy of incredible pioneers such as the Weirdos, Dils, Controllers, and Screamers was the wide success of the harder, faster, younger bands that followed. The interest the 1977 bands awakened not only inspired the formation of Black Flag, Circle Jerks, T.S.O.L., Social Distortion, Agent Orange, Fear, the Adolescents, and others, but helped create a national market, enabling the newer bands to find labels, put out albums, and tour regularly. The Adolescents were perhaps the first of this second wave to put out an LP widely distributed throughout the U.S., selling well over five digits in 1981 (following on the heels of San Francisco's Dead Kennedys, who broke the doors open with their immortal Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables the previous year). Produced by Middle Class' Mike Patton, the debut from these five Orange County kids established the mid-tempo, punk-pop "Southern Cal sound," led by the long, great, pummeling, Johnny Thunders-derived solos of the two Agnew brothers, Rikk and Frank. These soaring, ripping parts still sound great today. As important, songs such as the anthemic "No Way," the classic "Amoeba," the schizophrenic "Kids of the Black Hole," and the glorious "Creatures" endure precisely because they're not just aggressive and speedy: they're super-catchy, heavy-riffing rock & roll, proving again that punk was the true heir to the likes of Chuck Berry, Larry Williams, Bo Diddley, and Eddie Cochran. For the longest while, L.A. teenagers had the spirit, verve, moxie, and zeal to play charged, zippy punk. Hundreds of other bands formed right as the Adolescents recorded, such as Bad Religion, Shattered Faith, Youth Brigade, Aggression, M.I.A., and Channel 3! In so doing, L.A. helped resist the diluted explosion of thrash hardcore that swept the rest of the U.S., particularly on the East Coast. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?6ruhu0500zy6knl

2011-02-01T18:47:00.000-08:00

FEBRUARY IS PUNK MONTH

This month, all month is Punk month here at Constantinople. It will be Punk Rock from A to Z. A plethora of Punk classics. Each posting will feature essential recordings from the bands that started the movement and bands that kept it going. Go ahead and add some anarchy and aggression to your music collection right now.......PUNK !!!

2011-01-27T17:32:00.000-08:00

WILL-O-THE WISP
A Gift For Your Dreams - (2007)

WILL-O-THE WISP is a Greek outfit that was formed in Athens in 1997, initially consisting of Takis Barbagalas (guitars), Kostas Pagonas (bass), Dina Nassi (keyboards), Nikos Manousopoulus (drums), Nikos Chalikias (flute) and Angelos Gerakitis (vocals). Their self-titled debut album was issued in 1999, and saw the band blend vintage sounding art rock with distinct psychedelic elements; resulting in dreamy music with a sound pretty close to early Eloy at times. And for this first creation they created a pattern the band is still following to this day lyrically: English lyrics telling tales that mix fantasy with reality. In 2001 their next full length album is issued, named "Second Sight". Following this release, the band starts setting up their own record company alongside creating new music, and in 2003 "Ceremony of Innocence" becomes the first production from their own label. In 2005 line-up changes are in store for the band, and of the founding members Barbagalas, Gerakitis and Pagonas remain, while Kostas Kostopoulos (drums) joins to become the last member of this reduced, revamped line-up. And two years later, in 2007, the first disc from this new formation see the light of day, "A Gift for Your Dreams".

http://www.mediafire.com/?md7oyw8795adn47

2011-01-27T16:08:00.000-08:00

ELEPHANT9
Dodovoodoo - (2008)

Elephant9 are a Norwegian power trio whose music may look back a bit, but is firmly rooted in the 21st century. Comprised of keyboard player Ståle Storløkken (from vanguard electronic jazz mavens Supersilent), bassist Nikolai Eilertsen (National Bank), and drummer Torstein Lofthus (Shining), Elephant9 have come up with something that simultaneously references Brian Auger's early Oblivion Express, the 1973 Dark Magus/Agharta period of Miles Davis, the more free-form side of Weather Report's Live in Tokyo, and the Deep Purple of "Hush," all with three players and none of them a guitarist. More righteous still is that this trio record from Rune Grammofon, a label that in 2008 has come into its own, has a particular sound, and puts all manner of combinations together in creating a "supergroup" atmosphere. But Elephant9 are totally different. The set was recorded live in the studio, to analog tape. Storløkken stays away from synths for the most part and concentrates on organs (Hammond B-3, church, and Wurlitzer) and Rhodes piano. The grooves here are voluminous, yet they do not remotely sound like the Blue Note/Prestige soul-jazz organ trios of the mid-'60s. Instead, they come from the fringes, from the spaced-out side of electric jazz. They may touch on prog, but that's all; instead, the music is more darkly psychedelic, funky, ruinously loose jazz that pulses with an insistent overdriven energy that puts them in a league of their own. The tense dark ambience that pervades Rune Grammofon's releases is all but completely absent on Dodovoodoo. There are seven cuts here, ranging in length from two and a half minutes to over 13 minutes, though most fall in the five- to seven-minute range. The shorter pieces are drenched in grooves that allow the listener to hold on and ride in a free and easy head state. The longer ones are explorations into some beyond we haven't seen yet, with top-notch instrumentation and insane intensity. Check "Skink" for some of the most amazing drumming this side of death metal; that said, the organ solo is one-fourth the time signature and the bass blasts through the middle trying to keep time with the drum kit. Storløkken has no choice in his solo but to try to match his bandmembers. The finish is thrilling and breathlessly exciting. Even more compelling are Elephant9's readings of two of the late Joe Zawinul's best-known compositions: "Doctor Honoris Causa," written while he was with Cannonball Adderley's sextet; and "Directions," written for the 1970 edition of the Miles Davis group. "Dr. Honoris Causa" begins quietly -- just a cymbal and a bassline, a ghostly piano chord here and there -- à la the shimmering drum part of "Shhh/Peaceful" from In a Silent Way. The groove slowly evolves, and Elephant9 rely on their skeletal backbeat for the beginning of improvisation on the melody. The Rhodes allows an analog synth to enter halfway through, Lofthus' drums begin to triple time, and Eilertsen's electric bassline gets restless, while keeping that groove. When Storløkken begins to really solo, the listener notices how high the intensity level really is, and at that point it gets downright funky! "Directions" begins as a free-form improv that gets its wings at two minutes and turns into pure dark funk. For those who choose to encounter it, Dodovoodoo will offer many surprises, all of them timeless and engaging. It is not only one of the best recordings of the year, it may be one of the best in the first decade of the 21st century. Keep an eye out for Elephant9 -- they're amazing. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?jgq52kga4c5zsg4

2011-01-26T20:51:00.000-08:00

JOHN ZORN
The Bribe - (1998)

John Zorn's Bribe is a continuation and extension of his album Spillane. Like its predecessor, this album features almost the same lineup of extraordinary NYC improvisers including pianist Anthony Coleman, drummer Bobby Previte, organist Wayne Horvitz, turntablist Christian Marclay, and harpists Zeena Parkins and Carol Emanuel. Unlike the fast-spliced pace of Spillane, which functioned as its own narrative, the music on Bribe is allowed to stretch and develop because it was composed as a background for the dialogue in three 30-minute radio plays by Terry O'Reilly (it was later adapted to a stage production). O'Reilly described his creation as "low art; " along the lines of little respected categories such as pulp fiction and B-movies. Zorn then constructed appropriate music, continually switching styles and filling it with pop references. The overall mood of Bribe is also different from Spillane and much of Zorn's work (excluding Film Works, Vol. 7), in that it maintains a light-hearted approach, weaving music box chimes and carnival sounds into the music. A nicer mood pervades this release, yet given its kaleidoscopic and slightly demented tone, it certainly can't be described as relaxed. Then again, maybe "relaxed" isn't too far off, after all -- perhaps by playing a supporting role to the production's cast instead of driving the concept, the musicians were able to enjoy themselves a little more. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?h210lwjdzbh7319

2011-01-26T18:38:00.001-08:00

DAVID LYNCH'S
"Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack - (1992)

Composer Angelo Badalamenti, who wrote the music for the television series for which this movie served as a "prequel," presents another low-key score mixing after-midnight jazz with ambient sounds, never taken at more than a medium tempo. The mood is dark and languid, appropriate to the unusual tone of the TV show and movie. Jimmy Scott and Julee Cruise contribute eerie vocals to songs with lyrics by director David Lynch.

http://www.mediafire.com/?xmavm17uw6chi8d

2011-01-26T18:23:00.001-08:00

THE JAZZUS LIZARD
Horn - (2008)

In the realm of musical tributes, you don't get more arcane than jazz-themed renditions of Jesus Lizard screeds. While Horn might have become a one-note novelty in less steady hands, the Jazzus Lizard cultivates a new avenue of appreciation for its inspiration. The Austin quartet recasts the harrowing, scattershot dynamic of its subject as a low-budget film-noir score cut under the influence of sax-fueled power trio Morphine. Despite cool, quiet arrangements, Horn is recorded hot, which accentuates the music's lurid wobble even in the absence of David Yow. Saxophonist Tom Kimzey and keyboardist Ezra Reynolds take turns riding the melodies of "Fly on the Wall" and "Then Comes Dudley" with the wizened acumen of burlesque-club bandleaders, while bassist Adam Kahan and drummer Snoopy Melvin provide the requisite locomotion. Scorching takes on Scratch Acid's "Owner's Lament" and the Dicks' "Wheelchair Epidemic," which the original Lizard covered, bring the local pedigree full circle. Big thanks to Shiney Grey Monotone for turning me on to this one.

http://www.mediafire.com/?p9koaeaa5u81pgt

2011-01-24T19:15:00.001-08:00

HANS CHEW
Tennessee And Other Stories - (2010)

Until now, Hans Chew has been best known as a sideman. He’s played exuberant barroom piano on the last couple Jack Rose albums and contributed keyboards and vocals to D. Charles Speer & The Helix, a country-tinged combo lead by No Neck Blues Band’s Dave Shuford. Tennessee & Other Stories, his debut LP, gives a more complete accounting of Chew’s skills as a singer, writer and multi-instrumentalist. On the face of things, it’s an anachronistic effort. His gospel-steeped piano and organ playing makes no references to anything that’s happened musically since Nixon stepped down, and you won’t hear a studio effect less than 35 years old. Chew’s writing is steeped in a Gothic American tradition of murder ballads like “Pretty Polly” and hung-over repentances like “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” with an occasional detour through the back roads of classic rock — “Magnet Moon” may be all about coming back to where you started, but its melody bears a more than passing resemblance to Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home.” But a peek at the writing credits shows that he’s not totally stuck in the past. The sole cover is Tim Rose’s “Long Time Man”; Chew also credits Nick Cave and Mick Harvey, who remade it with the Bad Seeds, and the cues he takes from Cave’s version amp up the song’s stewing mix of hatred developed both in and out. Chew writes with a matter-of-factness about psychological impairment and pathology — he even drops the latter word on “Queen Of The Damned Blues” — that feels very much part of a present in which people can watch cable series about their favorite disorder. On “I Wish There Was A Train,” the narrator puts his old corporate job on the same level as his grandparents’ sharecropping, as if to say we were fucked then and we’re fucked now. He may yearn for the past, but he’s not making any pretence that the past is better than the present. But a peek at the writing credits shows that he’s not totally stuck in the past. The sole cover is Tim Rose’s “Long Time Man”; Chew also credits Nick Cave and Mick Harvey, who remade it with the Bad Seeds, and the cues he takes from Cave’s version amp up the song’s stewing mix of hatred developed both in and out. Chew writes with a matter-of-factness about psychological impairment and pathology — he even drops the latter word on “Queen Of The Damned Blues” — that feels very much part of a present in which people can watch cable series about their favorite disorder. On “I Wish There Was A Train,” the narrator puts his old corporate job on the same level as his grandparents’ sharecropping, as if to say we were fucked then and we’re fucked now. He may yearn for the past, but he’s not making any pretence that the past is better than the present. In fact, in Chew’s songs, the past is pretty tense; parents die, people make mistakes they can’t transcend, fate sets you up for the knockout punch coming down the road. But that’s not stopping Chew from making a record that sounds like a thing of the past, and since he played most of the instruments himself, you know he wanted it to sound that way. Just because the past holds the root of his problems, he seems to be saying, that doesn’t mean the music didn’t sound better.

http://www.mediafire.com/?qi458qnl4jrc201

2011-01-23T12:46:00.000-08:00

FANTOMAS
Fantomas - (1999)

The first project Mike Patton worked on after the April 1998 breakup of Faith No More was the all-star Fantomas. Heavy metal fans everywhere salivated at the lineup of Patton on vocals, the Melvins' Buzz Osborne on guitar, ex-Slayer Dave Lombardo on drums, and Mr. Bungle's Trevor Dunn on bass. But as longtime fans have come to learn long ago, always expect the unexpected with Patton-related projects. The band's self-titled debut (the first for Patton's record label, Ipecac) is far from your conventional rock; composed and produced entirely by the singer, the songs serve as a soundtrack to a comic book's story line. At nearly 43-minutes in length, Fantomas is comprised of 30 chronologically numbered "pages"' instead of songs. While it's an unconventional album, it's also a completely original one, especially when compared to the blah and predictable alt-rock of the late '90s. Patton uses his voice as an instrument with often amazing results (singing nonsensical syllables instead of words); few singers have the talent or know-how to pull off such highlights as "Page 1," "Page 19," "Page 21," and "Page 29." If you're expecting an album comparable to either Faith No More or Mr. Bungle, you may be confused and disappointed. But if you're looking for something completely original and cutting edge, Fantomas is highly recommended. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?h7s8yy11b05ndw5

2011-01-22T12:36:00.000-08:00

CLUB FOOT ORCHESTRA
The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari - (1989)

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919) is generally considered the first completely realized German Expressionist film. The screenplay, written by Carl Meyer and Hans Janowitz, combined dream imagery with a STRONG anti-authoritarian message, an outgrowth of their experiences during WWI. Their screenplay had the movie end with Caligari in a straitjacket and raving mad. Fritz Lang, who had been brought in to fix the movie, is responsible for framing the screenplay with footage which suggests that the whole story is a nightmare invented by the patient, who had just been saved by the good doctor. But the fact that the sets remain distorted to the very end, suggest that despite his antiseptic appearance, all is not right with the world. The Club Foot Orchestra premiered Richard Marriott's score for this film at the Mill Valley Film Festival October 17, 1987. The film sold out San Francisco's Roxie Theatre for seven shows in February 1988 and was subsequently performed at New Music America '89. In 1991 Orchestra performed the score during the Smithsonian Institution's "Exhibit of Degenerate Art", a re-enactment of the 1937 Berlin exhibit of art deemed degenerate by the Nazis. In 1996 the Orchestra performed the score at Lincoln Center.

http://www.mediafire.com/?n639r1qrg4us9dx

2011-01-22T10:17:00.000-08:00

TIM DeLAUGHTER AND THE POLYPHONIC SPREE
Visioneers - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - (2008)

First-time feature filmmaker Jared Drake makes his directorial debut with this quirky black comedy set in the near future, and concerning a curious spike in cases of spontaneous human combustion. The Jeffers Corporation is the largest business in the history of humankind, and they got that way thanks to their strict philosophy of happiness through mindless productivity. But when people begin literally exploding due to unhappiness, Jeffers Corporation Level Three Visioneer George Washington Winsterhammerman (Zach Galifianakis) begins to fear that his time will come sooner rather than later. George lives a comfortable yet completely uneventful life, and when he starts having dreams in which he's the first President of the United States, his doctor informs him that they could be signs of impending explosion. Later, as the dreams become more frequent and his co-workers continue to detonate, George is prompted to reevaluate his mundane existence. Judy Greer, Missi Pyle, and James LeGros co-star in an existential black comedy featuring music by Tim DeLaughter of the Polyphonic Spree.

http://www.mediafire.com/?w56eseydtf0ydg9

2011-01-22T09:57:00.001-08:00

MANUEL DE SICA
Dellamorte Dellamore - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - (1995)

Achingly romantic and creepy-funny, this funereal fantasy from the director of La Chiesa (1989) is unlike any Italian film in memory. Rupert Everett plays Francesco Dellamorte, a lonely cemetery caretaker who just wants to get out of his small town of Buffalora. His assistant and sole companion, Gnaghi (played by famed French musician Francois Hadji-Lazaro) is an overweight cretin who speaks only in grunts, and the dead people outside are rising from their graves as zombies and trying to have him for breakfast. This situation, coupled with all his other problems, gives Francesco a real complex. His troubles are compounded when he meets a series of mysterious women (all played by the beautiful Anna Falchi) whom he loves before they die tragically. Soavi's film is based on a graphic-novel, Dylan Dog by Tiziano Sclavi, but Soavi's more obvious influences range from Jean Rollin's La Rose de Fer (1973) to Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands (1990). Barbara Cupisti (of Soavi's Deliria) has a small role, and the film also benefits from Manuel de Sica's memorable score and excellent pacing by editor Franco Fraticelli. This is a film to savor and it will go down as one of the most striking Italian genre efforts of the decade, despite some weak effects work by the normally reliable Sergio Stivaletti.

http://www.mediafire.com/?3n42t5brn08m8jm

2011-01-20T18:58:00.000-08:00

TRICKY
Pre-Millennium Tension - (1996)

Maxinquaye was an unexpected hit in England, launching a wave of similar-sounding artists, who incorporated Tricky's innovations into safer pop territory. Tricky responded by travelling to Jamaica to record Pre-Millennium Tension, a nervy, claustrophobic record that thrives in its own paranoia. Scaling back the clattering hooks of Maxinquaye and slowing the beat down, Tricky has created a hallucinatory soundscape, where the rhythms, samples, and guitars intertwine into a crawling procession of menacing sounds and disembodied lyrical threats. Its tone is set by the backward guitar loops of "Vent," and continued through the shifting "Christiansands," and the tense, lyrically dense "Tricky Kid," easily Tricky's best straight rap to date. Occasionally, the gloom is broken, such as when the shimmering piano chords of "Makes Me Want to Die" ring out, but nearly as often, it becomes bogged down in its own murk, as in the long ragga rant "Ghetto Youth." While the lyrics are often quite effective in conveying dope-addled paranoia, what ties the album together is its layered rhythms and soundscapes. Though it might not sound that way immediately, Pre-Millennium Tension is as much Tricky reaching back to his hardcore rap roots as it is a sonic exploration. As such, it stands as a transition record for Tricky, but its overall effect is only slightly less powerful than Maxinquaye or Nearly God. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?6as5ynes5xd8k5w

2011-01-20T18:28:00.000-08:00

EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN
Faustmusik - (1996)

One of the more curious works in Einstürzende Neubauten's long and varied career, 1996's Faustmusik is a close relative of 1991's Die Hamletmaschine, their score for an avant-garde reinterpretation of Shakespeare's play. This play, by Werner Schwab, is more of an oratorio than an opera, with the focus entirely on the recitation and singing of Schwab's German verse by Einstürzende Neubauten's lead singer, Blixa Bargeld (as Mephistopheles, appropriately enough!) and other actors. Einstürzende Neubauten's musical contribution is entirely incidental, and sounds at times like they're merely playing rehearsal tapes for a low-key, nearly ambient album behind the actors. Those who aren't fans of experimental European theater, don't speak German, and are interested primarily in hearing Einstürzende Neubauten's familiar industrial power should look elsewhere, but there's a certain creepy beauty to much of this album, particularly the nightmarish "Das Orchestrion," a slowly building cacophony of voices and drones.

http://www.mediafire.com/?bpvn46tl9ysway4

2011-01-19T20:17:00.000-08:00

THE HEAVY
The House That Dirt Built - (2009)

Bands that look to the '60s and '70s for inspiration are nothing new in the realm of rock music -- it seems every year, a new group appears that sounds like they thoroughly studied and regurgitated their parents' album collection. But when you find a band that manages to recall vintage sounds of the past and also put its own unique spin on the proceedings, then you've found something special. And that's exactly what the Heavy accomplish on their sophomore full-length, 2009's House That Dirt Built. Borrowing equally from garage rock and soul sounds from yesteryear (as well as merging in hip-hop beats, to boot), House That Dirt Built is one mightily impressive musical magic carpet ride. Singer Kelvin Swaby has the whole Rob Tyner/soul thang down pat (as evidenced by such ditties as "Love Like That"), and his bandmates keep pace throughout, with explosive rockers ("Oh No! Not You Again!"), Jack White-meets-James Brown grooves ("How You Like Me Now"), and a lush sonic sign-off ("Stuck"). Vintage rock revival done right.

http://www.mediafire.com/?3zmo3olu39qac8a

2011-01-17T20:59:00.000-08:00

CHARLIE PARKER
Best Of The Complete Savoy And Dial Studio Recordings - (2002)

This compilation whittles Charlie Parker's output on the Savoy and Dial labels down to 20 essential tracks. The booklet is certainly impressive for a best-of item; producer Orrin Keepnews offers a complete sessionography, richly informative track-by-track annotation, and an introductory essay. Interestingly, he includes several originally unissued takes as representative of Parker's best and elects to scrap the 1946 Dial session that yielded a notoriously smacked-out reading of "Lover Man" and ended with Parker being institutionalized. Listeners who can't be bothered with endless alternate takes won't find any here, but devotees will want to seek out the full set, The Complete Savoy and Dial Studio Recordings 1944-1948, also brought forth by Savoy in 2002. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?qaub1b14lg3ajr2

2011-01-17T19:55:00.001-08:00

FLYING LOTUS
Pattern + Grid World EP - (2010)

While Cosmogramma is a monolithic convergence of 20th and 21st century musical forms, high in concept and wide in musical collaboration, Pattern+Grid World pulls the focus back to Steven Ellison and his machines. These machines are speaking (and possibly looking as well, judging by the EP's cover) from the go, as "Clay" introduces itself in a fog of synth and vocoder and gives way to one of the many surprises here, the schizophrenic ping-ponging electro of "Kill Your Co-Workers". Drenched in alternating melodies, it's a synthetic counterpart to the grand string and harp arrangements of Cosmogramma, making acclaimed illustrator Theo Ellsworth's subtly psychedelic cover image of vision-through-noise all the more intimate. When Flying Lotus records hit their stride, all buttons labeled "pause" and "stop" disappear, and this one is no different. "Pie Face" is led by icy keys that could almost be mistaken for classic grime, before the stoned plastic marching band steps in. "Time Vampires" amazingly lands somewhere between vintage DJ Premier and Lee Hazelwood, while the stripped back bass and drum explorations of "Jurassic Notion/M Theory" are as shamanic and ceremonial as anything you're likely to hear come out of California. If "Camera Day" brings to mind a certain crew of dungeon-dwelling ATLiens, it won't come as much of a surprise that Killer Mike found its syrupy bounce recently inspiring.

http://www.mediafire.com/?4t80u8trofp94xf

2011-01-17T19:31:00.000-08:00

LOU REED
Metal Machine Music - (1975)

One would be hard-pressed to name a major artist who ever released an album as thoroughly alienating as Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music; at a time when noise rock and punk had yet to make their presence known, Reed released this 64-minute aural assault that offered up a densely layered soundscape constructed from feedback, distortion, and atonal guitar runs sped up or slowed down until they were all but unrecognizable. Metal Machine Music seems a bit less startling today, now that bands like Sonic Youth and the Boredoms have created some sort of context for it, but it hasn't gotten any more user friendly with time -- while Thurston Moore may go nuts on his guitar like this for three or four minutes at a stretch, Metal Machine Music goes on and on and on for over an hour, pausing only for side breaks with no rhythms, melodies, or formal structures to buffer the onslaught. If you're brave enough to listen to the whole thing, it's hard not to marvel at the scope of Reed's obsession; it's obvious he spent a lot of time on these layered sheets of noise, and enthusiasts of the violent guitar freakout may find it pleasing in short bursts. But confronting Metal Machine Music from front to back in one sitting is an experience that's both brutal and numbing. It's hard to say what Lou Reed had in mind when he made Metal Machine Music, and Reed has done little to clarify the issue over the years, though he summed it up quite pointedly in an interview in which he said, "Well, anyone who gets to side four is dumber than I am." (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?y1jr9w7re3z634c

2011-01-17T16:06:00.000-08:00

NASH THE SLASH
In-A-Gadda-Da-Nash - (2008)

Elegantly tuxedoed like Cary Grant in George Cukor’s Holiday and hideously bandaged like Claude Rains in James Whale’s The Invisible Man, the revered and reviled serial sonic psychotron known as Nash The Slash has been number one in a field of one ever since he first began creating his own insidious sound of music from deep within secreted studio walls located somewhere inside of an abandoned subway station miles beneath the filthy sidewalks of Toronto. Armed only with a Strickfaden array of hyper-amped violins, mandolins, synths and drum machines, Nash proceeded to unleash upon an unsuspecting society a senses-shattering series of aural album assaults whose titles said it all: Bedside Companion. Dreams And Nightmares. Decomposing. Children Of The Night. These unreasonably unrelenting records led to Nash being smuggled into Europe to work with the likes of Gary Numan and Bill Nelson, only to be abruptly expelled from the continent by the EU as "a deviant influence not only on humanity but on all life itself" after angry villagers caught a rare glimpse of his grisly ungauzed visage late one night in an iniquitous den of ill repute on the Rue Morgue. Safely ensconced back home in his underground lair, Nash donned his stained leather apron and threw himself into his work with a renewed vengeance born of righteous anger that would ultimately be made manifest in the records which were to follow: the corrupt social commentary on And You Thought You Were Normal; the modern urban brutality of Thrash; the silent cinema soundtrack to Nosferatu; and his first ever album of cover versions, American BandAges. Now the Slasher strikes again with an even greater new record of covers that extends from the obvious (Baba O’Riley and Astronomy Domine) to the obscure (Follow The Leaders and Constantinople) to the omnipresent (In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida and The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald). So don’t be an angry villager....check it out now.

http://www.mediafire.com/?3zkv7avucm4i4c8

2011-01-13T18:18:00.001-08:00

U.S. MAPLE
Long Hair In Three Stages - (1995)

U.S. Maple's debut album is nothing short of stunning, combining angular guitar attacks, odd skronks, jazzy tones, and a generally deconstructive approach to music into a sound of unparalleled idiosyncrasy. The record's finest moments come when the slanted attack and fractured composition converge to simulate something approaching a conventional song ("Letter to ZZ Top," with lyrics like "Give my bones to Billy Gibbons," pretty much rules out any notion of normality). Between these off-kilter constructions and the group's even more off-kilter deconstructions, a truly amazing record is created, one that combines hard-edged, "whiskey, no chaser" rock with exceptionally intelligent slants and fractures.

http://www.mediafire.com/?84vfenvmss1ma23

2011-01-12T20:15:00.000-08:00

APHEX TWIN
Drukqs - (2001)

Despite threatening retirement several times, in 2001 Richard D. James finally released another Aphex Twin record. But for all this record tells listeners, he may still be in retirement. Spreading 30 tracks (most with unpronounceable titles) across two discs, Drukqs sounds less like a major new statement from electronica's best producer than the results of a Sunday afternoon's trawl through his hard drive for files he hasn't released before. Many songs here evoke the feel of recordings long since past, from the quiet ambient techno of his breakthrough, Selected Ambient Works 85-92, to the demonically extroverted programming of Richard D. James Album and the Come to Daddy EP. Stylistically, the record leans toward the later recordings, with many tracks here reprising the off-key melodies and overloaded drum programming of "Come to Daddy" or "Windowlicker." There's also little rhyme or reason to the program; James veers directly from a drill'n'bass firestorm ("Cock/Ver 10") to a delicate piano piece à la Erik Satie ("Avril 14th") to an acid-techno burner ("Mt. Saint Michel Mix") with barely a glance backward for transition. Of course, aside from all the criticism, the previously unreleased musings of Aphex Twin are still far more intriguing and solid than most producers' best releases. The opener, "Jynweythek Ylow," and "Ruglen Holon" are brilliant, inscrutable pieces reminiscent of a rusty, bygone music box or the gamelan music of Indonesia. And a few of the second-disc highlights, "Meltphace 6" and "Taking Control," chart a middle ground between the emotional ambience of early Aphex Twin and the wracked hysteria of his later work. Drukqs is a sprawling album that defies listeners to understand or enjoy it as a whole, and would've worked much better as a fan-only release than the long-awaited return of the techno vanguard's favorite producer. (allmusic.com)

Disc 1

http://www.mediafire.com/?5k2y5klw7c61ax6

Disc 2

http://www.mediafire.com/?6odnj7wtm3oj8x6

2011-01-10T18:42:00.000-08:00

CROCODILES
Sleep Forever - (2010)

Crocodiles' sophomore album, Sleep Forever, finds them honing in on melodies. With Simian Mobile Disco's James Ford (who also produced albums by the Klaxons, the Arctic Monkeys, and Peaches) behind the boards, the duo’s music is glossier and more digitized -- yet Ford manages to retain the sense of grit that put them on the noise pop map. With the wall of static dialed back a notch, the songs breathe more, allowing for Welchez and Rowell to construct some of their most immediate material. “Sleep Forever” and “Mirrors” are particularly strong singles, and “Hearts of Love” has a chorus that’s as skull-crushing as bubblegum gets. Lyrically, Crocs still have a warped, comically dark view of the world. “All My Hate and My Hexes Are for You” seethes like the words from a goth teen’s journal, and picks right up where “I Wanna Kill” and “Summer of Hate” left off.

http://www.mediafire.com/?pppyrmyggr326ca

2011-01-10T18:20:00.000-08:00

BEAK>
Beak> - (2009)

Considering how meticulously crafted Portishead’s albums are, it’s no wonder that Geoff Barrow went in a less studied and, above all, faster direction with his other group, BEAK>. Together with bassist Billy Fuller from Fuzz Against Fuzz and keyboardist Matt Willams from Team Brick (both bands signed to Barrow’s Invada label), Barrow recorded BEAK>'s self-titled debut in just a dozen days, recording all of their parts in the same room and eschewing overdubs -- an approach that’s almost the polar opposite of Barrow’s day job. On BEAK>, the trio jettisons Portishead’s time-consuming detail for hypnotic simplicity; the only thing Barrow’s groups share is a deeply moody atmosphere. These excursions are so dark and spare that they feel oddly timeless, as though they could just as easily come from some dust-covered, decades-lost cult album as from the 2000s. Krautrock is a major influence, and the band really knows its way around a Motorik groove, especially on “Backwell,” which opens the album with a slow-building jam that dips in and out of minor-key territory. Throughout the album, Fuller’s bass dominates, and the way Barrow and Williams play off of him shows that BEAK> knew what they were doing with their self-imposed limits. Yet BEAK> rarely feels limited in scope, especially when the band flirts with jazz on “The Cornubia” or lends “Battery Point” some post-rock grandeur with shimmering guitars. But for every moment that nods to accessibility, like these tracks and “I Know,” which boasts tight drum and bass topped by a strangely vulnerable melody, there are two that underscore the band’s experimental tendencies. “Ham Green” moves from ghostly, slo-mo surf that recalls Clinic’s early singles to a doomy onslaught from seemingly out of nowhere, while “Barrow Gurney”’s blaring electronics prove that the band doesn’t shy away from being abrasive. Though the project’s swift genesis reveals itself in a few tracks that feel like recorded jam sessions, at their best BEAK> are fascinatingly dour, and willing to challenge listeners in unexpected ways. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?oemfodot3070gx3

2011-01-09T13:11:00.000-08:00

TOM WAITS
Night On Earth - (1992)

Tom Waits brings an appropriately international flavor to his mostly instrumental score for Jim Jarmusch's globetrotting taxicab movie. As in all his music of the time, Waits' chief influence is Kurt Weill, and using horns and accordion among other instruments, he re-creates Weill's creepy, catchy style in 16 short tracks running almost 53 minutes. He and Kathleen Brennan contribute three songs with lyrics, which Waits performs in a calmer, more melodic way than those on some of his recent albums. Still, this soundtrack is very much in the style of Waits' Swordfishtrombones, Rain Dogs, and Franks Wild Years albums.

http://www.mediafire.com/?i99r2ngp9onvb8d

2011-01-08T14:51:00.000-08:00

SNAKEFINGER
Manual Of Errors - (1982)

Philip Lithman led a schizophrenic career, trying to make his way out of obscurity into the light of mainstream success, but then found a living as a valued sideman to the most obscure pop group of the '70s and '80s: the Residents. His dramatic, slanted runs up the fretboard have its antecedents in the British blues scene and art rock, most particularly Robert Fripp and Fred Frith (the latter also lending guitar to Residents recordings); his fingerwork earned him the nickname "Snakefinger." In the end, he died (suddenly, of a heart attack) while in limbo: not weird enough for the Residents, not normal enough for chart success or critical recognition. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?q39rfhkhi5kt9is

2011-01-06T20:53:00.001-08:00

GHOST ANIMAL
Summertime In Heaven - (2010)

You don't realize how much you love the wall of sound until you haven't heard it in a bit. Indeed, this is how I felt when I heard Ghost Animal (and I did notice the frequent use of "ghost" and "animal" band names). Another is the linage of bands that bridges the space between shoegaze and garage rock, Ghost Animal reflects the current trends just as previous groups like the Raveonettes showed the more poppy garage rock sound of the earlier part of the decade. Shoegaze for fans of the Moonhearts, Ty Segall, Bare Wires or Tyvek is a good way to think of it. It is loud, fuzzed out and lo-fi while keeping the droning background that makes shoegaze so fantastic. Although I know I am prone to hyperbole, and hey, why get down on musicians that make something genuine? Nonetheless, Ghost Animal has made a real fucking amazing album with Summertime In Heaven. Holy Moses you need to get off your duff, or stay right on it, and get this album and hear it now. (spacerockmountain.blogspot.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?61gnzrpcrh6azos

2011-01-04T20:06:00.000-08:00

MASSIVE ATTACK
Blue Lines - (1991)

The first masterpiece of what was only termed trip-hop much later, Blue Lines filtered American hip-hop through the lens of British club culture, a stylish, nocturnal sense of scene that encompassed music from rare groove to dub to dance. The album balances dark, diva-led club jams along the lines of Soul II Soul with some of the best British rap (vocals and production) heard up to that point, occasionally on the same track. The opener "Safe From Harm" is the best example, with diva vocalist Shara Nelson trading off lines with the group's own monotone (yet effective) rapping. Even more than hip-hop or dance, however, dub is the big touchstone on Blue Lines. Most of the productions aren't quite as earthy as you'd expect, but the influence is palpable in the atmospherics of the songs, like the faraway electric piano on "One Love" (with beautiful vocals from the near-legendary Horace Andy). One track, "Five Man Army," makes the dub inspiration explicit, with a clattering percussion line, moderate reverb on the guitar and drums, and Andy's exquisite falsetto flitting over the chorus. Blue Lines isn't all darkness, either -- "Be Thankful for What You've Got" is quite close to the smooth soul tune conjured by its title, and "Unfinished Sympathy" -- the group's first classic production -- is a tremendously moving fusion of up-tempo hip-hop and dancefloor jam with slow-moving, syrupy strings. Flaunting both their range and their tremendously evocative productions, Massive Attack recorded one of the best dance albums of all time.

http://www.mediafire.com/?2q99jtavguk7nea

2011-01-04T19:33:00.001-08:00

COCOROSIE
Grey Oceans - (2010)

Sierra and Bianca Casady's songwriting and approach matured in the three years between these songs and The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn; even though it still sounds like Ouija boards and wax cylinders are vital pieces of equipment for them, Grey Oceans has a more expansive and polished sound than any of the sisters’ previous albums, and they don’t try to fill each song to the brim with sonic doodles. “Trinity’s Crying” begins the album by proving that CocoRosie sound as witchy as ever with its mix of odd samples and acoustic instruments, but as its coolly hypnotic vibe unfolds, it’s clear that it was made in a more professional setting than, say, a Paris apartment. “R.I.P. Burn Face” also shows how far the duo have come since Ghosthorse and Stillborn, fusing warbling synths, wandering beats, and a delicate melody into a song that is equally sophisticated and ethereal. Grey Oceans' arrangements and instrumentation are also among CocoRosie's finest. “Lemonade,” for example, captures summer’s idyllic beauty by melding a melody that sounds like it could be from a long-lost Broadway musical with trip-hop-tinged beats, electro synths, and brass. Not all of the album’s daring combinations work as well, though -- for every inspired turn like “Fairy Paradise,” which fashions static into a ghostly but persistent beat, there’s a song like “The Moon Asked the Crow,” which, with its mix of gamelan, classical piano, hip-hop beats, and a train whistle, puts too many ideas into play at once. More importantly, the whimsy that sounded charming on the Casadys’ previous albums ends up holding them back here. “Hopscotch”'s switch from rinky-dink pianos to jungle-inspired breakbeats is daring but jarring, and the keening, Joanna Newsom/Björk quality to the sisters’ vocals sounds grating. Meanwhile, “Here I Come”'s pitch-shifted recitation of phrases like “A hollycaust/A pussy wussy willow” is plain off-putting. At their best, the Casady sisters’ music borrows from folk, electronic, pop, world, jazz, and whatever else suits their fancies with innovative boldness. Not all of Grey Oceans' experiments and changes succeed, but enough of them do to suggest that CocoRosie can gain a wider audience without sacrificing their essence. While they have many good ideas, sometimes they have too many good ideas at once and end up gilding the lily (or putting a blue fake fur mustache on it, as the case may be). (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?sm659muw797hcyx

2011-01-04T16:31:00.000-08:00

RETRIBUTION GOSPEL CHOIR
Summer Tour EP - (2005)

The most important thing to know about the trio Retribution Gospel Choir is that they are likely the most physically fit band on Earth. Drummer Eric Pollard is a distance swimmer, and Ultimate Frisbee champion with state basketball credentials. Bassist Steve Garrington also dazzles on the court, but it’s his long-distance running skills that mark him a champion. Alan Sparhawk, who plays guitar and sings, has extensive experience in American football, has been scouted for coaching work and stays fit as a distance trail runner and member of the band Low. Certainly, this trio would destroy any other band in a 10k race, and then still do the gig. This posting features the first ever release from the band. It is an EP that was sold on their 2005 summer tour that includes three songs from RGC and one from Pollards other band No No Wait.

http://www.mediafire.com/?icsae6t044capql

2011-01-03T20:33:00.000-08:00

LOW
Live At Eindhoven EP - (2010)

On January 22, 2009, veteran post-rock band Low played a set at the St. Catherina Church in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. That performance was recorded and has been subsequently released as the free Live At Eindhoven EP. It boasts a more grandiose setup than the average Low show; its four tracks feature a five-person chorus, an extra keyboard player, and two musicians backing the band on percussion and vibraphone. The album succeeds in capturing the tangible and intangible qualities alike that make Low such a lovely, wrenching live band. Typically, members Alan Sparhawk, Mimi Parker, and Steve Garrington travel light and expand fiercely. Their live shows reveal that Low’s so-called “minimal” moments and its noisier outbursts are one and the same, or at least grow from the same tautness and precision. Low’s collaborators at Eindhoven must appreciate this, because they are gentle about finding their places within these songs. They color in the grandeur that already exists, rather than try to tack on extra. The chorus does not steer “Silver Rider” into “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”-style, where-did-that-church-choir-come-from overkill. In fact, for much of “Silver Rider,” it doesn't impede upon the vocal chemistry between Sparhawk’s steadiness and Parker’s tremolo. When the other singers kick in fully for the big “la-la” chorus, it expands the duo’s core harmonies, while still leaving a broad center lane for Sparhawk’s voice to pierce through. There’s another great exchange on “Silver Rider” between Garrington’s bass and Dominik Blum’s piano. They trade, and sometimes seem to lead each other into, delicate fills between the lines of the verses. They don’t pull off anything tricky or distracting, yet their interplay alone makes the song fuller than the version on The Great Destroyer. The other Great Destroyer track here, “Monkey,” gets a treatment that has the opposite effect. It’s still an ominous song — "tonight the monkey dies," after all — but here Blum’s organ and the interjecting harmonies in the chorus spread the tension around. It doesn’t blur the effect so much as pull back a layer, letting it sound more like a song about desperation and exhaustion. The track “July” pairs a second round of plush “la-la” vocal harmonies that with the aforementioned vibraphone. “July,” originally from Things We Lost In The Fire, is the kind of pretty song that teases you with just a hint of darkness. During the song’s last two minutes, the vibes and the vocals begin to chime in the background before ballooning to the fore in a wave of suspenseful restraint. Anyone who finds the full Eindhoven concert recording floating around on the Internet will hear more compelling arrangements between Low and its European pals. The track where the added musicians take the biggest risk, “Belarus,” features the chorus pulsing back and forth in a polished reproduction of the scarred-analog feel of Drums and Guns. Long version or short version, the Eindhoven recordings preserve one of the most incredible things about Low’s concerts: how the band manages to repeatedly reach epic crescendos without ever seeming pompous. “Laser Beam” helps the EP condense that effect into its short run time. Parker’s voice is alone in the church except for understated guitar and minimal harmonizing from Sparhawk and the chorus. As free souvenirs go, Live At Eindhoven is pretty damn rewarding. The unusual setting highlights what makes the band works so well: always supporting, never crowding. (alarmpress.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?t1ohd44rco4d4pv

2010-12-30T21:36:00.000-08:00

MELVINS
Gluey Porch Treatments - (1987, 2001)

The second and last album done with Lukin keeps the Melvins' freak flag flying. Starting with the slow-as-hell "Eye Flys," which, if nothing else, shows off Osbourne's skill at monster soloing while Crover and Lukin play a rhythm that would be too slow even for funerals, Gluey Porch Treatments is, to a large extent, more of the same. Then again, with the possible exception of St. Vitus, not many other bands out there were embracing the love of sludge metal monstrosities as the threesome was (just compare it what Ozzy Osbourne himself was doing at the time). "Exact Paperbacks" alone would have eaten most purportedly loud groups for breakfast without even trying. The combination of sudden, herky-jerky thrash (but not thrash metal) and epic stomp and sprawl once again did wonders here. Meanwhile, Osbourne's attempts to remold the singing on "God of Thunder" into a new guise for the underground ("Bitten Into Sympathy" in particular sounds like the ultimate fusion of Gene Simmons' voice and Tony Iommi's riffs) means his voice once more sounds just ridiculously perfect. Drawn-out syllables at the end of lines descending into murk, bellowing half-understandable insanities, flanged warbles and squeals: It's all there. Crover has some great fun with drums at points -- check out the start of "Influence of Atmosphere," where the echo on his fills and pounds just makes it all the more nuttily dramatic, or the equally strong conclusion of "Leech." Besides the title track, other examples of the band's perverse wit via song title includes "Steve Instant Newman" and the perfectly descriptive "Heaviness of the Load." After being unavailable for years, Gluey Porch Treatments finally got rereleased in 2001 with a slew of demo cuts perfect for pounding your head further into your torso.

http://www.mediafire.com/?13zd3zlefrq4ojj

2010-12-30T19:43:00.000-08:00

THE ORB Featuring DAVID GILMOUR
Metallic Spheres - (2010)

Early in their career, the Orb were accused (but never proven) of releasing a series of bootleg trance mixes of Pink Floyd albums, and the group had plenty of other Floydian references too -- most obviously, the Battersea Power Station appeared or was parodied on several of their releases. The connection only became direct, though, in 2009, when David Gilmour recorded a version of the Graham Nash single "Chicago" with help from producer Youth, an occasional member of the Orb going back to the early '90s. It was a charity single to aid accused hacker Gary McKinnon, but it became the springboard for further collaboration one year later, after Orb main man Dr. Alex Paterson, became involved. Metallic Spheres is the result, a 49-minute odyssey that is very intentionally split up into only two tracks. The Orb fans and Pink Floyd fans should have no trouble with this album. In fact, Orb fans will find more resemblance to their classic early-'90s sound than ever; that is, less dense soundworlds and more skeletal groove-riding over a lazy 4/4 beat. Meanwhile, Pink Floyd fans looking for the imprint of the master will find them everywhere: Gilmour's guitar or lap steel, and rarely, his vocals (sampled from "Chicago") feature all over this record, mostly reminiscent of either the countrified haze originally heard on Meddle or the, well, spacy haze on The Dark Side of the Moon. Boasting few landmarks, the record simply rolls along with all the sublime calm of The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld or the "Echoes" portion of Meddle.

http://www.mediafire.com/?udsxwgq3h06saut

2010-12-30T18:57:00.000-08:00

YANN TIERSEN
Dust Lane - (2010)

Even in the Information Age, the world still hasn't become quite so small as people like to think. Otherwise, a talent like Yann Tiersen wouldn't have avoided international recognition for so long. French composer/multi-instrumentalist Tiersen is a classically trained musician who came of age in the post-punk era, and both of those musical worlds inform his work. Despite many years of high-profile solo albums, soundtracks, and collaborations with everyone from Jane Birkin to the Divine Comedy, Dust Lane is his first album for a U.S. label. It's a rich, moody, multi-layered work that finds Tiersen showing off his instrumental prowess and playing a wide array of instruments from strings to synthesizers on his haunting classical/rock compositions. Vocal-oriented tracks like "Fuck Me" show Tiersen's poppier side, achieving an infectious, anthemic sound somewhere between M83 and Broken Social Scene, while "Ashes" seems more in line with the extensive soundtrack work he's done in the past as it builds gradually from tension-building strings and horror-film piano plunking to fuzzed-out guitar squalls and choral vocal chants. The dominant feeling on Dust Lane, though, is that of an artist who reveres Ravel and the Swans in equal measure, as exemplified by "Dark Stuff" and "Palestine," where deeply muttered spoken vocals punctuate a dark, dramatic blend of driving, rock-derived rhythms, European folk modalities, and a symphonic brand of sonic conception that sets Tiersen apart from mere murky moodmeisters. Dust Lane is the kind of record that draws you into its own little world and sweeps you along with its journey, as unsettling as it is intriguing. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?ge74wrufjfxaqk5

2010-12-27T21:19:00.000-08:00

THE RESIDENTS
Film And Video Series Volume 2 - Strange Culture/Haeckel's Tale - (2010)

Film and video Series 2 Strange Culture - director Lynn Hershman (Conceiving Ada) 2005 The surreal nightmare of internationally-acclaimed artist and professor Steve Kurtz began when his wife Hope died in her sleep of heart failure. Police who responded to Kurtz's 911 call deemed Kurtz's art suspicious and called the FBI. Within hours the artist was detained as a suspected "bioterrorist" as dozens of federal agents in Hazmat suits sifted through his work and impounded his computers, manuscripts, books, his cat, and even his wife's body. Haeckel's tale - director John McNaughton (Henry Portait of a Serial Killer) Showtime 2005 19th Centrury horror tale. Sound track not used in broadcast version. Exclusive release.

http://www.mediafire.com/?nl81xbjyap9ik4p

2010-12-27T20:51:00.000-08:00

DAVID LYNCH
Good Day Today - (2010)

Lynch’s creative output has long been an inspiration for countless electronic music producers. Now he draws on his seemingly endless creative reserves as he succinctly sums up years of musical experimentation into his first ever solo electronic production. With a stamp that is undoubtedly Lynch, “Good Day Today” features the legend himself on vocals and on production duties. There can be no higher accolade for the electronic genre that Lynch has chosen to launch a solo project in part inspired by electronic music. “Good Day Today” was mistakenly credited to Underworld by Jason Bentley due to its warm synth sounds when it first aired on his hugely influential Los Angeles-based KCRW radio show “Morning Becomes Eclectic.” The debate about who created this track is still raging via the Underworld website and message boards—some testament to Lynch’s first electronic outing. Bentley put the record into the hands of Sunday Best Recordings director Ben Turner at the International Music Summit in Ibiza. Turner played the record to label head Rob da Bank and the pair snapped up the release soon after, signing the track for the world.

http://www.mediafire.com/?hkn8s7s1n4h94cn

2010-12-22T20:42:00.001-08:00

SONIC YOUTH
Experimental Jet Set, Trash And No Star - (1994)

Whereas Dirty and its predecessors were loud, distorted, and bordering on the fine line between pop and noise, Experimental Jet Set, Trash & No Star did away with the ear-bleeding guitar feedback so often attributed to the group. The group retained its quirky twist on pop/rock song structures, moving even closer to a consistent use of the verse-chorus-verse template. Of course, the disregard for mosh-friendly guitar riffs, lack of crowd-surfing intensity, and increasing traces of normalcy killed a large part of the group's momentous surge in popular acceptance, damning them once again to the status of often misunderstood artists. Popular opinion may have wanted more rock than what Sonic Youth wanted to deliver on this album, yet upon careful inspection, Experimental Jet Set, Trash & No Star still out-noises the majority of its peers. Butch Vig's clean production makes the album seem clean, when in actuality it is nearly as dirty as the group's preceding effort. Songs such as "Starfield Road" and the acoustic song "Winner's Blues" emanate plenty of raw spontaneity, even with Vig's crystal clear production. Relative to Sonic Youth's greater body of work, the album does seem rather sedate, though. The noises resonate subtly rather than mangle one's eardrum. In sum, this record must be considered the closest the group has ever gone to straight-ahead pop/rock. With all of the feedback, murky production, incoherent song structuring, and rambunctious charisma stripped away, what remains are odd lyrics and unique guitar nuance. In other words, Experimental Jet Set, Trash & No Star features the underlying foundation of the group's music standing naked, without any of their traditionally excessive static to heighten it. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?4awss1lw8lz04yp

Experimental Jet Set, Trash And No Star - Early Rough Mixes
http://www.mediafire.com/?38yvcnod2x891ov

2010-12-22T20:10:00.001-08:00

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART
Doc At The Radar Station - (1980)

Generally acclaimed as the strongest album of his comeback, and by some as his best since Trout Mask Replica, Doc at the Radar Station had a tough, lean sound owing partly to the virtuosic new version of the Magic Band (featuring future Pixies sideman Eric Drew Feldman, New York downtown-scene guitarist Gary Lucas, and a returning John "Drumbo" French, among others) and partly to the clear, stripped-down production, which augmented the Captain's basic dual-guitar interplay and jumpy rhythms with extra percussion instruments and touches of Shiny Beast's synths and trombones. Many of the songs on Doc either reworked or fully developed unused material composed around the time of the creatively fertile Trout Mask sessions, which adds to the spirited performances. Even if the Captain's voice isn't quite what it once was, Doc at the Radar Station is an excellent, focused consolidation of Beefheart's past and then-present.

http://www.mediafire.com/?y553syoe1mvr58n