BABE THE BLUE OX
Live EP - (1996)

Babe the Blue OX (BOX) formed in Brooklyn in 1991 when Midwesterners Tim Thomas (guitar, vocals) and Rose Thomson (bass, vocals) moved into Hanna Fox's apartment and persuaded her to play drums. Their first single, "There's Always Room for One More, Honey," appeared on Stamp and showed their Captain Beefheart take on indie rock; the trio uses jazz, sludge rock and punk to screw up their pop songs. Signed to Homestead, they released the "Chicken Head Bone Sucker" single in 1992, [BOX] and the Je m'Appelle Babe EP in 1993, and Color Me Babe in 1994. People, the group's first album for major label RCA, appeared in 1996; The Way We Were followed two years later. (allmusic.com)
***This is a promotional CD from RCA Records which captured the band live during the CMJ Music Marathon on 9/4/96 at The Knitting Factory, NYC.

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=300c8e89fa751bc395af63b7d44918aa3360785b710eedda

THE RESIDENTS

Eskimo - (1979)

The most rewarding, the most difficult, and the most accomplished of all the Residents' albums, this was their departure into the field of imaginary ethno-musicography that they had begun on "Six Things to a Cycle" on Fingerprince. Ostensibly a musical documentary on the Eskimo, this is an album of icy atmospheres, poetic electronics, and imaginary landscapes, concocted around a loose narrative told in the liner notes. There's also a subtheme of indigenous populations overrun by western commercialism (is that native chant actually "Coca Cola is Life"?). Ex-Henry Cow member Chris Cutler plays a lot of the percussion on the album, especially on the finale, "Festival of Death," the only real piece of rhythmic music here, which shines out as anything but dark or sinister. In any other group's hands this would have been a pretentious disaster, but the Residents pull it off through spirit, humor, and sheer bravado. (allmusic.com)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3MV35YLG

HATCHET FACE
Vol. II - (1995)

Probably not heard by many, Hatchet Face were a four piece Hardcore band from Leominster, MA who I believe released only this one album during their short stint. Brutal energy with the right amount of melody, this one is worth checking out.

* Track #13 is the band covering Jerry's Kids "I Don't Belong"

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=300c8e89fa751bc395af63b7d44918aacfb3a1de7bc8d1d3

MACHA
Forget Tomorrow - (2004)

Four years since their last release — the wonderful collaboration Macha Loved Bedhead — and five years after their last proper album, See It Another Way, came out, Macha returned with Forget Tomorrow. The band attempts to make up for lost time by incorporating the synth pop and punk-funk trends of the early 2000s into the fusion of indie rock and pan-cultural music that made the band so distinctive-sounding in the '90s. However, these nods to recent and current musical fads end up detracting from Macha's sound as often as they enhance it; "Forget Tomorrow" itself borrows from both dream pop and synth pop, but sounds forced and hollow, especially compared to artists like Dykehouse, whose Midrange treads similar ground with more vitality and imagination. "(Do the) Inevitable"'s punk-funk vamps work a little better with Macha's already established aesthetic, allowing the band to indulge its fondness for exotic percussion in a way that's new for them. Forget Tomorrow is also hampered by several interludes, like "While the People Sleep" and "D-D-D," that sound unfinished and neither tie the album together nor embellish it. Thankfully, the album gets weirder and better as it progresses, with tracks like "Paper Tiger" and "Calming Passengers" offering a happy medium between the extremes of their new and old sounds. "Now Disappearing" is a particular highlight, creating a lovely and slightly unreal atmosphere out of synths, hammered dulcimer, and what sounds like a little girl singing backward. The gorgeous Asian strings and gamelan underpinnings of "Sub II" make it another standout track; even if its guitars are a little overblown, it's still more artful than the first half of Forget Tomorrow might suggest. Likewise, "No Surprise Party" closes the album much more successfully than it begins: despite the slightly cheesy phased vocals, it's an unusual mix of kinetic basslines, fireworks, and shimmering Asian instrumentation. Still, it's not really surprising that the more unusual moments on Forget Tomorrow are among the album's best, since Macha's uniquely inclusive perspective was a big part of what made their earlier albums so good. Despite its flaws, Forget Tomorrow has enough beauty and creativity to suggest that Macha's best music may still be ahead of the band. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?y4zglato0mz

MELVINS
Nude With Boots - (2008)

As indicated by the "Good Times Bad Times"/"Moby Dick"-esque drum-and-guitar power jam that blasts off the opening song, "Kicking Machine," the majority of Nude with Boots showcases the Zeppelin meets Sabbath in a dark alley, classic rock side of the Melvins. Rather than toying with excruciating sonic noise like some of their more experimental discs (Pigs of the Roman Empire, Colossus of Destiny), or continuing down their road of deconstructed doomsday drones — a sound they pioneered, setting the pace for bands like Boris and Sunn 0))) — they stick to frank, bludgeoning stoner rock. The result is yet another crushing platter in their extensive discography that's meant to be cranked to the max. On the second album to feature founder Buzz Osborne and cofounder Dale Crover alongside Big Business bassist Jared Warren and drummer Coady Willis, a newfound energy permeates and drives the band, often resulting in enthusiastic tempos and a sense of velocity. This is a drastic change for a group that built a foundation on trudging doggedly, like sneakers stuck in rubber cement. Along with the newly acquired taste for speed and brevity, even more notable is the interplay between the group members. The newcomers mirror the movements of the veterans, with drummers Crover and Willis hammering heavy beats in synchronicity, while Warren acts as the lil' Buzzo to King Buzzo, intricately layering cloned vocal screams and sneers while strumming basslines in tandem with the guitar riffs. Loudly. Osborne has coined their sound as a hideous cacophony of melody, which is not too far off, but there are some glimpses of tuneful pop sensibilities here as the melodies sneak through more than ever before — and this is the sound of a band moving forward. As with most endeavors in uncharted territory, some songs miss the mark (an unnecessary ambient keyboard instrumental "Flush," for instance), but the straightforward beasts like "Billy Fish," "The Smiling Cobra," and the majestic title song "Nude with Boots" showcase the Melvins at the top of their game, while the lumbering brutality of "It Tastes Better Than the Truth" and "The Savage Hippy" shows that their warped sensibilities are still intact and that they're far from softening, even after almost 25 years in the game. (allmusic.com)

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QUENTIN TARANTINO'S "DEATH PROOF"

Motion Picture Soundtrack - (2007)

Quentin Tarantino soundtracks are often as deliriously exciting as the films themselves and Death Proof is no exception to the rule. His half of the exploitation double-bill Grindhouse concerns a serial killer called Stuntman Mike who offs girls with his indestructible car — a blend of no less than three B-movie staples that provides a perfect vehicle for a perfect soundtrack, which Death Proof comes pretty close to being. Given the inspirations behind this stylized exploitation flick, it should come as no surprise that this soundtrack also borrows heavily from the '60s and '70s, digging up a bunch of forgotten soul, pop, rock, surf, and soundtrack songs that aren't commonly heard. There are some familiar names here — whether it's composers Jack Nitzsche and Ennio Morricone or soul singers Joe Tex and Eddie Floyd — but the closest this comes to familiar territory is T. Rex's glam staple "Jeepster" and maybe Smith's one-shot wonder "Baby It's You." But the pleasure of this soundtrack is precisely how all these little-known songs create their own fantastical spin on the late '60s and '70s, just like how Tarantino does it within the film itself. According to this, it was a time when the Coasters turned "Down in Mexico" into spacey, funky doo wop, when Dave Dee, Dozy, Bich & Tich turned out fizzy pop pleasures like "Hold Tight" and when Pacific Gas & Electric turned "Staggolee" into a psychedelic pimp. Thow in a down-n-dirty Willy DeVille number and the girl power of April March's "Chick Habit," and this is turns into an addictive record — one that's perfect for long, dark drives or just about any other kind of good time you could name. (allmusic.com)

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=300c8e89fa751bc395af63b7d44918aaeea1daf43c578f6b

THE APPLE JUICE KID

Miles Remixed - (2008)

Producer The Apple Juice Kid, teamed with IllRoots.com and Okayplayer.com for this release. The album, originally created as the soundtrack for a Miles Davis biopic, consists of instrumentals built entirely from samples of the jazz legend’s work, with vocalists Yahzarah and Raheem Devaughn making appearances on the closing track. (milesdavis.wordpress.com)

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