LISTEN TO THIS
The "Oh fuck, the hipsters have discovered drone," edition
by neddal
Alternate subtitle: The "Neddal is in a really bad fucking mood" edition. You know, it's always a drag
when groups of hacks, bolstered by clueless journalists, infect music you love. I've seen it happen several
times; with the stoner scene [don't even attempt to start the whole "You shouldn't try and define
music, maaaannn" thing with me. I'm not in the mood...], with the underground folk aka
"free folk" scene", and now with the heavy psych / drone scene.
The trendier music magazines, ezines, and blog / zine hybrid things have been riddled with
Earth / Sunn 0))) name checks lately. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for bands getting
recognition, but now it seem that the followers have something new to latch onto.
A couple of years ago the progression seemed to go something like this: indie rock geek - ironic cock
rocker - alt.country songster or possibly neo-garage rocker. Now it seems to have
altered slightly: indie rock geek - ironic metalhead or punk rocker - psych / doom / drone noodler AND/OR free
folk space cadet. And of course people not knowing the real deal, "Skullflower? What?", get taken in.
I wonder how long all these psych/doom/drone projects will last when the hacks realize that there's
no money to be made playing a low A flat for fifteen minutes. The smart ones will shoot
some shitty DV footage to accompany the music, call it an art project, and milk some
grant money while the milking is good.
Another interesting development: One of the top American psych / space acts has decided that they
just want to rock, as in 70's underground rock, as in name checking The Groundhogs. I'll be curious to
see how many other follow in their footsteps.
With that little bit of negativity out of the way...on to the music:
Long time Roadburn readers may remember a band named Hangnail. Based in the U.K. they released
an excellent 10" on Man's Ruin and a solid full-length on Rise Above before disappearing. Former Hangnail
guitarist Harry Armstrong is back with a new four-piece by the name of End of Level Boss. Their debut
disc is titled "Prologue" and should
be available from Exile on Mainstream / Southern Records later this year.
The sound is more expansive and much more aggressive then Hangnail. The arrangements bring to mind The
Obsessed and Beaver, while the riffs and vocals evoke "Born-Again"-era 'Sabbath, but again there's
that aggression, at times they cross over into full on metal territory. Keep your eyes out for these guys [and gal]
Moving on... Torche formed from the
ashes of Florida sludge-masters Floor. Their self-titled debut picks up right where the
last, self-titled, Floor disc left off - ultra-heavy riffs rumbling under melodic, almost
poppy, harmonized vocals.
If anything the contrast between the melodies and the riffs is more stark on this disc.
The music is more aggressive; the bomb-string is all over the place while the vocals soar.
This is not a sound that should work, but it does, and it puts Torche in a class by themselves.
In a just world these guys would be huge. Torche's S/T debut is out on Robotic Empire.
Of the current [non-bandwagon jumping] crop of psych-drone bands, one of the most promising is
Florida's The Goslings. The
disc in my stereo right now is titled "Heaven of Animals" [ released on X Died
Enroute Y Records ] and it is a collaboration between the band and noise artist Roxanne Jean Polise [aka Steev Thompson].
Shattered bits of guitar, organ, and voices ride cascading sheets of noise. I'm not sure if it's
the effect they were going for, but the music is quite soothing and well worth checking out. [ X Died Enroute Y records ]
Jupiter Jefferson's "West" was a
nice surprise. I have to admit that I saw the band name, and was expecting boring indie rock. What
I got was a disc of dark droning rock 'n' roll. There are some similarities to Queens of
The Stoneage's earlier material, namely the hazy, gloomy vibe that permeates the disc
but they don't quite sound like the Queens -vocalist/guitarist Aaron Armstrong's voice brings to
mind the late Elliot Smith and the music is more reminiscent of the later Screaming Trees records -in
other words neo-psychedelia, extremely well done neo-psychedelia. I believe the disc is self-released so
check out their website for more info.
Omegalord's disc
"Hammer Down", with its
crusty blend of doom, punk, and metal should bring a very big smile to the faces of those who miss bands
like Sixty Watt Shaman and Floodgate. This one is another diy kind of thing, so check the band's site.
In a similar vein is The Cooters' aptly
titled "Punk Metal." Where Omegalord
tilt towards the metal end of the spectrum, The Cooters go for a more punk / hardcore inflected sound, think Zeke
by way of Antiseen by way of Negative Approach by way of Hanoi Rocks. I bet you think
I'm joking... see the second half of the album and songs like "Kill Them With Kindness" and "Woo Lord" which
sounds a bit like Lynyrd Skynyrd doing Hanoi Rocks.
The sudden switch from the nastier material to the more listener friendly stuff, "Wheel in Motion" is all
chugging and screaming then it's the aforementioned "Kill Them With Kindness", might throw some people, but the
band is equally adept at both styles so who am I to complain? "Punk Metal" is out on Profane Existence.
"This is Punk Rock Blues Vol. #1" from
Punk Rock Blues Records is a compilation of material from artists who have played a series
of "Not The Same Old Blues Crap" [named after the Fat Possum Records sampler series] nights held over
the past year or so in various clubs around London, U.K.
Some of the artists featured, namely the Soledad Brothers, T-Model Ford, Gin Palace, and The
Immortal Lee County Killers, will be familiar to Roadburn readers, and they all turn in
excellent rare or unreleased cuts, in particular T-Model Ford's "Take A Ride With Me" and
The Immortal Lee County Killers III's "Blues."
Of the newer [or at least new to me artists], stand-outs include The Killer B's with
their gritty tune "Grown So Ugly", The Dirty with their savage "Thirteen Devils" [possibly the most
rocking track on the disc], and Catweezel with "Devil." The disc makes for a fine
introduction to the nastier side of the blues and blues-influenced punk rock as it's
practiced on both sides of the Atlantic.
[Punk Rock Blues ]
Bellingham, Washington's Federation X continue
their streak of excellent albums with "Rally Day." This disc feels
a bit more loose than 2003's "X-Patriot"; the arrangements aren't quite as tight, but the
frustrated, melancholy vibe is still intact, as is their unique sound; a mix of Black Sabbath, Black
Flag, the blues, a touch of folk, and a strident can't quite put your finger on it thing that
brings to mind Shellac or Fugazi. These guys are another band who by all rights
should be huge... [ Estrus Records ]
The award for this installment's "most full on band" goes to Japan's DMBQ and their disc
"The Essential Sounds From The Far East." On this, their first full-length
North American release, DMBQ or The Dynamite Masters Blues Quartet tear through your speakers
with an intense sound that brings to mind the MC5, Black Sabbath, and the Jesus Lizard as
interpreted by DMBQ's countrymen Mainliner.
There are plenty of big riffs and wah-drenched freakouts, and there's a tweaked broken amp
slide workout called "Swamp King" that out Galore's Pussy Galore. It's awesome stuff, and
for those with short attention spans the DMBQ are a bit more succinct than some of the
other bands from the Japanese psych-noise-rock underground, keeping most of their songs
under the five minute mark. [ Estrus Records ]
Estrus Records' "Kamikaze Ass Chomp n' Stomp" sampler [the
third in the series, I believe] provides a nice budget-priced introduction to the label's
roster. Stand out's on this edition include Federation X and DMBQ [see reviews above] along with the gritty soul
punk of the DT's, The Fatal Flying Guilloteens with their nasty, scratchy vibe, and
the down and dirty blues-rock of the Midnight Evils and the
Mistreaters. [ Estrus Records ]
After a three year break, Vancouver's The Black Halos are back
with a new record titled "Alive Without Control." The 'Halos blend of
sleazy New York Dolls/Johnny Thunders, the Dead Boys, and Faster Pussycat influenced
rock isn't particularly original, but they do it quite well and fans of this sort of thing
would do well to check them out.
Finally, Alternative Tentacles has
released a collection of most of the now long out of print material Buzzov.en recorded for
Allied Records. The disc, titled, "Welcome to Violence" pulls together two EP's, "Wound"
and "Unwilling to Explain" along with their first full-length, "To a Frown." This is some savage
blistering stuff. Fans only familiar with their later, more southern rock influenced records
will be in for a bit of a surprise, as these songs are tighter, with more of a crusty punk / hardcore vibe.
The liner notes detail the early period of the band, before the booze, junk, and hardcore self-destruction
kicked in, as recounted by such luminaries as Jello Biafra, eyehategod's Mike Williams, Antiseen's Jeff
Clayton, and Buzzov.en main man Kirk Fisher, among others. I'm not one to call
records "essential" but this comes pretty close. [Alternative Tentacles - http://www.alternativetentacles.com ]
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