On two sides: the love and hate of the music of Blank Dogs

Even in the underground there are darlings. Some are nothing more than badly spun snowballs of hype, while others are absolutely warranting of the attention. The newest “big deal” in the murky nether regions of the music world is a hot bed of controversy as to exactly which of the above they fit under. Having an onslaught of versatile releases come out no longer than two or so years ago, Brooklyn’s one man fractured pop machine Blank Dogs is dead center in the eye of this genius/fraud storm. Name dropped and written up on blog after blog, the strings of comments below each always seem to be a heated boxing match of opinions. Only time will tell which side will ultimately win out, but here is what we do know currently:
Not much.

The entire musical project of Blank Dogs is wrapped around a core of mystery and anonymity, almost as thick as the layers of lo-fi effects that haunt the music itself. There is no definitive website for Blank Dogs. No real information on the Myspace profile. No Wikipedia entry. Nothing but third party speculation, and a lot of pictures of cloth-hooded figures. In fact, that theme seams through all of the releases as well; most of which feature layouts of masks. While I’m certain that the truth can be parsed, sifting through the misinformation would be like trying to cut out a slice of the ocean. Which may be another reason why the popularity of this music endeavor has risen to such a height.

Of course, no amount of image and reputation can make a musician truly popular if this spine is not solid: the music. Considering the divergent (and caustic!) views on this particular artist, I can only describe, and judge it from my own point of view. Quite simply, I love Blank Dogs, and absolutely fall into the category of “genius.”

But let me say that I came to Blank Dogs through the kitchen door, and not getting bumped around by photographers at the red carpet entrance. I simply saw a Blank Dogs release on the new arrivals list of the Fusetron distro, and, intrigued by the description, thought I would give it a chance. After realizing that I had definitely made the right choice, I thought I might look the group up on the internet, and well, you know what I know now…………

So, with that slight bit of objectivity, let me say that, if you come from the bed room aesthetic, or the low-fi following, or the noise scene, or even the first wave goth and new wave school, then Blank Dogs is most certainly your type of music. Murky and brittle, these records sound like a porcelain doll, coated in pop, dropped onto a cold hard tile floor. I don’t want to be another person to make this comparison, so let me say that there is a similar idea here, that I firmly believe is organic, to that of a group like Joy Division. This music is rough around the edges, slightly disjointed, and though haunting, sounds like it’s just teetering on the edge of stability.

It is agreed, even by his most ardent supporters, that out of the near fifteen releases in about two years, there are both hits and misses. But if you listen to samples across a linear timeline, you can year the sound tightening, and the pop aesthetic hiding underneath growing in strength and form. Don’t get me wrong, there are still layers upon layers of gelatin-like effects, and warble, and songs that abruptly stop with a small delay wave or two crashing onto the shore. But then, it wouldn’t really be a Blank Dogs record without this. No matter which release it may be however (for a while you could download the entire, now very hard to find, back catalogue online, of which I have three hard copies), for me personally, it’s a pretty damn near perfect symphony of synthesizers, bass, drum machine, effects of all types, just off kilter vocals, and other (literal) odds and ends. I think it all comes together in one of its finest moments on the Trouble Man release, On Two Sides. I can’t find a weak link on this chain, and I have listened to this particular album more times than I’d care to admit. You can hear bits of everything from Sonic Youth, to New Order, to, I swear, even Giorgio Moroder. I know that The Fields LP just came out on Woodist, but I think if you could only get one Blank Dogs record, it should be On Two Sides.

As for the future of Blank Dogs, I’m very curious to see how this turns out. Obviously there are more releases lined up, and people are already grabbing them up like Cabbage Patch Kids in ’85. Deciding to be contrary to all the popularity of his ambiguity, Blank Dogs has begun to play shows as an actual band. In fact, they are even slated to perform as part of this year’s absolutely amazing lineup for No Fun Fest (along side such stellar acts as: Merzbow, Sonic Youth, Bastard Noise, Grey Wolves, and Skullflower). So, while we love to raise certain artists up to the stars only to crucify them a short time later in a firestorm of backlash, I tend to believe the fate of Blank Dogs lies more in Blank Dogs themselves. Something is going to have to happen. And I’m curious to see whether he (they, it?) decides to compromise his style enough for a much more mainstream popularity, or whether it all becomes too much, and the sounds pulls further into obscurity where most people can’t reach it.

Whatever the future may hold, for the time being there is a lot of quality music here to love or hate. I hope everyone enjoys whichever camp they choose to come down in.

Upcoming on Agipunk

My connections to this Italian label notwithstanding, I have to say that they're becoming the most significant crust label in the world - without limiting themselves to just that genre. Take a look at their 2009 release schedule: vinyl reissues of classic material by Wolfpack, Deviated Instinct, Scatha, Hellbastard ("Ripper Crust" and "Hate Milita" demos), a Hellshock non-album collection double LP, a new Contrast Attitude LP (this has been on their plate for a long time, so who knows when to expect it, and it's supposed to sound a lot different than past CA records)... the list goes on. And that's on top of last year's releases by Stormcrow, Vitamin X, Uncurbed, and house bands Kontatto and Giuda. I probably won't hear everything on their '09 roster (I certainly didn't in '08), and heck, I don't even like all of the bands they're releasing. But their consistent output of solid new and classic material shouldn't go unnoticed.

In the US, reliable distributors of Agipunk include Ebullition, Havoc, and my bandmate's distro.

Grouper/City Center split 7"

This is out now.

Merry Christmess

Q: What do Santa and Toadliquor have in common?



A: THE POWER IS THE WEIGHT

Compact reviews

My box of digitized goodies from the Small Doses distro sale I mentioned in my last post arrived today. Figured I'd post my thoughts as I make my way through the stack.

20.SV - Apocalyptic Desert - Digging this. Crossover noise release with rhythms, melody, and progressive composition. "Industrialized Post Apocalyptic Bio-Nuclear Radiative Frequencies Recorded In Tripoli - El Mina, Lebanon By Xardas." Comes in a slipcase featuring terrible Photoshopped artwork. Looks like a shitty promo, honestly. On Autumn Wind Productions. Oh, and I guess 15 minutes of this is all my shitty CD player will allow me, as it's started skipping.

EVP - Postmortem Canticles of Necromancy - This wants to be a 70s horror/thriller film score I think. But it's not creepy enough. Too much cheese for my tastes as well. Someone put a lot of work into this, but I can't get into it on first listen. Sharp DVD-style packaging. Also on AWP.

Alkerdeel - Luizig - Mostly slow "kvlt" black metal from Belgium (although not too kvlt to have a Myspace address printed on the sleeve, haha). Their site lists doom and psych influences as well as BM, and they do come through on the recording. This stuff is ok, not great. At War With False Noise re-release of an uber-limited cassette. Beautiful gray-on-black cardstock print job.

Behemothaur - Darkcrystal - Is it noise? Black metal? Free doom? Noise rock? All of the above, assembled in no particular order. Kiwi band featuring the CJA dude. Might take another listen to grow on me; I feel like the band is not sure exactly what effect they're going for, especially given the linear narrative of the accompanying booklet. Which is sharp as hell in the standard 200mg A4 style. Apparently an edition of 100. Neither release I've heard on this label has blown me away, but they get props for distinctive packaging.

Gargotheron - Black Metal Supreme - Another 200mg release. US black metal. Not into it. Fast/manic stuff featuring a drummer with some real chops but very rough around the edges. If this band is young, as I sense they are, they could go on to awesome things. But this doesn't do it for me. Edition of 100 in sharp packaging and a theme of being maimed in the desert by desert creatures or something.

Marzuraan - Five Years Worth of Fuck All - The Marzuraan LP is so good that I'm expecting great things from this collection. Things were going fine until my CD player got its panties in a bunch and started skipping double dutch. Anyway, this band is great. At War With False Noise put this out.

Not getting reviewed tonight: Ondo "Low" CD-r and Detritivore demo cassette. Tune in next time...

Lazy Saturday

Hanging out with the cat before band practice. Here's what's been playing around here recently:

Spektr - Mescalyne 10" (drum machine bm from France, cool mix of blasts, ambience, and funky parts)
Mamaleek - Fever Dream LP (drum machine bm/psych/jazz weirdness from California...some of this sounds like a noise record, and some of it you could lindy hop to)
v/a No State = No Sound one-sided LP (new Am Tapes offering of manipulated/processed "silence" in the studio...noisier than you might think...includes Iron Lung and No Fucker alongside a slew of noise bros)
Exit Hippies / Aostrapos - split LP (didn't give this a close listen when I got it last year or earlier this year...just threw it on a minute ago...Aostrapos side sounds cool at 33 or 45!)
Tovahaunted - one-sided LP (Tovah vs. Pocahaunted, Tovah wins...way abstracted take on Phaunted)
Illusion of Safety - More Geography and Violence LP (first heard this long-running project on the RRRecords "Testament" comp I picked up a few months ago, then Aquarius had a brand new CD-r that I grabbed that was way worth it...this is their first vinyl output from '88, great soundscape/collage work with contemporary news fragments worked in...so good, I need more IoS stuff!)
E. Lunde / Hands To - split LP (got this from the same dude as the above LP...Lunde is also on the "Testament" comp...good but not great, too much pretentious spoken word content (like on the comp)...Hands To side is dronier and betterer)
Ox - Aftermath LP (Earth worship, unimpressive)
Xasthur - Nocturnal Poisoning 2xLP

A few news items while I'm at it (which is what this blog is supposed to be for anyway):

The initial release from Mark McCoy's quasi-bm project Ancestors has been pressed on vinyl after an initial cassette run. This came out a few weeks ago, limited to 300, who knows if it's still around. Youth Attack is apparently doing an even more limited test press version that has not yet been released. A 7" of new material is due out in the near future.

Have A Nice Life's sprawling bedroom shoegaze double CD Deathconsciousness is going to get a vinyl release next year, according to the band's label Enemies List. I will be keeping a close eye on this label next year; these guys seem attracted to the unorthodox.

New Pig Heart Transplant 7" out on Deer Healer, 400 copies.

Big label/distro sale on at Small Doses, lots of good prices.

Looks like aRCHIVE got some more copies of the Acid Eater LP in stock. Japanese garage rock blown out Disclose style with Masonna on vocals. 300 copies.

There's a new Dead C LP out that I haven't heard. Ditto for Dolores, the new Bohren record. Ghosts of the new Lifelover record are floating around the internet, but I have yet to get ahold of one.

Sadly, from here on out it will only be Ex-Yellow Swans

So I picked up a copy (unfortunately not one of the color copies) of the Ex-Cocaine/Yellow Swans split LP. I, like John, deeply lament the decided separation of the Yellow Swans duo, and this release is one more reason to feel that way.

But first, let's spend some time with Ex-Cocaine.

I will have to admit that I had never heard of this group before. This says less about their relevance and more about my ignorance. But upon giving their side a spin, I was pleasantly surprised to hear, not what I had prejudged to be some sort of noisy, angular nowave inspired group, but instead, slightly abstract gently rolling psych.

Made up of yet another duo, Mike Casler and Bryan Ramirez are described as,"Two heavy mellow bros on congas and fuzz [who] amble through underwater psych murmurs delivering freak tales and out of control throwdowns," on their Last.FM page, and whatever that may mean, I could not agree more.

Black Cat Lament, the first song of two by EC on this record, spills in with gentle percussion rolls and swaying guitar riffs. It simply takes this basic idea and swirls around with it for a while. Accepting whatever comes after the jumping off point and let it take the music wherever, I think what I like best about this track is how a-rhythmic it is. There is never quite one single tempo, and synchronization takes a back seat to exploration. Normally this would throw most listeners off, but the way they approach this song, and the gentle mood they create makes it all fit right into place.

Everything pulls together in the second song, Sexy Music. A solid yet simple track of just barely atypical psych. I should point out that unlike many of their contemporaries, Ex-Cocaine don't really apply that many effects or lo-fi aesthetics, to this recording at least. Just a little delay here and there, and beyond that it's pretty straight forward. Which I think in the fringes of music where we are now, is something that not many groups could do and still maintain a following. What makes this track for me is the vocals. They have a slightly haunted quality, and though according to the liner notes they are only sung by Brian Ramirez, they have an odd choral sound that I feel pulls the song to where it should be. Once again, simple guitar and percussion, doing what would normally be a very traditional style, but tweeking it, organically, to move it to a place not only of originality, but also hypnotic appeal. I look forward to adding more Ex-Cocaine to my collection.

The flipside is, of course, one long and haunting track by the much lauded, (and rightfully so), sadly now defunct, Yellow Swans. Creeping in with a fuzzy undertow interrupted here and there with melancholic tones, Comedy Hypnosis is one of the final examples of what made this group great. Minimal at first, the track doesn't so much build, as grow. The tones lead to slight guitar, and muted notes of feedback at regular intervals. Somewhere in the distance murky vocals, not even attempting to come through the mix, add another layer to the composition. It's the type of music that, when you see it explained in words, sounds very underwhelming, but when you hear the simplicity, subtlety, and complexity of the sound you simply get swept away. Finally the lower registers drop off as the rippling walls of static white noise raise up like smooth concrete enveloping everything around it. The pressures hiss, pop, and crackle. The vocals begin to take on the sound of metal twisting in the wind. And as soon as the distortion, which is never grating, peaks, all the complex layers begin slipping away one by one until we are left nearly at the very place we started. The great part about the end of this piece is that the sound dies, and yet, after a beat, the final echo pops up again, and then another beat, and quieter again, and then again, always a little longer, and quieter to an almost imperceptible degree. And it doesn't die away until there is no vinyl left.



This is, in my opinion, a solid record on both sides. From the quiet and simple to the broody and complex. You can check out the myspace profiles of both Ex-Cocaine and Yellow Swans to find out more about the bands, and hear some samples of their work. You can also go to the Not Not Fun webstore to purchase a copy, with, PS, great album artwork, which I believe is still available.

Mining deep indeed

Sometimes you come across records you like because of your specific musical tastes. Other times it's because you know the people in the band or have seen them play many worthwhile shows. Still other times it's to see what all the hype for a certain band or album is about. And then there are the records that come from the shadows and knock you off your feet. Such is the case with Inca Ore's Birthday of Bless You. While going over the Not Not Fun website I came across a boldened announcement stating that there was one final repress of 85 copies of this limited release LP. The description caught my attention with turns of phrase such as,"psychedelic secrecy, rippling whispers, and private ghost ballads." I knew that I was destined to own this album.




Inca Ore is better known as Eva Saelens, and is a member of celebrated, spacey psych group Jackie-O Motherfucker. Listening to her solo work you can certainly understand why. Birthday of Bless You, as soon as the needle drops, comes quietly out of the darkness whispering a language of haunted beauty. The entire first side flows like a blissful river carrying the listener on the hypnotizing tone of Eva's voice. Layered with deep reverb, and lo-fi aesthetic, the music transcends typical expectations in favor of a much farther off spiritual dimension.

The accompaniment itself is minimal. Often times not being created by recognizable instruments at all, but instead soothing and swirling tones that ebb and flow to give more depth to the key ingredient, the voice itself. Nothing, per se, is ever loud, but sometimes the thickness of the sound builds, and then other times drops away to reveal a folky, almost Americana lying underneath. There is even a cover of Merle Haggard's Silver Wings to tie it all together.

The second side of this precious slab pounces with a brief cacophony before sinking back down into the tides below. Though there are more silent moments between the songs here, there certainly is more diversity, and epic composition. From a piece that wobbles back and forth with some type of fractured instrument, to a piece where Eva cries out, almost totally acapella, and not really singing at all, that we are all pearls and we should realize this. Finally belting out that she does, revealing a bit of a southern accent.

It continues on with striking songs punctuated by cannon-esque toms, and ancient church like hymns carried on the psychic wings of murky organs among other things. The echo of her voice stretches farther and farther as the songs go on, carrying the listener farther and farther from the material world, until finally it slips away just as beautifully as it came in. I have been listening to the album over and over again for two weeks and am still mesmerized by it each and every listen.

So beyond the Jackie-O connection, beyond the limited release put out by Not Not Fun, and even beyond the fantastic yet simple hand screened cover containing some very nice artwork on the insert, if you have even the slightest inclination towards amazingly well crafted, lo-fi, reverbed and blissed out music, then you must at all cost find a copy of Birthday of Bless You, by Inca Ore.

It's also worth taking a few minutes to check out her interesting blog, and her myspace profile to hear samples of some of her work.

Soundz in my earz

Yeah, so, here's what I've been listening to...

Aidan Baker & Tim Hecker - Fantasma Parastasie LP (I'm really digging this. Great mixture of their respective styles with neither dominating. I haven't really listened to enough of Aidan's work to have an educated grasp of his approach - he's the Agathocles of drone guitarists - but the shifting distorted textures on this record remind me more of Hecker. Great jacket art to boot.)

Pig Heart Transplant - Blackmail cassette (Iron Lung's Jon Kortland and friends doing the noise thing...kinda. Hard to pin down. New PHT live recording on its way to my mailbox from Soccer Mom Ebonics.)

Oren Ambarchi - Grapes From the Estate 2xLP and A Final Kiss On Poisoned Cheeks one-sided LP (Can't get enough. New live CDr out now on the Israeli label Uganda - 50 copies, be quick. This is the first recording I've ever ordered from that country. Incidentally, I had an issue with my credit card today, and when I called customer service the woman went over my last few purchases, including one from "Jerusalem, Illinois.")

Filth of Mankind - The Final Chapter LP (Classic. Killer.)

Total - Here, Time Is Space 2xLP (Some obscure distributor unearthed copies of this, at least some of which went to the Crucial Blast store. Which is Exhibit A in why I recommend keeping an eye on the CB distro.)

Skullflower - Taste the Blood of the Deceiver LP (Brand new, fantastic.)

Panicsville - Imperfection of the Organism LP (Spinning right now.)

Sit and Spin

So, here's a no brainer that I thought might be worthwhile. Each week I'll give a brief list of some or all of the records that have crossed my turntable that week. Sort of like an analog last.fm. Now, it's true, I also listen to plenty of digitized music (I normally rip all cd's now), but I figure this list would be long enough. And also, for the most part, I talk about vinyl on this blog. So, for the first ever Sit and Spin:

10/25-11/02 (I'm cheating abit this time....)

Blk W/Bear-Fahrenheit_Drafts 12"
Wolf Eyes-Human Animal 12"
Dead Machines-Live at Tzompantli 12"
Bloody Panda-Pheromone 12"
Wolf Mangler-Cooking With Wolves 12"
Inquisition-Magnificent Glorification of Lucifer 12"
Woods of Infinity-Hedja 12"
Menstruation Sisters-Ma 12" (Thanks John!)
Nachtmystium-Reign of the Malicious 12" pic
Woods of Infinity-Frozen Nostalgia 7"
Su19b/Jenny Piccolo-7" Split
Su19b/Xbrainiax-7" Split
oVo/Smut-7" Split
oVo/Mr. Natural-7" Split
oVo/Cock E.S.P.-7" Split (OMG I LOVE THIS RECORD!)

And I think that's about it. Obviously I reserve the right to make this as short or long as I feel, and yes, there will be repeats. But whatever, inquiring minds want to know..........



TTFN!

Schizophrenic bliss........

I recently discovered, and purchased an amazing and much needed 7" that I did not even know existed. While going on that same To Live a Lie binge, I once again stopped dead in my tracks due to another surely crucial split. It's best of the best between Michigan's fastcore hero's, Xbrainiax, and Japan's sludgecore beasts Su19b.

Xbrainiax blaze through 12 songs of face removing same said fastcore. If you for some reason don't know, this is some of the best newschool, oldschool violence, with nods to both the legends such as Hellnation, and newer broods a la Threatener. They aren't trying to fix what isn't broken, they're just trying to attach uzi mounts and sweet exhaust flame throwers too it. They've got all hooks, samples, and rapid fire tempos that show off the very best of what can be done with this genre, and yet still in a very raw and uncontrolled sounding way.

Su19b comes back with some of their most crushingly brutal work to date. I cannot say enough good things about this band. I know we all love classic punk based sludge such as Noothgrush, and the ever evolving doomy sounds of the cult followed Corrupted. But Su19b, in my opinion, just drops it down to a whole new level. Maintaining their molasses like integrity, infused with blistering speckles of blastbeasts, they lay down one moody and grim track on this 7" to counter the dozen that Xbrainiax rips through. Coming quietly out of the murk, Meadow Meal churns along, with not so much Sunn 0))) or even Moss like bass, but more Dystopia sounding down tuned guitars. The ambient dirge flows undisturbed until suddenly the hellishly deep and gurgled signature vocals (or god, probably one of those apropos moments to use the term "vokills") come tearing up straight from hell and into the mix. Accented with drum strikes and guitar pounds, the song picks up an agonized momentum that steamrolls over the listener, as the apocalypse is proclaimed in a terrifying unknown tongue. Finally, of course, in true Su19B form, Meadow Meal is punctuated by a hail of blast beats and machinegunned vokills that leave the listener feeling like they've been punched in the face. If you have never heard Su19b before, then run, don't walk, to the nearest place that has any of their releases, and drink deep.





The record itself was released on Crucificados records, a label that I have never actually heard of before. It's got fantastic cover art depicting some sort of horrible science experiment, with an unwilling subject being mainlined by hypos of both Su19b and Xbrainiax (of course!) right into the eye. The 7" is a pretty great looking candy cane colored marble slab of quality vinyl.

I know I don't need to preach to the initiated to pick up this split asap. Anyone familiar with either band will. But those of you who fall into the "Un" category, do yourself a favor, and grab this anyway. I know at the very least To Live a Lie is carrying it.

Bad People make for good company...

So, again, when I had that fleeting moment of clarity around my junior year of college, I happened to randomly order several records from a small Colorado hate/noise/grind label called Bad People Records. Before that time I was utterly clueless, and would not transcend that position again until I moved to DC years later. However, as with purchasing an original Burning Witch LP on Slap a Ham by happenstance, I managed to grab a few choice items and gain some worthwhile knowledge before falling back into the fog. First and foremost was the No Le$$/Agents of Satan split 7", but more importantly than that, I grabbed the Hymns for the Hearing Impaired comp (which sadly is now lost somewhere in my belongings; hopelessly scratched). Not only was I unaware of how rare this find was, but also of what a wide selection of, for the most part, little known, extreme underground grind bands were on it. Beyond the above mentioned No Le$$ and Agents of Satan, there were the soon-to-be legendary bands such as Noothgrush, Agathocles, and a very rough and early track by a little side project band named Dystopia. There were also however, over the top bands that for the most part, only released the track on the comp, and would fade away into eternal obscurity. Such bands were named things like Spewgina, Jack With Killer, Forced Tumor, Crack Pipe Death, Captain Three Leg, Homesick Abortions, and my favorite over-the-top band track, Gaunjareeha - What the Fuck is you Sayin. Now, before we go on, let's get one thing straight, it's not called Bad People, because you want to take these people home to meet your parents, it is indeed, bad people, and I'm well aware of that. So, no social commentary on this one please. It's not like I'm going to review, or even listen to a Mentors, or Graveland record. The point is, this was some of the most primitive, raw, and intense grind that I have ever heard, even to this day. Which is why, while randomly flipping through the To Live a Lie records distro, I stopped dead in my tracks when I discovered this:

One of those little known, never heard from again, insanely intense, Bad People bands. I immediately snatched it up as fast as my little clicks could carry me. Of course, it is a split, and Crisis Rebirth is interesting as well. But Artortured was one of those bands I specifically remember pawing over from the comp. As soon as it arrived on my doorstep I dropped it on my turntable and evaluated the packaging. Artortured have four brutal songs, lyrically very much in the fatalistic vein of Dystopia. The music chaotically stays just on the verge of spiraling out of control the entire time. It's lo-fi, sporadic, and peppered here and there with the usual samples. I'd say that this is much more akin to a band like Fear of God than the tighter, more controlled power violence that most of us are used to listening to. (Coincidentally, Chris Grind, from Magrudergrind, was always enamored with the Bad People comp. And has crazy stories of being with some of that crowd in Colorado, when Magrudergind first got started, and literally watching them smoke crack!....) I suppose you have to be open to that type of less-produced, raw attack, but if you can let that all go, the Artortured side is pretty amazing indeed.

The flipside of Crisis Rebirth, while not quite as exciting to me as the the former, is still a good listen. Foreshadowing the more popular heavy music to come, it is one "long" song that at times reminds me a lot of Coalesce. Called Kleptocracy, it is another long ode to a dying world of bad bad bastard people. I really don't want to short this band, but the appeal for me in this split is much more in line with the gruff spirit of Bad People, and this song, is, well, probably much more accessible to the average listener. Which is not a bad thing at all.........

As for the packaging, it could not be more apropo. All hand drawn and photocopied with crude drawings and scribbled lryics for Artortured, and deeply hewed pictures of the band on the Crisis Rebirth side. Truly, all the best aspects of the old school.

While looking up Artortured on the internet yields nothing more than an info less myspace profile, this split appears on quite a few distros. It looks as though someone stumbled across a large batch of the original copies. The surest sign of this, and the most heart wrenching, is that there is a new release insert for Bad People/Riotous Assembly Records inside. And as much as I would desperately love to order, say, the AK47/Forced Tumor split, I know all too well that this order form has not been valid for many years......However, somehow, this one split still is, so I'd urge you to stop by To Live a Lie and grab a copy while they still exist.

I also feel like I could not finish this out without a brief word or two about the other Bad People 7" I am fortunate enough to own.


The Distorted Transmissions EP split between six feet underground heavy, devil worshiping, Agents of Satan, and the sample heavy, ever spastic No Le$$. You know it's going to be a good listen when the cover has a demon holding a baby, a yin-yang anarchy symbol, a black power fist, and an indeciferable photo of what appears to be chained bodies, that underneath, proudly proclaims this album to be "Dank Core."

I first heard both of these bands on the recorded account of the amazing fests that Chris Dodge put on annually for a while called Fiesta Grande (which, incidentally, is another great record to grab if you ever come across it...). So, it's a no brainer that I ordered this as soon as I saw it. And, come to find out, for good reason too. Now, while the Agents of Satan song on the Fiesta Grande comp,Castigo del Brujo, is, to this day, one of the most savage and brutal things that I have ever heard, the songs on this 7" sound entirely different. Fortunately, they are equally punishing in their own way. All of them (with fantastic names like, Black Metal Bat), are muckishly low and dirty, with bowely guttural vocals, and crushingly punishing musicianship. Heavy, deep, and plodding, despite the tongue-in-cheek viewpoint, you certainly feel as though you've been drug to a very horrific place.

As for No Le$$, they are equally amazing in a totally different way. Absolutely in line with powerviolence of the time, there are lots of samples, a constant flipping back and forth between grooving parts and blast beats, and of course the "big monster little monster" vocals. But No Le$$ does this all in their own unique way. Their groovy parts really are just that, and they prove that they really know how to play their instruments. Which is great when they spastically switch into chaotic blast beats, a lot of which seem to be tom heavy. I have to say that I love the vocals here. The deep gruff vocals are barked out at the same time as a piercing falsetto (think Bathtub Shitter, or, if you've heard of them, Cambodia). Of course, what seals the deal is the obligatory inclusion of their "big hit", Balls Deep. What can I say, this song defines the No Le$$ sound, and is a downright killer track as well. I'm fairly certain that you can, at the very least, find this track somewhere, and give it a listen.

My only big apology here is that, well, I have no idea if you'll be able to find this record anywhere. Then again, I don't know how hard or easy it may be........I already own it. But above and beyond both of these splits, if you want to find some real deal, out of control, raw as fuck, and totally sketchy intense grind, look high and low and anywhere you can to grab anything Bad People Records ever put out............

Ättestupa - s/t LP

When I think of Swedish music, I usually think first of its disproportionate influence on the punk and metal scenes in the last 25 years (Anti-Cimex, Mob 47, Nihilist/Entombed, At the Gates, etc., nearly ad infinitum); but recently I've been listening to a lot more out-music than anything directly influenced by the above bands. Among my favorites at the moment are Sweden's Skull Defekts, who are passable as a rock band but really extraordinary as a noise/drone unit. I have the Release the Bats label to thank for multiple Defekts releases, and now they're responsible for the debut record from Ättestupa, who lay out two side-long trance-inducing jams on this LP. The comparison that comes immediately to mind is the Religious Knives "Bind Them/Electricity and Air" 12", the first RK release I ever acquired (and still my favorite). The Ättestupa record is more dense and varied, but similarly repetitive and lumbering. Both sides (there is no way to discern which is A and which is B) have a fuzzy, hazy drone as their foundation with a repeating keyboard line riding along over top. And in similar fashion, both tracks eventually give way to vocals and primitive drumming. The vocals are really the only connection to what could be considered folk music to my ears, but I wonder whether some of the keyboard lines (which really open up at the end of one of the tracks and seem to by supplemented or replaced by string instruments) recall regional folk melodies. The cover photo and three photos presented on large inserts depict rural peasants posing during their work days in what I would guess to be the latter part of the 19th century. Is there a connection between the music and the images? Are these field songs warped and corroded by a century of wind and ice and sediment? Could be. Personally, I hear captive zombies being marched to a mass execution. Regardless, this is a recommended release, and I believe that those on the lookout for the next Ättestupa release should keep an eye on another Swedish imprint, Klorofyll Tapes.

Back in the saddle with dark down under...

Well, we aren't dead here just yet, and no, we haven't sworn off music for the monastery. John and I were both born at the tail end of Gen. X, and we'd like to live up to that reputation.......



Having put my Evan Dorkin comics aside for now, let me pick up a, not new, but very interesting 7". A while ago now, Southern Lord put out a great slab of little vinyl that was a split between ambient/suicide, outsider black metal legend Striborg, and an unknown ambient black horde called Scurshahor who are only described across the internet as "shrouded in mystery"....

I first heard tracks from this split on War Goat Radio. Dimitri was so impressed with it, that I believe he played the entire record. And I'll have to admit, after hearing these psychotic hypnoses, so was I.

Starting with the Striborg side, I think this is some of Sin Nanna's best work to date. At just two songs, I like it much better than the recently released Black Desolate Winter/Depressive Hibernation 2LP (which is not to say that I don't very much like that album as well). It begins with a slow, ominous, jangly guitar riff, which gives way to pure black metal pounding, before reverting back into a dark ambient echo chamber in another dimension. Aptly titled Psychedelic Nightmare, it certainly is indeed. What I like about this and the next track, Syncopated Pandemonium, is that they get right to the point. Black Desolate Winter actually takes an entire side before it starts "going somewhere," but with this 7" we are beamed into Sin Nanna's bizarre ireality instantly. Going back to Psychedelic Nightmare, once it locks in it's laying deep in echos upon echos, reverb, pure white ambiance, and skittering in and out, random sounds. It finally builds to the height of night terror breakdown with bubbling cauldrons, sonic cries, and a clear but initially un-discernable voice that you can finally comprehend saying "I was never born" before falling back into obscurity.

After a single beat, the record pounds into Syncopated Pandemonium. The tempo overall is much faster in this track, but it's hard to tell exactly where it's falling due to all the ambient discordance mentioned above. Except this time, the vocals are even more distorted and buried, as if creatures from beyond were desperately trying to come through. There is much the same bouncing between slow and fast tempos that is found on Nightmares. However this makes the two tracks less repetitive, and more suited for each other. Finally the waves of sound and fury roll down the tide until they crash upon the shore leaving the listener quiet and alone, back in the real world.

The Scurshahor side is only one long song (no, not nearly as long as other ambient black metal songs, but none the less.....). Fittingly titled Malicious Resplendence, it definitely sounds as though they and Sin Nanna both escaped from the same part of the sea in hell. The vocals' sound and thick laying are very similar to the other side, but there is something harsher here. Not so much being swayed in the tide, as being drug along the bottom, over the rocks. The deep layers here are rumbles, and groans; the sounds coming in and out are clanging metal. Multiplying and dividing all of this keep the track moving along, and give it a kinetic dynamism. I would not at all be surprised to find out that these mysterious heathens had a history in the noise scene, and this definitely seems to come from that sphere. Once these grim demons feel that you have been sufficiently put through the wringer, the cruel din drops away to leave the listener with one long and peaceful, soothing tone, which takes you gently to land before dropping you off back in your own unfortunate life.

This flat, black, escape pod stayed on my turntable for days when I first got it. I'd say a must have for collectors, and a great gateway drug for newcomers. I'm fairly certain that it's still available through Southern Lord, so grab it already.

WAHAHAHAHAAAA111111.......

Even from Mexico I am posting!

Well, to be honest, I won't be posting much. I'm having the damndest time learning the language, so I won't be able to hop into a store here, and ask where the metal section is (and any preferences of mine more abstract than that would quickly turn into an Abbot and Costello sketch...).

At any rate, I was dumping the contents of my camera to make room for more pics, and I totally forgot I had a short video of some band footage on there.

On 6/6/06, I went to a black metal fest in Baltimore, and while all of the bands were great, the first one I saw really impressed me. Called Bloodtorste, they took kvlt very seriously. I mean, I don't have to point out all of the obvious in the video. However, what you can't see are huge candelabras with red candles, a smoke machine, and strobe lights. You also don't get to see the massive fireball the lead singer blew over the packed crowd at the end.

A few months later they played a show at the Warehouse, where I used to book, and then they dropped off the face of the earth. Which is absolutely a shame. If anyone knows anything about this grim horde, please come forward.



!Reyes del Metal aman satan!

Reviews 3/28

With my co-Suppositor Denman leaving the country in a couple days, I realize I'm going to have to step up the posting. So let's start with a couple of reviews before I hit the hay. Just got both of these today:



RELIGIOUS KNIVES - Live at Bigjar (Archive)

Yet another live release courtesy of the superlative Archive label, recorded by label-dude Scott Slimm in Philly last August. I've been a fan of RK for a while now, and though I wish they had kept tapping into the weird droney vein that was manifested on most of their past releases, I'm pleased to say that I dig the psych-rock thing they're doing now too. I saw them in DC on the same tour within days of the Bigjar gig, and I noticed they were having some communication issues on the improv tip - drummer wanted to end a song, guitarist didn't, or vice versa - but they put on a good show nonetheless. Maybe there were evil looks passing between the band members at the Bigjar show as well, but you can't tell on the recording. They laid down their set smoothly. Four tracks, all "new" stuff. Excellent recording. 600 copies. Vinyl version of their first full-length should be dropping on TMU any day now.




OREN AMBARCHI - In the Pendulum's Embrace 2xLP (Touch/Southern Lord)

Ambarchi is one of my favorite minimalist artists, and this is his first full-length since 2005's Grapes From the Estate. (Actually, he had some help here: two of the four tracks are collaborations.) The first two sides of the LP are reminiscent of that record, featuring his trademark lonesome electric guitar tones that start with a recognizable "click." But Ambarchi's approach on Pendulum is not the stringently minimalist exercise that Grapes was. It's warmer, with some additional instrumentation - most present on the C-side track "Trailing Moss in Mystic Glow." Flurries of acoustic guitar notes, sounding like an aimless James Blackshaw, support the drones. Side D is a vinyl-only bonus track called "The Intimidator," which is, not surprisingly, darker and more menacing than anything else on the album. 1500 copies pressed; order direct from the Lord and you will get one of the 500 on gorgeous marbled aqua vinyl. I can't recommend Ambarchi enough, and this album is a good place to start for the uninitiated.

Dying Yellow Swans?

In their announcement of the new Yellow Swans/Ex-Cocaine split LP, the Not Not Fun crew had this to say: On the B, Yellow Swans channel a supreme slice of psychedelic eulogy that cuts twice as deep with the knowledge that after many a summer (they birthed in 2002-ish) dies the Swan. Pete and Gabe’s DYS saga has spanned the decade and their impending non-existence will be lamented all over the world, so the more 11th hour record books they want to stencil with their electric synergies, the better for all of us.

A quick jaunt over to the Swans' Myspace shows they're playing shows at least through June, so who knows when the final nail in the coffin will be nailed into the coffin. If in fact there is a coffin. Which there seems to be. Anyway, I will definitely miss this duo, but I'm sure Pete and Gabe's names will continue to float around in the potent stew that is west coast experimental music.

Even I wanted to party hard....

Was I the only person that heard Andrew W.K. on PRI's Fair Game With Faith Salie yesterday?

I would not necessarily call myself a fan of the guy, but then again, I don't really have anything against him. Hell some of my friends even dj'ed with him once. However, this made me laugh out loud (yes, while walking two large dogs, totally randomly in public..).

I think it's genius, and you should absolutely give it a spin.....

Life's been swell now I wanna Dystopia record

Finally, after literally YEARS of waiting, the newest, and sadly the last Dystopia album has arrived. For those of you even remotely into "hard" music, if you have not heard this band, you surely must think "hard" means Captain and Tennille. As for me, I have a long history with one of the first real punk bands that I ever heard.

I was in college, in Mississippi, knowing nothing about good music, and was excited to test out this new website I'd heard about called Napster. So I plugged my phone line into my clunky Toshiba Satellite, and sent that 14.4 baby into action. Now this was before the real controversy about piracy had begun, and the people involved already had some of my money. Don't even ask how, but I had been able to buy a live compilation from some label called "Slap a Ham Records," and was anxious to look up a few bands that had impressed me. In particular, I had been "wowed" by a live version of the song "Backstabber" by a band called Dystopia. Sure enough, I was able to find a few songs by them on Napster (I would later buy all of their records from Life is Abuse, which is what you should do as well...), and I was soon downloading a song called "Stress Builds Character." An hour or two was all it took to make the song mine. The beginning was this weird speech about some guy hating his life, and then suddenly he yells out "I DON'T EVEN LIKE MONEY, AND I'VE GOTTA WORK EVERYDAY JUST TO FEED MYSELF!!" It was gut wrenching, and I'd never heard any punk or metal song up to that point profess such anger towards the necessity of commerce. I would soon dive deep into all types of political punk, and continually seek harder and harder bands. Dystopia had totally hooked me, and they have been a very important band in my life since then.

Which brings me back to the point at hand, the very last Dystopia record. We'll cover the tangible aspects first, then get to the music.

This is by far the best cover artwork for one of their albums. It is an actually well done photo-collage starting across the top with cheering (and maniacal) people, hovering over a second layer of guns and missiles, with an AMAZING picture of Bush wielding an almost bloody looking chainsaw below their name. The vinyl is clear, and is joined by a very nicely done booklet insert. Like the cover, the booklet contains some great artwork, and photos, and includes the lyrics to all the songs.

Speaking of which, let's get to the music shall we. While this record may not be as hard hitting as their previous two full lengths, it is still a force to be reckoned with (and would easily destroy most other bands). In keeping with tradition, samples are heavily prevalent through out the album. Which is of course how the first track begins, with a long sample of some ever depressing sound bites until the song lands. It reminds me in a way, of the aforementioned "Stress Builds Character." Two things stand out as a whole on this release. One is that the songs are all slightly more minimal and dirgey, than ever most Dystopia fans are used to. The second is that the vocals are much more grim and brutal than anything the band has ever put out. Also, alot of the guitar work is much more riffy, technical, and catchy. All the songs on the first side string together to form one long crushing blow that ends in a final track of samples of very sad and demented people yelling about their horrible psychiatric treatments. Which absolutely sets the tone for side two, which comes out swinging. By far my favorite track "Illusion of Love" comes out swinging with the fastest, non-deathmetal, tempo Dystopia has ever played. After the first half, the rest of the track takes us back to that misanthropic dirge that will continue until the end of the album.

I just wanted to take a little time to talk about the lyrics here. Dystopia has never been known to pull a punch, but instead, in a crass and upfront way, have always gone right for the throat. Some previous lines that come to mind are,"Life's been swell now I want to die!," and "Fuck your son I hope he fucking dies!" Never missing a beat, this type of lyricism holds strong until the bitter end. Going a little out of order, on that favorite track of mine,"Illusion of Love," with gut wrenching intensity, Dino screams,"Jesus! Fuck your love!" Which is repeated many times throughout finally to be joined with "..And the USA!" The whole song is about Christian based US imperialism. Which is a perfect segue into the next song. "Number One Hypocrite" is a continuation of the US angst theme. God the lyrics in this song are great. A few of the better lines are,"If you want an SUV we'll have to kill some children, and you don't fucking care as long as you are not impaired!","The simple fact is this: You're the terrorist!," and the one I had to look up just to make sure I heard it correctly,"I'm a product of where my parents fucked!" Well, I could go on and on about the rest of the lyrics on this album ("Your fingerprints are human, and you are a piece of shit!"), but I'll leave that up to the future listeners to experience.

Needless to say, Dystopia is one of the most important bands in the modern punk scene, and this last release is a testament to that. They are a band that for many years has tackled topics such as depression, capitalism, suicide, racism, the military, life, work, and death with their own honest and brutal opinions. To learn more about Dystopia, you can check out their myspace page here, and their record label Life is Abuse, which is also where you can pick up a copy of this new album. However, good luck getting your hands on one. Only 3,000 have been made so far, and they are so swamped with orders, the entire label has had to put everything else on hold to deal with it. However, if you can get your hands on one, you should at all cost.

It is also worth noting that if you are a Dystopia fan, you should check out the other amazing band that Dino is in, Asunder

SYPHILITIC VAGINAS

It was important to me that my first post here be classy. Well, what could be classier than a band called Syphilitic Vaginas? Huh? Any ideas? I'll wait...











Ok, then. As repulsive and stupid as the name is, SV simply did what so many other punk bands have done - that is, name themselves after a song by a classic band. In this case, it's an abbreviation of an even classier (if you can believe it!) GISM song title. I had heard these guys described as a cross between GISM and Bathory, and in fact their top three Myspace friends are those two plus Venom. The early thrash metal vibe is strong here, and it's augmented with the driving, balls-to-the-wall energy of Japanese hardcore. I'm not the biggest fan of gruff vocals, but they work great here. The band apparently hails from Japan (their Myspace used to say "Tokyo, Japan," but now it just says "Japan"). I was skeptical at first, since it seemed a perfect concept for a US band to run with, but honestly, I don't think Yankees could sound like this.

I picked up their recent s/t cassette release, and it kills! Three burners followed by a synthy, Goblin-style coda. The blast beat riff in "Iron Sabbath" has to be in the running for best riff ever. Go listen to it on their Myspace immediately. I just did - twice - after listening to it on the tape. Which, incidentally, is the most recent of three super-limited SV releases. There are 100 of them. Prior to that, they had a split 7" with Netjajev SS (200 copies) and a lathe cut 9" (50 copies). I missed 'em, and chances are you did too. But they seem to be busy little Vaginas, with multiple upcoming releases on Recued From Life and Haunted Hotel. Everyone's going to love this band in a few months.

-----------------------------------

As promised, here's a quick review of my top 10 records of 2007:

10. THE ANGELIC PROCESS - Weighing Souls With Sand
9. GRAILS - Burning Off Impurities
8. DEATHSPELL OMEGA - Fas...
7. ALVA NOTO - Xerrox Vol.1
6. THE FIELD - From Here We Go Sublime
5. VOMIT ORCHESTRA - Antecrux (December '06, deal with it)
4. RICHARD CRANDELL - Spring Steel
3. THE DEAD C - Future Artists
2. OBSCURUS ADVOCAM - Verbia Daemonicus
1. DRAGONFORCE - Inhuman Rampage