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boaws · 6 years

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BOAWS Top Records of 2018

20 – Bichkraft – 800 (Wharf Cat) You know, I've heard every Bichkraft record and up until 800 (the groups third) I didn't quite really know what to think of them other than...weird? I'd pretty much filed them away in a lump of experimental bands that I kind of dug, but I wasn't terribly sure what the angle was. It seems things have been a bit cleared up for me with 800, a record that is undoubtedly more refined than any of their previous, production wise. I imagine some of this can be attributed to recording with Merchandise member Carson Cox rather than a makeshift studio in a junk ridden field somewhere. However, the bands sound manages to keep a lot of the looseness of a group that would, in fact, record in such an aforementioned manner. I've never thought of Bichkraft to be much on the rhythmic side of things, but the songs on 800 are shockingly catchy at times and bounce along in a nice haphazard manner...even though I have no fucking clue what they are saying. I suppose it could be some really grim stuff, but the songs themselves wouldn't really ever reveal that. Nevertheless, their combination of post-punk and disjointed indie-rock is certainly an interesting one...in that it lies somewhere on the exteriors of both. There are times where I'm picturing late 80's or early 90's music videos with an over abundance of neon and hair for some reason...which may in fact be due to the vocals and the drum machine. It's almost like listening to A.R. Kane if they had been heavily influenced by no-wave. Like I said, interesting and I'm not real confident I've made much headway in figuring Bichkraft out, but at the very least 800 is a pretty good record. Bichkraft – Ashley (stream) BUY IT! 19 – Cloud Nothings – Last Building Burning (Carpark & Wichita) A band many are familiar with and one that has already appeared on these lists a couple times now already I believe. Cloud Nothings find themselves here again on the strengths of their fifth album that doesn't change the formula up much, other than possibly embracing the rawer aspect of their sound for an A-side that blows through five songs in a few minutes before opening up the B-side with the 11 minute “Dissolution”. They are the type of songs that Cloud Nothings have doled out before, but in a far more limited basis...or possibly in bits and pieces, however on Last Building Burning a good majority the album is consumed by that type of raucousness that had only been previously teased. The tunes still seem to incorporate a good amount of the hook heaviness of old, but one might have to dig a bit deeper beneath some of the chaos here to find it, which is fine by me. “Dissolution” ends up being an interesting track in its own, massively sized, right...wherein the band starts off in tried and true jagged fashion only to end up taking a break midway through for some improvisational noisy meandering/psychedelics before latching back on to each other to form a nice apex of noise/melody to cap it off. I'll hand it to them, Last Building Burning is an album that, in a way, I got what I expected but also came out a bit surprised as well. Cloud Nothings – Offer an End (stream) BUY IT! 18 – Gouge Away – Burnt Sugar (Deathwish Inc.) It took me awhile to get around to this one, and by that I mean I just heard it maybe three or so weeks ago, but that is just how things work with me sometimes. Anyway, Gouge Away do a lot of things well on Burnt Sugar. That's about as generic as a statement as one can make, right? But it's kind of true, especially when the takeaway with most is that they are a hardcore/punk band playing songs that are somewhere in between power chord driven noise-rock or 90's alternative and being able to blur the lines between all of that is commendable. How that's really any different than a lot of bands these days? I don't really know, but at the very least Gouge Away pull it together in a much tidier way for some memorable songs that do well in the way of being powerful and noisy enough satisfy my taste for aggro delights of 90's noise-rock. So if that's also your cup of tea, then Gouge Away will likely be of particular interest to you as well. Gouge Away – Fed Up (stream) BUY IT! 17 – Bush Tetras – Take the Fall (Wharf Cat) Another entry from Wharf Cat, which has sneakily become one of my most appreciated record labels over the past couple years. Although, I'd argue it's hard to miss on something like Bush Tetras, but good on them on at least having the initiative to release these five new jams. Dating all the way back to 1979, Bush Tetras material hasn't exactly been plentiful, but it HAS often been good and Take the Fall sees them return in a form that still has them right in step with anything they did during when they were in the thick of the NYC no-wave movement. There is a little more brute force to be found here, with a deep bass slink and a rainfall of atonal distortion that lurch along in a delightfully sleazy way while vocalist Cynthia Sley takes every opportunity to wrap her voice all around it. Take the Fall is every bit as jagged and poignant as any of their past material, but somewhat removed from the time of dub-esque/dance influenced rhythmic nature of their infancy...sitting more firmly in the post-punk camp, but still something that could have only been culled from a specific time and place. Bush Tetras – Red Heavy (stream) BUY IT! 16 – Hide – Castration Anxiety (Dais) There is generally an appeal to me, to some extent or another, for when a record functions primarily in such a primitive manner as one like Castration Anxiety does. Maybe even more so when it comes creeping out of the depths of the darker side of the industrial/electronic world, as Hide does...the duo of visual artist Heather Gabel and percussionist Seth Sher. The ingredients are relatively simple for the pairing, who throw together the monotonous pulse of heavy beats/percussion to largely drive this excursion into brute force, but decidedly steer it down a darker path thanks to the inclusion of some creative synth work. Occasionally dream-like, but probably more so in the nightmarish sense, the synth/electronics are often of the buzzing/scraping variety rather than the ethereal airy gothy qualities that a project like this may initially suggest. Nope. This is definitely more so about leather, dungeons and the sound of anything colliding with metal. And while it could be concluded that Hide had boiled everything down to the coldest possible fraction, there still lies Gabel's vocals which by the end of Castration Anxiety are such an inclusive part of the narrow singular vision at play, that it's easy to forget there is an actual person performing the constant moans and spoken mantras among it all. Dais always seems to do well in finding these particular types of releases, and this one can certainly be added to the list of winners. Hide – Wildfire (stream) BUY IT! 15 – Ian Sweet – Crush Crusher (Hardly Art) I got a late start on Ian Sweet, so late in fact that I completely missed the transition from solo project...to band...back to solo project. So, as it stands now, Ian Sweet is the solo work of Jilian Medford. I did get a chance to hear 2016's album Shapeshifter, however by that point I'm sure everything had already been shifted back to full solo mode. My initial thoughts on that album were a mixed one, a fun and somewhat catchy slab of indie-rock, but ultimately an album that didn't grab me a whole lot aside from a couple songs. However, on Crush Crusher things have dramatically veered towards deeper/interpersonal territory, dealing with issues of anxiety/depression among others. With that comes an album that is actually far more melodic and riff laden than prior heard, but on work as emotionally revealing as Crush Crusher it's not entirely surprising, as there is a lot being unearthed here in a therapeutic fashion. For Medford, I imagine even if Crush Crusher had been met with little to no response it wouldn't have mattered, as I highly doubt this album was really meant for anyone other than herself. Ian Sweet – Spit (stream) BUY IT! 14 – Marriage + Cancer – Marriage + Cancer (Self Sabotage) A Portland based band that showed up this past year with their debut album sporting some nice Texas Chainsaw Massacre inspired artwork on it. While some may be disappointed to learn that this self-titled first attempt isn't as grimy and sadistic as the aforementioned movie, Marriage + Cancer prove mighty capable of being one of those bands that can actually marry noise AND rock; not too clean but also not a room clearer either...although I've rarely turned my nose up at that as well. I think the Jesus Lizard thing gets bandied about with these guys for sure, I mean, I even mentioned it in the initial write up did for this record, but after hearing this over a full year it's almost as if Drive Like Jehu was forced to slow their asses down a bit and then things are just dirtied up some...which may be a large reason I like it as much as I do. I just love big loud ringing guitars, sure...feedback/distortion is pretty a-ok too, but something about that “sound” will always do it for me and Marriage + Cancer seem to have just that. Marriage + Cancer – Six Feet + A Box (stream) BUY IT! 13 – Big'n – Knife of Sin (Computer Students) When you want something done right then seek out someone who has plenty of experience doing the job. If the same can be said about noise-rock then Big'n would be a fine choice to employ. Having made most of their mark during the 90's with a number of singles/splits and two full-length albums, they didn't necessarily get the attention they likely deserved during their initial run throughout that decade. However, after getting back together a few years back now...that's slowly began to be rectified. For the uninitiated, Big'n provide a workman-like quality of noise that bands within the same region often did...like Tar and Shorty...meaning they were, and are undeniably, Midwestern sounding. Maybe one of the magnificent things about Big'n is that nearly 30 years later this band can sound 100% as they did at the very start and are absolutely undeterred in their approach. Essentially, it's a formula of razory guitar work and start/stop rhythms that worked for them then, and it works equally well for them now. It's even amazing how the singers vocals are no less raspy/strained. A time capsule of a band, but in the very best way. The packaging for this EP is absolutely ridiculous too and I love it. Comes in a giant silver zip-lock type case/bag that holds the actual record in a whole other sleeve. Pretty labor intensive I would have to guess, but it provides for a pretty spectacular whole package. When people try and argue why folks enjoy records over any other more convenient medium, I'll kindly (maybe not so kindly) direct them to Knife of Sin as an example as to why. Big'n – Snake Eater (stream) BUY IT! 12 – Viagra Boys – Street Worms (Year 0001) I can't even recall the number of times I watched the video for the track “Sports” on YouTube. I then made practically anyone I thought would even remotely care watch it. I apologize for likely being kind of insufferable there for a bit, but damn if that isn't a killer track and a great video to pair it up with. I guess these guys have been stirring it up for a bit now over in Sweden, but this past year was my first exposure to their brand of off-kilter post-punk, if that's even what one could call it, as there is plenty more going on here with everything from saxophone skronk, a consistent element of dance-punk, and near two minute skit of some absurd dog show. It would be easy to dismiss Viagra Boys as some foreign version of Electric Six, but that would be a fairly big disservice, as there is quite a bit more substance to their music underneath all the foolishness and imagery, to which there is a fairly precise and poignant message of co-existing with everyone else in an immoral society. Maybe one of the less disguised songs, “Worms” is a good indicator of that. No matter, Viagra Boys deliver on the promise of an excellent single with an album that provides more to digest than I think anyone really anticipated. Good stuff. Viagra Boys – Worms (stream) BUY IT! 11 – Casanovas in Heat – Twisted Steel, Sex Appeal (Katorga Works) Announced a couple years ago, Twisted Steel, Sex Appeal just now made it out this past year after a handful of delays that are both label related and just rockin' too fucking hard by the sound of it. While Casanovas in Heat have since disbanded during the albums stay in release purgatory, this is no less a great way to go out as Twisted Steel, Sex Appeal is a power pop gem that absolutely smokes through ten wonderful tracks. Riffs aplenty here folks, and they are cranked the hell up on top of that. It's a shame this couldn't have come out around the time it was originally designated as the album could have had a good chance of really taking off, but nevertheless things happen and you get what you get...and that is 100 copies of an album that kind of just eventually floated out there with little to no fanfare. Kudos to Katorga Works for seeing it through though, despite fates best efforts to crater it. For those that appreciate big melodic power/pop-punk, then this is an album that you have to absolutely track down. The more I listen, the better it gets honestly. I'm sure wherever I place it now won't do it justice a few months from now, which is kind of funny when I think about it in context with how this album was released, huh? Casanovas in Heat – Wet Dreams (stream) BUY IT! 10 – Wrong – Feel Great (Relapse) Wrong would have been one of my favorite bands when I was much younger, if they had in fact existed then. To say that nostalgia is a strong feeling is quite an understatement when I listen to their second album Feel Great, as drop-D taco riffing rock was king to me then, and still even now when I hear it done there are parts of me that get all teary eyed. Ok, probably not to that extent, but it does still stir me a bit and Wrong likely does it better than anyone out there right now...although I don't think there are a whole lot out there to count. While Feel Great doesn't quite capture me like their debut album did, it's still quite the fun and heavy ride through its ten tightly spun tracks. At the very least it helps me forget about the atrocities of post-Stanier/Bogdan era Helmet. So yeah. Wrong – Upgrade (stream) BUY IT! 09 – Pinkshinyultrablast – Miserable Miracles (Club AC30 & Shelflife) I remember writing about an Air Formation album years ago and then got an e-mail from Club AC30 grilling me about how I got the album and so on. Never mind that I enjoyed it and wrote positively about it, but that's cool. No hard feelings right? I'll even consider it kind of making amends by having the good sense in releasing this fantastic nugget of dream-pop/synth-wave/what-have-you from Russia's Pinkshinyultrablast. They are a band that has shown considerable steps forward from album to album, which is honestly quite rare within the shoegaze/dream-pop genre, thanks to a sound that has been so definitively mapped out. Pinkshinyultrablast seem to pay little attention to that on the groups third album Miserable Miracles, by moving towards a more heavily synth based sound that sees the washes of guitar and fuzz take second fiddle to a myriad of dreamy tones and pulsing bass. Undoubtedly a bit influenced by the meteoric rise of vapor/synth-wave (one look at the cover art could have given that away), the band incorporates it well without it ever becoming a tacky or glaring needless inclusion...in fact it sounds as natural as anything they've done before. It's a brighter sound, one not muddled in distortion like past albums, but open and airy...and one that strives to drive the ethereal factor into the red. Miserable Miracles honestly reminds me a lot of the Rumskib album that came out a few years ago and then the number of Keith Canisius solo records that followed it. Those that wish to spend a day in the clouds, this is an album that wants to take you there. Pinkshinyultrablast – Find Your Saint (stream) BUY IT! 08 – Criminal Code – 2534 (Deranged) Didn't see a whole lot on this one, but I quite enjoyed the third effort from Criminal Code, an album that sports cover art that would lead me to believe this was released sometime in the 80's on 4AD. And actually, that's not a bad place to start with 2534, because the band has apparently jettisoned a lot of the jagged straight forward post-punk styling of previous records to drape things in a much darker, but dreamier state of mind. Can't argue with the results though, as Criminal Code take a ride through some of the same musical landscape as The Sound and The Chameleons did before them, certainly presenting more a more melodical side of the band than anyone has likely heard before. At almost a dead even thirty minutes, there is very little dead weight that can be found on 2534, efficiently honing in on the sound they wanted and executing it to a T. While maybe not getting the fan fare of other bands that Deranged have put out over the years, Criminal Code has proven to be a consistently good one and that's worth noting in a pool of post-punk revivalists that at this point is likely as big as the Pacific ocean. Criminal Code – The Subject (stream) BUY IT! 07 – Ovlov – Tru (Exploding in Sound) For a time there, albeit a small one, it didn't seem like there would ever be another Ovlov album. The band had pretty much garnered themselves the reputation of the equivalent to the couple in high school that would be together one week but “done” the next. You honestly never knew if Ovlov was a band or not, and at one point it seemed like they were actually fiirreeal done. However, here we are a couple years later and things have actually been pretty stable in the Ovlov camp after putting out a singles comp and some touring, Tru came upon the listening world late this past year with about as much anticipation from me as you're about to get. For the most part I'd say I'm pretty happy with Tru, it's definitely a bit of a different beast than Am, but all the warmth/thick fuzziness that engulfed me originally is all here...just deployed in a slightly different...tender manner. And maybe a lot of that has to do with Steve Hartlett dealing with the tribulations of handling a full-time band and maybe some overflow from his more introspective side-project Stove. Either way, Tru hits the mark of all the 90's indie/alt fuzz that made that decade so special. Ovlov – Stick (stream) BUY IT! 06 – Exhalants – Exhalants (Self-Sabotage) The Xerox-ish cover art on the debut album from Exhalants had me under the impression that this was going to be some pretty wild noise-punk stuff. While what I received was in fact “noisy”, Exhalants are a far different band than those preconceptions, and while calling Austin, TX their home...almost seem like an anomaly for the area too. Oddly enough, this album sounds mighty upper Midwestern and for a noise-rock band, they are packing a metric ton of melody and riffs into their debut. It's interesting to hear an album that rides a fine line between big sweeping rock elements, but at the same time has the sound and appearance of one that is as every bit grime/filth ridden. Buildings are another band that comes to mind that were close to doing the same thing, but at times are just too polished around the edges to pull it off. Exhalants aren't afraid to cross that threshold of “noise”. And guess what? It turned out great for them. Exhalants – Latex (stream) BUY IT! 05 – Slow Crush – Aurora (Holy Roar) Huge sounding grunge/alternative infused shoegaze...there is a record like this every single year that I fall in love with. The year before it was Lacing, the year before that it was the list topper from Sigh Down One and so on. You could say I'm kind of a sucker for this kind of stuff and that's perfectly fine as I fully own up to it. The draw has always been a contrast between the dream like state that shoegaze tries to emulate into sound but also tying it to a feeling of heaviness. I've probably said it before, but Lilys on In the Presence of Nothing did it about as well as anyone ever will. It's entirely possible to create heavy music but not make it “ugly”, so to speak. So yeah, the allure is a sound akin to what Slow Crush manages to do and a handful of other bands have done over the years. The opener “Glow” is a pretty fantastic track that I kind of wish was a little more representative of Aurora as a whole, but the album steadies itself after that to slow things down for the most part, opting for a little more on atmosphere and swirling feedback. Still, a really nice slice of shoegaze. Slow Crush – Glow (stream) BUY IT! 04 – Conduit – Drowning World (Kitschy Spirit) Like how I go from talking about heavy music not necessarily needing to be ugly? Well, this is ugly. Really really ugly in fact. Ever wanted to know what happened to some of the dudes in Twin Stumps? Your answer somewhat lies in Conduit, which contains a couple of them along with a couple other guys from White Suns and Squad Car. Together they create a similar racket to that of many of the members prior bands...namely Twin Stumps, to which Conduit proudly hoist the torch in the air and trudge forward with their misery stricken lurch of decaying feedback while fishing around in there every so often for a riff or two to whip out and surprise everyone. They even go as far to occasionally throw in an every so brief ambient spot of noise in there just for good measure. One of the definite takeaways from Drowning World is that it might be some of the most uncompromisingly violent sounding music that any of the members have been apart of so far. It's truly a disturbingly disgusting sounding record and I pretty much love every second of it. Even if that's not your cup of tea, it's hard not to hand it to them as they are grinding on with this stuff even after the whole noise-rock revival thing kind of fell off and I can't really imagine there being as big of a receptive audience to it anymore. It's ok though, because I still think Rusted Shut is pretty awesome and it's evident that most of the members of Conduit do too. Of all the records on this list, Drowning World is probably the one the planet deserves the most right now. Conduit – A Hex (stream) BUY IT! 03 – Barlow – In a Strangers Car (Crafted Sounds) So In a Strangers Car was technically released around July...a couple years ago, but I didn't hear it until early last year and it didn't see much in the way of a physical release until then either, so to hell with it...it counts. That and it's far too good to not be in some type of best of list, so I'm parking it firmly here and happy to rain praise for it once again. I don't know if Barlow choose to exist in indie lo-fi obscurity, but their music deserves far more attention than it gets, that I can say for certain. With In a Strangers Car the band throws together a handful of tracks that were recorded over a several year period. In most cases, the patch work like recording process would yield head scratching results, but Barlow soundly weave these tracks together in a way that plays out in the same manner as a fever dream of whirring fuzz and hiss...stops, starts, rewinding and rumbling warbles before songs peak their head out for a minute before vanishing from your memory forever (or until you listen to the record again I guess). I make it through four songs and it feels like I've already heard bits and pieces of at least ten, however it somehow makes sense and trying to pick apart why almost seems silly. The only real option is to just sit back and enjoy it. Barlow – Tirebiter (stream) BUY IT! 02 – Olden Yolk – Olden Yolk (Trouble in Mind) I knew there was something familiar about this record when I first heard it, but obviously my mind kept firing but never connecting the dots. Naturally I turned to everyone's best friend Google and some quick searching there turned up that Olden Yolk was originally a side solo project for Quilt's Shane Butler. Tada! Answer found. I, for the most part, dug Quilt's easy breezy mixture of vaguely psych/folk and dream-pop and Butler's singing on those records only added to the distinct smoothness of it. Olden Yolk have since developed into a full band and this would mark as their debut album, which presents a lot of the same characteristics that would be familiar to Butler, however takes a noticeably larger dive into folk territory. This especially isn't too surprising, given that Quilt's last release was a full on cover album of the brilliant F.J. McMahon classic Spirit of the Golden Juice. The formula works equally well with Olden Yolk, however, possibly even better I would argue. The band might be basing themselves in folk roots, but the success of the album largely stems from the ranges/reaches of the smaller influences that have worked their way in; blurring the image with touches of psych fuzz and drumming that would certainly be a bit unorthodox on any other record. But that combination is what pushes the album outside the box, and at this point, that's the kind of album I want to hear. Olden Yolk – Common Ground (stream) BUY IT! 01 – Fond Han – Wronked (Exploding in Sound) Maybe it was just the whole of 2018 and my abysmal handling of everything concerning my life during those 365 days, but upon hearing Fond Han and their latest album Wronked, it struck me as entirely relatable. As is Wronked, things were at a constant push-pull between chaos and hibernating lulls, the struggles of depression and anxiety are real folks. There have been many albums over the years that have bravely documented such struggles, however I guess Wronked just came at the right time. Not to say it isn't a great album in its own right, because it most certainly is. Fond Han is essentially the brain child of Thomas Baumann, who took what could be considered unfinished ideas/loose ends and expanded on them, or tied them together, to create this ultimately dark but revealing look into ones very own psyche. Not at all surprising, is to find out that the sounds of that are fragmented, uneven, and extremely unpredictable...almost to the point of being full on excursions into noise. There is no real “ebb and flow” to Wronked, because there just can't be. That's not how it works. The escalation of panic and fear isn't a gradual one and Fond Han frames it as such by taking hard 90 degree left turns from the steadily, albeit loose, melodies into heaping low end/feedback that has a hardcore/metalcore slant to it...think Daughters or very early Dillinger Escape Plan. It's likely that Wronked will be highly divisive in opinion, but love it or hate it...it's a fascinating piece of work and one that helps substantially sum up what was a predominately a lost year for me. Fond Han – Dumpty (stream) BUY IT!

#top20 #bestof

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tothedarkdarkseas · 6 years

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Another self-indulgent musical moment: there’s a Tori Amos joke in that fic about the song Raspberry Swirl, off the album From the Choirgirl Hotel. If you’re not familiar, please enjoy this video, it’s so good. Stu having a disinterest in that particular flavor of jam is... well. Sorry, we’re still dunking on Stu’s foreplay skills ‘round here:

If you want inside her well Boy, you better make her raspberry swirl

(Sidenote: I’d much more readily headcanon Murdoc as feeling some kinship with frenetic, slightly gothy, total nutjob 90′s Tori, but it’s Stu in my mind who finds her attractive... weird, that...)

#stu and tori would obviously be a really bad match (in tori's own words ''my art is torture to straight men'') but stu's big on bad matches #anyway another day another outing: i love tori amos #trash

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cryogenichusk · 6 years

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Best Of 2018

Can I just not comment on the year overall and get to the good stuff? Cool.

Here are our top albums of 2018, in alphabetical order, with a few honorable mentions and a mix to download that cherry-picks a song from each of the listed albums. Cheers!

Actors - It Will Come To You Full kudos and props to Aversionline (who have been doling out primo reviews, resulting in many purchases since the early 2000s) to keying us in to this one... in fact he said it best, “Thoroughly impresses with its cinematically synthwaved brand of forlorn-yet-danceable post-punk that wanders through an early-2000's Interpol type of take on such influences; plus a lush, modernized air of darkness that brings individuality to Actors' approach.”

The Body - I Have Fought Against It, But I Can’t Any Longer This Portland duo continues the expansion of their sound, going beyond avant-noise-metal-experimentalism and further into electronic realms. The addition of female vocals on multiple tracks, ranging from angelic to war cries, along with carefully placed stringed instrumentation, expand their sonic palate even further. Post-future primitivism at its best.

Candy - Good To Feel Metallic hardcore that’s short, sweet, and to the point (oh, and pissed off). Most reviews/reviewers are really patting themselves on the back as they specifically codify the various genres/scenes this record touches on... However, the most telling thing: this album is nine songs in 18 minutes.

Convulsing - Grievous Admittedly, this is the album on our list, we still need to spend more time with (the average song length is about eight and a half minutes - usually that puts our guard up fast)... but it’s been captivating to see the balance between the visceral heaviness (and speed) when delivered with deliberate, unfolding song structures (RIYL: Ulcerate).

Del Judas - Deity Dark, gothy rock/americana - not unlike King Dude’s earlier releases, but with higher production value and delivered with more impassioned vocals, like from some of the acts of the 80s that crossed over from this style into pop culture (e.g. The Cult, The Church, etc.)

Harm’s Way - Posthuman Metallic HxC that brings the meathead grooves, perfect for working out. Heavy.

Holygram - Modern Cults Drab Majesty didn’t put out a record in 2018 (booo!), but here’s the next best thing. Holygram add a little tweak to the gothy-dancy-yet-mopey post-punk/new-wave motif but introduce a little lightness via shoegaze washes ala White Lies or The Weekend.

Immortal - Northern Chaos Gods Zero innovation has never been more welcome. Icy black metal from the masters, no Abbath - no problem, with just a touch of the classic and anthemic mid-era Bathory. There might be a slight dose of monotony throughout the album as a whole, but when the nostalgia of this sound and style hits, it’s easy to be forgiving.

Jaye Jayle - No Trail And Other Unholy Paths Rustic Americana from the frontman of Young Widows. Vacillates between “dusty ‘ol west” and “noir movie scene with protagonist looking out the cab window driving by a rainy city and grimy neon lights” - each modality is weary and searching.

Jesus Piece - Only Self When there was a face we wanted to melt this year, the song turned to the most was “Punish” from Jesus Piece. Pitch perfect late 90s/early 2000′s metallic hardcore channeled through a modern lens (and yea, yea, some reviews will probably mention the latter half of the record experimenting with more noisy, doomy songs - they’re cool too).

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Kælan Mikla - Nótt Eftir Nótt Icelandic trio that nails the coldwave balance, sometimes teetering into dance territory, sometimes pulling back into melancholic pop, often reminiscent of Ladytron (who we love).

King Dude - Music To Make War To Shouldn’t be a surprise to see King Dude on the list at this point if you’ve been following along for a few years... Also, not surprising: our pithy “review” of his new album... which is the broken record quip of his previous few albums, i.e. “A continued expansion of his sound, blah blah blah...” Dark occult rock with dashes of highly niche sub-genres (e.g. garage, gothy confessional, proto-pysch rock, etc.)

Our Place Of Worship Is Silence - With Inexorable Suffering Bestial blackened death metal that sounds feral and unhinged. Cavernous bellows, but tight and crisp guitars that can crunch as much as provide disorienting dissonance. It’s hard to put into words, but these guys are really doing something unique that is nuanced (at least to those who listen to batshit crazy metal regularly), and checks a lot of disparate boxes simultaneously.

Secret Cutter - Quantum Eraser Biggest surprise of the year. No real reviews or fanfare, just a recommendation or two from a reliable source. But wow! What a great sound and style here: blending downtuned simple, noise-rock riffs, think Unsane trying to play sludge, with flashes of adrenaline in monochrome. There’s something about the dry sounding production and drone-influenced riffs, which are oh-my-god heavy while being angular and repetitive, that gives the whole package a concrete tone and feel that’s very unique.

The Soft Moon - Criminal By this point, The Soft Moon should need no introduction, he’s one of the premiere acts of modern darkwave/post-punk. This go ‘round sees his formula augmented with some more industrial and psychedelic flourishes.

Thou - Magus You’ve already heard all about “The Summer Of Thou” in 2018, these NOLA avant-sludge masters released three EPs, a split, and this: their magnum opus all within the span of several months. That’s a lot to take in, hell, this album is a lot - almost impossible to take all in one sitting, but they’re really operating in a league of their own at this point. It’d be one thing if it was the heavy music alone: but knowing the songs grapple with deeper issues of existentialism, individuality, and philosophy make it resonate deeper.

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Tomb Mold - Manor Of Infinite Forms Grimy deathmetal with no novelties or frills outside of nostalgia for the glory days of deathmetal’s arrival in the late 80s/early 90s. This notion is further cemented with an absolutely NAILED production job.

Unravel - Eras Of Forfeit Beefy, thick death metal that sees these Aussies meld the Swedish HM-2 sound with added muscle and heft. Muscular grooves, impressively burly vocals, and tempo changes galore. Plus, with 11 songs in 23 minutes, there’s absolutely no filler to be found. Also that Dan Seagrave cover art is FIRE.

Honorable Mentions:

Dead Can Dance - Dionysus Cold Cave - You & Me & Infinity Daniel Avery - Song For Alpha Mausolei - Horizont and Vorposten

Cryogenic Husk #82 - Best Of 2018

1) Holygram - She’s Like The Sun 2) King Dude - Velvet Rope 3) Jaye Jayle - As Soon As Night 4) The Soft Moon - It Kills 5) Actors - We Don’t Have To Dance 6) Del Judas - Of Love And Death 7) Kælan Mikla - Draumadís 8) The Body - Nothing Stirs 9) Thou - The Changeling Prince 10) Convulsing - Beaten 11) Jesus Piece - Punish 12) Our Place Of Worship Is Silence - Chronicles Of Annihilation 13) Candy - Good To Feel 14) Harm’s Way - Human Carrying Capacity 15) Secret Cutter - Trampled By Light 16) Immortal - Called To ice 17) Unravel - Carcinogenesis 18) Tomb Mold - Final Struggle Of Selves

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oneweekoneband · 7 years

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A Cursory Look At Dinosaur Jr.’s Impact & Influence, Pt. 1: From Great to Good to Not-So-Good to Cultural Fallacy

Warning: You are about to read some gross oversimplifications of complex cultural phenomenons in order to stay on task.

When a band levels a profound musical influence on both its real-time surroundings and a future of younger artists, often there is new ground being broken in the process but when the extraneous impact manifest itself in the work of contemporaries or future entities, what results is far more complicated and multi-tiered than just a bunch of bands putting forth lesser versions of the ground broken by the influencer, aka the imitators. Impact can manifest itself in other ways that speak to the integrity and importance of the influenced. While it’s the gateway through which the garbage eventually does arrive, don’t assign an entirely negative connotation to imitation.

Due to Dinosaur Jr.’s lack of real peers from 1985 to 1987 (at the earliest), what they were doing was so beyond the proverbial “next-level” that it left plenty of wiggle-room for imitation of the good-to-great variety. Please note: The imitations I put in a less-than-flattering light will fall under the banners of “categorically bad” and “aggressively mediocre” but of course I will not be wasting any of your time differentiating between the two. Also...this didn’t really happen until the major label feeding frenzy of the early-to-mid-90s, which itself happened (more or less) on the back of a band that was clearly influenced by (and opened for) Dinosaur Jr.

(Note: There are a great many bands of the last ten years that carry the mark of Dinosaur Jr. but you don’t have all night to sit here scrolling through this thing and focusing on the same time period as I have all week makes better sense. What I’m trying to say here is that it’s a space thing and in no way whatsoever do I truck in the “new music sucks” mindset so favored by my similarly-aged peers.)

(Second Note: I have decided not to feature any songs by Buffalo Tom, a band that garnered the nickname of “Dinosaur Jr. Jr.” and had Mascis producing a lot of their early work. Too obvious an inclusion, but not a bad band with some stuff worth seeking out).

Ok...let’s get going...

The best case scenario is when an inspired creative force takes the influence of a band like Dinosaur Jr. and turns it into something mind-shatteringly new and important, as was the case with My Bloody Valentine. Like Husker Du before them, early Dinosaur Jr. left a huge mark on the underground/indie scene in the UK (and elsewhere in Europe) when they first went over in late-1987, right before the release of You’re Living All Over Me. My Bloody Valentine had been working towards something for the previous 2 - 3 years, going from their beginnings as a misguided gothy post-punk band through several EPs of increasingly-intense and interesting takes on the then-popular C86 twee-pop/dream-pop movement (think a dreamier version of The Wedding Present).

Then MBV reemerged in 1988 as another beast altogether and changed the entire landscape of underground rock with two EPs (You Made Me Realize and Feed Me With Your Kiss) and a full-length, Isn’t Anything, of paramount historical importance. MBV principal force Kevin Shields has said many times that this line of demarcation in his band’s trajectory was greatly influenced by seeing Dinosaur Jr. live as well as You’re Living All Over Me. Mascis and Shields have worked together in different capacities plus shared many tours and stages over the last quarter century.

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“Feed Me With Your Kiss” (from the EP of the same name and full-length Isn’t Anything, both released in 1988)

Because the previous type of example is rare, let’s move onto the Dinosaur Jr. influence showing up as something stuck between imitation and inspiration that nonetheless produces some great music. What this means is that it will not be immediately identifiable as something influenced by Dinosaur Jr., but neither was it the sort of thing so world-beating that it launched its own sub-genre (like MBV). A good example of this is Doug Martsh’s two bands, Treepeople and the band he’s better known for leading, Built to Spill. Like Shields, Mascis and Martsch would go on to become colleagues and pals in the musical landscape they have shared over the last who-knows-how-long, but in the beginning, You’re Living All Over Me had a life-altering effect on the latter, who told Esquire in 2015...

"I must have listened to that record about 10 times before I liked it at all. And then I loved it. So much music was that way back then. Things took a long time to grow on me. There wasn't that much stuff where I knew I liked it right away. Nowadays I can tell right away if something's for me or not for the most part. But back then even stuff that was clearly good took a while to understand and appreciate. All of a sudden one night this album made sense to me. The thing I noticed at first was just how the guitar solos were way louder than everything. That I did appreciate right away. It was kind of the perfect meshing of punk rock and classic rock and pop music to me. It had this lo-fi, crappy-sounding thing and was pretty aggressive but it had these melodies and this classic-rock sensibility to it. Every song is great. Every guitar solo is perfect. I love that record."

In the early-90s, Martsch would find where he needed to be with the still-active Built to Spill, but before that he did some great work with Treepeople, whose several releases between 1989 and 1992 remain overlooked gems of guitar-driven post-hardcore. Check out the best one below...

Guilt, Regret, Embarrassment (full-album, Treepeople, originally released in 1991)

A few other early or concurrent bands of note heavily influenced by Dinosaur Jr. Mach I would be regional buddies The Blake Babies and pre-fame Lemonheads. This great cover of “Severed Lips” appears on the latter’s 1991 EP, Rosy Jack World EP

Blake Babies “Severed Lips” (Dinosaur Jr. cover)

Former Blake Baby Juliana Hatfield had a decent solo run in the 90s and turned in this version of You’re Living All Over Me’s signature rager “Raisins” on 1992 EP, Forever Baby.

Uncle Tupelo is largely, if not unfairly, credited with launching the “alt-country” sub-genre of the 90s (the precursor to what is now the mainstream “Americana” movement) as well as being the pre-history proving grounds for Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar of Son-Volt. Uncle Tupelo was hugely influenced by Dinosaur Jr. This isn’t all that apparent in the band’s recordings, though Uncle Tupelo did have a habit of ending their ‘89 - ‘91 live sets with a loyal cover of “Freak Scene”, as heard below…

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Uncle Tupelo covering Dinosaur Jr.’s “Freak Scene”, live in St. Louis 3/20/91

Moving into the 90s a tad, the excellent but still-obscure Further and slightly better-known Eric’s Trip were both amalgams of the then-exploding lo-fi sub-genre, shoegaze, thick guitar craziness for some fantastic noise-pop that owed a considerable debt to early Dinosaur Jr.

Further “Don’t Need A Rope” (from 1992’s griptape album)

Eric’s Trip “Sunlight” (from 1993 album Love Tara)

#dinosaur jr

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queenxfjustice · 7 years

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tagged by: @crossxskulled <33 tagging: @sharpdressedheir, @thewiildcard, @empereurvoleur, @jvdicas, @mxjima, @beneaththymask, and anyone who feels like it!!

name: Kate nickname: Max, Katie, Lulla, Lully, Lullaby, Cara Mia, Froggie, Etc. age: 24. faceclaim: Kaworu Nagisa from Neon Genesis Evangelion pronouns: he/she/they/whatever the fuck pronouns you wanna use with me idc. height: 5′3.5″ birthday: January 8 aesthetic: Gothy shit, Yanderes, 90s anime, spooky shit, robots, frogs, mint and peach colours, rain, doggos, guro, eroguro, etc. last song you listened to: My Theme Song tbh

favorite muse(s) you’ve written: All of them? Ellie Langford and Mikan Tsumiki are probably top tier semen demons though. Aoi too. Makoto as well obviously.

what inspired you to take on your current muse (that you are posting this on): @maidenofdespair said i’d make a good Makoto and when i finally got to her persona awakening in game i was like “yeah same.” That’s literally it. That’s all.

what’s your biggest inspiration when it comes to writing: music i guess. I can’t really write unless its dead quiet or there’s music playing. And probably the source material too. My inspirations are kinda lame i know.

favorite types of threads: ANGST. But in all honesty give me any and all types of threads. Angst, fluff, slice-of-life, action, drama, romance, smut, whatever. I don’t care as long as i’m writing and we’re having a grand ol’ time.

biggest struggle in regards to your current muse: She’s kind of a stuck-up bitch at first? Like, I honestly did not like her at all when I first met her in game and I was like “Why??????” but as I’ve seen her grow and progress through the game I’ve seen parts of her that I can relate to personally and I think that’s helped. She’s also extremely conflicted - on the one hand she’s loyal and faithful to her friends but she’s a firm believer in blood is thicker than water and so I can see how she finds going against her sister is hard to do. I also find it a struggle to get her nuances and mannerisms down pat. In game she’s very prim and proper in her wording, but from time to time she slips up and allows herself to speak in a more childish or less mature way (especially around the other Phantom Thieves.)

#ooc

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sensationspress · 8 years

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AFI are a lot like Green Day. Both bands released a lot of music in the 90’s that people will claim was the peak of their success. Both released albums in the early 2000’s that re-boosted their careers. Both of those albums were followed by albums that were lackluster by comparison. The two bands have toured together, even seeing Davey Havok come onstage to sing “Who Wrote Holden Caulfield?” Frontmen Billie Joe Armstrong and Havok both had stints playing Saint Jimmy in the stage-adaption of Green Day’s American Idiot. Lastly, both bands had pretty passable comeback albums within the past six months. While AFI probably won’t have the same fanfare that Green Day’s had during their return to the spotlight, their latest effort AFI (The Blood Album) is worth the listen.

Like a number of people in their early 20’s, my first exposure to AFI was with the “Miss Murder” and “Love Like Winter” videos, and The Blood Album certainly plays off a certain level of nostalgia for those that loved the Decemberunderground era. “Dark Snow” is more of a full-fledged song than “Prelude 12/21,” but Havok’s singing is more of a chant and the “oh’s” at the end certainly make the song only serve as an introduction. In fact, most of the album sounds in line with the likes of Decemberunderground and Sing the Sorrow. The bridge of “Still a Stranger” almost has Havok screaming what sounds like a goth break up anthem. “Dumb Kids” even feels like a nod to the band’s work in the 90’s. The Blood Album’s two best songs are in the dead center of the album. “So Beneath You” is a furious anti-church album that sees Havok taunting, “strike me down.” Havok’s lyrics are cliché, but he delivers them with such fury that it’s impossible not to get enticed. “Snow Cats” is much less focused thematically, but Havok’s warbly vocals are reminiscent of the early aughts era of AFI, plus Jade Puget’s solo compliments it nicely.

The album does lose its rhythm in the back half. “White Offerings” sounds like the nu-metal stylings of Trapt, and “Feed From the Floor” is a weak attempt at gothy pop-rock. “Feed from the Floor” sounds like a bad rip off of Nothing (who will be touring with AFI this Winter). “Pink Eyes” should have served as the album closer. It’s very reminiscent of great post-punk, and it has some great guitar licks from Puget, while having the hugeness that made AFI great in the first place. Instead, the album closes on “The Wind that Carries Me Away,” a blues song with bad middle school Myspace poetry for lyrics.

While the similarities between both Green Day and AFI can be made, there should be one difference to be highlighted: Green Day are a group of global, stadium-level Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees, and AFI, well, they’ve opened for Green Day. Maybe, that’s for the best.

By Jimmy Crowley

#Jimmy Crowley #afi #green day #the blood album #Album Reviews #reviews

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violetopals · 4 years

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Get to know me uncomfortably well! :D

1. What is you middle name? I actually don’t have one! :D 2. How old are you? As of today 27 3. When is your birthday? In August 4. What is your zodiac sign? Leo 5. What is your favorite color? Oh so many. I love me some midnight blue. 6. What’s your lucky number? 4 7. Do you have any pets? Yep, a dog named Ronnie, a rabbit named Merle and as of today apparently a rat baby foundling that doesn’t have a name yet. 8. Where are you from? The Rhineland Palatine area in southern Germany 9. How tall are you? 163 cm or 5′5″ 10. What shoe size are you? 38 in Europe, a 5 in the US 11. How many pairs of shoes do you own? 6. 2 pairs of boots, 2 pairs of chucks, 2 pairs of heels. My boyfriend has three times as many :D 12. What was your last dream about? I honestyl don’t remember, I usually have several dreams a night and I rarely rememeber in detail 13. What talents do you have? I was born with an active absolute pitch which makes music and singing easy peasy for me :D 14. Are you psychic in any way? I had contact with a ghost, but otherwise, no. 15. Favorite song? Literally hundreds. 16. Favorite movie? Pride and Prejudice (2005) 17. Who would be your ideal partner? My boyfriend ♥ duh 18. Do you want children? Yes, in the next couple years 19. Do you want a church wedding? Nope, not religious 20. Are you religious? See above 21. Have you ever been to the hospital? Once, due to a Bell’s palsy 22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law? Nope 23. Have you ever met any celebrities? Nope 24. Baths or showers? Baths all the way 25. What color socks are you wearing? Always colourful and with cute motifs. Currently they’re turquoise with bears 26. Have you ever been famous? Nope 27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? Nope 28. What type of music do you like? Almost all except for country and hip hop 29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? Nope 30. How many pillows do you sleep with? One 31. What position do you usually sleep in? On the side 32. How big is your house? 3-bedroom apt 33. What do you typically have for breakfast? At home I usually skip it, at work I have a sandwich and a bit of fruit 34. Have you ever fired a gun? Yes, my father frequented a shooting range 35. Have you ever tried archery? Yes 36. Favorite clean word? Ocean 37. Favorite swear word? F*ck 38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep? 2 days 39. Do you have any scars? Several 40. Have you ever had a secret admirer? Yes,a stalker 41. Are you a good liar? Yes, but I adopted radical honesty as a personal policy when I was 14 42. Are you a good judge of character? Usually, yes 43. Can you do any other accents other than your own? Oh yeah I always blend in with foreign accents xD 44. Do you have a strong accent? I usually speak English with a British accent 45. What is your favorite accent? British, Scottish, Australian 46. What is your personality type? Witchy, gothy but bubbly and sweet :D 47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing? A necklace with moonstones I bought at a Renaissance fair 48. Can you curl your tongue? Yep 49. Are you an innie or an outie? Both 50. Left or right handed? Righty 51. Are you scared of spiders? Oh hell yeah 52. Favorite food? Watermelon, Sushi, BBQ 53. Favorite foreign food? Japanese, Chinese, Thai 54. Are you a clean or messy person? Rather messy I’m afraid 55. Most used phrase? “Shots fired!” 56. Most used word? Probably f*ck :D 57. How long does it take for you to get ready? Depends if I have to hurry or not. If yes, 5 mins, if not 30 mins 58. Do you have much of an ego? Not really 59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? Lick, wtf?! Oo 60. Do you talk to yourself? All the time :D 61. Do you sing to yourself? Yes 62. Are you a good singer? Yes 63. Biggest Fear? Dying alone 64. Are you a gossip? Not really, none of my business 65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen? Pride and Prejudice, the Duchess 66. Do you like long or short hair? Long 67. Can you name all 50 states of America? Hell no :D 68. Favorite school subject? English, German, History, Music, Biology 69. Extrovert or Introvert? Very much Extrovert 70. Have you ever been scuba diving? Nope 71. What makes you nervous? Interviews and exams :D 72. Are you scared of the dark? No 73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? Sometimes. I’m a teacher, I can’t help myself :D 74. Are you ticklish? Hella. 75. Have you ever started a rumor? No, my name ain’t Allison Hargreaves. 76. Have you ever been in a position of authority? Yes. 77. Have you ever drank underage? Yes, but I never liked alcohol. It was always just tasting. 78. Have you ever done drugs? Nope. 79. Who was your first real crush? Han Solo. 80. How many piercings do you have? As of today, 2. 81. Can you roll your Rs?“ No! 82. How fast can you type? So-so. 83. How fast can you run? Not at all :D 84. What color is your hair? Red 85. What color is your eyes? Green 86. What are you allergic to? Bullsh*t :P 87. Do you keep a journal? No, but I want to take it up 88. What do your parents do? My mum’s a goldsmith, my father’s an optician. 89. Do you like your age? Oh well. It’s fine. 90. What makes you angry? Stupid people 91. Do you like your own name? Eh, I’m used to it. As a kid I used to hate it. 92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they? Oh so many. I love Matilda and Violet as girl names and I like Dorian and Henry as boy names. 93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child? Doesn’t matter as long as it’s healthy! 94. What are you strengths? Empathy, languages, music 95. What are your weaknesses? Empathy, maths 96. How did you get your name? My mum met a woman with the name as a girl and she loved it so much she remembered it for me 20 years later :D 97. Were your ancestors royalty? Maybe. The ancestry trail goes cold in the 1690′s France so far. 98. Do you have any scars? Didn’t we have this question? 99. Color of your bedspread? Currently red. 100. Color of your room? Plain boring white.

I nominate my followers! Let’s get to know each other :)

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takenews-blog1 · 7 years

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Intelligent and Horny Costumes For Halloween

New Post has been published on https://takenews.net/intelligent-and-horny-costumes-for-halloween/

Intelligent and Horny Costumes For Halloween

This concept requires a accomplice, however basic Betty and Veronica make for a cute, nostalgic Halloween duo. All you want are two lengthy wigs: one with darkish with bangs, and one platinum blonde. Tie in a 50’s / 60’s look, sexier for Veronica in fact, and extra girl-next-door for Betty, and you’ve got an excellent throwback costume. Bonus factors if there’s a man keen to throw on a cardigan and bow-tie to play Archie.

Halloween 2016 shall be filled with Harley Quinn’s. Totally seize Daddy’s Little Monster with a blonde wig, then dye the ponytails pink and blue. Add a decent baseball tee (tremendous low-cost at your native sporting items retailer) glittery short-shorts, boots, and a baseball bat. Smear some eye make-up on, choose up some momentary tattoos, in addition to a short lived angle for the night.

For these making an attempt to flee the hoards of Harley Quinns this All Hallows’ Eve, tackle one other Suicide Squad character for the evening. Katana is simply as intense as Harley, with much less display time, but additionally, with much less of an opportunity of a replica costume at a celebration. All you want is a brief black wig, white masks, black jacket, and a critically intimidating, (however faux) sword.

American Horror Story is changing into a cult basic, so any of the highly effective, but terrifying ladies are up for grabs. Don a white costume and turban to channel Woman Gaga’s Countess, or a loopy blonde wig to check out Hyperdermic Sally. Angela Bassett’s triple breasted Desiree Dupree, or Jessica Lange’s Elsa Mars are different viable choices for a spooky and horny look.

It’s a good time to be a Riveter! The basic, but iconic tomboy look of Rosie the Riveter is ideal for this Halloween. Merely get a collared denim quick sleeved shirt and denims (bonus in the event that they’re connected as a jumpsuit), in addition to a crimson polka dotted bandana or headband. Final step? Strike a robust pose.

Amélie is a unusual and cute costume that’s good for any francophile. Amélie is a simple final minute costume; simply seize a cropped brunette wig with too quick bangs (or seize an extended one and provides it a haircut.) Put on a decent crimson prime or costume, with or and not using a waitress apron. Pale face make-up and brilliant crimson lipstick full this refined, but candy Halloween look.

Showcase your Burton experience with a gender-swapped Edward Scissorhands. Begin with an deliberately mussed jet black wig, pale face make-up, and darkish black or purple eyeshadow and lip stain. A good black jumpsuit, with or with out buckles and straps, together with faux scissors, completes this inventive costume. If scissors aren’t accessible or preferable, swap Edward out for his romantic curiosity, Kim.

Jane Goodall is an sudden, but intelligent costume for animal lovers. Khaki shorts, a tee or denim prime, together with mountain climbing boots are cute and cozy. Add a stuffed monkey and an outsized digicam to finish this jungle look. Different sensible and intelligent options are Amelia Earhart or The Statue of Liberty.

There’s by no means been a greater time to be Belle. With ABC’s As soon as Upon A Time in full swing, together with the discharge of the live-action Magnificence and the Beast, Belle is a topical costume alternative. Belle has two potential seems, each the basic lengthy, yellow robe, in addition to the blue costume, white apron, with brown braid and armful of books.

The queen of sarcasm, Daria and her finest good friend, Jane, are nonetheless iconic go-to costumes for cynics. Daria is straightforward – black fight boots, a black skirt, with a inexperienced jacket and glasses. A brunette wig with slightly wave completes the look. Jane is analogous, nevertheless with black tights, a crimson jacket, and a black bob. Faux or actual silver earrings are good for Jane.

Roy Lichtenstein’s artwork has impressed a ton of superior Halloween costume concepts. Many followers take his iconic model and apply it to make-up, overlaying their faces in white dots, and accentuating their options with black eyeliner. Seize some brilliant, vibrant face paint, a 60’s impressed outfit, and a bright-colored wig completes this enjoyable, artsy look.

For followers of Futurama, Leela is a well-liked and fairly simple costume to place collectively. Black pants and boots, a white tank prime, and a purple wig are all that’s wanted. Leela’s cyclops eye is simple to make with a bit of white paper and black pen. Different inventive choices are paper medical face masks, or white mesh.

Selina Kyle, introduced again into reputation with Fox’s Gotham, is a contemporary replace to drained Catwoman costumes. Selina’s look is steampunk, but informal. Seize a black leather-based jacket, black turtleneck and ripped, fitted denims, in addition to googles. For extra conventional Batman followers, a Catwoman costume is simple with a black jumpsuit and cat ears.

Netflix’s Jessica Jones is prone to encourage some competitors within the costume, however for these in search of a troublesome as nails appear and feel, Jessica is it. Seize a pair of black denims, black fight boots and a leather-based jacket, in addition to a voluminous black wig with some bounce to it. Final thing, work on the sarcastic comebacks.

With the 1988 cult basic Heathers being a musical, and in addition in growth as a TV Land present, there’s by no means been a greater time to be a Heather. Or, as a minimum, a Veronica. For a 80’s-inspired Heathers look, get a croquet mallet, plaid skirt, blazer and AquaNet for some critically poofy hair. Don’t neglect the shoulder pads.

The unique Frida Kahlo, recognized for her distinctive work, is a Halloween costume not many will dare. A protracted, colourful maxi costume, scarves, and gold necklaces, in addition to darkish, outlined eyebrows make for an excellent begin for a Frida Kahlo look. Prime it with a flower crown, lengthy earrings, and plenty of bangles. Unibrow, whereas basic Kahlo, is optionally available.

Although there’s sure to be many Reys operating round on Halloween, Star Wars lovers don’t have any different alternative however to play the doubtless misplaced daughter of Luke Skywalker. Much like a toga, Rey’s desert warrior look is principally only a khaki coloured gown, with a brown belt across the waist, in addition to brown boots. Don’t neglect BB8!

For these wanting to realize a extra gothic look, the Penny Dreadful star Vanessa Ives is a superb concept. Ives embodies the basic Victorian look, with a gothy twist. Go to Goodwill or a neighborhood thrift retailer to seek out lengthy, darkish coloured attire with lacy touches. Pair with a trendy up-do, a choker, and stylish earrings.

Any of Orphan Black‘s grungy, but stylish clones could be a simple, but enjoyable Halloween costume. Pleather leggings or black stockings, paired with a decent black prime and leather-based jacket embody the Sarah Manning look. Bonus factors for lengthy, black hair and a trendy aspect braid. If avenue stylish isn’t the precise look, strive one other clone on for measurement.

For Quentin Tarantino fanatics, it’s by no means too late to tug off a basic Kill Invoice costume. The Bride, Gogo Yubari, or Elle Driver are all superior choices for a critically kick-ass costume. These seems take slightly extra planning to tug off, particularly the yellow jumpsuit, however are properly price it for a horny, assured costume.

Who ya gonna name? The Ghostbuster girls shall be out in swarms, however don’t let that damper spirits. Seize a gaggle of girlfriends and discover some khaki jumpsuits to channel the 2016 Ghostbusters crew. Factors for inventive equipment comparable to a stuffed Slimer, Kate McKinnon’s tinted yellow glasses, or genuine Ghostbuster patches.

Whereas the excitement lower Eleven shall be widespread for adolescent women, why not strive a grown up model of the Stranger Issues star? A classic or thrift retailer pink sundress, a cobalt blue jacket, and a bald cap (that’s going to take some creativity), is all that’s wanted to tug off a convincing El.

For the 90’s children, go for a classic Buffy. Whereas this costume might have been all the fad throughout its decade, there gained’t be a lot competitors today for a basic Buffy. Any mixture of thrift retailer 90’s seems, in addition to Buffy’s basic blonde ‘do is ideal. Simply add a stake and possibly some cloves of garlic as a of completion.

Seize an A-line office-friendly costume, and there’s a dressing up as everybody’s favourite fictitious first woman, Claire Underwood. A black blazer, white button-down shirt, or a grey fitted costume are an excellent begin to pull off Robin Wright’s refined look. For these with lengthy hair, simply pull again right into a ponytail.

Although the mom of dragons continues to be prone to be a preferred costume, it gained’t be as widespread as when Recreation of Thrones was first launched. Attempt pulling off the basic Daenerys Targaryen look, full with blonde wig and lengthy robes, or experiment with a Sansa or Cersei costume.

Orange Is The New Black isn’t only a enjoyable group costume, it’s additionally a very comfy one. Khaki or orange coloured scrubs and pretend tattoos might help pull off any inmate at Litchfield Penitentiary. Attempt an extended, black wig and glasses to channel Alex, or only a messy blonde up-do for Piper.

Seize a good friend and hit Ceaselessly21 to decorate up as Broad Metropolis’s Abby and Illana. Abby is ideal with an extended, brunette wig with bands and Illana’s curly, messy hair is achievable with a 80’s-inspired perm wig. Get inventive with clothes, Abby and Illana are all the time altering their look.

The Strolling Lifeless has just a few ladies to select from, together with fan favourite Michonne, in addition to Maggie. Excellent for a gaggle costume or solo, each ladies are achievable with tank tops, vest, boots and denims, together with character particular equipment comparable to Michonne’s sword. Be sure to rub grime across the clothes to get The Strolling Lifeless grunge look.

Josephine Baker is a daring, courageous costume for anybody seeking to exhibit slightly. Baker, recognized for her dancing and work throughout World Battle II, is a sublime, thrilling look that’s simply pulled off with an extended satin costume and pretend jewels, or a hula skirt, bikini prime and lengthy earrings.

For these in search of a daring, progressive look to bypass the Harley Quinns this Halloween, Dakota Fanning’s Jesse is a chilling, but trendy different. The 2016 psychological horror movie didn’t have as a lot publicity as Suicide Squad, however nonetheless has an array of costume concepts to attract from.

Seize a novelty rifle, tattered costume, and a few cowgirl boots and there’s Annie Oakley. Annie Oakley is an underutilized costume concept, however very easy to tug off with just some equipment. There’s additionally the choice of a glammed up Annie Oakley, with fancier western garb, comparable to rhinestone boots and a hat.

For individuals who really feel too grown as much as don Wednesday’s apparel, there’s nonetheless Morticia Addams, who’s simply as fashionable and scary as her daughter. A protracted, black costume, with a black wig, dramatic eye make-up, and light-weight basis is all that’s wanted to be a convincing Morticia. Go one step additional and seize a crimson rose to finish the look.

The sassy, kick-ass Gamora is a superb Halloween choice for somebody in search of a superhero impressed costume. Gamora, whereas not as excessive profile as Surprise Girl or Catwoman, is a down-to-earth tremendous lady with superior outfits to duplicate. Black pleather or leather-based leggings, together with a leather-based or pleather vest or prime, together with a red-tipped black wig is all that’s wanted. Oh, and a ton of inexperienced physique make-up.

With just a few fishnet stockings, black excessive heels, and a very large lamp shade, there’s the well-known Leg Lamp from A Christmas Story. For these in search of a inventive costume with out loads of time to prep, merely head to a thrift retailer to seek out the shade, which will be worn across the waist.

If there’s effort and time, a very nice Marie Antoinette costume will be pulled collectively. An Antoinette costume will be discovered at Halloween rental shops, in addition to with slightly creativeness from a thrift retailer. To embody a very inspiring Marie, strive going for the Sophia Coppola look. Giant costume, tiny corset, pale make-up and a pair of Converse sneakers.

Get a girlfriend to tug off a Prime Gun gender swap. Aviators, a inexperienced army jumpsuit that may be fitted, and boots are all that’s wanted for an excellent Maverick and Goose. To go the additional mile, discover a frost-tipped good friend to play Ice-Man, carry round little plastic planes, and high-five actually each 5 seconds.

There’s no crying in baseball… or on Halloween. Nice for a gaggle of ladies, or solo, a Peaches costume is pretty simple if there’s time to place it collectively. A protracted, buttoned down pink shirt will be changed into a smaller outfit, with a crimson belt or handkerchief across the waist. Seize a crimson cap, in addition to a glove, and the look is full.

For the last word gender swap, think about channeling one in all cinema’s most interesting Jokers. Heath Ledger’s Joker, whereas a bit extra chilling, solely requires some messy make-up, a inexperienced wig or dyed hair, in addition to some taking part in playing cards and a purple blazer. Jared Leto’s Joker is a bit more refined, and could possibly be glammed up with gold equipment, momentary tattoos and vibrant make-up.

Go head-to-head with the superheros of 2016 with Tank Lady, a helmet-clad badass with a kangaroo sidekick. There’s room for creativity with this costume, both go conventional comedian e book with a inexperienced helmet, edgy make-up, and tight black t-shirt, or persist with the cinematic tank lady, with sweat socks for sleeves, crimson lipstick and a white tank prime.

Another choice for a Tim Burton-inspired Halloween costume could be Beetlejuice, that provides the potential for a gender-swapped Beetlejuice, or his romantic curiosity Lydia Deets. For Beetlejuice, white face make-up and inexperienced hairspray will be paired with fitted striped pajamas, or for Lydia, a black spiky banged wig and a black costume with suffice.

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deathgripesgla-blog · 8 years

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Creeper, in review Eternity, these songs go on for eternity.

This album opens with a single piano, arpegiated, followed by a rather English sounding female vocal with backing harmonies.

Suddenly you are hit by a rather flat sounding drum kit which makes it hard for me to tell the difference between snare hits and the kick drum.

I suspect that over compression is the problem here, I myself have been enjoying uncompressed kick sounds and only slight snare compression which allows for the grit and voice to shine. Over compression is something that comes up repeatedly for me during my time listening to this album, as it feels to me that everything that isn’t a vocal is flat, giving the album a very 2D feeling.

The second song reminds me of bands like The Wonder Years and Four Years Strong, a mixture of, once again heavily compressed drums (which are boring to listen to as well kick-snare with occasional rolls and fills that leave much to be desired). Finally halfway through the song some width seems added to the mix, with splash of ride and crash added to my ears, but are slowly worked out and squeezed back into the middle by harmonies and a crescendo that leads back into a rather repetitive and boring sounding.

3 Stodzies out of 5

Track three resonated with me at it’s start and occasional breaks. It seems like Creeper are at their best when they are imitating other bands, or taking inspiration at least to me it seems this way. The intro once again harkens back to earlier hardcore/pop-punk bands like FYS and mixes in a few tinges of AK3 and a vocal delivery that vaguely reminds me of The Holy Mess (?), however the production once again lets me down, as well as the rhythm section’s lack of imagination.

3 Stodzies out of 5

Hiding with the boys, dear lord. What a name. Like seriously, did they just listen to FYS and THM before writing this ? I do actually like this song a bit, mainly because it seems to not have as many shouted choruses as the other songs on the album, I like the verses quite a bit, however the middle 8 and choruses are boring. STOP COMPRESSING THE DRUMS AND GUITARS!!! And what is that Beach Slang sounding lyric delivary at 2:20 ?

4 Stodzies out of 5

Track Five, Misery, starts rather standard, arppegiated chords over breathy vocals about girls and growing up. I would’ve enjoyed this as a small break between louder songs but it goes on for an impressive 4 minutes. An other complaint I have of this album is that I feel most of the songs could be about a minute shorter, which to me makes them more enjoyable. All the song nears it’s end the crescendo begins, along with comparisons between the singer and the eye of his affections belongings ? Just cut it at 90s and leave with a good wee tune.

3 Stodzies out of 5

Track Six, six songs of mostly cliche, in production (I am really upset by the production), it is clear who this album is appealing to at this point. That being the post-emo crowd, painting images of vulnerable girls and protective guys, sadness mixed with compassion (Gerrard Way called and he wants his song writing cheque in the mail asap pls). This song leaves much to be desired, so many harmonic choruses that are clearly designed to have 18 year old girls and 20 year old guys with their hands up in the air singing unaccompanied.

Also what the hell is that cadence at the end all about ? Are you the dropkick murphy’s now ?

2 Stodzles out of 5

I’m not even gonna bother repeating myself on this song.

I like the small amount of bass I can hear that isn’t drowned out by the narrow mix.

3 Stodzles out of 5

Here we reach my favourite song on this album, solely because it’s different. Cliched start with the cricket ambience. The vocals on this track and the instrumentation give me a small relief in the middle of this dense compression riddled, and flat sounding album. Personally I would say this song gives me a very Paramorish feeling, with a tinge of gravel on the lovely English voice that assaults my ears with her complaints. Someone give this woman a big hug, and then tell her to end the song about a minute earlier than they did.

4 Stodzles out of 5

Darling, oh darling. Like. I mean. Just listen to this. This band have that sound, minus the more premium production available to a band signed to a major label. And although this album is less intrinsic in it’s instrumentation, each instrument has it’s place. Which is what I desperatly wish Creeper had on this album. Simply looking at the personnel on this album gives me an anxiety attack.

3 Stodzles out of 5

This next song is by The Holy Mess and is called The Saddest Girl to Ever Hold a Martini, it’s good. I just needed to listen to something less asaulting on my senses as the album that Neil Kennedy and co. seem to have sat on.

5 Stodlzes out of 5

Okay after listening to 2 Holy Mess Albums I find myself required by a sense of admiration for someone to finish my review of this Creeper album, which is coined as being horror punk, the only thing horrorific about it being how Danzig and co. must feel about that term being used on their band, the Misfits, and this band. AND the production.

Winonna Forever, once again is just so akin to other bands that I find it hard to seperate this band from bands I already like, who do a better job. This song however does something else for me, possibly in the arangement or the compostion of the rhytmn section which is a bit different from other songs I feel. But as I type this the song launches back into that Snare-Hat-Kick combo that riddles this album like right wing trolls riddle a message board on equality. The highlight of this song are the hooks, the parts where the the vocalist sings about Winona and the heart tattoo. This section could have led into a great ending but it is pested by an extended outro that seems to add nothing but a bit of heaviness to the song ? Be my winona though, cause that hook is great.

4.5 Stodzles out of 5

I Choose To Live is a precusionary tale about how you will feel as you reach the end of this gloomy over produced album, filled with musical references and catchy cliches.

Or at least that's what I think it's about. This song brings the 11 track album to a close and could easily be a minute shorter, or 5 minutes longer if it did something cool.

3 Stodzles out of 5

Overall, I can see the appeal of this album, who it is aimed at, however I feel like this band desperatly need a different direction, a new producer, a new idea of how to mix their music. To call this horror punk makes me rather ill as it is more 00s emo than anything else.

This is certainly an album I could bare to listen to, although it would not be the forefront of my attention, and it is something I could bare with watching live, although I wouldn't dare dance. Just cut a minute off your songs and make them less dense for gods sake, you’re punks.

I give this album 68 Craigzies out of 100

Here are some songs that I feel nail the vibe and feel that this band should aim for, between production and composition, and the general instrumentation of songs.

Neat Neat Neat

The Damned - Neat Neat Neat for driving gothy words

Masked Intruder - Wish You Were Mine for harmonies and production, and for lovely words about love mixed with punk.

The Misfits - Skulls for the horror aspects, it's literally a song about murder and aliens and weird shit, real horror. Any self respecting Horror-insert genre band should follow these guys' example a little bit.

xox

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