#maybe with a focus on underground rock? classic bands? or both?

[the-90s-music-colosseum]

Idk if yall serious about wanting me to start an actual magazine but just know that I'm totally down for it. Apart from being a music fan and an enjoyer of writing, I also happen to be an attention slut and am more than willing to feebly throw myself into the world of journalism for a wee bit of clout

I'll just need some money, a strong team, and a business model... ah shit

[doomedandstoned]

Candlemass: 35 Years A Band

  ~A Doomed & Stoned Double Feature~  

Dare To Knock On   The Door To Doom

By Magnus Tannergren  

I don't know how well known it is that CANDLEMASS hails from the same hoods in the Upplands Väsby right outside Stockholm as both Yngwie Malmsteen and Europe. And it is a fact that Candlemass debut album Epicus Doomicus Metallicus was released just two weeks after Europe's smash hit album The Final Countdown. We all know that that album earned Europe worldwide fame. Candlemass, on the other hand, remained an underground affair for decades.

Yet the legacy of Candlemass cannot be underestimated in anyway when it comes to heavy music. Their slow, heavy Sabbath worship paved the way for a whole genre inspired by the heavy rock and proto-metal of the ‘70s that we call, up until this present day, doom metal. Ironically, Europe now days have returned to their roots and sound more like Deep Purple or Rainbow than anything else. The circle is complete.

Anyway, this is a review of the new Candlemass album 'The Door To Doom' (2019 - Napalm Records) and not a study of when two parallel universes collide. This album also completes a full circle for Candlemass in many ways, too. It sees the return of the mystery man who did the vocals on that legendary debut album that arrived more than three decades ago. It was shocking news when Johan Längquist was announced as the vocalist on the new album -- an album that was already done with vocals by longtime singer Mats Levén (Therion, Krux). Oh the drama...

But maybe this is exactly what Candlemass needed to get back on track. The band has not been able to really deliver the goods these past ten years or so, in my opinion. Maybe it's because of the lead singer issues that have been tormenting Candlemass for ages. The reunion with Messiah Marcolin back in 2004 went south, Rob Lowe had a great voice but didn't work out as a touring member, and so on. Add main songwriter Leif Edling’s struggles with chronic fatigue syndrome and it is easy to understand that this doomsday machine has not been firing on all its cylinders for a while.

Yet here we are now. The new album is out and it is a grand return to epic doom metal as we know it should be done by Candlemass. I am the first to admit that I was skeptical, as I always am, to these kinds of albums that try to summon the glory of the past by reuniting with old members. But I am also the first one to admit when I am wrong. This is a fantastic Candlemass album.

The Door To Doom by CANDLEMASS

The voice of Längquist has matured as a good wine. It depth and grandeur coupled with attitude and experience. The vocals add that extra drama to tracks like "Splendor Demon Majesty" and "Astorolus – the Great Octopus" (yes, there is a solo by Tony Iommi on this, so another completed circle), but there is also beauty to be had, such as in the epic ballad "Bridge of the Blind" with its echoes of the great old ones, like Dio. I'm glad Johan Längquist is back. His silence has been a waste.

Musically, Candlemass delivers an album that stands proud besides the classic first four albums Epicus Doomicus Metallicus, Nightfall, Ancient Dreams, and Tales of Creation. It measures up to the challenge to invoke the gods of doom in a way that sometimes sends shivers down my spine, as I recall the greatness of this band's early years. It bares the mark of true doom and the spirits of the old classics possess this album. The guitar works by Mappe Björkman and Lasse Johansson are stellar and the thunder of Edling’s bass and Jan Lindh’s drumming is spectacular.

The music bares all the marks that makes up the legend of Candlemass. It is, in the words of the band itself, “the sound of 666.” I already mentioned some of the highlights on the album, but I must also say The Door To Doom doesn't really have any weak spots. All the songs are very strong and the riffing is epic. Despite my skepticism, I got bewitched again.

A great doom metal record, indeed, executed with precision and power. I fully believe this material has focus to make Candlemass relevant as a scene-anchoring act in metal once again and I hope they succeed, because the world needs this band. On the other hand, if this turns out to be the last album by this legendary Swedish doomers, The Door To Doom will also serve as a fitting final chapter in the Book of Candlemass. I honestly hope it’s not.

Magnus is the founder and host of Into The Void Podcast. He is also a senior staff writer at Slavestate.se, one of Sweden's oldest and most important online zines about heavy and extreme music.

☠

An Interview with

Candlemass Co-Founder

  Leif Edling

By Willem Verhappen  

I must say I was very surprised when the new record was announced, since at the time of its release, you said 'Psalms for the Dead' would be the final Candlemass full-length record. What made you change your mind? >

The "House of Doom" single. It was great fun to write it! Also working with producer Marcus Jidell was fantastic. We're quite a team, I must say. There I got the inspiration back for an entire album. We had a couple of band meetings about it and it was very clear that the band shared the enthusiasm for a new record. They had been playing live without me for a couple of years, with good response, but without an album it is easy for you to become a retro band pretty quick. Don't want that to happen to Candlemass.

I see what you mean. It's quite a challenge to stay relevant as an "older" band, especially in this day and age, when everything retro seems to be cool. On one hand you have bands like Priest and Saxon, who are still releasing decent records, and on the other hand there's bands who've been past their expiration date for decades. Do you prefer to see a band over their top or just remember them as they were?

That one’s easy. Remember them as they were. But having said that, it is a joy to see bands like Angel Witch, Manilla Road, Pries, and Saxon today, because they can still deliver. When you can’t deliver the goods anymore, maybe stay at home instead. Hope somebody will tap me on the shoulder one day and say “Leif...It’s time.” (laughs)

"Too many discussions & arguments over the years. Maybe some heart was missing in it all."

Just before the Christmas of 2013, you had a bout with burnout and stepped away from live performances for a while. What made you realize you needed to take a break? How did you get the “fire” back again?

A bit better, but not 100%. I'm still struggling with it. I hope I can do the rest of 2019's shows without too many problems. Have to look after myself, rest as much as I can, eat regularly, not party too much. Well, this is very "rock 'n' roll" to say, but it is great to be back. You have to listen to your body. If it says "rest," you have to step back. If it says, “Go, you can do it,” I hope I can!

I hope so. too. As a diabetic. I know it's sometimes difficult to listen to your body and not get drawn into the excitement of the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. Is it difficult for you? What do you do in these moments?

On the Candlemass tour with Ghost, there was lots of partying on the bus after the shows. I was there, but took it quite easy. Went to bed early, but still I felt tired in the morning. So if we go on another tour, I might have to stop drinking totally, to pull it off. Playing live almost every night takes its toll. I’m 50-plus, struggling with fatigue syndrome, on a tour bus to hell -- talk about the wrong man in the wrong place! (laughs) Said "yes" to it instantly, of course.

In 2015, you released Avatarium’s second album, 'The Girl With The Raven Mask.' Was it difficult for you to pick up writing again?

Yes, it was. Well, not super hard. The burnout gave me the time to rest and get new inspirado for songs. In a way, I’m glad that it happened. Think many people just go on and on without taking a break. They just keep on going and get themselves an aneurysm or something. I quit before that happened. Got lots of time to think about future and what to do with it. Songwriting is one part. That Avatarium album is pretty good, I think.

I agree. It's my favorite Avatarium record. But you're saying this like you're not as happy with the other two records. Is that the case?

No. I love all three of them, but the second is the best.

We spoke briefly at Roadburn 2017 and I don’t know who was more nervous, me for meeting you or you for getting back on stage, playing the first ever live show with The Doomsday Kingdom. I remember that you were afraid no one would show up. Luckily, the place was pretty crowded and you guys gave an amazing show. I still get goosebumps when I think of your emotional performance of "The God Particle." How do you remember your return to the big stage?

The stage wasn’t that big (laughs), but it felt rather good. I could have played better, plus it's true I was quite nervous. It was the first small step to a full return, I would say.

In September of 2017, I spoke to Markus Jidell at an Avatarium show and he told me you were working on something very special. This was shortly before the 'House of Doom' EP was announced, so I assumed he was talking about that. Was he or were you already working on 'The Door To Doom'?

We worked on the House of Doom for about six months before we started on the full-length album. If I remember correctly, we started the demoing of the new songs on November 1st. The full album took exactly one year to make. Too long! Next time, I hope I’m better, then I hope we can deliver an album in three to six months. Shouldn’t take more time than that.

Does that mean there will be more Candlemass music coming our way?

Well, eventually. Hopefully!

The only surprise bigger than a new record was the return of Johan Längquist. How did that come about?

During the recording, we felt something was missing. We had too many discussions and arguments over the years -- all of us. Maybe some heart was missing in it all. I'd worked my ass off for this record, but was struggling with my health. Too much work, too much business, too many arguments, too much bull! In the end, we took a band decision to bring in Johan again -- go back to the "ground zero" of Doom, so to speak. Mats had done a great job, but we needed to do something in C-mass to find the spark again and Johan was the answer. Now we focus on having fun, not letting any business take over. I have no clue if it will last a year or two. At least we will enjoy the time left.

Lyrically, as well as musically, I think ‘The Door To Doom’ feels like a very dark record. What were your inspirations while writing this album?

It’s a good thing that people see the albums music and lyrics in different ways. I don’t think it is that dark. We have done darker things in C-mass, definitely. The songs are about the state of the world, how I feel myself during the burnout process, sea monsters, and reflections upon life in general. This time around, I’m pretty satisfied with the lyrics.

"I have no clue if it will last a year or two. At least we will enjoy the time left."

It's no secret that you’re a massive Black Sabbath fan, owning over half a meter worth of vinyl of their debut alone. I can only imagine how special it must have been for Tony Iommi to play on your record. How did that come about and what was it like working with Tony?

We just asked him. Seriously. We asked and got a "yes!" Our manager emailed his personal manager. Couldn’t believe it when we had the positive answer back. I was over the moon. Tony Iommi will play on my song! Hardest thing was to keep my mouth shut for three months. (laughs) But, you know, if you aim for the stars, you might succeed. He sent us the solo after a while and it was absolutely great! A dream came true.

Amazing how easily these things can happen.

Yes, Dio said once in an interview that he would have loved to guest sing on records but he never had the question put to him.

You’re currently on tour, opening for Ghost. When I went to see your show in Amsterdam, I noticed their audience is turning more mainstream. For instance, before your show, I heard someone say: “I looked up Candlemass online. They sound kind of like AC/DC.” Do you recognise this and how have the reactions been so far?

I have heard that we sound like Iron Maiden and Motörhead, to mention a couple. AC/DC? That’s a first. But the crowd reaction for our short set during the Ghost tour has been really good, actually. Better than we expected, so we must have done something right. The reactions for the album have been fantastic. Super great criticism from all over the world. And the Cardinal said to us, “You are special guest on this tour. You’re not the support act.”

With a band like Ghost, I can imagine the touring life is quite the experience. Did you have a chance to interact with those guys much beyond the stage?

Not really, they play a nearly three-hour long set and they take it seriously, as you should. We did have a couple of record hunting trips with the Cardinal that were very pleasant. He is a real vinyl buff, so we raided some shops here and there.

I can only imagine how these raids go about. What's your best find this tour?

The first Steamhammer record. First press on Brain €50. I gave it to the Cardinal after the last show, since we really wanted it, too. He got it as a gift from me, saying thanks for a great tour.

Since you’re a record collector and a fan of old school metal, are there any new bands you’re into that you think everyone should check out?

I haven’t bought a record with a new band for several years. I have no clue what’s going on in the metal world anymore. I just buy old albums. Seems like they knew how to write songs back then. Lost art, unfortunately. Is Blood Ceremony considered to be a “new” band? They are pretty good, I think.

Do you have future plans for the band or will you be shifting focus to side projects like Doomsday Kingdom, Krux, or others?

We just released a new Candlemass album and the schedule for this year is already full, so I won’t have any time, this year anyway, to do anything other than C-mass.

True, your calendar is swelling with the Ghost tour and some festival appearances in the summer. Are there any shows you’re especially looking forward to?

Yes: Sweden Rock, Hellfest, Wacken and, well, all of them! (laughs)

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[dustedmagazine]

Dust Vol. 4, Number 11

Blink and 2018 is just about over, at least in terms of music releases, at least if you don’t follow best ofs, mainstream hip hop or holiday music. As we close in on another year of amazing music—but what year isn’t, really?— Dusted takes a moment to dig through the piles and write some short, mostly positive reviews of albums that might have gotten slept on. As usual, writers follow their interests through expansive drone, transcendental folk, incendiary free-jazz, metal, punk and gospel-tinged Americana. Contributors this time included Ethan Covey, Justin Cober-Lake, Jennifer Kelly, Bill Meyer and Jonathan Shaw.

Bitchin Bajas — Rebajas (Drag City)

Bitchin Bajas are a band made for deep exploration. Their hallucinatory, drone-based excursions are like an old couch — sink in, stretch out and stay a while. Rebajas, released this fall by Drag City, makes that task simple. The seven CD set features most everything the band has released since their debut in 2010: eight full albums and their contribution to various split albums. If you’re dipped into Bitchin Bajas previously, you’ll know what you’re getting. (And if you haven’t there’s little chance this package, or this review of it, is where you’d start.) That said, for those with a long drive, or a monk-like attention span, settling in and tracking the territory of the band’s evolution is rewarding. While the themes — of drone, calm, repeating bass and synth figures — remain constant, the band isn’t a one trick (or one note?) pony. Deep listening uncovers the variety between shorter, bloop-and-hum pieces from Tones/Zones (Disc 1) and the meditative, cycling layers of “2303” from last year’s Bajas Fresh (Disc 7). And there are moments that peek up from the soup: “Bajas Ragas” adds hand percussion and a loping bass line for one of their most engaging concoctions—fit for a slow-motion dance floor in a submerged city of the future. Missing, unfortunately, is their 2016 collaborative album with Bonnie “Prince” Billy, the excellently-titled Epic Jammers And Fortunate Little Ditties. As is this intriguing gem of Rolling Stones covers. Yet, with just shy of seven hours of music, I doubt many will sweat their absence. There’s more than enough to disappear into. And, if this review hasn’t spelled it simply enough, this is quite possibly the trippiest music out there. So, set your intentions and bon voyage.  

Ethan Covey

 Nathan Bowles—Plainly Mistaken (Paradise of Bachelors)

Plainly Mistaken by Nathan Bowles

Nathan Bowles, banjoist, percussionist and citizen of New Weird America, departs from his plain-spoken directness in this fourth album and makes a welcome detour into open-ended psychedelia. Right from the dreamy, drifty “Now If You Remember,” you sense a soft-focus open-ness to otherworldly experience. The cut, written by the seven-year-old Jessica Constable and included on Julie Tippett’s 1976 Sunset Glow, shifts and shimmers in ways that Bowles percussive banjo ditties have rarely done. Yet the album’s transcendental heart comes in “The Road Reversed,” where a pounding, dancing rhythm kicks among long, velvety bowed tones, and banjo notes bend into raga-like half-tones. Folk Americana frolics amid deep-toned Eastern meditation, and where one begins and the other ends is hard to say and, also, beside the point. There are, for sure, some traditional touchpoints—“Elk River Blues” (a tune by Ernie Carpenter that Bowles revisits here), “Fresh and Fairly So” and “Stump Sprout” will all satisfy fans of the twang and the twitch. Yet what lingers, for me, are the ones that stray from past experience, the slow, solo ambiguities of “Umbra,” the shadowy flurries and shifting dissonances of “Girih Tiles.” What Bowles’ well-turned work has lacked till now is mystery, and here it is at last.

Jennifer Kelly

 Mike Farris — Silver & Stone (Compass)

Mike Farris's long, strange career flamed briefly with the alt-rockers Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies in the 1990s. After that, Farris rejected his rock 'n' roll lifestyle and grungy sound in a move toward gospel and soul. The surprise of the transition wasn't the partier-to-Christian story but the discovery of how strong Farris's vocals are. On Silver & Stone, he has less of a gospel focus, but down in some swampy soul music (with bits of brighter pop), he shows off that voice. He's willing to take on Bill Withers (“Hope She'll Be Happier”) and Sam Cooke (“I'll Coming Running Back to You”) — not tasks usually recommended — and he comes out of it just fine.

The album fits a sort of arc for his solo career. It lacks the new-convert punch and joy of Salvation in Lights, but it shifts into more thoughtful reflection. Where he had been celebrating, now he's considering how to live. The explicit religion has mostly disappeared, but Farris's songs still run on hope and a big heart. The sorts of ideas at work on Silver & Stone synthesize on “When Mavis Sings,” a tribute to Mavis Staples and serves as a sort of musical and personal model. Farris, whether in rock or soul, the church or the club, presents a focused vision with enough groove to carry it through.

Justin Cober-Lake

 Tim Feeney — Burrow (Marginal Frequency)

MFCS K | Tim Feeney - Burrow by Marginal Frequency

Burrow can be read as both an explanation and an instruction. Percussionist Tim Feeney begins each of this tape’s four pieces (two per side, and if you purchase a download you’ll get a file of each side, not each piece) in similar fashion, beating out a pattern with minimal variation. As the performance progresses monotony gives way to fascination as Feeney slowly reveals a beat’s potential variations. At a certain point things change. Are you hearing more because he threw something on the drum skin, or because your concentration is unlocking that drum-strike’s secrets, or maybe both? Treat this tape like a meditation guide, one that helps you to dig into the sound and see what treasures you find.

Bill Meyer 

 Forever House — Eaves (Infrequent Seams)

Eaves by Forever House

Forever House makes wildly complicated songs whose improvisatory flights and furies are held together, barely, by Meaghan Burke’s keening, swooping melodies. A lurid aura hangs over these difficult, jarring compositions, witchy incantations invoking freaks, body doubles and spiders. Burke’s voice is velvety dark, draping over odd-shaped rhythms, jutting stabs of violent sound. The drumming is particularly good in an off-putting, against-expectations manner; along with throbs of cello and throes of feedbacked dissonance, it constructs a weird fun house architecture where everything tips and distorts and unsettles.

Forever House’s oddities work because they’re powered by formidable skills – this is a band with a serious NY downtown pedigree. Burke, a cellist and composer, commutes between classical orchestra work and solo material that skitters along the boundary between archaic pop and free-wheeling art song. Both guitarist James Moore and bassist James Illgenfritz have played with John Zorn, as well as other downtown luminaries (in Illgenfritz’s case Anthony Braxton, John Zorn, Elliott Sharp and Pauline Oliveros and others, in Moore’s with the electric guitar quartet Dither). Drummer Pete Wise has left less of an internet trail but seems to have Bang on a Can connections. You get the sense that Forever House is their spooky busman’s holiday, a chance to play against type and raise some unruly ghosts. Boo!

Jennifer Kelly  

 German Army — Kowloon Walled City = (Null Zone)

Kowloon Walled City by German Army

German Army is neither an established military entity nor some reenactment clique, but a low-flying, California-based combo that (according to their Facebook page) “uses art to document disappearing cultures and wildlife while critiquing imperialism in all forms.” Kowloon Walled City certainly qualifies as a disappearing culture, since most of the semi-autonomous, mob-run neighborhood that sat at the edge of Hong Kong’s airport has been cleaned up or knocked down. Since there’s nothing particularly Chinese-sounding about this tape’s perky synth/drum jams and the rare spoken vocals are in distinctly American-accented English, the proclaimed mission may be a failure or just a red herring. But if you need some catchy tunes limned with coded mystery to jam in your old jalopy (if you have tried to get a car stereo with a tape deck in the last ten years, you know what I’m talking about), German Army is at your service.

Bill Meyer

  Gong Gong Gong—Siren (Wharf Cat)

Siren 追逐劇 by Gong Gong Gong 工工工

Two songs from the duo of Joshua Frank and Tom Ng make a case for an intriguing Beijing punk-noise underground. The a-side, “Siren” abstracts the electric blues into a single clattering guitar riff, a zooming, looming roar of bass and a searing call (no response) vocal from Ng, in sing-song-y Chinese. “Something’s Happening” is meatier and more conventionally rock, still built on sharp, stinging guitar clamor, but buzzing with Hendrix-y solo-ry (if Hendrix played the bass). Both tracks employ the minimum number of parts to maximal impact, the construction loose enough for friction, sparks and gnashing aggression.

Jennifer Kelly

 Gerrit Hatcher / Peter Maunu / Julian Kirschner — The Raven and the Dove (JAKI)

The Raven and the Dove by Hatcher/Maunu/Kirshner

Chicago’s built on drained swampland, so when the next wave of free jazz rolls up, it can travel. Certainly this trio, which comprises two younger musicians and one more who seems to be doing exactly what he wants with his retirement, covers a lot of ground. Gerrit Hatcher is an extroverted tenor saxophonist with a raw tone and a willingness to depart from his default setting of muscular tune-grinding into passages of tentative flutter and delicate counterpoint. Good drummers never lack for work, so it’s saying something that you can find Julian Kirschner on a Chicago stage pretty much every week of the year. He comes from a post-free jazz conception of his instrument that favors color, space and movement over pulse or swing. Joining these youngsters is Peter Maunu, whose past life playing fusion and new age music seems quite irrelevant to the unpredictable stream of savage scraping, subliminal humming, and acidic rocking that issues from his guitar, violin and mandolin. This group is brand new, but it won’t be for long; they’ve been touring around the Midwest this fall, so you can expect them to add seasoned rapport to band new promises before long. Catch them if you can, and catch this promising debut if you can’t.

Bill Meyer

 Kidd Jordan / Alvin Fielder / Joel Futterman / Steve Swell — Masters of Improvisation (Valid Records)

Masters of Improvisation by Kidd Jordan, Alvin Fielder, Joel Futterman & Steve Swell

It takes a particular orneriness to be a musician in a musical city and stake your claim to a style that the city has never embraced. You can say a lot of things about New Orleans, but it’s never really been a free jazz town. But that hasn’t stopped tenor saxophonist Kidd Jordan, who has made his crust playing and teaching every style that a jobbing musician must play, from playing a particularly uncompromising variety of free jazz. Two of his accompanists here are long-time partners. Drummer Alvin Fielder, who like Jordan is in his 80s, has likewise carried the free jazz torch in southern environs where the muggy air of indifference would douse a fainter spirit. Pianist Joel Futterman is a decade younger and his darting technique and forays inside the piano imply that his roots are sunk in different turf than his mates, but he’s been playing with them long enough to be able to bring empathy as well as energy to the table. New York-based trombonist Steve Swell is the newcomer, and his ability to shift effortlessly between sere exhalations and brash attacks allows him to complicate the combo’s late-Coltrane vibe without betraying it, and then be equally persuasive when they turn around and wring the last blue drops out of Doc Pomus’ “Lonely Avenue.” This concert recording lingers long on the stormy side; go on, stick your face into the wind, you won’t be sorry.

Bill Meyer

 No Love — Choke on It (Sorry State)

Choke On It by No Love

No Love, from Raleigh, NC, play punk rock that conjures the ragged toughness of the mid-1970s NYC downtown scene and the pace of early-1980s Southern Cali hardcore. It’s a potent mix, and when guitarists Seth Beard and Daniel Lupton make a bit of space for vocalist Elizabeth Lynch, the record really kills it. The record’s title track and “Dogs//Wolves” — released back in 2015 as the A-side of a terrific single — are frantic punk burners that scrap and sizzle, teetering on the brink of perilous chaos. The band manages to channel the energy without disciplining it, like the Heartbreakers in those magical months in 1975. “Back Taxes & Anaphylaxis” is even better, mostly because Lynch takes an aggressive lead on the song, showing what she can do. On “Drama Fever,” she manages to keep pace with the guitars’ slashing intensity, but on some of the other tracks, she’s drowned out by all the frenzied riffage. The raw sound of the record gives it a low-grade charm, but the noise sometimes obscures the tunes, which are pretty great. Still, the band’s vigor and verve are undeniable. More, please.  

Jonathan Shaw

 One Tail, One Head — Worlds Open, Worlds Collide (Terratur Possessions) 

Worlds Open, Worlds Collide by One Tail, One Head

Norway’s One Tail, One Head have been playing black metal since 2006, but this year’s Worlds Open, Worlds Collide is the first full-length record the band has ever released. They’ve made a career on their reputation as a live act, pairing their orthodox blackened sound and songs with a stage show only slightly less theatrical than Watain’s (that’s all stage blood, right guys?). It seems that this first LP will be their last, as One Tail, One Head have announced their intent to call it quits after a tour supporting the record. That sense of finality may have prompted the band to round the stylistic bases, pairing truculent, muscular songs reminiscent of the early demos (“Firebirds” is a good example) with more chaotic, swirling work typical of the recent EPs. Songs in the former mode are more successful here, especially the record’s title track, which thunders and crackles with convincing menace. But One Tail, One Head could have given themselves a better sendoff. Few of these tunes feel fully realized, and none is near the equal of the band’s intense performing presence. It’s too bad — but a wise (or wise-ass) kid from Chicago once observed that “breaking up is an idea that has occurred to far too few groups, sometimes the wrong ones.” Via con Satàn, fellas.  

Jonathan Shaw

 Vanessa Peters — Foxhole Prayers (Idol)

Foxhole Prayers by Vanessa Peters

Singer-songwriter Vanessa Peters could have settled for the smart folk-rock she’s been doing for almost two decades, but on Foxhole Prayers she stretches herself, looking at the cultural landscape without relinquishing her personal lyrics. “Carnival Barker” offers her most direct political track, but “Trolls” is more effective, capturing the patience and perseverance needed to defeat the title characters. The song has personal and political resonances, and it's that dual thinking that drives much of the album. “Fight” takes on extra meaning in the context of the album. Peters unveils her own fears and her own need to press on, but with enough space in the lyrics that she could be speaking to herself, a young artist, or someone afraid of venturing into the public eye in any sense; calls to bravery aren't limited to those on stage and Peters situates her song as someone who knows that.  

As her view expands, so does her music, particularly as she incorporates electronic elements into her sound. The dance-pop influences of “Before it Falls Apart” surprise, but Peters' tasteful use of the new sounds allows everything to fit in naturally with what she does. The album, inspired in part by comparing the world of The Greaty Gatsby with today's political climate, has its roots in crisis, hence the title track, and Peters uses her art to search for something better. 

Justin Cober-Lake

 Shells—Shells 2 (Gingko)

Shells 2 by Shells

The evidence suggests that Shelley Salant is not a loner. She’s been booking shows in Southeast Michigan for a decade. She’s the sort of record store clerk who greets you with a recommendation that you’d best consider. She’s played guitar in Tyvek and Swimsuit. She’s the sort of person who makes communities happen by doing what she does.

But she also has pretty strong instincts about what makes a guitar worth hearing — liquid tone, phrases that are concise unless they need to wander, pithy hooks, gritty noise and reverb for days. She’s got some things to say on her own, and that’s where Shells comes in. Shells 2 contains 14 tracks, each a brief and lucid lesson about one or more of the aforementioned virtues. Some of them comprise layers of loops, some follow a single snaking line, and a couple have been overdubbed into an approximation of a band. Similarity spotters may point out the bits that sound like Link Wray or Roy Montgomery or the Feelies, but that would require looking past all the bits that sound like Shelley Salant rocking essentially.

Bill Meyer

 Various Artists — Chebran Volume 2: French Boogie 1979-1982 (Born Bad)

This superlative collection of funk, disco and proto-rap documents the cross-hybridization of bootleg tapes of Grandmaster Flash, Eurovision-style dance music and sounds from the African and Arabic colonies that bubbled up in working class neighborhoods at the dawn of the 1980s all over France. Here on cuts like Ethnie’s “De Chagrin En Chagrin” synths take up the serpentine non-western melodies, while Bootsy-style funksters slap and pop out the boogie. Likewise, the ponderous stomp of bass and percussion anchors Ganawa’s “Yamna” in present day disco, but its wheeling woodwinds and haunting call and response transport you to sand swept deserts in North Africa. Ettika, both the track name and the artist name for a one-hitter from the early 1980s, nudges a disco synth into twisty arabesques and flits from French to Arabic in its emphatic, female-powered raps. Forget the melting pot, these cuts bubble like sour dough starter, when errant spores of yeast find a home in a dull white flour soup and create something marvelous.

Jennifer Kelly

 Otomo Yoshihide / Paal Nilssen-Love — 19th of May 2016 (PNL)

19th of May 2016 by Otomo Yoshihide & Paal Nilssen-Love

Conventional wisdom holds that when Paal Nilssen-Love gets on stage with an electric guitarist, fillings will loosen. That certainly holds true when he pairs up with Terrie Ex, his preferred six-string slinger of recent years, and there are parts of this encounter with Japanese guitarist Otomo Yoshihide that could be cited as supporting evidence. Otomo brings plenty of volume, distortion and ferocity; there are passages where it sounds like he’s demolishing some metallic structure while Nilssen-Love erects an impregnable surrounding whirlwind. But neither man stays in one gear, and some of the most involving moments come when they drop to a scrape and a shimmer.

Bill Meyer

[thepermanentrainpress]

REVIEW: CONTACT FESTIVAL AT BC PLACE - DEC. 27TH AND 28TH, 2019

Contact Festival is one of the most successful annual festivals in Vancouver. Over the years, it’s moved from Rogers Arena to the larger BC Place and hosted some of the biggest electronic music acts in the world. “Raves” are no longer limited to underground clubs – today, DJs play for tens of thousands of people at stadiums and festivals.

It was a very long event. The doors opened at 5 with music on both stages beginning at 5:20, extending all the way to midnight with minimal breaks. Not everyone attends for the whole seven hours, of course – but even for one day, that’s much longer than a typical concert. You really have to prepare for a big evening, and it’s even more important to stay fueled and hydrated once inside! It’s a hot, draining, crowded function, and keeping energy is essential.

The entire stadium was part of the event. On the floor area was the main stage and dance floor, holding a massive crowd amongst stadium seats and a few tents. However, on the second floor level where restrooms and concession were outside the main event was the “FVDED stage,” hosting a smaller but still crowded mass of people. There was really no escape from the noise – you could hear the pounding bass from both stages anywhere in the building, and for a couple of blocks outside BC Place as well. The upstairs stage had a more upbeat, contemporary, bass-heavy style for most of the evening. The main area’s music tended to be slightly more chill, feeling less like a club and more like an actual event. Performers on the FVDED stage for Night 1 included Kompany, Graves, and G Jones. Although the stage and dance area were much smaller, there were still many lasers and pretty colours flashing for an immersive experience the whole time.

Any crowded event can be difficult to navigate, particularly one with such an intense energy and fanbase as Contact. I was impressed with the crowd: I moved around a lot both days and walking, excusing myself through the people, etc. was never an issue. I didn't witness or experience any aggressive or rude behaviour. I appreciate everyone – not just the audience, but especially the staff and security – who worked to keep the event safe, fun, and accessible. 

Contact is about more than just the artists: it’s an entire experience. People travel for this event and spend hours preparing their outfits, plans, and energy. Amongst the audience, there were lots of costumes, people adorned in glowing/flashing lights, and all sorts of vibrant colours. There were people dressed in Christmas costumes as elves and even Santa. Contact is a big party, and the clothing adds an immersive and distinct element. Every rave will have people dressing up, but only at somewhere like this do you see such a variety and number of stand-outs. Just walking around and taking in the audience visuals is a big part of the fun. 

EDM events are not like concerts. Obviously, the music isn’t being performed live by a band – it is mostly pre-recorded and sampled. Of course, the DJ does still perform – there’s a lot of improvisation in a set and control. It’s more than just pushing a button. Nevertheless, the focus is on the visuals and crowd energy more so than the music, due to its nature. A lot of the music is repetitive; it is mostly pulsing bass, and a lot of the stuff played is actually recorded by a different musician. It’s not something I have a lot of experience in, and thus it was very different from the shows I’m used to. 

On Night 1, the first act I caught on the main stage was Denver-based DJ Said The Sky. His sets are a combo of trap, future bass, and dubstep. All of the music on both nights was pretty intense, but this set was one of the more mellow of the fest. It was slightly ambient, with a mesmerizing/hypnotic effect. He brought a lot of energy to the performance, and lit up the room just as much as the later headliners. The visuals involved a lot of rainbow lasers and flowing clouds.

On afterwards was Dutch DJ San Holo, who continued the trap and future bass set themes of the evening. His visuals were extremely colourful, flooding the entire screen with neon, bright hues, and explosive patterns. He played guitar a lot on stage, adding a live element that really stood out amongst the popping giant patterns—a small figure holding an instrument, against a background of fiery shining flames. It was really cool to watch, and the visuals that personally stood out to me the most. The arena was equipped with pyrotechnic equipment, and San Holo repeatedly used giant sparks to create live explosions on stage – awe-inspiring to an audience now well into the night. It was like watching sparklers dance as a child, except the sparks are 30 feet tall.

Chicago DJ Kaskade was on at 9:15. He’s been a major EDM figure for almost 20 years, and really showed his experience that night. The visuals were distorted, colourful, and aesthetically pleasing. Images of nature like flowers and lightning, roads, and fire were dominant. There were also many subdued hues of Kaskade’s name and shadow in blue and pink. Naturally, there was also use of pyrotechnics – giant actual flames pumping on stage never failed to impress the crowd. This was deep house music, and Kaskade’s expertise means his music was some of the most recognizable of the era. There were many original hits (“Us” and “Atmosphere”), but also a lot of sampling of classic rock songs, unexpectedly. He sampled “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Welcome To The Jungle,” and even “Under The Bridge”—songs you don’t expect to hear at a rave. The audience sang along every time. Out of all the sets of the weekend, this was probably the most engaging in how the actual music seemed to connect to the people there. Most of the sets were about the live experience in the moment – this one seemed to emphasize the actual music best.

The final act and headliner was Major Lazer – fronted by major producer and DJ Diplo, also including a current lineup of Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. There was just so much energy throughout this set. Diplo tours all over the world and has been a part of several EDM groups, and he really brings his all to exciting a crowd. The visuals were many geometric patterns and multi-coloured images, projecting the artist’s name, the audience, and backup dancers. There were all sorts of lasers and images of cartoon drawings, like a DJ with a record or a wall of speakers. Of course, there was some pyro and lasers as well. The backup dancers were very in-tune and well-choreographed. They ran all around the stage area, climbing platforms, touching each other, and twerking in time. It’s not easy to engage that attention when there’s so much music and visuals literally banging around you – they were so good at what they did. I’ve seen backup dancers at rock concerts that weren’t as engaging. 

Major Lazer had the most engagement with the crowd of everyone I saw. There’s a lot of festival experience, and Diplo knows just how to keep people going and keep them motivated. There was never a dull moment – whether it was chants of “I say Major, you say Lazer! MAJOR!,” sampling the bass of “Seven Nation Army,” or reminding us it was the last Friday night of the entire decade. “I know right now that you’re going to have the best f***ing year in 2020!” to roars of applause. 

Day 2:

The FVDED stage included artists such as Wooli, Dabin, and Feed Me. The music ended slightly earlier at 10:00 instead of 10:30 like the night before, but the dance area and music was no less intense.

All the way from Australia was producer Fisher. His house set was engaging musically, but the visuals weren’t nearly as impressive as the other acts. A lot of it was repetitive patterns of his own silhouette or his DJ name mirrored, or just lasers bouncing with nothing on the screen. Some of them were more interesting, projections of shapes and patterns – things like spots, stripes, and fingerprints. They were nice to look at, but the sequences were very repetitive, so it just wasn’t that interesting after a few minutes. A lot of the music was sequestered by a high robotic voice saying “Let’s play it again!” before yet another bass drop. I guess maybe that applied to the visuals as well. It wasn’t a bad set, it just really wasn’t as unique or fun as the others. There were a bit of pyrotechnics near the end for when he played “Losing It,” but nothing very memorable. 

Our own Canadian talent Rezz came next, and her entire set was my highlight of the festival. I wasn’t familiar with her at all before, but heard she puts on an amazing show, and she definitely did not disappoint. At only 24 years old, she’s got two studio albums and is a prominent addition to any festival. She emerged to the ever-present giant flames and blasted the fire many times throughout, and it was just… so cool. Her visuals were themed and very in-tune with the set, instead of seeming almost random like the others. There was a lot of hellfire and church-type imagery, and an animated avatar in goggles (clearly supposed to be Rezz, who was wearing the same goggles on stage) burning things and running. Towards the end were gorgeous cosmic galaxy projections, something I’m surprised not many other DJs incorporated. There was also a disturbing tentacled monster and off-putting geometric patterns, near Lovecraftian imagery. 

A computerized, booming, commanding voice echoed a narrative periodically throughout the set, telling the audience to think about their feelings, to let it all go, and to “relax” – right before another bass drop. It held everyone’s attention and it was a really interesting, unique set. I would love to see her perform again at another fest or headlining show. She was the most interesting and probably the best act of the night – putting male DJs twice her age with many more years of experience to shame!

Closing the fest was one of the biggest DJs in the world, and my main reason for wanting to attend – Tiësto! With a two decade career, he’s performed all over the world and is very prominent in the live EDM scene. I saw him at Pemberton Festival a few years ago and it was amazing, so I was really looking forward to what was coming. Sadly, he was no Rezz. I’m not sure what was different, if it was the indoor setting or the music he chose, but it was just not that fun visually or audibly. There’s energy, and there’s getting the crowd moving, but it never overly impressed. The visuals were pretty forgettable – flashing lights, golden lasers, a lot of flashing of the act’s name in case we forgot who he was. There were animated Minecraft-like sprites when he played “Jackie Chan” (with Dzeko, Preme, and Post Malone rapping) but they were ugly and not very colourful. He sampled other EDM classics like “Titanium” and “Wake Me Up.” There wasn’t even much pyro. 

For a closer and such a respected DJ, I really wanted something more. I don’t know his inner mind, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this set was forgoing anything awe-inspiring for some phoned-in, basic heavy sets and even more basic visuals. When you’re Tiësto, people will come no matter what (I know I did) and I guess you can relax. The man is 50 years old. Not every set can be the best. Everyone still had fun and the music was still nice, and in the end, that is what’s most important… I guess.

Contact is a full experience. It’s unique in its size and scope as a festival, and is one of the largest annual concerts and annual EDM events in the area. It is extremely intense in all aspects and definitely not for everyone. I can recommend it, but only if you know exactly what you’re getting into and if you like this style of music. I’m sure I’m not the only one who was overwhelmed and exhausted afterwards. It’s a fun event… but it’s a lot.

Written by: Cazzy Lewchuk

[rauliskafan]

A Hard Lesson in History: Chapter 2

Authors’ Note: Happy Saturday, stunning readers!!! @vintagemichelle91 and I were blown away by all the great comments and likes from new readers last night!!! You guys are all amazing!!! Time to catch up with Rafael and the squad in Chapter 2!!! Enjoy!!! :)

The route was familiar. Along with the routine. Waking to shower, Rafael slipped into the perfectly coordinated three-piece suit that Violetta had helped him select the night before. Her eye for fashion almost rivaled her mother’s until they reached the pocket square. But he had no desire to shatter his muñequita’s happy heart when she seemed that proud of herself. So bright orange with charcoal grey it was.

“Back in action, huh?”

Kissing everyone goodbye, he glanced back one last time to see Natalia’s reassuring wave while she held Hazel and rocked Holly’s bassinet, looking as if there was nothing on heaven or earth that she could not conquer. Somehow Violetta smiled and stood ready and willing if not entirely able to be of aid. On that note, Rafael stepped across the threshold, opted for the subway instead of a cab now that there were two more mouths to feed, and ultimately left the underground to face One Hogan Place. The so-called real world needed him back in the thick of too many tangled weeds. Yet, his heart hurt when he pictured Natalia cuddling the twins close as Violetta and Harold snuggled into her other side, and he wished that he was still home with them.

“Am I right, counselor?”

Rolling his eyes at Carisi, Rafael managed to nod and accepted the friendly pat on the back as he entered his office to find Liv also waiting with Fin.

“I hear congratulations of all kinds are in order,” Rafael said, shaking Fin’s hand. “Sergeant Tutuola.”

Beaming, Fin stood a little taller.

“Long time coming,” the former detective said. “Someone said I should have taken the test a hell of a lot sooner.”

Now it was Liv’s turn to groan.

“Someone didn’t want to play politics,” she reminded him.

“Plus, a certain ballerina might not have found her Prince Charming,” Carisi interjected. To that Rafael had no witty retort, his mind running over the twists of fate needed to bring Maggie and Dodds together and so much more. Might it still have happened had Dodds existed in another orbit? Would Maggie have remained in the city long enough to discover her sister without the other sergeant’s presence? Not wanting to dwell on what might have been for any length of time, Rafael simply discarded his overcoat and sat behind his desk.

“Guessing this isn’t the easiest morning for you,” Liv said.

“I think it hit Violetta the hardest,” Rafael reflected. “She was getting used to cheesy pancakes every morning.”

“Sure it was just her?” Fin challenged.

“It’s an acquired taste,” he said. Like pineapples mingled with olives and Natalia settling for silly voices instead of songs while Violetta used Harold’s paws to sort of kind of dust the coffee table before sitting on the sofa to watch Elena of Avalor. And comment on the need for new episodes. Truth be told, the townhouse would run like a top without him. Plus his mother and Maggie promised to try to look in.

“Well I hate to hit you with this right out of the gate, but it looks like the Second Avenue Strangler struck again,” Liv said.

Any wonder why he would have rather stayed home?

“What have you got?” Rafael asked with a heavy sigh.

“Jennifer Knowles,” Carisi said as he swiped his tablet to life. “She was found early this morning. Hands bound. Hair chopped off.”

“Details not released to the press,” Fin reminded the room.

“So we’re adding her to the list,” Rafael stated sadly, familiar with the case and the carnage this as yet to be identified criminal had left in his wake.

“Maybe,” Liv said in a low voice before her speech came to a halt, and Rafael stared into her eyes.

“But?” he said. “Finish the thought, Liv. I can see your mind working overtime.”

“Nice to know that you’re not that out of practice,” she said, flipping open a file to lay out photographs of the other three victims. “Our perp has a pattern. Young women alone. Each had a little too much to drink at nearby bars---”

“Then this bastard swoops in,” Rafael said.

“And we have a suspect in custody,” Fin confirmed. Well this was news. Not sure if he could call it good with four dead women, their families torn apart. Just the idea that any of his girls might meet any kind of violent fate caused Rafael to nearly gag on this morning’s third cup of coffee. Still, if the arrest meant that the case was closed and the danger would soon be off the streets to be kept under lock and key or face a far more permanent punishment, he’d place it in the win column.

“But the problem is that Jennifer Knowles does not fit the other victims’ profiles,” Liv continued. “According to her sister, she does not drink.”

“Would not drink,” Fin said.

“And there were problems with the boyfriend,” Carisi said.

“Who’s our Romeo?” Rafael quipped, his eyes scanning the images of the victims, his gaze stopping and falling on Jennifer Knowles. Had something else, something far darker happened to her?

“David Willard,” Liv said as she showed him another photograph. “Jennifer’s boss.”

“What does he do?” Rafael asked.

“Runs an operation called Attention, Inc.,” Fin said. “You know one of these companies that tracks and mines Internet traffic so they can sell the lists.”

“Welcome to Oceania,” Rafael said, his head already starting to throb when it wasn’t even ten o’clock.

“According to Jennifer’s sister, she was about to break it off with him. He has a temper.”

“And Laura said---”

“Laura?”

“That’s the sister,” Carisi chimed in. “She thinks that Willard might have been spying on both of them.”

This piqued his interest, and Rafael felt as if a box of puzzle pieces lay tossed about his desk. Concentration and a bit of good luck would be needed to bring the image into focus...

“Have you talked to Willard?” Rafael asked.

“Rollins and I did,” Carisi said. “He seemed sad to hear of her passing.”

“Well what did you expect, Carisi? For him to break down all mea culpa and give you a daily dose of Perry Mason?”

When the twins napped and Natalia grabbed a few quick winks with Violetta in her arms and their heads cradled in his lap, Rafael had flipped to the classic courtroom drama and wished that getting the defendants to confess on the stand was truly that easy.

“Now someone’s starting to sound like his old self,” Liv said. “Think on this; Fin’s expert says that Jennifer’s hands were bound with a different brand of rope.”

“Seriously?” Rafael asked as he watched all three heads nod. “Well that’s… something. Talk to Willard again. Maybe this time invite him over to our place for tea and cookies.”

Again, he thought of Violetta having to make due with only Harold for the first time in so many afternoons.

“Cute,” Liv said, starting to leave with the others when Fin shot him a quick smile.

“Just wanted to keep you in the loop,” he said.

“And welcome you back,” Carisi commented.

“It’s like I never left,” Rafael responded, waiting until the door closed to fold his head in his hands. Liv was right. Give him a few hours and it would all seem so disgustingly normal. The victims, the violations. Even Natalia spent the better part of the previous evening running her fingers up and down his arms and telling him that even though she would miss him terribly, she fell in love with a crusader who had to get back on his horse… what else had she said? His mind melted into the memory of her kiss, and now he was on the verge of calling her. To see how she was, to hear her voice, and---

“Mr. Barba?”

Shaken from his daydream, Rafael looked up to see Eve Selby framed in his doorway. Her lips coiled into a smile as her bright blue eyes surveyed the office before focusing on his face.

“Ms. Selby,” he said, standing slowly to shake her hand. “Nice to see you. Holding down the fort?”

“Still figuring out my way around,” Eve said. “But thankfully no more deliveries meant for someone else.”

Laughing a little and feeling his cheeks flush, Rafael ushered her inside and watched her pause with her eyes fixed on his chest.

“What?” he asked.

“That’s quite the accessory,” Eve said, acknowledging the pocket square. “Is that like the new thing in Europe or something?”

“No it’s… it’s my daughter’s idea of making her Papi look pretty.”

Eve titled her head to one side and then the other.

“Well she certainly has an interesting eye,” she continued. “Bet it becomes all the rage before the season out.”

And something told him that she would know if her perfectly tailored suit was any indication.

“I’m actually kind of surprised to see you here,” Eve said.

“It is my office,” Rafael countered.

“Of course,” she said, smiling. “I just meant that… twins. It’s only been a few weeks. And you leave your wife on her own?”

“We have family dropping in,” Rafael said. “And besides, you don’t know Natalia. She…

The other ADA said nothing as he searched his mind for the perfect way to describe his hermosa flor and why he knew she was fine even as he missed her like a castaway searching for some shore, knowing that he would have to get lost in one case or another to distract himself from thinking only of her until it was time to call it a day.

“She’s what, Mr. Barba?” Eve asked. Her voice was curious as he looked to his wedding ring, twisting the gold band around his finger and picturing Natalia’s beautiful brown gaze.

“She makes everything sparkle,” Rafael said.

“I see,” Eve replied. “I’ll have to meet her sometime You make her sound pretty spectacular.”

“I speak the truth,” he said. “Is there something that I can help you with?”

“Just saying hello,” Eve said. “Maybe we can grab lunch one of these days.”

 Considering the offer, he laughed a little and nodded his head.

 “Possibly,” he said. “For now, I---”

 “You have work to do,” she said. “Guess I’ll see you around the coffee pot, Mr. Barba.”

Patting his arm, she left him to look at the pictures again, and he picked up the image of David Willard.

“What did you do?” he muttered to himself. “And how do we take you down for it?”

[theplaguezine]

ANCIENT RITES

Interview with Gunther Theys by Daniel Hinds

(conducted February 2000)

Ancient Rites may not be the first name thrown out when the words 'black metal' are uttered, but they have been around as long as anyone on the current scene and produce a very unique version of the style.  With all eyes on Norway for so long, perhaps their home base of Belgium has kept them a bit more in the underground circles than the likes of Emperor and Satyricon, but that isn't to say that Ancient Rites don't have a following.  In fact, their fanbase is quite strong all across Europe (and beyond) and last year's excellent Fatherland no doubt expanded it considerably.

Bassist/vocalist Gunther was kind enough to take some time and answer a few questions regarding Ancient Rites, his other musical endeavors, religion, and the current state of the world...

Let me start by saying that I like the album Fatherland a great deal, but it is also the only AR album I've been able to get a hold of so far.  Could you give me a brief summary of your other releases and your feelings about them now that some time has elapsed since their release? We have released one demo, one 7" EP, a split-LP and several split EP's. However the majority of the people only were introduced to A.R. after the release of our debut full-length album entitled "THE DIABOLIC SERENADES".  We recorded our first two albums in a very professional studio where usually classical orchestras record their symphonies or soundtracks are being made. We feel this only increases the originality of our sound. We were always assisted by sound engineer (and studio owner) Louis Jans of STUDIO 20 who is a classical musician himself. He understood perfectly the essence of our music. Metal and classical music fit perfectly together for both are bombastic and can have a very dark approach. Using two different musical forms to express similar dark visions/thoughts/dreams. Interesting experiments are tracks such as "FALLEN ANGEL" or "LAST RITES (ECHOES OF MELANCHOLY)" which we first recorded with our usual equipment, afterwards we replaced our modern instruments by medieval ones. The end result is how A.R. would have sounded during the middle ages. We realize many bands/fans prefer a more primitive and poor production when it comes to Black Metal and that is fine by us but we always followed our own path. We seek a heavy/tight sound in old Metal tradition. We are satisfied with our first two albums "THE DIABOLIC SERENADES" and "BLASFEMIA ETERNAL" considering the time/budget available and even believe in our very first releases for they have been important steps in our career; nevertheless "FATHERLAND" our latest album is our most professional effort this far. We progressed as musicians and there was a bigger budget available which had a positive influence on matters like sound/production. Since there was almost no time pressure more attention could be spent on details.  "FATHERLAND" was recorded in the brand new SPACELAB studios in Germany between 14.02 and 24.03 '98. Both our sound engineer Christian Moos and producer Oliver Phillipps are very talented classical musicians who are also active in the progressive Rock scene. They are perfectionists and checked every single note we played. Their demanding and very critical attitude certainly pushed us to higher musical levels. The fact they were not familiar with extreme Metal I felt as an advantage (despite the culture clash and stress!). This way we could be sure they would give us an original sound and maybe even come up with ideas extreme Metal producers would never think of. I was to be proven right, on "FATHERLAND" the fusion between Metal and Classical is more successful than ever before in our band's history. Oliver Phillips appeared as a session keyboard player. It is quite unusual that classical/ progressive musicians and extreme Metal musicians collaborate.

The artwork and layout for Fatherland is very well done (and also very readable, something a lot of bands seem to overlook).  Is there a symbolic significance to the tree being chopped down on the cover? The painting represents the daily hard struggle to survive during the middle ages. Many bands focus on phantasy "art" when they settle for “medieval” illustrations. We prefer a more sober but realistic approach. The cover can be interpreted different ways: some say it symbolizes the destruction of the Holy Oak and the prosecution of Paganists and heretics by the Christian authorities in medieval times. Unfortunately we might be facing a lawsuit because of this painting. Although there are made alterations the artwork is heavily inspired by a painting of a long deceased master and now it turns out that the rights are owned by an author’s organization. Of course they demand money, something we do not have as a band. Rather unpleasant situation that can cost us our last penny. Now it is the time for our label to prove what they are worth.

I thought it was cool that you went through and kind of explained each song in the CD booklet.  Even with this, have you had any problems with people misinterpreting the title 'Fatherland' and assuming you are some kind of ultra-right-wing group? Sure. There are many places we are not allowed to play. And often there are "politically correct" councils judging if our concerts can take place or not. They have people investigating our lyrics etc, although there is nothing there! Recently an A.R. gig could only take place after the promoters hired extra security with guard dogs and there had to be placed fences outside around the club. The mayor and club owners expected an attack of Arab immigrants because of the unholy character of our music and lyrics. Religious Islamic fundamentalism is also imported here in Europe by immigrants. And titles like "Fatherland" many (paranoid people) translate as plain Nazism while the only thing we say is that everyone should be aware of his/her own culture, history and roots. One can perfectly be proud of the own heritage while at the same time respecting other cultures/civilizations but often it seems to be under a taboo to have this attitude when a person is of European origin. Everyone should be able to cultivate their own roots.  Why is it considered politically incorrect when we do the same? So indeed we are under a lot of flak but all the boycotts and hardship can be an inspiration.

Are you working on a new album yet?  Do you have a title for it in mind yet?   Everyone came up with ideas (demos with riffs, programmed drums, orchestra etc) recorded on a hard disc or computer but all is still in a rather early stage. Most ideas will be thrown away, we are rather hard on ourselves: "not bad" is simply not good enough! We are our worst own critics sometimes. I already have many lyrical ideas but titles are the last stage.

When you do an album, do you have it pretty much done when you enter the studio or do you come up with a lot of ideas while recording? In the old days, we had everything completely ready before entering the studio, nowadays there is much more room to experiment due to various reasons: there is a larger studio budget available, we have become better musicians and work with demanding producers who do many suggestions. Often parts are altered at the last moment and details are being added or changed, all this can change the entire "character" of a song. When this change is for the better, we are willing to throw away old ideas. Egos shouldn't be in the way of progress.

If you are working on new material, how is it turning out in comparison to previous AR?   The track we currently are working on could have been on "Fatherland", similar atmosphere to "Mother Europe". Another track is very extreme and contains old school Black Metal parts while another song is more progressive, some riffs are very brutal, and other melodies are quite melancholic. Again a lot of variety will be offered on the next album. It is our aim to progress without betraying the essence of A.R.; nevertheless we wish to avoid stagnation.

From what I've read, your first label (After Dark) gave you a lot of problems.  Could you tell me about that and how you came to hook up with Mascot? AFTER DARK turned out to be a total rip off and eventually ceased to exist leaving no penny for the band that had invested its own money in the recordings, artwork and photo sessions. In 1995, a deal was signed with Dutch MASCOT RECORDS.

Will Mascot be releasing the next album as well? We are not very pleased with their distribution in certain countries (like the USA) and lack of promotion outside of Northern Europe. Officially we have to release one more album for MASCOT RECORDS, though. We have to talk first.

Have you had a chance to do much touring (or traveling on your own) to foreign countries? What are some of the more interesting places you've been and experiences you've had abroad?   We have toured throughout Europe and the U.K. many times. Life on the road is like an adventure, very unpredictable: one day all is going perfectly, the next nothing seems to work. Once we were stranded in England with all our equipment and without any money, food or a place to stay. Even that one we turned into an interesting experience, often larger than life, and continued touring in an alternative way in order to gain money to get back home. It is kind of strange to see we draw larger crowds nowadays while in the past only very few individuals were interested in our work. Guess this new Black Metal explosion must have got a lot to do with it. Since (especially in the beginning) we received way more appreciation outside our own country, we preferred to concentrate abroad. Nowadays our status also improved within Belgian borders. Most of the bands we toured with we already knew personally, which of course improved life on the road together. When mutual respect is shown we get along with everyone, no infantile rock star attitudes. We toured as headliners several times but also with major acts such as DEICIDE, CRADLE OF FILTH, MORBID ANGEL, METALLICA, MERCYFUL FATE, MOTÖRHEAD, S.O.D., MANOWAR etc. Highlights in our career were playing the legendary Marquee in London, the famous Thorns club at Athens, the very first big extreme Metal fest in Lisbon (sponsored by Coca Cola and the mayor!) and appearing on mega Metal festivals such as DYNAMO OPEN AIR or GRASPOP to mention a few. It is fascinating to see how crowds differ from country to country, city to city even. Whenever there is some free time available (after the sound check for instance) I leave the venue to taste a bit of the local culture. I’m thrilled when I have the chance to visit museums, monuments or ancient/medieval remains. All this keeps touring interesting. It often is hard and stressful, but there’s a certain charm involved too. Intensity, positive or negative, is what we seek.

Would you agree that the move toward a global community has resulted in a general deterioration in individual cultures?  On the whole, do you think it is a bad trend, or do the positive elements (increased communication, ease of travel, etc) make for some kind of balance? I travel a lot and I wouldn't like every place to look or be the same. Personally, I prefer every culture to remain authentic, surely economical and spiritual evolution is necessary but one's roots or the typical local character should not be erased. There should be mutual respect between the different cultures but it remains a fact that everyone is a child of his own environment and there is nothing wrong with cultivating that. On the other hand, one shouldn't take that too far either, it is a pity that because of religious fanaticism, whole communities that once had such splendid civilizations and a glorious past today stagnate. Think of Iran: today a country in the grip of religious fanatics, an economical fiasco, once represented the mighty Persian Empire! Holding too fanatically on to the wrong aspects can lead to catastrophes as well. Difficult and interesting question, Dan! Nothing is black or white in life, always two sides to a coin! I applaud the fact travelling is more easy nowadays, but I regret the deterioration in cultures it often brings when people start to be ashamed of their own traditions and replace them by foreign life codes. I support civilizations holding on to their traditions but at the same time this very same "quality" kills innocent people when some blind persons take it too far. Dilemma!

You seem to be very knowledgeable about many of the other metal bands out there.  How much time do you spend listening to music and keeping up on the scene?  Is it hard to find time to do that and keep your own musical projects going full-time? It is difficult to keep track because actually too many records are released and unfortunately often by bands who seem to care more about their make up instead of the musical aspect. But sometimes a young band suddenly surprises me positively. I listen to music constantly, except when I'm reading or watching a movie. While answering this interview I have a self-compiled tape on the background which contains all kinds of styles ranging from the most quiet beautiful music to the most extreme noise. I like variety, I am an open minded person despite the fact I'm a Metalhead. When I'm working on my own musical projects, I avoid listening to bands working in a similar style. When working on A.R. I never listen to Metal, while recording DANSE MACABRE, I avoid Goth Rock/Industrial/Wave and when I'm active with DIVISION 99 I don't listen Punk/Oi! because I am afraid subconsciously one could get influenced.

Lately, it seems like a lot of bands in the black metal scene are taking their sound in a much more modern direction (Dødheimsgard, Satyricon, Kovenant, etc.).  What do you think about this trend? I understand that bands wish to progress as long as it is not a turn of 90 degrees. METALLICA for instance should have changed name ages ago. I cannot comment on the latest DODHEIMSGARD, SATYRICON or KOVENANT since I did not hear the records you mentioned. In our band, only drummer Walter and keyboard player Domingo listen to these kind of bands. I was a bit surprised by the new look of KOVENANT (very much MARILYN MANSON indeed), but then again bands like C.O.F., DIMMU BORGIR or KOVENANT often appeal to the same (MARILYN MANSON or Gothic orientated) audience that like theatrical decadent imagery. I'm only familiar with the first two SATYRICON albums and when it comes to KOVENANT drummer Hellhammer, I prefer his work with MAYHEM and ARCTURUS which are more my taste. It is difficult for a band to remain interesting, too much stagnation is negative but so is too much change, a thin line it is, my friend. Besides what other bands do is not of my concern/business. Good luck to every one of them, but we walk our own path. Actually I'm mostly interested in the pioneers of the style when it comes to Black or Death or Heavy Metal. I couldn't care less for a Swedish band that tries to sound like German 80's Power Metal (which I found disgusting anyway at that time, too!), nor do I care for a German version of C.O.F. or a Mexican band claiming to be Norwegian. The originals have my sympathy, the clones leave me indifferent.

What is the current status of Danse Macabre? A band that is embraced by open minded Black Metal fans but not known enough in the real Goth world since our label only promoted D.M. a bit in the Metal press. Nevertheless, we already played several headline dates and the project turned into a real trans-european act consisting of musicians from Serbia, Germany, Austria, Greece, Holland, Finland and Flanders. We are currently working on a new album for a different label. MASCOT told us they didn't really know how to deal with our style or how to sell it.

What inspired you to start D.M. in the first place?   Musically, bands like JOY DIVISION, BAUHAUS, FAD GADGET or SISTERS OF MERCY, KILLING JOKE, RED ZEBRA inspired me to work on that musical field. I discovered these groups already in the late 70's/early 80's. Nostalgia playing tricks? More recent bands I like in that style are CURRENT '93, DEATH IN JUNE, BLOOD AXIS, SOPOR AETURNUS, ATARAXIA. However D.M. does not sound like any of these artists. From a lyrical point of view D.M. enables me to express different emotions and feelings which do not fit to the A.R. concept.

I know some people in the goth scene (just like the metal scene) can be pretty narrow-minded.  Have you had any problems being accepted with DM in the goth circles?   Actually, my friend, I do not give a damn. Nor did I give it much thought. I know this sounds quite big headed but I started playing in bands to express myself musically/lyrically and I never lost too much sleep on what others might think of it. That is why I can take critics so well. Recently I read a review in this American magazine that takes the piss out of B.M. so also we didn't escape their pen. They wrote A.R. probably wears pink ballet trousers during rehearsals, that our drummer is retarded and that I probably sing with my trousers down. I found it really amusing. Once Kerrang! wrote they didn't like our way of dressing! Never knew it was a fashion magazine! Haha! Honestly, I couldn't care less. So when a 13 year old "vampire" appears backstage after a D.M. gig and tries to impress me with a "dark" grim or the lead singer of a famous Goth act tells me I should sing with a deeper "grunt" (like if his band is brutal!) I hope you believe me when I tell you it honestly does not matter one bit to me. I don't try to convince anyone of anything. I just do my thing you know. Nothing more, nothing less. I mind my own business; live and let live, I expect a similar attitude from other people. What matters at the end of the day is that I, myself, believe in what I do. Of course it is nice when people appreciate one's efforts but I do not want to sell my soul (only to the devil ahah!) to achieve that. I know exactly what an audience expects but when I do not believe in it I cannot play the game! I refuse to be jus another "romantic vampire" with plastic teeth and painted fingernails (although that sells the best) nor do I wish to impress ten-year-olds by taking photos with huge plastic swords in snowy forests. This stubborn approach often worked against us, but at least I can look at myself in the mirror and say I always truly believed in what we stand for. Come to think of it: D.M. has a mixed audience, I see Metalheads next to Gothic people, I see normally dressed persons in the crowd. All fine by me. Everyone who relates is welcome, the appearance does not matter. Same goes for A.R. gigs as far as I am concerned. Also with A.R. we do not attract one typical crowd.

I saw in an interview from '98 that you mentioned a project you were working on with Mortiis.  Is that still in the works?  If so, what is the material going to be like? The mastertapes are in Greece in the possession of the vocalist of WAMPYR SHADOW WOLF who was involved in that project, too. I guess in the future we continue working on it. Music was like a soundtrack. Typical MORTIIS actually which is only natural since he contributed most of the music.

In the same interview, you also said that Christianity is losing its strength in Northern Europe.  Do you foresee a time when it will no longer be the predominate religion there?  Do you think it will be replaced by a larger number of smaller, more individual belief systems or some other large religion? Many immigrants from North Africa and the Middle East moved to Europe and they strongly hold on to their Islamic religion. Recently many refugees from Kosovo entered Europe and they also are Islamic. More mosques are being built in Europe. I know many Arabs personally and they surprise me by how fundamentalist they often still are. In families I know who used to be rather well integrated in Western society, I suddenly see the men wear robes and women cover their hair and face again. I find it also rather peculiar that the USA and the NATO usually chose the Islamic side in conflicts. I think Islam will become the biggest religion since fundamentalism is increasing in countries such as Afghanistan, Egypt, Algeria, Iran where religious fundamentalist terrorists murder tourists from the West and even their own people they consider less fanatic. Bad indications. I believe everyone is entitled to an own opinion/belief but one should not be despotic about it.

What long-term impact do you think the highly materialistic consumer culture that has developed in the last half of the 20th century will have on society?   Lack of humanity. Wrong values prevailing. Materialistic wealth will overshadow intellectual wealth.

Have you been to the U.S.?  If so, what did you make of it?  If not, would you like to visit here? Our drummer is considering to relocate to the States since he has a house with his American girlfriend in Virginia. He's the US connoisseur! I've been all over Europe, Asia, Africa but not America. Being the eternal traveler, sure I'd like to visit the US one day. I'd like to see the impressive nature (from mountains, to canyons to the desert) and immense nature parks. Musically, especially the New York scene has influenced my teenage years a lot with bands such as DEAD BOYS, RAMONES, ELECTRIC CHAIRS, NEW YORK DOLLS, JOHNNY THUNDERS AND THE HEARTBREAKERS, RICHARD HELL AND THE VOIDOIDS, SUICIDE. Even in pop: MINK DEVILLE, BLONDIE, PATTI SMITH, LOU REED, and TELEVISION. I like the N.Y. accent! Going to N.Y. would be a good opportunity to visit my old pal Dan Lilker of S.O.D.!

Do you have any long-term goals for AR or do you tend toward just taking things one day at a time? We continue our struggle, giving the best we can, but always expecting the least. All these years in the music industry have taught me all is unpredictable: one day god, the next day forgotten. All depends on how much money record companies, promoters or managers invest in a band to create a hype. Quality, authenticity or dedication mean nothing. How else to explain that a band who caught the essence of B.M. like MAYHEM never got the recognition they deserved while so many clowns who discovered B.M. overnight made it big? ARCTURUS made intelligent and original music but the band hardly got noticed, instead press and audience go crazy over Skandinavian bands trying to sound like HELLOWEEN! Goals, my dear friend, we gave up long time ago. We put our hearts and souls into the music we create. That should be enough.  No mess, no fuss, no circus.

Thanks again for taking the time to do this interview for me.  Good luck with all of your future endeavors and I can't wait to hear your next release! The pleasure was completely mine.

www.ancientrites.be

[stormyrecords-blog]

new arrivals and happy easter!

El Michels Affair: Return To The 37th Chamber CD $19.99 LP $27.99"The wait is over, Return To The 37th Chamber is El Michels Affair's highly anticipated follow up to 2009's underground cult classic Enter the 37th Chamber. Churning out classic records since then for the likes of Lee Fields, The Arcs, The Shacks, and tons more, it is clear that EMA's signature sound is stronger & sharper than ever. This time, in addition to re-interpreting the Wu compositions for a live band, EMA pays homage to the production and sonic fog that makes a RZA beat so recognizable. Producer and bandleader Leon Michels recorded the album completely analog, sometimes hitting 6 generations of tape before it was ready for mixing, giving the Return to The 37th Chamber its own hazy sound. Adding to the unique fidelity, the record is laced with psychedelic flourishes, 'John Carpenter' synths, heavy metal guitars, triumphant horns, and traditional Chinese instruments that make up for the lack of the Wu's superlative vocals. From start to finish it's a dark trip that walks the line between RZA's timeless hip-hop aesthetic and the cinematic soul EMA has become known for. El Michels Affair tackles some classics like '4th Chamber' and 'Wu Tang Aint Nuthin to Fuck Wit', as well as some deeper cuts like Ol Dirty Bastard's 'Snakes', Raekwon's 'Verbal Intercourse', and 'Shaolin Brew', Wu-Tang's contribution to the St. Ide's Hip Hop endorsement campaign from 1994. This time El Michels brings some of the Big Crown family along for the ride. Lee Fields handles vocal duties on 'Snakes' and is joined by Shannon Wise of The Shacks for their version of 'Tearz', which pays as much homage to the Wendy Rene sample as it does to the Wu-Tang Clan. Lady Wray makes an appearance on the cover of Method Man's hit, 'All I Need', lending her vocal prowess to what gave the Wu one of their biggest hits of all time. Interspersed throughout the record are some original interludes that are like the 'rug that ties the room together,' giving Return To The 37th Chamber a cinematic narrative that makes it a proper El Michels Affair record and not just a collection of covers. From the music to the presentation, this album is a perfect example of what can only be achieved through diversity. The end result is as much a kaleidoscope of influences and multiculturalism as the city it was recorded in. El Michels Affair is once again, 'sounding out the city' that raised them, pulling elements of art and culture from across the country and around the globe to create an album truly unique in its own right." CALE & TERRY RILEY, JOHNChurch Of AnthraxLP  $24.992017 repress. Terry Riley (piano, organ, soprano saxophone) & John Cale (bass, harpsichord, piano, guitar, viola, organ) collaborated on this one-off album, released in 1970. At this time, rock music was a serious movement, removed from the joke it once was, quite unaware of the joke it would eventually become, and things like this sometimes happened. Cale, classically trained on the viola, must have been pretty pleased to get a shot to record with the '60s king of minimalist pulse, Terry Riley. The album features 4 collaborative tracks between the two; while maybe not earth-shattering, they are quite fine for horizontal home listening pleasure at just about any hour of the day. Instrumental jams, mixing the styles of the two players pretty evenly (if you're vaguely awake, you can imagine this easily). The fifth track is a psychedelic pop masterpiece by Cale, "The Soul of Patrick Lee." Exactly why this track is included here has never been adequately explained, but it is about as beautiful as music in song form can get. 180 gram exact repro reissue. STEREOLABTransient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements2LP  $32.99 "Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements is Stereolab's breakthrough album, their major label debut, and one of the most innovative releases of the 1990s, a musical decade signified by breaking down artistic barriers. Originally released in August 1993, Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements builds on the promise of the band's early releases Switched On and Peng! by expanding the scope of their highly distinctive mix of one-chord Krautrock grooves, distorted vintage keyboard noise and Euro-pop. Adding touches of '50s and '60s easy listening, exotica and space-age sounds as well as samba and French pop, Stereolab did more than any group in the modern rock era to expand the language of art music by incorporating styles left for dead by the serious rock community." MF DOOMOperation: Doomsday (Metal Face Cover) (Black Vinyl)2LP  $32.99Back again on vinyl where it belongs, MF DOOM's 1999 classic Operation: Doomsday is now presented on a premium grade LP, with audio re-mastered from the original Fondle'Em Records release, and a poster of the album cover art! Underneath his mysterious metal mask, MF DOOM hides the cachet underground legends are made of. After KMD (his first group)'s 1994 sophomore album Bl_ck B_st_rds was shelved by Elektra in 1994 and his blood brother Subroc (one half of the sibling rap duo) passed away, surviving front-man Zev Love X mutated into the MC Avenger known as MF DOOM and the rap world is better for it. This 19-cut deep album is ridiculously dope, in a bizarro Ol' Dirty Bastard kind of way. Doom sounds either high or drunk on most of the tracks, his self-produced beats are gritty, and his rhyme styles are almost indecipherable. On arguably the best track, 'Rhymes Like Dimes,' Doom weaves some pointed lyrics through his abstract wordplay, spitting 'only in America could you find a way to earn a healthy buck / And still keep your attitude on self-destruct.' 'Who You Think I Am?' features DOOM's crew M.onster I.sland C.zars, while on '?' he trades hot verses with former Columbia artist Kurious Jorge. Doom's avant-garde ghetto-rhyme philosophies take even more intentionally weird twists on 'Tick, Tick...' where he and guest MC MF Grimm's flows warble over a rhythm track whose tempo speeds up and slows down continually. The comic-book themed skits, will help take you deep into the mind of an MC who is as otherworldly as they come. And in today's bland commercial rap universe, Operation: Doomsday's left-of-center beats and rhymes are the perfect remedy." VA: Music from Saharan Cellphones  LP $19.992017 repress, originally released in 2012. "A compilation of the most popular music circulating the Sahara desert on the unofficial network of cellphones -- where mp3s are stored, played, and traded in very literal peer to peer bluetooth transfers. The contemporary West African sound from the new school of DIY production with little or no commercial release outside of their locales, from spaced out Tuareg autotune, Ivorian club jams, Mauritanian synth, and Malian hip hop electro. Collected from memory cards by and released on cassette, the vinyl comes after over a year of tracking down the composers." Includes cardstock insert with liner notes. VA: Music From Saharan Cellphones V2 LP $18.992017 repress. "Contemporary pop music from the Sahara desert, where songs are stored on cellphones. Collected in Northern Mali in 2010 (since taken over by extremists who've banned music on cellphones) the second volume expands into new sonic territory - from dreamy Niger guitar ballads, Bamako club juke, and hi energy Moroccan child Raï - with a focus on the Autotuned DIY creations circulating the desert." Includes insert with liner notes. PALESTINE, CHARLEMAGNEStrumming MusicLP $29.99The classic minimal music album, available again on vinyl for the first time since the '70s. Primed with a glass of cognac, Charlemagne Palestine sits at the keyboard of a Bösendorfer Imperial grand piano. One foot firmly holds down the sustain pedal while both hands perform an insistent strum-like alternation on the keys. Soon Palestine and his Bösendorfer are enveloped in sound and bathed in a shimmering haze of multi-colored overtones. For 45 minutes, this rich pulsating music swells and intensifies, filling the air. When Strumming Music first appeared on the adventurous French label Shandar during the mid-1970s, it seemed a straightforward matter to place Charlemagne Palestine in the so-called minimalist company of La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass, whose work also featured in the Shandar catalog. Palestine too used a deliberately restricted range of materials and a repetitive technique, but as he has often pointed out in more recent times, the opulent fullness of his music would more accurately be described as maximalist. Strumming Music, recorded in Palestine's own loft in Manhattan, has no written score. In an age of recorded sound he still feels no need for traditional notation. The surging energy of this particular recording stands comparison with the improvising of jazz visionaries who impressed and inspired him while living in New York as a young man. But, as Palestine himself has made clear, primarily he brings to music-making the sensibility of an artist rather than a musician. Although the technique of the piece has roots in Palestine's daily practice, when a teenager, of playing the carillon at a church, hammering sonorous chimes from a rack of tuned bells, it also draws on his later work as a body artist, staging vigorously muscular, physically demanding and often reckless performances. In addition, Strumming Music can be heard as a sculptural tour de force, while its textures connect with the color moods, plastic rhythms, and tactile space of Mark Rothko's abstract expressionist canvases. Strumming Music remains the essential index of Palestine's singular creative vision. Fundamentally this fascinating piece is a collaboration between an artist and an instrument. Palestine had first encountered the Bösendorfer Imperial back in 1969. "The Bösendorfer at its best is a very noisy, thick molasses piano," he has remarked. Charlemagne Palestine embraced its clinging sonorousness, its clangorous resonance and out of that embrace came the voluptuous sonic fabric of Strumming Music. CHERRY, DONMusic, Wisdom, Love 1969LP $28.99Reaching a near-mythical status amongst fans of free jazz's most worldly intrepid explorer, these seldom heard Paris soundtrack sessions known as Music, Wisdom, Love have evaded collectors' grasps and confused historians for exactly 50 years. Instigated in Paris in 1967 and filmed during Don Cherry's downtime on a visit to the Chat qui Pêche nightclub in March 1967, where he played with Karl Berger, Henri Texier, and Jacques Thollot, the bulk of this cinematic portrait was filmed on the streets of Paris under the direction of creative all-rounders Jean-Noël Delamarre and Nathalie Perrey, who, as their careers bloomed, would become pivotal figures in underground French cinema - straddling La Nouvelle Vague, adult entertainment, and cinema fantastique in what can only be described as speedball cinema. As the supportive creative family that primarily played home to French vampire/horrortica director Jean Rollin, both Nathalie and Jean-Noël, his brother Jean-Philippe Delamarre and a small team of other fans of oblique media would be responsible for a vibrant micro-culture that awkwardly flourished on the outskirts on the Parisian new wave - combining comic book culture, Lettrism, sexual liberation, psychedelic rock, graphic design, and, with this record as prime example, free jazz and avant-garde music. What previously might have been regarded as an unlikely coupling, with the benefit of half a century of archival hindsight, this release documents the essential cosmic collision of two fantastic planets. Available here for the first time ever and licensed from producer and director Jean-Noël Delamarre himself. I-LP-O In Dub: Capital Dub LP  $23.99I-LP-O In Dub is the solo project of Pan Sonic member Ilpo Väisänen. Capital Dub Chapter 1 follows the 2015 debut Communist Dub (EMEGO 203LP) - a year marked by further descent into economic crisis and instability. The usual business cycles of production/distribution/consumption, running alongside macro cycles of boom and bust, have been replaced by ossification, austerity, the machine seizing up. Ilpo's "circular riddims" complement the ebb-and-flow of the circulation of money + commodities and are mirrored by his field recordings of Barcelona rain -- the final phase of the cyclical movement of water. But of course the smooth running of "Paradise Capital" is unsustainable. Destroyed techno and open spaces contend with sinister swarming atmospheres. A cash machine flickers. Zeros and ones displace another factory. Dub as decay -- the ghostly remains of tracks eroded by time and technology. The "Invisible Hand" of the market spasms with tremors. Ferocious textural feedback as music for stock exchange crashes. The soundtrack to heaps of money hoarded by the hidden class. Capital is value in motion, but there is nowhere to go. After the collapse, picturesque ruins. Capital Dub Chapter 1 simply asks the question: what next? Influenced by the first part of Karl Marx's Capital (1867). Recorded anytime in there, rain & 808 at Pallars152, Poblenou, Barceloba; Mixed at Juniper & Stone, Kartula, Finland; Mastered at Dubplates & Mastering. ANJOU Epithymia CD  $15.99LP  $27.99"The culmination of four years writing and editing, Anjou marks the first collaboration between Labradford's Robert Donne and Mark Nelson since the release of that group's fixed:context LP. Combining modular synthesis, Max/MSP programming and live instrumentation, Anjou deftly weaves noise with gentle ambience and melody with texture. Guitar, bass and Steven Hess' (Locrian, Fennesz, Pan American) live percussion give the eight pieces an immediacy and create a framework for the more abstract sounds of digital and analog synth programming. The product of twenty plus years of friendship, Anjou is refined and challenging. An extension of the Labradford sound-world but no mere victory lap, Anjou represents Donne and Nelson stepping out and forward, their eyes firmly focusing on the future." BOSS HOG Brood X LP $19.99Boss Hog returns from the wild with their most subversive record — this is the seductive soundtrack for the second coming of militant rock’n’roll, and the groove has never been stronger. Brood X — emerging from the dirty streets of New York City after seventeen years of gestation — is a futuristic brew of 21st Century blues, toxic punk rock beat music, and hyper-focused, outer-space psycho assaults. Thermonuclear chanteuse Cristina Martinez blisters the hypocrites, the haters, the heartless, and the clueless hangers-on with a full-tilt microphone attack. A sex-bomb salvo for troubled times, Martinez gives voice to America’s pain while pulling no punches. This band does not negotiate. This is scorched earth rock’n’roll for the resistance, barbed-wire blues battling for the future of the planet. Recorded and mixed at the fabled Key Club, using Sly Stone’s legendary There’s A Riot Goin’ On console, the album channels the subversive mojo of the underground and brings next-level sonics to save your very soul. BREEDERS Pod LP $26.99180 gram vinyl. "Though ostensibly a side project of The Pixies' Kim Deal and Throwing Muses' Tanya Donelly, The Breeders' 1990 debut, Pod, has held up as a classic of late '80s/early '90s off-kilter alternative pop, surpassing the contemporaneous work of their main bands. Though Deal would really hit the big time 3 years later with the Breeders' follow-up, Last Splash, and Donelly would do the same with her next band, Belly, Pod is the band's finest, most coherent, album and perhaps the high point in both their careers. Engineered by the legendary Steve Albini." CRAMPS Smell Of Female $19.992016 repress. "Released in 1983 after a lengthy court battle with IRS Records, Smell Of Female originally contained just the first six songs. These, plus out-of-control ad-lib freakouts 'Beautiful Gardens' and 'She Said' (previously omitted due to legal restrictions) were recorded live at New Yorkʼs famous Peppermint Lounge. There is nothing like the sound of The Cramps, and this set distills that cross of swamp water, moonshine and nitro down to a dangerous and unstable musical substance, captured live like a crazed animal. They rocked like few others could. Additional bonus track 'Surfinʼ Dead' was recorded at A&M Studios in Hollywood and originally appeared on the 1984 soundtrack for Return Of The Living Dead -- when asked to write a 'pop song' for the movie, The Cramps (by then a three-piece) threw into their cauldron a mix of Link Wray, Jan & Dean, Davie Allen, The Righteous Brothers, bongos, Phil Spector and eye of newt." DALTON, KAREN In My Own Time LP $27.99"180-gram vinyl; Audio remastered from the original tapes; old school tip-on jacket. Remastered from the original master tapes. Liner notes by Lenny Kaye (Nuggets, Patti Smith), Devendra Banhart, and Nick Cave. The late Karen Dalton has been the muse for countless folk rock geniuses, from Bob Dylan to Devendra Banhart, from Lucinda Williams to Joanna Newsom. Recorded over a six month period in 1970/71 at Bearsville, In My Own Time was Dalton's only fully planned and realized studio album. The material was carefully selected and crafted for her by producer/musician Harvey Brooks, the Renaissance man of rock-jazz who played bass on Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited and Miles' Bitches Brew. It features ten songs that reflected Dalton's incredible ability to break just about anybody's heart -- from her spectral evocation of Joe Tate's 'One Night of Love,' to the dark tragedy of the traditional 'Katie Cruel.'" DOCKSTADER, TOD Eight Electronic Pieces $26.99"Originally self-released in 1961 and later issued by Folkways, Tod Dockstader's Eight Electronic Pieces is a foundational document of American electronic music and a stunning first work from this revolutionary composer. Refused access to the resources and funding of the academy and without any interest from the record industry, Dockstader assembled his debut album through three years of his own private labor -- recording after-hours at the New York radio station where he worked. Dockstader's approach was informed by the laboratory experiments of his European contemporaries Edgar Varèse and Pierre Schaefer as well as by the aleatory compositional techniques and neo-dadaist aesthetics of John Cage. While Dockstader famously described his music as 'organized sound,' Eight Electronic Pieces is not pure musique concrète. Oscillators pulse and clash with fragments of incidental tape music, leaving collages of sound as tuneful and memorable as they are otherworldly. A visionary debut that presages the abstract ambience of modern IDM and an essential addition to any collection of early electronic music. Limited edition of 500 numbered copies on clear vinyl." FLYING SAUCER ATTACK Distance $22.99First ever US vinyl of the second album by Bristol’s Flying Saucer Attack. This edition of the LP is produced in full collaboration with FSA / Dave Pearce. Originally released on VHF as a compact disc at the end of 1994, this was the second FSA album, compiling five tracks from impossible-to-get seven-inches with twenty minutes of previously unreleased (and good) material. Similar in blend to the band’s first LP (also newly issued in the USA on deluxe vinyl), the songs hang together as a collection that improves on the individual singles. The two proper singles that make up half of Distance — “Soaring High” / ”Standing Stone” and “Crystal Shade” / ”Distance” were instant collectables upon their release, so this album was compiled to make the songs permanently available. “Soaring High” and “Crystal Shade” are jagged bits of fuzzed-out pop genius; tracks like the mutant concrete “techno” of “Distance” and the two lengthy glissando workouts on “Oceans” and “Oceans II” offset the more conventional tunes, upping the overall impact as a whole album. FLYING SAUCER ATTACK S/t $22.99"First-ever US vinyl of the debut album by Bristol's Flying Saucer Attack, and first vinyl edition of any kind since 1993! This edition of the album is produced in full collaboration with FSA/Dave Pearce. Aka Rural Psychedelia, Flying Saucer Attack's first album was released in 1993 after a couple of instantly sold-out singles. Released at the height of the shoegaze boom, the album is a blend of memorable fuzzed out songs and far-out instrumental doodles, sidestepping the rock bombast of many contemporaries in favor of a home-made aesthetic. FSA's blend of razor-edged static, softly sung melody, and echoing atmospherics builds a dour beauty that sustains itself over the course of the entire program. 'My Dreaming Hill,' 'Wish,' and 'The Season Is Ours' are couched in fuzz and whispery reverb, but are beautiful and accessible tunes, able to stand on their own in any context. 'Popol Vuh 1' and 'Popol Vuh 2' are straight up tributes to the now much better known German masters, steeped in the hushed atmosphere of the best Vuh records (if not exactly the sound)." KONAMI KUKEIHA CLUB Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse DOUBLE LP $39.99Mondo is proud to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Castlevania franchise with the premiere vinyl release of the original soundtrack to the 1989 Famicom / Nintendo Entertainment System Three-quel / Prequel: Dracula's Curse. Dracula's Curse is a dark horse for most beloved of the original NES / FAMICOM trilogy, as it was a happy marriage of the linear elements of the first Castlevania and the more exploratory elements of Simon's Quest—a union that led to the introduction of multiple playable characters, multiple paths and multiple endings - that remain franchise staples even today. The story follows Trevor Belmont, Simon's ancestor and his battles with the prince of darkness, along side three other warriors: Grant Danasty the Pirate, Sypha Belnades the Mystic, and Alucard, Dracula's Son, who makes series debut here, and will play a more pivotal role in the games to come. The soundtrack to Dracula's Curse is important as well. Not only for fan favorite track 'Beginning,' a track you'd be nary to find excluded from any future Castlevania game, but for the dynamic audio introduced on the Japanese version of the game. The VRC6 Audio chip contained in the Japanese version allowed for a wider array of sound channels, producing a brighter, fuller soundtrack than on the cartridge released in the US. The Nintendo Entertainment System could not process this level of audio, so the version released in the US needed to have the audio scaled back. Despite this audio handicap the US version is still terrific, and the superiority of the which version best is still a matter of debate to this day. No need to choose though, since Mondo's vinyl re-issue contains both, spread across two 12" LPs, housed in a gatefold jacket featuring amazing new artwork by Sachin Teng. O'NEIL, TARA JANE S/t LP $22.99At the invitation and by the design of Mark Greenberg (The Coctails), half of this record was recorded mostly live at Wilco’s Loft Studio in Chicago with a band that included James Elkington, Gerald Dowd, Nick Macri, and Greenberg himself. Another half was made in TJO’s home studio in California with Devin Hoff, Wilder Zoby, Walt McClements and string supervisor Jim James. This album also features the voices of Chris Cohen, Carolyn Pennypacker-Riggs and Joan Shelley. Tara Jane ONeil plays guitar, bass, keyboards and percussion. SADIER, LAETITIA SOURCE Find Me Finding You CD $15.99LP $22.99Another New Year, and new shapes are forming—if only we are fortunate enough to notice them! As we spin through this world, we are witness to all manner of combinations unfolding before us—familiar arcs and breaking waves alike, upon all of which it is our choice, our chance and our challenge, to possibly ride. Find Me Finding You, the new album from the new organization called the LAETITIA SADIER SOURCE ENSEMBLE, manages to strike new chords while touching familiar keys in the song of life. From its percolating opening beat, Find Me Finding You locates new systems within the sound-universe of Laetitia Sadier. This in itself isn’t a surprise—Laetitia has relentlessly followed her music through different dynamics and into a variety of dimensions over the course of four solo albums since 2010 (not to forget her three albums with MONADE and the long era of STEREOLAB)—but the nature of the construction here stands distinctly apart from her recent albums. Laetitia was inspired by a mind’s-eye envisaging of geometric forms and their possible permutations. As she sought to replicate the shapes in music, this guided the process of assembly for the album. Features longtime collaborators EMMANUEL MARIO and XAVI MUNOZ, keyboard and flutes from DAVID THAYER (LITTLE TORNADOS), keys, synths and electronics from PHIL M FU, and guitar from MASON LE LONG. Includes a guest appearance from HOT CHIP's ALEXIS TAYLOR, as well as cornet work from ROB MAZUREK. V/A Bloodstains Across Virginia LP  $19.99A collection of rare and classic Virginia punk circa 1978-1983. Features tracks from ZITS, PREVARICATORS, LAMOUR, NOYS, BARRIERS, BEEX, INSINUATIONS, NAROS, CHUMPS, CITIZEN 23, RATICLES, NEXT OF KIN, and RICKY AND THE WHITE BOYS. Fifteen cuts in all. V/A Highlights Of Vortex LP $26.99The brainchild of visual artist Jordan Belson and electronics polymath Henry Jacobs, the Vortex Experiments ran from 1957 to 1960, first at San Francisco’s Morrison Planetarium and later at the SF Museum of Art. The very name of these events announced their aim: a swirling totality of sensory experience. Around Belson’s richly-colored visuals – making use of the planetarium’s entire dome and featuring luminous, sharply geometric imagery projected through an array of devices – Jacobs ringed a system of roughly 40 multidirectional loudspeakers, each of which could be precisely controlled to produce, in the words of one reviewer, “a living theater of sound and light.” A landmark recording in the history of electronic tape music and an engrossing artifact of proto-psychedelia, Highlights Of Vortex gathers recordings designed for the Vortex system by Jacobs and collaborators David Talcott, William Loughborough, and Gordon Longfellow. Source material including free improvisation, field recording,classical Indian instrumentation, West African polyrhythms and musique concrète is transmogrified through tape manipulation, atomizing swathes of reverb and delay, and other live and recorded effects, making dramatic use of the monumental Vortex soundsystem. An unprecedented marriage of image and sound, Vortex Experiments exercised immeasurable impact on the imagination and practice of countless experimental visual and sonic artists so this album is a must for fans of such visionaries as Stan Brakhage, Tony Conrad, and Jack Smith. Limited edition of 500 numbered copies on clear vinyl. WALTER, JUSTIN Unseen Forces CD  $15.99 LP  $22.99Michigan trumpeter Justin Walter’s solo work centers on evocative, intuitive explorations of the EVI (Electronic Valve Instrument), a rare wind-controlled analog synthesizer from the 1970s. Its unique, smeared tonality allows for an expressive range of glassy, jazz-like textures, which Walter loops and layers with hushed electronics and twilit trumpet, painting opaque landscapes of resonant beauty. Walter’s 2013 debut, Lullabies & Nightmares, included a handful of collaborations with percussionist Quin Kirchner, but Unseen Forces finds him fully solo, refining the project to its essence: shape-shifting watercolors of pastel haze, lit by the soft synthetic glow of electric breath. It’s a sound both modern and timeless, fusing emotion and technology, gauze and melody, force and fragility.

[tomruffproject-blog]

100 Days, 100 Albums

Hi Friends:  As some of you know, on January 1st, I decided to embark on a little musical adventure of discovery, that I colorfully referred to as #100days100albums.  That project is coming to an end on April 10th, and I wanted to share some thoughts...   Back to the beginning, I did this for a few reasons… a long commute… a failed, fantasy football season and presidential election that left me wanting absolutely nothing to do with any podcasts whatsoever for a while… a newly acquired subscription to Apple Music, and all the albums that are available… and, a planned “lighter-touring-year” for many of my bands. I already had a pretty sizable music collection - spanning classic rock, 90s, jam bands, and a lot recently discovered jazz.  The bulk of my listening is typically a combination of live shows and albums from my favorite bands (the top 5 being Dave Matthews Band, Phish, the Grateful Dead, the Beatles, and Pearl Jam - in no particular order, but there’s also a lot of “2nd-tier” favorites as well).  You won’t find any albums by the “big-5" on this list, because this project was about taking a break, but you will find some albums from that “2nd-tier”.   The original plan was to revisit a lot of albums, that I hadn’t heard in years, but I set a goal of listening to AT LEAST 100 albums that I had never heard in their entirety before.  That means that I may have known certain songs from those albums, or, I may have known nothing at all.  As I start to write this (with a few days to go), I’m up to #108 (Innervisions by Stevie Wonder, if you were wondering), and by the time I publish this, I am hoping to get in a few more (Updated on 4/10 – I did).  In addition to the official list of “new" albums, I did manage to get to another 30+ of those “revisits”, which are not on this list, but if you’re wondering, included a lot of Led Zeppelin, the Who, Pink Floyd, the Doors, etc.  As for where the albums that are on the list came from - I asked friends, family, and co-workers for suggestions - and did my best to get to as many of them as possible.  I reached for albums that I had read about or heard about that sounded interesting. If you’re looking at this list, and thinking “where’s Abbey Road, Dark Side of the Moon, Music From Big Pink, and Let It Bleed, etc.?” - you won’t find those on here - or many others - as they’re just already favorites.  What I did do... I dug deeper into the back catalogs of bands that I didn’t know as extensively as I thought I did (i.e. Neil Young, and solo McCartney and Lennon).  I consulted the "Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums of All Time" list for ideas… and I looked at some of my wife Alexis’ favorite artists and albums.  She’s credited with getting me to listen to all 12 Billy Joel albums in time for the upcoming Dodger Stadium show, as well as some R.E.M., Elliot Smith, and Simon & Garfunkel among others.  When I found something I liked, I went down a rabbit hole.  That’s why you’ll find a lot of repeat and similar artists in here.  For every album I listened to, I read the Wikipedia article, and well, you start clicking, and next thing you know you’re reliving the British invasion…

You’ll notice that there is no jazz on this list.  I spent a large part of 2016 (especially the fall and holidays) in that space, and intentionally stuck to rock with this.  I’ll get back to jazz soon. Also, I didn’t review these individually, and I’m not going to, but I did want to highlight some things that I learned…  1) My tastes are flexible, but also kind of are what they are.  I discovered new bands and albums that I now love, but if I didn’t really care for a genre before, that didn’t really change. That being said, I completely appreciated everything I listened to in the last few months.   2) I didn’t really intend to focus this much on classic rock - but, when you research albums you "should have heard", most of them are... classic rock.  Maybe next time I’ll dig a little deeper into indy, or maybe rap… 3) Although so many of my personal favorite albums come from the CD era (being born in 1980 will do that), the compact disc was actually, IMO, the worst thing to ever happen to the album - not digital downloads and streaming.  Why? Easy - 60+ minutes is entirely too long… not just because of attention span - but also, because it takes a really special album to maintain quality for that long (aka no filler tracks).  It’s no coincidence that so many of the "greatest albums of all time" come from an era in which 38-45 minutes was the standard, and I think it’s great that in the iTunes era, albums have gotten shorter again.  There is less expectation of length, when you don’t have to “fill a disc”.  4) You’ll notice that I went through waves of specific artists and/or genres.  I listened to a lot of psychedelic rock.  I got on a Clapton kick (with Cream and Derek and the Dominos), and, I dug deeper into Jimi Hendrix, Warren Zevon, Bruce Springsteen, Dr. John, and most importantly Bob Dylan.  I was actually surprised by how many of their biggest albums I had never actually listened to all the way through before.   5) The 80s will never be my favorite era of music - and this applies to both 80s artists, and, albums by classic rock legends that were put out in the 80s.  The production, the synthesizers… in general, just not for me.   6) I still don’t love punk, but I am really glad to have listened to a few albums.  Can totally hear the influence on Pearl Jam, and other bands I do love.   7) The 60s was by far my favorite decade of this project - and I feel like I could easily find another 100 albums to dive in to. 8) I put all of these albums on a playlist to shuffle - so although I’ve only listened to most of them in their entirety once - I’ve been getting to know a lot of these songs and artists a lot better.  Now that I’m done, I can go back and re-listen to some of the ones that I really want to get to know better.  9) Here’s a few unexpected stand out albums/artists of note:

-Allen Toussaint - Southern Nights (Track 1, Last Train is a new favorite.  Interestingly, this was the first album, I listened to.)

-Soul Coughing - Ruby Vroom (The best band I never knew I should have loved.  Thanks to Dave Matthews for having plugged them on a live album)

-Spirit - 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus (Don’t let the name trick you - this album is amazing.

-The Zombies - Odyssey and Oracle (One of the stand-out albums from my tear through the British Invasion.)

-The Revivalists - Men Against Mountain (A new favorite modern band, which will be in heavy rotation for summer 2017.)

-Neil Young - On the Beach (I had never heard of this one, and it’s very chill.  My favorite of the “new to me” Young Albums)

-New Pornographers - Twin Cinema (Dug this enough to grab their new release that came out over the weekend.) 

-Chuck Berry - Berry On Top (I’ll be honest; I looked this up and listened to it the day he died.)

-Paul McCartney - McCartney 2 - (Noteworthy as the worst post-Beatles album by far - just listen to “Temporary Secretary” and bust out your WTF Emoji.)

-David Bowie - Hunky Dory (Which features my favorite Bowie song - Life On Mars.  2nd only to Ziggy Stardust IMO.) 

-13th Floor Elevators - The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators (Another “band I wished I’d heard of years ago - if you like psychedelic rock.)

-Frank Zappa - Hot Rats (The album opens with Peaches en Regalia - one of my favorite Phish covers, and is like everything I love about jazz done with rock.  Very cool.)

And finally, there’s a lot that I couldn’t get to in the past 100 days, but I’ve got some summer tours to follow, and 2017 albums to focus on for a while.  I’m going to try to keep this going with #FullAlbumFriday for a while.    Here’s the full list of “first-time" albums, in order from January 1st to April 10th… 

1 - Allen Toussaint - Southern Nights 2 - Billy Joel - Piano Man 3 - Allman Brothers Band - Idlewild South 4 - Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Denial 5 - Billy Preston - I Wrote a Simple Song 6 - Soul Coughing - Ruby Vroom 7 - Little Feat - Waiting For Columbus 8 - The Doors - The Doors 9 - New Pornographers - Twin Cinema 10 - Billy Joel - Turnstile 11 - S.C.I. - 'Round the Wheel 12 - Spirit - 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus 13 - Dr. John - In the Right Place 14 - Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced? 15 - Simon & Garfunkel - Sounds of Silence 16 - U2 - Joshua Tree 17 - Crosby Stills, and Nash - Crosby Stills, and Nash 18 - Billy Joel - 52nd Street 19 - Cat Stevens - Tea For the Tillerman 20 - The Doors - Strange Days 21 - The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle 22 - Bruce Springsteen - Born In the U.S.A. 23 - The Byrds - Sweetheart of the Rodeo 24 - R.E.M. - Up 25 - Billy Joel - The Stranger 26 - Frank Zappa - Hot Rats 27 - Luther Allison - Bad News Is Coming 28 - Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis Bold of Love 29 - Mother Love Bone - Mother Love Bone 30 - Yes - Close to the Edge 31 - Allman Brothers Band - Brothers and Sisters 32 - Warren Zevon - Warren Zevon 33 - Billy Joel - Storm Front 34 - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Self-Titled) 35 - Cream - Wheels of Fire 36 - Soul Coughing - Irresistible Bliss 37 - Buffalo Springfield (Self-Titled) 38 - The Velvet Underground - Velvet Underground & Nico 39 - Cream - Disraeli Gears 40 - Billy Joel - The Nylon Curtain 41 - Lee Baines III & the Glory Fires - There Is a Bomb in Gilead 42 - Paul McCartney - McCartney 43 - The Meters - The Meters 44 - Janis Joplin - Pearl 45 - Derek & the Dominos - Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs 46 - The Revivalists - Men Against Mountains 47 - Traffic - Mr. Fantasy 48 - Elliott Smith - Figure 8 49 - Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield Again 50 - Billy Joel - An Innocent Man 51 - Santana - Abraxas 52 - The Hollies - Evolution 53 - The Byrds - Turn, Turn, Turn 54 - Dr. John - In the Right Place 55 - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Long After Dark 56 - Bob Dylan - John Wesley Harding 57 - Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes 58 - The Decemberists - The Crane Wife 59 - Warren Zevon - The Envoy 60 - Neil Young - On the Beach 61 - 13th Floor Elevators - The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Elevators 62 - Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Armed Forces 63 - The Yarbirds - Roger the Engineer 64 - David Bowie - Station to Station 65 - Iron Butterfly - In-a-Gadda-Da-Vidda Baby 66 - Bob Dylan - Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan 67 - Van Morrison - Astral Weeks 68 - Ry Cooter - Into the Purple Valley 69 - Chet Atkins & Mark Knopfler - Neck and Neck 70 - Bob Dylan - Blonde On Blonde 71 - Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland 72 - Talking Heads - Speaking In Tongues 73 - Billy Joel - River of Dreams 74 - Jeff Beck - Truth 75 - The Doors - Waiting For the Sun 76 - Radiohead - Hail to the Thief 77 - Soundgarden - Superunknown 78 - Paul & Linda McCartney - Ram 79 - R.E.M. - Document 80 - Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow 81 - The Rolling Stones - Aftermath (UK) 82 - Yes - Fragile 83 - Chuck Berry - Berry Is On Top 84 - Moby Grape - Moby Grape ’69 85 - Bob Dylan - Bringing it All Back Home 86 - R.E.M. - Out of Time 87 - Peter Gabriel - So 88 - Huey Lewis - Sports 89 - The Ramones - Ramones 90 - Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color 91 - David Bowie - Hunk Dory 92 - Billy Joel - Cold Spring Harbor 93 - Talking Heads - 77 94 - Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms 95 - Rush - Moving Pictures 96 - Bob Dylan - Desire 97 - Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska 98 - Flaming Lips - Transmissions From the Satellite Heart 99 - Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory 100 - John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band 101 - Creedence Clearwater Revival - Willy & the Poor Boys 102 - Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison 103 - Marvin Gaye - What's Going On 104 - David Bowie - Diamond Dogs 105 - Sex Pistols - Nevermind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols 106 - Frightened Rabbit - Pedestrian Verse 107 - Allen Toussaint - Sweet Touch of Love 108 - Stevie Wonder - Innervisions 109 - Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker 110 - Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town 111 - Talking Heads - Remain In Light 112 - Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 113 - Neil Young (Self Titled)

  Special thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions over the last few months, and to anyone who is still reading this!

 As for this week… it’s Pearl Jam week, in honor of their Hall of Fame induction…

-Tom

  *Apparently I am not the first person to use this #100days100albums hashtag...