DJ Club Sauce - 2009 - Enter the Bloghouse

Another awesome mashup set by a friend (previously known as DJ One Oscillator) with some amazing samples. Really well produced (no this isn't just a plug for a friend, he's awesome). Unfortunately, chicken strips aren't included with this one.

DJ Club Sauce - 2009 - Enter the Bloghouse

Basshunter - 2006 - LOL <(^^,)>

Okay. I know. Not particularly "hardcore" as in "br00tAL!!" but probably the only thing on this blog that's ever going to come close to happy hardcore. Here's a Swedish dude who's living the dream of every pudgy, acne-ridden 1337-speaking loser out there. He makes the most absurd trancy pop music ever with lyrics about Warcraft 3 mods, IRC chats and Ventrilo, everyone's favorite VoIP client. It's just utter dorkiness. It's absurd. It wouldn't be good if the videos weren't littered with the most absurdly beautiful Swedish women. Don't believe me? Check these babies out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7iU0GGVco8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OzWIFX8M-Y

Plus in his English-speaking videos he uses a half Norwegian, half-Iranian pornstar to play his girlfriend. It's amazing.

Basshunter - 2006 - LOL <(^^,)>

Burnt By The Sun - 2003 - The Perfect Is The Enemy Of The Good

You ever had that feeling where you take way too many uppers and it is physically impossible to focus on anything for more than 30 seconds? Where the only thing you wanna do is to listen to the most insane music in existence? Well, I found myself in that predicament one recent evening at 4 in morning and I made a bee-line for this album. Put succinctly, this album fucking owns. I remember hearing the tune 'Forlani' back when it came out and absolutely hating it. But it somehow reemerged in my life this last year, and thank god it did. I probably listen to this at least once a week. Its pretty much just an string of awesome fucking riff after awesome fucking riff, brilliantly arranged to keep you on your toes. The first three tracks alone are worth the price (shhhh...) of the album. This is one of the only albums that leaves me wanting more every time.

'purchase'

Pink Floyd - 1970 - Atom Heart Mother

Though I love their earliest material, I still think their work from Atom Heart Mother [1970] through The Dark Side of the Moon [1973] is the best and most exciting work of their career. These albums sweep around the listener, melodies and themes creep in and out, changing and morphing during the journey through the albums' bloodstreams. Atom Heart Mother is a jollier, sillier album than others, but that doesn't mean it isn't serious. Kind of in an opposite mode from Meddle, the longest song is first, followed by a series of (relatively) shorter songs. This title first track is huge, epic and awesome. It's typical Pink Floyd fare and that's awesome—it's really good. But I think the middle three songs are where this album really shines. They're low-key and downplayed...even the last track, an epic noise-filled, psychedelic ramble loses the epic feel of the first track. "Summer '68" is a great ode to free love and psychedelia. "If" is a heartbreaking ballad about losing love and friends. "Fat Old Sun" is just a beautiful little song that brings back some of the themes from the first track. A smash hit of an album and the first to really move away from their more psychedelic leanings (though still preserving much of that).

Pink Floyd - 1970 - Atom Heart Mother

Type O Negative - 2009 - Slow, Deep and Hard (Remastered)

Every time I consider retiring Type O as my favorite band, they somehow always manage to re-emerge in my life and put me back in my place. Case in point, this summer, with my faith wavering, I picked up the reissue of Type O's debut, "Slow, Deep and Hard," and was summarily floored by it. This is, without a doubt, one of the heaviest CDs I have ever heard, both musically and lyrically. Old school crossover thrash riffs blend seamlessly into and out of dirges the likes of which aren't heard this side of the grave. The lyrics relate one man's descent into depression and violence and are pretty chilling. This CD is completely unlike their later works, but is nonetheless a superb album. Best. Band. Ever.

*Ive never heard the original, so I dont know how the sound quality compares. Also, Ive left the bonus track "Hey Pete" off because it adds nothing to the album

download

The Bad Plus - 2004 - Give

Since this blog tends to lean toward the harsher music varieties, it may seem odd to see a jazz post. But fuck it, the Bad Plus rock harder than half the "rock" bands out there. One need look no further than "Dirty Blonde" to see just how much energy this trio brings. The cover of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" equals, if not, dare I say, exceeds the heaviness of the original. This is not just about rocking, however, as the Bad Plus perfectly conjure that smoky lounge atmosphere on tracks like "1979 Semi-Finalist" and "Neptune (The Planet)." If youre wary of jazz as being a pretentious, pseudo-intellectual music form, or if youve just never listened to jazz in the first place, I highly recommend you check out this album. Its a gateway drug.

download

We're 6 Months Old!

Okay so I know there hasn't been much activity on the blog in the last weeks (I would like to blame it entirely on my contributors, but I haven't been doing jack shit either and have mad free time to kill, I should get back on this)....BUT! We turn 6 months old today!! Yay!

That means that we've been in the back of your minds, popping up in your Google Readers, sitting in your Temporary Internet Files folder, and (hopefully) making our way into your music libraries for SIX WHOLE MONTHS! Yay!

Thank you all, keep it strong. Long live the punx. Love the love.

So on that note, I leave you with a single parting word:

Yay!

Acid King - 1995 - Zoroaster

What's sweet about this is not only does this band provide some of the heaviest, bluesy psychedelic metal around, but the lead singer and guitarist is hard-rocking, motorcycling, bad ass chick. She's got a voice that every wannabe metal band wants to have but doesn't because they suck and she doesn't. Great songs here with some really infectious riffs. A new find on my part and I'm thoroughly impressed. It's great stuff to rock out in the kitchen with--I love strumming away on my air-spatula, adding that doom-laden, riffy marijuana love to all my most recent kitchen experiments.

download: Acid King - 1995 - Zoroaster.zip

Alec Empire/Panacea - Hetzjagd Auf Nazis Remix (1997)

Years ago, in a magical and far off land known as Germany, there lived a peaceful and tolerant race of people known as the Germans. This country was renowned throughout the world for the preternatural tolerance and patience of the population, and the almost negligent manner in which social and political life was conducted. Surely, they were an example to us all. NOTHING BAD EVER HAPPENED. But if you cut a German, do they not bleed red? How, for so many hundreds of years, have they suppressed the all too human urge to run amok all over Europe in a bloody rampage predicated on the whim of a weak chinned mad-man and his neo-pagan delusions?

Well, in a communal act of self-restraint fit for the gods themselves, they turned inward to a life of culture and refinement, occasionally deigning to release upon the violent masses of humanity teeming at their border a small taste of the years of pent up rage and aggression...IN MUSICAL FORM! Yes, that is why we have Rammstein. And David Hasselhoff. And Nena. AND, most importantly of all, that is why two ridiculous German men, self-styled respectively as Alec Empire and Panacea, exist to offer up two of the breakcoriest Rammstein remixes that ever did exist. If you know anything about these two then I really need to say no more, but suffice to say that Alec Empire is the man who turned yelling nauseatingly sincere left-wing rants over distorted amens from something that I did in High School when I was alone in my basement into something of an art form, and has some sort of inborn ability to make the simplest thing fucking hardcore. And Panacea...what to say about Panacea...maybe just take a look at the picture on his wikipedia page...I think that just about sums him up nicely.

I guess I haven't really said anything about the music itself, but fuck if it isn't any more than a product of its place, time, and creators. Man, its just straight-up by the numbers breakcore done really really well, but it has that little extra something...that germanness that just puts it over the edge of heaviness. It's like taking a shit on a nun; just so fucking German.

first track
second track

Genghis Tron - 2003 - Laser Bitch [Demo]

Genghis Tron's first ever release. Includes two tracks from the Cloak of Love EP and an otherwise unreleased track ("'Penultimate' Just Means Second to Last, You Pretentious Fuck"). More great stuff from an awesome band. Schizo and crazy and fun as hell, your parent would be disturbed and will try and send you to an insane asylum if they hear you listening to this. :)

Genghis Tron - 2003 - Laser Bitch [Demo]

Droon - 2007 - Cripplefight Remixes

Hilarious breakcore stuff here. A great track based around a South Park sample with great techno melodies, and the standard (but great) chopped-up breaky goodness typical of the genre. To make it even better, three of the genres best DJs have provided their remixes of the song (Shitmat, Ladyscraper, and Duran Duran Duran) and the shitshow just gets shittier (shitty meaning good--get with the times, will ya?). Not much more to say.

Droon - 2007 - Cripplefight Remixes

Goatsnake / Burning Witch - 2000 - Split

Awesome awesome awesome. Burning Witch's tracks are particularly incredible. The shrieks of the vocals are so brutal, so fucked up. Both of these bands are made up of Sunn O)))'s founding members so you know you can't get much better than this. Really crazy dissonant, horrifying soundscapes to make you feel nothing but that incessant sense of DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!! Again, I'm really impressed by Burning Witch, they really go all out.

Goatsnake / Burning Witch - 2000 - Split

Giant Squid - 2006 - Metridium Fields

Ah, spring.  The sun is shining, birds are singing, flowers are blooming.  What better time for some doom?  Giant Squid is awesome for three reasons: 1) Their name is "Giant Squid," 2) they sing about sharks, and 3) they sample the best movie ever (Ill leave it to you to figure out what movie it is).  Giant Squid dont play prototypical doom, however.  In fact, theyve got a lot in common with the post metal movement, with long songs that start off quietly, slowly build and tease, until it finally all comes down in a crushing crescendo of heaviness.  A dual female/male vocal approach, strings, and general shanty-town feel of this album makes for a truly unique listen.

download

Record Store Day

Okay, so I'm a failure. Today was Record Store Day, the one day EVERYONE ON THE FACE OF THE PLANET WITH THE RESOURCES TO DO SO should go to a record store and FUCKING BUY SOMETHING. Seriously. If you did your part, well done. Muchos kudos to you. To all the rest of us who fucked up, try and buy something in the next few days. Or the next week. I know no one has money right now, but the way to fix things is to start invigorating the economy. Go fucking buy some shit, and it might as well be music. Especially since the music industry is hurting big time. And unless you absolutely have to, try NOT to buy something from Sony or Columbia or Universal or Warnes Bros. And buying from iTunes DOES NOT COUNT, dipshit, so none of that lip.

nat out

ps, check out the links:

http://www.recordstoreday.com/Home

Artist Quotes (really interesting)

Watchmaker Double Feature

Well, since a series of fairly asinine events has left me in a bit of a sour mood, I figured it was the perfect time to post this. Watchmaker play such caustic, misanthropic, hate-filled grind that even the coldest, grimmest black metal will sound like Duran Duran by comparison. CD titles like 2003's "Kill.Fucking.Everyone" and 2005's "Erased From the Memory of Man" should give you a clue to what's in store. This shit will melt your face faster than that acid blood from Alien. Get your shotgun ready, we're out for blood.

download

Boris- Pink 2005

'Pink' is undeniably...groovy. To be brutally fucking honest, I hate describing anything as groovy 'cause it brings back memories my hippie friends trying to convince me to put on 'Dark Side' while we're rollin' in my 6-4.

Anyway, 'Pink' is an albums of varied sounds- the title track lets you know that Boris is fucking with some groovy (damn it) riffage. 'Blackout' is a sort of throwback to the drone doom that Boris is so good with, and 'Electric' is just intense. This is the album that made Boris popular to the masses- and though it's not my favorite, nor is it even close to their heaviest, 'Pink' is still a more-than-worthy Boris album.

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

Agoraphobic Nosebleed / Insect Warfare - 2008 - Split

  
A great split. Both sides rock fucking hard. ANb kinda has a little story going on its side while Insect Warfare just goes crazy. I kinda prefer IW’s stuff a bit better. Not really sure why.

http://www.mediafire.com/?myzdwf2z1t2

Boris- Heavy Rocks 2002

Unlike the more drone doom influences on earlier albums like 1998's Amplifier Worship or their 1996 debut Absolutego, Boris' 'Heavy Rocks' is more in the vein of punk-influenced stoner rock. There's definitely a sort of retro feeling on this album; I mean, check out the cover- it's orange, with some psychedelic-styled text (the orange sort of reminds me of Can's extremely fantastic 'Tago Mago'). The title track 'Heavy Rocks' is pretty much indicative of the more groove-based style that the rest of the albm follows. In any case, this is a more (traditionally) melodic album- but fast, loud, and distinctly Boris. This album is fucking good and comes highly recommended by me.

In other news, my new goal is to put up what I have of the Boris discography since I already put up Amplifier Worship and this album, so expect a bunch more Boris posts in the future.

http://www.mediafire.com/?3glyzylm2um

Boris- Amplifier Worship 1998

One of my favorite Boris albums. Heavy-as-fuck, droning but wildly interesting 10+ minute creations from one of the best drone doom bands around. 'Hama' and 'Kuruimizu' flirt with the more abstract drone influences, whereas 'Huge' and 'Vomitself' are brutally sludge-y. I don't know what else to say- put this in your '1000 albums I must fucking am out to before I die' list you have in your drawer.

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

Radiohead - 1991 - Manic Hedgehog

Radiohead's first real release when they were called "On A Friday." A terrible name but an interesting find. Great versions of "Thinking About You" and "You." A cool thing for a Radiohead freak, but not clearly not essential. Oh, and if you can't read what it says on the cover (which I'm pretty sure was a paper bag) it's "Work sucks."

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?k0jqzdn43ky

The Dillinger Escape Plan - 2004 - Miss Machine

Mathcore is an understandably love-it or hate-it genre. With its heavy use of complex time signatures and frequent harmonic freak outs, mathcore is not for everyone. With Miss Machine, however, the Dillinger Escape Plan have done the impossible: make a catchy, accessible mathcore album without eschewing the musical complexity or spazziness that the genre is known for. Far from "dumbing down" their sound, DEP have struck the perfect balance between technicality and accessibility. Mathy guitar noodling abounds everywhere, but never at the expense of memorable song writing. Awesome jazz interludes sit side by side with sing along choruses. Where prior DEP effort Calculating Infinity was lost among its own technicality and follow up effort Ire Works is just too damn poppy, Miss Machine is a fantastic assemblage of noise and hooks.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?zhoumym3nzv

ISHITNOISE

It's true. I do.

AND SO CAN YOU! The Noise Wiki is a great site to find bands you nor anyone you know has EVER heard of. Their names are offensive, crude, cryptic, and strange; their music follows suit; and this website attempts to catalogue them all. From the post-industrial, to the minimal noise, to the fat kid who plays with tapes (not to mention himself) down the hall in your dormitory, there's a decent chance you'll find a bit of everything. It's a cool site, but they're also severely lacking in details and info. So help 'em out. They're really bizarrely political about it too. It's kind of hilarious. Good shit.

Ayat - Six Years of Dormant Hatred

I think if Ayat had waited seven years to release this instead of six, they probably would have blown themselves up by now. Which, unfortunately, would not be a totally unexpected event in their hometown of Beirut, Lebanon. Ayat plays a damn solid black/thrash hybrid, with a chunk of punk influence thrown in for good measure (Ive heard their sound also described as industrial, but these ears did not pick up on that). There are some riffs in here that will stick in your head for days, as well as some gang chants catchy enough to have you singing (shrieking?) along to within a few spins. Furthermore, Ayat throws in some wacky ambient shit here, notably at the end of Fornication and Murder, as well as the final track Such a Beautiful Day! (The Exaltation of St. Francis). Ayat clearly restrain themselves to no preconceived notion of what black metal should sound like, and are altogether better for it.

mediafire is fucking with me right now, but heres a link you can download it from:
http://ins-vast.blogspot.com/2008/12/ayat-lebanon-six-years-of-dormant.html

Genghis Tron - 2006 - Dead Mountain Mouth

As per request (by my fellow contributor, but a request nonetheless), here's Genghis Tron's first full-length release. Great opening track, full of wack-tarded drum programming. Still kind of feels like one of their less-polished releases but it's slightly more evolved with songs like "From The Aisle" which show their move towards more structured songs, with varied stylistic and thematic elements. The build up to that song is particularly awesome with the dark, lyrical processional that suddenly cuts to silence. You think it's gonna come back super fast and crazy but when the guitars kick in, they're subdued and slow, pushing for a grinding, churning effect. Plus we even hear bits of guitar solos (something not entirely typical of the band) with some awesome screaming in the background. And then it fades out in absolutely beautiful fashion. The album art is sick--the little inverted crucifix on the ground in the foreground is kinda hilarious as it really doesn't fit the tenor of the band at all other than them being metal.

download: Genghis Tron - 2006 - Dead Mountain Mouth.zip

Genghis Tron - 2005 - Cloak of Love [EP]

Genghis Tron's first official release, mostly categorized by some super heavy riffs, some ill techno-y hooks and rather chaotic sound-mush. More fun than Dead Mountain Mouth but less interesting than Board Up the House. It's very clearly their first release as it's all over the place, never really sticking to one sound or one style consistently. Not that a band should be grounded in one thing, but it's just not very polished and when put up against their newest release, it's flaws really come out. But it's still hella fun and "Laser Bitch" is just so freaking good that it's totally worth downloading (or buying...hell yeah, buy this shit...I should be plugging you guys to be buying all of this stuff anyway) just to delete the other four tracks.

Oh, and they went to Vassar, where I go...so BIG UPS VASS! BIG UPS GENGHIS TRON!! BIG UPS PO-TOWN HARDCORE!

download: Genghis Tron - 2005 - Cloak of Love [EP]

HORSE the Band - 2006 - Pizza [EP]

So this EP is just so silly I thought everyone should have a listen. Basically these guys got so obsessed with Lou Malnati's (yes friends, Lumelnatis...don't worry if you don't get this, only a handful of peeps will appreciate it) deep dish pizza in Chicago that they took time out of their schedule to write 5 songs about how awesome pizza is. I would tend to agree with them...pizza fucking rules. But I've never had Lou Malnati's.

Anyway, it's not bad either. The keyboards are the most hilarious part as they really do sound like video game music. These guys invented the term "Nintendocore" which is basically a conflation of metalcore and video game music. They got the hooks, they got the jokes, they got the rage and they got the ill fucking keyboard. It's good shit. Check it, son!

plus, there's an ill cover of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme...how can you go wrong?

download: HORSE the Band - 2006 - Pizza [EP].zip

Pelican - 2003 - Australasia

At the intersection of doom metal and post-rock there is a throne, and upon that throne sits Pelican. Or maybe they built the throne. What is post-rock, anyway? Explosions in the Sky? Pelican are kind of like them, with the long, gradually developing songs that handle all sorts of dynamic changes. And the crushing, repetitive riffs are akin to doomers like Earth. But without question, Pelican are doing their own thing, which is becoming more and more common these days, as genre classifications slide into irrelevance.

Critical pontification aside, this is Australasia, and it’s heavy and monstrous and beautiful. No vocals, just down-tuned guitar and bass and ridonkulous drums, pummeling you into the motherfucking ground. The songs flow seamlessly, so I encourage listening from beginning to end. This may be emotionally taxing, but it will also be really rewarding and maybe even life affirming (dig Angel Tears). If Australasia turns you on, so will the rest of Pelican’s catalogue, which is really consistent from release to release.
- sfs
dl:http://www.mediafire.com/?4zmz2ummmc5

Nine Inch Nails - 1992 - Broken [EP]

Released about three years after Reznor's first album Pretty Hate Machine, Broken is a radical break from the previous release's synthpop sensibilities and really opens up ground for what would become the sounds so reminiscent of his later work. Really angry stuff here. My favs are "Wish," "Happiness in Slavery," and "Last." Also a really strange release in that in some version there are actually 99 songs (the last two tracks are called "Track 98" and "Track 99" respectively) and each track not labeled in the tracklisting is a single second of silence. We see his use of silence, out bursts of anger and a huge emphasis on swear words, violence, sexual deviance, etc. Truly first in line in his "industrial" work (though from a purely technical standpoint, his music never becomes actually "industrial" until Ghosts I-IV--nothing really implements the requisite ambient and minimalist and noise for true industrial music until then (almost 20 years after his first release)).

download: Nine Inch Nails - 1992 - Broken [EP].zip

The 13th Floor Elevators - 1966 - The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators

So I know this is decidedly “unhardcore,” but this band has been steadily reaching the upper echelons of my most played music since I first downloaded them a few months ago. One of the first bands to describe their music as “psychedelic,” this album has been rather influential to a number of scenes (most obviously the psychedelic music world) including punk rock for their simple rock and roll hooks and wacky showmanship. A far cry from the traditional psychedelic sound, their jugband-sound (no seriously they use an old-timey jug) creates an atmosphere I’d rather call “wacky” than “psychedelic.” Also, these guys were at the forefront of the drug legalization movement in the 1960s (I mean how could they not when they self-ascribe the “psychedelic” label all over the place) and were huge acid heads. Some good covers of rock and roll staples (Gloria, You Really Got Me, You’re Gonna Miss Me). The best track is “Don’t Fall Down.”

download: The 13th Floor Elevators - 1966 - The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators.zip

Total Fucking Destruction - 2008 - Peace, Love, and Total Fucking Destruction

John Zorn may have pioneered jazz-grind with his Naked City project, but Total Fucking Destruction have mastered it. Stepping up their game considerably from 2007s mediocre Zen and the Art of Total Fucking Destruction, drummer Rich Hoak and his merry band of pranksters have, in Peace, Love, and Total Fucking Destruction, delivered something truly bizarre and unique. Almost every song on here is instantly memorable, due to a combination of intelligible (and intelligent) lyrics and truly vicious melodies. Opener "Bio-Satanic Terroristic Attack" will have you running for the hills, shouting the lyrics the whole way, while both followups "Monsterearth Megawar" and "Non-existence of Self" deliver some infectious riffing.

Things get really interesting on "Grindcore Salesman," where the guitar melody morphs from a brutal crush into a jazzy little ditty that wouldnt sound out of place in New Orleans. The ability to switch instantly from grinding destruction to bluesy guitar harmonies is really what sets this CD off from other grind albums. Hoak does a masterful job of setting the pace, blasting away when the moment suits, but effortlessly switches to subdued kit work when the song calls for it (see "Let the Children Name Themselves, nary a blast on the entire song). The guitarist, when not churning out delicious melodies and riffs, is capable of some truly spacey work, floating ethereally above the rhythm section like the Northern Lights over the Arctic Circle. Even the bass has its place on the album, maintaining an audible harmony between the at-times breakneck drumming and occasionally kooky guitar work.

The lyrics, too, are a pretty interesting read. Im told that they tell the story about a child soldier, but I must have missed that, as they seem to be a much less specific, but no less important, call to action. Its the typical political rant, urging you to break free of the status quo, but are nonetheless delivered in an over-the-top ranting style, which makes them enjoyable to listen to. Many songs are comprised solely of a single lyric yelled over and over again, lending the whole album a mantraesque feel, and is ultimately responsible for the discs' memorableness. My only complaint about the entire effort is the final 7 minute long experiment "Last Night I Dreamt We Destroyed the World." Its a too long psychadelic trip with lots of feedback that makes the seemingly interesting monologue indiscernible. It closes with a pretty solid piece of music, and could have been made stronger if the lead up had just been cut. That being said, Peace, Love, and Total Fucking Destruction is like nothing Ive ever heard before, and I cant imagine hearing anything like it in the future. Except for the next TFD release.

-Pete

download: Total Fucking Destruction - 2008 - Peace, Love, and Total Fucking Destruction.zip

HEAVY HEAVY LOW LOW - 2006 - Everything's Watched, Everyone's Watching

I listen to metal for a lot of reasons, and one of them is just to get really pumped up. Going to the gym to lift and get swoll? Try this on for size. HHLL are a mathcore outfit, a little on the scene side, but definitely the real deal. They've got the hooks ("Kids, kids, kids", "tell shannon her crafts are ready") to keep you coming back, the vocals are really crazy and animated, like the guy just kind of goes all over the place, and he knows when to just say "fuck it" and breathe into the mic like he's unaware that he's making music. They're not so avant garde and dissonant that they never give you any huge cathartic breakdowns, so you'll probably get more listens out of it than your average number 12 looks like you or daughters record.

Apparently HHLL put a new record out last year - I don't got it yet. It's probably not as good as everything's watched though. - sfs

download: Heavy Heavy Low Low - 2006 - Everything's Watched, Everyone's Watching.zip

A Thank You

So this is for everyone who has stuck with the blog and convinced that it's a good idea to continue. I know it's only been a month, but this has been such a dream of mine and I'm just glad I finally decided to do it and even happier people have responded so positively to it.

284 downloads from the site thus far! Way to go! Let's keep getting more music out there, where it should be! IN THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE! Music is not for industry bigwigs, or solely for the artists or the labels or anything. It's for us. And honestly, we should have complete access to anything and everything that has at one point been released to the general public. Fuck copyrights, fuck copy control, fuck the RIAA, fuck the PMRC, fuck Tipper Gore, fuck the FCC, fuck everyone who doesn't want us to get access that which we want.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE! Music can change the world, but only if we let it.

Tool - 1992 - Opiate [EP]

Though clearly not one of Tool's better releases but the two live tracks really make up for everything. They give the listener a taste for the band's sense of performance style and stage presence. Maynard's attack is ruthless and vicious (he verbally attacks an audience member at one point--it's freaking hilarious) and it's grungy and raw and visceral. Great stuff, but not the same super progressive, trippy, psychedelic metal consistent with their later albums. Also, it has lot of the same songs from the Toolshed 72826.

download: Tool - 1992 - Opiate [EP].zip

Tusk - 2007 - The Resisting Dreamer

So if you're gonna download one thing by Tusk, get this. Really intense grind/experimental/noise/electronic rock. Feels like being ripped apart by a helicopter only to be pieced together again like a puzzle. From jazzy to punky to noisy and synthy. If you like Genghis Tron, you'll enjoy them. Slightly different (less synths, more grind, more bass and drums).

download: Tusk - 2005 - The Resisting Dreamer.zip

Tusk - 2005 - Get Ready

These guys rock. It kinda sounds like a million other things going on right now, but somehow these guys really capture a certain something. Though this isn't their best release, this in conjunction with their next album (The Resisting Dreamer), show an amazing progression towards super-dissonant, jazzy, loopy grindcore. It's all over the place, but it really begins to make sense if you put a bit of dedication into it.

download: Tusk - 2005 - Get Ready.zip

Venom - 1982 - Black Metal

One of the defining metal albums (and the one to give the black metal genre its name). This British metal band would influence countless American thrash metal bands throughout the '80s. The title track, "Teacher's Pet" and "Buried Alive" are good tracks.

download: Venom - 1982 - Black Metal.zip

Scratch Acid - 1984 - Scratch Acid [EP]

Classic '80s noise-rock. Kurt Cobain was a big fan. Really buzzy and fuzzy and weird and punky. Angry as shit.

download: Scratch Acid - 1984 - Scratch Acid [EP].zip

Vsnares (Venetian Snares) - 2002 - 2370894

A compilation album of typical Venetian Snares breaks. Great stuff. "Fuck Toronto Jungle" is great.

download: Venetian Snares - 2002 - 2370894.zip

Metallica - 1986 - Master of Puppets

Oh boy. This is a beast of an album. Seriously one of the heavy metal classic of all time. Even if you don't like Metallica, if you haven't given this album a chance, you should try it. The opening track ("Battery") has the best freaking intro and the rest of the album is just so monumental it's barely worth mentioning. You'll see what I mean when you throw it on. I'm not really sure what else to say, but the best track on the album is "Orion." It's completely instrumental and just huge. It's one of my favorite songs of all time. Try it. You'll like it.

download: Metallica - 1986 - Master of Puppets.zip

Radiohead - 2001 - Amnesiac

So it might not have the instant gratification while still being incredibly complex and deep that OK Computer might have, but this their magnum opus, in my opinion. From the demure digital-waterdrops of musical texture in the opening track to the dissonant shock-waves of jazz-inspired horns and complex drum-lines of the last track, this album is a journey. It's not a journey for all though. It gets really weird and goes to some really intense places. It's almost like avant-garde neo-classical digital jazz-rock in it's complex arrangements and variety of themes and influences. "Pyramid Song" is a long, drawn-out, trippy-as-fuck dream sequence. The song ebbs and flows and goes in and out of making sense both lyrically and musically, much like how dreams rarely make sense and then there are intense moments of clarity.

download: Radiohead - 2001 - Amnesiac.zip

Rosetta - 2007 - Wake/Lift

Unlike The Galilean Satellites, Rosetta has learned to fine-tine their formula, making for a more well-structured and well-organized, and thus more monumental, album. "Red In Tooth and Claw" is a massive tower of a song that provides an awesome first exposure to the organically evolving soundscapes constructed through the rest of the album. As a whole, the album really is huge. Even in it's quietest, most intimate and serene moments, there's this towering sense of cosmic, emotional drama. In the ambient piece, "Tenet Nosce" (something like 'find yourself' in Latin), there is this emotional and heavy sense of self-discovery. Though it never really builds up, there is this forceful spinning sensation of blind, unconscious grasping for meaning. It really works very well as a whole because it creates a sensation of up and down, big and small, loud and quiet, atmospheric and monumental, ambient and thrash. It's an album of polar opposites. It's much more well-crafted and well thought out than their first album (though Tenet Nosce gets a bit boring) and it's an album that you might actually want to put on over and over again. Little details come out upon repeated listens that are very rewarding and thought-provoking (and, moreover, just really damn cool to listen to, let's get honest). "Monument" is hands-down the best album on the track, but all three parts of "Lift" make for one spectacular listen.

Rosetta might have an uphill battle to gain dominance of the Neurosis/Isis universe, but if anyone can do it, it's these guys. I've invested so much heart to these guys over the last year and a half, I just hope they keep at it and don't lose their touch for immaculate, spacey, atmospheric metal or whatever you wanna call it. I think these guys are one of the most interesting and defining bands of the current decade and I can't wait until their next album comes out...whenever it does.

download: Rosetta - 2007 - Wake/Lift.zip

ps, I don't think I've ever put so many labels on one album. I just really don't know what to classify it as.

Wanna help out?

So I'm having a blast doing this alone, but I originally had the notion that this could be a collaborative effort. If anyone wants to help me out, leave a comment or send me an email (demnevanni@gmail.com). If you go to VC, it would be even awesomer. If you wanna write reviews or talk about music, or make music lists, or whatever...i don't care. But if you're interested, just holla at me.

Nine Inch Nails - 1996 - Quake Soundtrack

I don't know how many of you played Quake, but I fucking loved that game. It was scary as hell, really fun and really long with one awesome and freaky level after another. I remember how awesome it was when you realized you had to teleport into the final boss in order to kill her. Or when it would rain with blood after you killed a bunch of people with a single grenade. Or when I first got the thunderbolt which just shoots pure lightning. Fucking awesome! Fucking HARDCORE! ARGHHHH!! ARGHHH!!!! GRRR!!!! ARGGHHH!!! well, enough of that...the album is okay. It's hard to listen to because it's really very repetitive. But it does fit well with the game. It's clanky and gritty and industrial (it really does sound like a machine at points) and droning and spooky and provides a good background to your steady prowl through hell and back. But it's kinda hard to listen to. Truly recommended if you like Quake, NIN, or ambient music. It's also nice if you're just looking for wacky, scary music. It's also good for sleeping. No really. I actually put it on quite regularly with the sole intention of listening to the first song (which I actually really like) and passing out before it ends.

download: Nine Inch Nails - 1996 - Quake Soundtrack.zip

of Montreal - 2008 - Skeletal Lamping

So I asked my friend to write a piece for the blog and this was the product. If anyone wants to participate, let me know! I want people to help out. Especially if you go to VC, it would be super easy to coordinate...hmmm...i should make a new post. Anyway:


Most Delicious Sandwiches of 2008: Skeletal Lamping

Jarring transitions. That’s the centerpiece of like 90% of the critical appraisals of Skeletal Lamping. They usually say something like: the record doesn’t hang together well enough; it’s not cohesive.
FUCK YOU. Okay, so maybe I should calm down a little. But this is my pick for best of 2008, jarring transitions and all. Kbarnes talks about how he doesn’t want to be predictable, he doesn’t want the listener to be able to finish his musical sandwiches. And you can’t finish the sandwiches, not at first anyway. You choke on them a little bit, and you can’t eat the whole thing in one sitting.
Listen to it LIKE EIGHT TIMES. Get high and listen to it. Get crunk and listen to it. Before you know it this electrofunkpop pastiche will become your life. This is of Montreal’s Kid A, don’t be swayed by the lukewarm reviews. Just eat the damn sandwich(es).
- SFS


download: of Montreal - 2008 - Skeletal Lamping

Boards of Canada - 2005 - The Campfire Headphase

These guys really know what they're doing. They do this great mix of ambient noise and swirling sounds with minimal techno and danceable grooves while staying fresh and weird and fun. This isn't really their best effort, but it's strong and fun and has some really solid tracks. "Dayvan Cowboy" is especially awesome--it builds up really well and is approached in a slightly different manner than most of their other songs, built around a couple of slowed-down, atmospheric guitar riffs. That and '84 Pontiac Dream are my favorite tracks from the album.

download: Boards of Canada - 2005 - The Campfire Headphase [Part 1].zip
download: Boards of Canada - 2005 - The Campfire Headphase [Part 2].zip

snares (Venetian Snares) - 2007 - Sabbath Dubs [EP]

OMG! This shit is sick. It doesn't really matter what you're into, this shit is awesome. Really slowed-down and dubby with some really nice effects. Really spacey and trippy. Great stuff.

download: snares - 2007 - Sabbath Dubs [EP].zip

Nirvana - 1992 - Hormoaning [EP]

Not too much to say here. Some decent Nirvana stuff here including a nice version of Aneurysm (not the same as on Incesticide) and one of Molly's Lips.

download: Nirvana - 1992 - Hormoaning [EP].zip

Alice in Chains - 1990 - Facelift

download: Alice in Chains - 1990 - Facelift.zip

Alice in Chains - 1990 - Jar of Flies [EP]

download: Alice in Chains - 1990 - Jar of Flies [EP].zip

Alice in Chains - 1992 - Dirt

download: Alice in Chains - 1992 - Dirt.zip

Best of '08

No I'm not doing just one single list, but two. The first is a "Best of new music from 2008" and the second is a "Best of what I actually listened to in 2008" which I think is a rather more interesting list. These will be coming in the next few days. Check back soon.

Temple of the Dog - 1991 - Temple of the Dog

This album is a gem. A supergroup that actually made some great music (even if they only made one album). Hunger Strike and Say Hello 2 Heaven are probably my favs. I dunno what makes this album great, but it really is. I think a big part of this album's success is the fact that all the musicians got together not to create the "next Pearl Jam album" or the "next Soundgarden album"; they got together to create some music in honor of their mutual friend Andrew Wood, lead singer of Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone, who had died earlier that year of a heroin overdose. It's a grunge classic.
download: Temple of the Dog - 1991 - Temple of the Dog.zip

Alice in Chains - 1995 - Alice in Chains

download: Alice in Chains - 1995 - Alice in Chains.zip