Another Record Store Day is upon us and we are still to bring you our pretty comprehensive list of what releases we think you should be picking up, and labels you ought to support. We get that commercialism and capitalism a kind of destroying the whole world, but at the same time if you love music, and if you especially love underground music, you want to support artists as hardcore as possible. The best way to do that is to put money in their pockets so they can keep doing what you love, and what they love. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Tad
PODCAST: Glacially Musical #172 – Slayer “Divine intervention” Reviewed ft. Omar Cordy of Ghost Cult
Time for our final episode of our Slayer series ! Nik and Keefy are joined by Omar Cordy of #GhostCultMag to discuss the first post-Dave Lombardo era, and the merits of Paul Bostaph! We also rank every album we covered!Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Mr. Phylzzz – Fat Chance
Amphetamine Reptile, remember them? The legendary Noise-Rock label home to countless legends such as Helmet, Melvins, The Jesus Lizard, Tar, etc etc. In later years a newer generation of bands emerged that includes Gay Witch Abortion, White Drugs, Hepa-Titus, and of course Mr Phylzzz.
ALBUM REVIEW: Oozing Wound – We Cater To Cowards
Judging by the name, Oozing Wound should be a run-of-the-mill Death Metal outfit with all of the daft connotations that come with the genre. Thankfully the band is signed to the excellent Thrill Jockey Records, so safe to say this is not the case. What it does demonstrate, however, is a band not afraid to annoy overly serious music journos like me, and artists are supposed to stick it to the man, who in this case would be me. Ahem.
Nirvana’s Nevermind Album Turns 25
Do you remember where you were on September 24th, 1991? That is, if you were even alive, since it was a quarter century ago. I was in class at community college in my home town. As usual I was hanging out on the soccer field, guitar in hand, hanging with my usual band of freaks, geeks, stoners, punks, metalheads, and the like. The buzz around campus was this song ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit,’ that was not only all over MTV, but also becoming an actual hit song on the radio.
KEN Mode – Success
A wail of feedback, a sludgy, laconic riff, a jarring bass line and Success (Season of Mist) shudders into being in the style of that too-cool-to-give-a-fuck band that ambles on stage and begins the song with each member starting at their own pace and point of choice. KEN Mode, kings of the post-surf/noise rock power-trio kingdom stroll acerbically into their sixth album.
Jesse Matthewson, known for intelligent, confrontation and biting observations, has chosen to measure his delivery this time, and most of his outpourings are part-spoken and spat, rather than roared or thrown from his maw, seemingly intent on imparting off-centre soundbites. “I would like to kill the nicest man in the world” he states at the outset of ‘These Tight Jeans’, where he trades off lines with Jill Clapham in both a catchy and knowingly cool fashion, channelling his inner Jesus Lizard.
The hand of Steve Albini is present all through, as the In Utero (Geffen) producer skuzzes up ‘The Owl’, an astringent swagger with stoner undertones, before a bass crunk and cello mid-section pull the song into a discordant yowl over clashing chords, as KEN Mode play with the notion of traditional song-structure effectively. Sonic Youth would be proud.
Yet all is not rosy in KEN and Barbie’s world. There is a nagging feeling that while Clutch (for whom KEN Mode certainly owe a something to) are naturally and instinctively quirky, for the first time KM things feel a bit forced, as if stating “Handfuls of proverbial shit tossed over and over against that same proverbial wall” (‘Blessed’) is a little close to the mark, and that moving to a more caustic pop sound may be contrived, such as on the overly self-aware and smug ‘A Passive Disaster’. The cap might not fit at the moment, but all it would take is adjusting the clasp at the back. At times, this new KEN Mode just sits a little uncomfortably. But then such doubts are stomped to dust by the rising dynamic of ‘Management Control’ which builds to feedback end, or the exemplary dark, brooding, sprawling ‘Dead Actors’, that recalls The Doors clashing with a more progressive Nirvana.
Mixing a Clutch of stoner, a Tad of grunge and pinch of Mudhoney slovenliness in their Helmet of groove, KEN Mode can consider their transition a Success. Just.
7.0/10
STEVE TOVEY
Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth On West Coast Tour, Tour Trailer Streaming
Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth is currently in the midst of their West Coast tour. The band features featuring iconic guitarist/vocalist Tad Doyle (formerly of Tad and Hog Molly) veteran bassist Peggy Doyle and drummer Dave French (The Anunnaki). They are supporting their self titled album out now via Neurot Recordings. Watch the tour trailer below.
May 23: Starlight Lounge – Sacramento, CA
May 24: Parkside – San Francisco, CA
May 25: Echoplex – Los Angeles, CA
May 27: Sister – Albuquerque, NM
May 28: Hi-Dive – Denver, CO
May 29: Metro Bar – Salt Lake City, UT
May 30/2015 Neurolux – Boise, ID
BOTSC West Coast Tour 2015 from WitchApeStudio on Vimeo.