08/29 – 09/02:

Mastodon, Call of the Mastodon

This is a collection of material released before Mastodon’s first proper album. It’s a somewhat different band here. They even had a dedicated singer instead of Brent and Troy trading off like they do now, although his vocal style and theirs are very similar. This material sounds far more unhinged than they did on Remission, and certainly much more extreme than they’ve become in recent years. It’s an interesting time capsule.

Mastodon, “Deep Sea Creature”



Sparta, Austere EP

Yeah, talking about that Mars Volta album awhile back inspired this. I still like this material. It reminds me of middle period At the Drive-In. Not as aggressive as the album that broke them (Both in terms of publicity and band member relations, ha). It’s not exactly like that old ATDI stuff, it’s got a little of its own flavor, especially the remix track at the end. It’s familiar and different at the same time, making it a pretty good time.

Sparta, “Mye”


Noun, Holy Hell

Noun is the solo project of Marissa Paternoster, the singer/guitarist of Screaming Females. Noun and Screaming Females came into being around the same time, but the latter takes up most of her time, obviously. The songs of Noun vary dramatically in style and tone, from slow, dirge-y kind of songs to rockers that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Screaming Females album.

Noun, “Holy Hell”


The Dillinger Escape Plan, Miss Machine

I think this is the DEP album I listen to least-often, and I don’t know why. I really like it. That’s not true, actually, Irony Is A Dead Scene get sin my ears even less frequently (Even though I love Mike Patton. What’s the deal there?) It just doesn’t seem to be what I reach for. I either go back to their older sound or their two newest albums. This is where they really started to mutate, though. A lot of purist-types won’t listen to anything from here on out, but whatever, that’s dumb. I like early DEP, but if they kept doing just that forever, you (and they) would be so bored. Miss Machine saw them start trying a lot of new things while maintaining that crazy-yet-precise mathcore thing. “Unretrofied” is even a first run at an “evil pop song” (An idea I think they perfected on Ire Works’ “Black Bubblegum”). They’re all over the map here, and it makes for an adventurous, surprising listen. I should listen to it more often.

The Dillinger Escape Plan, “Unretrofied”


Kool AD, Hyphy Ballads EP

Another day, another Kool AD release. That guy seems to have a million things going at once. Kool AD (or Victor Vasquez or Kool Kwiet Emerson or whatever else) is an unpredictable rapper. Sometimes he writes mind-bending, stream of consciousness, free associating rhymes as clever as they are complicated. Sometimes it sounds like he’s just messing around. He’ll often hit both extremes in the same song. Hyphy Ballads falls mostly in the latter category. It’s fun, funny stuff, but seems sort of tossed off compared to other things he’s done. But he chooses to end it with an extended clip from a Malcolm X speech about doing what must be done to achieve what’s best for your people. It’s a pretty random coda to the material.

Kool AD, “Hyphy Ballads”


Misfits, Static Age

The first album that never really got released until decades later. Most of the material saw release in some form or other in the intervening years, including some of their most-known songs, but it’s cool to listen to the record in its intended running order and whatnot.

Misfits, “Attitude”


Buddy Guy, Sweet Tea

A strange, singular moment in Buddy Guy’s lengthy catalog, Sweet Tea is one of my favorite blues records of the modern era sort of against all odds. I have a pretty purist attitude toward the blues. Not because I’m a snob or something, I don’t think, but it’s more that the blues, as a genre, can be very limited. You know, the structure, timing, even subject matter are almost dictated for the artist by the genre. And as such, more than many other music styles, it feels like the best stuff has certainly already been done a long time ago. You can’t top Charlie Patton, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Robert Johnson, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Blind Lemon Jefferson, etc. They defined what “the blues” means. They were actually living the things that have become mandatory genre cliches today. You can only follow in their footsteps. If you deviate too far, you’re not even making blues anymore, in the strictest sense.

That said, Sweet Tea is a weird album. It has this sound both monolithic and paranoid. Huge and dangerous. It embraces technology in a way I usually don’t like in blues music, fairly drenched in reverb and effects and technical wizardry to create a very specific mood and tone, and man, does it work. This album feels so heavy. Heavier than metal music. The drums are explosions, the guitars come shredding out of the ether like a monster in a horror movie, while Buddy wails over it all. He takes all kinds of material and fits it into this format easily. Love songs, ruminations on aging and death, an Otis Redding cover, you name it, he’ll make it work. It’s so strange, not just in the context of blues music or what I like in blues music, even, but in Buddy’s own history. He never made a record like it before or since. I just happened to hear it working in a record store back when it came out, and I’m really glad I did.

Buddy Guy, “Baby Please Don’t Leave Me”


Yup.
--D

08/22 – 08/26:

Bob Dylan, New Morning

Inspired to listen to this by The Big Lebowski, wherein, as you probably know, the song “The Man In Me” is featured twice to great effect. I love New Morning. It’s an odd album from an odd period for Dylan. It would seem he was really struggling to figure out what he wanted to do post-crash, pre-divorce. New Morning was preceded by a new folk album out of the blue, a country album, and an infamous and reviled cover album/rarities collection. All this is right after his most famous work. He seemed to be casting about, and would continue to seem that way on a few more records before being galvanized by heartache on Blood On The Tracks. But not being one of his instant classics doesn’t diminish New Morning at all. It has a playful, relaxed atmosphere, the sense of just making music for the fun of making music rarely heard on anything he did before 2001. The songs can be quietly moving (“Time Passes Slowly,” “Father Of Night”), it can be rocking (“New Morning,” “One More Weekend”), it can be downright funny (“Day of the Locusts,” Went to See The Gypsy ”), but most of the time, it coasts along on a playful vibe. You can hear him smiling as he sings “Winterlude,” the scatted backing vocals and crazy lyrics of “If Dogs Run Free” are clearly a lot of fun to make. It’s just a good time to listen to.

Bob Dylan, “Day of the Locusts”


Marvin Gaye, What's Going On?

I don’t quite remember what got me on it, but I kinda went on a Marvin Gaye binge this week. I listened to everything I own, including this, one of his most famous works. It’s cliche to say something like this, but it’s tragic how the criticisms and questions leveled at society on this album are still so relevant. Marvin’s concerns about everything from the economy to a broken political system and even the environment are all still unanswered decades on. But the genius, of course, is that all these heavy topics are considered in lush, funky, imminently danceable songs that blend together seamlessly as the album progresses. If that great music gets you thinking along the way, it’s a win-win situation.

Marvin Gaye, “What’s Happening, Brother?”


Paul Weller, Wake Up the Nation

Three of my favorite songwriters in a row. Paul Weller, of course, is the main writer, voice & guitar behind The Jam and Style Council, and in the early 90s, he began a solo career that has been long and meandering, flirting with a variety of different sounds and styles. This is his most recent solo work, a bit of a return to his earliest days. Fiery, political, mostly uptempo, it’s the kind of album he hadn’t really committed to in decades (Though he flirted with a similar vibe back on As Is Now in 2005). And it’s a fun listen.

Paul Weller, “Moonshine”


Portishead, Dummy

Ah, Portishead. Fond memories. When their concert film came out, it was on constant rotation in a friend’s apartment for what seemed like months. But that was years after this, their debut. The moody, mysterious feel of this album is really unstoppable. Even after hearing it countless times, I still get pulled in. The way it all seems to ebb and flow, from moments of quiet vulnerability to moments of power and back, right up to the amazing emotional moment in “Glory Box” (You know the one!), it’s a satisfying experience.

Portishead, “Glory Box”


Lacuna Coil, Unleashed Memories

The second album from the goth/metal/whatever-they-are group. I like it, but not as much as albums 1 & 3. But I’ll take it any day over what they’re doing these days. Boy-oh-boy... It’s hard when a band makes such a left turn. But back on this album, they were still doing the tightrope walk between aggressive riffs and more ethereal melodies, a model Evanscence would do a shameless, bland copy of and become a huge success with just a few years later.

Lacuna Coil, “Wave Of Anguish”


Boy Crisis, Tulipomania

Once upon a time, the future Kool AD of Das Racist almost made his way into the mainstream music biz as the singer for a dance-rock band called Boy Crisis. Founded at the same art college where he met his Das Racist co-conspirator Heems, Boy Crisis has the sound of a band like, say, Franz Ferdinand, but even then, Victor’s lyrics were humorous and unique, and really make the group stand out. Their record deal never quite worked out, and Victor ended up being a rapper, but for awhile there, things were looking very different for him.

Boy Crisis, “The Fountain of Youth”



The Dirty Shame, Smog Cutter Love Story

Before there was Electric Six, there was The Wildbunch. While members have come and gone from Dick Valentine’s bands over the years, his style and songwriting have remained recognizable and the difference between The Wildbunch and Electric Six, style-wise, is negligible. But for a brief period, The Wildbunch ended, and unsure of where things were going, Valentine recorded an album as The Dirty Shame. It’s considerably gloomier than The Wildbunch or Electric Six, although future E6 song “Vengeance And Fashion” makes its first appearance here. It’s rather fascinating to hear Valentine’s absurdist style poured into sad songs. Not that all of them are sad, but... well, most of them are. It’s a strange listen, and an interesting bridge in his career.

The Dirty Shame, “Chinese Restaurant”



Yup.
---D

08/15 – 08/19:

+++ (Crosses), EP+

This is a new band from Chino Moreno from Deftones and Shaun Lopez from Far. Chino’s love of bands like Depeche Mode and The Cure is evident here, but this material is actually less an homage to that era than his previous non-Deftones project, Team Sleep. Spooky and atmospheric, this short burst of music is pretty entertaining stuff. The group released it for free download, which you can get here.

+++, “This Is A Trick”



Kool Keith & TomC3, Project Polaroid

2006 was a big year for Kool Keith. He released an album as the sinister space man Mr. Nogatco, the highly controversial Return of Dr. Octagon came out, he participated in the collaborative project The 7th Veil, and he teamed with TOMC3 to release Project Polaroid. All the projects have merit, even the Dr. Octagon one, but Project Polaroid was easily the standout. It’s one of the strongest things Keith has done in recent memory. TOM’s production is varied and surprising, and Keith seems more interesting in writing than he has in ages. It’s got samples from what sounds like a Stark Trek read-along record and the movie One Hour Photo, and raps about hanging out with basically every famous person ever. It’s a lot of fun.

Project Polaroid, “Talk To The Romans”



Soilwork, A Predator's Portrait

Soilwork’s 3rd album was a turning point, the moment they began to find their own sound. Still heavier by and large than later releases, it really upped the melodic content of their music, and the keyboards found a lot more to do in building mood and supplying texture. It’s a little slower than their previous breakneck, At the Gates-inspired sound, but still pretty fast on the whole. I’d say their finest hour was the next album, Natural Born Chaos, but this is easily the next-best thing.

Soilwork, “Like The Average Stalker”



Down, Down II: A Bustle In Your Hedgerow

Down, a sort of metal supergroup featuring members of Pantera, Crowbar and Corrosion of Conformity, but the music they make is more in the classic metal tradition of Black Sabbath. More of an evil blues sound than what you’d think of as “metal” in this day and age. And it’s a great sound, clearly brought to life by people who love what they’re doing. They wrote & recorded this album sequestered in a barn for a month, and every image that conjures is represented here. The music feels loose, light (or as light as music with dark themes can feel), earthy and fun.

Down, “There’s Something On My Side”


Tig Notaro, Good One

A comedy album! They happen sometimes. I really like Tig Notaro, and this album doesn’t disappoint. Her laid back, intimate delivery makes the stories she tells feel more like hanging out at a friend’s house than watching a show... except that you happen to have a really funny friend. This album does have its drawbacks, though, or drawback, I should say: pantomime. Inevitable in a comedy show, this set seems pretty heavy on things you have to see to be on CD. Bits that include setups like, “I just picture walking into the bathroom and seeing this:......” or “The video shows me going like this:.....” several times leave the poor listener wondering what everyone’s laughing at. Luckily, most of the material manages ot be very funny in spite of this. She begins with several quick bits before settling into her infamous 15 minute Taylor Dane story and then doing a just-as-long bit with audience participation. It’s a great set.

Tig Notaro, “No Moleste”



...And You Will Know Us By the Trail Of Dead, So Divided

Trail of Dead two weeks in a row. How about that? This is the record where things got a little too out there. Really pretentious, really scatterbrained. Almost seems like every song could be from a different album. And yet, a lot of the songs are pretty good! The somber title track, the bizarrely Cure-sounding “Sunken Dreams,” the searing “Stand In Silence”... The out there stuff can be pretty good, too, as on “Naked Sun,” a simple rocker, or the Beatles-esque “Eight Day Hell,” where you could almost be listening to another band. But that kind of constant stylistic shift makes this album seem so unfocused and haphazard. One of the few records that might work better as singles than as a whole.

...And You Will Know Us By the Trail Of Dead, “So Divided”


Yup.
---D

08/08 – 08/12:

Thao & Mirah, Thao & Mirah

From the first listen, this was in contention for my album of the year. Folk singers Thao & Mirah bring their very different approaches to a true collaboration, each bringing 5 songs to the table and working with the other to push them in directions they wouldn’t choose on their own. They are aided and abetted by Merril Garbus of the frustratingly-named tUnE-yArDs (Welcome to the internet circa 1999) as producer, who wrote album opener “Eleven” to finish the recording session. This is deeply infectuous music, bringing the skittery, energetic sound of Thao and the dreamy, intimate music of Mirah together together in an unlikely but engrossing set of songs (Garbus’ influence on the sound and in the percussion is so prevalent, powerful and welcome that the record should probably have been called Thao & Mirah & Merril.) Every track is a winner. Can’t recommend this album enough.

Thao & Mirah, “Eleven”


Beastie Boys, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two

Hey, I’m happy to say I like this. To the 5 Burroughs didn’t do much for me. The obsession with old school hip hop seemed a big misstep. Both because the Beasties had previously been characterized by their willingness to experiment and try new things, making a regression like that seem really weird, and also because it was so dependent on samples from better songs. The best part of every song was the sample from a song as much as 20 years old (Even the guitar riff from Dead Boys’ “Sonic Reducer” in “Open Letter To NYC”). This, tho’, is not that. This has a quirky new sound to it. While in a sense it’s still something of a look back, at least it’s a look back to more adventurous fare. They play their instruments again, there’s a punk song again, there’s an instrumental. And the production is interesting, sounding as if they may have jammed on their instruments and then chopped up the sessions and made beats out of them. However it was made, I found it much more engaging and interesting than its predecessor, and that’s good news.

Beastie Boys, “Make Some Noise”


The Jam, Sound Effects

I am, obviously, an album person. But if there’s any band that I think of in terms of songs rather than albums, it’s The Jam. They have so many fantastic songs, but I don’t think they have a truly great album. Sound Effects, for example, has the spectacular “Pretty Green” to set things off, as well as hit singles “Start!” and “That’s Entertainment,” and the great album tracks “Set the House Ablaze” and “Scraping Away.” But everything else on it... it’s not bad. I don’t dislike any of the songs. But they don’t really live up to those highlights, and the best song of that era of their career, “Going Underground,” isn’t even on the record. Or any record. The Jam have at least 6 essential songs that never got on any of their albums. They’re one of the hardest bands to collect and appreciate I’ve encountered. The only band I’ve ever recommended starting with the greatest hits package, which has all those elusive singles and most of their best songs. Still, though... “Pretty Green” is amazing, one of the best songs in their discography, and you won’t find it on a hits collection. You just have to dive in.

The Jam, “Pretty Green”


The Mars Volta, De-Loused in the Comatorium

The last time I really enjoyed Mars Volta. Over the years, The Mars Volta and Sparta have mostly proven why they all worked better as At the Drive-In. Sparta is too poppy and bland, and The Mars Volta is so pretentious I want to shake them. “No one wants to hear the same vocal getting slower and slower for 5 minutes! No one wants 4 and a half minutes of bird noises before the music starts! Just make a song!” Together, they balanced each other’s unfortunate tendencies and found common ground in the middle. But when the break-up was still relatively fresh, they both definitely did their best work (Literally. The 3-song EP that preceded this, Tremulant, was superior, as Sparta’s debut EP, Austere, was superior to their first album). I can still enjoy this album with very few caveats. It’s sprawling and epic, and the bloat that would plague them in the future is hiding right at the edges, but hasn’t taken control yet. But I must confess, it’s hard for me to listen to it without mostly thinking about where they came from and where they went instead of focusing on the music at hand.

The Mars Volta, “Intertiatic ESP”


Clutch, Strange Cousins From the West

Every time in their history Clutch as made me worry that they were getting stuck in a rut or too comfortable, their next album has proven me wrong. So it was with Strange Cousins From the West. Following From Beale Street To Oblivion, which seemed tame and familiar next to its predecessors (And featured oddly flat production, which didn’t help) with the exception of the Earth-shattering “Electric Worry,” this album brought it all back. It took some chances, tried some new things, tried some new instruments, even, and generally featured much more engaging songs. The mysterious departure of keyboardist Mick Schaur, who had so enhanced much of their recent work, is unfortunate, but Clutch was a 4-piece longer than they weren’t, so it’s not too jarring over all. Some of my favorite Clutch songs now come from this album, especially “Struck Down,” “50,000 Unstoppable Watts” and “Abraham Lincoln.”

Clutch, “50,000 Unstoppable Watts”


TesseracT, One

I bought this in a hurry as an 11th hour choice for something to listen to on a long car trip. I like having new music to examine in that situation, but this year seems really slow for music releases, and I had nothing at the time. Plus, my metal in-take is at something like an all-time low this year. So, as it turns out, TesseracT is pretty cool. Combining the kind of sprawling, epic atmosphere and build-up of a band like Isis with passages that sound remarkably like Meshuggah, this album is all about mood. The singer has a good clean voice and a good shouting voice. He mostly relies on the clean voice, and it works for the music. There’s a 6-track concept piece in the middle that makes up the bulk of the album. It’s a good listen, and rewards repeat visits as the recurring motifs and concepts become more apparent.

TesseracT, "Deception, Concealing Fate Part 2”


Party Animal, You Can't Win EP
Party Animal is a new hardcore punk band from Das Racist’s Kool A.D., and, uh, some other guys. It can be hard to know what’s going on in a situation like this, really. I got the link off the mysterious Das Racist Illuminati Tumblr, and the band apparently hasn’t existed very long. But, whoever they are, they make early 80s-style hardcore like it’s supposed to sound: fast, sloppy, poorly recorded, and (I hate this word, but it’s true) irreverent. From originals like “You Can Fuck The System But the System’s Gonna Fuck You,” “Oil (I Love Society)” and my personal favorite, “Beer Truck On Fire,” to ridiculous covers of “Let’s Dance” and “When Doves Cry,” the EP blasts right by you before you know it and demands to be heard again. I’ve begun to think Kool A.D. can do anything. Download the EP for free here.

Party Animal, “You Can Fuck The System But the System’s Gonna Fuck You”


Smoking Popes, Destination Failure

I still love this album so much. Smoking Popes’ blend of punk and a more classical vocal land lyrical approach really won me over with the ubiquitous “Need You Around” in the mid-90s, and the album from whence it came, Born to Quit (Their second), was great. But I think it was here that they really made their masterpiece. The vocals never sounded better, the music never sounded fuller, the lyrics were perfect from top to bottom... This is a fine, fine album. The band would later quietly release a covers album before disbanding, only to make a come back a couple years ago that hasn’t quite recaptured the magic of the old days. But I’m glad they’re back, all the same, and even if they never did anything again, we’d always have this one.

Smoking Popes, “Megan”


...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Worlds Apart

The follow-up to what is probably the band’s finest hour, Source Tags & Codes, Worlds Apart starts to get a little weird. Stylistically and tonally, it’s kind of all over the place, expanding on the band’s penchant for songs with a huge roraring section following by a quite, contemplative part only to roar back to life when you least expect it, but also trying new things and, frankly, seeming a bit lost. But it still has its moments, and those moments come pretty often, such as ballad “Let It Dive,” rocker (or as close as they get to rockers) “Will You Smile Again?” and the strange, infectious , sing-songy title track.

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, “The Rest Will Follow”


Yup.
--D

08/01 – 08/05:

Wugazi, 13 Chambers

Wugazi is an epic mash-up of Fugazi and Wu-Tang songs by Swiss Andy and Doomtree’s Cecil Otter. They say they spent over a year combing the Fugazi catalog for songs and song parts that would fit various Wu-Tang acapellas. The music spans Fugazi’s career, while the vocals come from Wu-Tang group albums, solo albums, Gravediggaz, anything Wu-related that would work. Ian and Guy still get to sing a little, too. The results are pretty seamless and surprisingly effective. And best of all, it’s a free download! Get it here.

Wugazi, “Another Chessboxin’ Argument”


The National, Boxer

Among the finest albums of 2007, the best album of The National’s career, one of the most cohesive, coherent, mesmerizing albums I’ve ever heard by anybody... I still can’t get enough of this one years later. The mood it establishes and maintains is so perfect, and all the more impressive for how different the songs can be. Everything seems in opposition, from how the dreamy compositions get paired with high-energy drum parts to how the tender singing hides the often bizarre nature of the lyrics, and yet it all comes together perfectly. Instantly one of my all-time favorite albums.

The National, “Mistaken For Strangers”


Brother Ali, Truth Is Here EP

Truth Is Here, named for a lyric from a song on 2007’s The Undisputed Truth that isn’t even on this EP, is a transitional record in some ways. By the time his last full-length, Us, came out, Brother Ali’s worldview and attitude seem to have shifted dramatically. He seemed less angry, more inclusive, more interesting in sharing the stories of people of all walks of life than raging at the system. But here, that transformation is in progress. Elements of the albums that surround it are present at the same time. The fiery rhetoric mixed with the real life stories, the “Us against the world” attitude beginning to take over. It’s interesting as a time capsule, but it’s also a just a great listen. Every song crackles with energy, from politically-motivated scorchers to more tender romantic fare. It may only have 9 tracks, but it makes every single one count.

Brother Ali, “Baby Don’t Go”


Interpol, Turn on the Bright Lights

In retrospect, this album, as influential and popular as it was, seems like a fluke. Interpol still stayed interesting to varying degrees on subsequent outings, but never came near their debut again. Almost every song is super-catchy in spite of perhaps not making a lot of sense, it has a great tone throughout... It’s still an exciting listen. It’s just too bad it wasn’t a sign of things to come.

Interpol, “Obstacle 1”


The Dead Weather, Horehound

This album sounds like a bunch of friends playing music for fun. In the best way possible. That those friends happen to be from lot of famous bands isn’t really the important thing, though it was certainly what got the band its hype. Its sloppy, fuzzed out, swaggering, blues-drenched romps hit me right between the eyes. It’s not revolutionary, it’s not cutting edge, it’s just a great time. It’s got more attitude and visceral appeal than any of the bands its members hail from, frankly. I never noticed... never even considered... how risque Bob Dylan’s “New Pony” was until I heard Allison Mossheart sing it. Its one of the most fun albums I’ve heard in years.

The Dead Weather, “Treat Me Like Your Mother”


Every Time I Die, Gutter Phenomenon

The very moment in which the Every Time I Die sound coalesced. I like their previous albums, with Hot Damn! probably being my favorite over all, but it was here that they seemed to figure out what they wanted to be doing. It’s tighter than Hot Damn!, less mathcore-ish than Last Night In Town, but still heavy, introduces Keith’s post-screamo vocal style, and lets the Southern rock influence in in a major way for the first time. It all just comes together to make a really enjoyable album, and the blueprint for the ones to follow.

Every Time I Die, “Kill the Music”


Trophy Scars, Never Born, Never Dead

Trophy Scars is yet another band discovered at random on eMusic because of the interesting cover on their 2009 album, Bad Luck. Bad Luck drew me in with one of the more easy to follow concepts I’d ever heard on a concept album. Never Born, Never Dead is also a concept album, seemingly about two lovers searching for each other as they are reincarnated over and over. The music is moody and appropriate to the theme, and singer Jerry Jones’ unorthodox vcoal approach still does it for me. It’s a fine record.

Trophy Scars, “Never Dead”


B. Dolan, Fallen House, Sunken Cities

B. Dolan is a rapper on Sage Francis’ Strange Famous label. His 2nd official full-length, Fallen House, Sunken Cities is a dense, paranoid, electrifying listen. His style changes from song to song as the beat and the material requires, and the material can require quite a lot. Veering from metaphoric social commentary to the story of a vampire hunter to a riveting, intense rumination on the death of Marvin Gaye and more, Dolan’s lyrical choices are as diverse as they are engrossing. Production is handled by Alias, and is versatile and engaging throughout. Dolan is currently working on a 2nd volume of his House of Bees mixtape, and I cannot wait to hear it.

B. Dolan, “The Hunter”


Yup.
--D