I wonder where the bursts of creativity comes from for me. There are times that I can make progress on writing here, move a programming project along, contemplate starting a new project, and even get a game moving ahead. And there are times where I do none of that. It’s unclear exactly what it is. Some of it is times of stress (or freedom from stress), of course. But work isn’t noticeably different now than it was six months ago, say. So, who knows?
[Read More]Five Songs, 5/20/2021
They Might Be Giants, “Critic Intro”
This is the intro to Giants Jubilee, which is a comp album containing b-sides, EP tracks, and demos from the early years of the band. While there are some fun things on here, it’s really only for completists.
SPK, “Retard”
Uh, sorry about the song title here. I don’t really know what to do about this kind of thing, so I just leave it as is and trust my audience. Anyway, SPK were an industrial noise act led by Graeme Revell, who would go on to a long and successful career scoring films. Like a lot of early industrial acts, the ugliness was the point. There was little attempt to make this stuff appealing, it was all created as a way to get emotional reactions from people.
[Read More]Five Songs, 1/12/2021
Thou, “Sifting”
Thou released a bunch of stuff in 2020. One of them was a compilation of Nirvana covers that they’d released in various other places, gathered together as Blessings of the Highest Order. This, of course, is the last song from Bleach, and it’s a real punisher here. The entire album is a good time.
Head of David, “Bugged”
Head of David is notable mostly for inspiring a bunch of other bands, not to mention being Justin Broadrick’s proving ground for the sound he would later refine as Godflesh. As for the band itself, a lot of their stuff sounds pretty leaden, but this track is pretty good.
[Read More]Five Songs, 4/12/2018
Crazy Baldhead, “Funky Drummer”
A repeat! No regrets! Bring on the juice!
Rob Swift, “Hip Hop On Wax”
A member of the X-Ecutioners, Rob Swift is a turntablist from New York who has had a long solo career as well. Always rooted in the traditions of hip-hop, his records feature his pyrotechnic scratching, which is worth seeking out just on its own. The overall quality of his albums often tends to be driven by the quality of the guests he’s working with, with this being an example of one of his better tracks. If you like the sound of this, try out one of his early albums (this is from Sound Event).
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