This is from a comp from the Twisted Village label (Deep Funnels of Entry) featuring a bunch of the psych rock bands the label had. I don’t even know who was the most famous of these bands - maybe the Crystalized Movements? The answer is “none of them”, I guess. I bought this because I really liked Crystalized Movements, and the rest of the comp didn’t really turn up any new favorites for me.
[Read More]The final Let’s Go Bowling album, Stay Tuned, feels a little like they were finally letting the commercial winds blow them along towards rock. While their previous records had been pretty traditional, this one definitely feels more of a piece with the other ska bands who were hitting it big. But, of course, by 2000 the commercial appetite for ska was collapsing, so if it was a bid for fame, it didn’t really work out. My least favorite of the four records I have from them (there’s apparently a debut out there that I’ve never heard).
[Read More]The third Hot Snakes album certainly announces itself with authority. “Braintrust” opens up my favorite record from them, with a song that would absolutely sit right at home on one of the legendary Drive Like Jehu records. Which is a high complement!
As with most industrial dance acts, there were a bunch of singles released with Nine Inch Nails’ early work, usually featuring a bunch of remixes and the occasional half-assed b-side. This is one of those half-assed b-sides, in this case from the “Sin” single (which included three pointless remixes of that tune). But, you know, high school Josh was nonetheless kinda intrigued by it.
[Read More]We’ve had a couple tracks from this record, which is Crazy, The Demo Sessions. Every time it comes up, I’m reminded how much I like this, and then I go look at his discography, get intimidated, and kind of give up. Not very laudable of me, I suppose.
See, the beginning to this song is the sort of thing that got people dismissive of the third wave. There’s no real point to adding the “rude 69!” bits to the song other than to just have the whole enterprise be all smirky. Other than that, it’s a totally reasonable instrumental. Well, whatever.
[Read More]Ben Weasel started letting some of the songs on Anthem For A New Tomorrow stretch out a little bit, and let the Ramones worship go just a tiny bit. The result is probably his best record - still very much punk, still very familiar, but tuneful and fun.
The second Selected Ambient Works album from Aphex Twin doesn’t quite hit the same way the first one did. It’s very long (two discs of 70 minutes each), and it doesn’t seem like it was edited down enough. The first one is the most important ambient electronic album ever, and this one is more of a curiosity. Add in that I’m not a huge ambient guy, and this album hasn’t really gotten much play since I got it.
[Read More]On 2013’s The Terror, The Flaming Lips were using their psychedelia to explore not shiny wonder but the depths of despair. With Wayne Coyne’s romantic life falling apart and Steven Drozd again struggling with substance abuse, the Lips were not in a good place in their personal lives, and it comes through in the stark bleakness of their music. Piercing and melancholy, The Terror is one of their best records, although it’s not always a whole lot of fun.
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