So hypnotic and pleasant.
Goddamn, this rules. I need to find more experimental drummers. I’m sure there are others. Listen to all that brushing! So exciting!
One, “Sex Breath” is an incredible song name. Two, a band named Maggot Heart should really be a lot more discordant. It should be filthy, squalid, with the kind of skronks from a guitar that I can’t really describe.
[Read More]If I told you that there was a band called Cave In, and that they were showing up on this blog, you’d probably have some picture of what they sound like that would involve one or more things howling. I doubt you’d picture something that sounds like this. Kinda feel like it’s false advertising.
A thing you can’t often say about El-P’s compositions is that they’re pretty. It’s just not a goal he often shoots for, although he’s capable of it if he chooses. This beat, though, sometimes could be described as such. There’s a certain poppiness to it that doesn’t often show up in his work.
[Read More]Yeah, not the best choice here for a band where the delightful vocal performances are such an important part of their sound.
A thing about Madvillain which is always impressive is that a lot of these tracks are pretty short, often under two minutes, but they feel fully realized and don’t at all feel skimpy. They’re just so packed with ideas that even a brief track is satisfying.
[Read More]That punishing, thick blanket of bass, backed up by the little clicky drums, is such a tasty combination. I just want to roll around in this beat, or spread it on my sandwich.
If you listen to the story on the album, this is supposed to be a cheap beat that Mr. Lif could afford, but Insight absolutely kills it. It’s so funky! Shuffle is ON it today.
[Read More]It’s Megan’s birthday! Happy birthday! I picked a keyword today, can you figure it out?
The opening track of V, which I like a lot. This track in particular has a lot of classic rock vibes going, which go well with that big, brassy horn part.
I adored the first Beautiful South record (Welcome To The Beautiful South), and was kind of disappointed with the followup (Choke). There just weren’t as many transcendent moments, there weren’t as many of the really acid moments in the lyrics, and it felt kind of rushed out. When 0898 Beautiful South came out, I was happy to hear it was closer to the first album. It’s still not quite as good, but it’s close, and it’s my second favorite album from them.
[Read More]Periodically, I kind of take a step back and really try and focus on some of the stuff I listen to, and this is utterly ridiculous. Why do I like any death metal? This is bonkers!
The first Beautiful South record is the peak that the band hasn’t ever really approached since. The later records were certainly pleasant enough, and it’s all nice to listen to, but there’s enough of an edge to the songwriting on the first record that it stands out from the rest. That mix of sweet and sour is an important dynamic, and they manage it at times later on, but never as consistently.
[Read More]Every so often, rock “comes back”, brought back into cultural relevance by some release that critics declare revinvents the genre. Meanwhile, of course, rock never goes anywhere between these “breakthrough” albums, mainly because old boring people never shut up about it.
(cough)
Anyway, most of the time, these albums are often pretty darn good. Is This It, for instance, is a pretty tasty album! It doesn’t break any ground, not really, but it’s energetic and plenty fun.
[Read More]Finally, we get some peak Beautiful South! This is the first song from their debut album, and my god, it’s such a good song. Paul Heaton’s sardonic lyrics are delivered so perfectly, the piano is gorgeous, I just adore it. This was a regular part of my high school rotation, and it just made perfect sense to play this right after the Dead Kennedys.
[Read More]Happy Pi Day! I do not celebrate Pi Day usually. I have occasionally done something for Pi Approximation Day, though. Let’s do a special!
So, in case you haven’t guessed, our special word for today is “pie”. As with some previous specials, I searched my library for our magic word, and shuffled between those songs. There was a significant risk of a lot of Pietasters today. (UPDATE: indeed there was.) Anyway, the Pietasters were a third wave ska act who made one out-of-character tremendous album (Oolooloo) and an assortment of lesser albums. This is from a decent live album, Strapped Live!, where most of the best songs are from Oolooloo. So, you know, that album is really good!
[Read More]Maybe the most dangerous of the year-end roundups is Bandcamp’s, which always results in a lot of stuff for me. As for today’s music, well, I really like two of today’s songs an awful lot. The other three are a little…slapdash, let’s say.
We get a lot of third-wave ska acts around here, and usually, we make fun of them. Or, at least, a good percentage of them. We get enough of them that maybe a quick refresher is worth our time? When we talk about waves of ska bands, we’re referring to:
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