Dredg - Leitmotif (1999)

Now, posting this album isn't exactly telling you guys anything new. After all, I've been plugging it for years. Dredg's Leitmotif was one of my favorite albums from high school, but the summer before college my copy was essentially destroyed. Somehow I kept mentioning that I thought it was a great album, but didn't actually download it again until about three weeks ago. Now I finally get to say "Here, give it a listen."

And how does the album fare to my ear after four years of not hearing it? I still think it's great, and a very refreshing listen. The album is generally considered to be progressive alternative, a fitting label. The instrumentation is very simple--one of the things I really enjoy about the album. Any of these songs would be easy to learn and preform, and most of them stick to generic rock instruments. Yet, the sometimes Eastern or jazz-influenced music is engaging, catchy, and dynamic.

You might be wondering, then, where the prog comes it. For starters, it's as pretentious a concept album one can find. It is based on a story written by the bassist Drew Roulette in which a man with a spiritual disease looks at different cultures around the world in search of a cure. The story is included with the album, but it would probably not be too difficult to find it online. As well, the verse chorus verse style is not used through most of the album. I still can't even distinguish one song from the next without really paying attention. The album seems to flow from song to song, occasionally coming to riffs that remind you of earlier songs--the name leitmotif is almost fitting in that sense.

Occasionally we see other instruments making their way in, including a cello, synthesizer, and theremin. Sadly, this album doesn't feature some of the variety of instruments found on their next album.

The sound of this album would be completely lost to the band with their second album El Cielo. Leitmotif is often a legitimately hard music style driven by the drums and distorted guitar. Occasionally we even get vocals that aren't clean to contrast the usually melancholy nature of Gavin Hayes' voice. By the next album and onwards Dredg would become a lot softer and after El Cielo a lot more suck.

I tend to see this album as one big song, so it would be hard to write about individual tracts. The first track (usually called “Symbol Song” or “Movement I”), “Lechium,” “Movement III: Lyndon,” and “Penguins in the Desert” contain my favorite moments.

Find the album here.

Nujabes - Metaphorical Music, and a special surprise for Tasty

I'd like to preface this album by acknowledging just how out of character and odd this is for me to like, but anyone glancing at my last.fm page for last week will clearly see how much I've been loving this album.

Nujabes is a Japanese, hip-hop, remix dj...guy. I'm not really very familiar with what you would call this kind of music, all I know is that a.) he mixes a lot of samples from various things into some pretty sweet tracks, and b.) he has rappers guest vocal-ing on a lot of tracks. The samples he uses are fairly diverse in that he doesn't, as far as I know, really use any pop music tracks from Japan or otherwise. He mostly focuses on Jazz for his samples which results in some surprisingly complex, yet insanely relaxing, mellow beats that you can also get some embarrassing private dancing on to. He even uses Tasty's favorite track from Yusef Lateef! (You remember, doo-do-dooo-doo-do-doo...)

The long and short of this is that I feel I should have hated this album on principle, and I'm almost sure that Tasty will abhor it in all respects, but I, in fact, love the end result of these tracks. Some of the lyrics are actually very fitting and enjoyable as vocal pieces, and for once I think I've actually begun to appreciate the rhyming and rhythm skills of good rappers; even if I still take exception to some of the lyrics (not that this is at all different from listening to most metal in that regard...).

Anyway, highlights for me:
3.) Think Different - My favorite lyrics of all the tracks, starting out with "...You fuck little girls, I make love to women...". I also really enjoy the the all the piano samples and whatnot.
2.) Lady Brown - I really dig the feel of this song, all the elements are superbly chosen, and it all feels strangely delicate, and beautiful. It's also a love song in which he praises the woman by saying things like "you look edible," "god's gift to man is you in a see-through," and "shes a compilation of my mind's representation of a representative representing an excellent revelation." That last one really blows my mind.
1.) The Final View - I tried not to, but I can't not put up the track with samples from my favorite Jazz artist, Yusef Lateef. The original is amazing, and this remix keeps it pure, but manages to bring a new angle to it. I know for me it just allowed me to enjoy this song all over again.
(Honorable Mention: F.I.L.O - because it has the most cliche dj record scratching, and features a Japanese rapper attempting to rap in English, and ending up sounding like that terrible Jimmy character from South Park.)

Enjoy!

Ok, now that that is out of the way, let's calm down Tasty with nice, cool, relaxing splash of Popul Vuh. I'm not sure if Tasty has this already, but I think its a genuinely good album, and don't mind sharing it with everyone at all, I just didn't want to dedicate a whole post to it because I didn't feel like doing any research on it. All I know is that this is the band that did the sound tracks for a number of Werner Herzog fills including Nosferatu, and Aguirre, and that this is their 3rd studio album. I hope Tasty accepts my apology for the first album in this. This album is called Hosianna Mantra by the way. I believe they are considered krautrock, though for the sake of cross-over appeal I will describe them as proto-post-rock. This album is also extremely relaxing and, and significantly more "beautiful" than the first album in this post. It has a very ambient feel to it, which I suppose you would expect from a band most well known for sound tracks in Herzog movies. The title track is without a doubt the best song on the album (a quarter of them are under a minute long and mostly skip-able and substanceless), though I also enjoyed Segnung for the almost crystalline vocals.

Now for something...

Hey everyone,

I said I'd be posting something different this week, and here it is.
Desaparecidos was a short-lived punk band started as a side-project by
Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes. As opposed to the personal nature which
colors much of Oberst's other work, Desaparecidos contains a more
traditional punk critique of capitalism and consumer culture. The
sound of their single full-length release, Read Music/Speak Spanish,
is raw and aggressive and contrasts with the folkish and more
experimental sounds of Bright Eyes.

This is an album that sat around in my music collection for a while
after I downloaded the bulk of Conor's music. Once I listened to it,
though, I was extremely impressed and it worked its way into my
regular rotation. I especially enjoy the fact that in the wake of so
much self-censorship among artists in the immediate aftermath of 9/11
they released something so critical of the United States. The lyrics
are well-crafted, as is evident in songs such as "The Happiest Place
on Earth":

Our freedom comes at their expense
It makes sense, does it? Dollars and cents
They're stretching barbed wire across the picket fence
That is surrounding your housing development
Just in case you lack the confidence
Oh God my God give strength to thee
These amber waves purple majesty
Are nothing but backdrops for Disney

Nothing like some middle-class angst to get the day started. While I
love Bright Eyes, this is a refreshing change in sound. Unfortunately
Desaparecidos appears to have been a one-time project and we will
probably not see anything more from them. Enjoy this one, though.

Especially good tracks: The Happiest Place on Earth; Man And Wife, The
Former (Financial Planning)


Download here!

Enjoy!

Matt's first thing!

Ready!? Ok! Since I've started work - since I've been home at all actually - I haven't had loads of time to get new music (although the new Weezer album was way disappointing...) I've mostly been listening to the same handful of albums I've been playing around you fellows for the last several years, which doesn'y sound all that exciting to write about.

What I have been doing a lot of is going through old shit in my house to try and get rid of stuff I don't need anymore, or never bought, or stole from other people at some point I can no longer remember. What this means is I've recently stumbled upon a cache of old children's cassette tapes from about a hundred years ago when I was very small. A few of the highlights include 1982's Sesame Street Days and Seasons, which originally accompanied a viewmaster disc that has sadly disappeared, as well as book-on-tape versions of such disney classics as Pinocchio, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, and Dumbo - with racist crows intact. There's also a tape full of sing-along songs about dinosaurs, which I'll prolly throw on here at some point, with titles like "Comparison of Size," "Compsognathus," and "The Dinosaur Party." So basically I have the coolest audio cassette collection on the planet, if I don't include the Lovin Spoonful Greatest Hits tape.

I've chosen two stories to share with you today. The first is a Sesame Street book-on-tape titled "Bert and the Missing Mop Mix-Up," from 1986. Written by Sarah Roberts, who also penned "Don't Cry, Big Bird," this story chronicles the time that Bert spilled some milk and needed a mop. Truly epic. The "turn the page" sound on this tape, combined with the background music, makes this a story that I'm sure you will end up listening to over and over again. They don't make albums like this anymore...

The second tape I've recorded to share with you is a story from 1985 called "Where's the Bear?" featuring the Muppet Babies. This is one of my personal favorites, especially because the narrator seems so non-threatening, in marked contrast with the Sesame Street narrator... Baby Rowlf's piano plays when you need to turn to the next page, so pay close attention. This tale is about Fozzie losing his teddy bear and the ensuing search. I was in tears for most of it. One weird thing about this is that each of the muppets is referred to as "Baby ____" rather than just using their name, which seems odd to me. I may start calling myself "Adult Matt."

With both of these, you'll need to understand that the source tapes are at least as old if not older than I am, and have seen considerable use. I also had to record them from a barely functioning tape deck using a line-in and an mp3 recorder on my laptop. That said, I think you'll really appreciate the warmth that comes through in the original analog format, and the voice acting is truly top-notch. Enjoy! Sorry about the filesize - it kept converting to 96khz and the quality suffered horribly, so they're big.

Tracks are here!

This would have been up like 8 hours sooner, but my connection doesn't mega-love megaupload.

The Very Best of Nina Simone (2006)

Not doing anything too out of the ordinary for my first post here. I was inspired by my housemates' declarations that they have 'no idea who Nina Simone is' to post one of her albums. I've always had somewhat of a distaste for greatest hits albums, but sadly I'm not that familiar with her very large discography and was not able to find an album I like quite as much as the 2006 release “The Very Best of Nina Simone.” Rest assured, most of her studio albums are just as eclectic as this collection. Because I'm posting her greatest hits, I'm largely going to talk about her career in general.

Nina Simone was a classically trained pianist (she studied at Julliard), singer, songwriter, and civil rights activist. She had a very low voice for a woman and wins one over easily with a voice that conveys emotions and energy so well. She has easily become one of my favorite female singers of all time. Simone is most often labeled as a jazz or soul artist, but is more easily seen as a singer who dabbled in whatever she damn well felt like, often crossing into R&B, pop, gospel, or folk. Every once in a while you might hear a glimpse of baroque counterpoint work its way into her jazz piano playing, and it's oh-so awesome. She released a whopping thirty-eight albums, along with six greatest hit albums.

Simone is well known for her live performances. Part of this is due to the large number of different music styles she would juxtapose with one another, even sometimes performing classical piano pieces. She would incorporate acting, dancing, or her activism in her performances, seeming to move from one to another on a whim. Sometimes this would mean stopping a song midway if she felt that she had something to say. Sadly, most of the videos I've been able to find online are a little light on these sorts of antics, but you still easily get a feel for her stage presence and attitude. I did find an impressive clip where she instructs her band to continue playing the verse riff while she goes off improvising lyrics for a few moments.

An awful lot of the songs on this album, you will notice, are covers. Many of them are from Broadway musicals and one is even from an Opera, although you would never know it by hearing them. More recognizable covers would include songs by Jay Hawkins', Bob Dylan (“The Times They Are A-Changin'”), and the Beatles (“Here Comes The Sun”). She had a core collection of covers she would often play on stage, and her emotional performances make them very much her own.

Simone was known to struggle with bipolar disorder, which wasn't well understood in her younger years. She passed away in 2003.

Notable Tracks:

1) “Feeling Good” A song from the 1965 musical The Roar of the Greasepaint—the Smell of the Crowd. My favorite song on the album and also one of the most energetic. Like many of her recordings that I enjoy the most it is a slow crescendo to an explosive ending. The song ends as lyrics become lost in scat-singing before the last time she makes the uplifting declaration “I'm feelin' good.”

2) “Ain't Got No/I Got Life” A medley, arranged by Simone, of two songs from the musical Hair. It's hard not to look at the song as commentary on what it was like being a black woman born in the 1930s; Simone makes it seem that way, though I know nothing about the musical it came from. Nevertheless, the song is inspirational in its assertion of strength and hope despite oppression and hardship.

3) “I Put a Spell on You” Screamin' Jay Hawkins' famous song that has been covered a thousand times. If only the original Hawkins version and Simone's cover survived some disaster it would be fine with me. The song was part of her repertoire to such a degree that she named her autobiography after it. I not only urge everyone to listen to this version, but also the original if they've missed it all these years. The 1957 original might be the first popular song that can be called 'hard.' Very rock and roll.

4) “I Think It's Gonna Rain Today” I'm not 100% positive, but I'm pretty sure this was written by Randy Newman. It's another song featuring a slow crescendo throughout. I like this song for the grittiness of its climax, where Simone is unafraid to loudly hold a long overly-flat note.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9QOTNIAL

(I didn't check the DL myself, since I just found it rather than uploading it myself. Hopefully it's correctly labeled.)

Už Jsme Doma - Rybí Tuk

Alright, continuing in my “Bands related to Sleepytime Gorilla Museum” vein, I bring you Už Jsme Doma. This is a Czech band formed in 1985, and in case you're wondering what the connection here to SGM is, Dan Rathbun (the bassist) produced this album, Rybí Tuk (or in English, "Cod liver Oil")

I'm going to go ahead and call this album... avant-post-punk. Feel free to call bullshit on that, it doesn't matter, those labels are practically meaningless anyway. That said, I still think I'm essentially right on that. These songs are, generally, very energetic and upbeat while still managing to sound dark and angry in places. The drums sound very punk-ish to me, but they do play around a lot with odd off beat stuff that I think adds some pretty cool layers to the music; often kind of pulling you a weird direction you didn't realize the song was going in.

As a quick disclaimer to Tastiestofsatans, who I'm sure has started loosing interest after the mention of punk: get ready to loose more interest. UJD has a fairly prominent saxophone player, and his high-energy playing style combined with the guitar style on a number of tracks sometimes makes me want to make up more categories to append to the original three, something like... avant-post-ska-tinged-punk. That said, Matt might actually be able to listen to this one.

I think the energy of this band is highly infectious and I've more than once found myself “rocking out” to it and awkwardly singing along to the Czech lyrics (Note: I don't speak Czech). Also, speaking of the lyrics, the vocalist, Miroslav Wanek, is apparently a very well respected Czech poet. The lyrics are supposed to be amazing, though they seem to loose something in the translation:

My face flows down from my facial features
To the pillow
A slop of uncertainty
Salty human ink-pot

The face discharged into palms
Is sticking on pads of fingers
It fears
That being exposed to light
It will completely flake off

Ok, I actually think they're pretty cool in English too, but the internet assures me that they're much more impressive in the original Czech. Indeed, they certainly sound much better when sung than I can imagine those English lyrics being.

Highlights:

3.)Tíha - this one starts out with that ska-style that I'm pretty sure Keith won't enjoy, but I think the song is awesome. Wanek's vocals are pretty stellar, and there is some pretty neat prog-noodling-ish guitar in places, coupled with subtle choir parts in the background and some really mournful violin bits, ending with some major epic-victory-climax.Love this shit.

2.)Mlha - this was actually the first song by UJD that caught me ear. I think the vocals shine probably the best on this track. The almost toy piano along with the virtually spoken-word beginning both don't prepare you for, and perfectly lead up to the energetic and forceful finish. The same piano is carried through the song in the background making it really feel like one cohesive whole, while the vocals go from sort of melancholy to angry and powerful. The finish is splendid.

3.)Hodiny - I love the use of the violin in this song. It has an almost...I want to say Celtic meets Southern-fiddling, but I'm really at a loss as to how to describe it (I know it reminds me of something though). The vocals for this are interesting, I think they're both the most traditionally punky in places, and the most potent, almost operatic in others. The violin balances the crazy avant-punk seemingly directionless bursts of crazy and keep it all from being totally disjointed from the vocals. A supremely well balanced song.

Anyway, following the trend of the last two posts: honestly, I think you'll hate this (Keith). However, I think this is probably my single favorite album discovery of the past 2 months, and I've been listening the shit out of it.

Enjoy! (Click here)

So I had a dilemma when considering what to post in this blog: do I
make a point to post accessible music or not? As much as I would love
to post an album that everyone downloads and loves (and there will be
those, hopefully), in the interest of full disclosure I will be making
balls-out, uncompromising posts. To kick this off, here's something
that no-one will enjoy.

Today I present to you Skinless, a brutal death metal band out of
Glens Falls, NY. Death metal is (generally speaking) ugly music, and
"brutal" death metal takes the genre's misanthropic lyrical themes and
technical, driving sound to an extreme. Guttural vocals, blast beats,
and tremolo picking are all distinguishing sound of brutal death
metal. All of this can be found on Skinless's fourth full-length
release, Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead. While their sound
is fairly standard in many ways, there are a number of things about
this album that make it worth your attention. First, while brutal
death metal is notorious for lyrical themes centered around sexual
violence and gore, Skinless falls among the small but sizable number
of bands which use the genre for political commentary. From its title
to song names like "A Unilateral Disgust" and "Deviation Will Not Be
Tolerated", Trample the Weak... demonstrates a critical stance
on society. However, similar to many of their fellow artists, their
views appear to be grounded in nihilism and disgust with humanity -
essentially, war and destruction are disgusting but logical outcomes
of the human condition which will eventually and hopefully destroy us
all.

Another notable characteristic of this album is how high-energy it is.
"Overlord" begins the album with an effective use of sampling which
leads into an excellent and heavily guitar riff. The guitar,
vocals,and drums drive this album, which unfortunately leaves the base
buried and barely audible. Skinless will be playing the New England
Death Metal Fest in August, and if their live act is anything like
their recorded stuff it's going to be a very rowdy show.

What makes this album stand out to me? I'd never listened to Skinless
before, and upon downloading them enjoyed the sound and progression of
the album. It's fairly short, so if you do check it out it's only a
little over half an hour in its entirety. It's a fun album and
entertaining if you don't take it seriously or expect too much from
it.

Outstanding tracks: Overlord, A Unilateral Disgust, Trample the Weak,
Hurdle the Dead


Enjoy!

Next time: something very different

An Introduction to Traffic

Greetings. I've given it some thought, and it seems likely that my contributions to this blog will lean toward the lighter and more mainstream, as I've been discussing the other stuff with you guys for four years. Harsh weirdness will get in there, too, but overall I see a classic-rock-over-prog tone emerging. I also plan on saving everyone's time and cutting right to the chase with song/selection of songs posts over albums (but again, they'll get in there, as well). Tonight's post is one of those song packages.

Anyway, Traffic is one of my all-time favorite bands. Easy Top Ten inclusion. I consider them to be prog, thanks to their preference for keyboards and brass over guitars, eclectic discography, and occasional resemblance to Jethro Tull, but they've also had some radio hits. When it appeared in 1967, the band was led by Steve Winwood, fresh off his success with "Gimme Some Lovin'" and "I'm a Man" as the singer for The Spencer Davis Group, and Dave Mason, who had some solo success of his own but is perhaps most famous as the guy who played acoustic guitar on Hendrix's cover of "All along the Watchtower." Mason would leave acrimoniously, the band would split in 1969 and Winwood would join Blind Faith, the members (minus Mason) would get back together in 1970 to help Winwood record his solo debut, and Traffic would be reborn as a result of those sessions. Their last legitimate success was in 1971, though a few more albums did appear.

The real draw for me here is Winwood's voice. Phenomenal white soul singer. In fact, one thing I really like about Unfair Verona is that Taylor reminds me of Winwood. Steve sings these songs, unless otherwise noted.

"Empty Pages" ... Would have loved to put this on my CD for Chris. My favorite Traffic song and one of my all-time favorite songs by anyone. A wistful expression of the laid-back grandeur of love. From John Barleycorn Must Die, 1970.

"Feelin' Alright?" ... You've probably heard this in movie trailers and allergy medication commercials, where they completely miss the point that it's a caustic put-down song, or from Joe Cocker, who ruined it with Charlie Brown piano. Sung by Dave Mason. From Traffic, 1968.

"Forty Thousand Headmen" ... Makes sense. From Traffic, 1968.

"John Barleycorn" ... Winwood wrings gut-wrenching pathos out of this centuries-old allegorical song about fermentation. Jethro Tull does a version live, wherein they steal Traffic's arrangement but punch it up with electric guitar and percussion. This might be the place to start, as it brings to mind The Moody Blues or Tull. From John Barleycorn Must Die, 1970.

"Light up or Leave Me Alone" ... The weakest song here, but I still like it. Included for the misogyny. Sung by drummer Jim Capaldi, who became Winwood's creative partner in the post-Mason years. From The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, 1971.

"No Time to Live" ... The darkest song here, so I would think that this crowd might want to start with it. Doesn't show up on compilations like the others, but I absolutely love it. From Traffic, 1968.

"Rock & Roll Stew (Parts 1 & 2)" ... Extended, special-edition version of a song first released on The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys. Sung by Jim Capaldi.

"The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" ... Another Traffic track that I consider among the best songs I've heard by anyone. From The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, 1971.


Honestly, I think you'll hate this stuff. But it's what I'm listening to.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MHD9PLXY



Finally, it wouldn't be catching up with Tastiestofsatans without objectification. Still, I believe this blog should be kept as classy as possible, so I'll leave you fine people with a tasteful shot of the beautiful Rose Byrne.

Faun Fables - Family Album

Alright, I'll start things off with a selection from my new collection: "Band's Somehow Connected with Sleepytime Gorilla Museum." The band is Faun Fables and the album is "Family Album."

Faun Fables is headed by Dawn McCarthy, a performance artist/vocalist. The album is intended to be performed in order with an accompanying stage show that I can only imagine is pretty intense and odd. "Family Album" is her first album collaborating with Nils Frykdahl of SGM fame. That said, this is a folk album. Well, nominally a folk album, it's pretty eclectic, but for people who have a deep seated aversion to folky anything, this might not be the best choice.

The album starts out slower, and you won't really notice the SGM connection right away unless you're looking for it. Track 1, "Eyes of a Bird" is an expressive song that really pulls you into the album. "A Mother and a Piano" is about the baseline for the album in my opinion, but by the 4th track, "Lucy Belle", when Nils really joins in you can tell that they aren't pulling punches, and it is good. The rest of the album follows this kind of pattern of revving up and then calming down, only to explode again. It should be noted though that the bombastics may not be as objectively bombastic as one might expect from Nils, but in the context of the album they carry a lot of weight.

The album plays around with, and integrates well, all sorts of surprising instruments and styles: an almost cliche sounding African-American church sermon-like electric organ bit on "Higher", to yodeling on "Mouse Song." They don't really run short of weirdness, but it all holds together amazingly well, and makes for a great album when taken as a whole. My only complaint is that the last song is pretty weak, but the album still holds up very well.

Highlights:
3.) "Eyes of a Bird" - an all around good song.
2.) "Eternal" - an energetic, driving song that I won't deny doing some foot tapping and fake instrument playing to, plus I really enjoy the weird guitar effect that goes on in the background the whole time.
1.) "Carousel With Madonnas" - my favorite song on the album. Feel free to tell me if you don't hear it but I get definite waves of Jefferson Airplane and some Heart in here. Also, they definitely break out some serious Ian Anderson flute action on this track.

Enjoy!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=VZN6PHWQ