The Sad Bastards have just released a new EP of tunes called “You Gave it Your Best... Unfortunately That's Not Saying Much,” adding more gloomy tracks to their repertoire. Best of all, the new EP is completely free to download.
Here is a track from the new EP. Fuck Heart Attacks! Attack the Heart!
Rudimentary Peni (RP) is Nick Blinko on vocals and guitar, Grant Matthews on bass and Jon Greville on drums. Lyrics by Nick and Grant. Another group on the Crass Records label. There is definitely an anti-establishment element to their lyrics, but it is not manifested via the overt anarchism one gets from most of the other bands on the label. This collection includes their self-titled 7" (1981) and second 7", "Farce" (1982). The art is provided by Nick. For more, check out his book, The Primal Screamer. Dystopic, schizophrenic, hopeless, gloomy, depressing, incredibly fast, pounding, heavy fuckin' stuff. What more can you say about this band? If you have not heard them before, just give them a chance. I think you will like what you hear. Over time, RPs releases were sporadic due to Nick's occasional hospitalization for schizoaffective disorder. Their music got even darker with "Death Church" and a little nuttier with the rest of their material aftter that. But the songs on these EPs remain my faves. Tracks 1-12 are from the "Rudimentary Peni" 7". Tracks 13-22 from the "Farce" 7" EP (1982).
Song list: 1. Media Person 2. Him Hymn 3. Blind Dogs 4. B-Ward 5. Crazy Chain 6. The Gardener 7. Teenage Time Killer 8. Hearse 9. Dead Living 10. Black President 11. Tower of Strength 12. Play 13. Sacrifice 14. Cosmetic Plague 15. Subdued Violence 16. Only Human 17. The Bile Ball 18. Farce 19. Bloody Jellies 20. Mice Race 21. Defined By Age 22. Zero Again 23. Bubble
Teenage Time Killer
Teenage time killer, When it gets old it can wish it was young Teenage time killer, Skull of James Dean haunts the dream of the teen Teenage time killer, Youth of nausea, youthanasia (repeat)
Media Person
Green to feel blue? Is your vision purely golden? Is your humour black or olden? Do you find you're getting yellow? 'Though you know you're in the red dread Red dread red dread red dread red dread red dread red
I'm your media friend Transparent so close friend
Are you green to feel blue? Is your vision purely golden? Is your humour black or olden? Do you find you're getting yellow? 'Though you know you're in the red dread Red dread red dread red
I'm your media friend Around the clock religion
Green to feel blue? Is your vision purely golden? Is your humour black or olden? Do you find you're getting yellow? 'Though you know you're in the red dread Red dread red dread red dread red dread red dread red
I'm your media friend With you to the rainbow end Green to feel blue
Crazy Chain
Crazy crazy chain we're strung up again Umbilical cord around the neck and pain is sane Crazy crazy chain gagged & bound inane Crazy crazy chain label underachieve & plain
Black statue looms in doomsday rooms rap Fetish worship motivation life-span trap
(repeat)
Crazy crazy crazy crazy chain!
Cosmetic Plague
Being honest is no means of survival, avoid your inner-feelings like the plague, This is what it takes to comply with the images this structure will accomodate,
But things aren't what they seem when they're partially hidden behind walls of pretence built for peace of mind.
The barriers between us are forever maintained by our acceptance of the roles others choose to define.
In a world of competition life's portrayed as a contest where we're forced to live by making gains at others expense,
But no-one's really gaining when perpetual conflict's the result of our relationships based on pretence,
We don't need this cultural cosmetic division it upholds the self-interest on which the system feeds,
A deconditioned consciousness of mutual respect is the only way to cure this cosmetic disease.
I was exposed to the nu-soul inspired Keyco on my last trip to Japan. While most of my trip was spent checking out the Avant music scene in Tokyo, I did pick up a few records from more mainstream and accessible acts, and I would challenge anyone to listen to Keyco’s “Seven” and not tap their foot and nod their head to the tunes. It’s a catchy little record from a singer who should be getting more attention both in and outside Japan.
Unfortunately, Keyco’s records are only available in Japan, and you will pay a premium price to get your hands on the imports, if you can find them at all. So for a limited amount of time, here is Keyco’s “Seven” in its entirety to download.
Paul Whiteman was one of the most popular Jazz directors of the 1920s and was often referred to as “the King of Jazz,” a label he probably didn’t deserve, but some of his group’s recordings from the Jazz Era still stand out as excellent contributions to American music.
He had his share of detractors in his day. Some argued his music was Jazz in name only, and was simply repackaged pop music sold under a different label. Others argued he had taken black music and black culture, and appropriated it for white audiences while leaving out its more interesting and significant characteristics. Both of those claims unquestionably have validity, but the quality of his recordings still stands out and should not be swept into the dustbin of history.
Sweep the Leg Johnny was a legendary alto-sax driven math rock band from Chicago...at least legendary in my mind. The sax riffs from front man Steve Sostak gave the band's more frenetic songs a different feel from similar artists at the time; it was a refreshing change from the flittering trebley guitar call and response many math rock bands had at the time. His sax also gave their more post-rockish semi-meandering mostly instrumental efforts a similarly different feel. Rather than the more ubiquitous string instruments giving a lusher feel to the music, Sostak's sax would go from cool jazz mellow to avant garde Ornette Coleman-esque squawking and back again. Below are examples of each, the harder edged "Walking Home on the Emergency Bed" and the more mellow "Columbus Day," both from their wonderful album Sto Cazzo!.
Asthmatic Kitty Records is a perplexing label, from soft soothing folky banjo plucking artists to semi-noise projects that have just a handful of "real" songs on an entire album. So where does David "Moose" Adamson's Jookabox project fit in on this scale? Well, let's say it's more noise than quiet banjos. The music is a bombastic, crunching, high energy mashup of blues/rock/hip-hop/house/etc...and yeah, it sounds exactly like it should....quite amazing. Check out his latest, Dead Zone Boys, and enjoy an album that is a "love story meets psychedelic zombie-musical."
This is Anthrax from the UK. They have nothing to do with the NYC speed-metal band of the same name. My skinhead homeboy Brian C turned me to these guys. Their 7” was released by Crass Records in 1982. Like most of the Crass bands, there is a heavy “peace punk” vibe and anarchist sensibility in their lyrics. However, unlike the rest of the Crass Label bands (with the exception of Rudimentary Peni’s E.P.s) they have a very hardcore sound. Download it here.
Side A: 1. Capitalism is Cannibalism 2. Violence is Violence
Side B: 3. Prime to Pension 4. All Things Bright and Beautiful
As a librarian I came across a sticker in a random book one day, all it said was "Malachi Constant." A few days later in the CityPages I saw they were a band and were to be playing someplace I frequented so I checked them out. What I saw was a four piece band full of energy, swinging guitars around with abandon, having way too much fun on stage for the intensity of the music they were performing. Giving humorously odd interviews (claims of accidentally shooting cops and trying to pick fights with other bands with their name), they seemed like a bunch of guys who either didn't care they were one of the better bands in Minneapolis from the late 90's to mid-2000's or didn't feel like putting on a 'hipster' front. In their own words, the bands states that "Malachi Constant is pretty much like your average young white guy poser-progressive band, but we sometimes try to sound like jazz music, and we are conscious of standard rock clichés." Sounds good to me! You can buy their albums here: Malachi Constant at Guilt Ridden Pop
Peter, Paul, and Mary J Blige from their Challenger EP
I love 7 inch records: they are such a great medium for spreading and distributing music. I am pleased that they continue to be used by bands to put out material today. One of the groups sticking to the format is the Los Angeles band Best Coast, who is making a small stir in the independent scene these days. They make straightforward, fuzzed out pop tunes, with agreeable female vocals by Bethany Cosentino who used to play in Pocahaunted. With simple yet great lyrics, they have designed some great pop songs that could easily exist in the early 1960s but don't sound retro. Bethany sings in "That's the Way Boys Are":
When I'm with my guy and he watches the pretty girls go by It hurts so bad deep inside, I wish that I could die Not a word do I say, I just look the other way That's the way boys are
That makes for pure pop perfection.
No Not Fun Not No has all their 7” records to download for free, so get on it before they’re gone. Both of the tracks below are from their Make You Mine 7".
Rich Kids on LSD (RKL) are one the bands that changed my life. Previously caught up in the world of heavy metal, I thought punk rock--with the exception of DEVO--was music produced by talentless, three-chord imbeciles. But after seeing Black Flag in 1984 at the Adams Avenue Theater in San Diego with my good childhood friend David S. I was hooked. That weekend I recorded as many of his albums as I could. Black Flag, Fear, Bad Brains, Battalion of Saints, True Sounds of Liberty (TSOL) EP, Suicidal Tendencies, Circle Jerks, Millions of Dead Cops (MDC), Minutemen, Dead Kennedys, GBH, Channel 3, and others.
When I got back to Santa Barbara, I was a changed teen. My metal friends wondered what happened to me. I started to seek out hardcore punk albums in my local record store and through fanzines like Maximum Rock and Roll and Flipside and the skateboarding mag, Thrasher.
It was at this time that I became aware of a local punk band called RKL. RKL was amazing. From the first note to the last. This is truly the music of my teens and was always the appropriate soundtrack whether skating, hanging out, or getting trashed. One of the great things about the punk rock scene at that time was they were regular, down-to-earth people, not like the rock stars of metal.
I remember seeing RKL at the Red Barn in Isla Vista (so many great bands played there) in '84 with my homeboy J.J. Shortly after the show this 7" was released and it still blazes twenty-five years later. Hardcore punk with some wicked changes and excellent lyrics. Seeing them live was even better. There was nothing like it. I had the chance to see and hear them progress over the course of two decades and I feel truly honored to have had that opportunity.
It is hard to say which song or record was the first actual piece of Rock and Roll. Some folks (including myself) argue Rolling Stone couldn’t have been more wrong when they claimed Elvis Presley’s “That’s All Right Momma” was the first Rock and Roll track. Elvis himself recognized that he was by no means the creator of the style he would come to represent to white audiences, and he argued “A lot of people seem to think I started this business, but rock 'n' roll was here a long time before I came along. Nobody can sing that kind of music like colored people. Let's face it: I can't sing like Fats Domino can. I know that.”
The phrase “Rock and Roll” was used as far back as 1916, when the discount record label Little Wonder released a track by an unnamed vocal quartet titled "The Camp Meeting Jubilee.” Take a listen.
I feel that if there was a specific track that could be called the first Rock and Roll record, I would apply the honor to Roy Brown’s “Good Rockin’ Tonight.” A true gem of a song, and worthy of the praise it receives.
So where did Rock and Roll officially begin? Provide us with the track and artists that you think kick started the whole thing in the comments section.
If you go to a lot of shows, you're going to stumble onto some great bands by accident. That's exactly what happened with Great Northern one May night at the Casbah in San Diego. With layered guitars and a synthy background, vocalists Solon Bixler and Rachel Stolte voices soar in a call and response style that's highly engaging and beautiful to boot. Their most recent album, "Remind Me Where the Light Is," is a treat to the ears.
This E.P. was released on Upstart Records in 1984. It is the first punk rock album I ever purchased. I found about these dudes in Thrasher magazine and ordered “In Control” through the mail. I guess I am pretty lucky as a lot of people sent Upstart Records money and never received the E.P.
This is classic Nardcore (Oxnard Hardcore). If you like your music, short, fast and sweet than this is the stuff for you. The line-up is Ron Baird (vocals); Blake A. Cruz, Dave Casillas (guitar); John Morris (bass guitar); Larry White (drums); Harry Misenheimer (drums). Casillas went on to play guitar on NoFx’s “Liberal Animation” L.P. (1988).
The album artwork was provided by Jaime Hernandez who did the illustrations for many of the Nardcore bands but is better known for his work on the “Love and Rockets” comics and graphic novels. I can’t count how many people reproduced his skateboarding skeleton on stickers and t-shirts in high school graphics arts classes. You can download the E.P. here. Stäläg 13: Conditioned
Annette Hanshaw was a jazz-pop singer who found some success in the late 1920s. Unlike other minor figures during the Jazz age, there actually exists video recordings of some of her performances, and most of her catalog has now been made available to download. I found a couple old 78s of hers that still sound clean and crisp today at an estate sale a few years back, and I was surprised by the quality of the recordings. Like many other musical figures from the era, she faded away into obscurity after a few years of recording, although she recorded a few tracks later in life in an attempt to revive her career.
Here is her rendition of “Loveable and Sweet.”
And here is a video performance of “We Just couldn’t say goodbye.”
I'm a sucker for rock operas (fact: Quadrophenia is the greatest double LP of all time), they're filled with grandeur, pomp, and a whole lot of pretension...just what every boy loves! The Dear Hunter is no exception with their music; with a planned 6 act opus that is only half complete at this time (on 1 EP and 2 LPs) that basically follows the life of the child of a prostitute as he discovers himself, his mother, and others in a world filled with religion and sex. Musically diverse and intense from start to finish, each of the first 3 albums are fantastic works of musical art that you should check out. Oh, and they're also working on a 9 album piece about the color spectrum. Ambitious much?
Rodan's brief stint in this world left an indelible mark on the math-rock/post-hardcore/post-rock scene for years to come. With only 1 proper LP and 1 single as Rodan before breaking up and mutating into Shipping News, June of 44, Rachel's, and others, the members of Rodan used crunching guitars with shifting time signatures and a pervasive feeling of tension to create one of my favorite albums of the 90's in "Rusty." Check out a few tracks below:
Neo-Soul icon Raheem Devaughn has been plugging away for years now without getting the attention he deserves. A few months back, he released a new record/mixtape (The Art of Noise), and made it available free to download. Not as strong as his more coherent work like 2008’s “Love Behind the Melody,” but a few burly tracks are in the mix. Download the whole record here.
Not Not Fun Records is becoming one of my favorite labels (their blog is in the links section). Stationed out of Los Angeles, they have been putting out great psychedelic, noise, and out-there tunes for a few years. The new release by Eternal Tapestry is no exception. The band is from Portland, Oregon and makes fuzzy jam music that would sit well next to bands like Comets on Fire. The Invisible Landscape is their newest release, but they have many fine records before it.
Spending the last year+ in San Diego, I've discovered some wonderful local bands. Here's one who have mastered hyper-catchy pop songs with a tinge of darkness dripping through their sappy sweet lyrics. Check out Boomsnake here.
Paul Mefano is one the better “new” French composers of the last few decades. His musical style has been described as “post-spectralist,” whatever that means. His compositions would definitely sit well next to many noise artists however.
This is a piece titled Signes/oubli and was recorded in 1972.
Bulp Records out of Michigan has released some great experimental bands from the Midwest, including the now infamous Elvish Presley. Mixing the Incredible String Band with Black Sabbath and a healthy dose of mysticism and all around fantasy silliness, Elvish Presley put out three records before moving back to their hobbit holes. Or hippy commune, I don’t remember which. You can be assured there were plenty of drugs wherever they crawled back to.
Here is the first track from their “Black Elf Speaks” record, released in 2003 titled "Creation Story". It's almost as great as Stonehenge by Spinal Tap.
A great track from Mona Baptiste, a singer from Trinidad who moved to London in the 1950s among a slew of other young musicians who then helped shape the British music scene forever. The excellent Honest Jons label has released a series of compilations (London is the Place for Me) collecting some of these forgotten tracks from the era.
Here is a jam from Don Covay called "Mercy Mercy". Most listeners know The Rolling Stones version, however everyone knows they stole all their hits. Not really, though. Just good ol' R&B the way Uncle Jesse likes it. Have mercy indeed.
Electronic downtempo masters Zero 7 have created a bouncy, poppy number with quirky lyrics and a catchy groove featuring French headbutting soccer legend Zinedine Zidane. Their new album is a slight departure from their earlier works as "Yeah Ghosts" is a bit more fun and a bit more energetic and smile inducing.
Here are two tracks from a Santa Cruz, California act called the Catastrophes which played the area between 2003-2004. Poppy indie rock at its core. Mia Riddle, the lead singer and guitar player, has gone on to form a more prosperous act called "Mia Riddle and her Band" in NY.
These were on their cdr release titled "Our First Summer."
A classic early jazz track from the now forgotten Marion Harris. The Jazz age has some important background on the woman and her career, but the quality of this track speaks for itself. You can download it here.
From Brawley, California’s “The Sexies,” who made quite a splash in the Imperial Valley music scene a few years back. Good old school garage rock. Probably their best track, and was on a few cdr releases back in 2005 or so.
Our friends at LaFargue Records have an old 7 inch up from Bon Bon Casio, a group that made short little pop songs using cracked up and broken Casio keyboards and a 4 track. They have the whole record up to download for free, but here is my favorite track off the record.
I created this blog so that some folks and I could review and share music we like. Some of it is old, some of it is new. We hope to have streaming audio in each post.
We don’t plan to make a cent from any of this, and if we are hosting your music and you want it removed, just email Roland. (rolanddodds-at-gmail.com)
This blog is a place to share music both new and old. We will also review records of the physical and digital variety. Each post will have streaming audio and/or links to mp3s managed by the group or record label, as well as the location to buy the stuff.
It goes without saying that we don't make a cent off of anything we link to on the site. We also don't intend to upset the creators of these tunes, so if you own the copyright to anything found here and want it removed, please contact Roland at rolanddodds(at)gmail.com.
