Hundreds of bands have sprung from the very ripe boon-dock known as the New Brunswick N.J. Hub City/Rock City scene, even though some of is straight-up emo basement level variety hardcore. ExVegas was one of the more promising urban alternative legends that morphed into another band called Prosolar Mechanics. EV had a double guitar storm featuring Alex(Saville) the sonic reducer and T.Sands on the V2 Rocket which were more Chicago sounding than anything from Chicagoland(you know jesus lizard, rapeman, etc) Their guitar combo was as serious as a trailer truck on biodiesel fuel injected with amphetamines with a starfire voice led by Amy (now married with children to the sonic reducer). This 7″ cover artwork was illustrated by the very talented and sorely missed E.Gun Aka Eric Gundry (RIP) who used to book The Court Tavern in New Brunswick NJ after Tom Crow for awhile in the early 90’s. This music was recorded at Trax East by Steve Evetts (Supultura, deadguy, Nudeswirl, buzzkill) and was pretty damn close to what they sounded like live. Everything is thick and messy sometimes like rock should be.
Fast forward the time continuum and put the date below in your rock calendar in advance because I’m emailing your from the future. Their next show is gonna be spacey if their latest tune that I have “Primer” is any indication of your coming future. Prosolar Mechanics Live March 12, 2011 Maxwells! BONUS MP3’s: The Future of Sex from Kitra Vol 2 Impact Primer from the web release Last song of the Month – Orchestra of distorted noise meets angry mountain of insects yelling and crawling on your skin like a jungle of mites on your scalp is the best way I could describe it with a electronic infusion of something ecstasy like.
DAISYCUTTER SHITHAMMER 45 Rockville
It’s not a secret around these parts were big on the grunge psychedelic scene. In particular when it about the home grown NJ Variety. So here’s Daisycutter from the Jersey Shore noise scene from back in the day when drug references were still cool on the Rockville label. These folks were more big black tribal jam rock. So if your’re a Monster Magnet fan you’ll like it but more than likely if your a Jersey MM fan you know this schwagg already since at one time it featured Ed Mundel on guitar and of course Reg Hogan on drums and Jim Hogan on the slithering bass. Drop in, dope out & do some crimes with the Shithammer. Download MP3s: Pull Glutton (5 mg) Glutton (10 mg)
Is this a interpretative dance? No. Alternate courses and proof that a great song can be played with different instruments and feels. That is what great songsters can do. Although they have their preferred mediums like Doug Martsch and Frank Black Francis case in point have meddled into electronic-esque fabrications of some of their own music. There are other examples of side projects by many indie artists but these two are done exceptionally well since the the original were first written on a guitar. Crafted electronic revisioning of some already great songs.
Keith Moliné and Andy Diagram from two pale boys helped with this “contemporization” of these Pixies songs . These tracks appear on disc 2 of Frank Black Francis(2004), Disc 1 is Frank acoustic. Here’s a couple of my faves. Although there is also a version of “Into the White” which has more of Velvet Underground vibe that alone is worth seeking the cd out and paying for the whole thing. [Buy] Where Is My Mind MP3 Monkey Gone To Heaven MP3
Built to Spill Electronic Anthology Project
Brett Nelson recorded these versions of Built To Spill songs with Doug Martsch singing. They are just as good as the originals. There is a very nice BTS write-up Bradley’s Almanac on this release for more info on the mixed up songs names and concert review. Good writing so no reason to duplicate here. Enjoy. [Buy] Eels or Else MP3 (2010) Originally from Keep it Like a Secret
Always have loved the Melvins and it’s super awesome to hear them true to form in darker and simpler ways on The Bride Screamed Murder which was released this past summer. I don’t think they will ever sell-out Hollywood style and if they would they are probably too retarded to even make a reality show worthwhile. I think only a few folks would laugh being is that I loved Greg The Bunny. They eat hipsters for breakfast for one thing. Anyway, their rock is anvil ugly at times, self-mocking almost always but done with a shit-eating grin. Their bombastic capabilities always keep morphing and re-inventing over and over through volumes of material on what is loosely defined as heavy metal. Buzzo and Dale Crover are always humble geniuses and I consider them the deans of metal for simpletons. The way it should be. The Water Glass MP3 – New Melvins from The Bride Screamed Murder. Awesome drum solo which is of course on the opening track! [Buy] Here’s a couple from the live two track record called 10 Songs(out of print) put out by the Seattle label C/Z Records in 1986. Easy As It Was MP3 Grinding Process MP3 By the time you check out these tracks from Bullhead(1991) and you’re not a convert then I give up and you don’t have a pulse. [Buy] It`s Shoved MP3 Zodiac Mp3
Continuing, overall this year was a bountiful one musically with our best of list deserving 13 great albums. Yeah! Shit I cut a bunch just because they would have only eeked in based on the merits of previous releases but in fairness we all have our internal logic (See part I for our Best 2010 Album guidelines) which makes these lists so much fun. So please share yours. We’ll have a separate year in review post about the things that sucked and rocked in the music industry and only go into a few reasons why the music on these records is worthy of your time and money. What I would like to see is a Web Blog equivalent of a Grammy but that whole scene is more splintered. The VMA’s are a joke. So who knows. Might be too many disparate choices. I am interested to know what’s on your list though. Without further ado here’s 2K10 year’s best of albums!
6) Elvis Costello – National Ransom
Some of my favorite pop songs have been written by Costello from This Year’s Model and his whole 70’s era. This one is good old Americana rock and roll with just enough roots and blues to make it a tasty album all the way through and he’s a Brit! Great playing on here making it a great dinner party record to sip some whiskey to with a blaring fire with friends. I can hear the smoke and smell the cinder burning.
Listen: Download MP3: National Ransom [Buy]
5) The Gaslight Anthem – American Slang
This is Jersey pride stinging you in the face. These are the rock stories of youths gone wild in the suburban and urban streets. The ability to tell the tales and paint pictures is what catapults this band’s scenes in the tradition of Springsteen and Dylan. Yup close as classic rock as you’ll get without sounding too melancholy for the 60’s. Much respect.
4) Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks
It’s about time that Jersey’s native son is on a New York label again like Matador. Hopefully there will be many more releases like this one. He heaves his voice and modish riffs like he has a millions songs to give and no concern for the future. The record has a nice live feel minus all the emo hand clapping so lets hope that he see’s some bucks so he can keep making music like this for us.
Listen: Download MP3: Gimme The Wire MP3 [Buy]
3) Tame Impala – Innerspeaker
This is one of those bands that came out of the blue for me. Ripped it up in all sorts of interesting ways. They sort of remind me of British Sea Power in their big rock compositions but more Revolveresque vocally with these interesting dream groove space jams. Big Bonham drums that just power you into the future with flanger effects, phasers and small stones. This is near perfect psychedelic rock.
Listen: Download MP3: Desire Be Desire Go [Buy]
2) Male Bonding – Nothig Hurts via Subpop The right mix of trashy bass, Melody and sing-song guitardness is up in this English bands tunage produced by John Agnello. At their heart they remind me of fIREHOSE but sound nothing like them. They use reverb like any proper British group of record geeks should. I don’t know… try it in case you haven’t already. This band has heart.
Listen: Download MP3:All Things This Way [Buy]
1) True Love – ¡Pas Net! via Mainman Records
Besides the fact I’ve known these guys since forever and the various groups they were each in before. They have never faltered to deliver quality rock-and-roll that nods to just the right amount of genres and musical stock. Any lame metaphor would not be perfect enough. They put a lot of care in their pop-rock which is alla The Creation, Nada Surf, Sweet, Bowie,gbv and feel free to insert any weird 70’s references. All three in this trio can sing and play an instrument which makes for better bubblegum chewing for us all at the risk of biting our lips in sobering retarded awe. This is fantastic marathon beer drinking rock music without breaking a swet. A sobering experience for critics and in my humble opinion this is what albums should be like from a start to finish. When it’s over you want more and you don’t know why. This one reaches the finish line breathlessly.
Listen: Download MP3:Bitter Wine [Buy]
Download Bonus: Here’s a track from their first self titled LP. If you don’t like this something is seriously wrong with you and I don’t think we can be friends.
Listen: DOWNLOAD MP3: Over The Rainbow [Buy]
Unremarkable People Confirmation Bias EP via Ourselves Collective
Album Review:Unremarkable People are my New favorite band on so many levels if life were a video game. The group is the brainchild of one known as B. Mandelbaum. Not a very rockstarish name but then again neither is singer/songwriter Burt Bacharach.
The evidence is in the words and melodies that are apologetically so and prolifically free. How else are kids supposed to work? Mandelbaum and his collective of friends (Dan, Adam, Tom, Steve, Christian, Jeremy, Bill, Matt, Rowen, Mike, Joe..) remind us sincerely musically of the one man show known as Los Halos lead by Samezvous aka Eli Wenger or East River Pipe.
One way to come up with huge discography is to never stop recording and to release as much material as you can as if your life depended on it. This is what Unremarkable People have done in the tradition of cooperatives. A don’t stop. Don’t look back Clash philosophy where you are dared to quit. Maybe they edit out the shit (or maybe not) and move on. Not sure if it applies here since there is one beating heart creating the material and lots of friends are involved. To make them just show up to the scene is probably a job in itself.
The evidence is the debut a 16 track epic that was recorded in different places in and around Brooklyn, Queens and Shirley NY called A Rare Condition, in This Day and Age(2009) but this is not what I’m here to talk about today. The second release is compromised of 5 EPs! Not singles or 7 inches. The latest of five final installments in series is called Confirmation Bias EP. This is manicmusic the sort that blasts out of confetti cannons for good reason at all other than to celebrate imbibing air. Pop music with a infectious melodic sting not unlike a needle prick but in the 2 1/2 minute variety that is sure to bring out your best most awkward dancy dance.
Shows:
Fri 12/10 Union Pool w/ Roadside Graves
Sat 12/18 Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt Christmas Spectacular @ SILENT BARN
Sun 12/19 Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt Christmas Spectacular @ THE OASIS
Fri 1/14/11 Brooklyn Fireproof East
Influences and stuff I hear in Unremarkable People but decide for yourself:
Baltimore (mp3) East River Pipe from Tape op [Buy]
Lioness (mp3) by Los Halos From Leaving VA and here’s an outtake called Loveless(mp3) that did not make it onto the album and was only available if you got the box set of cds mailed to you. This cd was called a new kind of joy. In the liner notes he goes on about that there was a girl that inspired LVA, then they broke-up and the friend thing was ruined when he played her the song and she laughed. Ouch. [Buy]
Dear Santa-stress,
Lots of price points with a mixed bag of items for this Seasonal Holiday known as Chrismika. This list of present ideas is for your beloved music fan. Along with a few tunes to help ease the tension for the ensuing shopping.
Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus - Volume 1
Expensive Executive gifts:
Giant box of uber Beatles in a box set(279) or a 1970’s era Rolling Stones catalog of CD($179) complete with Book with essays by the Stones from Restoration Hardware. Your dad may just have the vinyl but doesn’t have them like this also will give you something to read while you are there. The spine of the Beatles box is cool because it has the spines of the LP’s on the side which is a minor detail a collector would like.
Gold Top Gibson Les Paul. A dude can dream. Cost: Priceless.
Joe Strummer Fender telecaster ($895?). If you can find this it’s a
little more affordable and price of a fancy LV purse so the argument is built in just shop around. I played one last year and it was worn in just in the right spots.
Dan Electro 67′ Hornet reissue. This plays awesome, the bottom fret is a little gritty but nothing a little playing won’t cure. I got one last year in red for $299. I’ve seen them for $100 more now but well worth it if dig long next blues guitars.
MP3 I Wish It Could Be Christmas Ever by the Devil Dogs from Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus – Volume 1 compilation
For the Record Collector snob: Bay Area Funk I & II series from the California’s Ubiquity Records. Throw in T-shirt or one of series 7 inches for good measure and the snob will be happy. Hint I already have the first CD and it’s totally amazing.
MP3 06 What It Is Pts 1&2(1976) By the artist known as Apollis from the Bay Area Funk series I. This is some serious groove making only credit I could find as of this writing is that it was produced by Soul Set Productions out of San Francisco for La Val Records on a 7 inch!
Groove Merchant Turns 20! CD/lp ($22) – This too is super cool compilation I picked it up at the Sound Station in Westfield, NJ but is also avail from Ubiquity direclty. Great to add into the holiday music mix. Their anniversary T’s are hip too. Great site although mp3s are not available immediately after download it’s ok because they are old school.
For 2+ i found a oldschoolxlyaphone. You hear these on all sorts of
recordings all the time. This is a pretty nice one from Drum Bum.
Lullaby Renditions of your favorite alternative rock on CD is available by The Cure, radiohead, ramones, nirvana. Trust me you will go insane after 100x times listening to twinkle twinkle little star and this stuff is made by awesome musicians.
Thanksgiving Day Massacre MP3 by The Chinese Stars
You dig prog and are anti-holiday then you will love “Thanksgiving Day Massacre” by The Chinese Stars from their 2009 release Heaven on Speed Dial from Anchor Brain label. Think Deerhunter but with more screwed up vocals. A perfect track for to screw people up in your holiday music mix. Features Craig Kureck and Eric Paul formerly of Arab on Radar in this noise unit + another from Six Finger Satellite make up this bastard rock. Chances are if any of these guys were invited to your Thanks Giving celebration they certainly would say something uncomfortable to help get party going or start a fight. Like did you know that in “In 1868 you could get a room, a hooker, and a bottle of whiskey for $2.75. Those were the days… Now that costs $1570.53” – Joke courtesy of @kirkfox. Ok maybe we’re taking you way out but that is sort of the point with music. It’s dark, creepy and surly. Enjoy!
Short music mix for fisting turkeys and waddlers: Thanksgiving Day Massacre MP3 by The Chinese Stars [Buy] My Mind Is a Muffler MP3 by Arab on Radar from Yahweh or the Highway [Buy] Hot Food MP3 by Six Finger Satellite from A Good Year for Hardness [Buy]
Most everybody on the planet has Beatles music in some form or another. So why not get a cover version instead by grabbing a tune from The Ultimate Beatles Cover Band. That’s the name of the band. Seriously. Did I go too fast? You can go pay over the top prices on iTunes of course. That’s your problem. I guess there was some scuttlebutt on a early leak but I’m sure it was done on purpose to fire up the intertweebs. You guys fell for it.
Tomorrow Never Knows (mp3) – From Revolver by The Beatles from the record More Beatles Gold by the band – The Ultimate Beatles Cover Band. Did I loose you yet?
Lots of drinking and cursing around manhatten a live radio broadcast (recording) featuring Xray Burn and Jonesey. Thanks poseiden for a pleasant voyage.
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