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Psychedelic Music: I guess this is a “round-up…”
You might be wondering what I’ve been doing instead of writing up music, like I should. I mean, I should be doing this more now, right? I’ve graduated, and I’m now unemployed.
Well, I’ve been doing some research. When not reading We Never Learn, Eric Davidson’s excellent oral history of garage punk, and catching up on all the garage punk I missed out on while watching Power Rangers and being five, I’ve been getting my fix of psychedelics. And since I’ve come across such an amazing bunch of finds lately, I figured I’d fill you in on them. Not like I’ve got anything better to do, really.
Girls in the Garage, Volumes 1 - 5
Though there are ten of these Girls in the Garage compilations, I’ve only found the first five (which you can grab by following the above link). Most of the stuff on these discs is a little more doo-wop than garage scuzz, but that’s cool too. Plenty of gems on this one, but my favorite track is definitely “Those Ever-Lovin’ Baby Blues” by the Id, found on Volume 1. It’s one of those “what the hell, babe?” songs for which garage music is oh-so well-fitted, and the vocals are killer. Don’t miss it, it’s the song of every lazy, bummer summer.
Terauchi Takeshi’s Let’s Go Classics
Thanks to WFMU for this one. Terauchi Takeshi is the king of Japanese surf rock, and this record is a collection of his fuzzed-out, psychedelic surf-takes on classical music. Each is nasty, but my favorite might be “In a Persian Market,” because it’s just a bit more out-there than the rest. If you go to the above link, you can get the whole record, and then follow the trail to get another record of straight surf by Terauchi.
Kayama Yuzo’s Black Sand Beach
Speaking of Japanese surf rock royalty, Kayama Yuzo’s ”Black Sand Beach,” which appears twice on the same-titled record found above, is another surf-rock masterpiece that I can’t stand not hearing at least once a day, since stumbling across it earlier this week. You may remember Kayama from this insanely incredible video, which I posted about a year ago (if you’re some weirdo who’s been following this than for a year… do those exist?). Too bad the song from that film never made it to vinyl, or so I hear.
Love, Peace, and Poetry, Volumes 1 - 9
I fully expected a compilation called Love, Peace, and Poetry to be absolute garbage, but I was happy to find that it totally annihilates. Each volume tackles some deep psychedelic cuts from a different area of the map, including the obvious American and British psychedelic scenes, and the more interesting scenes with which you might not be familiar. My favorite comps from this set of nine were the Brazilian and Turkish ones, but they’re all definitely worth checking out. Go for it.
That’s it for now. You’ve got some work to do.
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[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]Dth with Chris Rehm - Honesty is God
Songs to Sleep Next to
While listening to the new record from Dth, Songs to Sleep Next to, I had one of those pleasant space-outs where you’re not really paying attention to what’s happening around you, but everything around you seems to come together somehow. I thought someone was driving back and forth by my house, blasting the Whisper Song with the bass turned all the way up, but then I realized it worked too well to actually be environmental sound. This low frequency sound, heard first on the song “You Are in the Grass” and multiple times later on as the record progresses, is just an important piece of the collage of Songs to Sleep Next to. This is one of those records that you should be checking out on a real nice pair of headphones.
The thang’s streaming online at Bandcamp, so head over there after you check out the track above, “Honesty is God,” featuring Chris Rehm, an artist who, like Dth, was also previously featured on An Uncontrollable Urge.
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[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]Datus - Tanyas
Vitiate (Limbic Systems)
Vitiate, the newest EP from Datus, is a collage of heavy textures. Electronic squeals, polyrythmic drums in which a serious Tony Allen influence can be discerned, and thick loads of fuzz all knotted together during six songs of complex noise and power. Datus previously put out three cool EP’s, each of its own sort of theme, and this time, it’s as if they’ve dropped each element that previously would have been it’s own EP into a pressure cooker, focusing and fusing these parts together to create some sort of powerful monster of sound.
High points for me included the strange beehive of tremendous noise that is “Tanyas” as well as the masterful drumming on “Cuckold.” But really, it’s one of those “you have to listen to it all the way through to get the full effect” things, so just set aside 25 minutes of yer time and kick back. Get melted. Y’know.
Pick up Vitiate when it drops July 23rd. You’ll be happy you did. And remind me to remind you about Datus’ August 2nd show in Brooklyn.
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The Melvins/Isis/Totimoshi at Webster Hall
I’ve been looking forward to seeing the Melvins and Isis in New York for months, especially once I found out Isis was breaking up and it would almost definitely be my last and only chance to see them ever, and I’ve been looking forward to seeing the Melvins perform for years. Last night, shit finally went down.
If you’re not familiar with these groups, just know that they’re two of the most legitimate heavy groups ever. As soon as I walked in, I started seeing heavy metal shirts, and I wondered how many I would have to recognize before I passed the limit of cool and went into nerd territory. I don’t know what that threshold is, but I definitely passed it after the tenth Baroness shirt I noticed from about twenty feet away. If you follow me on Twitter, you will have noticed several tweets from this show, which you’ll find updated versions of here. Sorry about the self-advertisements, but since the total number of times I’ll have made this joke now is about to skyrocket, I figured I needed to disclose everything in order to be honest with you and myself.
Normally, I’d feel like a hack about making fun of metal fans for loving Cheetos, funyons, and Dungeons and Dragons, but when the headlining guitarist looks like an anime character and the bassist dresses like fucking Aragorn, not to mention the Legion of Doom behind the dual drum sets, there’s not really that much of a choice, is there?
Anyway, here’s how the show went down. First, the opener, Totimoshi performed. They were a solid stoner metal group but … nothing really interesting happened. In general, I’d say they were a tight act, but then again, some parts of the performance were a bit muddy, so I’m not really sure what to think. Did I hear an accurate representation of the group, or not? It’s hard to say. Definitely some riffs and potential for heavy power, but I don’t know. Something seemed … missing.
After Totimoshi, the Melvins hit the stage! I was expecting Isis to be next, as they were always billed as the support act, and, honestly, the Melvins are just more important. But, I’m guessing the groups are alternating for the stint they’re doing together, which I guess makes sense, especially since, as mentioned before, Isis is breaking up. For an hour and ten minutes, the Melvins fucking jammed. They hit my favorite cuts from their two most recent records, and sampled from all over their back catalog. In general, I think having two drummers doing more or less the same thing is a dumb idea, but the Melvins knocked that idea right out of my head. Even after the immediate cool-factor of them performing these complex pieces in mirror image of each other, one being a lefty and one being a righty, they both add their own unique punch to the ensemble. Both sonically and visually, it’s a nasty combination, and I feel everyone in the room is a better person for having witnessed the performance. I could go on and on about how amazing the Melvins played last night, but why do that when I can complain?
Once the Melvins finished up their set, Isis took the stage. I was looking forward to some heavy sludge, and I was … really disappointed. I don’t blame the group for this whatsoever; the past two weeks I’ve spent listening to their discography in preparation for this gig have reminded me that these dudes know how to play. The issue, really, was the mixing. Whoever was running sound last night really seemed concerned only with one thing: the bass drum. Now, I feel I would be one of the last people to complain about drums being too loud, having spent the last seven or eight months playing drums and being told to quiet down, but goddamn, I thought my skull was going to cave in every time the kick drum sounded. And, if you know anything about Isis, you know that’s a frequent sound. Maybe I was a bit too rocked out from the Melvins, but I honestly think that this was horrible sound engineering, and, I’m sad to report that I left after ten or fifteen minutes of unfortunate sound. What the hell, Webster Hall?
In all, I’m still more than glad I saw the show; the Melvins rocked the fucking universe. Too bad Isis, on what may have been their second to last performance in New York, wasn’t given the same opportunity.
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[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]Dth - I Hope I Can Feel Something Like That One Day
I Hope I Can Feel Something Like That One Day (self-released)
This will be the soundtrack to the beginning of my lazy weekend. Though the record begins somewhat frenetically, soon the energy gives way to a more soothing pace. Ambient music utilizing found sound, including an interesting ending piece, “Humans Are Like Ripples,” in which it seems many people were asked to rate, from 1 to 10, how they were feeling that day. This record is definitely something I wouldn’t mind drifting off to … it’s like a lullabye album for weirdos.
The most interesting part occurs, I think, on the title track of the album. There’s a segment in which recordings of a man speaking are placed next to those of a drum solo, and the interplay between them works like a duet. They often start and stop at the same time, as if it had been planned. See for yourself above.
My one complaint might be just a personal thing, but “I Always Feel Like Crying (For Mom)” contains a some chewing noises, and I couldn’t be more annoyed by that sound. It’s not too aggressive, though, so I’m alright with it, and it’s only for a moment.
Find the whole album streaming here.
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[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]Black Tambourine - Lazy Heart
Black Tambourine (Slumberland)
Slumberland has decided to reissue Black Tambourine’s “Complete“ Recordings (quotation marks added) including six tracks previously unreleased, including four recorded by a reunited Black Tambourine specifically for this record. For those of you unaware, Black Tambourine made some fantastic lo-fi dream pop, influencing a load of groups that you already love - Vivian Girls, for instance, have been doing a great Black Tambourine impression for a while now.
In addition to the ten tracks found on the 1999 issue, there are two demo tracks, two newly recorded originals, and two newly recorded covers - one a Buddy Holly tune, and one a Suicide track. They’re all excellent.
Since a lot of you are probably already familiar with the first ten tracks, which are all fucking awesome, I’ve attached a new one, “Lazy Heart,” for you to sample.
Happy 20th Slumberland/Black Tambourine!
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[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]Magic Shoppe - Gallery
Reverb E.P. (Optical Sounds)
It seems like so much of shoegaze is just boring pop/rock with the reverb maxed out. Magic Shoppe is not that. They seem to have put some more consideration into what they want their timbre to be, and it’s paid off. Beautifully screamin’ leads, solid grooves, and catchy vox. Hooray for this EP!
P.S. Obviously the reverb is still maxed out.
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Rhythm & Noise - Contents Under Notice (Ralph)
I picked up more than a dozen records at Saturday’s WMUA Vinyl Sale. This was one of them. I didn’t know anything really about it, except that it was on the Residents’ record label, so I knew it would be weird. The LP is an atmospheric, metallic, ambient sprawl full of synthesizers, human voices, grinding machines, whimpering animals, and car horns. It’s heavy.
Side 1 (“File Under Soundtracks”), feels like the music that might go on while your brain literally melts - or maybe a Max Payne-esque drug hallucination. It sounded like what the soundtrack to Requiem for a Dream might have been if the movie was set in a dystopian future, but made in the early ’80s. The occasional scream, or crying animal gives way to police sirens, and I couldn’t help but think this is what kids terrified of drugs imagine life in a crack-den to be like. It’s a bad trip. The side’s climax occurs outside, with car horns coming from all directions. They start to die out, as you’re swallowed whole by the very city itself.
The other side, Side A (“File Under Sound Effects”), is one in which you might find yourself awakening inside the stomach of the monster. At first, it’s calm as you float downstream, towards the thresher. And then you’re digested by the urban machine. This side is all sorts of gnarly grinding, but you’re still on that bad trip, but it’s actually getting better. For a time. Then it starts wearing off, and all that’s left is the sound of those gears grinding, those teeth tearing you apart.
Highly recommended.
