Joe Hill's Taking Us to Christmasland!!!

image courtesy of geek news empty-v

Back in the spring I reviewed Hill's newest novel NOS4A2 on Joup. Now in this week's edition of Thee Comic Column I review the first issue of the sinisterly awesome Wraith: Welcome to Christmasland - the book that will expand on the extremely expansion-worthy mythos Hill so expertly sets up in the novel.

The Smiths - The Joke Isn't Funny Anymore

The lyrics to this song scare me. The ending is the closest thing I've ever heard to an artist transcribing the underlying fear of modern humanity into a short, concise and ridiculously catchy refrain.

Chills every time I hear this.

Slayer's Hell Awaits... 8 Bit Nintendo Style!

Oh man, did Bloody Disgusting really deliver today or what. This speaks 100% for itself. (every track from Hell Awaits is up, more in BD's article here.)

Gwar - Madness at the Core of Time Official Video!!!

I'm pretty sure Gwar is the only band who has continued to play straight-up 80's thrash metal since... well, since the 80's. I saw them live once back in what I think was the late 90's at Chicago's Riviera Theatre. It was divine. Very much like what you see in the video above, but without the safe distance of a computer screen between me and the giant blood-spewing monstrosities you see above. A stroke of genius to 'preview' the madness at the core of their live show in the video.

SAPPHIRE SLOWS Can I Get Out of This Silence (Eyedress Remix)

A couple of weeks ago Heaven is an Incubator posted the song Nature Trips by weird electro group Eyedress from the Philippines. I stumbled back across that post a little while ago and ended up looking Eyedress up on Soundcloud. This prompted a long listening session, the above of which was one of my favorite tracks out of a lot of tracks that I really, really dug. As with my previous post concerning Nicolas Jarr, the original artist here - Sapphire Slows - is completely new to me, so it looks as though I have my homework multiplying exponentially with this lackadaisical evening of reading comics and listening to new music.

Ellen Allien - Flashy Flashy (Nicolas Jaar Remix)

I love this. Settling into some chill electro is a good way to go as these nights grow longer and longer. Winter is always when I go back to this kind of thing as both the colder weather and the dark, introspective beats and tones play increasingly well with the more isolated, introspective 'dark months'. Nicolas Jarr is one half of Darkside. I know nothing about Ellen Allien, but mean to find out more after becoming so enraptured by this particular track.

Flaming Lips Cover Tame Impala's Elephant

This is awesome. Listen to those drums!!!

Man, when the Lips cover a song, they really COVER the fuck out of it. I've gotta dig around and see if I ever posted that live version of Seven Nation Army where Wayne uses the lyrics to The Butthole Surfer's Moving to Florida.

Sleep - Dopesmoker

If you dig this you NEED to own it on vinyl. The re-issue via Southern Lord (buy it here though it looks as though they are currently out of stock) stands as one of the greatest vinyl purchases I've ever made.

sys_exe - Sundown (radio edit)

The places sys_exe's music takes me are both wonderful and strange.

Primus - Tragedy's A' Comin

Man, I really missed the freakin' boat on the videos from this album!

Ty Segall Live @ Amoeba Music 2009 (full set)

BOMB! Look what I just found on the youtubes! This would have been amazing to see in person, but it is well before I was aware of his existence. Super cool the way they shot this and the sound is fantastic!

Ghost BC Release Covers EP

Had a feeling this was coming back several months ago, then it just kinda didn't and I became distracted. So I owe special thanks to Heaven is an Incubator for posting this a little while ago. You can get it on iTunes or better yet a record store if you happen to have one of those anywhere near you. Or you can order it directly from the band here where it's pretty much dirt cheap ($12 bucks for the vinyl before shipping!!!).

Four covers (Depeche Mode, Roky Erickson, Army of Lovers and the ABBA song Marionette in case you missed the special edition of Infestissumam) rounded out with a live version of Secular Haze. Produced by Dave Grohl. And Satan.

Teasers for forthcoming new album by Liars

There are a lot of bands I follow. I mean A Lot. Few keep me guessing from record to record as much as Liars do. WIXIW was one of my favorite albums of 2012. What's more it was one of the more interesting albums I heard that year, not just because of it's sonic nature, but because of how it related to the rest of the band's ever-changing MO. I was thrilled to read about the forthcoming new record, evidently due out in March next year on Mute. Read the details here on Exclaim!

The High Confessions - Chlorine and Crystal

My favorite track on the aforementioned Turning Lead into Gold with the High Confessions record from 2010. Shades of Pornography era Cure.

Corrections House - Bullets and Graves

CORRECTIONS HOUSE - "Bullets And Graves"

New Corrections House to go along with their last two videos (Hoax the System and Grin with a Purpose).

Really dig this band but if we could just have Mr. Parker use this as a launching pad to go back and record a new record with his other "super group"I'd be one happy man. Corrections House is Sandford Parker (of Minsk, Nachtmystium) along with Scott Kelly of Neurosis, Mike IX Williams of Eyehategod and Bruce Lamont of Yakuza and Bloodiest. Meanwhile  that other group is almighty High Confessions, who have thus far released one album - Turning Lead into Gold with the High Confessions and Mr. Parker is joined therein with Steve Shelley (former Sonic Youth and Disappears drummer), Jeremy Lemos of White/Light and of course, Chris Connelly of Ministry, Revolting Cocks and Chris Connelly (w/ and w/out The Bells). 

So you see why I'd like The High Confessions to produce more music...

Les Claypool's Duo De Twang cover Primus

After finding that video for Lee Van Cleef and posting it earlier in the week it dawned on me just how long it'd been since I had a Primus jag and I immediately set about correcting that, beginning with a couple of spins of 2011's Green Naugahyde. Then yesterday, as if the Universe decided to reward me, I found that Mr. Claypool's Duo de Twang is not only releasing an album but have shared their version of Primus' Jerry Was A Race Car Driver, which they cover (along with Wynona's Big Brown Beaver, the Bee Gees' Stayin' Alive and - this I can't wait to hear - Alice in Chains' Man in the Box) on their forthcoming album Four Foot Shack, out February 4th on ATO Records.

Bad ass.

I've never quite understood how ol' Les fell in with the jam thing - a scene that I have a little more tolerance and understanding for after recently reading former AV Club current The Dissolve writer Nathan Rabin's You Don't Know Me But You Don't Like Me.

A little.

I believe this jam thing began for Claypool with his Fearless Flying Frog Brigade project. I saw the Frog Brigade (who Duo de Twang also cover on the album) back in... ummm, late early 00's maybe? It was cool but they were opening for Phil Lesh at Wisconsin's Alpine Valley and that was a long way to go from Chicago for a half hour opening set (cuz we left after after the Brigade played - the smell of patchouli doesn't agree with me). Totally worth it though.

Anyway, more Les Claypool in any capacity is always a good thing in my opinion.

More info on the album on Exclaim! here.

Queens of the Stone Age - The Vampyre of Time and Memory Official Video

Well, apparently it's music video day, although this actually dropped rather quietly yesterday. ...Like Clockwork is a top contender thus far for my album of the year and this track, coming in at number three on the album, was the first one on that first listen that told me the band had really crafted a powerhouse. The video is really quite strange, but the real killer occurs if you go here: http://www.vampyreoftimeandmemory.com/  here and do the full interactive music video experience. of course leave it to Queens to do something like this. So fantastic it borders on inconceivable.

Official Video: What Goes Boom by The Pixies

The Pixies kick off their new North American tour on January 5 (more info here) but in the meantime here's the new video to What Goes Boom (my personal favorite track off the all-together Awesome EP that came out a few months ago. From the official press release for the video:

"What Goes Boom," was one of the early songs Pixies worked on before the 
band went back in the studio, following Deal's departure. "It's kind of a 
ballsy song with real balls-out playing," says Santiago. "And [it] harkens 
back to a lot of the harder-edged Pixies stuff, which is my favorite to play."

Songwriter and guitarist Black Francis further explains that "the song is 
about a girl, a girl who plays the bass guitar. It's got kind of a metal riff 
which I think that, on occasion, we all really enjoy playing, even though we're 
not a metal band. And I wouldn't be the first to write a song about some 
gal who plays bass."

The video for "What Goes Boom" was directed by Jonathan Furmanski 
and Matthew Galkin. They had some grand plans for this but in the end
 basically decided it was cheaper and best to just blow something up.
 In an email, the two directors told us that "Our original vision for the 
'What Goes Boom' video was to create an homage to a 
central, dramatic scene in Star Wars. But, after that idea proved 
a bit too costly to produce, we decided the next best thing was to blow 
up Joey Santiago in the desert – the compromises we make for our art."

Electric Youth - Innocence

Wow. Really cool - new track from the forthcoming record Today, due out on Last Gang Records in 2014 (which is right around the freakin' corner!). If you don't recognize the name of the band you might the sound - they were featured on the soundtrack to Nicolas Winding Refn's brilliant Neo- Noir Drive two years ago or so. I had forgotten about this band after falling in love with that film and the music in it, and while this has reminded me to seek them out it has also made me slightly suspicious as Innocence is A LOT like the track A Real Hero track w/ College from the Drive Soundtrack.

Reverend Horton Heat's New Video

Great song. Great video. The change at 1:46 is killer.

After spending much of my twenties with the records The Full Custom Gospel Sounds of the Reverend Horton Heat, Liquor in the Front, It's Martini Time and Space Heater the Rev.'s been hot and cold with me. Everything he does is great, but a lot of it is within the same 'box' if you will. This is no different, but when the mood strikes me I can throw on the newer stuff (Spend A Night in the Box and up) can still make me smile (and suck the beers down faster than usual). Tonight was one of those nights. Thanks to Bloody Disgusting for posting this. It's from the new record REV on Victory Records.

Walton Goggins... Jessie Custer

A casting suggestion first brought to my attention by author Jacob Q. Knight on Twitter. If a Preacher show is going to happen, then in my book this HAS to happen! I've become a massive fan of Goggins since becoming enamored with his portrayal of Boyd Crowder on Justified, then going back and realizing he'd been awesome in a bunch of other films I'd seen him in over the years (definite nominee for best death scene - Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses). Goggins is intense in all the right ways and would be perfect for this role. I'm still afraid of AMC doing Preacher - Seth Rogen's involvement an interesting but not necessarily good development - but Goggins as Custer would definitely help make me less afraid.

image courtesy of house of geekery.com

Oceansize - Saturday Morning Breakfast Show

My friend Jacob from Blue Karma gave me Effloresce by Oceansize as an introduction to the band. After picking at it off and on for a few months the full weight and majesty of this beautifully crafted record really hit home about a week or two ago. I've pretty much been listening to it everyday since. All the tracks are fantastic, but this one hit me with a double whammy when it dawned on me that at ~330 they go into part of Pearl Jam's Ocean. I found this to be a brilliant little homage - the kind of thing a lot of bands do live but that I don't remember ever seeing done on an album before. It's a nice little tip of the hat that really adds some extra emotional weight to an already outstanding track.

Soundgarden - The Girl You Want

Have had this song in my head all night. Great cover of an old Devo song, included on the looooong out-of-print version of Badmotorfinger that included SOMMS as a second disc. Oh, SOMMS is Satan Oscillate My Metallic Sonatas.

Nice.

Primus - Lee Van Cleef

Wow. I am REALLY late to the game on this video. After seeing it I stumbled around the web checking up on what Les and the boys have been up to and found this on wikipedia:

"In September 2013, Les revealed that Jay Lane has departed Primus to focus on RatDog with Bob Weir. Previous drummer Tim Alexander has rejoined the band in his place. The band plans on going into the studio in November to possibly record their eighth studio album, the name will be announced in 2014."

Oh happy day!!!

Polvo - Light, Raking

The inimitable Chester Whelks wrote a review of Polvo's newest record for Joup back a few weeks ago. Go here to read it.

Infectious Grooves - The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move

Where there is noooooo way in hell I'd ever go see Suicidal Tendencies anymore (been that way pretty much since the last time I saw them, circa 1994 or '95) news of Infectious Grooves reuniting makes me wonder... it doesn't require 'Cyco Mike' to try and pull off that Suicidal aggression that has just seemed phoned in since... again, '94 or '95. I mean, no offense to the guy, he helped make some AWESOME music in Tendencies. Everything up to The Art of Rebellion is classic, with Lights Camera Revolution being the pinnacle and where - in my opinion - they should have stopped.

I saw Infectious Grooves at Chicago's Riviera Theatre back for this first record (opening for ST) - it's been years since I've heard this as I never owned it on disc, only cassette and that disappeared some time ago. But hearing it again now, contemplating seeing them... it's just a start-to-finish great record. Live? Wait, FNM's Jim Martin added on guitar? Hmmmm...

AMC orders Preacher Pilot? (via Bloody Disgusting)

Hole. Lee. Fah. King. Shit.

image courtesy of sequart.org

First, go to Bloody Disgusting and read this.

I'm inclined to agree with Mr. Disgusting on this - I'll admit that because The Walking Dead is still the best comic I read every month (and I read a fair amount of monthly books) I do watch the AMC show but am more often disappointed with it than happy. It's a great example of a show where you consistently 'see' the writing, in the characters' motivations to do things, in the way in which events transpire and in ridiculous plot devices. But like I said, I can't stop watching the show because I love the book and that makes me want to see how the show deviates from it - which is often when it shines the brightest. AMC gearing up to take a crack at what may very well be my favorite comic series of all time makes me... nervous. HOWEVER, in their defense Breaking Bad was, to me, the greatest show of all time. HOWEVER to counter that defense they almost let it slip away after the third season (the same time they fired TWD's showrunner Frank Darabont). AMC has a spotty track record and that makes me nervous. And to change TWD is one thing - to change any single hair on Preacher's head would provoke a tactical response from A LOT of people who are fans. With TWD AMC hedged their bets that the ever-escalating popularity of the zombie was at a time ripe for penetrating to even people our parents' ages and they were right (I have several friends in their early to mid thirties whose mothers are otherwise squeamish and non-horror minded but who LOVE TWD!). I don't think blasphemy, a quest to kick God's ass and Armadillo-sodomy are things anywhere near that kind of market penetration yet - no pun intended.

I guess we'll see...

Moistboyz - Tweaker

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How could I not?