New Cynic!

As a high school metal head interestingly enough I pretty much avoided death metal at all costs. Sure, because of my girlfriend at the time I saw Deicide two or three times but into them? Not so much (awkward teenage sex to Dead by Dawn is NOT a good thing). Anyway...

Fast forward years later and Cynic's Focus (specifically the track "Textures") was my introduction to the idea that there were good bands that employed the gnarly 'Ghhhhaaaa' vocals. It's all about not relying on it but using it where appropriate. Patton did this and Cynic definitely did this on Focus, where the vocals ranged between the haunting female vocals, the vocodor-ed vocals I always thought of as representing some form of celestial entity and the snarling, spitting vocals more associated with death metal. These techniques fit perfectly over instrumental passages that - while I'm not a huge fan of the very solid-state sounding distorted tone on the guitars - move poignantly between sophisticated jazz, complex rhythmic prog and intricate metal.

And now there's some new Cynic.

Nothing - Dig

This new track by Nothing dropped in August and I missed it!!! Buy it on their bandcamp for .99 here.

Cibo Matto - MFN

Why did this band break-up in the first place? Viva! La Woman was fantastic and then Stereo Type A - I'll never forget when that album came out and we all just sat around floored at the maturation Yuka and Miho had achieved 3 years. I mean, Viva is fun, but Stereo Type is viable as one of the top ten best albums of the 90's in my opinion. Moonchild? Come on...

Anyway, Mr. Brown sent me the link to this video recently with a reminder that Cibo Matto's new record, Hotel Valentine, will be out on, appropriately enough, on Valentine's day 2014.

Nice.

Burial - Come Down To Us

Buy directly from Hyperdub here.

As much as I looove Burial's 2008 Untrue I have been lax in keeping up with his output - largely because there wasn't any for a couple years.

The Flaming Lips and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes - Do You Realize???

I've been on a HUGE Lips kick after reading Mark Richardson's wonderful 33 1/3 entry on Zaireeka. Great version of a song that I believe may be one of the greatest songs ever written - but that also always makes me cry so - as happiness does - so I'm careful with the exposure.

I know I'm tangenting here, but I've never done Zaireeka. I was at the BoomBox Experiment live in 1998, but have never done the home listening experience.

That's about to change.

I've got a xmas bonus coming soon and one of the few things I intend to purchase for myself with a part of that is Zaireeka on cd so I can finally get around to throwing some Zaireeka parties.

Geez, how many times in one post can I say 'Zaireeka'?

image courtesy of blog.kexp.org

SunnO))) + Ulver = Greatness!!!

How long has it been since Monoliths & Dimensions? 2009? I can NOT wait for this!!!

New Pixies Video - Another Toe in the Ocean

Just released! What more can be said about the Pixies continued reunion?