give Voice of Eye - Transmigration a try

Thanks for the tip; will check out older stuff from Agnostic Front for sure.

https://www.discogs.com/release/462416- ... -Unleashed

https://www.discogs.com/master/837212-A ... -One-Rules

related:
https://www.discogs.com/release/1424212 ... -One-Voice

Cinderella – Night Songs

Hits, hits, hits. Not my favourite Cinderella album but nevertheless one part of their three part chapter ("Night Songs", "Long Cold Winter", "Heartbreak Station") in the bible of 80s glam. It's just impossible to dislike any track on the debut because of the extremely focussed and memorable songwriting.

On top of this, I threaten to listen to some Poison (US) album for the first time in my life.

Both awesome bands in their own rite of passage I grew up with both and still enjoy hearing them \m/

Trial Of The Bow – Ornamentation 1995
Trial Of The Bow – Rite Of Passage 1997

So, you love Dead Can Dance and fiend for more of anything like it? You like Indian Classical, or Eastern instrumentation, and are always interested in contemporary takes? You like the krautrock psychedelia of Popol Vuh or organic ambient of Voice of Eye? Don't have a lot of money and are always looking for that inexpensive, underrated gem? $2 and $4 on Discogs respectively. 74 minutes total from the two. For my money and tastes, these two discs blow away diSEMBOWELMENT. Appears these two players dropped away from music, which is unfortunate if this is what they're capable of creating. Really, this is top shelf stuff.

The Bombpops - Be Sweet

This is the best somewhat recent Fat Wreck Chords signing and it's because it sounds like they'd have been on Lookout in 1995. Tour with Screeching Weasel or MTX folks, it would fit pretty well.

Savage Garden - Truly Madly Deeply

People (Rightfully) remember the single, but this whole album fucks. Sounds like the singer was listening to a whole lot of Michael Jackson.

Now playing

The Flower Kings – Look at you Now

Premium retro-prog from Sweden, now shrunken to a quartet, and preferring the concise song format. The short songs on the old albums when Tomas Bodin was in the band tended to be melodic rock or pop songs whereas, today, most of the short ones are like segments of long-form tracks, i.e. pretty typical Flower Kings music. However, the really big-sounding epic stuff is gone as is the zappaesque silliness, in other words: now The Flower Kings are a bit more melodic-melancholic, stately and serious than in the 90s and 00s.

How does "Look at you Now" compare to the other three albums after the second comeback in 2019? If "Waiting for Miracles" was a rather typical and safe Flower Kings release, if "Islands" was a bit more abstract or King Crimson-like than the other three, if "By Royal Decree" was far more melancholic than the colourful artwork (prog needs more cockatiels!) suggested, the new one is melodic-anthemic, flowery without many hints of menace, and probably their most song-centric album yet. If you don't expect the 16th album by these veterans to be their best or most inspired, it's very likable and can make your day. 7.5-8/10

The Raconteurs - The Switch and the Spur

Amped up, hyper-catchy Western blues rock tune... this album has so much going on it's almost dizzying, but the really excellent hooks anchor it very well. Strong, raucous riffs. A shitload of energy.

Oxbow & Lingua Ignota - Lovely Murk

Hypnotic and apocalyptic calm! Swooning, ambient and blissful melancholy!

Been revisiting Faust via The Wumme Years box for a few weeks now. Had me reaching for the krautrock I know well, but not as well as the albums that were readily available in the 90s as reissues. I look back and can't believe how long it took for a lot of it to get reissued. Think Progressive, Spalax, and the bootleggers could only do so much. And I barely knew of the jazz/fusion end, as I didn't care for jazz at all at that time. I've found that I prefer krautrock jazz/fusion (and Miles Davis fusion) to the fusion that gets the most attention. The krautrock stuff has the psychedelic freeness that the "hard" fusion doesn't (Tony Williams and Billy Cobham). Obviously a very different perspective, but still, that's where I find myself.

Faust - s/t 1971 - classic - one of my first krautrock experiences; the boot was really well done, inexpensive, and seemingly everywhere.
Faust - Rien 1995 - they hadn't lost a step.
Faust - Ravvivando 1999 - not as consistent, or as classic sounding, as Rien, but of all the active original krautrockers at that time, they proved again that they were the most reliable; even more than Schulze, Roedelius, or Gottsching - good album and worth hearing.
Faust - Faust Wakes Nosferatu 1997 - live interpretation of the classic film - kind of a big ask, and it's so-so - their live shows at the time were really good, but this isn't up there.
Faust - So Far 1972 - truly bizarre - albums like this make it clear why Steven Stapleton of Nurse with Wound was so influenced by Faust and this period.
Faust - 71 Minutes - from two mini-LPs of unreleased tracks from '71-'73 that were meant to be released? This CD is a little confusing. Some of the tracks have been re-named, and I don't think the two mini-LPs are complete here. Great release though and highly recommended.
Agitation Free - Malesch 1972 - this one splits the arrow.
Agitation Free - 2nd 1973 - how could I not?
Agitation Free - Last (live) 1973-1974
Agitation Free - Fragments (live) 1974 - top shelf live band.
Gila - s/t 1971 - one of my all-time favorite krautrock albums.
Agitation Free – Live '74 At The Cliffs Of River Rhine - "Recorded live during a radio-concert at the WDR in Cologne, February 2, 1974" - absolutely fucking smoking show - 4 of 6 tracks are from their 2nd album, and 2 tracks appear to be exclusive (22 minutes) - could be the shiny newness of it, but it might be my favorite AF album - GREAT.
Ibliss- Supernova 1972 - even with the jazz description* out of my worn "The Crack in the Cosmic Egg", one of those I had earmarked for years because it didn't get reissued until 2009 on Garden of Delights (would still love to have a complete GoD CD collection), so as soon as file sharing came on my radar, I was after it - it's not a very jazzy/fusion album and did not disappoint - very recommended - 43 minutes of krautrock bliss - listened to twice in a row - looking back, it is surprising it wasn't at least booted; the first three Kraftwerk albums and Organisation were readily available in the 90s on booted vinyl.
*"Borne out of the confused Kraftwerk history, and taken under the wing of Conny Plank, Ibliss were one of the most remarkable one album wonders. Featuring Basil Hammoudi (from Organisation) and Andreas Hohmann (one of the two drummers on the first Kraftwerk album) augmenting a trio of no less talent, Ibliss created a logical jazz-fusion diversion on the Organisation sound, heavily featuring flutes, saxes and an overdose of percussion. All this in a typically Teutonic cosmic concoction, kinda Kraftwerk meets Miles Davis and ROCKSESSION era Embryo, and also hinting at the later Kollektiv. It's a great shame they only released the one album!"
Annexus Quam - Beziehungen 1972 - never heard this one before, only their first one that often shows up on lists - the first half is unremarkable free jazz noodle, but then we get to krautrock something; kind of reminds me of a less adept Sergius Golowin "Lord Krishna Von Goloka", sans the narrative...and then devolves back into dull free jazz for a handful of minutes and then another handful of minutes of adequate krautrocking; so maybe around 15+ minutes of something I'd like to hear again.
Kollektiv - s/t 1973 - this cover always freaked me out a bit and looked like a Tron porn spoof soundtrack, and for the longest time, I only knew it from the pages of "The Crack in the Cosmic Egg" - another group that gets named a lot in conversations, but weirdly, a live '73 album was issued before this well-regarded krautrock necessity was reissued well into the 2000s - another one I eagerly went after on soulseek.
Sahara - Sunrise 1973 - this album always throws me off - the first and last (of four) tracks are proggy krautrock, but those middle two are kind of average classicy or folkish rock; makes me question if my memory is off - most people, like at Prog Archives, spend all their time talking about the epic 27-minute final track opus, because it is a prog dream.

and also...
Area - 1978: Gli dei se ne vanno gli arrabbiati restano! 1978 - Italian prog - this is really interesting, engaging, oddball stuff; not to be confused with challenging or difficult listening either - it's not achieved with technical wankery, but weaving ideas and styles (even a little free jazz, fusion, and some quirky funk that feels like it comes from somewhere...is there an Italian version of Blaxploitation?) - though this is said to be their last good album, it's good enough that I want to hear the next one too - Cramps launched their legendary label with this band.
Thorbjørn Grønning – Galskapens Teater 1989 - Really interesting. Weirdo post-krautrock Sky Records/Italian symphonic prog adjacent 80's indie something, and the guitar noodling is 80's rock. I can see getting sucked into repeated plays.

I wonder if soemeone ever made a pseudo-objective numerical scale of "extremeness" with both metal and other genres and with 10 at the most extreme of extreme metal or equivalent, and 0 as whatever the opposite of extreme would be, I wonder if my score above average would be higher on the metal or non-metal scale.

Is there such a things extreme alternative?

Jack off Jill -- "Angels Fuck, Devils Kiss"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUBvHXXhTXw

"I wanted to help
To help destroy the world
Piss in your heart and be that
And be that SPECIAL GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Jesus Lizard -- "Blue Shot"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZnI9PR6SVY

"When it pains it roars."

"Lies! Placidyls!
WHy don't you set a camera to record your own death, dear?
LIes! Placidyls!
A heroin OD and a heroic vulva"

Jack off Jill --- "Surgery"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoIKy5vprXM

"I can change
I correct the defect
Repair the injury called you and me
I can change
I surrender to it
I can suffer with the best of them"

"I can't change"

Jesus Lizard --- "Panic in Cicero"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MC8zhPzgytc

"If you hunt them that way
Then you can taste the fear in their meat
SHARP!!!!!!!!
LITTLE!!!!!!!!!
POINTS!!!!!!!!!!"

By the way, the advertisement before "Surgery" was for *literal surgical equipment.* Just want I want a doctor who buys his gear from YouTube videos. . .

This song is soooooo good. I love what Kristin brings to it.


I've become sort of obsessed with the Smears as of late, who were an all-female sort-of garage-y punk band from Indiana that existed for a few years in the 90s. There's not a lot about them on the internet and I don't believe they are even streaming other than their VMLIve tracks (if anyone remembers that series from back in the 90s). I was aware of them back in the day because one of the singers guested on some Screeching Weasel songs but I never got around to checking them out until recently. I picked up some used CDs on the cheap and there are a lot of really great songs.

Now I'm coding, and some of lofi hip-hip helps me to focus a little more:

NP: hoogway - After You

Solomon Burke - None Of Us Are Free

The late great Solomon Burke with some help from The Blind Boys Of Alabama, telling the truth for all times;

none of us are free, if one of us is chained

Haydn 2032 Vol. 14 L'imperiale - these continue to be excellent.

Megaman X6 - Blaze Heatnix

One of the worst levels in the Megaman X series and those fucking donuts can go straight to hell, but the music in this stage has no reason to go as hard as it does lol

New Model Army - Eight

This one is pretty understated, but really it has some brilliant, evocative melodies. Some first rate songs. It really worked its way into my subconscious even as I was playing their more robust albums more.

NEW TODAY!

The Chronicles of Father Robin – The Songs & Tales of Airoea Book I - The Tale of Father Robin (State of Nature) (<- that's a mouthful)

Retro-prog in the vein of early Genesis (70-71), King Crimson and Gentle Giant but almost devoid of any pop sensibility (exception: the fourth track sounds a bit like "Drama" by Yes), a fact that brings the album closer to other Scandinavian retro-prog acts such as Änglagård, Wobbler and early Anekdoten. There are no guitar heroes, master vocalists or keyboard wizards in the spotlight. Everything is rather edgy but subdued and autumnal, prog scrub instead of colourful jungles. The target audience will like it but I think I prefer prog with more accessibility, pomp and dynamic ups and downs.

Anna Sjalv Tredje - Tussilago Fanfara 1977 - sole album by this Swedish Berlinish school synth duo - no idea where I got this recommendation - only been reissued a single time on vinyl sometime in 1980s - lots of quality synth stuff out there, but this is the cream - could just be the cover art, but feels slightly more on the cold and dark side, like earliest Klaus Schulze (Irrlicht); sharing real instrumentation and not just sampling - also top shelf traveling krautrock guitar noodling; the final track is a Manuel Göttsching/Ash Ra Tempel melter.

Anna Sjalv Tredje - On Tonkraft Radio 1978-81 - 74 minutes total - only other material from this duo? one track included on a comp, but the rest not - also GREAT - thank goodness for bloggers.

Xhol Caravan - Altena 1969 - avoided this band for a long time because of descriptions of soul + jazz, and I just wanted psychedelic freak outs - they are indeed both soul and jazz, but they're more than that too - I still have to be in just the right mood and fiending for something, and they are one of the more Americanized krautrock bands, so they fall in the crack of not playing very often.

Pink Floyd – Animals (2018 Remix)

On the one hand everything is much clearer, on the other hand the whole sounds less oppressive. On the original the harsh and muffled production really underscored the contents, whereas the remix feels like "Wish You Were Here" and like a liberation from the stuff addressed in the lyrics. Which one's better? Listen at least once and decide for yourself. Either way, a great, refreshing new perspective.

Linkin Park - In Pieces

Very sweet and comfy song.

Scream - Still Screaming

One of the best records to come out of the early '80s DC hardcore scene. Original drummer Kent Stax passed away this morning. R.I.P.

Enya - Caribbean Blue

Soothing and beautiful.

I've been listening to all the Popol Vuh catalogue, going backwards from Agape Agape, Love Love 1983. When I needed a break, I hit some other kosmische musik. I won't post all my notes on Popol Vuh, but I'll post a few. I didn't have a couple albums handy, so I listened to them at the LMA.

a lot of their catalogue can be streamed or downloaded here:
https://archive.org/search?query=creato ... pol+Vuh%22


Besombes-Rizet - Pole 1975 - originally a 2LP, reissued as a single LP (?), so grab the complete reissue on CD or download (also on youtube) if this interests you - very, very cool stuff; a little all over the place, but still feels like a relatively cohesive journey - from Discogs "They made just the one 2LP set issued on Pole Records in 1975. Musically, it sits somewhere between Heldon and kosmische Krautrock, covering a wide range of styles from pure electronics to space-rock."

Philippe Besombes - Libra (soundtrack) 1975 - comes out of the gates feeling more academic than Pole, but the second track rockets into Faustian territory with playful, crazy energy - like Pole, it is all over the place...even sounding like "Delta sitar" and electronically bubbling Southern Rocky blues - recommended for people who like krautrock type play, especially if you're OK with a lot of experimenting.

Philippe Besombes - Cesi Est Cela 1979 - the last of his three release that are not of his rock band Hydravion - thoroughly enjoyed them all - all three are recommended, if not highly recommended.

Hydravion - s/t 1977 - Philippe Besombes' rock band - less experimental than his solo work, but the same quality, kosmische energy.

Witthuser & Westrupp - Trips und Traume 1971 - tracks like "Orienta" are why this album is such a big deal - "excepting a couple of shorter catchy folk songs, a very cosmic affair, with long spacious tracks oozing out atmosphere, like ancient folk diversions from Ash Ra Tempel."

Witthuser & Westrupp - Der Jesuspliz 1971 - also very good cosmic folk - a greater number of instruments on this one than TuT.

Brainticket's Joel Vandroogenbroeck - Biomechanoid 1980 - "He then made a series of recordings for the German label Coloursound, who supplied ambient and mood music film and TV documentaries. Such titles as Industrial Retrospect, Computer Blossoms, Mesopotamia Egypt and many more emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s. One of these sets, 1980’s science fiction themed Biomechanoid, included artwork by famed designer H.R. Giger. Some of the albums were released anonymously, or under pseudonyms such as VDB Joel, JVDB, and Eric Vann." - there are a lot of these, enough to issue an 18CD box set that doesn't cover all of them; a bigger exercise than I'd probably ever be able to do, but I'd like to hear them all at least once - this one is pretty decent, diverse, experimental sci-fi soundtracky stuff.

Popul Vuh - Die Nacht der Seele - Tantric Songs 1979 - really good album, and it cranks the quality level starting at "Wo bidt du,der Du überwunden hast?" and finishes strong; nearly 25 minutes of top-level krautrock - this edition has 15 minutes of bonus material that was recorded at the same time(?), and it is so-so.

Popol Vuh - Einsjaeger & Siebenjaeger 1975 - this was my first exposure to PV, as it was reissued when I was first getting into krautrock, well distributed, and recorded by the Cosmic Couriers - remains one of my favorites - one of their best covers too, along with Seligpreisung.

Popol Vuh - Das Hohelied Salomos 1975 - now I'm at the point in the PV exercise that I'm questioning whether I want longer jams, or if it would be any different if they were, and it is just that they're indexed as tracks that is screwing with my perception of it all - this could have been released as a 2LP with Einsjaeger & Siebenjaeger, under a single title, and nobody would have noticed.

Popol Vuh - Seligpreisung 1973 - a definite contender for their best post-moog.

Popol Vuh - Hosianna Mantra 1972 - such a beautiful album, and if you're into krautrock guitar noodling, this one is for you.

Popol Vuh - In den Garten Pharaos 1971 - stunning album, and when it was over, I listened to it again - side A is top shelf krautrock meandering with great percussion that I love and fiend for (made me want to listen Tangerine Dream's "Fly And Collision Of Comas Sola") - side B is droning organ as a base layer, and then everything from ethereal vocals to a wall of cymbal/percussion noise; all things considered, it's a surprisingly dissonant 20 minutes - no info on the two bonus unreleased tracks (20 minutes total) sound like they came from a demo (tape hiss) - 2-4 tracks on a krautrock album are ideal.

Spiritbox - Jaded

Catchy mixture of metalcore, djent, and alternative metal, digging LaPlante's vocal hooks here in particular.

Listening to a lot of early Galahad at the moment ("Nothing is Written", "In a Moment of Complete Madness", "Sleepers" and the rarities compilations "Other Crimes and Misdemeanors I + II"). They were like an also-ran in late 80s / early 90s British neo prog, very derivative of Genesis (of course), early Marillion and Twelfth Night. While the flagships (Marillion, IQ, Pendragon and Pallas) made a career, Galahad never really entered the spotlight. They were both more harmless, i.e. even more pop-oriented than the others, and a bit darker, i.e. more monotonous due to either their musical tastes or relative lack of experience in writing varied and colourful prog rock. And ten years too late: if they had been there in the late 70s, they would have become pioneers like the brilliant Twelfth Night. Not more than a footnote in neo prog but very enjoyable because of their underdog charm.

Thurnin - Útiseta

I didn't know there was a new album coming out! I *adored* Menhir. I don't know exactly what to call this style, maybe UlverCore? Gorgeous stuff, anyway.

AFI - Fall Children

WHOA OHHH!
WHOA OHHH!
It's that time of year folks - Misfits and oldschool AFI season.

Roger Waters – The Dark Side of the Moon Redux

Stripped-back arrangements, laid-back atmosphere, very complex production with bells here and whistles there, lo-fi flatlands and deep surges of violins ("In Dobly, Miss Pettibone?"). It's impressive how they captured the main man's low nasal voice and made it sound like a punch in the guts.

The Dark Side of the Moon? Oh, that old rug, I mean, the original album, is nearly buried under new spoken lyrics. That's it, that's what this reminds me of: an old music cassette partly overwritten by someone with a microphone and too much time on their hands between 2 and 3 a.m.

I think everyone should listen to this thing at least once to experience the production. Don't be afraid, it can't destroy the original. Wait, I have a better idea: don't listen to it because if you do you're suddenly one hour closer to death. Maybe your best bet would be to press 'play' and immediately fall asleep. Sleep is good for your health at any age.

Explosions in the Sky - First Breath after Coma

Emotional and evocative.

Renaissance - Turn of the Cards

Another incredible performance by Annie Haslam. Gorgeous.

Pharoah Sanders - Black Unity

Happy birthday to the great Pharoah Sanders who would be 83 today

His stuff is just so wonderfully spellbinding and breathtaking - a real artist. Great music. Black Unity I just heard a week or so ago. Tremendous grooves and immersion in that sound.

Racionais MC's- Nada como um dia apos o outro dia

Legendary Brazilian hip hop record.

Anyone know Humbird??

Good times

Broken Wolves - The Summons