None More Black

Record Store Day: a reasonable way to enjoy the Black Friday shopping experience.  This time around I stayed close to home and picked up my goodies "just down the road" at The Toadstool in Peterborough, NH.

Every Autumn I go through a phase when I have to listen to Type O Negative - a mood envelopes me.  There's something about it that takes me back to a particular era in my life, and the sound of TON is a heartwarming and cleansing retrospection that re-energizes my heart; it's a ritual.  There is no other band out there like TON, and there never will be.  Their dry dark humor and over-the-top melodrama masked a truly beautiful core expression - one that provided solace to those absorbed with feelings of negativity, self blame, and emptiness.  They dissolved depression and self-pity by recognizing and embracing the dark extremities of the human emotional scale in sometimes ridiculous and sometimes very intense ways.

Today I am very happy to have in my possession the Type O Negative vinyl box set.  Limited to just 1000 copies and containing all six Roadrunner-released albums on green vinyl, this was the only RSD title that got me really excited.  As soon as I had the box open I had to jump right to Haunted...and oh my, to finally hear this on vinyl is...a holy moment.

The pressing quality and vinyl mastering is quite good; the clarity of sound is beyond what I was expecting to hear - it's almost as though I am hearing these albums for the first time...the songs are the same, but there is a hint of difference in sonic character and a greater depth of clarity.  Each album comes in its own gatefold jacket with brand new liner notes; the original album art adorning the front and back - only now unobscured by the iconic Type O Negative corner logo and album title, giving these editions a classic and clean look...well...as classic and clean as a hairy asshole can look I suppose.  This really is a fantastic tribute to Mr. Peter T. Ratajczyk, one of the most unique and talented songwriters in rock history.  The only thing missing is Dead Again - though since it was not originally released by Roadrunner, I am not surprised; I guess I'll be adding that to my vinyl wish list.

I also left with the Songbook double vinyl by Chris Cornell.  This is a collection of stripped-down acoustic versions of several Cornell originals (spanning his entire career) and a few covers, all recorded live during his Songbook tour.  This may have been worth it alone for the incredible version of Fell On Black Days...

...and I picked up a copy of the only Small Sur album I did not have, We Live In Houses Made Of Wood.  I didn't even know this existed - I can't wait to listen to it.  It came in a lovely recycled cardboard sleeve by Tender Loving Empire - a Portland, OR label and store.  I usually avoid purchasing CDs, but I made an exception for this one.

So...what happened?

I said that I'd be posting more frequently and clearly I have not.  A few weeks ago my dad was rushed to the hospital and then to surgery due to a ruptured aneurism in his brain.  To say the least, it has been a very busy and taxing three weeks; I have not had the time or energy to keep up with TimbreLeaf as planned.  My focus has been on my family and making sure I am giving whatever I can to support them and to help my father heal from this turn of events.  Any thoughts, energy, love, and/or prayers sent his way would mean the world to me and my family.

My dad Joseph, a man of legend.

I can remember going though my dad's old records and tapes when I was younger - I'd find classic Led Zeppelin, Boston, and Jethro Tull.  At the time this music was a new world to me, but would eventually lead to my great appreciation for classic rock, prog, and metal.  While I was growing up he never judged any of the music I listened to, regardless of how strange or dark it may have seemed to him.  My dad has always been very supportive of my artistic endeavors and has always embraced my creative goals.  I cannot thank him enough for this, or for any of the countless other things has has done for me.  My dad serves his family selflessly, happily, and in a way that only he can.  He is always the man who leads by example, and I have learned so much from him.

My dad enjoys a healthy variety of music; more recently, though he has no idea what any of their songs are about, he has become quite stuck on early Rammstein.  He nearly always has both Herzeleid and Sehnsucht for driving music in his truck.  So while the song itself may seem unrelated or inappropriate, it has its context.  Here's to a continued recovery for the greatest man I know.

You are loved, Dad...I hope to see you on your feet soon ~

A Near-Metal Experience

Boston's Junius have released a new record, to which I am listening at this very moment thanks to my friend Justin Hull who introduced the band to me a couple of years ago.  Reports From The Threshold Of Death is just lovely work: thoughtful and heartfelt, poppy yet heavy, abrasive yet smooth, and most predominantly - full.

The album maintains a wonderful motif of fullness, lightness, and understanding.  Even the heavy parts are somehow ethereal and soothing in a way that I find unique to this record.  Full spectrum sound sweeps through your speakers as a singularity - one comprised from a swirling chorus of voice, airy synth pads, distorted guitar grit, and tidy well-placed percussion.  At times it feels like the epic soundtrack to a surreal and fantastical film, full of astounding otherworldly images.  Vocals are simple and straightforward - void of the gimmicks and trends that seem to infect today's rock genres like plagues.  There is certainly both confidence and maturity at work here; nowhere is there overcompensation or even a single note or beat that does not fit.  Junius are doing what they do, not answering to any particular expectation.

Reports From The Threshold Of Death rejuvenates the listener with a calm clarity.  The deafening silence met at the end of the album is a testament to the richness of its sound...it leaves the listener in content reflection.  There is no urge to respin this record after a complete observation...not because it isn't a great record, but because it is a different kind of great record: one that is whole and complete just as it is - not in need and not in surplus...and that is quite special.

The vinyl pressing is excellent.  I opted for the band's website-only edition which is an exquisitely gorgeous piece of vinyl, which you can see below - a very nice complement to the album's artwork.

Junius have clearly reached new ground, and their footing is sure and solid.  Where their next climb will take them should be very interesting indeed.