Grave Words: ...And Justice For All

It can sometimes be easy to forget how Metallica became a household name in the music world.  In recent years they've been the punchline to many jokes and the whipping post for much public ridicule.  This can leave a bad taste in anyone's mouth (or ears).  I certainly have not been keen to spin a classic Metallica record in a long while.  Today I got the urge and have been reminded that while they have not released a great record in many years, their legacy really is undeniable.  The fact is that who Metallica are now has greatly affected how we remember and perceive who they once were.  We can easily forget their three album rise to making it big and just how much impact they had on other metal musicians who then went on to do amazing things of their own.  How crazy was the speed thrash anthem Metal Militia in 1982?  How heavy was the apocalyptic nuclear doom opener Fight Fire With Fire in 1984?  How epic and orchestrated was the fan favorite Master Of Puppets in 1986?  It's not difficult to take them for granted after years of exposure and eventually excessive radio play.

Clear away your preconceived notions of Metallica, what they were and what they are.  If you can, forget you've ever heard them and then sit down and listen - really listen - to ...And Justice For All like it's the first time you've heard it.  It's 1988 and your mind is about to be blown.  These guys pulled out all the stops and made a truly uncompromising record.  No one was telling them what to do, and even if they were it's clear that no external input was heeded.  All bassless jokes aside, the production of the record was very tight, clean, and dry; it was quite harsh and gnarly for the eighties and reset the notion for what heavy music production could and would be.  Some say it was too clinical, but what I hear is a reflection of anguish and a stand in what otherwise may have been defeat.  AJFA is seeping with bitter, cold loss - there is no doubt in my mind that the music and sonic mood reflect the grief over the loss of bassist Cliff Burton in 1987.  There is a hard stifling of tears here, and a strong resolve to move on with a record that was as unconventional as it was commercially successful.  This record saw Metallica at the height of their technical skill and performance ability...and though many metal musicians today far surpass this level of skill, it was quite an innovative and impressive display in 1988.  I remember seeing these guys on the cover of nearly every guitar, drum, and metal magazine in the months, and even years, following its release.  This record reminds me of why Metallica was (and is) huge.

My original European pressing.

From the brutal opening track, Blackened, to the beautiful masterpiece To Live Is To Die and lightening quick double-kick-laden closer Dyers Eve, ...And Justice For All provides an ample amount of angsty sociopolitical lyrics and vocals, metronome-tight guitar licks, furiously pummeling drum fills, and progressive song structures and changes.  I am reminded that there is still space in my heart for classic 80's Metallica, and I am glad to welcome it once again.

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

Ahhh...there's nothing like starting a sunny Sunday morning with a mug of hot water, a stick of sweet incense, and some mood music.  Jon Porras' new record Black Mesa wastes no time getting right to things; immediately our ears are met with a twangy, lush, and airy motif that sets the tone for the rest of the record.

The elders speak of the great Black Mesa, a mysterious and introspective space; a place seekers wish to explore in hopes of an initiation to a deeper plane of awareness.  There is something up there, on or within the plateau...an organic mirror that reflects our true self with no bias.  By way of the mirror we become the third person experiencing the extremes of both our positive and negative.  Undulations of emotion trigger memories and dreams that move us, and move through us, until a stillness takes hold.  Then through careful watching and breathing, our light and our shadow become one, and inseparable from the light and shadow of the world.

Porras captures the essence and ritual, not only of this figurative mirror, but also of the journey to discover it.  Preparing ourselves for the spiritual rite, working our way to the top of the mesa, and following our instinctual guides to where we need to be taken.  Our time on the Black Mesa is well spent in roaming and searching the dark corners of ourselves...and through an understanding of our cosmic composition, casting brilliant and boundless healing light into our own hearts.

Jon Porras - Into Midnight from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.

Meditative Visions

The guys from Barn Owl are seemingly always working on something.  Just recently John Porras released Black Mesa (review imminent), and Evan Caminiti will soon be gifting us with Night Dust.  Important Records have tied us over with the heavenly droning enchantment that is Portraits.

This vinyl has been sitting, neglected, in my record bin now since its release in January (could it have be that long?!).  Portraits was actually tracked more than two years ago in winter of 2009 by members and former members of Root Strata, Terentel, Higuma, Date Palms, and Barn Owl - and utilizes a fine array of musical instruments.  I've finally set aside some music meditation time to give her a spin, and now I'm kicking myself in the ass for not getting to this sooner.  Portraits is an amazingly energizing record with a depth of introspective atmosphere.  At start our ears perk at the initial sitar (or perhaps tambura) drone, augmented by occasional sweet, ghost-like chimes.  Soon following, layers of instrumentation from electronic oscillator to bass clarinet form a collective movement which is eventually peaked by smooth ringing gong hits.  Side B opens with an earthy multi-voice chant, leads us carefully to a place of inner presence, and ends in a waking and reverberating subterranean rumble.  Though it does feature some electronics, all are analog effects and real tape loops, providing a very warm and lively sound.

The packaging is a textured screen printed chunk of thick cardboard folded in half, which houses a quality vinyl disc.  At $15 and limited to 500 copies, I highly recommend Portraits for those into atmospheric drone and to those seeking meditation music.

The Trampling Hooves Of The Feistodon: RSD 2012

I had a very busy day Saturday, but did not let that stop me from making a visit to the wonderful Toadstool Sounds in lovely Peterborough New Hampshire for Record Store Day 2012.  I must admit that I was fairly disappointed in this year's titles, however there were a couple that kept me content.

The faithful repress of Patti Smith's 1975 full length debut Horses takes the prize.  The original audio has been tastefully remastered and finds itself now pressed to high-grade, medium-weight vinyl just for RSD.  The last US vinyl pressing of Horses was in 1977, so this was long overdue.  The remaster was performed with a great attention to detail; we get a bit more bass and the upper midrange distortion has been nearly eliminated.  Because we also still get a little bit of the hissing S's, it tells me that rather than risking over-processing the original masters things were performed with a fairly light touch and a devotion to maintain the character of original recording.  Arista also did a great job of keeping the classic look and feel of the record with detail right down to the labels on the disc.  It has a sweet retro flavor, and I love it.

Be sure to look for Patti's new record, BANGA, due out this June!

When I first read the RSD 2012 list I thought someone may have made an error: a Mastodon/Feist split?  Indeed, the Feistodon 7" just seemed too cool to be true yet here it is in my hand.  Side A contains Mastodon's cover of Feist's A Commotion, from Metals:

Side B contains Feist's cover of Mastodon's Black Tongue, from The Hunter:

I rather enjoy when a cover is adapted into the performing artist's style and these two are great examples of just that.  Here's to hoping that next year we see more interesting titles and/or limited represses of hard-to-find gems.  Thank you to Patti, Leslie, and the men of Mastodon for making my RSD 2012 experience worth it, and thank you to Eric and Megan of Toadstool Sounds.

Steampunk-o-phone

When my friend Jeff mentioned a steam-powered record player last week I had to check it out and see for myself.  This is perhaps old news in some circles, but I feel compelled to share it here on Timbreleaf.  Simon Jansen's creation is far from fit for audiophiles, and indeed for anyone who actually wants to hear music...but it does work, is a bit insane, and I love it (further evidence that I am a geek).

Photo by Simon Jansen

You can read up on the basics of how it was made here.  Essentially, steam provides the power for the motor and the speed of the turntable is regulated by a servo-driven throttle that is controlled by a single-board microcontroller.  Control loop feedback is implemented with a coil to sense a set of magnets fixed to the spinning platter.  On first glance I thought of Seth Chatfield, a local artist here in New Hampshire.  Not only would he love this, but it would look right at home next to a few of his interesting creations.

Technical Ecstasy

While I somewhat regret not having ordered this from Relapse when it came out, perhaps picking up Obscura's limited vinyl pressing of Omnivium recently from a mom-and-pop establishment worked out for the best.  I ended up with the amazing mossy green splash colored vinyl, which may now be my favorite colored piece of vinyl...it's too wonderful for words.

If you're a fan of technical metal, you already know Germany's Obscura, who have embarked on an epic artistic undertaking of a multi-album concept - the scope of which essentially includes the creation, evolution, and destruction of a (the?) cosmos.  This, of course, wouldn't work at all if they weren't completely astoundingly talented as musicians and songwriters.  Some of what you hear in Omnivium will scramble your brain - harmonies that rotate intervals between the two guitars and bass, sweeped semi-harmonic arpeggiated chords, odd time signature changes complete with off kilter percussive rolls and fills, out-of-the-blue dissonant guitar breaks, and bass leads that creep in and out of the mix.  Other bits of what you hear will tap into the primordial self - bludgeoning caveman-simple thrash, palm-muted guitar chunk with double-kick backbeat ferocity, tight-knit rhythm grooves, and powerful guttural vocals.  Everything is sorted and organized just so by the collective science of the band, and yet still bares the emotion and soul of truly heartfelt music.  This is a combinational balance that very few bands can pull off...and even more rarely do it as exquisitely as Obscura have here.  Like the work of a master carpenter, everything fits together perfectly; joints and edges are square and finely matched with a precision of superior craftsmanship and love - their are no glue spots or unsightly gaps...only the marriage of art and form.  Here's the nearly instrumental penultimate track from the record...


Obscura are about to release a collection of demos and covers called Illegimitation and hit the road in Europe with Spawn Of Possession, Gorod, and Exivious.  Here's to hoping they make it back to the States for another leg before we have to wait for their next record.

Thrifty Instincts

Some months ago I picked up an old disheveled record cabinet from Murray's in Peterborough.  It was somewhat abused and seems to be amateurly hand made: a bit wobbly and covered in wax candle drippings...a hippy artifact of yesteryear?  It had far too much character to pass up.  Since then it has been my on and off again project.  I disassembled it to removed the sliding doors, sanded it down to the bare wood, double stained it, smoothed the finish, painted the feet black, double matte sealed it, reinstalled the doors, and tightened things up a bit to eliminate the wobble.  I never took a before picture when it was all the color of the inside portion, but here's what it looks like now in English Chestnut...

She still needs a few extra finishing nails and maybe some wood glue, but I am very pleased with the results for my total of ~$20.

The Owls Are Not What They Seem

I was not aware that this record existed until Jon Porras mentioned it to me last autumn during the Lost In The Glare tour stop in Allston, MA.  Garden Sound was a one-off collaboration project by Barn Owl (Evan Caminiti & Jon Porras) with Dewey Mahood and Jed Bindeman of Eternal Tapestry.  When hunting down the quite limited pressing of Black Summit, I surprisingly stumbled upon a like-new copy which I purchased for fifteen American dollars.  A great find.

Knowing both the sound of Barn Owl and Eternal Tapestry, Black Summit sounds pretty much like one would anticipate...and this is not a bad thing in the slightest.  Dewey and Jed are here providing ET's garage psych rock foundation - even steady beats and percussive accents to repeating guitar motifs and variations on thereof.  Barn Owl fill in the gaps with drone and feedback, topping off the mix with light touches of entrancing chiming nuances left to ring out.

The record exudes a mystic atmosphere - not overbearingly dark, but heavily foreboding.  As the observer it is often easy to feel as though you are on the edge, waiting for the break, fall, or spill to take take you to a plateau of resolution.  This may be because, though relaxed, there is often more going on than at first glance.  The three guitars overlap, complementing and augmenting each other in a way that embraces the leading edge of presence...something often experienced in good improvisation; Black Summit has a bit of that live vibe.  You can feel each piece working to carry things through from one section to the next quite naturally...but also that it could have happened in any number of ways.  The percussion seems to effortlessly reel things in and keep it grounded - from getting too drawn or too stagnant.  The second track (found below) is the heaviest and most immediately intense of the four, in which each element is more narrowly focused on creating a particular and singular whole sound movement.

I'm very happy with my purchase.  Black Summit has made a lovely and unique addition to my collection.

Lost In The Sky's Dream

I was introduced to San Francisco's Sleepy Sun a couple of weeks ago and cannot stop listening...nor could I resist the sweetness of their sound on vinyl.  Both Embrace and Fever, their first two albums, arrived by post this weekend.  Their third, Spine Hits, will be released April 10th and supported by a lengthy tour.  I've preordered my copy at The End Records' webstore for a mere $12.99.  Rumor has it that we came very close to getting a tour date right here in Peterborough, NH that fell through...quite disappointing.

I love high grade vinyl...too much, perhaps.  Both these discs are top notch pressings and filled with classic rock haze.  Like when the sun is muted behind a veil of passing clouds that eventually break and give passage to the intensity of light, energy, and warmth - Sleepy Sun oscillate beautifully between the shimmer of mellow psychedelic hippy jams and an electric cascade of stoner fuzz rock-and-roll.  The softest moments are stripped down to acoustic folk ditties, while the heaviest are rich with warm distortion and falling-tree riffs.  It's quite possible that Sleepy Sun are equally as influenced by Simon and Garfunkel as they are early Black Sabbath.  Vocals throughout are smooth and robust, featuring male and female voice in duet and lush harmony.  The integration of all these elements couldn't be more fluid and natural; Sleepy Sun make lovely, lovely work.

Wild Machines (Fever)

Golden Artifact Official Video (Embrace)

I highly recommend checking them out, with Fever as a starting point.

Birds & Trees: Redwing Blackbird & Arborea @ Mindful Books

February 4, 2012.  I had not been to Jaffrey's Mindful Books in years.  Last night I finally made my way back to scope out The Listening Room - a series of intimate musical performances.  This instance featured New Hampshire's own Redwing Blackbird and Maine's Arborea.

Redwing Blackbird had indeed been busy since the last time I caught them.  That I could tell, their set featured only new songs - Austin putting down his six nylon strings in exchange for solid-body electricity.  The folky acoustic duo here offered a hybrid flavor: strumming and plucking was married to shimmering and warmly driven amplified textures.  Mellow, humble songwriting and sincere words sung true and harmonized, remained present and unmistakable.  Hearing RWBB play is like getting a hug from a good friend: inviting, calm, refreshing, and reassuring.  I'm very much looking forward to their next record, and you should be too.

Redwing Blackbird - Nightingale live on NHPR

Husband and wife Buck and Shanti Curran, a.k.a Arborea, play a delightful blend of airy psychedelic folk/folk rock.  A wide variety of instrumentation lends itself to the sweet and sweeping musical backdrop as the duo switch on and off.  The twanging of banjo or ukulele, droning of harmonium, or combination timbre of ban-jammer is paired with guitar - sometimes an electric played with EBow or glass slide, other times a steel-string acoustic carefully strummed.  This is all transcended by Shanti's crystalline empyrean voice that effortlessly moves through the room and into your chest.  Arborea soaks in to your heart and finds it's way to the part of you that resides below surface-level patterns and drama.  There it steeps, adding strength to one's purpose and ease to unfolding.  Just close your eyes and be.

Arborea - Black Is The Color

Last night was much needed.  I've lately found myself in a restricted space, out of tune...unmotivated and unaligned with love.  Meeting some new people and sharing the gift of these two band's music, energy, and motion has helped to remind me of where I am called to be - floating along again as my own vector of life's great current, rather than an entity separate and caught in its tides.  Thank you.