Stoned Reverence To Doom

Like many I've been waiting patiently for new material by Seattle's Samothrace.  2008's Life's Trade is a phenomenal record - perhaps one of the best records of all time in the greater doom genre.  Needless to say, expectations are quite high for Reverence To Stone.

My vinyl copy came in from 20 Buck Spin yesterday and I am delighted.  All of the trademark elements of Samothrace's sound are still present five (perhaps slightly turbulent) years later. Furthermore there seems to be a deliberate and purposeful refinement in their songwriting. The two pieces that comprise the album bare an exquisite preciseness; I have no doubt that the band took their time to make sure these songs matched exactly their creative vision, and it is clearly audible.

The greatness of Samothrace is in the passage of riff to riff, motif to motif...each lavishly explored, beginning with a sense of self-manifestation and ending like a phoenix combusting into its next form - a drawn but beautiful series of auricular movements. Though these tracks clock in at roughly 15 and 20 minutes, they don't feel anywhere near that long. Completely capturing the undivided attention of the listener, they surround as they pass and effortlessly carry you along throughout their full run.  Riffs twist and turn up steep slopes, gaining speed as they approach a mountainous peak in a heaven of dense misty clouds and refracting sunlight setting against a broad colorful horizon...and then they dissolve into the dark and brooding depths of cold, damp caverns harmonically rich with feedback and noise, guttural wailing, and sparse reverberating percussion.  Reverence To Stone ascends and then descends, saturated in a profoundly awakened heaviness and affection for cathartic melancholic beauty - it is an intense experience, and highly recommended.

You can listen to the album online thanks to Pitchfork. I've embedded their uploaded tracks here for your convenience...enjoy!

Happy Belated Melodramatic Birthday To Me

I am in 90's shoegaze heaven thanks to my Mom and Dad; for my birthday this year they ordered all three Mazzy Star 180g vinyl represses: She Hangs Brightly, So Tonight That I Might See, and Among My Swan. These came out a couple of years ago around the time that Hope Sandoval spilled the beans that they were working on a new record, which is slated for release before the end of the year. My vinyls arrived this weekend and I must say that I am thrilled with the quality of pressing and packaging - the robust sturdiness of the sleeves is simply delightful; all high grade vinyl should come like this. I'm too often disappointed with 180+ gram discs that are housed in cheap, nearly paper-thin sleeves.

The music of Mazzy Star is a hazy summer afternoon of introversion - alone in a smokey and softly quiet room, the rustling sound of wind through trees reminiscent of the ocean. You look out further and further to what surrounds you now and what throughout the years has been the backdrop of life. As this eventually fades you inevitably meet yourself. Roles and dramas fall away...feelings well up and out. As you open, you empty. You stop being the proprietor of emotion, and instead become the releasing of it. Though initially intense, as you continue to deplete this magnitude diminishes...until you become nothing - inanimate and void of substance. Depressing? Sometimes. But nowhere can only become somewhere, and no one can only become someone. Nothing easily turns to anything and to everything. You can't grasp at past identity if you want to be free; you have to completely let go so that you can take hold of the reins once again. Mazzy Star is the cathartic fixed stare into the mirror that we all need from time to time.

The Voyages Of The Soul

Whilst Record Store Day last month may not have been everything that I wanted it to be, the day was later ameliorated with the arrival of a very limited edition pressing of Alcest's Les Voyages de l'Âme. I had been patiently awaiting this vinyl's presence in my collection and had been tying myself over by streaming the record on Spotify pretty regularly since its initial release.  This special edition is on 180g gold-colored vinyl and unlike the first pressing dons the original gorgeous album artwork:

Les Voyages de l'Âme is overflowing with beauty to the extent that is just not possible to describe with words; I've honestly been putting off this post because I'm rendered speechless every time I sit down to listen to it.  Les Voyages... is an observation and artistic representation of the eternal part of what it means to be human - our legacy of touching the earth - the immortality of continuous generational knowledge and growth.  This is not just a record, but an affirmation of humanity on a personal, intimate level.  Further, it's a journey that can only be taken after a fall to a low, dark place. Some form of clarity arrives and the ascent begins...the bittersweet rise from the ashes of the phoenix. Some part of yourself is gone - left behind and not to be felt ever again, but with this transformation comes rebirth and the immense energy of an empty canvas.

I can feel my heart break but also open continuously...it could be a very confusing state for attempting to discern its reason or validity. Alcest's sound is the expression of this transfiguration of emotion from anguish and immense sadness to pure love and resolve to light; it's the wavering motion of emotional intensity and the understanding thereof with a clarity of heart. Through most of the record vocals are sung cleanly and comprised of delicate and graceful melodies set atop a strong foundation of varied guitar work and chord progressions. Occasionally brutal howls underly the deliciously lush vocal phrases and drawn melancholic instrumental motifs. Some passages border on shoegaze, others on blackened doom metal...and incredibly there really does seem to be nearly everything else in between at one point or another. Everything fits and flows like a natural and rocky stream - the whole record is delivered smoothly and with an organic confidence. It is also clear that Les Voyages... was meant to be taken as a whole, telling a sort of musical spiritual fairytale - chalk full of the mystery and majesty of life. It's a lonesome and well-needed wander through the wood: a meditation of the heart's song.

Speaking of walks in nature, Alcest has just recently released this lovely promo video for the title track...

The second side of the record opens with angelic choral vocals, immersing the listener in a dream state until blast-style percussion and driving guitars spill into the mix for one of the record's most powerful moments. When I hear this, I can only listen and not help but be swept away...

Les Voyages de l'Âme is easily one of my top picks for 2012; I have fallen in love with it.  All sung in French it is quite the sensuous treat - a sumptuous feast.  If you have not explored this masterpiece of an album yet, you are truly missing out on something quite special.

Meshuggah / Baroness @ The Palladium

May 19, 2012.  I just returned from Worcester, wired from Meshuggah's intense and lengthy set.  I could have done without so much man sweat everywhere, but it was worth it to see all of the headbanging stop and start again every 3 to 10 seconds when the band would change time signatures.  They stuck with mostly newer material but dug as far back as Chaosphere and even Destroy Erase Improve.  To say their performance was tight is like saying the ocean is a bit wet...and although there wasn't much movement on stage apart from Jens Kidman's robot zombie gorilla gesturing, the stage art and lights kept onlookers well entertained.  Tomas Haake's percussive precision had my eyes fixed for much of their set.

Baroness played a well-varied set including a couple of new songs from the forthcoming Yellow & Green.   Despite the lackluster bass-trap sound of the Palladium they were great - vocal harmonies and twin guitar licks were beautifully executed.  It was very cool to see them on this bill between Poland's Decapitated and Sweden's Meshuggah: a break from the brutality to lay down some serious rock and roll.  The crowd responded by dissolving the pit and opting for copious amounts of crowd surfing.

I was hoping to pick up a vinyl copy of Koloss, but Meshuggah had very little music to offer at the merch table - only a couple of CD's and no vinyl at all.  I was happily consoled by 5th represses of both Red Album and Blue Record.  Sure, 5th repress doesn't sound special, but it is.  They're high-grade 45rpm double vinyl editions, limited to ~1000 (Red Album) and ~500 (Blue Record) copies in 2011.  These editions where the ones in my wish list; look at them...gorgeous!

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.

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.

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.

Recalcitrant Aesthetics

Liturgy have received much flack from the metal world - most specifically from black metal elitists. From a flat, surface-level perspective Liturgy are a disgrace to black metal; they don't adhere to the 25+ year old genre's sound or intent.  Or do they...

Things change. Black metal set out to be the antithesis of religion, culture, art, and what people considered good music. It was a rebellion that peaked in some very intense moments.  These types of movements are generally short-lived; they either fade out of the picture or are so successful in their method of defiance that they become part of the accepted greater picture of valid artistic expression. A parallel can be seen with the early punk scene, which today has a similar fan-base divide as black metal. Many look at punk as having become a mockery of itself: a mainstream, mass-culture genre that is exactly what it originally set out to defy. Black metal is the extreme and grim younger brother of punk. Black metal was a very powerful movement in music that has become a common-day commodity. It has become an accepted genre of music which pretty much negates its original point. Though some will claim it died, black metal is still around - but it doesn't mean the same thing.  It had risen from the ashes of burnt churches and bloody murders to find its home as the dark heart of the music world across the globe. Its raw, harsh, and abrasive sound has turned into label-name, big budget, professionally produced legitimacy. 

Liturgy embrace this truth, making black metal as spiritual art - defying the genre with which they are associated in a way that transcends many of its fundamental ideologies, yet embraces its rebellious nature. They're creating their own new wave of black metal; their sound is coarse, unconventional, and unforgiving...even and especially to the ears of the black metal elitist. In this sense they have revived the aspects of black metal that had fallen to time and success, but also have let go of its preconceptions and paradigmatic negative close-mindedness.  Liturgy have transcended its hatred and grim nature by affirmation.

The Thrill Jockey double-sleeved, double clear vinyl pressing.

Hunter Hunt-Hendrix's demos laid a foundation that Renihilation then built upon and refined. 2011's Aesthethica sees Liturgy approaching a mastery of their sound, writing and performing as a single breathing entity. Amidst the scraping trem-picked high-register minor and major chord structures - a swirling flurry of remorseless guitar power - thunders a rolling "burst beat" rhythm section. Utilizing Deutsch-like auditory illusions, Shepard Scale effect, and shifting polyrhythms that circle back onto themselves, Aesthethica is progressive and also psychedelic.  The patterns and rhythms elevate you; ever-augmenting droning phrases cycle and climb - eliciting a growing tension of energy until they break, pouring out in a tidal wave of majestic riffing played with sacred intent.  It's intense...and when the intensity of a song subsides there is an enriching silence - a stillness of being.

The screechy, animal screams are a perfect match for the music Liturgy creates.  These are not guttural death vocals - they are shrill and unsettling.  They are not supposed to sound good...this is black metal...black metal in 2011 at that. It ought sound grating even to fans of extreme music. Potentially as bothersome to metal fans are the various moments of Aesthethica when meditative and repetitive layered chanting enter the mix- a fitting contrast to the power and vehemence of Hunt-Hendrix's wails.

What makes Liturgy black metal is not something as simple as image, production quality, or musical key.  They defy all of these things by remaining in alignment with their art and still, even more rightly so, deserve their self-devised genre of Transcendental Black Metal.  Liturgy revive many of the original elements of black metal, but in a new fresh breath. They have brought black metal full circle, now not only defying the original movement and current interpretation, but also those who refuse to move forward...and in an accidental way. They aren't concerned with being "tr00" or "kvlt" - they are expressing a very unique vision with their music. Liturgy have spirit and are uncompromisingly defiant by being so dedicated to serving their creation.

Aesthethica is a profound record and I hope you will check them out if you have not already; it's one of the best metal records of 2011.

.Bossk

England's Bossk were only around for a few years, but in that time they crafted some damn fine music and earned a cult following (much like their namesake, a bounty hunter from Star Wars). Their two EP's, .1 and .2, are each comprised of two epic tracks of atmospheric post-metal. Bossk's music built on simple structures and patterns, each leading into the next very organically.  Each section was like bringing a pot of water to a boil: clear, calm, and cool tones heat up and begin to ripple and bubble, eventually boiling over in blissful bluesy sludge riff goodness.  These boiling points are primordial and fierce...they speak to you on base level and can awaken great movement.  Hear for yourself...

I've recently hunted down the hard-to-find 2008 double vinyl pressing of .1 and .2.  The 180g heavyweight discs are of very high quality with only one track per side.  The vinyl mastering is tight and tidy - perhaps even slightly on the sterile side, though still far superior to a digital copy in both sonic breadth and granularity.  I am very happy with my purchase, especially for only 9 euros.

Bossk's only other releases were a live/documentary DVD (2008), and a split with Rinoa (2009).  If you're a fan of bands like Isis or Cult Of Luna, your time would be well spent investigating Bossk.  Even with a short-lived career their name still crops up often; dare I say this too soon...they've contributed what will be considered two of the classic must-haves of the greater post-metal genre.  Need more convincing?  How about one of the best album covers of all time...

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.

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.

A Progressive Inheritance

The new Opeth is a different flavor of tastiness, indeed.  I unreasonably opted for the ultra fanboy limited box edition of Heritage...and although it came with a hefty price tag, I am pleased with the quality of its contents.

All the stuffs

The box itself is reminiscent of those 1960's and '70's keepsake edition LP's.  It's a sturdy, multi-ply slipcase with allover wrapped covering.  Inside are two gatefold pullouts: one housing the 180g traditional black vinyl discs and sporting a really cool holographic rendition of the album cover art, the other jam-packed with extras including a 7" vinyl disc of two bonus tracks, a DVD providing a 5.1 mix of the record and "making of" documentary, a CD version of the record with bonus tracks, a lithograph of the album cover art, a two-sided lyric sheet, and a LP-sized booklet of photos from the studio sessions. 

The holographic album art.

Fancy vintage filters make Heritage look like it's from the right era.

The 33.3rpm 7"

The usual Opeth average of two songs per side...

Lyric sheet & lithograph.

Back of the box.

The pressing quality is equivalent to the best I've ever experienced; edges are smooth, labels immaculate, and the playback is super clean and warm.  This should be the standard for anyone pressing so-called high quality vinyl.  Whoever did the vinyl-specific mastering for Heritage, my hat is off to you.

The Devil's Tongue

I am sitting in my living room and relaxing to the sounds of Talkdemonic's second full length LP, Beat Romantic.  From the opening track one may prepare themselves for a journey into minimalist string simplicity...but then we hear the drums...and the banjos...and the synths...and the horns...and eventually some electronica.

Talkdemonic is Kevin O'Connor and Lisa Molinaro of Portland, OR.  He plays drums, fretted instruments, piano, synthesizer, horns, and implements the electronic elements of their music.  She plays viola and synthesizer.  The "folktronic hop" music they create together is beautifully warming, and smoothly chill; it's energizing and relaxing at the same time - like a slow walk through the woods on a sunny Autumn day, or laying out on the beach at night gazing at the stars and observing to the waves crash.

I was very happy to have caught them at MFNW during my trip.  Rosie and I forged our way into an industrial part of town to The Branx.  With a small bar on the right and a small stage at the far end of the room there wasn't much here save for people...but what it lacked in stuff it made up with character and energy.  The Branx is a unique and fun place to see a show; it makes you feel as though you're at an illegal party hosted in an abandoned warehouse...well, kinda.  Watching Talkdemonic perform was a real treat; the organic vibration of live viola in combination with raw, real drums allowed preprogrammed backtracks to come to life.  Throughout their set the digital and analog world continued to crash in front of us in truly splendid ways.

Video for Mountain Cats

The record holds the same feel - especially on vinyl.  The voila is vibrant and pops out of the mix while the drums provide an earthy and primitive energy to each track - capable of picking things up when needed, but also of slowing the pace back down to a mellow crawl.  A lovely addition of flute is featured on the track White Gymnasium, which I regret to admit I cannot find in a streamable format to link here.  Instead here's Bering, another gorgeous example from Beat Romantic:

Bering

Talkdemonic's fourth record, Ruins, comes out next Tuesday and can be preordered from the bands website, here...and here is a really cool video for the first track, Duality Of Deathening...

Supervinyl/The Kings Of Novelty

Last week I finally received The King Of Limbs newspaper edition in the mail.  I've been listening to the digital version off and on since I preordered earlier this year...it's a very chill record, full of verdant yet somnolent vibrations.  The the vinyl translation is spot on, though there is something about listening to faux dusty vinyl back tracks on actual vinyl that I find humorous.  The packaging/presentation is elaborate and awe-inspiring...two 10" clear vinyl discs came in beautifully decorated sleeves, along with a sheet of blotter paper and a CD version of the album.  All of this was wrapped up in a "newspaper" containing lyrics and artwork.  Radiohead borrowed Tull's Thick As A Brick idea, modernized it, and made it their own.  No doubt it was not the cheapest record I've purchased this year, but I am quite pleased with what they've done - plus they not only offered an immediate download, but also have since followed things up with freebies for those who preordered, including a download of the Supercollider/TheButcher EP.

 

 

 

 

 

The Inspiration: Thick As A Brick original newspaper packaging - 1972