normally i tend to adhere to the DISMISSIVE MAYNARD JAMES KEENAN-penned MAXIM of FUCK RETRO ANYTHING from the TOOL SONG "ÆNIMA" but from time to time i make EXCEPTIONS.  the MULTI-TALENTED LONG ISLAND-based BROTHERS in BRIAN and MICHAEL D'ADDARIO and their POWER POP outfit THE LEMON TWIGS is one such SPECIAL CASE.  undoubtedly their JANGLY SOUND seemingly evokes EVERYTHING GLAM and ARTSY from the 1970s POP ROCK world including THE RASPBERRIES, SWEET, THE BEATLES, MOTT THE HOOPLE, BIG STAR, THE BEACH BOYS and SLADE among OTHERS. 

what stands out are their INFECTIOUS MELODIES, NOSTALGIC PRODUCTION AESTHETIC and QUALITY SONG-CRAFT.  on top of being GIFTED SONGWRITERS, both BRIAN and MICHAEL are CAPABLE VOCALISTS and DEFT MULTI-INSTRUMENTALISTS who regularly switch INSTRUMENTS in-between PERFORMED SONGS which is IMPRESSIVE.  THE LEMON TWIGS are definitely a BAND worth checking out.

parodies & text by nacrowe

there are so MANY TIMES listening to MODERN ROCK N ROLL BANDS that i just get JADED, like everything CREATIVELY INTERESTING or ORIGINAL that came out in the GENRE was essentially mined and exploited by the late 1990s.  and that is being somewhat GENEROUS to the ALTERNATIVE ROCK SCENE itself, which was largely an INSPIRED PERMUTATION of the PUNK, METAL, GARAGE, POWER POP and INDIE ROCK SCENES that came before it.  that is not to say that i always maintain this REDUCTIONIST MINDSET, especially when listening to INTRIGUING, CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS and BANDS like GOJIRA, CHELSEA WOLFE, 311, DRAB MAJESTY, GLASSJAW, LIP CRITIC, DEFTONES, TERA MELOS, SLOWDIVE, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, EL GUINCHO, MASTODON, BROADCAST and so on.

but they are the EXCEPTION.

i cant even count the amount of times i just feel TOTALLY FED UP with LAME ROCK N ROLL BANDS and what counts as a SCENE today that i just go back to the SOURCE.  because AC/DC never disappoint.  BON SCOTT or BRIAN JOHNSON, its all good.  just STRAIGHT-UP, DIRECT ROCK N ROLL with no BULLSHIT, no GIMMICKS.  ok correction, maybe a few ON-STAGE GIMMICKS with FAMOUS PROPS like the COPIOUS ROWS OF CANONS, LIT UP DEVIL HORNS, GIANT BRONZE BELLS and MORALLY-DUBIOUS BLOW UP DOLLS, but such is always SECONDARY to that GROOVE.  that SOUND that comes from a PRETERNATURAL CHEMISTRY and UNRIVALED MUSICIANSHIP that is a sight to behold.  i only saw them once at MADISON SQUARE GARDEN when i was 17 and its remained one of the GREAT CONCERTS ive ever witnessed (arguably only topped a few years later by PRINCE) partly because of how much it moved and affected their AUDIENCE.  it was a like an OVERPOWERING COMMUNAL EXPERIENCE on a SCALE i hadnt encountered beforehand.  and that POWER comes from its DIRECTNESS.  those RIFFS, those LYRICS, those SONGS just hit you right between the eyes with no SOUND EFFECTS or AURAL DECORATIONS. 

just DRUMS, BASS, GUITARS and VOCALS.  so SIMPLE, yet so hard to recreate because such a PROFOUND inter-GROUP CHEMISTRY comes from years of PRACTICE and EFFORT.  i wonder where along the way CONTEMPORARY BANDS grew to lack that sort of DO-OR-DIE MENTALITY and CHEMISTRY.  did TECHNOLOGY lead us ASTRAY?  did MUSIC get too COMPLICATED or muddied up with OUTSIDE INFLUENCES?  i have no idea, i just know when i turn on AC/DC i am 100% committed to their CULT. 

sign me up.

click HERE to access a PAST DEER GOD RADIO EPISODE on NONPROFIT INTERNET RADIO STATION MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a PLAYLIST celebrating AC/DC.

with the ADVENT of DIGITAL STREAMING SERVICES and algorithmically-enabled SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS that have CULTURALLY cleared away all DISCERNIBLE GATEKEEPING and REGIONAL TASTE-MAKING from the MUSICAL LANDSCAPE, it is almost QUAINT to reconsider the LASTING IMPACT of the 1990s.  seemingly it was the LAST TIME that there were PALPABLE SOCIAL TRIBES derived almost EXCLUSIVELY based on MUSIC CONSUMPTION.  my SENSE of the CURRENT CULTURAL EPOCH we inhabit today, defined writ large as being post-NAPSTER, is that GENRE PRESCRIPTIONS dont matter to today's YOUTH.  that they now define THEMSELVES utilizing other TAGS that matter more to them (ETHNICITY, POLITICAL AFFILIATION, SPORTS TEAMS, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY and so on) and overall have a more INCLUSIVE MINDSET than they did a GENERATION or two ago when i was an ADOLESCENT in the 1990s.

maybe it was the TOP-DOWN STRUCTURE of the MUSIC INDUSTRY pre-FILE SHARING that had been in place since the 1950s, but i see the 1990s as the end of that EPOCH and the start of something NOVEL, both CULTURALLY and ORGANIZATIONALLY.  ELECTRONIC MUSIC always had an UNDERGROUND AUDIENCE, but to the GREATER ROCK AND ROLL COMMUNITY such was always viewed with DISDAIN as something of a CURIOSITY or a wholesale INAUTHENTIC ENTERPRISE for those MUSICIANS that could not handle "REAL" INSTRUMENTS, i.e. acoustic-based ELECTRIFIED INSTRUMENTS like GUITARS, BASS and DRUMS. 

the RISE of ELECTRONICA turned that BULLSHIT on its head with BIG BEAT ACTS like DAFT PUNK, FATBOY SLIM, THE PRODIGY, MOBY, ORBITAL, DJ SHADOW, BASEMENT JAXX and THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS leading the way.  these ACTS had a POWERFUL SOUND brimming with EXCITEMENT and CONSIDERABLE KINETIC FORCE that laid ABSOLUTE WASTE in terms of SHEER SPECTACLE and BOMBAST to anything relatively SLEEPY ALTERNATIVE ROCK BANDS were producing during this SAME PERIOD.  in fact, ROCK AND ROLL largely ceded this TERRITORY to both HIP HOP and ELECTRONIC MUSIC ARTISTS, somehow equating such as not being fully AUTHENTIC in some WARPED, DELIBERATE MISINTERPRETATION of what the PUNK ROCK-inherited DIY ETHIC actually meant.  even with an OLDER GENERATION that came about during the 1970s it feels like that STIGMA is still INTACT, that of ELECTRONIC MUSIC not being "REAL" MUSIC, in spite of the OBVIOUS GENERATIONAL TALENTS from that period including EXPERIMENTAL ARTISTS like TANGERINE DREAM, GIORGIO MORODER, KRAFTWERK, DAVID BOWIE, CAN, THROBBING GRISTLE, HARMONIA, DEVO, CLUSTER and so on. 

that SHIT seemingly died in the late 90s.

undoubtedly THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS' SOPHOMORE FULL-LENGTH DIG YOUR OWN HOLE (ASTRALWERKS, 1997) was part of the VANGUARD of the GENERATIONALLY-SHIFTING MINDSET that has continued ever since to the point that is almost NAIVE to point such out, it being so OBVIOUS.  in particular, the ICONIC SINGLE "BLOCK ROCKIN' BEATS" with its ferociously PROPULSIVE and UNDENIABLE GROOVE and THEATRICAL FLOURISHES was an absolutely INESCAPABLE STAPLE on major CORPORATE ALTERNATIVE ROCK RADIO STATIONS during this PERIOD.  i'll say that again, this TRACK was played on HEAVY ROTATION throughout the late 1990s on major CORPORATE ALTERNATIVE ROCK RADIO STATIONS.  it really felt at the time like TRADITIONAL ROCK AND ROLL, which the SEATTLE SCENE was UNQUESTIONABLY a PERMUTATION of, was on the WANE and NOVEL HEAVILY-MODIFIED SOUNDS and EXOTIC PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES were on the ASCENT.  just look at RADIOHEAD and their CONSCIOUS ABANDONMENT of ALTERNATIVE ROCK and EFFECTIVE EMBRACE of SYNTH PADS, SAMPLED TEXTURES and NONTRADITIONAL SONG STRUCTURES throughout the early 2000s, most famously on HIGH-PROFILE RELEASES like KID A (CAPITOL, 2000) and AMNESIAC (CAPITOL, 2001).  also, i look at THE MATRIX (WARNER BROS, 1999) FILM SOUNDTRACK with its HEAVY RELIANCE on INDUSTRIAL-tinged ALTERNATIVE METAL ARTISTS like MINISTRY, RAMMSTEIN, MARILYN MANSON and LUNATIC CALM as well as more STRAIGHT-AHEAD BIG BEAT ACTS like THE PRODIGY, PROPELLERHEADS and MEAT BEAT MANIFESTO as INDICATIVE of this particular HYBRID  MOMENT in center of the CULTURAL ZEITGEIST that THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS were partly spearheading.  other DIG YOUR OWN HOLE HIGHLIGHTS include "ELEKTROBANK," "THE PRIVATE PSYCHEDELIC REEL" and "SETTING SUN," all of which maintain that OVERWHELMING SENSE of UBRIDLED ENERGY and OPTIMISM that marked this PERIOD in MUSIC HISTORY.

arguably both 9/11 and an INEVITABLE CONSERVATIVE-fueled BACKLASH to RAVE CULTURE and the PREVALENT use of ECSTASY ended this OPTIMISTIC PERIOD in ELECTRONIC MUSIC and paved the way for relatively more DOWNTEMPO ARTISTS to emerge in its WAKE, but that sense of PRE-EXISTING WALLS between GENRES (specially ROCK AND ROLL with ELECTRONIC MUSIC and HIP HOP) being PERMANENTLY SHATTERED is no doubt part of its ENDURING CULTURAL LEGACY as well.

that being said, DIG YOUR OWN HOLE is absolutely worth checking out.  it still holds up.

the CONTINUATION of POLITICAL, RELIGIOUS, SOCIAL and CULTURAL MOVEMENTS centered around a PERSONALITY are always a TRICKY and AWKWARD CIRCUMSTANCE following the DEATH of such a TRANSFORMATIVE LEADER.  the IDEA of a CONTINUOUS SUCCESSION becomes ENTANGLED when CHANGING CONTEXTS, INTERNAL POWER DYNAMICS and NEW FACES INEVITABLY shift the MESSAGE, FOCUS and (some would say) DILUTE the ORIGINAL MEANING and INTENTION of the CORE VISION.

such a PHENOMENON is on full display in the RIVETING SHADOWS OF PARADISE (BUNBURY, 2016) DOCUMENTARY that follows the high-profile PROSELYTIZING EFFORTS of the DAVID LYNCH FOUNDATION with regards to spreading the TECHNIQUES and ETHOS surrounding TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION in the WAKE of the PASSING of its CREATOR, the MAHARISHI MAHESH YOGI, in 2008.  this DOCUMENTARY's DIRECTOR, SEBASTIAN LANGE, is a LITERAL PRODUCT of the MOVEMENT having been raised and schooled by the COMMUNITY the MAHARISHI established in RURAL IOWA in the early 1970s and as such is particularly SENSITIVE to the change in TONE and MESSAGE of TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION as carried out by LEGENDARY FILM DIRECTOR DAVID LYNCH and his FOUNDATION's vice president, FILM PRODUCER BOBBY ROTH. 

when the MAHARISHI broke from his MENTOR's strenuously ASCETIC PRACTICE of MEDITATION, which had a LONG LINEAGE attached to it, and emerged with a SIMPLIFIED VERSION aimed at aiding and elevating HUMANITY writ large, he left INDIA in the early 1960s and headed WEST where he conducted SEMINARS that caught the ATTENTION of the COUNTERCULTURE at the time, specifically THE BEATLES who were attempting to make SENSE of their LIVES.  this ASSOCIATION with the VANGUARD of WESTERN CULTURE is the REASON, like many of their GENERATION, that LYNCH and ROTH initially became interested in TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION.  for them it was a DOOR into a DEEPER CONNECTIVITY that enhanced their DAILY LIVES and elevated their SENSE of COMPASSION and EMPATHY for their FELLOW MAN.

the TENSION in the FILM is witnessing the HINDU ASCETIC TRADITION that the MAHARISHI represents be AWKWARDLY translated and squeezed into the AMERICAN CAPITALIST / MASS MEDIA FUNNEL that acts on HYPE and GLITZ rather than SUBSTANCE and TACTILE, EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING passed down from GENERATION to GENERATION.  in ROTH's ROLE he is overly EXCITED about PAUL MCCARTNEY's INVOLVEMENT in a PUBLICITY-GENERATING FUNDRAISING CONCERT and JERRY SEINFELD's SUBSEQUENT PARTICIPATION in a DINNER for HEDGE FUND MANAGERS and the ELITE. TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION in this CONTEXT becomes more about the DIRTY MACHINATIONS of conducting a MODERN, FULL-SCALE OPERATION and less about the TECHNIQUE ITSELF. 

that PALPABLE FRICTION is what makes this FILM so FASCINATING.  something seemingly so PURE and AUTHENTIC is just another STUPID COMMODITY to be bought and sold by PEOPLE with DISHONORABLE INTENTIONS, no doubt looking to benefit from an ASSUMED ASSOCIATION with LYNCH HIMSELF, however TANGENTIAL and SUPERFICIAL.

i want to state OPENLY that i received TRAINING, along with my FELLOW SCHOOL TEACHERS in a GROUP SETTING, in TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION when i was serving as a SECONDARY ENGLISH TEACHER in VENEZUELA a decade ago that was, in fact, carried out by the DAVID LYNCH FOUNDATION.  they are a GLOBAL ENTERPRISE and such ECONOMIC REALITIES, like those WALL STREET HORSE-TRADING EFFORTS, no doubt made my TRAINING in a DISTANT, RURAL SOUTH AMERICAN CITY possible.  what is lost and what is gained RELATIVE to the ORIGINAL INTENTIONS of the MAHARISHI i do not know, but i and SEVERAL of my PEERS benefited from the OPPORTUNITY. which should count for SOMETHING.

all that said, SHADOWS OF PARADISE is a COMPELLING FILM about the COMPLEX NATURE of transmitting a CONSISTENT MESSAGE through the seeming INCOMPATIBILITY that is the NATURAL LIFE CYCLE and ECONOMIC SYSTEMS.  a SPECIFIC DYNAMIC that is ADROITLY illustrated and examined in depth through this DOCUMENTARY, which is very much worth checking out.

the UNTOLD PLIGHT, WANTON EXPLOITATION and NEEDLESS SUFFERING of VULNERABLE MIGRANTS seeking ASYLUM from NATURAL DISASTERS, POLITICAL / ECONOMIC INSTABILITY and HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS back home is a TOPIC that is beyond RELEVANT to our current PRECARIOUS HISTORICAL MOMENT.  so much about these EXPOSED PEOPLE are demonized and CRUELLY CARICATURED by a FECKLESS MEDIA APPARATUS that trades in DARK NATIVIST FANTASIES that do nothing to inform or elevate the CONSCIOUSNESS of their VIEWERS.  if anything they shovel SHIT and KNOWINGLY PROPAGANDIZE DISINFORMATION that misdirects and obfuscates the OBVIOUS MORAL IMPERATIVE to treat these MIGRANTS with DIGNITY, RESPECT and above all else, EMPATHY.  

ILLEGAL (SOURCEBOOKS, 2018) is a poignant YOUNG ADULT GRAPHIC NOVEL that depicts the TREACHEROUS JOURNEY of a YOUNG BOY from GHANA who smuggles his way across the SAHARA DESERT to LIBYA in HOPES of continuing on to ITALY in order to reunite with his SISTER.  at each VOLATILE STEP he is EXPOSED, VULNERABLE and ripe to be exploited by those seeking to take advantage of his UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCE.  given that this is a YA work of FICTION meant for ADOLESCENT USAGE in MIDDLE SCHOOLS, there is UNDERSTANDABLY no MENTION of HUMAN TRAFFICKING and SEXUAL EXPLOITATION, instead only SPOKEN REFERENCES and DIRECT EXAMPLES of DEATH by way of STARVATION, DEHYDRATION, DROWNING, MALNUTRITION, DISEASE and EXHAUSTION.  such a COLD HARD REALITY being dealt with by a CHARACTER of their OWN PEER AGE GROUP is quite the PROVERBIAL GUT PUNCH one would expect by an AMERICAN TEENAGE READER. 

ILLEGAL puts the FOCUS on the unthinkably TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES of UNACCOMPANIED MIGRANT CHILDREN risking DEATH and EXPLOITATION for the HOPE of a BETTER LIFE or to simply reconnect with FAMILY ABROAD.  in the WESTERN MEDIA CULTURE so much EMPHASIS regarding MIGRANTS HEARTLESSLY concerns THEORETICAL ECONOMIC IMPACT PROJECTIONS and DUG-IN, STAID, WONKY, DECADES-old IMMIGRATION POLICY debates instead of where it should be, assisting your FELLOW HUMAN BEING and preventing NEEDLESS DEATH and SUFFERING.  especially regarding CHILDREN.  these PEOPLE instead are seen as a BURDEN instead of as an OPPORTUNITY.  as an AMERICAN, i feel more in COMMON with SOMEONE that risks it all in order to have the FREEDOMS and PRIVILEGES i hold as a BIRTHRIGHT than these CONSERVATIVE, NATIVIST ASSHOLES who use such as a CUDGEL to lay blame with BLUNT FORCE among those who are by DEFINITION VULNERABLE.  and they call themselves CHRISTIAN.

its just CRULE. and un-AMERICAN.  or so i thought. 

maybe the UNITED STATES during the TIME of DONALD TRUMP is the LAND of the PAMPERED, the ILL-INFORMED, the UNCURIOUS, the ARROGANT, the IN-COMPASSIONATE and the casually VICIOUS.  maybe that is what we were all along.  ILLEGAL is about a FICTIONAL WEST AFRICAN IMMIGRANT's PERILOUS JOURNEY half a world away, but THEMATICALLY it exposes a DEEPER TRUTH about our OWN MORAL COMPLICITY in this ONGOING HUMAN TRAGEDY with our ever more DRACONIAN IMMIGRATION POLICIES being implemented in REAL-TIME to MIGRANTS with SIMILAR BACKGROUNDS, MOTIVATIONS and LIFE EXPERIENCES experiences. 

SHAME on us.

to the OUTSIDER a RECORDING STUDIO can be a somewhat MYSTERIOUS PLACE.  some WEIRD TECHNICAL ALCHEMY takes place there, either by way of HAPPENSTANCE or DEDICATION (or both), that somehow manifests RAW COMPOSITIONS into SONIC ART.  having been around the PROCESS at a distance for a BRIEF PERIOD, im still very much fascinated by it.  its easy to forget but one must keep in mind the fact that the further back in time you go into TERMS of RECORDED SOUND, the LESS SOPHISTICATED the TECHNOLOGY was.  all those REVERED POST PUNK, BEBOP, BRITISH INVASION, NO WAVE, MOTOWN R&B and PUNK ROCK RECORDINGS from the 1940s through the 80s were more or less recorded on CONSOLES and ANALOG TAPE MACHINES that had very REAL CONSTRAINTS in TERMS of the SOUND FIDELITY and the number of TRACKS available.

but there is a SOUND to it.

in a SONIC WORLD that has been completely transformed by DIGITAL RECORDING TECHNOLOGY that relies EXCLUSIVELY on MODERN COMPUTERS, not ANALOG EQUIPMENT, it is always REFRESHING to witness those who hold somewhat TRUE to the OLD METHOD of doing things.  enter the MANNY'S MIC LOCKER YOUTUBE CHANNEL hosted by THE CHAVEZ RAVINE MEMBER and the UNDERGROUND PRODUCER MANNY NIETO (THE BREEDERS, LOS LOBOS, CHOKEBORE, HEALTH) out of EAST LOS ANGELES, which is a VERITABLE CELEBRATION of ANALOG RECORDING GEAR and especially MICROPHONES, both VINTAGE and CURRENT PRODUCTION MODELS.  like his MENTOR in the LATE VETERAN PRODUCER STEVE ALBINI (PIXIES, THE JESUS LIZARD, PJ HARVEY, SLINT, NIRVANA), NIETO is all about spreading the GOSPEL of RECORD PRODUCTION and minimizing the INTIMIDATING GATEKEEPER ASPECT of the INDUSTRY through the DISSEMINATION of ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS into VRIOUS TECHNIQUES, PROCEDURES and EQUIPMENT via his YOUTUBE CHANNEL.  he likewise gets his COLLEAGUES and PEERS involved for good measure.

im all here for it and look forward to COMING EPISODES regarding his SONIC JOURNEY, which includes a NEW SPACE.  MANNY'S MIC LOCKER is definitely worth checking out.

DIVORCE is BRUTAL.

not that i would know PERSONALLY, having never been MARRIED to begin with, but i have UNFORTUNATELY been around COUPLES struggling through that MISERABLE PROCESS of such, with CHILDREN in tow.  that and growing up in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA i was one of the RARE, LUCKY KIDS to be raised in a TWO PARENT HOUSEHOLD, with seemingly everyone else's CIRCUMSTANCE being that of a BLENDED SITUATION.  obviously not IDEAL but LIFE continues and PEOPLE learn as BEST they can and trudge along FORWARD.  

arguably HERE, MY DEAR (TAMLA, 1978) is the DEFINITIVE RECORDING concerning FAILED RELATIONSHIPS, DIVORCE and the EMOTIONAL and PSYCHIC TRAUMA of the MISERABLE ORDEAL. in fact i am having a DIFFICULT TIME thinking of another.  R&B ICON MARVIN GAYE wrote and recorded this ALBUM completely out of SPITE for his EX-WIFE, who was RIGHTFULLY seeking PAST ALIMONY due her and came to a BINDING LEGAL AGREEMENT through her LAWYER, which spared GAYE the POTENTIAL of JAIL TIME, to collect a CERTAIN PERCENTAGE from his NEXT RELEASE as PAYMENT.  with bitter tracks like "ANNA'S SONG," "HERE, MY DEAR," "WHEN DID YOU STOP LOVING ME, WHEN DID I STOP LOVING YOU" and "I MET A LITTLE GIRL," the OUTRIGHT PETTINESS, MALICE and SELF-VICTIMIZATION is on FULL DISPLAY.  when i hear R&B, especially that of the CALIBRE of ARTISTRY associated with SAM COOKE, OTIS REDDING, AL GREEN, CURTIS MAYFIELD, RAY CHARLES, SMOKEY ROBINSON, JACKIE WILSON, STEVIE WONDER and GAYE, the TONE may be MELANCHOLIC at times but OVERWHELMING such is a CONNECTING, INCLUSIVE VIBE meant to uplift the SPIRIT and heal the SOUL. 

not this RECORD. 

there is no SENSE of HARD-EARNED INSIGHT or DEEP EMPATHY for the MUTUAL SUFFERING of a DESPONDENT SITUATION that was the UNFORESEEN, DISCONSOLATE OUTCOME of something more LOVING, BENEVOLENT and MUTUALLY-BENEFICIAL gone completely AWRY.  no, this ALBUM is a ONE-SIDED, UNJUST AFFAIR with GAYE getting his absolute pound of flesh by attempting to LYRICALLY CHARACTER ASSASSINATE his EX-WIFE through an ALBUM that she would be (completely JUSTIFIABLY) benefitting from FINANCIALLY.  and it FLOPPED upon release, not surprisingly.  in the HISTORY of MUSIC HERE, MY DEAR remains a completely UNIQUE AFFAIR in that it completely goes against the ETHOS of its GENRE, which is also RETROSPECTIVELY why it is so critically WELL-REGARDED amongst GAYE's other LANDMARK ALBUMS like WHAT'S GOING ON (TAMLA, 1971) and LET'S GET IT ON (TAMLA, 1973).  those two PREVIOUS RELEASES seemed to merge the INTIMATE ASPECTS of the SENSUAL and CORPOREAL with that of the SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS.  HERE, MY DEAR to my ears is instead the DARK UNDERBELLY of that INHERENT RISK involved with RELATIONSHIPS, LOVE and SEX; that SENSE of ISOLATION and COMPLETE ANNIHILATION of PURPOSE and IDENTITY that comes when such an elevating MUTUAL CONNECTION sours leaves both IRREPARABLY DAMAGED in the PROCESS.  a possible UNFORTUNATE OUTCOME is that of GAYE here, who uses his ART as a BLUNT FORCE OBJECT to cleave and lash out at his FORMER LOVER instead of taking PERSONAL STOCK and admitting his own COMPLICITY in the SITUATION like a MAN.

at the very least HERE, MY DEAR is a BEYOND-FASCINATING ALBUM that likely will never be attempted again given its UNIQUE HISTORY and development as an STRANGE MUSICAL ARTIFACT.  it is as AFFECTING as it is MANIPULATING, which is part of its SINISTER CHARM, not that i take his side in the matter.  at the very least, it is absolutely worth checking out.

recently came across the wildly EXPANSIVE SOUNDS of the TOULOUSE-based TRIO SLIFT that falls somewhere between SPACE ROCK, GARAGE ROCK, ACID ROCK and STONER ROCK.  its a SWEET SPOT where everything feels on the EDGE of COMPLETE SONIC ANARCHY, with all COMPOSITIONAL INTEGRITY seemingly about to disperse into SHEER DISSONANCE and UNFETTERED NOISE. 

and yet they somehow manage to keep it together right up to that PRECIPICE without falling into or being consumed by it which is quit a BALANCE and ARTISTIC FEAT.  SLIFT is definitely a POWERFUL BAND worth checking out.

for the past few weeks ive been in the midst of a MAJOR A DAY TO REMEMBER BINGE.  just something about that PARTICULAR BAND that i continually find COMFORTING and SAFE like a FAVORITE BLANKET, BOOK or MEAL.  which is more than rather ODD given that their METALCORE / POP PUNK HYBRID SOUND is undoubtedly something of a MUSICAL CONTRADICTION in TERMS, like the UNHOLY COMMON GROUND between HATEBREED and BLINK-182. 

LITERALLY.

especially when it very much feels like the UNITED STATES is petering HAPHAZARDLY on the EDGE of a STEEP PRECIPICE POLITICALLY, SOCIALLY, CULTURALLY and maybe (though hopefully not) ECONOMICALLY, there is something about MUSIC that recenters and reorientates the SPIRIT.  usually i turn to AURAL COMFORT FOOD like MASSIVE ATTACK, THE BEATLES, A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, SLOWDIVE, DRAB MAJESTY, BJORK, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE,  311 and OASIS to calm me down, but lately its been A DAY TO REMEMBER, who more than any other MODERN ARTIST i know really pushes the ENVELOPE in terms of effectively implementing DRAMATIC STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS in their SONGS.  the aggressive DISSONANT PARTS are ULTRA-BRUTAL and CRUSHING while the MELODIES are MEMORABLE, ON-PITCH and effortlessly EFFERVESCENT on the ears.  its a REAL SONIC DUAL-IDENTITY that they FLAWLESSLY implement with TRANSITIONS that FLOW and dont appear to be particularly CONTRIVED or FORCED like so many of their PEERS and SUBSEQUENT ACOLYTES.  its a SINGULAR SENSIBILITY that seems quite implausible on PAPER but on WAX reveals an especially STRONG SENSE of SONGWRITING and COMPOSITIONAL SOPHISTICATION, never mind TECHNICAL ABILITY and MUTUAL CHEMISTRY as a UNIT.

as a LISTENER i find their MUSIC to be quite CATHARTIC, with each CINEMATIC TRACK being something akin to a SONIC MINI-DRAMA that resolves itself in a DELIGHTFUL and SATISFYING MANNER both in terms of MUSICAL THEORY and the ENERGIZING PUSH-AND-PULL of a WELL-CONSTRUCTED and CONSIDERED COMPOSITION.  the ANGRY SECTIONS are UNRELENTING and the LIGHTER PARTS glide and EFFORTLESSLY wash over you providing a RESOLVED PERSPECTIVE of having purged one's EMOTIONAL TRAUMAS while SUBSEQUENTLY releasing that TENSION into the ETHER.  its a UNIQUE GIFT for the LISTENER.

click HERE to access a PAST DEER GOD RADIO EPISODE on NONPROFIT INTERNET RADIO STATION MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a PLAYLIST celebrating A DAY TO REMEMBER.

side note:
in what has to be one of the weirdest random occurrences ever, shortly after writing this entry i went on YOUTUBE and was alerted that A DAY TO REMEMBER just released the first two singles from their upcoming new album.  obviously it was meant to be.

part of the UNIQUE INTERNAL DYNAMIC that made the much-REVERED SACRAMENTO-based ALTERNATIVE METAL JUGGERNAUT DEFTONES so COMPELLING was that they maintained this IDIOSYNCRATIC DUAL-IDENTITY with their UBER-TALENTED VOCALIST CHINO MORENO crooning on record as if he was a NEW WAVE SINGER (as in DURAN DURAN or DEPECHE MODE) fighting for CONTROL with his ARTISTIC EQUAL in the CREATIVE BEHEMOTH that is GUITARIST STEPHEN CARPENTER whose PRECISE, DOWN-TUNED, DISCORDANT SONIC BRUTALITY seemed more in keeping with EXTREME METAL BANDS like MESHUGGAH or FEAR FACTORY than their SUPPOSED PEERS in LIMP BIZKIT or KORN.  throughout DEFTONES' WHOLE CAREER they were something of an ODD COUPLE that produced SINGULAR WORK that effectively EXPANDED the LEXICON of the METAL GENRE writ large and has highly influenced SUCCESSIVE GENERATIONS of MUSICIANS.

but in the back of everyone's mind there was always the question of what an ELECTRONIC MUSIC OUTFIT fronted by MORENO would sound like.  enter CROSSES, a more EXPERIMENTAL, BEAT-centric, DISSONANT and less AMBIENT than a PREVIOUS similarly-themed PROJECT, TEAM SLEEP. CROSSES, a DREAM POP / DARK WAVE / POST PUNK COLLABORATION with FAR GUITARIST and COMPOSER SHAUN LOPEZ, presents a more UNBRIDLED REPRESENTATION of the sheer EMOTIONAL RANGE of the CELEBRATED SINGER.  GOOD NIGHT, GOD BLESS, I LOVE U, DELETE. (WARNER, 2023) the BAND's SECOND ALBUM in nearly a decade is a POWERFUL SHOWCASE of MORENO's INCREDIBLE CAPACITY to SEAMLESSLY adapt to AVANT-GARDE ​SOUNDSCAPES not DISSIMILAR to that of KEY INFLUENCE, MIKE PATTON of FAITH NO MORE / MR. BUNGLE / FANTOMAS / TOMAHAWK fame.  case in point are TRACKS like "LIGHT AS A FEATHER," "BIG YOUTH," "GIRLS FLOAT + BOYS CRY," "PLEASURE," "GOOD NIGHT, GOD BLESS, I LOVE U, DELETE.," "," and  "INVISIBLE HAND" where MORENO is perfectly at ease with DELICATELY-SHIFTING ELECTRONIC SYNTH PADE TEXTURES and ABRUPT BLASTS of SINE-WAVE ANARCHY.  it should be not downplayed or UNDER-APPRECIATED how much of a COMING-OUT party this release is for LOPEZ, a criminally UNDERRATED SONGWRITER in his own right.  you'd maybe think that on an ALBUM that has HIGH-PROFILE GUEST SPOTS with EL-P (RUN THE JEWELS) and ROBERT SMITH (THE CURE) that such would be the HIGHLIGHT, but no.  the EMERGENCE of LOPEZ as a SONGWRITING and COMPOSITIONAL ASSET of the FIRST ORDER is what this RELEASE is essentially about. 

and that COLLABORATION obviously works, so much so that in recent years when CARPENTER has stepped away from DOMESTIC and INTERNATIONAL TOURING due to a fear of traveling developed during the PANDEMIC, LOPEZ has stepped right in.  as a FAN of both PROJECTS, you almost wonder if this INCESTUOUS RELATIONSHIP will result in LOPEZ being involved with DEFTONES on some LEVEL or if more AVANT-GARDE ELECTRONIC MUSIC a la CROSSES will develop further with less of a TURNAROUND.  either way, its a pretty INTRIGUING SITUATION.

GOOD NIGHT, GOD BLESS, I LOVE U, DELETE. is CROSSES definitely worth checking out for FANS of DEFTONES or MORENO in general.  im not surprised since the dude, like PATTON, is capable of virtually anything on the MIC.

the PIONEERING LONDON-based EXPERIMENTAL PROTO-INDUSTRIAL, POST-PUNK BAND KILLING JOKE is without doubt an SEMINAL CONTRIBUTOR in the RADICAL TRANSFORMATION and RE-IMAGINATION of ROCK N ROLL from its relatively STRAIGHTFORWARD PUNK ROCK to its later more EXPRESSIVE and EXPLORATORY PROGENY.  led by the CHARISMATIC, ATTENTION-seeking and generationally IDIOSYNCRATIC VOCALIST / COMPOSER JAZ COLEMAN, KILLING JOKE fearlessly and successfully fashioned a unique HYBRID SOUND that incorporated ATONALITY, SYNTHS, REPETITIOUS TRIBAL DRUMMING, FOUND SOUNDS and UNADULTERATED DISSONANCE into a FIERCE, MULTI-FACETED SONIC AESTHETIC that influenced everything from JANE'S ADDICTION, NINE INCH NAILS and TOOL to GODFLESH, MY BLOODY VALENTINE, FAITH NO MORE, SOUNDGARDEN and NIRVANA.  in my ESTIMATION KILLING JOKE were among the VANGUARD of the BRITISH POST PUNK MOVEMENT along with the INFLUENTIAL likes of JOY DIVISION, THE CURE, GANG OF FOUR and ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN.

the RECENT DOCUMENTARY THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION SHOW (COFFEE FILMS, 2013) is an INTRIGUING attempt at further contextualizing their BAND NARRATIVE and IMPACT on CULTURE within the PRISM of their INTEREST in all things related to MYSTICISM, the OCCULT and ESOTERIC KNOWLEDGE.  by this i mean everything from ROSICRUCIANISM, MEDIEVAL ALCHEMY and INDIGENOUS SHAMANISM to ASTROLOGY, EASTERN PHILOSOPHY and  even the WORK of ENGLISH OCCULTIST ALEISTER CROWLEY.  its a NOVEL conceit and its OBVIOUS that such PREOCCUPATIONS for ANACHRONISTIC PSEUDOSCIENCE had an influence on their defiantly PRIMAL SOUND as it assisted in bypassing MODERN AESTHETICS and APPROACHES, but such comes off TEDIOUS and quite SILLY as narrated and explained OBLIQUELY by COLEMAN himself.  i doubt such was their INTENTION.  even with CULTURAL LUMINARIES such as JIMMY PAGE (LED ZEPPELIN), DAVE GROHL (NIRVANA / FOO FIGHTERS) and PETER HOOK (JOY DIVISION / NEW ORDER) singing their praises, that WARPED PERSPECTIVE of extraordinary MAGICAL THINKING really diminishes the RESPECT i had for KILLING JOKE walking into this FILM. 

especially in this UNFORTUNATE CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT and ERA we are all suffering through where OVERT MALIGNANT FORCES like QANON and WIDESPREAD ONLINE CONSPIRACY THEORIES have had such a CORROSIVE and DETRIMENTAL effect on DEMOCRACY and RATIONALITY writ large not only in AMERICA, but GLOBALLY.  it makes hearing this sort of SELF-AGGRANDIZING MYSTICAL HORSESHIT even more UNAPPEALING to sit through.  and at more than two and a half hours, sit you must.  as such this DOCUMENTARY definitely extracts its POUND OF FLESH out of the VIEWER.  cant say i would PERSONALLY recommend THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION SHOW, but maybe to a HARDCORE KILLNG JOKE FAN such may prove COMPELLING.  for the rest of us id say dont bother, the DOCUMENTARY is a bit of an UNFORTUNATE JOKE (pun very much INTENDED).​

i remember back in UNDERGRAD i took an OLD TESTAMENT course out of SHEER CURIOSITY and at some point the PROFESSOR mentioned offhand that many BIBLICAL SCHOLARS had come to accept this PROMINENT THEORY surrounding the NEW TESTAMENT's CONSTRUCTION being rooted in a COMPILED SET of TEACHINGS and SAYINGS that were passed down in an ORAL TRADITION before being FORMALIZED and written down by the four EVANGELISTS.  in essence they were all writing a NARRATIVE based on a SIMILAR SCRIPT.

such is the FEELING i got reading the CRIMINALLY UNIMAGINATIVELY titled RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE (ST. MARTIN'S GRIFFIN, 2001) BIOGRAPHY by NME / ROLLINGSTONE MUSIC JOURNALIST COLIN DEVENISH.  this LARGELY EXPLOITATIVE and LAZY CASH GRAB of a BOOK is no doubt BLATANT in its CONSTRUCTION, where chapters are just a TANGENTIAL SERIES of PLATITUDES and CLICHE ASSUMPTIONS connecting SEMI-RELATED QUOTES together.  its as if he had a LIST of PRE-EXISTING QUOTES from past VIDEO, RADIO and PRINT INTERVIEWS that he was CYNICALLY attempting to shoehorn into a somewhat COHERENT NARRATIVE sans any MEASURABLE EXPERTISE or APPARENT INTEREST in the TOPIC.  which is a SHAME because the ALTERNATIVE METAL JUGGERNAUT that was and still is RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE deserved a COGENT NARRATIVE that did their WORK justice.  its obvious that PUBLISHER ST. MARTIN'S GRIFFIN was looking for a TIMELY PAYDAY with this and other TITLES in the late 1990s and early 2000s from a SERIES of POORLY-RESEARCHED and POORLY-CONCEIVED BAND BIOGRAPHIES that focused on PROMINENT ALTERNATIVE ROCK, INDIE ROCK and NU METAL ACTS ranging from SOUNDGARDEN, NIRVANA, LIMP BIZKIT, JANE'S ADDICTION, HOLE, NINE INCH NAILS, PIXIES, THE RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, KORN, SONIC YOUTH, MARILYN MANSON and so on.

knowing all this there is still some DETAILS to glean from the proceedings, such as the level of GENERAL DISCONTENT and INTERNAL STRIFE related to SONGWRITING CREDITS and BASIC BUSINESS DECISIONS, primarily throughout the EVIL EMPIRE (EPIC, 1996) era but really for much of their CAREER.  much like with the SIMILARLY-MINDED REVOLUTIONARY ACTS in THE CLASH before and SYSTEM OF A DOWN later on, their SOLIDARITY as an outward CULTURAL and POLITICAL FORCE belied an INABILITY to MEANINGFULLY communicate UNCOMFORTABLE CREATIVE and BUSINESS MATTERS INTERNALLY.  another tidbit is how TRAUMATIC a childhood VOCALIST and LYRICIST ZACK DE LA ROCHA endured in the UBER-CONSERVATIVE ORANGE COUNTY being of MIXED-RACE DESCENT.  most of the OTHER INFORMATION i already knew, but then again i probably watched the SAME PROGRAMS and read the same MAGAZINE INTERVIEWS that DEVENISH INDOLENTLY rehashed and regurgitated in this SUBPAR TEXT.

definitely do not read this BIOGRAPHY.  TOTAL WASTE OF TIME.  RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE deserved better, even if this BOOK is UNAUTHORIZED.

the METAL COMMUNITY at times can feel something like a CIRCULAR FIRING SQUAD, hopelessly INWARD-FACING and caught up in its own INTERIORITY beyond repair.  now maybe its because im of a GENERATION or two that came of age prior to the RISE of YOUTUBE as a DOMINANT CULTURAL PLAYER, but i am apt to not fully engage with SO-CALLED INFLUENCERS and YOUTUBERS who consolidate CONTENT and manipulate the ALGORITHM in order to generate ATTENTION and exploit UNTHINKING VIEWERS, but i make an EXCEPTION for the FLORIDA-based CANADIAN GUITARIST NIK POPOVIC, i.e. NIK NOCTURNAL.  you really get the PALPABLE SENSE that his WHOLE AGENDA for being on YOUTUBE is to proselytize METAL and all of its EXTREME SUB-GENRES (BLACKENED DEATH METAL, METALCORE, POST-HARDCORE, PROGRESSIVE METAL, DEATHCORE) to an ever-more EXPANDING and ultimately INCLUSIVE AUDIENCE.  in ESSENCE i feel he is trying to do away with the TRADITIONAL GATEKEEPERS of the SCENE, which im all for since such was always the PART of the METAL COMMUNITY that truly BUMMED ME OUT.

NOCTURNAL does a lot on his CHANNEL, including INTERVIEWS, DISCUSSIONS, GUITAR COVERS and such but what caught my ATTENTION initially were his ENTHUSIASTIC and remarkably INSIGHTFUL REVIEWS.  since the DUDE is an ACCOMPLISHED MUSICIAN in his own right (with his own CURRENT BAND TERMINA), such often find him deconstructing the CHOICES of the SONGWRITER (including NUANCED ASPECTS of both COMPOSITION and PRODUCTION) in REAL-TIME, which is a GIFT.  that ability really pulls back the SCREEN of how the MUSIC itself is CONSIDERED and CONSTRUCTED during the WRITING and RECORDING PROCESSES.  when major NEW SINGLES appear, i often check if he did a REVIEW just to get a SENSE of ANTYHING i may not have picked up given i dont have his ADROIT SKILLSET.  i have also come to be clued into several STELLAR BANDS over the years from his INCLUSION of such on his CHANNEL, including CRYSTAL LAKE and LORNA SHORE among SEVERAL OTHERS.

in SUMMATION, his is definitely a CHANNEL well worth checking out if you have any INTEREST WHATSOEVER in METAL writ large.

SIDE PROJECTS, SOLO PROJECTS and SPINOFF GROUPS are absolutely FASCINATING, especially ones that dont necessarily pan out.  they are in essence an OPPORTUNITY for FANS to get an INDIVIDUAL FEEL for what DIFFERENT MUSICIANS bring to the table and how truly DELICATE and VOLATILE that INTERPERSONAL ALCHEMY actually is.  case in point are the PROMINENT OFFSHOOT PROJECTS related to NOTABLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK BANDS such JANE'S ADDICTION (DECONSTRUCTION, PORNO FOR PYROS, BANYAN, POLAR BEAR, THE PANIC CHANNEL), TOOL (A PERFECT CIRCLE, VOLTO!, PUSCIFER), QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE (THEM CROOKED VULTURES, EAGLES OF DEATH METAL, THE DESERT SESSIONS), DEFTONES (CROSSES, PALMS, TEAM SLEEP), THE SMASHING PUMPKINS (ZWAN), SOUNDGARDEN (AUDIOSLAVE, TEMPLE OF THE DOG) and ALICE IN CHAINS (MAD SEASON).

SUCCESSFUL BANDS seem to benefit from REMARKABLE TIMING, CHEMISTRY, STYLE and a PRETERNATURAL ABILITY to ALCHEMICALLY effectuate the CULTURAL ZEITGEIST in their COMMERCIAL FAVOR for WHATEVER REASON or by WHATEVER MECHANISM.  by all INTENTS and PURPOSES, TALK SHOW, the ALTERNATIVE ROCK SPINOFF of STONE TEMPLE PILOTS featuring their RHYTHM SECTION of GUITARIST DEAN DELEO, BASSIST ROBERT DELEO and DRUMMER ERIC KRETZ rounded out with NEW VOCALIST and FORMER TEN INCH MEN FRONTMAN DAVE COUTTS.  what i find so INTERESTING about TALK SHOW in particular is how much of a largely FORGOTTEN SIDE-NOTE this BAND has become.  the PROJECT was originally constructed as a bit of STOPGAP EFFORT when the FAMOUSLY TROUBLED STONE TEMPLE PILOTS VOCALIST SCOTT WEILAND was caught up in a DRUG CASE during the RECORDING SESSIONS for what would become TINY MUSIC... FROM THE VATICAN GIFT SHOP (ATLANTIC, 1996).  during that PERIOD the DELEO BROTHERS, essentially a SONGWRITING TEAM, went down their EXTENSIVE LIST of WRITTEN MATERIAL and dedicated such to be either TALK SHOW or STONE TEMPLE PILOTS songs.  so in a sense that LONE TALK SHOW (ATLANTIC, 1997) ALBUM and TINY MUSIC are something of RECORDED SIBLINGS in a SENSE.

which only makes the fact that one is a WELL-REGARDED ALTERNATIVE ROCK STAPLE and the other a FORGOTTEN ARTIFACT so COMPELLING in retrospect.  the INHERENT IMPORTANCE of the ABILITY to EMOTIONALLY sell a SONG by a CHARISMATIC FRONTMAN cannot be OVERSTATED.  WEILAND was obviously one of one and could not be replaced, SADLY then or now in the WAKE of his PASSING, and TALK SHOW and its MEDIOCRE RELEVANCE beyond a FOOTNOTE to the CULTURAL JUGGERNAUT that was STONE TEMPLE PILOTS is so INTRIGUINGLY a CASE STUDY of such.  it had to have been MADDENING to the DELEO BROTHERS and KRETZ that WEILAND was such an INTEGRAL COMPONENT of their ARTISTIC and COMMERCIAL SUCCESS, given his NOTORIOUS UNRELIABILITY. 

but such is the MYSTERIOUS MAGIC that is ROCK N ROLL.  VOLATILITY and UNPREDICTABILITY can spur the INTUITIVE CREATION of INCREDIBLE ART.  i've listened to TALK SHOW a FEW TIMES and its SERVICEABLE enough with no REAL HIGHLIGHTS or ESSENTIAL TRACKS.  "HELLO HELLO" and "EVERYBODY LOVES MY CARE" are pretty WHATEVER SONGS.  i know nothing of COUTTS or have any REAL INTEREST in pursuing such any further, as his PERFORMANCE on RECORD were rather UNEVEN and a bit FORMULAIC.  unfortunately the DUDE is the very DEFINITION of being a FOOTNOTE to HISTORY.  as is this LACKLUSTER RECORDING.  far better is the TINY MUSIC ALBUM that very easily could have included their SONGS and vice versa.  knowing that i cant help listening to TALK SHOW without thinking of what WEILAND could have offered those TRACKS LYRICALLY and MELODICALLY given the OPPORTUNITY. 

no doubt its pretty CRAZY to consider that.  and TRAGIC.

i wouldnt recommend the TALK SHOW ALBUM but the much later SELF-TITLED ARMY OF ANYONE (THE FIRM, 2006) COLLABORATION between the DELEO BROTHERS, FILTER VOCALIST RICHARD PATRICK and FUTURE KORN DRUMMER RAY LUZIER is a far more COHERENT and COMPELLING listen.

LONDON's HIGH VIS is an INTERESTING one. 

they have this SOUND that somehow collides the seemingly DISPARATE WORLDS of HARDCORE, POST-PUNK, ACID HOUSE and the more TUNEFUL ASPECTS of BRITPOP (i.e. THE STONE ROSES and OASIS) into a COHESIVE SONIC PACKAGE with MEMORABLE traditionally-crafted MELODIES courtesy of VOCALIST GRAHAM SAYLE.  i would not be surprised if this DUDE turned out to be the next GREAT ENGLISH ROCK N ROLL FRONTMAN in the TRANSCENDENT TRADITION of OLI SYKES, IAN BROWN, FRANK CARTER and LIAM GALLAGHER.  from the very get-go SAYLE has UNDISPUTED EDGE and CHARISMA with a HIGH-ENERGY AIR of AUTHENTICITY to his RAGGED VOCAL DELIVERY which elevates HIGH VIS' ECLECTIC SONIC TEXTURES to a whole NEW LEVEL.

definitely a BAND worth checking out.

too many times PROMINENT RECORD PRODUCERS have a SPECIFIC SOUND or RECOGNIZABLE AESTHETIC that they attach to NEW PROJECTS irrespective of FIT or NEED.  part of that makes PERFECT SENSE since such is what differentiates each of them from one another, but in the case of STEVE LILLYWHITE his UNDER-APPRECIATED PRODUCTION INFLUENCE is more SUBTLE and counterintuitively more PROFOUND.  he is almost like a TEMPORARY EXTRA MEMBER of the BAND tasked with enhancing what is already there to DRAMATIC SONIC EFFECT.  such is why his CLIENT ROSTER is so CELEBRATED and ECLECTIC, including EVERYONE from JOHNNY THUNDERS, THE POGUES, MORRISSEY and U2 to XTC, TALKING HEADS, THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS and SIOUXSIE SIOUX AND THE BANSHEES.

it seems so OBVIOUS but at the CORE of what all of these MUSICIANS accomplish is done in the ESSENTIAL SERVICE of communicating a SONG.  in the late 1970s and early 1980s when POST PUNK was in FULL SWING, the CULTURAL MANDATE was effectively out that INTERESTING SONIC JUXTAPOSITIONS, CREATIVE LYRICAL CONCEITS, ODD TIME SIGNATURES and NONTRADITIONAL SONG STRUCTURES were strongly encouraged by an APPRECIATIVE AUDIENCE primed for EXPERIMENTATION and UNCHARTED AURAL TERRITORY.  for me PERSONALLY this is one of the GREAT MOMENTS in MUSICAL HISTORY due to the SHEER VOLUME of QUALITY ARTISTS seeking out their OWN SONIC TERRITORY and MUSICAL TRAJECTORIES irrespective of one another.  it probably also marks a HALCYON TIME before the MUSIC INDUSTRY really consolidated itself and transformed the BUSINESS into a FORMIDABLE REVENUE-GENERATING BEHEMOTH in TERMS of MASSIVE SALES and TOURING STREAMS.  so part of that circumstance may have been structural in nature, but all the same it offered a UNIQUE CATALYZING AGENT like LILLYWHITE to embed HIMSELF in a BROADER SCENE where he could help facilitate and nurture ENDURING SONGS and COMPELLING SOUNDSCAPES into EXISTENCE, much like his arguably more EXPERIMENTAL PEERS in BRIAN ENO, JOHN LECKIE, MARTIN HAMMETT, FLOOD, MIKE THORNE, ANDY GILL and  DANIEL LANOIS.  there is just a PALPABLE SENSE of PERSONAL and ARTISTIC FREEDOM when i sit down and listen INTENTLY to ALBUMS like THE POGUES' IF I SHOULD I FALL FROM GRACE WITH GOD (ISLAND, 1988), THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS' TALK TALK TALK (CBS, 1981), U2's WAR (ISLAND, 1983), KIRSTY MACCOLL's KITE (VIRGIN, 1989), ULTRAVOX' ULTRAVOX! (ISLAND, 1977) and SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEE's THE SCREAM (POLYDOR, 1978).  for me that is the essence of a LILLYWHITE PRODUCTION: exceptionally STRONG SONGS executed with FLAWLESS SONIC and TECHNICAL CLARITY.

click HERE to access a PAST DEER GOD RADIO EPISODE on NONPROFIT INTERNET RADIO STATION MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a PLAYLIST celebrating the MUSIC PRODUCTION of STEVE LILLYWHITE.  enjoy!

RIP KIRSTY MACCOLL.

discovering TRIP HOP my senior year of high school was a MAJOR REVELATION in my PERSONAL JOURNEY as a MUSIC LISTENER.  already somewhat FAMILIAR with PROMINENT 1990s HIP HOP of the BOOM BAP VARIETY, learning about EXPERIMENTAL BRISTOL-based GROUPS like MASSIVE ATTACK and PORTISHEAD specifically was like an inversion in TONE, PRESENTATION and INTENT of the BASIC MUSICAL FORMS i had just become INTIMATELY accustomed to via A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, DE LA SOUL and CYPRESS HILL.  while MASSIVE ATTACK throughout its CATALOGUE got cinematically BROADER in SCOPE and even bordered on PSYCHEDELIC at times (which i adore), their PEERS in PORTISHEAD was more DOWN-BEAT, SULLEN and CLAUSTROPHOBIC, utilizing those same SONIC ELEMENTS to create a SOUNDSCAPE that mirrored that of a WARPED PERSPECTIVE and EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED MIND-STATE UNTENABLY COLLAPSING in on itself, not EXPANDING.

at no point was PORTISHEAD ever more EXQUISITE in their VIVID EXPRESSION of MOROSE, SELF-DEFEATING ACRIMONY than there LANDMARK DEBUT DUMMY (LONDON, 1994) RELEASE, which understandably won the MERCURY PRIZE in 1995.  for me, IMPACTFUL TRACKS like "GLORY BOX," "NUMB," "STRANGERS," "WANDERING STAR," "ROADS," "MYSTERONS," "IT COULD BE SWEET," and "SOUR TIMES" were nothing short of TRANSFORMATIVE.  for EXAMPLE, previously when i heard DJ scratches on a HIP HOP RECORD such seemed to be simply a STYLISTIC TECHNIQUE to create an ABRUPT ​TRANSITION, almost like a PRAGMATIC QUICK EDIT in a FILM.  there was a DEFINITE ART to such no doubt, but it felt more like a SPACE-GENERATING ELLIPSIS rather than a DELIBERATE FEATURE in its own right.  in the ADROIT hands of GEOFF BARROW, such became an EMOTIONALLY POTENT SONIC TEXTURE that denoted the SHIFTING and UNTENABLE FEELINGS of an UNDEFINED NARRATING PRESENCE, PERFECTLY encapsulating the SOMBER VIBE and UNRIVALED INTENSITY of VOCALIST BETH GIBBONS, a singularly POWERFUL MUSICIAN in and of herself.  what comes across is an AURAL CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE that feels both NOIR-ish and STRANGELY PSYCHEDELIC, like a FOREIGN FILM that is OPPRESSIVE in its OPAQUENESS yet somehow FAMILIAR in its TONE.  its DIFFICULT if not IMPOSSIBLE to describe but is a REVELATORY EXPERIENCE that showcased the ARTISTIC POTENTIAL of TRIP HOP's ABILITY to SEAMLESSLY integrate MULTIPLE GENRES into a COHESIVE , ARTISTIC STATEMENT.

in my OPINION, DUMMY is one of the GREAT ALBUMS of the 1990s and its CULTURAL IMPACT has been felt by subsequent PROMINENT ADHERENTS of MULTIPLE GENRES from the likes of THE WEEKND, BAT FOR LASHES, THE XX, LANA DEL REY and GORILLAZ amongst COUNTLESS OTHERS, including the SOUNDCLOUD HIP HOP MOVEMENT writ large.  definitely worth checking out to the UNINITIATED.

there is a certain DISTINCT BRAND of CULTURAL AMNESIA that the MAJORITY of the WHITE POPULATION in the UNITED STATES has incurred since INCEPTION regarding their COLLECTIVE COMPLICITY in the DEGRADATION of their BLACK COUNTERPARTS.  such is carried out as a means of not pursuing an HONEST COURSE of SELF-REFLECTION for a POLITICAL and ECONOMIC SYSTEM that has treated the BLACK COMMUNITY effectively as CHATTEL for GENERATIONS; such a basic ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of REALITY would be too DEVASTATING and DESTRUCTIVE to the WHITE PSYCHE and their MISPLACED SENSE OF SELF as rooted in MORAL DECENCY.  WRITER JAMES BALDWIN spoke a GENERATION ago about how ECONOMIC INEQUITY and RACIAL INEQUALITY was a PERSISTENT PROBLEM rooted not in the BLACK COMMUNITY, but in the WHITE COMMUNITY being UNABLE to come to TERMS with their own MISDEEDS and CONTINUED VEIL OF IGNORANCE to even attempt in UNDERSTANDING their NEIGHBORS.  such is the DEVASTATING LEGACY of SEGREGATION, that one is isolated and siloed in their own REALITY, IGNORANT and UNWILLING to have even a BASIC COMPREHENSION of whatever corresponds on the OTHER SIDE of that LINE.

he could be speaking DIRECTLY about 2025 AMERICA, not just the CIVIL RIGHTS ERA of the 1960s.

I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO (MAGNOLIA, 2016) is a POIGNANT DOCUMENTARY, ADROITLY narrated by SAMUEL L. JACKSON,  based on an INCOMPLETE WORK, REMEMBER THIS HOUSE (unreleased), by BALDWIN focused on his FALLEN COMRADES in MEDGAR EVERS, MALCOM X and MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.  it was released years before the GEORGE FLOYD, BREONNA TAYLOR and DANTE WRIGHT MURDERS at the hands of POLICE OFFICERS and in the WAKE of DONALD TRUMP's first election and the MURDERS of a WHOLE LITANY of BLACK MEN including PHILANDO CASTILE, TAMIR RICE, FREDDIE GRAY, WALTER SCOTT, ALTON STERLING, STEPHON CLARK, ERIC GARNER, MICHAEL BROWN, TRAYVON MARTIN and TRAGICALLY far too many OTHERS to list.  this film was released during a CULTURAL MOMENT where a SEEMING OPPORTUNITY presented itself for a PAINFUL but MUCH-NEEDED CATHARSIS / RECOGNITION of the past and the ENDURING CULTURAL INHERITANCE of SOCIETAL NORMS and STRUCTURALLY RACIST SYSTEMS that UNCEASINGLY perpetuate DISPROPORTIONATELY MALIGNANT OUTCOMES on RACIAL MINORITIES.  in 2025 with the re-election of TRUMP, it feels like that MOMENT of CLARITY and POTENTIAL RECONCILIATION has receded to an even more BIGOTED and DEEP-SEATED, REVANCHIST IMPULSE that seemingly never left WHITE CHRISTIAN AMERICA writ large.  such reveals much about the COLLECTIVE IMMATURITY and MORAL BANKRUPTCY of WHITE CHRISTIAN AMERICA and the INVETERATE FEAR they continue to PASSIONATELY EXHIBIT in negating their INDEFENSIBLE INVOLVEMENT in the CONSCIOUS ABASEMENT of their FELLOW COUNTRYMEN. 

as BALDWIN so movingly states in the FILM, "the STORY of the NEGRO in AMERICA is the STORY of AMERICA."

i found I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO to be one of the most AFFECTING FILMS ive experienced in RECENT MEMORY, not so much because of what it posits about the PAST STATE of AMERICAN SOCIETY during BALDWIN's LIFETIME, but about what it says about our SITUATION right now, almost 40 years after his PASSING.  its UNCOMFORTABLE and CUTTING because it is ACCURATE.  the CULT surrounding the AMERICAN DREAM and its IMMORAL FOCUS on MATERIAL WEALTH at the DELIBERATE EXCLUSION of OTHERS is a POWERFUL NARCOTIC that has not made us any HAPPIER as a NATION, rather it has chipped away at our SENSE of SHARED HUMANITY.  it may feel like the RECENT ASCENDENCY of TRUMP has marked us as a COUNTRY in DECLINE, but such WHEELS were in motion long before he came down that GILDED MANHATTAN ESCALATOR.

i cannot recommend this DOCUMENTARY strongly enough.  should be viewed by EVERYONE.

some KIND of INTERGALACTIC PRISONER is dropped against his WILL from a SPACECRAFT unto a BARREN HELLSCAPE of a PLANET where LITERALLY EVERYTHING is attempting to MURDER him.  in other words, it sounds an awful lot like AUSTRALIA.  such is the BASIC PLOT of JOHNNY RYAN's TRANSGRESSIVE PAEAN to all things GROTESQUE, DEBAUCHED, HOSTILE, VULGAR and DEBASED, PRISON PIT (FANTAGRAPHICS, 2022).  in fact im having a DIFFICULT TIME thinking of ANYTHING ive ever read that matches the DEPRAVITY of this GRAPHIC NOVEL in TERMS of SHEER INVECTIVES employed and REPEATED BODILY TRAUMA (specifically im talking about COPIOUS AMOUNTS of EXCRETIONS, AMPUTATIONS, CONTUSIONS, SUFFOCATIONS, EXSANGUINATIONS, PENETRATIONS, DISEMBOWLMENTS, EVISCERATIONS, COMPRESSIONS, VIVISECTIONS, IMMOLATIONS, DISLOCATIONS, MUTATIONS, DECAPITATIONS, EJACULATIONS, IMPALEMENTS, HEMORRHAGES and so on) SUSTAINED. 

and its BEYOND just BRUTALITY and POOR TASTE.  if anything this GRAPHIC NOVEL is an UNREPENTANT CELEBRATION of VIOLENCE, end stop.  little is said and nothing is learned.  no MORAL COMPASS is at play.  just the GARISH VISUAL DISPLAY of ever-more INVENTIVE MODES of TORTURE and VILE MEANS of CARTOONISHLY KILLING other BEINGS as the ANONYMOUS PROTAGONIST(?) makes his way through this VERITABLE HELLSCAPE and ANNIHILATES all of its INHABITANTS one by one, only to return his ORIGINAL SPACECRAFT PRISON to do the same there.  PRISON PIT has the NARRATIVE SUBTLETY of a STEVEN SEAGAL FLICK with all that REQUISITE, MEANINGLESS REPETITIVE FIGHT SCENES that carry absolutely no EMOTIONAL WEIGHT because such is not the point of an ACTION FILM, the VIOLENCE is.  just WANTON PAIN and NEEDLESS SUFFERING inflected INDISCRIMINATELY as an END in and of ITSELF. 

and much like with DONALD TRUMP, the CRUELTY SEEMINGLY is the POINT.

and boy is PRISON PIT VIOLENT.  GROTESQUELY so.  if thats what youre into then you'll love this GRAPHIC NOVEL.  if there is anything else that interests you in LIFE, and i mean literally anything else, than id advise looking elsewhere because this COMIC BOOK will not offer it.  much like the likewise CONFRONTATIONAL and OBSCENE WORK of LYDIA LUNCH, RICHARD KERN, LARS CON TRIER, G.G. ALLIN or the FILM CAFE FLESH (VCA, 1982), im glad i experienced it once but HONESTLY even more relieved i never have to do so again.

with the PLANETS LITERALLY in ALIGNMENT and the FOUR HORSEMAN of the COMING TRUMPOCALYPSE (RFK JR, KASH PATEL, TULSI GABBERT, PETE HEGSETH) FAST-APPROACHING (plus ELON), there is arguably no better JOURNALISTIC VOICE for this MOMENT than VETERAN TECHNOLOGY REPORTER KARA SWISHER and her STRAIGHT-AHEAD, NO BULLSHIT BRAND of questioning and INVESTIGATION to make sense of the MASSIVE CULTURAL, POLITICAL, ECONOMIC and SOCIETAL CONSEQUENCES rooted in the DEGRADATION and DISARRAY of the TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PART DEUX.  in my OPINION her SUPERPOWER is not her FIRST-RATE PREPARATION, decades of RELEVANT EXPERIENCE or PEERLESS CONTENT EXPERTISE, its her WILLINGNESS to ABRUPTLY cut PEOPLE off in INTERVIEWS and call them out TACTFULLY but DIRECTLY and ASSERTIVELY on the spot when PLATITUDES or NONFACTUAL INFORMATION is being manipulated and spun by her SUBJECTS.  the ART of the INTERVIEW is something that is criminally UNDERRATED in this ALGORITHMICALLY-DETERMINED MEDIA ECOSYSTEM we all find ourselves in during this MODERN DIGITAL AGE.

with her CURRENT PODCAST SERIES ON WITH KARA SWISHER (VOX MEDIA, 2022-present) she is usually not squaring off in CONFRONTATIONAL INTERVIEWS with seemingly OPPOSITIONAL PERSPECTIVES, rather she is collaborating with POLITICAL and TECHNOLOGY EXPERTS and utilizing SAID INTERLOCUTION SKILLS to ADROITLY parse out HIDDEN INSIGHTS from her GUESTS.  i feel SWISHER is in her COMFORT ZONE with this PARTICULAR PODCAST, more so than on sister PODCAST PIVOT (VOX MEDIA, 2018-present) with COHOST SCOTT GALLOWAY, as she is able to FOCUS in on the SUBJECT MATTER at hand and really dig in as opposed to being INTERRUPTED and LAUGHABLY MANSPLAINED at length by the PSEUDO-INTELLECTUAL INANE RAMBLINGS of a JUVENILE MAN-CHILD and his BENIGN but CONSTANT NEED for ATTENTION and AFFIRMATION.  that and he CONSISTENTLY leans in AGGRESSIVELY voices the FALSE and INTELLECTUALLY BANKRUPT SUPPOSITION that holding a POLITICALLY MODERATE POSITION somehow renders one as exclusively BALANCED or NUANCED.  its utterly NAIVE and especially now with our COLLECTIVE POLITICAL LIFE making a VOLATILE, DARK TURN towards AUTOCRACY, the more we have INTELLIGENT VOICES shining a light on the MISDEEDS and CORRUPTION of those in POWER the BETTER.

ON WITH KARA SWISHER is definitely a PODCAST worth checking out.