there is SOMETHING about the PUNK DIY ETHOS that touches some PEOPLE in a MANNER that allows THEM to bypass BULLSHIT ROADBLOCKS like SELF-DOUBT, INADEQUACY and IMPOSTER COMPLEX and just go for it.  MUSICIAN, SONGWRITER, SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR and AUTHOR JUSTIN PEARSON exemplifies such with his LONG-RUNNING INDEPENDENT LABEL THREE ONE G and MYRIAD of CONFRONTATIONALLY AVANT GARDE MUSICAL PROJECTS over the years including SOME GIRLS, THE LOCUST, RETOX, SWING KIDS, DEAD CROSS and PLANET B.  the RECENT​ DON'T FALL IN LOVE WITH YOURSELF (TURNSTYLE FILMS, 2022) DOCUMENTARY examines his EARLY TRAUMATIC CHILDHOOD and how such NEGLECT and ABUSE at the HANDS of his FATHER (who was MURDERED when he was twelve) in a WARPED SENSE informed his OUTLOOK on LIFE and propelled his DESIRE to make SOMETHING of his LIFE CREATIVELY and attempt to jolt and instigate PEOPLE out of their WAKING SLUMBER.

my FAMILIARITY with PEARSON is originally rooted in the ECCENTRIC and highly EXPERIMENTAL HARDCORE PUNK BAND THE LOCUST, which i was clued into by a CHILDHOOD FRIEND on a TRIP to SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA during the SUMMER of 2001. they were suggested to me based on my LOVE of all things DEVO.  the fact that this FILM finds PEARSON and his BANDMATES confide that the ICONIC AKRON-based arty POST PUNK OUTFIT as a KEY INFLUENCE was INTRIGUING to learn long after the FACT.  in a SIMILAR WAY, both DEVO and THE LOCUST utilized their IDIOSYNCRATIC PRESENTATION as a MEANS of challenging their AUDIENCE.  for DEVO there was a POLITICAL BENT regarding the CONSOLIDATION and GROWING CORPORATIZATION of ART and AMERICAN LIFE that they felt was WATERING-DOWN INDIVIDUALISM and CREATIVITY.  for THE LOCUST, they were revolting against a HOMOGENIZED HARDCORE SCENE that was a lot of POSTURE and FEIGNED AGGRESSION for no REAL REASON that they found ALIENATING and MORALLY BANKRUPT.  the FILM does a GREAT JOB of describing the LINE the BAND walked and the PRICE they paid for their INDIVIDUALITY against a SUBTERRANEAN CULTURE of TOXIC MASCULINITY with no SENSE of IRONY or HUMOR.  when my friend showed me their SELF-TITLED THE LOCUST (GOLD STANDARD LABORATORIES, 1998) RELEASE my INITIAL REACTION was LAUGHTER, not a MOCKING LAUGHTER but one of being OVERWHELMED by the SENSORY OVERLOAD i was experiencing.  not unlike my first time as child listening to THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS, CAPTAIN BEEFHEART or WEEN.

and it stuck with me.

much of the DETAILS presented in this FILM regarding the TRAUMA of PEARSON's CHILDHOOD and his FORMATIVE MUSICAL EXPERIENCES in the UNDERGROUND HARDCORE SCENE of SAN DIEGO are likewise covered in his EXCELLENT MEMOIR FROM THE GRAVEYARD OF THE AROUSAL INDUSTRY (SOFT SKULL, 2010), which i recommend HIGHLY.  my only GRIPE with the FILM is that the TRAJECTORY of his CAREER ends with THE LOCUST and doesnt continue on to other INTERESTING PROJECTS, such as his COLLABORATION with MIKE PATTON (FAITH NO MORE, MR. BUNGLE, FANTOMAS, TOMAHAWK) and DAVE LOMBARDO (SLAYER) in DEAD CROSS or his more decidedly DANCEABLE recent PROJECT PLANET B.  somewhere there is a THIRD ACT to this FILM that needed to be told.

regardless, PEARSON is a COMPELLING ARTIST that is WORTHY of being exposed to a GREATER AUDIENCE and DON'T FALL IN LOVE WITH YOURSELF is a POWERFUL INTRODUCTION to his ART and CAREER.  hopefully itll inspire SOMEONE out there to get up and leave some WRETCHED CIRCUMSTANCE and likewise FEARLESSLY make PROVOCATIVE and MEANINGFUL ART just like he did.

a commonly UNMENTIONED ASPECT of what made the SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK SCENE so TRANSFORMATIONAL was how it shifted the CULTURAL TIDES of the MAINSTREAM MUSIC INDUSTRY so thoroughly that it EFFECTIVELY provided an OPPORTUNITY for truly LEFT-OF-CENTER BANDS that previously would never have been considered VIABLE to have a stab at securing a NATIONAL AUDIENCE through MAJOR LABEL MARKETING and DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS.  bands ranging from BAD RELIGION, MELVINS, WEEN, MR. BUNGLE and PRIMUS were of this ECLECTIC and IDIOSYNCRATIC ILK relative to the more CONVENTIONAL FARE that proceeded them.  the way i see it, much as PUNK ROCK opened the door to REAL SONIC EXPERIMENTATION that developed into the more ADVENTUROUS and INVENTIVE POST PUNK, such is what those UBER-POPULAR but MUSICALLY CONVENTIONAL ALTERNATIVE ROCK BANDS (i.e. NIRVANA, ALICE IN CHAINS, PEARL JAM, MUDHONEY and SOUNDGARDEN) did for PRIMUS.

but what makes PRIMUS so UNUSUAL?

​SONICALLY and LYRICALLY PRIMUS is the AWKWARD BRAINCHILD of IDIOSYNCRATIC BASSIST / VOCALIST LES CLAYPOOL who comes from the same ECCENTRIC FAMILY of wildly EXPERIMENTAL MUSICIANS as FRANK ZAPPA, THE RESIDENTS, SYD BARRETT, TALKING HEADS, RUSH, BUTTHOLE SURFERS, KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD, DEVO, KING CRIMSON, SECRET CHIEFS 3 and CAPTAIN BEEFHEART.  along with slapping, CLAYPOOL is NOTORIOUS for utilizing a TECHNICAL DOUBLE-HANDED TAPPING TECHNIQUE on his FRETLESS SIX-STRING BASS that establishes and maintains a highly PERCUSSIVE and RHYTHMIC MOMENTUM to many a PRIMUS SONG, all of which have ODD LYRICAL CONCEITS  about NICHE ASPECTS of RURAL AMERICAN LIFE. 

there is probably no better EXAMPLE of such than the SINGLES "JERRY WAS A RACE CAR DRIVER," "TOMMY THE CAT" and "THOSE DAMNED BLUE-COLLAR TWEEKERS" off of their major label debut ALBUM SAILING THE SEAS OF CHEESE (INTERSCOPE, 1991).  all of these showcase a VIRTUOSIC LEVEL of SKILL and DEXTERITY on his BASS, notwithstanding the likewise STELLAR MUSICIANSHIP of DRUMMER TIM ALEXANDER and GUITARIST LARRY LALONDE that makeup the CLASSIC PRIMUS LINEUP.  all in CREATIVE SERVICE of OBTUSELY, IMPRESSIONISTIC TALES about REDNECKS and their UNGODLY PREOCCUPATIONS with CRS, DRUGS and GENERAL RANDOMNESS.  its no surprise that PRIMUS allowed the FLOODGATES to burst wide open with regards to WELL-CONSTRUCTED, highly TECHNICAL MELODIC WEIRDNESS in ROCK AND ROLL, paving the way for the QUIRKY likes of INCUBUS, PUSCIFER, LIMP BIZKIT (especially WES BORLAND), SYSTEM OF A DOWN, DEFTONES, MODEST MOUSE, KORN and SLIPKNOT. 

BASICALLY PRIMUS took the UNCONVENTIONAL FUNK ROCK that preceded them and really dialed up the FREAKISH HUMOR and ABSURDITY, an ETHOS that is not unlike that FAMED HUNTER S. THOMPSON QUIP about how "when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."  that FREAK FLAG is basically what INSPIRED, for better or worse, many of the subsequent SO-CALLED NU METAL BANDS that followed and there is ARGUABLY no better PLACE to start that INVESTIGATION than SAILING THE SEAS OF CHEESE to get a PROPER SENSE of such.

definitely worth checking out.  REQUIRED LISTENING even.

there are radically EXPERIMENTAL BANDS and then there is GUADALAJARA's DESCARTES A KANT, which combines EVERYTHING from SURF MUSIC, CABARET, JAZZ, NEW WAVE, SHOEGAZE, ELECTRONIC MUSIC, NOISE ROCK and PUNK to create a SOUND all their own.  trying to describe them is an ABSOLUTE FOOL'S ERRAND, there MUSIC just needs to be EXPERIENCED.  not to get all DEVO-ish but this has all the HALLMARKS of a NEW TRADITION being manifested into COLLECTIVE ACTION.  with all the TURMOIL going on right now, i'm all for it.

this ACT is easily one of the most refreshingly ORIGINAL BANDS i have heard since first encountering the likes of DRAB MAJESTY, MURA MASA, VOLA, JAVIERA MENA, NO JOY and FONTAINES D.C. in the past five years while maintaining this BLOG. 

bottom line: DESCARTES A KANT is a BAND worth checking out right now, like this second. go!

oftentimes when the HISTORY is communicated about the UNDERGROUND PUNK ROCK SCENE in the COACHELLA VALLEY of the LATE 1980s and EARLY 1990s, otherwise known as the PALM DESERT SCENE, much of it UNDERSTANDABLY centers around JOSH HOMME-centric BANDS like KYUSS and later QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE.  such makes some SENSE to an EXTENT, given that the MASSIVE, DOWN-TEMPO, DOWN-TUNED STONER ROCK SOUND that KYUSS pioneered (along with MELVINS and SLEEP) is so PREVALENT today in MODERN METAL and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE is probably the most CELEBRATED ROCK AND ROLL BAND this SIDE of NIRVANA.

but still.

the PALM DESERT SCENE and its DIY ETHOS is what raised HOMME and the SOUND of such was far more ECLECTIC than given CREDIT for in the past.  such is a NECESSARY CORRECTION that the LO SOUND DESERT (ROCK SQUAD, 2016) DOCUMENTARY ADROITLY presents, interviewing PARTICIPANTS and centering the NARRATIVE around the CHRONOLOGY and EVOLUTION of the many GROUPS that made an IMPACT within this admittedly INSULAR COMMUNITY roughly two hours east of LOS ANGELES.  the FILM of course does include the PARTICIPATION of HOMME and his KYUSS / QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE COHORTS in NICK OLIVERI, BRANT BJORK, ALFREDO HERNANDEZ and SCOTT REEDER, but undoubtedly more COMPELLING are the CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS of more OBSCURE but undeniably INFLUENTIAL MUSICIANS within the SCENE such as MARIO LALLI (ACROSS THE RIVER, YAWNING MAN), SEAN WHEELER (THROW RAG), IAN TAYLOR (UNSOUND), CHRIS COCKRELL (SOLARFEAST), JOE DILLON (DALI'S LLAMA) and NICK NAVA (HORNNS) among many OTHERS. 

the BASIC STORY presented is one of BORED KIDS coming-of-age in the IMMEDIATE WAKE of the RAT PACK LOUNGE SCENE LAMENESS that brought so many GERIATRICS to the COACHELLA VALLEY a GENERATION before.  being an ADOLESCENT in a COMMUNITY that was literally PURPOSE-BUILT as a RETREAT and DELIBERATE ESCAPE from RESPONSIBILITY for WEALTHY ANGELENOS meant no MUCH-NEEDED INFRASTRUCTURE or OUTLETS to entertain oneself, which over time resulted in a TIGHT COMMUNITY of ARTISTS and MUSICIANS that mutually supported one another largely out of NECESSITY.  this meant UNDERGROUND SHOWS at MAKESHIFT VENUES, within and without the city limits, that were INEVITABLY SHUT DOWN by a POLICE FORCE beholden to SENIOR CITIZENS and RECENT RETIREES.  aside from SELF-SUFFICIENCY, the DIY ETHOS of that TENTATIVE ARTS COMMUNITY promoted ORIGINALITY and AUTHENTICITY.  such nurtured the DEVELOPMENT of a DIVERSE SERIES of HOMEGROWN BANDS that channeled everything from PSYCHEDELIA, ART ROCK, BLUES, ACID ROCK, SKA, GARAGE ROCK, SPACE ROCK and so on, which no doubt is the UNSUNG NARRATIVE of the SCENE in the POPULAR IMAGINATION which seemingly focuses almost EXCLUSIVELY on STONER ROCK.

like SEATTLE around the SAME PERIOD, this INSULAR COMMUNITY was AMBITIOUS ARTISTICALLY but not necessarily COMMERCIALLY.  ART was its own REWARD and a SENSE of CATHARSIS from a DOLDRUM EXISTENCE at the LITERAL EDGE of SOCIETY.  to be otherwise was DELUSIONAL since nobody got out and became SUCCESSFUL.  such is why KYUSS going on tour in AUSTRALIA opening for METALLICA after DAVE GROHL glowingly mentioned the BAND as the future of GRUNGE in an MTV INTERVIEW before a MAJOR TELEVISED EVENT with an APPROVING KURT COBAIN in tow was such a turning point for the SCENE.  that and the SUBSEQUENT SUCCESS of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE.  such ANOMALIES almost put everything out of CONTEXT and in a WARPED PERSPECTIVE, which is a TRAP that VARIOUS other DOCUMENTARIES about this PARTICULAR SCENE fall into. 

its FORTUNATE that LO SOUND DESERT finally corrects the HISTORICAL RECORD about the SONIC DIVERSITY of the PALM DESERT SCENE for POSTERITY.  my GUT FEELING is that even HOMME wants such, as these are all of his FRIENDS, ACCOMPLICES and FORMATIVE MUSICAL PEERS.  funny it took a GERMAN to do such, but this is the most CLEAR-EYED and COHERENT EXPRESSION on the PALM DESERT SCENE that i am aware of.  required viewing in my OPINION.

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.

maybe its because of how UNRELENTING the weather has been as a of late with the ARCTIC BLAST of seemingly EVER-DIPPING TEMPERATURES but i recently became aware of the SWISS AMBIENT BLACK METAL BAND PAYSAGE D'HIVER ("WINTER LANDSCAPE") and their INCREDIBLE SOUND that brings the DRONING GUITAR RIFFAGE and GLACIAL, almost TECTONIC TEXTURES and TEMPOS of POST METAL with the distinctively GRAINY, LO-FI SONIC AESTHETICS of CLASSIC SCANDINAVIAN BLACK METAL. ive never heard anything like it hones, the NEAREST ANALOGUE being maybe CONTEMPORARY, EXPERIMENTAL DOOM METAL GROUPS like SUNN O))) or BORIS.

definitely a BAND to check out and play as a SOUNDTRACK to that WINTER WONDERLAND we are now living in for the MOMENT on the EAST COAST.  gives all that snow a FOREBODING AURA of MENACE and RUINATION.  PERFECT in my OPINION.

BEAK> is an especially EXPERIMENTAL BRISTOL-based KRAUTROCK TRIO featuring MEMBERS of PORTISHEAD, SENSATIONAL SPACE SHIFTERS and MOON GANGS that expertly blurs the line between ELECTRONIC MUSIC and PSYCHEDELIC ROCK in a highly IMPROVISATIONAL form of MUSIC.  their ALBUMS are largely SPONTANEOUS JAMS edited after the fact as a means of providing SEQUENCING for later RELEASE.  while that UNCONVENTIONAL PROCESS of COMPOSITION might seem ANTITHETICAL to ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC and more akin to something like JAZZ, the RESULTS are pretty INNOVATIVE and SPECTACULAR, if not altogether AVANT-GARDE in NATURE.  the NEAREST ANALOGUE to them i have come across are the likewise highly TECHNICAL NEW YORK CITY-based BATTLES which have a SIMILAR PROCESS and OVERALL AURAL AESTHETIC.

either way, BEAK> is most definitely a BAND worth checking out.

parodies & text by nacrowe

until recently ive had a JOB that was PHYSICALLY DEPLETING and just a GRUELING ORDEAL that required me to deal with being OUTSIDE for SPELLS in the COLD, especially during the winter, utterly DRENCHED from what my JOB REQUIRED.  the few breaks id get over TIME id just learn to COMPLETELY ZONE OUT and RECHARGE while listening to MUSIC, the more EMOTIONALLY and EXPERIENTIALLY TRANSPORTIVE the BETTER.  in essence i was attempting to not think about the rest of my SHIFT.

certain TYPES of MUSIC was GREAT in this regard, especially LO-FI AMBIENT MUSIC such as APHEX TWIN or BRIAN ENO, TRIP HOP like MASSIVE ATTACK and PORTISHEAD or surprisingly even MODERN PROGRESSIVE METAL like TOOL, GOJIRA or MASTODON.  after much trial and error another particularly STRONG CANDIDATE was the EXPERIMENTAL ENGLISH ALTERNATIVE ROCK band RADIOHEAD and the SHIFTING SOUNDSCAPES of their highly EVOCATIVE DISCOGRAPHY from THIRD ALBUM OK COMPUTER (PARLOPHONE, 1997) onwards.  it kind of STAGGERING how EFFECTIVE their MUSIC was in MENTALLY TRANSPORTING me away from my IMMEDIATE SITUATION and ive been trying to discern ever since what are the ELEMENTS of their SOUND that make such the case.  it could be that they just write STELLAR sonGS and that VOCALIST THOM YORKE has one of the most UNIQUE SINGING VOICES in ROCK AND ROLL, less a SWAGGERING, ALPHA-MALE FRONTMAN STEREOTYPE and more a MEEK, INSULAR, EMOTIONALLY-CHARGED AVATAR of deeply SUPPRESSED emotions coming to the FORE.  i find it IMPOSSIBLE to not IDENTITY PERSONALLY with just the SOUND of his VOICE.  its almost like a VOICE in my head that tells pierces through the BULLSHIT and evokes my actual EMOTIONAL and MENTAL STATE.  when you listen to CHRIS CORNELL or ROBERT PLANT you are confronted with thinking about their STAGGERING GIFTS, ON-STAGE PERSONA or OVERPOWERING VOCAL PRESENCE.  with YORKE i find you are thinking about how you felt when your cat DIED as a child.  his VOICE  just takes you there.

same goes with the LUSH and UNORTHODOX SONIC COMPOSITIONS courtesy of the INTERPLAY between GUITARISTS ED O'BRIEN and JOHNNY GREENWOOD.  i find that when i listen to RADIOHEAD SONGS i am not thinking about the PROCESS of making SOUNDS as with CELEBRATED VIRTUOSOS like RANDY RHOADS, EDDIE VAN HALEN or even CONTEMPORARY INNOVATORS like TOM MORELLO, instead you are just ENVELOPED and MESMERIZED by the SUBLIMITY of the ORCHESTRATIONS and SONIC TAPESTRIES themselves.  case in point for me is that EVERY TIME i hear "AIRBAG" or "LET DOWN," "EXIT MUSIC (FOR A FILM)" or "HOMESICK SUBTERRANEAN ALIEN" off of OK COMPUTER i am IMMEDIATELY TRANSPORTED back to being on that bus in the SWISS ALPS i was on back in 1998 during a SCHOOL TRIP shortly after i bought the ALBUM in ZURICH on an ORGANIZED excursion abroad with the FRENCH department.  i may be PHYSICALLY DEPELTED and WARMING UP from the COLD, but MENTALLY im off somewhere deep in the mountains looking at SNOW-CAPPED OBLIVION.

and then im back to WORK.

embedded below is a past DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating the INFLUENTIAL ENGLISH ALTERNATIVE ROCK band RADIOHEAD.  enjoy!

when PUNK ROCK unfolded on WESTERN CULTURE it represented the UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY of a COMPLETE BLANK SLATE for EMERGING ARTISTS and MUSICIANS alike to double down on INDIVIDUAL EXPRESSION and ARTISTIC FREEDOM sans any sense of TRADITIONAL GATEKEEPING.  without being HYPERBOLIC, it actually was the PROVERBIAL STORMING OF THE BASTILLE, a GENERATIONAL ARTISTIC YEAR ZERO.  for some this represented a CREATIVE LICENSE to expand and redefine the SONIC VOCABULARY and STRUCTURAL PARAMETERS that constitute ROCK AND ROLL moving forward.  for others it symbolized an CULTURAL OPENING to transcend the EMOTIONAL DEPTHS of the FORM itself.  both POLES compromised what would become known as POST PUNK, and as evidenced in the recent MUTINY IN HEAVEN: THE BIRTHDAY PARTY (SHORE FIRE, 2023) DOCUMENTARY, no one epitomized the later more than the VOLATILE and TRANSGRESSIVE GROUP of ART-damaged AUSTRALIAN MISFITS THE BIRTHDAY PARTY. 

to this day their VIOLENT and COMBUSTIBLE LIVE PERFORMANCES that communicated an OVERPOWERING and distinctly VISCERAL SONIC EXPERIENCE are the STUFF of ABSOLUTE LEGEND.  somehow they were able to translate CRUDE, ANIMALISTIC MAGNETISM in the PRIMITIVE TRADITION of JIM MORRISON and IGGY POP with a sense of CRAFT and LYRICAL INTELLIGENCE that is PARADOXICALLY both COMPLEMENTARY and OXYMORONIC.  decades after their BREAKUP, THE BIRTHDAY PARTY remain on that SHORT-LIST of truly TRANSCENDENT BANDS that paved the way for all that followed with regards to EXPERIMENTAL UNDERGROUND MUSIC.

and in a sense that FRICTION that they depended and sustained on, both in DIRECT OPPOSITION to SOCIETY and EACH OTHER, arguably SHORTENED their LIFESPAN as a CREATIVE OUTFIT.  when they were absolute nobodies from AUSTRALIA struggling to the point of EXTREME MALNUTRITION in LONDON in the hopes of FRUITLESSLY securing find GIGS, FOOD and SHELTER, that sense of DESPERATION created a UNITY and FOCUS that was UNMATCHED by other BANDS of the PERIOD.  their LEGENDARY LIVE SHOWS were almost PERFORMANCE ARAT in how they directly confronted the AUDIENCE both sonically and with VOCALIST NICK CAVE's ON-STAGE BEHAVIOR.  as with the SEX PISTOLS before them, this initiated a COMBUSTIBLE DYNAMIC and EXPECTATION with FUTURE AUDIENCES who saw these PERFORMANCES not as a MUSICAL EVENT, but an OPEN INVITATION to FIGHT in public.  which of course grew WEARISOME over time as the BAND perceived their ON-STAGE PERFORMANCES as an ARTISTICALLY and EMOTIONALLY CATHARTIC RENDERING of their MUSICAL CHEMISTRY and REAL-LIFE, EVERY-DAY PERSONAS.  it was not an ACT or a PERFORMATIVE GIMMICK, but for AUDIENCES the PERCEPTION was DIFFERENT for some.

i remember the QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE FRONTMAN JOSH HOMME in an interview once talked about how BAND MEMBERS need to feel SECURE, COMFORTABLE and FULFILLED in their ROLE for LINEUP LONGEVITY to manifest.  i thought of this when MUTINY IN HEAVEN presented as a KEY REASON for THE BIRTHDAY PARTY's demise the fact that GUITARIST and PRIMARY SONGWRITER ROWLAND HOWARD wished to sing as well as play guitar as he had prior to joining the BAND.  this ASPIRATION was not shared by the rest of the GROUP as CAVE had long been such, even in an EARLY ITERATION of the BAND.  that PSYCHIC GAP between HOWARD and CAVE turned into a gulf that ultimately did THE BIRTHDAY PARTY in, which in the long run of things is the NATURAL TRAJECTORY of most BANDS.  PEOPLE grow apart and seek out new CHALLENGES and such was what ultimately happened to this ICONIC POST PUNK BAND.  no fireworks, just a low-key MUTUAL DISBANDING that begot other OPPORTUNITIES for all of its MEMBERS.

and its pretty REFRESHING that MUTINY IN HEAVEN didnt attempt to invent some artificially heightened drama to the NARRATIVE.  the BAND coalesced, it peaked and then it NATURALLY ebbed back into the NOTHINGNESS from which it came.  the INEVITABLE ENTROPY that defines the UNIVERSE ITSELF.  a FITTING VISUAL DOCUMENT for some a SINGULAR MUSICAL FORCE in the canon of GREAT ROCK AND ROLL BANDS of all time.  required viewing in my opinion.

there is a CERTAIN ROMANCE with the NARRATIVE surrounding UNDERGROUND MUSICAL SCENES, where a CRITICAL MASS of LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS coalesce, make ART and provide a NEW IDENTITY to an ESTABLISHED COMMUNITY.  even just the mentioning of PLACES like SEATTLE, LAUREL CANYON, MEMPHIS or PORTLAND evoke SOUNDS and IMAGES of PROMINENT MUSICIANS, RECORDING STUDIOS, LABELS, ZINES, RADIO STATIONS and EVENT SPACES from years past.  the WE FUN: ATLANTA, GA INSIDE/OUT (WALTER O. ROBISON PRODUCTIONS, 2009) DOCUMENTARY is a seemingly HAPHAZARD and highly IMPRESSIONISTIC concurrent LOOK at the EXPERIMENTAL and highly INSULAR INDIE ROCK SCENE in ATLANTA in the late 2000s. 

it seems pretty OBVIOUS viewing the FILM that the PARTICIPANTS were FAMILIAR with the PRODUCTION TEAM and even considered them an INSIDER within the SCENE itself, which has ADVANTAGES and DRAWBACKS.  there seemed to be no FILTER when seemingly INEBRIATED MEMBERS of DEERHUNTER, THE BLACK LIPS, CARBONA, KING KHAN AND THE SHRINES, SUBSONICS, MASTODON, THE SELMANAIRES and THE COATHANGERS were being interviewed, but most of these CONVERSATIONS were pretty MEANDERING and decidedly UNINFORMITIVE.  so the WHOLE EXERCISE in that sense felt like a [LITERAL] WASTED OPPORTUNITY.  plus many of these MUSICIANS seemed to be consciously attempting to act provocatively ON-CAMERA, making them seem rather PERFORMATIVE and INAUTHENTIC in NATURE, at least more than i suspect the were behind closed doors during NORMAL GIGS.  i would have preferred something a little less CHUMMY and a bit more SUBSTANTIAL because this UNFORTUNATELY feels more like an ASSEMBLAGE of BEHIND-THE-SCENES B-ROLL FOOTAGE then a PROPER DOCUMENTARY attempting to be OBJECTIVE and provide PERSPECTIVE on an EMERGING CULTURAL SCENE.

but maybe that was the point.  the ETHOS of the ATLANTA SCENE seemed to be very MERCURIAL, ETHEREAL and OF-THE-MOMENT and any PROFESSIONAL AMBITIONS of GREATER EXPOSURE seem MUTED at best, or even consciously SELF-SABOTAGING as evidenced by a SCENE where a fire extinguisher going off and effectively ruins the OPPORTUNITY for SEVERAL GROUPS participating in a MASSIVE shoot for the COVER of a local MAINSTREAM PERIODICAL.  NATIONAL GLORY doesnt seem to be in the cards with this CROP of MUSICIANS as told by the FILM, which is INTERESTING in retrospect given that MASTODON is such a HUGE METAL BAND (arguably the next SCION of SLAYER, METALLICA, and BLACK SABBATH in the POPULAR CONSCIOUSNESS) and THE BLACK LIPS, DEERHUNTER and THE COATHANGERS are all nationally touring, WELL-ESTABLISHED INDIE ROCK / PUNK ROCK BANDS in their own right CELEBRATED far outside the ATLANTA metropolitan region. 

but at that moment of filming the MAKESHIFT DIY INSTITUTIONS that emerged around these BANDS with NONTRADITIONAL, highly MAKESHIFT VENUES like BASEMENTS and (no joke) a STRIP MALL SPACE that specializes in polo played with bumper cars.  same with the LOCAL DIE SLAUGHTERHOUSE! RECORDS who released many of these GROUPS.  money wasnt the MOTIVATING FACTOR here, but making ART and establishing a COMMUNITY definitely was.  and if anything else, this DOCUMENTARY showcases the INTIMACY and INSULARITY that comes with a small SUBTERRANEAN SCENE of WEIRDOS.

definitely not the most INFORMATIVE, WELL-CONCEIVED or WELL-EXECUTED FILM dealing with MUSICIANS ive ever come across, but a DOCUMENT that is worth checking out for FANS of INDEPENDENT MUSIC nonetheless.

NEW YORK CITY is UNIQUE PLACE with a STORIED LEGACY of SELF-CANNIBALIZATION.  due to its GLOBAL STATUS as an UNRIVALED NEXUS of all things CULTURAL and ECONOMIC with an EVER-SHIFTING POPULATION, the CITY has a NATURAL TENDENCY to inevitably FEED ON ITSELF which is simultaneously INVIGORATING and absolutely CONFOUNDING to LONG-TERM RESIDENTS.  i look no further than my own IRISH side of the FAMILY who descend from the BAY RIDGE SECTION of BROOKLYN, from whom i have heard for decades concerning the CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS of the NEIGHBORHOOD which was once NORWEGIAN, then PUERTO RICAN, then ARAB and now PRIMARILY CHINESE over the relatively short span of 70+ years.  that CHURN of NEWCOMERS and the subsequent DEMOGRAPHIC EVOLUTION rooted in the ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES that the CITY affords OUTSIDE INVESTORS and DEVELOPERS alike is the CENTRAL NARRATIVE of NEW YORK CITY and by EXTENSION the UNITED STATES.

when NEW YORK CITY was in an ECONOMIC LULL back in the 1970s and DEMAND for REAL ESTATE was at an HISTORIC NADIR due to a plague of HIGH CRIME RATES and RAMPANT UNEMPLOYMENT, such provided SCRAPPY ARTISTS with an OPPORTUNITY to set up shop in UNCONVENTIONAL INDUSTRIAL SETTINGS, like ABANDONED FACTORIES, to go about creating their ART with SPACE in RELATIVE ISOLATION.  such was the STORY when the band MATERIAL decided that creating a MAKESHIFT STUDIO in the POLLUTED and altogether UNDESIRABLE GOWANUS section of BROOKLYN in the BASEMENT of a FACTORY suited their ARTISTIC NEEDS.  such was the INCEPTION of BC STUDIO and the PROFESSIONAL TRANSITION of MARTIN BISI from a LIVE SOUND ENGINEER to a RECORD PRODUCER.  SOUND AND CHAOS: THE STORY OF BC STUDIO (COLLECTIVE EYE, 2014) is a DOCUMENTARY that examines the DEVELOPMENT and LEGACY of a RECORDING STUDIO and PRODUCER that has witnessed everyone from BRIAN ENO, THE RAMONES, SWANS, IGGY POP, SONIC YOUTH, THE DRESDEN DOLLS, AFRIKA BAMBAATAA, FOETUS, GINGER BAKER, COP SHOOT COP, HERBIE HANCOCK, VIOLENT FEMMES, JOHN ZORN, POP. 1280 and even WHITNEY HOUSTON record within its CAVERNOUS, SUBTERRANEAN TRACKING ROOMS.

given the ECONOMIC CONSTRAINTS of the late 1970s and early 1980s, the EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC SCENE at the time with the UNDERGROUND HIP HOP, NO WAVE and POST PUNK MOVEMENTS, the CLIENTELE for BC STUDIO were understandably interested in NONTRADITIONAL SOUNDS and PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES.  and that was largely out of NECESSITY.  fast forward a few decades and the STUDIO has amassed a CELEBRATED CATALOGUED of INFLUENTIAL records that connects them to a NEW GENERATION of EXPERIMENTAL MUSICIANS and SONGWRITERS, but the NEW YORK CITY REAL ESTATE MARKET has caught up as SYMBOLIZED by the INCURSION of a NEW WHOLE FOODS MARKET across the STREET which predictably drives up LOCAL PROPERTY VALUES and pushes out the LONG-STANDING ARTS COMMUNITY.

now this FILM was made a decade ago in 2014 and the HOUSING AFFORDABILITY CRISIS has only grown in STATURE as a NATIONAL SCOURGE in the INTERIM, pitting GENERATIONS and COMMUNITIES against each other as NIMBYism and GENTRIFICATION tear apart the very FABRIC of NEIGHBORHOODS.  the UNENVIABLE and highly TENUOUS PREDICAMENT of BC STUDIO provides an USEFUL PERSPECTIVE to view NEW YORK CITY's SELF-CANNIBALIZING NATURE through. sure NEW OPPORTUNITIES provide the POTENTIAL for GROWTH and PROSPERITY, but for WHOM and at what cost?

and that QUESTION is as RELEVANT and PRESCIENT right now as those REVERED SWANS, JOHN ZORN and BRIAN ENO RECORDINGS BC STUDIO is FAMOUS for birthing into EXISTENCE. SOUND AND CHAOS: THE STORY OF BC STUDIO is a PENETRATING DOCUMENTARY well worth further INVESTIGATION with THEMES that transcend its FOCUS on CULTURE and URBAN GENTRIFICATION.  it also has an INCREDIBLE LIST of PARTICIPATING INTERVIEWEES from the likes of LEE RANALDO (SONIC YOUTH), MICHAEL GIRA (SWANS), JG THIRLWELL (FOETUS), MICHAEL HOLMAN (GRAY), BRIAN VIGLIONE (THE DRESDEN DOLLS), BILL LASWELL (MATERIAL), GRAND MIXER DXT and JIM COLEMAN (COP SHOOT COP).

MANDY, INDIANA is a RECENT MANCHESTER-based NOISE ROCK BAND that has got to be one of the more SONICALLY UNIQUE GROUPS i have come across in recent years.  fronted by the FRENCH-singing VALENTINE CAULFIELD, their ANGULAR, UNPREDICTABLE and often HARSH SOUNDSCAPES are given an almost REGAL AIR that instantaneously separates them from other SIMILAR ACTS.  its a CURIOUS JUXTAPOSITION that works and invites the LISTENER to further investigate and spend time with their MUSIC.  MANDY, INDIANA are a DIFFERENT GROUP and GENRE, but its almost reminiscent of when MIRA AROYA of the LIVERPOOL-based SYNTH POP VETERANS LADYTRON starts getting into speaking her NATIVE BULGARIAN on VARYING TRACKS, providing their SOUND a sense of MYSTERY and OTHERNESS to it.

definitely an INTRIGUING BAND worth checking out.

in high school i got into DEVO and in college i discovered KRAFTWERK.  for whatever reason, those TWO BANDS that are completely SEPARATE both in terms of AESTHETICS and INTENTION are connected in my IDIOSYNCRATIC, EXPERIENTIAL TRAJECTORY as a MUSIC FAN. 

DEVO is very much utilizing FORMAL COMPOSITIONS with highly IRREGULAR ARRANGEMENTS and ELECTRONIC SONIC TEXTURES as a means of jarring its AUDIENCE into an ESCAPIST REALM / MINDSET that is meant as a PARODY of CONTEMPORARY CONSUMER CULTURE and CAPITALISM more broadly via its likewise FABRICATED WORLD of TELEVISED ADVERTISING.  they were very much a heady ARTISTIC, MULTI-MEDIA RESPONSE to an apparent DOMINATING, ALL-CONSUMING corporate takeover of most ASPECTS of AMERICAN LIFE, a PERSPECTIVE that has only grown evermore PRESCIENT in the decades that have followed.

KRAFTWERK on the other hand was part of a GENERATION of GERMAN MUSICIANS that sought to create a NEW CULTURAL "YEAR ZERO" that took no CUES or INSPIRATION from what came before, as such led to the rise of FASCISM and the THIRD REICH ultimately.  so no VEILED REFERENCES to FOLK TRADITIONS or CELEBRATED GERMAN CLASSICAL COMPOSERS like BEETHOVEN, BRAMS, SCHUMANN, STRAUSS, HANDEL, MENDELSSON or especially WAGNER, nor RELATED AUSTRIAN COMPOSERS such as MOZART, BRUCKNER, SCHOENBERG, HAYDN, SCHUBERT or MAHLER.  so the utilization of SYNTHESIZERS, SEQUENCERS and the like was a means of politically drawing a line in the sand and establishing a NEW PARADIGM moving forward.  that sort of FOCUSED INTENTION based on SOCIO-HISTORICAL CONCERNS of liberation from a tainted past is what makes KRAFTWERK and their KRAUTROCK PEERS so COMPELLING.  and an entirely DIFFERENT ANIMAL from DEVO, whose SENDUPS of AMERICAN CORPORATE CONSUMER CULTURE was a PRODUCT of a DIFFERENT ERA, having came out more than half a decade later.

what makes THE MAN-MACHINE (KLING KLANG, 1978) ALBUM such an INTERESTING listen is how despite its CONSCIOUS DESIGN as MUSIC devoid of the HUMAN ELEMENT, such is still in spite of itself quite EMOTIVE and even MELANCHOLIC in DELIVERY.  in terms of LYRICS, the RECORD outright references MODERN SCIENCE FICTION LITERARY TROPES based around TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES and openly questions the embedded UTOPIAN IDEALS associated with such.  specifically i am speaking of TRACKS like "SPACELAB," "THE ROBOTS," "THE MAN MACHINE" and "METROPOLIS" that are concerned with ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, SPACE COLONIZATION and a FUTURE WORLD of TECHNOLOGICAL WONDER that renders HUMANS OBSOLETE and ripe for EXPLOITATION.  i always find it INTRIGUING how the VISUALS associated with THE MAN-MACHINE make EXPLICIT REFERENCE to the pre-NAZI period of the UFA (and LEGENDARY FILM DIRECTORS like FRITZ LANG), the REVERED GERMAN MOTION-PICTURE PRODUCTION COMPANY.  in a SONG like "THE MODEL," you get a BITTER sense of ROMANTIC ISOLATION that it is DIFFICULT to discern if such is from a SYNTHETIC or ORGANIC PERSPECTIVE, a ROBOT or a HUMAN or perhaps more fascinatingly, something in between.  

maybe MACHINES do have an EMOTIONAL CAPACITY, since they are but an EXTENSION of US.  in the CURRENT AGE of GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, this line of INQUIRY and EXPLORATION is still beyond PRESCIENT and RELEVANT to our CONTENTIOUS LIVED EXPERIENCE coming to terms with a TECHNOLOGY (much like NUCLEAR WARFARE, CLOUD COMPUTING and SOCIAL NETWORKS beforehand) that is beyond our COLLECTIVE CAPACITY to effectively rationalize and CONTROL.

THE MAN-MACHINE along with COMPUTER WORLD (KLING KLANG, 1981) and AUTOBAHN (PHILIPS, 1974), i find myself constantly returning to the CATALOGUE of KRAFTWERK for AURAL INSPIRATION.  the EXECUTION of their VISION is UNMATCHED and wholly its own thing, which has INSPIRED EVERYONE from APHEX TWIN, BIG BLACK, DAFT PUNK and U2 to RAMMSTEIN, DEPECHE MODE, AFRIKA BAMBAATAA, NEW ORDER and DAVID BOWIE. 

required listening in my opinion.

parody & text by nacrowe

without doubt, DEATH GRIPS is the most EXCITING GROUP to come out in the past two decades.  the only other EMERGING BAND ive found myself nearly this INFATUATED with during that same period is DRAB MAJESTY, which is a completely DIFFERENT VIBE, more DOWN-TEMPO and MOODY to DEATH GRIP's UNBRIDLED SONIC EXPERIMENTS and DYNAMIC, BIT-CRUSHING, FIST-BUMPING, GENRE-OBLITERATING AURAL TERRORISM. 

when i even consider LIKE-MINDED BANDS from the past, all i can think about are NO WAVE INNOVATORS like SWANS and BUSH TETRAS as well as LOU REED's deliberately ANTI-COMMERCIAL METAL MACHINE MUSIC (RCA, 1975) release the spurred on later EARLY INDUSTRIAL ACTS such as THROBBING GRISTLE and EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN.  its all that plus CONFRONTATIONAL / NIHILISTIC HIP HOP with a POLITICAL EDGE a la PUBLIC ENEMY or DEAD PREZ at their most INCENDIARY.  that is to say that DEATH GRIPS is a wildly INNOVATIVE BAND with no real PRECEDENT and anything you can point to as a POSSIBLE REFERENCE POINT is likewise beyond GNARLY, EXPERIMENTAL and BADASS.

the SACRAMENTO-based TRIO is made up of ZACH HILL, arguably the GREATEST DRUMMER of this (or maybe even any) GENERATION, KEYBOARDIST ANDY MORIN and VOCALIST STEFAN BURNETT, a.k.a. MC RIDE.  on TRACKS like "GUILLOTINE (IT GOES YAH)," "KNOWN FOR IT," "THE FEVER (AYE AYE)," "GET GOT," and "NO LOVE" the BAND just seams to completely revel in SONICALLY ASSAULTING its AUDIENCE with UNREPENTANT DISSONANCE and WHITE NOISE while surreptitiously embedding, however SUBTERRANEAN, a PALPABLE sense of MELODY.  its just INSANE that SOMETHING so POWERFUL and outright CONFRONTATIONAL and COMPLEX on a SONIC LEVEL maintains any semblance of STRUCTURE and MELODIC COHESION enough to manually tap or head-bop a RECOGNIZABLE BEAT to.  its an INTRIGUING DYNAMIC that is quite the ACHIEVEMENT and sounds in its entirety like NOTHING i can immediately point out.  its a ONE-OF-ONE SITUATION.

likewise the corresponding TRANSGRESSIVE ARTWORK is just as ABSTRACT and tangentially RELATED to the MUSIC.  what it provides is a VIBE and a CREATIVE ASSERTION that what you are about to EXPERIENCE is not for the faint of heart.  after an unremarkable year living in the suburbs of SACRAMENTO my senior year of high school back in the day, i was absolutely convinced that NOTHING OF IMPORTANCE (besides DEFTONES) would ever come from that CULTURAL BACKWATER.  it was just too CONSERVATIVE and BORING.  decades later CHELSEA WOLFE, HELLA (featuring ZACH HILL), TERA MELOS and DEATH GRIPS have proved me WRONG MULTIPLE TIMES over.

obviously i was gravely MISTAKEN.

regardless, DEATH GRIPS is an EXPERIENCE.  definitely check them out, especially their DEBUT ALBUM THE MONEY STORE (EPIC, 2012) as well as their previous SELF-RELEASED MIXTAPE EXMILITARY (2011).  you will not be disappointed.

parodies by nacrowe

​check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the SEMINAL and EVER-EVOLVING ENGLISH ALTERNATIVE ROCK band RADIOHEAD!
​
​​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives.

and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience!

not even going to try and describe the DENSE CACOPHONY of STYLES on display in the EXPERIMENTAL CREATIVE OUTPUT of BROOKLYN INDIE ROCK band BEAR IN HEAVEN.  they havent put out a record in a decade, but i very much find their sound to be inspiringly IDIOSYNCRATIC and just plain WIERD.  ive seen tags online that describe them as a cross between DREAM POP, KRAUTROCK and SYNTH POP but really they just seem to be playing by a DIFFERENT RULEBOOK where literally anything SONICALLY goes. 

​and does.

BEAR IN HEAVEN are definitely worth checking out for FANS of everything from CAN, MY BLOODY VALENTINE, KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD and WEEN to BATTLES and CAPTAIN BEEFHEART.  much recommended.

THE GREAT ESCAPE (FOOD, 1995) represented the end of a certain MODE OF SONGWRITING for the BRITPOP ICONS in BLUR, one in which FRONTMAN DAMON ALBARN wrote through CHARACTERS that represented aspects of BRITISH SOCIETY that he had a CONTENTION with.  a RECURRING OBSESSION was the loss of COMMUNITY and the literal PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATION of the BRITISH SUBURBAN LANDSCAPE and COUNTRYSIDE with the PROLIFERATION of AMERICAN-style CORPORATE RETAIL OUTLETS throughout the 1990s that pushed out mom-and-pop SMALL BUSINESSES that had previously given each town their UNIQUE IDENTITY.  on PARKLIFE (FOOD, 1994) this LYRICAL and THEMATIC PERSUASION was NOVEL, but by THE GREAT ESCAPE it had turned to something of a crutch.  same with the MUSICAL APPROACH which had become BLOATED with MASSIVE ORCHESTRAL ARRANGEMENTS that pushed the limits of CREDULITY for this once tight four-piece.  change was in need all around.

for me BLUR (FOOD, 1997) is the album where ALBARN somewhat abandoned COY and CLEVER CHARACTER-BASED OBSERVATIONS of BRITISH society as a SONGWRITING VEHICLE (in the great TRADITION of RAY DAVIES, PAUL MCCARTNEY and DAVID BOWIE) and turned inward at himself and got REFLECTIVE and PERSONAL.  in particular INSPIRED tracks like "BEETLEBUM" and "DEATH OF A PARTY" seemed to be MOURNFUL CODAS or ELEGIES on a BRITPOP scene that had run its course but was now in decline as a CULTURAL MOVEMENT.  there was a new found DIRECTNESS and MUSCULARITY to the SOUND, courtesy of GUITARIST and fellow SONGWRITER GRAHAM COXON whose INTEREST in the LO-FI, DISCORDANT and EXPERIMENTAL end of AMERICAN INDIE ROCK (bands like PAVEMENT, SONIC YOUTH and MISSION OF BURMA) came to forefront on BLUR on largely IMPROVISATIONAL tracks like "CHINESE BOMBS," "M.O.R." and most memorably, "SONG 2." 

COXON around this period also stepped out as a COMPETENT LYRICIST and VOCALIST in his own right with the AMBIGUOUS "YOU'RE SO GREAT," which could have been about love just as much as it could have been about ALCOHOL, since during this period he was well into the depths of his ADDICTION.  this tact would continue and be mined on the likewise STELLAR and SIMILARLY-THEMED track "COFFEE & TV" from the follow-up album 13 (FOOD, 1999).  in fact, the use of controlled substances as a SONGWRITING VEHICLE is also found on "BEETLEBUM," which some have interpreted as potentially also being also about the LASTING DAMAGE and loss of WILL and SELF-IDENTITY that comes with PROLONGED HEROIN ADDICTION.  in the late 90s, it was common knowledge that many a BRITPOP band and their entourage had fallen VICTIM to NARCOTICS at the expense of their CAREER, LIVELIHOOD and POTENCY as ARTISTS.  seems all CULTURAL MOVEMENTS eventually hit that CLICHE OPIATE STAGE when everything begins to dismantle and become ENTROPIC.

i always find it INTRIGUING that a record which found its origins in abandoning what worked before and wholesale embracing UNCERTAINTY through PERSONAL LYRICAL THEMES and EXPERIMENTAL DISCORDANT SOUNDSCAPES turned out to be one of the most artistically SATISFYING albums of their CAREER.  not only that, but the ONE-OFF, RANDOM, THROWAWAY lark of a track "SONG 2" is identifiably the BLUR song of ALL-TIME, being used as a CODED SIGNAL for UNBRIDLED CELEBRATION at sporting events the world over at times of SUDDEN VICTORY.  for me the UNDISPUTED HIGHLIGHT is "BEETLEBUM," not just for the AMBIGUOUS LYRICS, but that HAUNTING GUITAR LEAD at the end which seems to distill all that BUBBLING UNCERTAINTY and PAIN into a severely MEMORABLE MUSICAL REFRAIN.  its arguably the most INTENSE and EMOTIONALLY-WROUGHT moment on any BLUR recording.  it was also the moment i saw COXON as an EXPRESSIVE GUITARIST on par with my other BRITISH GUITAR HEROES in JOHNNY MARR, DANIEL ASH, ROBERT SMITH, ROBERT FRIPP and JOHNNY GREENWOOD.

goes without saying that BLUR is a MEMORABLE and absolutely ESSENTIAL album well worth checking out.

parodies by nacrowe

i remember one weekend during my junior year of high school in KUWAIT i was watching this temporary televised feed of a FOREIGN music video channel called CHANNEL [V] AUSTRALIA way past midnight because there was a marathon on some ECCENTRIC ICELANDIC SINGER-SONGWRITER id never heard of called BJÖRK.  itd be another year and another hemisphere away until i discovered TRIP HOP in earnest to be able to help describe what i was hearing, but at the time i was just completely transfixed with how ECLECTIC her SOUND was (combining ELEMENTS of HOUSE, BIG BAND JAZZ, FOLK, ALTERNATIVE ROCK, SYNTH POP, TRIP HOP, CLASSICAL and other AVANT-GARDE MUSICAL TRADITIONS) and how IDIOSYNCRATIC and utterly UNIQUE her SINGING STYLE was.

it was both IMMERSIVE and INTOXICATING while being totally ALIEN to anything id ever come across before.

and similar to my much later experience of discovering the NOVEL SONIC SOUNDSCAPES of APHEX TWIN, BJÖRK was so left-of-center and beyond my ability to comprehend what i was listening to at the time that i connected to such instantaneously on a VISCERAL and distinctly EMOTIONAL level.  it basically bypassed my CONSCIOUS MIND that liked to parse out contextual clues and actively deconstruct what i was listening to as i was listening to it.  i knew nothing of ICELAND or her work in THE SUGARCUBES.  i was perfectly NAIVE.

that would change and the next year would find me transported to a relative's house in SACRAMENTO in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, which happened at the beginning of my senior year of high school.  it was also the year of the release of her fourth effort VESPERTINE (ONE LITTLE INDEPENDENT, 2001), which was more reflective and refined in TONE with a more SONG-ORIENTED, FOLK-inspired outlook with AMBIENT and ORGANIC SONIC TEXTURES courtesy of an INSPIRED collaboration with the SAN FRANCISCO EXPERIMENTAL DUO MATMOS.  at the time it felt like my world had been thrown into a complete SPIRAL, being half a world away from family and callously stuck in a cultural backwater with no friends.  what made matters worse was that my relative worked as an UNPOPULAR teacher at the public school i attended some 45 minutes from his home which resulted in my inability to have people over or conversely stay out with potential people i met.  i was utterly STUCK and ALONE and i knew it.  for me VESPERTINE was the soundtrack to that experience.  that album in particular seemed lyrically resigned to the idea that real-life is DIFFICULT, COMPLEX and UN PREDICTABLE and that the adult reaction to such is just to take it all in stride.  to meet the moment as it comes.  on some level that album in particular helped me emotionally get through a tough year and for that reason i am still very much attached to it two decades later, arguably more than her earlier records that are more generally CELEBRATED by critics and the public alike.

embedded below is a recent DEER GOD RADIO episode on nonprofit internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a playlist celebrating the wildly CREATIVE and EXPERIMENTAL ICELANDIC SINGER-SONGWRITER BJÖRK.  enjoy!

it is not hyperbole that discovering APHEX TWIN's debut album SELECTED AMBIENT WORKS: 85-92 (R&S, 1992) was a SINGULAR and TRANSFORMATIVE experience that basically ALTERED and RE-CONTEXTUALIZED my EXPECTATIONS regarding music in general.  i believe for the longest time i was stuck in a rut of always expecting the TRADITIONAL SONG STRUCTURES and FAMILIAR SOUNDS a la BLUES-based ROCK N ROLL and all of its myriad of DERIVATIONS therein that i grew up on as a child, as EXEMPLIFIED by THE BEACH BOYS, BUDDY HOLLY and THE BEATLES.  living abroad in NIGERIA during my middle school years i discovered both FELA KUTI and HIP HOP, which was arguably the first crack in that wall.  then in high school i came across SONICALLY ADVENTUROUS TRIP HOP groups like MASSIVE ATTACK and PORTISHEAD as well as EXPERIMENTAL SHOEGAZE bands like SLOWDIVE, MY BLOODY VALENTINE and THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN, which further EXPANDED my CONCEPTION of what music could be.  but i consider the dam fully being dismantled in college when i came across APHEX TWIN and specifically this early compilation.

that is not to say that APHEX TWIN came out of nowhere.  there is a proud TRADITION of AMBIENT MUSIC that utilizes DISCORDANT DRONING and NONTRADITIONAL SONG STRUCTURES going back to BRIAN ENO and postwar KRAUTROCK bands like HARMONIA, TANGERINE DREAM, CLUSTER and KRAFTWERK, and early 20th century FRENCH DADAIST COMPOSERS like ERIK SATIE.  but what caught my ear was just that OTHERWORLDLINESS of the those ALIEN SOUNDSCAPES immediately apparent on tracks like "XTAL," "THA," "AGEISPOLIS," "PULSWIDTH" and "HELIOSPHAN."  it was like being transported to another DIMENSION, but not in any CORNY, PSYCHEDELIC sort of manner.  more like the impossibly ANTISEPTIC CLEANLINESS of an EXTRATERRESTRIAL vessel with a REFINED future PLAYLIST instituted onboard that seemingly draws no PARALLELS or REFERENCES to anything remotely ORGANIC or EARTH-BASED.  i can remember in college getting so worked up over having to write term papers that i needed a way to ESCAPE myself and all that TENSION and ANXIETY i carried.  i found it particularly HELPFUL to just listen to SELECTED AMBIENT WORKS: 85-92 and completely zone out and REFRAME my EMOTIONAL HEADSPACE.  listening to that record helped me push away my SUPEREGO and just focus on writing and executing my IDEAS sans that NEVER-ENDING INNER-DIALOGUE and CONSTANT SELF-CRITICISM going on in my head.  on that level alone this record is MEANINGFUL and completely NOSTALGIC for me.

and i bring that up because sometimes when you hear FAMILIAR-SOUNDING music, your CONSCIOUS MIND cannot help but immediately parse out the PROCESS OF PRODUCTION involved in the manufacture of such.  at least i do when i hear a KILLER GUITAR RIFF or DRUM PATTERN.  but when you come across something completely ALIEN for the first time, like a COMPLEX FELA KUTI POLYRHYTHMIC GROOVE or a WARPED SOUL SAMPLE MORPHED and SKEWED beyond RECOGNITION on a MASSIVE ATTACK or THREE 6 MAFIA record, you entertain said COMPOSITION on a DIFFERENT level.  i'd argue an EMOTIONAL one.  that is what was so COMPELLING about APHEX TWIN for me, i literally had no clue how RICHARD DAVID JAMES came up with such intoxicatingly EXPANSIVE and distinctly UNFAMILIAR SOUNDSCAPES.  it was an experience where i explored a part of my PSYCHE that i didnt even know existed.  just REVELATORY and a complete REORDERING of my EXPECTATIONS regarding the EMOTIONAL CAPACITY and POTENTIAL of ELECTRONIC MUSIC in general.  some have compared APHEX TWIN to JIMI HENDRIX and i understand such on a VISCERAL level, just that THRILL of initially EXPERIENCING the UNKNOWN.

for me that is the legacy of APHEX TWIN and specifically their debut SELECTED AMBIENT WORKS: 85-92, which is an absolutely ESSENTIAL record for anyone interested in QUALITY music sans consideration of GENRE.  its just GREAT music.

as ive mentioned before, i was stuck in a suburb of SACRAMENTO with a RELATIVE my senior year of high school after being hastily relocated from my FAMILY (who were stationed in KUWAIT at the time) in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.  it was RIDICULOUS time.  i was totally convinced upon spending that time near SACRAMENTO that nothing of CULTURAL CONSEQUENCE ever came from that area, the lone exception being the DEFTONES (and perhaps CAKE... maybe).

and i was wrong.

in the intervening decades its become apparent that there was a hotbed of local TALENT of the EXPERIMENTAL and INNOVATIVE variety bubbling up during that exact period.  ARTISTS like CHELSEA WOLFE and BANDS like TERA MELOS, DEATH GRIPS and especially HELLA.

HELLA is a MATH ROCK band centered around GUITARIST SPENCER SEIM and DRUMMER ZACH HILL.  there have been various EXPANDED iterations of their lineup over the years, but SEIM and HILL are the CORE MEMBERS.  their music is so dizzyingly and mesmerizingly COMPLEX and AGILE with RAPID-FIRE TIME SIGNATURE changes, ODD PHRASING and IDIOSYNCRATIC SONG STRUCTURES that i almost liken it more to highly IMPROVISATIONAL, AVANT-GARDE JAZZ than anything else.  HILL in particular is arguably the GREATEST DRUMMER on the planet, as evidenced by any INCENDIARY video of their past LEGENDARY performances.  currently he is also a member of the likewise EXPERIMENTAL DEATH GRIPS and THE I.L.Y.'s.

definitely check out HELLA.  in advance, youre welcome.