John Berberian -- Middle Eastern Rock

Oud mastery from 1968. To quote Fat Badger, who turned me on to this, "a few minutes in he's playing like his life depended on it." So true. Kinda like a cross between this and this, for those of you who have been following along.

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Arriver -- Simon Mann e.p.

A while back y'all went crazy for Arriver's debut album Vanlandingham and Zone, and for good reason -- it was fresh and epic and easily one of the best albums of the past few years. Well, they've finally put together some new material which I just so happen to have a copy of, and you're going to like it just as much, if not more. Gone are the denizens of the Zone and their hero Halon Hong, in their place is a real-life mercenary/asshat out to rape the dark continent. The music is somehow tighter and more focused and more determined to pummel your face, too. In a good way, as always.

Now, since this is hot off the presses, as it were, and since I don't usually post stuff that's brand new out of respect for the artists, I'm also providing you with a link to go buy it for yourself. By all means check it out, listen to it, love it, etc., but then go cough up a few bucks to show your support.

d/l
buy

Transmission -- Transmission

By request, here's the Transmission self-titled album from 1996, which features Adris Hoyos post-Harry Pussy. Her relationship with guitarist Graham Lambkin went south not long after this was recorded, and he even tried to sue at one point to prevent its release. As if anybody would have noticed.

If you like HP, then this is certainly worth a listen.

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ZA! -- Macumba o Muerte

Holy shit. I don't know what else to say about this one. Holy fucking shit. Imagine some fluid combination of Masada, Oneida, Fela Kuti, Zu, Rudolph Grey, Fanfare Ciocărlia, Crash Worship, Tuvan throat singing, Einstürzende Neubauten, etc. (I could probably go on if I tried). If that sounds over the top, well...it is. But it works. I haven't been this floored by a new album in a long time. The album is a bit uneven, but the highlights are unlike anything else you've ever heard. I can't stop smiling.

VBR 192+ kbps

Alamaailman Vasarat -- Käärmelautakunta

Finnish klezmer music from 2003. Go buy their more recent albums, starting with this year's Huuro Kolkko or 2007's Maahan. Fuckers just did a gig last month in Mexico and didn't even bother to swing by the U.S. Not cool.

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V.E.G.A. -- Cocaine

Oh hai. Haven't seen you in a while. Here's some strange music from Italy.

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Bratty & Jackass -- Bratty & Jackass

OK, I can pretty well guarantee that you've never heard this one. This is a CD-R the band made before splitting up some years ago. The appeal here is mostly the axework from the lead guitarist -- I can hear some Greg Ginn, some Sonny Sharrock, a little Nels Cline, maybe even a dash of Fred Frith. And, if you listen really closely, you may even hear him cashing my rent checks. Yup, that's my landlord, although at the time that this was recorded my money was just a twinkle in his filthy slumlord pocketbook (Hi, Drew.)

Anyway, if you've enjoyed any of the instrumental/jazzy/punky stuff I've posted (Coptic Light, Massacre, Warhammer 48k, Deep Turtle, The Wayward, etc.) you'll probably like this, too. I don't have an actual cover image, so that will have to do.

VBR @ 256+ kbps

The Wayward -- Overexposure

2007 release from Baltimore-area "post-rock" trio. I put "post-rock" in "quotes" because I don't really know what "post-rock" is. This sounds kinda like fellow Baltimoreans Oxes but with vocals (although frankly they could ditch the vocals and be better off, if you ask me). Also sounds a bit like Trumans Water from time to time in that the songs often seem to be on the verge of collapsing altogether. In any case, you should check it out pronto. Thanks to Obinna for this one.

VBR @ 192+ kbps (re-zipped with track 6 included)

Shiny Beast -- Shiny Beast ep

Posting this for Big Fat Satanist, whose blog is fucking incredible. I seriously can't believe how much high quality stuff he puts up over there. And quickly, too. I sometimes go weeks between posts, but he has a new post with multiple uploads almost every day. Stop wasting your time here and go over there now.

VBR @ 256+ kbps

Chang Ffos -- Azerubine

4 song EP from Croatian heavynoise guys Chang Ffos.

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Massacre -- Killing Time

Really excellent no-wave noise rock played by early-'80s downtown NYC jazzmen, including Fred Frith on guitar. This is not the remastered version that came out in the late '90s, but the original from 1983. Perhaps the best of its kind.

VBR @ 256 kbps

Hauler -- The Haymaker

Heavy stuff from defunct Vancouver, WA band Hauler. Thanks to Obinna for turning me on to this, even though I had to go find it for him.

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Heinous Killings -- Hung with Barbwire

Utterly ridiculous drum machine goregrind with some of the craziest vocals you'll ever hear. Apparently these guys have a real drummer now and are working on new material. Yes, I realize that it's barbed wire, not barbwire, but at least they get title case.

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Carcass -- Symphonies of Sickness

My first and still my favorite Carcass album. Can't believe this is 20 years old, but then I've said that a number of times on here. I also can't believe that it's still being imitated, though of course without the same wittiness/humor. I saw them on this tour (Reseda Country Club, probably 1990 or so) and was completely floored, and apparently they've re-formed and are playing again, although I doubt that it's the same now. Still, you should have this if you don't already.

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Oneida -- Anthem of the Moon

Before their current incarnation as a dull (and therefore more popular) indie sensation, Oneida made some truly interesting and varied music. I'm speaking roughly of the period that includes Each One Teach One, Enemy Hogs, Come on Everybody Let's Rock, the Steel Rod ep and this one here, perhaps my favorite of the bunch. There's an exuberant energy that's wholly absent from their later stuff. I think perhaps the personnel has changed since these days, but I can't be bothered to check it out. Anyway, this is from 2001, and it kicks major butt.

VBR @ 224+ kbps

Can Can Heads -- Last Tongues in Ass Pick

More Finnish weirdness. This is a 9 song, 7'' EP from 1996. It's mostly instrumental with some structured parts and some not-so-structured parts, and some noisy parts and some fast parts and even the occasional trumpet bleat. If you tend to like the stuff on this blog, then you'll probably like this, too. If not, then go take a flying fuck at a rolling donut.

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Coptic Light -- Coptic Light

Instrumental explorations from former members of Antioch Arrow, Bitch Magnet and Storm & Stress. Released in 2005. Should appeal to those of you who enjoy Laddio Bolocko, Hella, those instrumental Black Flag albums, etc.

VBR @ 192+ kbps

Claw Hammer -- Claw Hammer

More early '90s nostalgia for me. Claw Hammer always seemed to be opening up for whatever band I really wanted to see back then, so I kinda took them for granted. But this is some solid material here, and probably sounds better today than whatever the headliners were at the time. It's their debut full-length on Sympathy for the Record Industry from 1990. This album is sometimes called F.U.B.A.R., although I have no idea why.

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Group Inerane -- Guitars from Agadez (Music of Niger)

So-called "world music" has always been something that sounds better to me in principle than in reality. So much of the supposed music of the world sounds like a slight sprinkling of non-Western elements (instruments, scales, etc.) on top of what is essentially Western pop music (or worse yet, new age-y schmaltz). It mostly bores the pants right off of musical aesthetes such as myself and those of you reading this. But that's not to say that there isn't genuinely great stuff out there.

Enter Sublime Frequencies, a record label founded by members of Sun City Girls. Their mission is to track down and then make available these musical gems from faraway lands untainted by Western sounds or commercial interests. This particular one comes to us from Niger, and while the sound quality is not great, it's nonetheless easy to imagine yourself in the middle of some massive desert gathering with ululating and dancing and Nigeri hooch, whatever form that may take. (If it sounds like I'm describing a rave, fear not -- there are no glow sticks or whistles or ravers to spoil the fun.)

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this one as much as I do.

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L. Ron Hubbard -- Space Jazz: The Soundtrack of the Book Battlefield Earth

Jesus holy fuck is this one weird. OK, all people of faith are by definition insane, and all religions are equally wrong -- we can all agree on that. But after hearing this I'm forced to admit that some doctrines are more jaw-droppingly bizarre and further out of touch with reality than others. Here we have a record from Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard that defies description, and if he had sat in his room and recorded it by himself, we could all laugh it off as the work of an isolated madman. But no -- on this one he had help. Semi-respected jazz musicians Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke helped to realize this vision. How these guys were not laughed right out of the metaphorical room, along with John Travolta and Beck and Tom Cruise and all the others, is beyond me. And if you haven't pissed your pants or fallen out of your seat or ejected milk from your nose by track 4, Terl the Security Director, then perhaps you should join them.

P.S. -- "Credit" goes to Losty for turning me on to this.

192 kbps

DeSalvo post deleted

A representative from Rock Action Records requested that I remove the DeSalvo link, so I complied. If there are any other artists or labels out there whose music I've posted and who want the links taken down, just let me know and it will come down right away. I'm trying to help bands get exposure, but if they feel that it's hurting more than it's helping, I respect that. I may disagree, but that's another story.

xoxo

Circle -- Silver

Most of you have probably heard Finland's hypnorock group Circle, but perhaps not this 4-song EP of theirs from 1993. So get to it already.

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Deep Turtle -- Satanus Uranus Tetanus

Sorry, I've gotten away from what should always be my main focus: Deep Turtle. Here's another 7'' of theirs, originally released in 1993, then re-released as part of the Rip-Off Dokumento retrospective. 4 songs. You need it.

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Dawson -- Terminal Island

Continuing with the late '80s/early '90s Scottish punk theme, here's something from the band Dawson. I believe that this was their swan song, and it's a good one. Much like Stretchheads, these guys play with abandon, and were probably better live, but here in 2009 I guess we'll have to settle for this. It came from Soulseek, and it's the not the greatest rip, so if any of you has something better let me know.

192 kbps

DeSalvo -- Demo

Here's a new band featuring former members of the Stretchheads. This is their 4-song demo from 2003 which I found on Soulseek. They've got an LP out now, which I'll probably post before long as well. Sounds like they've been listening to Mastodon.

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Stretchheads -- Five Fingers, Four Thingers, a Thumb, a Facelift and a New Identity

Scottish punk band from the late '80s and early '90s that fit it around here rather well, although they're fairly new to me. Falls somewhere between Deep Turtle and Arab on Radar -- abrasive, fast, a tad whiny at times, but mostly top notch. I bet they were amazing live. Perhaps they're even good enough to let the rest of the world forgive Scotland for that I would walk 500 miles song by The Proclaimers.

Some of these guys are currently in a band called Desalvo, whose debut album will probably be up here before long, so stay tuned.

224 kbps

Mass -- Mass

One and only release from German stoner rock/post-metal band Mass. Released in 2000 on Man's Ruin. It's very difficult to find any information about this band, so, on a completely unrelated note, you may be interested to know that there are people searching online for the phrase "sword in pussy" almost every day. Without a blog called Velvety Sheath, Glistening Sword, on which is posted an album by the band Harry Pussy, I would never have known this.

192 kbps

Bloarzeyd -- Delirious Insane Ventilator of Bloarzeyd

So here's the 2006 debut from New Haven, CT noisemen Bloarzeyd. Sounds not unlike godheadSilo, and the song titles even reveal a similar sense of humor.

Fucking white people.

320 kbps

Dreams of the Drowned -- Thanatotropic Principle

I've figured out what I don't like about most black metal -- there's little to no rock. The buzzing guitars and tortured screams are dramatic and moody, but then so is Nine Inch Nails' music. I need some rock in my metal, but for the most part these silly BM dudes are content merely with being a slight evolution from the goth-rock histrionics that I've hated since high school.

Dreams of the Drowned, on the other hand, know how to kick ass. Yeah, they're steeped in black metal, but they're talented enough to play more than just washed-out sheets of sound that go nowhere. They also get props for making their music freely available -- I'm just re-posting the link of their first full-length album. They're French, by the way.

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Imahoritsuneoyoshidatatsuya -- Territory

More spastic fuckery from Yoshida Tatsuya, the mastermind/drummer behind the Ruins. This time he's paired up with Imahori Tsuneo, guitarist of the Japanese prog outfit Tipographica. You'll have to wade through some onanie-style wankery to get to the good stuff, but when you do, it will feel good. I promise.

256 kbps

Ulcerate -- Everything Is Fire

Brutal, technical Kiwi DM. Thanks to Josef for this one.

VBR @ 256+ kbps

Cherubs -- Short of Popular

Posthumously released miscellany from Austin, TX noise rock stalwarts Cherubs.

VBR @ 256+ kbps

Hella -- Hold Your Horse Is

For whatever reason, these guys have a lot of hipsterdouchebag fans, but don't let that deter you -- this is some truly innovative, unique music. Spastic drummer Zach Hill provides the melody here, or at least what passes for melody in this kind of music, while guitarist Spencer Seim just tries to keep up. They never were able to recapture the vibrant freshness of this album on subsequent releases, but at least we can still listen to this, their debut from 2002.

VBR @ 256+ kbps

Crackdust -- Dented Reality

Yet another in a long line of old school death metal bands from Botswana in southern Africa.

Oh wait.

So I really expected this to suck, but it's actually decent. There's nothing new here (unless you count the fact that they're African), but it's well-executed DM. I guess there must be a bit of a DM scene in Gaborone, which is a city in southeastern Botswana, as I found 2 other DM bands from there -- Wrust and War-Tog. There could be others, too...what the fuck do I know about Gaborone and its music scene. This band gets bonus points because the lead singer looks like Lt. Daniels from The Wire (and therefore my cousin Ivar, too). Thanks go to Adrian for this one.

192 kbps

Moho -- 20 Uñas

More music from uh-Spain. There seems to be a decent amount of noisy stuff coming from uh-Spain lately. I don't know much about these guys except that they're from Madrid, they sound a bit like Iron Monkey, and their name means 'mold.' ¡Qué bárbaro!

192 kbps

Brainbombs -- Obey

Swedish misanthropy from 1995.

192 kbps

Rusted Shut -- Rehab

Holy cow is this great. Plodding, noisy noiserock with perfect vocals and thudthudthud propulsiveness and angry hate and in-the-red, distorted dumbrock and I fucking love it. There is now officially one good thing to have ever come from Houston.

192 kbps

P.S. - I originally downloaded this from the excellent Lo-Res Viscera blog, which you should go check out now.

Arriver -- Vanlandingham and Zone

This is a concept album of the highest order, in which our hero, Halon Hong, leads the oppressed denizens of Vanlandingham into a mighty fray in the Zone against their enemies, the Long. Or, the lining of the Long, I think. Or maybe the Long are the good guys...I don't know. But there's an epic battle going on here, with majestic music to fit. This is what metal is supposed to be about: raising swords, vanquishing foes, ending tyranny. No mercy to them shall be shown, indeed.

All hail Halon Hong!

VBR @ 256+ kbps

Ruins -- Graviyaunosch

This is the Japnoise outfit, not the NZ BM outfit. Perhaps that's obvious, since Graviyaunosch is not a very evil-sounding name. Although I guess it could be a very very very very very forsaken (not to mention grim and frostbitten) mountain in Scandinavia or something. Instead, it's just some nonsense that singer/drummer Tatsuya Yoshida spit out while playing. This is another best of for me in that it's my favorite Ruins album.

256 kbps

YOB -- Elaborations of Carbon

Chipmunk doom. Others may prefer The Illusion of Motion, but not me. I guess these guys may be back together, at least for a reunion show or something like that. Don't be scared by the drum circle/seance/prayer candle nonsense on the cover -- this is some heavy shit.

256 kbps

Gojira -- The Link

Been busy of late, so sorry about my recent postlessness. Here's some French eco-metal from Gojira.

320 kbps

Furze -- UTD: Beneath the Odd-Edge Sounds to the Twilight Contract of the Black Fascist

I don't really care for most black metal, but every now and then I'll come across one that has a little more to it than the standard tortured wails and My Bloody Valentine-esque guitars. This one has all the silly histrionics, but there's actually some interesting music here too. It's kinda disjointed and noodle-y and really poorly recorded, but that all adds to its outsider charm.

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Harry Pussy -- Live 10''

I can't believe I've had this blog for months without posting this, the most joyful musical recording I've ever heard. Of their various live and studio albums and 7'', this one, which turned out to be their final live performance, best captures the Pussy essence. Listen for lead singer/drummer Adris Hoyos panting into her headset microphone in between songs.

192 kbps

Goreinhaled -- The Art of Sickness

Brutal DM from Spain. Or should I say 'from uh-Spain', since that's probably how they would say it? Anyway, es muy bien. Me gusta.

256 kbps

Düreforsög -- Knee

1997 album from Danish weirdos Düreforsög, which apparently means "animal testing." There are some moments when they sound annoyingly close to Mr. Bungle, but all in all it's an inventive album with some excellent drumming and the sort of herky-jerkiness that I tend to like. I didn't know there were bands in Denmark.

192 kbps

Killdozer -- Little Baby Buntin'

I was born feet first, and it shows in the way I think.
I work at the sausage-stuffing plant, it makes my clothing stink.
My old lady's name is Lois, I love it when she sucks my dink.
When we set Sonny's balls on fire, she didn't even blink.

320 kbps

Killdozer -- Uncompromising War on Art Under the Dictatorship of the Proletariat

For Pharos and Melvin and anyone else who likes things that are good.

320 kbps (re-upped after Megaupload deleted the last one)

Killer Fox -- Orgasm of Death

Extremely odd release from the Metal Enterprises record label, whose demented non-genius I first read about over at The Corroseum. Apparently this incarnation of Killer Fox is not a true incarnation at all, as half the band died in a car crash in 1987, while this came out in 1990 with none of the original members involved. Ingo Nowotny, head of Metal Enterprises, was known for rushing out product with little regard for quality or, in this case, copyright. (Look who's talking, eh?) In any case, I expected to snigger while listening to some utter sonic crapulence, but to my great surprise, I kinda like it. In fact many of these tunes would fit right in on the Old Lady Drivers debut on Earache. I should add that there is no moment during which any of this makes sense -- mostly you'll find yourself saying what the fuck? -- but it's bound to at least bring a smile to your face. And if I can bring a smile to the face of just one of you, it will all have been...oh, and the cover. The cover! How does this kind of thing happen? Anyway, enjoy.

192 kbps

Patife Band -- Corredor Polonês

More music from Brazil, this time from 1987. It's a frothy mix of avant-rock, punk rock, jazz and no wave which only occasionally sounds Brazilian. At times they even approach the frantic freneticism of The Stick Men. And you know how I love frantic freneticism.

192 kbps

Luiz Bonfá -- Jacarandá

Brazilian jazz fusion from 1973 featuring Stanley Clarke and Idris Muhammad and some other jazzmen that you may have heard or heard of. Those of you who have heard Mike Patton's Lovage album will recognize a sample from the 2nd song. If you don't like this, then I don't like you.

320 kbps (fixed)