What MUSIC are you listening to? ARCHIVE

I like the badger song. It reminds me of a local band in my home town who had a song called Room of Mush. The lyrics were just the title of the song repeated over and over with heavy, sludgy, psychadelic music. Class.

I was talking with a friend and I remembered this video of a great live performance. I think this band are Ameritrash. Niche, brutal and rockin'. The song's even called Dracula Mountain.

i'm not really a fan of lightning bolt (mathy / technical stuff does little for me), but all gigs should be like that, with the folk watching right on top of the band.

That Bolsheviks song is good, and the video is great.

sydo wrote:

You guys are gonna kill me but can't stop listening to this, someone must have put something in my drink:

My friend sent it to me, I don't wanna know what drugs has he been on.

In it's earliest incarnation this video was a flash program which ran in an endless loop. I know it for about five years; it can't be purged from the internet. I think it's a song about masturbation.

I think this is a good place to explain my avatar and introduce myself. I am a long-time reader from way back when the blog was first created and have been content to just read but a couple of things pissed me off in the last couple of days and I could remain silent no longer. I am a mid-30's gamer who has gone through a couple of lapses over the years, but grew up on GW games and now am loving the new FF revolution. I am from Mr Skeletor's home town but we have never met (but are probably only a couple of degrees of separation away from each other given how small Melbourne's gaming community is).

Anyway, as to my avatar. I think it is disappointing that when most people think of Ameritrash and rock music this is the image they think of:

when in fact the most ameritrash image in music is in fact Bill Drummond from KLF's infamous Brit Awards performance:


For those who don't know it, the story is as follows. The KLF were an avant-garde dance music act that hit upon a dance-pop sound that started to appeal to the masses, even though it was designed to spread subversive imagery and ideas. Continued unease with their acceptance by the greater music industry when they were supposed to be rebels led to one final act of defiance. Invited to appear at the Brit Awards and perform their crowd pleasing dance-pop song "3AM Eternal" to the loving masses, they invited punk metal group Extreme Noise Terror to perform with them, and to a shocked audience came out, turned the amps up to 11 and played a rather fast, loud and angry metal version of their hit. Half way through the performance, a cigar-chomping, kilt wearing Bill Drummond who had been screaming the lyrics at the audience walked off stage and came back with a machine gun and started firing blanks at the audience. He then threw his gun down and stormed off the stage to the announcement "KLF has now left the music industry". The KLF went home destroyed their back catalogue so no-one could ever release their music again and a year later when trying to work out what to do with the money they had earned ended up deciding that the best option was to get rid of it all (they never wanted to be rich and famous) and the two of them ended up burning a million pounds. The youtube clip of the performance is:
Unfortunately this doesn't capture how loud and intense the performance was. I love the unsmiling audience politely clapping at the end.

That, my friends, is quite clearly the most ameritrash thing that has ever happened in music.

OH MAN, I didn't realize that was your avatar. That's one of the most awesome moments in rock history. Replacing Tammy Wynette with Extreme Noise Terror, that's just completely inspired. They actually wrote a book about their dealings in the music industry after all this,too.

I remember when this happened...I was really into metal and punk at the time and it sent me scouring the local record stores for E.N.T. albums. They're a pretty great crust punk band...and I wound up getting into KLF too.

That looks alot like Charlie Sheen...

Metal = good.

John Prine signed this genius songwriter a few years ago. The guy already had kids and a mortage and a regular suburban life, he was in his 40's. He had been writing songs in his basement and recording them all on his home made equipment for years. His guitar, bass, all his instruments actually, his amplifiers, everything is home made. The guy has some weird youtube videos where he explains how to make your own equipment. He also shuns publicity and doesn't even have a wikipedia page. And if you opened for John Prine and are signed to his label that's weird.

But he has two absolutely amazing albums that he sent John Prine in the mail and then John decided to release them "as is". The best songwriter I've heard in years. His name:

Dan Reeder

It's really worth your time to listen to this Dude. Simple yet tao like lyrics that really hit home with me.

here's one about beer:



and another about cowboys and masturbation:



and one more about being a man trapped in a life you didn't choose:



He only made one of these video's, the last one. The rest are fan made. Buy his albums, you won't regret it.

I might not have recognized Drummond out of context, but underneath "Ancient_of_MuMu" I knew immediately what the picture was. I was a big KLF/JAMS/whatever fan way back when as well.

Somewhere I still have my copies of White Room and Chill Out and the JAMS stuff.

(but what about the dead sheep? is that ameritrash or euro-farming?)

Also, JonJacob's post looks interesting, I'll have to check the guy out.

Back from festival and here's my view on some of the acts I saw. Remember I am only a wannabe rebel.

Avoid:
La Roux - failed Yazoo/Depeche Mode rip off
Jessica Lea Mayfield: like fallen leaves

Ignore:
White Lies: just not good enough, and not bad enough
Razorlight
Spinnerette: fucking Josh Homme is not good enough, you actually have to be him
The Blackout
Ghinzu
Airborne Toxic Event: no, on second thoughts
Moderat: =Apparat+Mode Selektor. Party poopers. Maybe better enjoyed on earphones
Vampire weekend: nice songs, but never quite kicked me in the balls


Confirmed:
Faith no more: impressive for an in-it-for-the-money tour
Prodigy: They're getting older faster than I am, cause I had some breath left and they were taking too many pauses. Otherwise, the music is still awesome
Kasabian: didn't get to see them myself (this time) but what I saw later confirmed that these guys are worth their salts
Basement Jaxx: the first thing to go is your butt...
Aux Raus: hard core.
The Madd: it's 1965 and you're 18 and you just want to dance
Bon Iver - perhaps not as good as the last batch of folksy bands (eg Fleet Foxes, Shins), but I have a feeling they might be better when enjoyed in a smaller room and knowing the songs beforehand
Nina Kinert: angelic voice
Gang Gang Dance: definitely something going on there
Health: as long as they don't make noise for noise's sake

Check out:
Metric - new album keeps up the quality and they proved pretty tough performers
Kyteman - giving hip hop a good name
Them Crooked Vultures: fully lived up to the hype
Wilco: oh my... I wept
Babylon Circus: If you get a chance to join in the party, strongly recommended
Grace Jones: ok, you do 10 minutes of hoola hoops without dropping it. And in the meantime sing Slave to the rythm, present your band and hop on and off your tiny stage. Try again when you're 61
Drive Like Maria: good, honest hard rock. With a bite
Whitest Boy Alive: they could have been board gamers, instead they chose funk. Not a note too many

Jur wrote:
*snip*

Wilco: oh my... I wept
*snip*[/quote]

Really? I was way disappointed with it. I am a huge Wilco fan but this album has not caught on with me at all.

I just picked up the Black Crowes album "Before the Frost" - it is their best album since "The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion"

Excellent stuff. I've been literally listening to it over and over again in my office.

vandemonium wrote:

Jur wrote:
*snip*

Wilco: oh my... I wept
*snip*

Really? I was way disappointed with it. I am a huge Wilco fan but this album has not caught on with me at all.

I just picked up the Black Crowes album "Before the Frost" - it is their best album since "The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion"

Excellent stuff. I've been literally listening to it over and over again in my office.[/quote]

This had the Wilcs live, and they played lots of old work, ie pre-YHF. Which was great. New album does have a few weaker spots, but I expect them to shine in November when I get another chance, in a smaller crowd.

I recently got the two Black Crows live albums, and they are great. Warpaint Live sounded like they are still a great rock band. Might try Before the Frost. Hopefully they'll do some touring here as well.

I love it when this thread resurfaces...

Right now, I'm all about American hardcore. And not this post-Slayer hoodlum shit played by bald guys in basketball jerseys. Government Issue, SSD, Void, Kraut, 45 Grave, Bad Brains, Husker Du, early Social D, Christ on Parade, Negative Approach, SOA, Bad Religion before they became terrible...this is all I'm listening to these days.

I can't imagine suburban kids today getting that angry or motivated enough to start bands anymore. Now it's turn on the Xbox, tweet away, and watch Adult Swim to express the pain and sadness of adolescence and the hopelessness of suburban America. Sad, really.

Once Green Day was termed "Punk" it was all over. Bolt Thrower ftw.

I'll never forget when I went to go see Bolt Thrower on the "IV Crusade" tour. Antiseen was opening. We got to the venue and were informed that Bolt Thrower had broken up and cancelled their tour on the way to Atlanta. I was really, really heartbroken.

Their last album was pretty awesome...you just can't argue with a song called "Antitank Rifle".