Sunn O))) Stinks
I very seriously don’t understand the allure. My loss…take a look at x Osmosis for the details of my ignorance.
BLOGLOAD: Sun O))) Stinks
Black Mountain – In the Future (Jagjaguwar, 2008)
Whatever manner in which you want to refer (not reefer) to these Canadians lends no insight into what this music was, is or will become. In the Future has the ability to touch upon every music you love and probably some that you really don’t ever want to think about. From a referential stand point, one must know that Black Mountain and Pink Mountaintops share members – and I’m sure comparisons can be leveled, but really it won’t matter.
Even the unsettling, yet plain cover art seems to recall bloated bands, or maybe Uriah Heep, but a bit less colorful. And if you like Uriah Heep, all the better. If you like T-Rex, that’ll bolster your ability to appreciate this disc. Mentioning every musical reference point, for any band currently, seemingly becomes an exercise in time murder.
The sticker that arrived on the jewel case along with this disc states that Black Mountain are “Psych-and-prog-spiritual pioneers.” I believe that if you refer to musics that have already been created, merged, exploited and regurgitated, there can’t be new pioneers. Obviously, Black Mountain suffers from an overtly constructed image, or their handlers are a crew of stoned-dolts.
I’m not really afraid of anything from Canada except for D.O.A. and Wayne Gretzky. But the positioning of this group as bringers of apocalyptic doom, potentially depicted on their discs cover, is immediately refuted during any keyboard line from “Stormy High” or “Wucan” (which does have a very surprising and pleasant kraut feel).
Some of the bands’ offerings stray from their overwhelmingly proggy posturing. There’re a few enlivening points when it seems as if the group wants to launch into country-rock mode. The problem with this and a good portion of the album in general, is that lyrically, much of this disc deals with being trapped and needing to escape those that intend to do you harm. Unfortunately, the culprits often time end up being witches or demons, which are way less scary than D.O.A. or Wayne Gretzky.
Om – Variations on a Theme (Holy Mountain, 2005)
Om definitely doesn’t suck. But at the same time, that’s about all they got going for ‘em. Sure, they give up forty plus minutes of sludgy drum and bass rock music geared towards those of you that enjoy substance abuse; but interest in that cannot be sustained.
The album is aptly titled, seeing as each song exercises about the same tempo, shifts and mood. The bass-lines aren’t exactly the same, just eerily similar. If nothing else rarely in recorded music is the distortion on a bass turned up so high. The sing/speak method of vocals are employed, but frankly who can say if it’s even a worth while exertion of energy to decipher what Al Cisneros is saying.
The reason that this band was allowed and most likely encouraged to explore these exercises in sludge is resultant of the duos past musical relationship. Cisneros and drummer Chris Hakius were formerly members of the late ‘80s/early ‘90s band Sleep. Now, what Sleep is remembered for is smoking copious amounts of weed and playing really long hard rock songs, affectionately and sophomorically referred to as stoner metal. Other members have gone on to form bands including High on Fire, a current darling of hard rock connoisseurs.
Regardless, Variations on a Themeis just that. A statement reiterated as many possible ways as the duo can muster. Now there’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s not a stretch to venture playing these tunes is more entertaining then listening. Highly recommended if you’re stoned all the time and like hard rock. But, if that’s not you, then perhaps you should go pick up The Monkees reissues that Rhino put out. Killer.
Stinking Lizveta – Scream of the Iron Iconoclast (At a Loss, 2007)
(This originally appeared in the Summer ‘07 issue of Skyscraper)
Dedication to a single form goes a long way when you’re a band like the three piece Stinking Lizveta. Arriving on the scene more than a decade ago and releasing a number of full lengths, this band has doggedly stuck to the concept of metallic rock music incorporating various other rock related elements from the expanding life of the cannon. Hired gun Steve Albini is behind the boards on this one, which honestly probably doesn’t matter. By this point with the legions of producers and bands like this, recording a ballsy live sound isn’t any longer a task or a surprise. Even as this album covers a lot of ground within the arena of rock, each track, which is void of vocals, ends up sounding like the previous one. Save for the almost Stevie Ray Vaughn like blues jam of “Cyclops”, SL attacks their new set of songs with focus. The slower tempos of “Willie Nelson (Tired of the War)” and “Secrets of the Past” do show the band has a bit of versatility. But the title track as well as the opener “Gravitas”, are grand statements of guitar wankery. Perhaps Yanni Papadopoulos is overly sure of his six string prowess, but that’s why people listen. Come for the metal riffs and stay for the random Minutemen funk rave up of “Requiem for a Rock Band”.
Bathtub Shitter – Dancehall Grind (Super Hit Jam Records, 2005)
This Japanese band wants their metal to be so intense that it hurts your insides. Partially, Bathtub Shitter attempts this by utilizing two vocalists; one with a deep voice, one with a ridiculously high pitched voice. So, really, the band comes off as somewhat of a gimmick or a joke half the time. But the rest of the time, the band is tight and horrifically brutal enough to be ahead of the newer crop of grind acts. They’ve been around for about a decade, so they’ve had time to hone their craft and become a rather good metal outfit. Most of these tracks will end up sounding similar to one another, unless you are a metal connoisseur. But, there are a few stabs at experimentation though. “Shit Drop” has some really beautiful acoustic finger picked guitar, while “Stihs Latem” is backwards and oddly enough comes across as more metal than the last decade or so of Metallica. All of this just makes me more curious about the cultural exchange between the USA and Japan. Regardless, the lyrics are convoluted expressions of angst that would probably come across more intelligently, in their native tongue, which really isn’t the point. Buy it for the titles, listen to it for the high pitched screamer, enjoy it for no other reason than it’s metal.
Venomous Concept – Retroactive Abortion (Ipecac Recordings, 2004)
I would like to point out that this band seems to have borrowed their logo, an intertwined “V” and “C”, from the now defunct Choking Victim. Anyway, this album has been brought to you by old men from old bands. And while the source material for HC flows freely out of every ruptured vocal chord and destructo-riff on this slab, if you like HC go find where this all comes from. Honestly, this is fun to listen to and Buzz (The Melvins) surely had a good time playing those guitar parts, but I am deeply offended by bands putting out half an hour of music and charging over ten bucks for it. I can buy a Miles Davis album for the same price and be entertained for twice as long. In days gone by, musicians were limited by the capacity of vinyl, but we’re now pushing eighty minutes a cd. But back to the tunes. HC fans like simple lyrics and this one wails on your balls with simplicity for twenty-seven minutes. The guitar and bass riff together on every track while the drums pulse the unceasingly damaging beat. Buzz takes his lone solo on “I Said It Before” and it sounds damned nice. The music and lyrical content of this slab is what you would expect from any offering with a skull on the cover of the cd (save The Dead). Songs range from critiquing commercially viable punk acts, to not understanding religion to railing against the music industry. Oddly enough though, there are two songs (“Run Around”, “Total Recall”) that have clown references. It would be heart warming to see a clown on the cover of the next Venomous Concept album, even if he were wielding an axe or at least toting one around lodged in his skull.