exactly what kind of massacre?

So, there's been alot of great new music coming out lately, as well as some stuff I've found for the first time, so we'll have a bunch of new posts... totally didn't mean to be away so long, life is life...

Anyway, this is a band that I love... really and truly. They've got a very unique sound, and they've got a great feel... Very Labyrinthe meets horror-movie stuff...

The Birthday Massacre are from Toronto Canada, and have just released their 4th full length (5th if you count "nothing and nowhere", their rarities/demos release), "Hide and Seek".

You can find out more about them at their wikipedia page, or their website. Check them out.

This is a video off their first disc, "violet", titled "Blue". Very cool video.

Their second album "Walking with strangers" brought us the video for "Looking Glass", a good track, but since there were so many strong songs on the album, it's honestly not my favorite track on the album, but check the video out...

When they released their third effort, "Pins and Needles," they kicked it off with the release of the video for "In The Dark." The video was codirected by Rodrigo Gudino of Toronto based "Rue Morgue" magazine.

The newest album, "Hide and Seek", has yet to deliver a video... I'm sure the single will be "down", a decent track in its own right... though I think the best track is the album opening "Leaving Tonight."

While I'm at it, here's a video of them live...

Enjoy.

Best band name ever?

Ok, ok...
Before anyone gets uppity and insists that no, their band name is better, or that they know a band with a better name....
piss off everyone.
These guys officially get the cake.
Hillbilly Moon Explosion is, in fact, the best band name I've ever heard.
And they totally fit the name, too.
Part Johnny Cash, part Leonard Cohen, part Meat Loaf, part Horror Pops, part other spooky shit,
This is a great track. Check out their other stuff as well. They've got stuff on soundcloud, do them a favor and give them a few plays and favoritings if you're on the cloud as well.
Anyway, ran across this one with my singer while looking for great hillbilly quotes...
Totally not what we were looking for, but absolute gold. A very worthwhile find.
Also, whilst I'm at it, they have a fantastic website (check it out over at Hillbillymoon.com.
I love the little pulsing speaker in the corner, wish I had one in my room.... but my favorite part of the site is the "meet the band" section. Made me giggle. Really gave me a feeling as to the inner guts of the
Hillbilly Moon Explosion.....

Anyway... total gold, check 'em out.

I totally did it in a barrel...

Took the family up to Niagara Falls for a few days... thought I'd post a few songs that remind me of the trip....
Primus , Over the Falls (in 2D, sorry... for those of you who'd like to read about the 3d tour, check it out at consequences of sound, here).

... And on the way home, we stopped in Rochester Ny to visit the grave of one Dr. Francis Tumuelty, the most likely man to have been Jack the Ripper (no... really... read about it HERE!!!) Naturally, we had a picnic with him, and got many pictures of the headstone) ...   So above, you'll find Morrissey's Jack the Ripper,

and for those who think that Morrissey was a right pussy li'l git, we have Judas Priest's classic "The Ripper".

What do you wanna do with your life?

As some of you know, I'm always on the lookout for intriguing mashups that I've never heard, and I bumped into this the other day... easily one of the best ones I've seen in a long time.

I remember Twisted Sister from back in the day.... they occupy a very special place in the growth of my musical understanding...  here's one more, just cause I like 'em. A live version of "Burn In Hell."

old school rap was intelligent music.

Really.
I recently heard that the first Fat Boys album was getting the reissue treatment, complete with cool packaging, and remembered this video from "square one," a kids show dedicated to math, circa mid 80's somewhere...

Also....

Run DMC from 86 on Reading Rainbow...

Let's see Drake or T-Pain do that....

really? everything?

yup, I've forgotten to post for a bit.
so here's a treat. A good old fashioned link to Popdose (a favorite of mine) to experience all the wonder they have to offer... but whilst you're at it, make a point of checking out the dance remix (?really?) of Depeche Mode's "Everything Counts", cleverly subtitled 'in larger amounts.' It's an older post, but still active. Yes.
So anyhow, go check it out, and make a point of rambling around on the site for a while. There are mountains of goodies to check out.

While you're here, check these out... first, the classic. Depeche Mode's "Everything counts"

And then...  A live version from the "Devotional" tour in '93 (that was the astonishing, drug fueled tour for "Songs of Faith and Devotion")... They sure were energetic then...

and finally, my favorite...

The cutest thing you have ever seen.... 

Unless of course, you're not a Depeche Mode fan...

But really, you gotta admit that it's still cute...

 I guess maybe well have to pay a visit to KMFDM next?
Are there still folks out there who get that joke?

Happy music about killing stuff....

Spent the day mountain biking at Pine hill park in Rutland Vermont today. Tons of fun, I love throwing myself downhill at crazy speeds. Yeah. Anyway, I loaded up my ipod and went out on the trails, and this track was the most fun to ride to. It was recorded around 2005 and it was released on a German compilation disc (of course, out of print)... however... it recently turned up as the opening song to the Dragon Hunters cartoon series (available on netflix still, I think...)... here it is,
 The Dragon Hunter Song.... by The Cure....

 and I'll do you a favor and put up the video from the cartoon...

Who likes zombies?

This is my buddy Ty's band, Side Effects May Include (s.e.m.i.). My band (Bloody Bunny) played a show with them recently.  This song is about finding a safe place to *ahem* during a zombie apocalypse. The recording isn't the best, but go to his soundcloud page... show these guys (and girl) some love.

Safe Place (demo)

oooo... more mashups

Thought i'd share this.

It made me giggle.

and also, on this note.... this is a great mashup.... check it out.

future bible heroes: lonely days

This is possibly one of the most morose songs ever. Lonely Days is a bit angsty, and very pretty it paints very vivid pictures on every listen. ... Future Bible Heroes is a band comprised of Stephin Merritt (of Magnetic Fields fame), Claudia Gonson, and Chris Ewin (incidentally, see him dj in and around Boston at wonderful nights like xmortis and heroes).  If you haven't experienced this band yet, do yourself the favor and look them up at futurebibleheroes.com.

Fool for a blonde...

I know the image they give you is exciting, but it's not what you think.  Roger Bartlett's song "Fool For a Blonde" figured prominently in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." It was played during the bus scene. I was reminded of this song recently, and really hadn't heard it in a very, very long time. It was one of those surprises to hear something and enjoy it so much, when I had probably just glossed over it the first 25 times I heard it, like it was background music... So here it is, coupled with a wonderful "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" tribute video.

crap.

ok

I'm late. It's been some time since I've posted, and I plan on rectifying that soon, with descriptions, and all that rubbish. but for now, since I still don't have time, check this out. Totally worth the wait.

queensryche... I get a lot of crap for this....

... so, alot of people I know might jump all over me for saying this, but I really think Queensryche had a great sound for their time... they were like a hipper Gene Loves Jezebel (ooh, they're cool too... see my next post...).  They had a crisp, clean sound, but it electrified, and heavier in general. They erred a bit much on the side of hair metal for some, but did it in a masculine sort of way... very Lost Boys (the movie) sort of fashion... for those who think they're sissies, I'll point out that they opened for Metallica on one leg of their amazing "...And Justice For All..." tour.... and I'll point out that was before Metallica got all mainstream on our collective asses... and I'll also say that their album "Rage For Order" featured engineering and production by none other than Dave "The Rave" Ogilvie, whom I've made note of before, most likely stitched to Skinny Puppy's name somehow.

I was gonna post their versions of Scarborough Fair or Welcome To The Machine...

incidentally, I just did that... 
But I'd have to say that my favorite has to be their magnum opus... Operation Mindcrime.  If you haven't ever heard this, you should get it (in its entirety... no buying just a handful of standouts), and put it on repeat for a week or so. They tried a Mindcrime 2 a few years back, but it's not as good. Seriously,  get to know this album... really get to know it. This is an awesome story, and it has a vibe that rings true now as much as then. Crazy crooked governments, police, religion, sex, brainwashing... revolution...  When they toured for this, they did a little spiel called Livecrime.

here you go... Livecrime in its entirety. Watch this.

You'd never know it's not human.

As you know, I usually post videos. Here's something special...
In case anybody is unaware of what a theramin is, check out its wikipedia entry.
As an example, a theramin is the ghosty sound in the Beach Boys "Good Vibrations"
(speaking of the Beach Boys, they've got a new album out... expect a video soon...).

This time around, I'm giving you something radically different than the standard fare... Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" from the opera Turandot. Oh, yeah... here's some more info about that...
Anyhow, if you listen with your eyes shut, you'll definitely hear a beautiful voice bringing this piece home, but if you watch the video, you'll find that it's something entirely different... enjoy this one thanks to my absolute favorite blog, synthtopia ( I'm sending you there directly, even though it's a youtube vid so you can give this page some love.... and please look around while you're there... support this page, it's awesome.)

Here you go... Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" from Turandot on theramin.

friendly reminder...

Hey.... you should go back and check out the stuff I've put up in the past!
This stuff's all cool... honestly... take a few and flip through it if you haven't.
Thanks.
I guess you can check this out while you're at it.

Possibly my favorite song title ever....

Ok, so it's not the best video, but at least it makes some sense. A bunch of snippets from the Thor movie and Atom And His Package doing "I am downright amazed at what I can destroy with just a hammer."
Like I said... it's not the best video, but it's the best I could find for this... and I was downright set on putting this up here. There it is.

my woshin mashin....

Just saw this stuff over at side-line (a great electronic, goth, industrial, alternative site) and was instantly smitten. Cool sound, great videos, had me tappin my feet and shakin my head at the same time (much easier than walking and chewing gum or patting your head and rubbing your belly).
Anyhow, the band is My Woshin Mashin (and I have no idea what that means... wait, on further inspection, I'd say it's read like "my washing machine," damn i feel stupid)... lets see what we can find out...all right, they have a band camp site that you can navigate about and see what their deal is. I especially like how they say they're influenced by And One (totally called that one), Napalm Death, Rage Against The Machine, and Queen... love that list. But apparently they're from Berlin, and consider their music "brutal pop."

HEY THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!
  At this very moment, if you direct yourself over to their soundcloud page, you can listen to AND DOWNLOAD a whole bunch of their shit. Do yourself the favor of checking this stuff out, then purchase it on Bandcamp...

so anyway, heres a few videos... wierd stuff... really... I love it.

AAAHHH!!! It's Godzirrraaaaa!!!!

Columbo... I guess I don't miss him this much, but great track.

And this is pure genius... Any Depeche Mode fans out there???

That's enough.... but navigate yourself over to Youtube (or be lazy and click through the videos above) and see many other oddities including My Woshin Mashin live.

This will keep me bouncing all day. 

Just had to put this here...

check this stuff out... listen to this.
Pulled out of Portal... perhaps youve heard of this game???....
This is outstanding... need to see more stuff like this... honestly.....

I haven't blogged stuff from soundcloud before... it'll probably become commonplace...
just follow the link for now... I'll link the rest of these better, just kinda in a rush...
sorry, but check it out.

really

http://soundcloud.com/swatdojo/cake-is-gone-original-mix

happy birthday Bob Moog...

This one gets double duty (heh... doody)...
In honor of Bob Moogs birthday, I'm going to show you two amazing things...
sorry, three. The first is this list of Moog players. Fantastic.

2nd... Apoptygma Berzerk uses Moog synthesizers. If you haven't heard of these guys, and are into electronica of any type, check 'em out.  These guys will come up a few times in the near future in my posts... I can damn near promise you... anyhow... as a special for fans of the band, here's a video that goes back a bit to their more aggressive days... Deep Red.

3rd... As it turns out, Abba are actually cool. And adding drag queens doesn't hurt, either... in fact, it only adds to the fun. But actually... Abba used Moogs as well... and that just makes them cool by default... to say nothing of how much they influenced European pop, electronica, and new wave.
So there.... they don't suck... honestly.

Just goes to show you...

You just never know when someone is messed in the head. They may seem clean cut, and in this case, all normal like, but hoooooo boy. Watch this video through to the end... really....

I always come back to this...

I am going to preface this video with the insistence that you go buy this whole album immediately.

And as many of you have never heard of these guys, please feel free to educate yourselves.

Now that I've got that done with...This is The London Suede... and really, anyone who cares just calls them Suede... silly name disputes aside. To me, these guys are legends. It may just be that an ex of mine from college introduced me to them, it may just be that this album distinctly paints pictures of another life, another time for me, like no album can.... but honestly, nearly everyone I've ever introduced to this album (in particular, and again like no other album has), has become completely infatuated with it. It is an amazing album....   oh, yeah.... The London Suede, "DOG MAN STAR" go get it, dammit.
Anyhow, it's a living breathing entity. It's vibrant, aggressive, aloof, distant, sad, mournful.... It will remind you vividly of something amazing, even if you've never heard it before... you will truly feel this album... honestly, one of the best albums ever. I'm not over selling this, either.
These are just two videos, and you should check out the rest....
Above is "We Are The Pigs," the 2nd track, and really the first "standout" if there are any on this opus. I really like the guitars in this, dark and smokey... sedate but expressive... the track has energy but it seems to hang in space....
Below is "The Wild Ones," a gorgeous video... I really feel this track... it pulls at something deep in me. Check them out, and then check out the rest of the album. Suede have a number of other albums, more raw, sometimes more poppy... do yourself a favor and check out the albums"Suede," "Stay Together," and definitely "New Morning," then you can check out "coming up" and lastly "head music", which, though it has high points, has the most lows of all their albums....
But really, finally had to put this up here... you won't be disappointed. Listen to this.

Numan Owns

Not sure how I missed this one, but it actually came out last september. This is off Gary Numan's newest "Dead Son Rising," and I really liked this video.  Gary Numan is a favorite of mine. I love how he's written off as this old man and washed up new waver by so many people... man, they just have no idea... first of all he pretty much created much of what is the mainstreamness of electronica (funny to think that LMFAO wouldn't exist without some old British rocker)... but besides that, he's still far creepier than any of these modern "metal" bands, or whatever... you feel when he does his thing that this is just him, and he really owns the way he comes off... like it's not for show even one little bit... I feel like he has a lot of demons...
Even so... Gary Numan is always on the cutting edge of coolness... check out this interview from GQ, of all places... HERE....
Seriously, though... if you look at this other vid (those of you over 30 will remember this), you'll see the very dark, spooky, and heavy Fear Factory get totally trumped by Numan's gloom.... as they look like clean cut guys, and Gary Numan really sells the "I'm stealing your soul" like some dark entity in a sci-fi movie as he sucks up fear factory's lead singer, Burton, appearing in his place... It's like an Agent in the Matrix. (on an off note, Numan's Gloom would make a great band name)..

I used to know a girl like this...

    A girl I know showed me this song... she finds it fairly creepy (in a good way), I don't know...
reminds me of a less glam, more obvious version of "All I Need," by Motley Crue. This band is a bit new to me, and I have yet to really check out their other stuff (tons on my plate lately), but they seem interesting. Reminds me of something that would have come out of the mid 90's. Definitely cool.

Check it out.  Polkadot Cadaver's "Chloroform Girl"


Also, whilst you're at it... I have to post a motley crue video at some point, so while I'm on topic...
All I Need... supposedly banned... I don't really remember that, but Girls,Girls,Girls came out in like 87 or so, so there's been some time there, and it's a bit foggy... anyway, this ones got more of a crime scene, sad 80's hair metal, arguement leads to murder aesthetic, but the songs are fairly similar in content.... "I love my unresponsive girl".... and all that...

But there's no chicken...

So I went to a bar to meet someone recently... that sounds sketchy or sad... I went to meet someone I met through craigslist... that sounds worse... I went to see someone I've contacted through the musicians section... we were gonna bs about music but he was not there... no great loss, I had a beer and saw a fantastic (crappy) rendition of karaoke Danzig... Someone sang "mother," and I realized that not only was this comic gold, I hadn't heard it in a while... needless to say, here it is.

And it's not the one I saw, but the sentiment is the same. Here's a karaoke version...

Is that "One Eyed" Willie?

Needed to claw back into some classic rock for a bit... and since I'm a Tull fan, I've been listening to some of their less frequented stuff... totally check this out, the aqualung-mygod blog, as there's tons of cool stuff there. And also check out Tull's site ... for real, check out their website there's tons of goodies here... follow this link or point your browser to j-tull.com , thought I'd share the love... possibly one of my favorite videos of theirs, this kinda reminds me of some of the royalty from Yellowbeard.

oh yeah, kissing willie... on the rock island album. Not my favorite album, but some great stuff on it...

You can really taste the....

And One just released new stuff... featuring Eskil Simmonson of Covenant and Douglas McCarthy of Nitzer Ebb... I can totally hear the covenant...  good stuff. Check it out.... can't wait for more.

Tone Loc? Remember this guy?

Just went to a friend's wedding and actually heard this... hadn't in some time.
Real quick.... here it is.

More deaths to whine about....

Ok, ok, it's not all bad... but when I heard that Vidal Sassoon died today, I just had to put this up.  It was just what I thought of at that moment. I can't say that I'm poorer for him passing... if anyone can come up with a reason why this should be sad, I'm down.  Fittingly, this is a song by one of the most notoriously whiney guys out there, so I guess that should do.

WWJD... really?

.... and I can't let that last sentiment go yet... I have to put this up here... it's pertinent, and actually a great track.
     As an aside, this is Die Warzau with the talented Emilie Autumn in the video...  incidentally, check them both out (I'll put up some more of their stuff here eventually, but there's alot of ground to cover, so no promises when). Die Warzau is an electro/funk/industrial/rock/whatever band from Chicago. They've been around for a long time.  Emilie Autumn does her blend of "victoriandustrial" violins and electronic crunchiness, like a very theatrical Tori Amos with a morbid sense of humor, period costumes, an MC505 and great makeup. has had a few prominent positions... erm.. such as on the Saw 4 soundtrack... anyway... as a continuation of the last post... Born Again...

Peter Steele is the answer...

All the good ones are dying it seems... gah, I know that sounds angsty, but two in one week is alot.  Maurice Sendak, I hear, thought about death alot.  You know who else thought about death alot?  Why, Peter Steele, of course... even faking his own death back in 2005, and often joking about it.  In that vein... totally no pun... here's Type 0 Negative's Everything Dies (above), and Everyone I Love Is Dead (below)...

And while were on Peter Steele, again no pun intended, and getting past the death stuff, and moving on... today North Carolina votes on enshrining their ban of gay marriage in their state constitution... and though I'm neither gay nor in North Carolina, it's a sad thing to see people fight so hard to preserve a screwed up status quo... so this is for all those folks who are afraid of their own demographic decline and other peoples sexuality...

...he sailed off through night and day...

I know... this is a music post... a music post.... a celebration of all things that sound like stuff... but shit went DOWN today... and I appologize, as this will be more than my usual brief post, and their will be alot of stuff here...though to be fair and respectful, I'll split it up... today Maurice Sendak died. The beloved author of "Where the Wild Things Are" (among others, not to sell his other books short, there were some good ones... but...), let's face it, Wild Things touched everyone's childhood, and will for years to come. First MCA, now Maurice Sendak... I just read the book to my two youngest, and teared up a bit... I've included a video of the book being read... and even though it was recorded a few months ago, I like the way he chokes up a bit reading the ending... I understand completely.

I heard a great interview with him on NPR today. I've got the link to it, including a trove of other good stuff for you right here. Enjoy.

Thank you Mr. Sendak

Suicidal Tendencies...

    A friend of mine wrote a song, and I feel bad that I hear this song every time I hear it.  I would totally give her bonus points for pulling this out live in it's place (kinda like how anyone could get points for singing "what I got" to the music for "black water" by the doobie brothers).
Anyway, watching the video really made me feel odd. Look how young he looks...
gah...

I love this video. Makes me giggle every time I see it.

    Ok, so this is Jimmy Urine from Mindless Self Indulgence. His side project "the left rights" has been out for a while now, and I have to say, it's still amusing me.  It reminds me of how MSI used to be, brief, random... like the Ramones with computers and energy drinks.  This video, by the way, was directed by the great Jonen Vasquez of Invader Zim and JTHM fame (etc.)
    I dig the atmosphere, if you didn't know better, you'd just think it was two standard high school girls gettin down on their webcam. Totally everyday stuff, right?

Just sayin'

Thought I'd add a little more to the page. It'll be evolving slowly. No other reason for this post... ok, I guess I can give you this..... watch closely... definitely make a point of looking these guys up. They used to have a pretty cool rig to play live with, if I remember correctly.

-Emergency Broadcast Network. Psychoactive Drugs.

Tom Waits and Cookie Monster... separated at birth?

This is amazing... my youngest daughter always called this "The Cookie Monster Song," and now I know why.  It's all those late nights googling obscure videos.  I'm amazed that someone took this much initiative to do this. Really. This is really, really well done... not to mention that this is a great tune... seriously, it just goes to prove that if something unusual strikes you, there's probably already a hilarious video of it out there on the internet.  Seriously, it never ceases to amaze me.

For your viewing pleasure, Cookie Monster doing his version of Tom Waits "God's Away On Business."

(To clear things up, Tom Waits is actually singing, and was not, in fact, the voice of Cookie Monster.)

I forgot Pantera...

I played a show with some friends last night, and during one bands set, a friend of mine burst out with the well known notes of Pantera's "walk."  I have certainly lost touch with Pantera over the years, and honestly the last album I truly remember was "the Great Southern Trendkill."  That being said, hearing that woke something up... and even thought their most well known (early) stuff, "walk" and "this love," wasn't really my favorite (good stuff, but not my favorite), they did have a few earsplitting tracks that punctuated key moments in my life... All the Dimebag stuff aside, Pantera hit pretty hard, and I think this may be the hardest... and the intensity of the live show doesn't hurt either.

Here you go... Primal Concrete Sledge.....

Rip MCA

Adam Yauch died on friday. This breaks my heart. We all knew him as MCA from the Beastie Boys, and his contributions to modern music are innumerable.  I grew up listening to the boys.  I saw all their stages of development, from their early punk days through the non-stop party of License to Ill, through the outrageous style of Pauls Boutique, the in your face vibe of Check Your Head, and far beyond.  They were innovators and pioneers in the truest sense, and MCA's death saddens us all.  I wanted to post a few of my favorites.  I don't know what else to say other than that he made our world a better place.

Still Not Wearing Hats...

Saw this over on Tom from Assemblage 23's blog waveformless.blogspot.com, and had to put it here, too.  Men Without Hats is one of those bands... for those of you who don't or can't remember, these guys gave us "The Safety Dance"... ahem... one of those bands that comes up in casual conversation so much that it's got to be more than a coincidence.  They are releasing a new album this month, and as you can hear by the chatter at the beginning of this track (incidentally, no video along with this one, check the "safety dance" link for video), it's being produced by Dave Ogilvie.  This is amazing news.  I have to say that the track is infectious.  Can't wait to check out the rest of it...  bring it on, guys.

Skinny Puppy gets down....

This may possibly be the best music video ever... ok maybe not the best ever, but it's WAY up there.  Nothing has made me want to revisit an 80's trend more than this video has.
Skinny Puppy is not exactly a household name, but absolutely deserves to be.  The fact is that pretty much all of our darker, more industrial leaning musical celebrities (think Nine Inch Nails, and Marilyn Manson, among countless others) were inspired by these guys, and if you haven't seen this video yet, you may not see this coming.  This was off their "Greater Wrong of the Right" cd, released in 2004 (the tour in support of this was outstanding, and completely insane...).  A come back album if ever I saw one.

Incidentally, here's the same song, live on the aforementioned tour...

These guys have boatloads of stuff out there, and it's all worth looking into.

The Doors do whatnow?

So, I ran across something a few weeks ago that I really liked, but alot of people I know thought was blasphemy... today I found a video clip of it, and had to put it up here... the remaining members of the Doors and Skrillex, the grammy winning, dubsteppin' dance floor hero of the year.  I really like it...  while I'm at it, I'm gonna point you to this blog where I posted some stuff that's sort of associated with Skrillex.  I appreciate the energy he's got, and the fact that he can make tons of money making what would have been called noise just a few years ago... go figure, right?... Anyway, this video with the Doors actually shows them playing, and then goes into a bunch of shots of Skrillex doing dj spots.  Honestly, I wish there was more Doors action on here, but the crowd scenes are fun and energetic, and that is what this music is supposed to be about... so here it is, check it out.
By the way, does anyone else think he looks a little like a long haired Corey Feldman?...
.... whoa... just googled "Corey Feldman Skrillex" and it looks like other people have definitely had the same idea....

... well seems I missed the boat on this one. Even though I figured this one out on my own, I'm a little late to the party.  Apparently people were going on about his Coreyesque appearance quite a while back, and though I'm unsure of where this one originated so I may not be able to give credit where due,  check out this post from I Like To Geek, note the date... curses... I'm so behind on this one...

The real Jane's Addiction

Found this today... really brings me back. It's off the amazing "soul kiss" video, which to me really defines what "alternative" rock was bringing to the table in the early 90's. It was vibrant and alive and fresh and wasn't afraid to cross boundaries or to just be silly... they weren't trying to be too serious and they weren't pigeonholing themselves into needing to achieve a certain sound.  Albums from this era tended to be all over the place sonically and philosophically, and I think the best bands still manage to fit this aesthetic into their recording today. Mind you, there are VERY few who pull this off today, everybody's too worried about trying to be something specific, and they always tend to overshoot.  Jane's seemed to be one of those bizarre bands that defined themselves based on their scattered efforts.  Beautiful stuff.

I don't believe this track came out officially until Kettle Whistle (by which time Jane's had really lost some of their flavor), and this version is different from that in some noticeable ways, but best of all, this one's got some other footage from the video intact beforehand, which really brings out the feel of it.  I'm gonna go listen to Nothing's Shocking...

Bruce Dickinson runs around.

I was raised on metal.  I saw the genre develop into what it was today, and though it is now but a shadow of it's former self, it still has much of the same style that made it great back in the day.  My earliest memories of metal are of epic stories of horror and high fantasy with long haired dueling guitarists in tight pants and high tops, and nowhere was this closer to the truth than in the music of Iron Maiden, an undisputed classic of British heavy metal. They went through a series of member changes, losing much of their appeal when the bands iconic singer Bruce Dickinson left in 1993.  However, just like almost all other "legendary" bands of that era, they have since reunited with their classic lineup (1999) and gone on to release a string of albums that continue the good name of Maiden.
It has often been joked by me and my friends that every song (every song, whether sung by Maiden or not) has a "run around part." That's the part of the song where,  if it were Bruce Dickinson performing, he would stop singing and run around the stage, climbing up ladders, jumping from catwalks above the set, and flashing outrageous metal poses at the crowd while a giant Eddie Mummy or Dragon or Demon or whatever shot fire out over the sea of fans.  To illustrate the authority with which he runs around, I've decided to post a video which is nothing but Bruce running.... Different World, from the 2006 release "A Matter of Life and Death"

  

Enjoy.

Gogol Bordello wears purple...

These guys really know how to have a good time.

  If you're not familiar with Gogol Bordello, but love gypsy music, or punk, or gypsy punk... you'll love 'em.  Here they are a few years back at Coachella.  They're an embodiment of all that is rock and roll in the world, wrapped up with every ethnic flavor you could think of, and drowned in alcohol.  It's wonderful.  I especially like the fact that with all the great instruments, there are ways to fill every corner of the track with notes from a billion different sources.  Here they are live, and there's plenty more where this came from.

Nathan Adler, where are you?

   As it turns out, I'm not talking about the rabbi or kabbalist, but the Hero of David Bowies 1.Outside, 1995s brilliant concept album. This was supposed to be a murder mystery set in the future where "art murder" was beginning to be commonplace.  Nathan was a detective who was trying to solve the murder of Baby Grace Blue.  Now, this was meant to be a trilogy of albums, spliced together with cryptic liner notes and "segues" of the characters talking.  It was very theatrical, and a bit disturbed... in a good way, of course.  

   However, the second and third parts never saw the light of day, although rumor has it that Bowie did write some of them.  Such a pity... Really, although it really didn't click hard with the folks that grew up with Bowie in his early years (I know, I was front row at the show, and the older folk just looked plain confused... contrast that to the confused young folk who didn't believe me when I told them "The Man Who Sold The World" was NOT a Nirvana song), it was absolutely the best thing he had come out with in years, and in fact is far better than anything he's done since.  He had a totally different atmosphere here,  

best noticed in this amazing video for the "breakout" single "The Heart's Filthy Lesson." If you've never seen it, it's a treat.

Lana Del Rey?

So, this chick's been getting alot of press lately, and I'm not sure it's all entirely deserved, but I have to say that this track's been in my head for a few days, and it really speaks to me.  It's pretty, and has groove too. Definitely worth your time.  Down tempo, but good for cruising on a nice day.  I dig the live hard sort of aesthetic it's got.
Yeah.
Live hard.

caravan palace... swing it...

Oh yeah, new Caravan Palace....

Who are Caravan Palace? Only the greatest electro swing band e-ver. Yup. Really, you've got to check these amazingly brilliant people out. Listen. See the spectacle that is their videos. Enjoy the floaty UFO's one their website, caravanpalace.com, check out all their stuff, and then buy the hell out of it. You will not be disappointed.  Those kooky french folk have done it again... style and sound... this is the total package.
Check the video on the above site, but my god, here's a smokin live version of their track "Clash."

Love it.  I especially like how you get a good look at their gear, and how much FUN they look like they're having.... I have GOT to see them live...

Swans... Love will tear us apart.

       I really, really wish this needed no introduction, but alas it does.  The Swans were a punk/post punk band that recorded throughout the bulk of the 80s and 90s.  They were really very good.  They have some stark, beautiful tunes, most notably "Failure"(not posting that one here, look it up), among others..
       This is a much loved version of the Joy Division classic "Love Will Tear Us Apart."  I love everything about this track, and in fact, would probably say I like it much more than Joy Division's version.  Talk about praise... anyway.... here it is.

I've been taught over the years to call shenanigans on anyone who says "I listen to everything." It usually means that they listen to a handful of radio friendly genres, and a few things that they learned from their parents or an ex girl/boyfriend.  However, I am one of those people who genuinely does listen to everything.  New, old, unusual, mainstream... I'm the guy who doesn't get down on musicians for making music that I wouldn't make, or for selling out, insisting that there's always something to be gained by listening.  We're gonna test that out here.  We're gonna wade through every possible nook and cranny of the music world.  It's all great stuff... hopefully you can bear with me and try to see what's in the sound, even if it bores you, hurts your ears, or just plain pisses you off. I'm gonna start off just giving you youtube videos and maybe some soundcloud stuff, but who knows, maybe we can get some other goodies up once in a while.

Thought I'd start this off with a track that's been in my head for a week or two now. It's a bit obscure, but kicks ass in way most stuff can't.  The Cycle Sluts From Hell's, "I Wish You Were A Beer." It's great driving music, great party music, it's hard, pushes the limit, screams for more.  Most folks don't remember these chicks, but honestly they've got one of the best sets of names in all of made-up-rock-name-dom.  My favorite is definitely Venus Penis Crusher, but Honey One Percenter gets props for being currently relevant.  See their wikipedia entry and educate yourself here.  Enjoy.