don't barf on me Amber

Three Frames...of awesomeness!

Just follow the link and thank me later.

Three Frames

This one is a personal favorite.

Boobgun

Look what I got in the mail!

My old roommate Kevin sent me this array of goodies. Apparently he had also been toting around a roll a film from my freshman year of college (before I had even met him) for two years, so he developed it. The pictures of the ladies are actually lick & stick stamps that Kevin made, and the red thing with the faces on it is the envelope that he made. Kev hearts mail art. This totally made my day.

Dead Man's Bones

This is the music project of actors Ryan Gosling and Zach Sheilds. I always think it's interesting to see actors cross over into the realm of music. Some do it well (as seen above) and some suck balls (aka Scarlett Johansson trying to cover Tom Waits). I hope the album is decent, because I'm a sucker for Gosling.

Gold Panda

"Quitters Raga"

Shared via AddThis

This song is totally great.

it's about goddamn time.

My band (Wood Teeth) is playing a show. You should come...bring your friends...get real drunk...and get real paid. Nerds.

I wish my life was like this;

White Wizzard!

my reading list --

it's getting a little out of control.

good ol' midwestern hospitality

As many of you know I'm moving to Fargo, ND in August to attend graduate school. After spending the last few days out here I'm pretty excited. I am, however, totally over the family bullshit I've been forced to take part in all weekend. I'll see you nerds tomorrow.

imperative

I will marry this woman. Islaja has my heart.

fuck yes.

I think I might tattoo this little lady on my shin. I just realized that all of the tattoos I want are of women. wtf? Nerds.

next tattoo?

So, I'm trying to figure out what I should get for my next tattoo and this image keeps catching my eye. It's from a postcard set by James Jean entitled "XOXO." I would put it above my right elbow. I'm wondering what other people think of it. Nerds.

take me back

All I really want to do is hang out in a seedy lounge smoking, drinking, and swinging. That's all, baby, that's all.

my fingers are fat.

I thought it was kinda funny that the only things in my bag on Thursday were my netbook and a stack of comics (bagged and boarded, of course). Reading comics in public is a good way to ward off girls with fake tans and dudes with Affliction t-shirts.

In other news...I started playing the ukulele (which I still have to spell check btw) sometime last year. I've written a few songs with it but somehow always seem to forget to play it. My goal this summer is to get good-as-hell at the uke and play for money at the farmers market. Fingers crossed.

finally

So, I finally got around to setting up my turntable. It's an old Technics SL-D2 from the 80's and is in pretty good shape. I bought it from an old man who used to come into my work all the time when I lived in Helena. He also sold me a Kenwood KA-5700 integrated amp/tuner and a JVC graphic equalizer, all for only $100. The turntable sounds good but there is an annoying buzz that is a result of shitty phono cables, which means I have to pull them out and replace them (here's hoping my soldering skills are decent). All in all I'm pretty pleased with the setup.

real life Pokemon

It's actually a Red Panda. I want one.



They are talking about how they "gotta catch 'em all." I like the part where the panda stands and everyone flips out. Nerds.

auto-tune the news

c'mon...it's kinda funny.

the sandwich is yum

I made this sandwich...it was yum.

Ingredients:

Turkey
Bacon (2 strips)
Basil
Garlic Powder
Red Bell Peppers
Honey Mustard
Whole Grain Bread (with sunflower and flax seeds)

toast that bread, cook that bacon, heat that turkey in a skillet with basil and garlic, honey mustard that toast, put it all together

=

YUM!

I'm obsessed

Black Metal = BADASS ALL GODDAMN DAY!

here's what I've been into lately:

Averse Sefira - Advent Parallax
Peste Noire - Folkfuck Follie
Funeral Mist - Maranatha
Cobalt - Gin
Enslaved - Below the Lights
Horna - Sanojesi Äärelle
Wolves in the Throne Room - Black Cascade
Antaeus - Blood Libels

I stopped listening to metal for two and a half years, and now I can't get enough. I'm binging. It feels soooo good.

I forgot

how much i love this song.



I know you do too.
This dude is pretty rad.

P.S.
Secret blog project in the works. Can you guess what it is?

for all the Moms...

you get the picture

...pretty damn cute

These Vader paper dolls are brought to you by Brian Gubicza. His blog has lots of other cute illustrations on it...so look at them. You can also download a pdf of this to cut out and play with in your dimly lit room.

this is what I want for x-mas...today

This shit is totally badass. I really want these horse legs. They cost $1,000 and come with the option of spring loaded hooves (which are a must if you ask me).

say what?

Bitch, you're breakfast...

i bought...

these sweet new running shoes. now that breeze you feel will be me going by real fast.

Happy 4:20

click here

unsucky in 2009

here's a list of stuff that has not sucked so far this year.

that Tujiko Noriko( with Lawrence English and John Chantler) record
my netbook
Brisco County Jr. complete series box set (and I got it for $25. suck on that amazon)
The Great Fables Crossover
This one black girl
Joe Kelly

there's more but I'm lazy.

P.S.

Daredevil Noir does in fact kinda suck.

jokers keep watchin my 1-2 step

Mishka Presents Keep Watch Vol. 1: Jokers of the Scene

I downloaded this a while ago and then proceeded to forget about it until February; but even then I only managed to get a few minutes into the set because I was too stoned and wanted to listen to The Bug. I'm listening to this now because of the Moon Goons' (out of Minneapolis) blog. I downloaded a mix they posted and it reminded me of this.

I gotta say, this shit is pretty bangin. I'm gettin all summertime-y so hour-long hipster DJ mixes seem fitting. This mix in particular makes me want to get all blazed and break in the middle of the road. It's rad...get it.

Top 20 of 2008

At 5 O'clock today it was pitch black and snowing. 2008 is dying and I would be remiss if I didn't remember the things that made it a great year and share them with you. Here is my list of favorites from 2008.

20. Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Grievances

19. Air France - Now Way Down EP

18. The Ruby Suns - Sea Lion

17. M83 - Saturdays=Youth

16. Lords - Fuck all Y'all Motherfuckers

15. Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna

14. Wale - Mixtape About Nothing

13. TV on the Radio - Dear Science

12. Department of Eagles - In Ear Park

11. Lindstrøm - Where You Go I Go Too

10. Bun B - II Trill

9. The Bug - London Zoo

8. Man Man - Rabbit Habits

7. Harlem - Free Drugs

6. Deerhunter - Micro Castle

5. Grouper - Dragging a Dead Deer Up A Hill

4. Shugo Tokumaru - Exit

3. Beach House - Devotion

2. Hercules and Love Affair - s/t

1. The Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Graves

After a slow spring I had little hope for great releases but things started to trickle in once the summer hit, and some of my favorite albums of the past five or so years came out in 08. All in all a good year in music.

Hello Saferide - Arjeplog

I think this is a really cute song.

giving Rogie some love...

Apparently Word Press is hosting a "Word Press Coolest Blog" contest. My friend Rogie King's blog KomodoMedia has been selected and I think he's more than deserving of a win. He's also vowed to give away any and all winnings which is pretty badass. Be a good person and go vote for him because he would vote for you and he's super nice and awesome.

Zeigeist

I stumbled upon this Swedish outfit like two weeks ago and can't stop listening to it. It's really fucking cool. Looks like a killer live experience based on these videos. Enjoy.

Zeigeist - Wrecked Metal


Zeigeist - Humanitarianism

Vivian Girls

this shit is great and that one chick is smokin (you know who I'm talking about).

Finger Fuck-Up...

Last night I managed to kill my own buzz by accidentally sitting on my finger while it was between the seat of my bar stool and the metal legs connected to it. It hurt like a son of a bitch, and now it looks totally gross. Eat your heart out Matt Brehe (Daily Scrape).

Grouper

not the fish, but Liz Harris' band.

Shugo Tokumaru

I'm in love. I can't stop listening to this guys albums. They are so fucking good. It's not fair.

Wall-e

Pixar's latest gem, Wall-e, caught me off guard. I was expecting it to be totally adorable, which it was, but I was not expecting it rank among the studio's best, which it most certainly does. What I really like about this film is the way it gets away from the played-out formula of overly energetic, pop culture laden, in your face dialogue and focuses on it's characters and the things that they do. Even without dialogue we are able to read a range of emotions and ultimately connect quicker and deeper with the protagonists. It's a refreshing way to tell a story and one that I believe has been overlooked. Kids need to know that it's important to listen and watch, and this movie conveys that message all too well. It's my second favorite Pixar flick, right after Ratatouille and followed by Finding Nemo. It's great, go see it. 9/10

I've been listening to...

a ton of shit, but here's a list of the stuff that sits at the top, for now.

The Black Heart Procession - Amore Del Tropico (2002 release. I'm revisiting this one)
Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
Joan as Police Woman - To Survive
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
Sun Dial - Other Way Out (1990 release, but it fucking kills. Think Dungen in English)
Man Man - Rabbit Habits
Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Grievances

That's all I can think of for now. I think all of the albums are great and encourage all of you to check them out. 2008 has been pretty bangin so far.

recent writing...

i wrote this poem last night. it's gross, but i like it.

Remnants

There are very few
things that bother
me, but one of them is running
up the four flights of stairs
to my apartment to let
loose the gurgling afterbirth
of the shit I took
right before I left.

The Hulk...

was boring as hell. Bruce Banner acted like a pussy for most of the film, and the action sequences were mindless and consisted mainly of the army shooting every mega-weapon available at the hulk (to no avail). I think the main problem is that the character isn't interesting enough to warrant a feature film. they tried twice and while this film is leaps and bounds better than its predecessor it still isn't worth seeing more than once. if you are considering going to see this film I would advise you to just go to Iron Man again, cuz this shit weren't happenin and i'm betting it'll be out on DVD sooner than you think. For another opinion check out Cody's review on zombiefood.

Dollhouse

I'll be the first to admit that I love Joss Whedon, and because of that blind love I'm really excited about his new show Dollhouse. It stars Eliza Dushku, who I'm not crazy about, and is slated to appear on Fox sometime in the near future. It's also part of Fox's "Remote-Free-TV" campaign which means that it will (supposedly) have fewer commercial breaks and therefor have more actual screen time. Here's the trailer.

Dollhouse trailer
by masalladeorion

KMBT: Combat Music Radio

I was browsing the Neurot Records website today and found out that Neurosis front man Scott Kelly hosts a weekly radio show on KMBT. Kelly is on of the stations founders and does a pretty good job of mixing genres. You can download any of the shows (past or present) from www.combatmusicradio.com. The other hosts include Joe Preston of Thrones fame, Bane, Dave Clark, and Eugene Robinson from Oxbow.

LD & D

this is a pilot for the hottest new sitcom in years. Too bad no one will pick it up.

grow your own...

 

Subtle (the band)

I downloaded the new Subtle album, ExitingARM, today and it's fucking killer. It's an interesting mix of hip hop, indie, and electro. I think a lot of you would really enjoy it, so go buy/download it!


going along with the electro theme I thought it would be nice to post a video of one of my favorite electro/house/pop albums from last year. Here's Muscles with the song "Ice Cream." Enjoy.

pitchfork tv

As many of you probably already know pitchforkmedia.com has recently launched a site dedicated to music videos and live performances (pitchfork.tv). I must say I'm really liking what the pitchfork collective is doing here. I especially like that all the videos are in high def. Here are some of the better videos.

Ghosts - Ladytron
They are so cute.


Blind - Hercules and Love Affair
This might be the best electro album we'll see in 2008. It's near perfect.


Head Spins - High Places
I'm in love with this band.


and finally...
For Emma - Bon Iver
good shit.


Check out the site for more.

going through a metal phase...

so as of late i've been revisiting some old metal favorites as well as checking out some new stuff. I'm pretty sure that the people that read this (if there are any) won't give a shit about any of this, but it's cathartic so fuck off. Also, if you "hate" metal this might be the time to reconsider.

With that said here is video one. It's from my favorite metal album of all time Arcturus' "The Sham Mirrors." I couldn't find the video of my favorite track (Collapsed Generation) so this will have to do. The song is "Ad Absurdum" and it's badass and avant garde.


Next up we have a relatively new band (within the last 8 years or so) called Arsis. This song is called "The Cold Resistance." Watch this dude play guitar, it's insane.


This next band is what we in the metal know call Black Metal and it's totally killer if done well. Here is Immortal with "Sons of Norther Darkness."


Boris may very well be the best stoner metal band on the face of the earth. I can't begin to tell you how much I love them. Here's "Kurosou" from the album Heavy Rocks.


Next is the infamous Neurosis. Few bands have had the impact on their genre that Neurosis have, and this video shows us why. This is a live version of "Locust Star" from the album Through Silver In Blood.


Finally we have a band that have been making a decent name for themselves over the past three years, Lair of the Minotaur. This is what happens when stoners mix death and thrash. Here's "War Metal Battle Master."


I hope someone out there enjoyed this little distraction.

the many face (and sounds) of Dax Riggs

from grind/metal with Acid Bath...


To melodramatic alternative rock with Agents of Oblivion


to blues infused garage rock with Deadboy & The Elephantmen


Dax Riggs is the shit, and has one of the best voices ever recorded. Love it.

also, here's a little bonus video to highlight his vocal skills

something old...

I saw this video about a year and a half ago and loved it. this might be my favorite Ryan Adams song.

so...

what do you think of the new logo? I like it.

best collaboration?

today it's The Field and !!!. This track is absolutely amazing.

holy shit...

the new Justice video for the song "Stress" off 2007's "cross" is insane. I haven't seen a video like this since The Prodigy's "Smack My Bitch Up."

i'm a sucker...

for crazy good vocal arrangements! The Dirty Projectors are the shit.

post-work, pre-sleep

A couple of times a year I go through my record collection and listen to the albums that meant a lot to me in the past. I do this because I feel that it is important to know how I've progressed as a fan and creator of music. So today I picked two albums that I feel have defined me in various ways.

The first album is Year of Meteors by Laura Veirs. I know there are going to be a lot of people that either think "really?" or have a general distaste for Miss Veirs, but I love this album. The main reason behind my adoration is that I didn't really like this album for the first year I owned it. I had read a lot about it, but after a few listens I decided that it wasn't my cup of tea and tucked it away at the bottom of the pile.

I don't know what drew me back to this record, but I think it has something to do with time and place. For some reason this album just seemed to echo a lot of the feelings I was having in 2006, and that's when I fell in love with it. Every track is superb, and the lyrics are absolutely breathtaking.

When I listen to YoM today I remember all the shit that was bringing me down. It's nostalgia, baby.



The other album is Novena on a Nocturn by The Good Life. I've been a huge Cursive fan since I bought Domestica way back when, and love Tim Kasher's voice and everything it touches.

I remember the summer when I first purchased this album. I had a job mowing a family friends lawn once a week, and would listen to this album exclusively. Thinking about it now is a little strange because it reminds me of how I used to be and, in some ways, still am. I would sit atop their riding mower wearing basketball shorts, a white undershirt, and a black vest with a broken zipper that housed my disc-man. It would take me almost three hours to cut the grass and in that time I was able to memorize every line of every song. I don't think I've ever been as happy as I was riding around that immense lawn. I still have that vest somewhere, and when I'm back home and my mother asks me to mow the lawn I'll throw it on because it just doesn't feel right to mow without it.

today i did...

this!



My mother was none to pleased about the invite I made (as a joke), so I made a real one.

with a drop of sunlight...

After record-breaking cold (bullshit) weather the sun has finally wiped the stardust from its eyes and reemerged. Spring is my favorite time of year (seasonal affective disorder is a killer) so I'm pretty happy that it has finally started.

I watched a documentary yesterday about the lead singer of the gypsy-punk band Gogol Bordello entitled "The Pied Piper of Hutzovina." It was pretty, pretty, pretty good. The only problem I had with it was the fact that director Pavla Fleischer, who is ridiculously beautiful and makes me want to date an eastern European, interjected her personal romantic feelings for Eugene Hutz a little too much. Other than that it was a really fun and oddly moving little film that you should all seek out. Here's Eugene playing "Lela Pala Tute"



In other news, the new Torche album, Meanderthal, is totally killer. It reminds me of what Kyuss was trying to do in the 90s, but heavier and, in my opinion, better. Here's a video.



I'm also really into the new No Age album, Nouns, which is due out on Sub Pop on May 6th. Again, video.

supergroup?

I recently found out that Julie Cafritz (Pussy Galore), Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth), and Yoshimi P-We (OOIOO/Boredoms) have formed a band called Free Kitten. I'm not gonna lie, that's a terrible name for anything (even an emancipated kitten) but the first track they released is killer so I'll play along.



Did I mention that I absolutely love OOIOO, Boredoms, and Sonic Youth? No? Well I do and you should too.

Radiohead on Conan

I thought this was funny/awesome.

that's right.

M83

I didn't really like the new M83 album (Saturdays = Youth) at first, but after a couple of weeks it's started to sink in and now I love it. It's pretty melodramatic, but that's part of its charm. Check it out. Also, here's the first video/single (Graveyard Girl) from the album.

a good day.

I passed my oral comprehensive test today which secures my degrees in Communications and Public Relations. Also, I found this video of my old band, Cagematch to the Death, on youtube.

it's that hot shit...so far.

so I thought it fitting to throw down a list of what I believe are the best releases so far this year (double aught 8).

El Guincho - Alegranza!
Man Man - Rabbit Habits
Neon Neon - Stainless Style
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
M83 - Saturdays = Youth
Hercules and Love Affair - S/T
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
Dodos - Visiter
Plants and Animals - Parc Avenue
The Mae Shi - HLLLYH

so that's it...for now. some pretty good shit floating around in old 08. Do yourself a solid and grab any (or all) of these.

Peace.

Chromatics...

I'm totally into this 80's dark wave/synth pop revival that's going on. Chromatics are the shit. If you like this video/song check out Sally Shapiro and Glass Candy.

Peace.

Man Man

Philly quintet Man Man dropped their sophomore album rabbit habits yesterday. It's sort of like Tom Waits meets Zappa in the play Indians. Good Stuff.

beach house...

heart of chambers (from devotion)

top ten albums of 2007...

I know it's a little late but here it is.

1. The Field - From Here We Go Sublime
2. Justice - "cross"
3. M.I.A - Kala
4. No Age - Wierdo Rippers
5. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
6. Panda Bear - Person Pitch
7. Marissa Nadler - Songs III: Bird on the Water
8. Apparat - Walls
9. Joan as Police Woman - Real Life
10. Richard Hawley - Lady's Bridge

dude's got a daemon

Loney, Dear in store

"I am John" from Loney, Noir

recent writing

Ditherer
17 lines

Now you've slipped
the bonds of earth,
given in to discontent,
framed in ageless girth.

We wallow underneath
sucking sap from bulbous
belly folds. Fickle wraiths
lick the dew with careless
tongues.

Fingers fused together
to tug the hair and hover
over the ground while
the beasts imbue the skyline.

Drumming through cities
with the beat of each step
like wrecking balls leaving
a trail of ruins in our wake.

something kinda different

Squat
34 lines

Together we heave
open the primordial doors
bordering a grand and fetid
monstrosity of a house.

The smell of corroding
wood and roaches wafting
out and up our nostrils
as we descended into the belly.

The faint flicker of the pilot
light guiding us down the steps
and into the small allowance
that has been keeping
the carnivorous frost
away from my appendages.

I light a candle on the pilot
and a smoke on the candle.
She tries to run her finger
through her hair, but gives
up when the hair spray
begins to fight back.

The ceiling rasps and throbs
as feet trudge across the floor
above. A flush followed
by coursing water that greets
us through the holes in the pipes.

It slops a hello in her direction
and I watch as she sidesteps
into her other foot and falls
back, sinking the cot
with her cannon ball cheeks.

The vibrations shake the dust
off the walls and it stings my
eyes, letting an unfamiliar drop
tumble down and crater the floor.

rick-diculous

Neon Bible

#41 - Arcade Fire - Neon Bible & Wake Up
Uploaded by lablogotheque

The National - "start a war"

#40.3 - The National - Start a war
Uploaded by lablogotheque

more poetry

Assiduously Routine

Every morning the beams
reach through the cracks
and beat my eyes open
like two godly fists
punishing a sinner.

Squinted and swollen
they carry me toward
a glistening reminder
of the night before.

The golden hue of whiskey
like a lighthouse signaling
my arrival and the beginning
of another torrid day in the valley.

With rigid fingers I strangle
the neck, sucking down life
in one incandescent gulp,
taking away my senescence.

I can smell the tang
of expired ham writhing
and cringing in the pan and hear
her tapping the tick-tock beat
of a Fembots song I played
for her the first night we fucked.

I meander through the crooked
door conceived by the belches
of the earth and wilt into
a chair, my hair spilling
onto the table like blood,
seeping into the grain.

The clang of ceramic hitting
wood bounces from wall
to wall, making its way through
the tangled pool of blood,
and up to the chasm, unearthing
my face from my wings.


She peers over her shoulder
with benign eyes.

I grimace.

Bruce Campbell

new new new

anarchists don't go to meetings
28 lines

I can hear the knocking
a few doors down
the hall.
I look at my door
and then walk over to it
and flip the lock.
I stand still during
thud thud thud.

the girl on the other
side gives up after
a few minutes
and I flip the lights
back on and resume
my daily crank cleaning.

finished and worn
I think of a girl
I saw at the deli today.
I think of her raspberry
lips and her tight
black jeans hugging
legs that wink back
at me while I gawk.

I think of her and wish
I'd have thought
about her ten minutes
earlier.

little things make my days
worth bearing.

I'm uber jazzed...

for Tales from Earthsea (new Goro Miyazaki film)



note that Goro is Hayao Miyazaki's son.

i'm in love

Laura Veirs - "where gravity is dead"

Simian Mobile Disco

this shit is hot

Primer

This movie is insane...and I love it.

<

this shit is tight

behave

Charlotte Hatherley - "Behave"

"objects of my affection" - Perter Bjorn and John

normal days...

this one is for my grandmother...



Denali - "Normal Days"

Bonde Do Role

"Solta O Frango"

Asobi Seksu

here's the video for "Goodbye" off of last year's Citrus.

Marnie Stern

Marnie Stern is fucking rad.

Weerd Science

this is Weerd Science live at CBGB's in 05

Tarkio (sort of)

something old

I've been a fan of 16 Horsepower for a few years now, and recently I've been listening to the song "Flutter" from the album Folklore. Here's a video of them playing it live.

poem

Flutter
Chris Mattix
35 lines

I met this girl at the bar
the other night, Marcie.
The kind of girl
who smells like men
and says things like
"Hey there cowboy."

Her dress, red of course,
was riding up in all the wrong
places, but I was coming
from a dry spell
so I took it in stride.

We talked for a while
and I smoked the rest
of my pack and downed
five scotch and waters.

We stumbled back into
my dirty apartment
tripping over clothes,
bottles, and a hamper
filled with old pizza boxes
and ash.

She stood in the corner
and undressed
while I fixed the sheets
and prepared the bed
for a thrashing.

We fucked, but I held
back. I didn't want to wake
up sore in places that weren't
easily blamed on booze.

The next day she wanted
to take a shower with me
so I tossed her out.
I didn't want her getting
too comfortable.

Minchi

I really like this painting

Love is All (video)

this is a video for the song "Ageing has never been his friend" by Love is All

Jens Lekman (cover)

I've been listening to this Jens Lekman cover of the Scout Niblett song Your Beat Kicks Back Like Death...so here's a link:

http://downloads.pitchforkmedia.com/Jens%20Lekman%20-%20Your%20Beat%20Kicks%20Back%20Like%20Death.mp3

Andrew Bird

crazy shit happens sometimes...

so Dalisha called me from the back of a cop car because Greg got drunk and thought it was a good idea to provoke her until she punched him in the face.


Greg is a douche-- plain and simple.

new band

Dalisha and I have decided to combine our powers and give back to the people in the form of Precursors and Blasts (our new band). Expect great things.


www.myspace.com/precursorsandblasts

poem...

I'm About to Throw My Teeth Into Your Face
Chris Mattix
27 Lines

The villain in me wishes
nothing more than torment
and callousness to fill
your hearts. With a wave
of my clenched fist you will
all crumble into piles
of dust and blow away with
the eastern wind.

The hero in me would unhinge
my jowls and take that fist,
leaving a stump that bleeds
for the people; a symbol
of humanities need for protection.

Everyday the heros and villains
that dwell inside me battle
for reign over the masses.

Some nights I fall asleep
to the sound of panic and dream
of my tyrannous world.
Other nights I fall asleep
to the sound of nothing
and take that to mean,
peace.

I think of these things for hours
each day and remind myself
that I'm normal. I'm just one
of many sheep with delusions
of unreachable grandeur.

music writing

here's something that I wrote for Stylus Magazine's stypod mp3 blog.


Fusing Your Worth
by
Chris Mattix

It's interesting to watch a band try to recover from a break up. Regrouping and refocusing can't be easy, especially for members of bands riding the coattails of past success. The pressure to prove yourself again as a musician increases tenfold after a break-up, and comparisons with the group that attained earlier chart success or critical recognition are hard to escape, But sometimes when one band dies another band gets its wings.

Kylesa was formed out of necessity. When Damad broke up in 2000 guitarist Philip Cope and three other Damad members formed Kylesa so they wouldn't have to stop writing songs. At first I assumed that Cope and company were going to pick up where Damad left off, in some grisly pit in the swamps of Georgia. Cope, however, turned out to be a much better musician than I gave him credit for, and Damad's demise has turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to the guy.

I didn't notice it at the time, but now when I listen to Damad, specifically Cope's guitar work, I can pick out the subtle nuances that have become fully realized within Kylesa. I can hear Cope's influences because they wander, as if Cope is a child who can’t focus all of his attention on one thing. Consequently, he sneaks things in where he can -- a riff here, a riff there, but always in moderation, so people won't catch on. The track "Second Hand" from Damad's album Rise and Fall is one of the more obvious examples of this. If you listen closely you can hear riffs that sound eerily familiar to early Emperor and Neurosis. This track makes me wonder what it was like for Cope to have to restrict his creativity for so long; constantly repressing the urge to fuse together a variety of styles.

I suppose it doesn't matter what it was like for Cope in the 90's, because he's a creative juggernaut today, and Kylesa are getting better with every album. Their latest release, Time Will Fuse its Worth, eclipses the band’s previous material because it’s more focused and the songs are more challenging. The physical make up of Kylesa is as unique as the music. In particular,using two drummers makes the band sound more full and adds tribal elements that take Cope's songs in interesting directions. The other band members deliver as well and guitarist/vocalist Laura Pleasants' bark is one of the highlights of the record. She and Cope trade off seamlessly on the track "What Becomes an End," which starts with a heavy dose of old school hardcore guitar work that reminds me of Artimus Pyle's song "Showdown," and then a saunters into a sludgy riff for a moment before picking up speed and taking off again, finally ending with a wah-wah infused guitar solo that would make Matt Pike proud.

Although Damad fit so nicely into the world of crust punk and His Hero is Gone-style hardcore, it makes sense that Kylesa are a band who are reluctant to tie themselves to any particular genre.A lot of bands strive unsuccessfully to make fans and critics wonder what they will do next. They never quite break the mold that formed them and, as a result, they become predictable. That’s not a problem for Kylesa. In fact, unpredictability is the whole point. We don't know what to expect from them next because they truly don’t know what road they are apt to take.That’s what makes them so much fun.

p.s. here's a link to the last article I wrote.

http://stylusmagazine.com/stypod/archives/579

old hardcore...

so i've been listening to a lot of old hardcore/crust stuff lately and i'm really into Damad and His Hero is Gone (i was always a fan but i haven't listened to them in a while). Since I couldn't find a good HHiG video I'm posting a Tragedy video instead (the band that the guys from HHiG formed after breaking up).