Sunn O))) - Oracle/Helio)))Sophist

Probably one of the few Sunn O))) releases where CD is the format to go for, I picked this up at their gig the other night, chances are most people who visit here have heard the Monoliths & Dimensions warning-shot that is Orakulum and the literal Joe Preston jack-hammering of Belülrol Pusztít but it's the bonus CD Helio)))Sophist that is the main reason for this post. Re-edited and mixed from various live performances across Europe in 2005 with Attila Csihar by none other than Oren Ambarchi and it's a 46min monster that could easily have been released as a stand-alone album.


Oracle

Helio)))Sophist

Woburn House - Monstrous Manoeuvres In The Mushroom Maze

Woburn House is situated at the north end of leafy Bonn in the heart of Germany. Whether you need a small, intimate melody with complete privacy or a large riff with numerous break-down areas, whatever your needs may be, Woburn House has attractive options to accommodate you. Our prime location South of the River Styx removes the need to drive fully into Hades, as the transport links are excellent, so, if you are considering the environmetal and would prefer your delegates to use their brain this is the ideal venue.



Monstrous Manoeuvres In The Mushroom Maze

Taint - All Bees To The Sea

I'm seriously thinking of starting a Band Relocation Programme for bands from the UK that are relatively unknown elsewhere, because if given some accent correction and a C.V. that included the word Georgia then Taint would have been given one of those 'proper' record deal things years ago, tore America several new arses during The Bush II Years, the backlash would've happened a year back and this EP would be the release to silence the naysayers. I'm not even sure I followed that but this is a great release regardless so, you know, steal it for free.



All Bees To The Sea

Keelhaul - You Waited Five Years For This?

Another 10mins of self-effacing and reassuringly ugly Stunt-core. Goes perfectly with a good pint of this.

7"

Eagle Twin - The Unkindness Of Crows (Vinyl)

Probably my favourite album of the year and definitely the first Doom album based on a Ted Hughes poem collection - this is ripped from vinyl complete with reassuring crackle, re-edited & re-arranged from the cd version with 15 mins of extra music. Call it the Director's Cut.

The Unkindness Of Crows (Vinyl) pt.1/pt.2

Yank Stoners can stop complaining about a lack of Sleep...

Ai Aso & Wata - Split

I forget why I'm posting this, I think maybe someone asked for it. Grab it if you don't have it, your collection is probably missing a Japanese twee-pop cover of King Crimson even if you don't know it and a soaring Wata solo is never a bad thing. Plus....y'know....Asian chicks dude!

split

(Not from this single but since both are onstage I figure why not, Michio Kurihara lurking in the corner)

Bong & Quttinirpaaq - Split

A tasty Doomish split spanning the pond from Newcastle to Texas, mainly here as Bong are supporting Sunn O))) in Glasgow. The Geordie's bring a stoner swing with sitars and the Texans go for Boris(the band and the Melvins' song)-inspired walls of sludgey feedback and clattering drums. Very decent indeed.

Split

Khanate - 25.11.2005 (Bristol, UK)

Great quality bootleg that you don't see around as often as the official live recordings, from the Bristol leg of what I presume were the last UK gigs Khanate did . Fields, Capture & Pieces of Quiet are the tracklist and I may or may not be using it as an excuse to use the picture of the promotional Khanate knife. The voices told me to.



Aktion

Rhys Chatham - A Crimson Grail

400 guitarists gathered to do one hell of a string section impression on a Summer's evening in Paris, I'd enjoyed Chatham's Guitar Trio work over the years but had avoided this up til now as it had the air of a stunt about it to me. For some reason I had endless rows of middle-managers with red Stratacaster's in my head, I'm a fool. What it actually sounds like, if you forgive my lack of classical references, is Stars of the Lid being played by every post-rock guitarist in your collection and the sound is sometimes so otherworldly that it's only the shuffling and occasional cough that reminded me this actually happened. I gave Explosions in the Sky a quick listen after this for comparison, they sounded like a skiffle band.



A Crimson Grail

You know, for squids!

Keelhaul - Triumphant Return To Obscurity

Before you start. I know this is only every other blog in existence but after only just giving it the time it deserves I'm probably going to be annoying friends with it's greatness for some time so I'm covering myself before they say 'is it on yer fuckin' blog then?'. It is great, mighty, a right tumult, so on etc. etc. So it has to be said that even though it would be incorrect to call Keelhaul the best Riffinstrumetal (new one, like it?), vocals crop up when they feel like it, they do make the best Riffinstrumetal going - full of self-aware rhthyms, genius arrangements and well-placed man-barking. Nice to have them back and all that shite.

Triumphant Return To Obscurity

Elm - Nemcatacoa

Earth-tone drone from of Jon Porras of Barn Owl, triangulated somewhere between the more ambient moments of Six Organs Of Admittance, Dylan Carson's prairie ghosts and the listener-friendly end of the Fennesz catalogue. One of the best full-body melts I've had in a while and another beautiful album permanently added to my insomnia playlist.

Nemcatacoa

Omega Massif & Mount Logan - Split

See this is how split releases should be, two bands that sound absolutely nothing alike. Omega Massif bring two huge & impressive tracks of instrumetal dirge and Mount Logan offer up several bite-size nuggets of what sounds like lost lo-fi Albini demos with Cornholio on vocals. The whole thing amounts to anti-intuitive marketing and I like it.

Split

Kong - Snake Magnet

Most of the time when I post a youtube video it's just supporting evidence, a more direct example in case you haven't a clue what I'm on about or can't be arsed with my rambling nonsense. In this case it's more of a taste test as you'll know if you love or hate Kong within about 10secs of this video, and besides, I'd be here all day rubbing my brain raw trying to find adjectives for these Manc-mentals.



Snake Magnet

Black Sun - Baby, Don't Cry (Demo)

More Demo Aktions, you should know by now.

Baby, Don't Cry

ISIS - Live V: Oceanic 23/07/06

Live run-through of Oceanic recorded 23/07/06 in London for ATP's Don't Look Back series of concerts with Justin Broadrick on mixing & mastering duties, from interviews and the liner notes to this release I understand they were slightly miffed at being asked to resurrect an album that was a mere 4yrs old but they accepted graciously and knocked it out of the park . Oh, and they were fucking mighty last night.




pt.1/pt.2


(See comments if you're having problems)

Peel-Core

Since it's the 5th anniversary of the death of John Peel I thought it would be an ideal time to post this compilation, the man supported countless loved & unloved bands and scenes but rarely was he at the eye of storm as much as he was with Grind/Britcore. He gave most of those bands their first exposure outside their local pub and in more than a few cases their first look inside a professional studio, the compilation is obviously limited to those bands on the label releasing it and if licensing wasn't an issue this would probably be a 20 disc set.


Napalm Death (22/08/87, 20/04/88 & 12/08/90)

Extreme Noise Terror (17/11/87, 11/05/88 & 06/02/90)*

Carcass (02/01/88 & 16/12/90)

Bolt Thrower (13/01/88, 16/11/88 & 04/09/90)

Godflesh (27/08/89) *

Unseen Terror (11/04/88)

Heresy (03/08/87, 09/03/88 & 18/01/89)

Intense Degree (15/03/88)

*fixed

Yoga - Megafauna

I still have a box of old horror videos, mostly Vipco re-releases I picked up when Global sold off all their tapes. Years ago I used to stay up late into the night with friends, drinking cheap but highly alcoholic cider and smoking hash I wouldn't even use as aggregate now watching BBFC cuts of usually Italian movies, most of which you've probably heard of - Zombie Flesh Eaters, Cannibal Ferox etc. They invariably had a synth-based soundtrack which easily accounted for at least 50% of the chills, nearly all of these soundtracks have since been re-released and remastered but never quite sounded they same when being played on anything other than a battle-worn VHS with fucked heads through a hand-me-down television, stripped of the phasing and hiss they sounded like what they were - cheap, knocked-out library music made by journeymen. I can't say for sure Yoga have seen the same films in the same way or share my nostalgia for the same sound and they're certainly no journeymen but they've sure as hell brought back some good half-memories.


Megafauna

Black Sun - Warhead

Yet another leaked transmission from Black Sun HQ, a demo version of the track Warhead with everything in the red and another perfectly-pitched video of found footage. You can consider them officially adopted at this stage folks, I believe they're still recording but album soon hopefully. I've included a bootleg of Russell McEwan's side project Atomized that's been doing the rounds, it's basically him and Lea Cummings (Kylie Minoise) raping the ghost of Electro Pop past (Boy George, Visage etc.) with broken shards of Noise. I'm honestly starting to think the Loch Katrine reservoir is tainted with lead or maybe a bad batch of Mugwump jizm.


Warhead
Atomized Live @ Mach Nausea