Choke!!!

Writing about Slug yesterday reminded me of yet another band that happily embraced the idea of a two bass player set up called Milkmine. The difference being is that Milkmine relied only on bass and a drummer. Unfortunately I don't know much else about the band other than that they were on Choke Records, who also released their one and only album (as far as I know) titled Braille in 1994 which was quickly forgotten due to the label eventually going under. So really, any help to learning a bit more history about this band or if there were any projects after Milkmine, would be gladly appreciated. The all to short of existence of this band makes it sort of difficult.

Regardless, Braille is pretty much everything you would expect coming from arsenal such as this. A bit more playful and lighthearted than most would probably foresee out of a sound like this. The emphasis is focused more on the drumming really in my opinion, it seems to be the obvious driving force throughout the record as opposed to the dual bass. Quite a nice chunk of loudly played dirge rock.

Milkmine - Earl Campbell [MP3]
Milkmine - Loddy [MP3]

Sadly, since the label is no more that means the album itself is out of print. However, like most forgotten gems, you can purchase it used through sites like eBay or Amazon for practically pennies. So give it a shot.

Sticking with Choke, the label also housed at one time one of my favorite bands, Craw. Releasing their first two albums Craw and Lost Nation Road, both of which were produced by Steve Albini. I fell in love with this band as soon as I first heard them due to the sheer unconventional approach to song writing they undertook with each record. Not until their last record Bodies for Strontium 90, would they release something that was even borderline accessible to the standard hard rock listener. An amazing band that mixed in so many different ideas, featuring some highly odd riff changes and the maniacal vocals of singer Joe McTighe. Craw were one of the few bands that I really honestly liked going through the lyrics and reading them, as they were so entirely different as to anything I'd ever seen used in music like this. You could say that Craw was maybe a thinking mans approach to the post-hardcore suite. An amazing band. I strongly urge anyone to take a listen.

Craw - Drugs [MP3]
Craw - I Disagree (And Here's Why) [MP3]
Craw - Sound of Every Promise [MP3]
Craw - My Sister's Living Room [MP3]

Anyway, thanks to the band knowing that the majority of their material is long since out of print, they have for awhile been offering up all their albums down-loadable for free over at their website. You can still however purchase Bodies for Strontium 90 over at Hydrahead, because having the real thing is always better. The other, you'll once again have to do some digging through used outlets.

Duh, The Big City...

When discovering Amphetamine Reptile Records (AmRep), it was basically a godsend for someone like me, who is a glutton for applying feedback on just about anything that is deemed possible. Think of it as the equivalent to someone who likes to pour gravy all over everything. That being said, you can imagine that my love for the label and the bands that were featured on it runs particularly deep. So today, I will talk a bit about Duh, The Big City, which was the third and final release by the great band Hammerhead.

I find it somewhat remarkable in a sense that an album like Duh, The Big City could maintain such a noisy and dirty aspect to its sound while incorporating such a catchy melodic twist to it here and there. That being probably the main reason that I look at this release with so much respect, in that it does so many things well that could quite possibly go unnoticed. While it could just as easily stick to absolutely crushing you with nothing but incredibly low distorted bass lines, the album never falls into one rut and most songs change from foot tapping to earth crushingly heavy in a matter of seconds. A truly innovative approach to a sound that commonly is focused on just being heavy and unrelenting as possible. Not to say that Hammerhead doesn't dabble in just that, as songs like "Meandrethal" and "Victoria" prove the band to be as unmercifully heavy as any of their peers on Duh, The Big City. Following the record however the band disbanded, which led to vocalist/bassist Paul Erikson and drummer Jeff Mooridian Jr. to form the band Vaz.

Hammerhead - Earth (I Won't Miss) [MP3]
Hammerhead - Meandrethal [MP3]
Hammerhead - Victoria [MP3]

I am pretty sure you can still get Duh, The Big City directly from AmRep over here. I do suggest doing it if you like what you hear. A great album, from a great band, on a great label.

For Friday: Monthly Mix!

It's Friday, so I thought I would finish up the mix for this month since there is a little under a week left of it. That and it was nearing completeion anyway, so why not? With that said, everyone have a great Memorial Day weekend and be safe. I'll be back Monday. Enjoy, and as always...if you like it, please support the artist by purchasing the album!

01 - Thurston Moore - Psychic Hearts
02 - Phoenix - Too Young
03 - Garden Variety - Harbored
04 - The Black Black Black - The In
05 - Bitcrush - Song for Three
06 - Neil Perry - Tom Cruise Turned to me And Said...
07 - Quicksand - Hostage Calm
08 - Amusement Parks on Fire - Out of the Angeles
09 - The Divine Comedy - Mother Dear
10 - Cinemechanica - Brain Tarp
11 - God is an Astronaut - Forever Lost (Reprise)
12 - McLusky - To Hell With Good Intentions
13 - Guided by Voices - Drinkers Peace
14 - Fluf - Sticky Buns
15 - Zao - Physician Heal Thyself
16 - Dungen - Det du Tänker Idag är du I Morgon
17 - The Channels - Through Your Teeth
18 - Walter Schreifels - Arthur Lee's Lullabye
19 - Helios - Dragonfly Across an Ancient Sky
20 - Sonic Youth - Reena

Download(.zip file)

Oh the Joys of Being a Royals Fan...

The majority of my day was spent at the Royals vs. Tigers game here in Kansas City (sorry for the cruddy photo, it's from my phone). I couldn't resist, even on such short notice, as the ticket was free and I hadn't attended a game yet this year. The only downside of going was having to witness the Royals break everyones heart with their 13th straight loss in none other than good old Royals fashion. Despite the loss, it was still a good time and I thought I would document the game in the form of song, albeit a bit of a sarcastic and harsh attempt. So here we go...

The House of Love - Hope [MP3]
Oh yes, there was plenty of hope after the first inning which saw back-to-back-to-BACK homers from Tony Graffinino, Angel Berroa, and Doug Meintkiewicz in that respective order. Six runs should be enough right? I mean, that's a fairly considerable lead to have coming out of the first inning. Unfortunately this is not the case in Royals land. In the top of the second the Tigers responded by putting a quick three runs on the board off of starter Denny Bautista. It's all right though, I mean we are still up by two runs. No problem. We can hold them off. Oh wait, here comes the 4th inning in which Bautista is pulled after giving up two more runs for some dude who hasn't pitched a single inning in the bigs ever, which sadly is the best pitcher we get to see all day. Thankfully after seeing the score get to an all to close 6-5, the Royals Esteban German homers to center in the bottom of the 4th and later in the 6th Emil Brown doubles in a run to bring us back to a comfortable 8-5 lead. I guess I shouldn't ever feel comfortable with any sort of lead, but were talking about "hope" here.

Archers of Loaf - Let the Loser Melt [MP3]
The score is now 8-6 after Bobby Keppel gave up only one run in 3.1 innings of work. Enter our ex-closer Ambiorix Burgos who is brought in during the 8th to protect the lead, which he does for maybe a batter or two before he ignites what is the beginning of a train wreck. Anyway, Burgos would give up a triple to Pudge Rodriguez with two runners on whom both score on the play, bringing the score to a tie ball game at 8-8. Burgos was then pulled for Elmer Dessens, who up until this week had been marvelous.

Delgados - Repeat Failure [MP3]
With the game being tied, one would figure you could count on Dessens who had been outstanding pretty much the entire year so far. However, this was not to be as Dessens miraculously out did Burgos by giving up not two, but four runs in only 0.2 innings of work. He did however get us out of the 8th, but began his handy work in the 9th with two solo shots courtesy of Craig Monroe and Marcus Thames. He then would allow Brandon Inge and Curtis Granderson to reach base before being mercifully pulled in favor of Andrew Sisco and his ass kicking 7+ ERA. Nice.

Traindodge - Corresponding Failure [MP3]
So yes, as expected Andrew Sisco allowed the final three runs by giving up a monstrous shot from Pudge Rodriguez that, as of this reading, still probably hasn't landed yet. Two of those runs were credited to Dessens, we can't slight him any in this collective loss.

The Jesus Lizard - Countless Backs of Sad Losers [MP3]
The end result was a 13-8 ass kicking from the Detroit Tigers to a deflated and emotionless Royals team. There really isn't much else to say after witnessing the teams 13th straight loss. They get the privilege of starting a road trip after this with facing the Yankees to kick things off, so the losing streak is looking as if it could be a bit longer than 13.

To all of you that have major league baseballs teams that are actually major league baseball teams, be thankful. Be very thankful.

Bring the Love...

Coming as a fairly large surprise to me this year is Ian Love's self-titled solo album. Upon first listen I didn't really look to much into it and I admittedly almost wrote it off as another solid release, but something I wouldn't find myself coming back to. However, the thing is, I have found myself coming back to it and each time it gets better. I can't really pinpoint exactly what keeps dragging me back, but it might be some catchy songwriting that is to blame. Knowing of Love's past in hardcore bands like Burn and Die 116, and then future stints in Rival Schools and Cardia, I truly didn't see an album like this coming. However, apparently inspired by past life events and the recent birth of his daughter, the album is a powerful solo debut for Love and features some very strong songwriting.

A mostly acoustic affair, Love plays the majority of the instruments on the album. Backing himself with keyboards and light percussion to go along with his soft and at times high pitched vocals. It's a nice mellow album that hopefully will appeal to his previous audiences and grab the ears of fans of the singer songwriter niche. Regardless, if you're either a fan of Love's work in past bands or are looking for something mellow and catchy, then head on over to Limekiln Records and purchase it. A very nice 2006 surprise for me.

Ian Love - The Only Night [MP3]
Ian Love - Old Enough [MP3]

Boris - Pink and Some Other Things Too...

The new Boris album Pink has recently been released here in the US after seeing its initial release last year in their home land of Japan. Had I not used it in my year end top 20 last year, it would of certainly had a spot this year. That being said, Pink is one of Boris' strongest releases to date, combining a wide collection of past styles and mashing it into one mammoth of an album. The lead track "Farewell" is one of my favorite songs off the album. A slower paced cut that opts out of the doom/sludge area instead for a surprising melodic piece that sounds a bit MBV inspired, which ends up being quite epic as well. However, you can't get to comfortable with it as the majority of the album dips back into the grittier and dirty Boris that many of their fans have attached themselves to. However, the song could go a long way to show how great this band really is. The production values might be a concern to some, as it's definitely not the cleanest and quality sounding production ever. However, I've always found that to be a strong point for the band giving their songs an even nastier/rocking feel. It's definitely not for everyone though, which is understandable.

The album has definitely ignited a notable amount hype for the band. This year seems to be the year that many people are starting rant and rave about the them after releasing numerous albums in Japan and some in the US through Southern Lord. However, I will back whatever hype surrounds Boris, as everything they have ever put out has pretty much impressed me. Even more so with the fact that the band pulls off some of the heaviest doom/sludge material I've heard then switching it to some fine dirty fast paced rock n' roll all at the snap of a finger. Amazing really. Give it a try, as it's better heard than explained. You can do so by picking up Pink through Southern Lord.

Pink:
Boris - Farewell [MP3]
Boris - Blackout [MP3]

And for good measure, a couple more favorite Boris tracks.

Boris/Barebones Split:
Boris - Soul Search You Sleep [MP3]

Various Artists: From Koenji to Eternity:
Boris - Vacuum [MP3]

You can check out Boris' website over here for more information on releases that are Japan exclusive and various collaborations with such artists as Merzbow.

The Catherine Wheel...

For their first two albums, Ferment and Chrome, Catherine Wheel managed to release some fine shoegaze. Definitely not the most consistent, nor the best band to come out of the genre, they still managed to churn out some fantastic songs here and there between those first couple of albums. Unlike a lot of bands that were brought to light during that time due to the interest in shoegaze, Catherine Wheel continued to exist after everyone seemingly forgot about the genre. Releasing albums that catered to a more alternative audience with Happy Days then following that with Adam and Eve and their final album Wishville in 2000. They called it quits shortly after, which singer Rob Dickinson finally emerged last year with a solo album titled Fresh Wine for the Horses. I had actually not planned on doing a post on this band until I was reminded by talking to a friend on just how much I liked them. Even with their following releases after Ferment and Chrome, I still found some replay value in them, even if they did tend to be a bit hit or miss.

However, like I said, some their finest tunes were in their earlier releases. I have yet to track down a lot of their B-sides and whatnot, aside from the small collection of some them on a compilation they released titled Like Cats and Dogs. Despite always being lumped in with the likes of all those shoegaze acts, even with their early material it still wasn't necessarily the stereotypical sound that was common with the genre. They kind of suffered the same fate as Swervedriver when you compare the two time-lines and history of both bands. Both tried to forge on with their music, with some success, however never really achieved much more that and both were commonly pigeonholed in something they didn't quite completely fit in. The album Ferment was really as close to shoegaze as they would get, as Chrome was mostly without the noisier element such as on Ferment and was essentially a much more polished Brit-rock album.

I guess it's sad that I tend to forget about just how good they were actually were at least every few months. Then I am always pleasantly reminded in some shape or form. Anyway, if you've never given them a full listen, I highly suggest it.

Ferment:
Catherine Wheel - Black Metallic [MP3]
Catherine Wheel - Indigo is Blue [MP3]
Catherine Wheel - Flower to Hide [MP3]

Chrome:
Catherine Wheel - Kill Rhythm [MP3]
Catherine Wheel - The Nude [MP3]

Happy Days:
Catherine Wheel - Judy Staring at the Sun [MP3]

Like Cats and Dogs:
Catherine Wheel - Heal 2 [MP3]
Catherine Wheel - Girl Stand Still [MP3]

You can find most their albums through most major retailers. However, like in most cases, you'll find some of the releases used due to peoples bad decisions to pawn them off. Either way, grab them if you can.

Bardo Pond...

Bardo Pond is nearing the release of their next official studio album Ticket Crystals, due out on 06/06/06 on ATP Recordings. Some date, huh? For those that may have taken a listen to any of Bardo Pond's previous albums, then you pretty much expect more of the same deal here with them giving you yet another giant slab of their completely psyched out drifting fuzz rock. Bardo Pond happens to be one of those bands I couldn't possibly keep up with collecting or tracking down their output, as it is quite prolific. A lot of it being out of print as it is, makes that task look even more impossible. However, they are a great band and I am probably just a lazy asshole for not trying. Thankfully they are very good about archiving the majority of their output and keeping that information handy on their website over at Hummingbird Mountain where you can purchase various improvised jam sessions that are released in volumes of self made CD-R's. A very cool deal for those that are fans.

While Ticket Crystals probably won't change anyones opinion of the band, for fans of psych/folksier rock, it's yet another solid release from the group. A massive one at that, and possibly one of the heavier releases from the group. Regardless, be sure to pick up the album from ATP Recordings on June 6th if you dig it.

Bardo Pond - Destroying Angel [MP3]
Bardo Pond - Endurance [MP3]

Amusement Parks on Fire and More San Diego Love...

The band Amusement Parks on Fire was originally the one man project of Michael Feerick, who is just over the age of 20. Amazing, in that at that age he had already written and recorded the self-titled album for Amusement Parks on Fire. I am guessing the album did well enough to inspire the assembling of a full band to take the show on the road, as that's what Feerick did for the majority of 2005.

After all the touring and a well received live show from fans, the band is now close to putting out their second record Out of the Angeles on V2 in the UK come June 5th. Musically, Amusement Parks on Fire are an explosion of guitars and melody with the volume knob turned as far as it possibly can go. Dubbed "stargazing" music in the bands bio, it's a fair label in comparison to the bands bombastic riffs and melodies. One of my favorite discoveries in 2005 was their self titled debut and the track off of it "Venus in Cancer", which serves as a great example as to what this band is all about. Purely rock driven without giving up any of the beauty of shoegazer acts of the past.

Amusement Parks on Fire - Venus in Cancer [MP3]

Be sure to pick up their self titled debut here which was issued in the states through V2.

---

My search for all things Headhunter/Cargo related proved to be a bit more fruitful than I would of thought. I was pointed toward a San Diego based radio show on 91x called Dated and Jaded that airs every other Sunday night at around 7:20 PM Pacific. It's hosted by Bryan Spevak and Larry Munroe (thanks for the heads up!), who played a big part in Cargo's existence. Each show contains a very informational look back at past San Diego and Cargo/Headhunter related bands from the late 80's to mid 90's, in which they share anecdotes, stories, and play a couple songs from selected bands. It's a very valuable source of information and something of definite interest to those who may of been fans of the label and/or many San Diego related bands of that time. Head on over to the Dated and Jaded website for more information and you can also download MP3's of past shows in which they've already covered bands like Chune, No Knife, Three Mile Pilot, and Heavy Vegetable.

You can find an online stream over here and please do check it out every other Sunday at 7:20 PM Pacific.

Half Boy...Half Gorilla. I'm Serial.

Typically whenever I get a message over MySpace asking me to check out someones label or band, I prepare for the on coming onslaught to the ears of what would regularly be some group of kids stuck in 1998 playing terrible rehashes of Staind songs. I think we all know just how terrible that sounds. Anyway, last night I was sent a message by a group called Typhoon promoting themselves and their small self run label Boy Gorilla who currently house both them and another band by the name of The Black Black Black. You can imagine the amount of surprise I had when I realized that this was indeed something of quality. A big thank you to the parties involved of both bands.

For something like Typhoon, it's hard to pin down just what type of music you might be hearing. The band seems to be just about as all over the map as you can get, playing an array of styles of music like but not limited to folk, indie, and even a touch of post-rock. Not to terribly surprising from a band that seems to be comprised of 14 members, from what I could count, and believe me...my math is horrible. With a group that large, you can expect to hear many different instruments creating some finely textured music that brings to mind the likes of Six Organs of Admittance or Neutral Milk Hotel.

Typhoon - So Passes Away the Glory of the World [MP3]
Typhoon - Death Was the Driver [MP3]

For more music downloads from Typhoon visit them over at their MySpace.

Label mates, The Black Black Black, take on a whole different approach than Typhoon, tackling the noisier spectrum of indie rock. Immediately upon hearing the song "The In", This is a Long Drive... and Lonesome Crowded West era Modest Mouse comes to mind, which if you know me is something I enjoy quite a lot. It's a refreshing thing to hear bands playing quirky and challenging indie rock after having to endure America's love of all things garage rock. Give these guys a listen if you can.

The Black Black Black - The In [MP3]

For more music downloads from The Black Black Black visit them at their MySpace.

And for all things Boy Gorilla related, visit their website where you can purchase material from both bands featured above and they even have some pretty nice t-shirts for sale for both bands as well.

Thanks for reading, be back Monday!

Playing Favorites Today...

I am fairly bored today so I am going to take a step back here and throw up something from another one of my favorite bands from when I was still in school. It was when I was sometime in late middle school that I had this magical revelation that music wasn't limited to just what radio informed me was good. Bands like Helmet, Quicksand, etc. were pretty much my gateway into much much better music. One of the bands along the way was the great Orange 9mm, headed by former Burn vocalist (and damn good one at that) Chaka Malik. The band was originally comprised of Chaka, guitarist Chris Traynor, bassist David Gentile and drummer Matthew Cross. Lineups proved to be difficult for Orange 9mm however, and various members would leave with practically each album they released.

After recording a short EP for hardcore stalwart Revelation, the band was signed to Eastwest and released their first album Driver Not Included in 1995. Featuring every bit of intensity found in the bands hardcore roots and possibly one of the best album openers ever in "Glistening", Driver Not Included serves as one of the most consistently overlooked post-hardcore releases. Although possibly ignored for the notable hip-hop influence, it's so extremely well executed that it, in my opinion, bolsters the albums overall feel and lyrical approach. The lyrics were always a focal point within the group thanks to Chaka's outstanding ability to craft memorable and down right passionate lyrics, which were always delivered in an equally passionate way. Following was Tragic a year later on Atlantic, serving as the bands second album. An even more bitter affair than their debut, the band was even more driving and ferocious than ever. In between, tracks like "Stick Shift" and "Crowd Control" took advantage of Chaka's rapping ability with the rest of the album being a relentless assault of pounding bass driven guitars.

Around 3 years passed before I got to hear another Orange 9mm record, other than the small EP Ultraman vs. Godzilla that was released in between records. Finally though sometime in June of '99 the band returned as a trio with Pretend I'm Human. Now, it is the general consensus that this album was the bands weakest. However, despite whether this is true or not, it's all a matter of opinion anyway, it still has some great songs on it. Definitely different than anything the band had done before, implementing the help of electronics and programming for starters. However you look at it though, the album contains some of the most interesting material from the band. Tracks like "Touching Skies", "Dragons", and "Tightrope" are the most compelling with them mostly featuring Chaka backed by nothing but an array of simple samples and beats. After the release of Pretend I'm Human the band seemingly split sometime thereafter. Unfortunate, but judging by the amount of directions Pretend I'm Human was trying to go, it was probably inevitable.


Orange 9mm - Glistening [MP3] (Driver Not Included)
Orange 9mm - Suspect [MP3] (Driver Not Included)
Orange 9mm - Tragic [MP3] (Tragic)
Orange 9mm - Method [MP3] (Tragic)
Orange 9mm - Pretend I'm Human [MP3] (Pretend I'm Human)
Orange 9mm - Tightrope [MP3] (Pretend I'm Human)


I urge everyone to take a listen to this great band. They were one of the highlights of the mid nineties post-hardcore push, however sadly overlooked. Everything from their discography is out of print, but thanks to overwhelming sources for used CD's anymore, it shouldn't be to hard to track most of these down. If anything give Amazon or eBay a shot. It's worth it.

Chaka's current musical endeavors can be found over at his MySpace. It looks as if now days he is busy doing DJ sets around the NYC area.

Garden Variety - Knocking the Skill Level...

This past week I spent some time trying to track down material from Headhunter/Cargo related artists. The "expedition" led me to find the Long Island trio of Garden Variety. The band released two albums, the self-titled for Gern Blandsten and their sophomore/final album Knocking the Skill Level on Headhunter. They also had splits with bands like Chune and Jejune. It surprises me that I had never heard of these guys before this, as the comparisons to such bands like Jawbreaker and Superchunk would lead me to believe that I would have stumbled across this band quite a bit sooner than I did. Those comparisons are fairly accurate though when listening to their earlier material and their self-titled album, which is nothing but straight forward up-tempo pop/punk. That being, On Knocking the Skill Level, the band makes a noticeable change, which was quite possibly the result of mixing the album in San Diego with Drive Like Jehu's Mike Trombino. Instead of the two to three minute spurts of all smiles pop/punk, the band crafted eleven tracks for Knocking the Skill Level that were much more focused structurally and enriched with the chaotic guitar driven intensity that was characteristic of Drive Like Jehu. Despite all the heavy influence surrounding the record, Garden Variety still holds their own thanks in large to Anthony Roman's vocals, which draw heavily from the sound that was commonly associated with most emo-core groups during that period.

Garden Variety - Chatroom Walkout [MP3]
Garden Variety - Room 183 [MP3]
Garden Variety - Soft on the Name [MP3]

It's unfortunate to see that this band didn't last longer than they did. Their second album Knocking the Skill Level is pretty solid, and sadly probably went unnoticed by most, inluding me up until this past week. The album is still available from what I can tell and can be picked up over at Cargo Music's website for those that are interested.

The Radio Dept. - Pet Grief...

Coming out of Sweden is The Radio Dept. with their second album through Labrador Records titled Pet Grief. However, we in the states will not be able to grab it until May 30th, but I am sure it's still possible to just do the overseas thing if you wish. The album is yet another fine addition to the catalog of 2006 releases that I have been enjoying quite a bit. After hearing Lesser Matters a couple years ago, I was impressed and enjoyed that album as well, however I wasn't expecting such a strong follow up in Pet Grief. Although very much a synthpop record, it is beautifully layered with quiet textured guitars throughout bringing to mind the likes of Slowdive which is then accompanied by violins and short piano pieces here and there. As if the album couldn't be any more lush or one that tries to lull you off to sleep, the vocals provided by that of Johan Duncanson are so incredibly soft and whispered that it's possibly even more soothing than the music itself. The high point of the album, and one of my favorite songs of the year, is the song "Every Time", which is probably the most shoegazy track on the album. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a nice dream pop fix.

The Radio Dept. - Every Time [MP3]
The Radio Dept. - Always a Relief [MP3]
The Radio Dept. - I Wanted You to Feel the Same [MP3]

If you like what you hear, you can pick this up directly from Labrador!

Our Band Could be Your Life...

While on my way to see the game to big screen adaptation of Silent Hill yesterday, I listened to Mission of Burma's newest album The Obliterati for seemingly the millionth time, which has seriously placed itself among one of my favorite albums of the year thus far by being obscenely catchy. I'll admit, I was never really an avid listener of all things Burma, but this release has me sold as them being a fantastic band and that has me back tracking and listening to their older material all over again. I would have to say the drive to the movie decided it for me as the music was almost entirely perfect for it. I can't say the same for the movie Silent Hill, as it was mediocre...but much like the game. So yeah, The Obliterati > Silent Hill. I highly suggest listening to the album, as I am positive that it will be fighting for the year end top spot, as nerdy as that sounds.

Mission of Burma - Spider's Web [MP3]

Shaping to be another fantastic album, for which I have only recently directed my full on attention to, has been the new Sonic Youth album Rather Ripped. The absence of Jim O'Rourke has changed the overall approach of the band, or maybe not really changed, rather than leaving their sound somewhere in the middle ground of past and what we knew as the present. It's a pleasant album though, with mostly straight forward rock songs, and really is the sort of album that would only be expected from a band that is in its 20th album of pumping out jams. Run out and buy it whenever it's out if you're down with the Youth. If not, you probably should be.

Sonic Youth - Reena [MP3]

Buy Mission of Burma - The Obliterati here!
Buy Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped here!

Kill Creek and Killing Baseball...

It's the month of May and I am ready to go. At least for now.

A bit off topic here for a bit however. I know, nobody probably wants to hear me rant about something. What's even worse is that it's about sports and a certain sports commentator who I absolutely cannot listen to. The name is Joe Morgan. Yes, the Emmy winning broadcaster for major sports network ESPN. Baseball games are entirely ruined by this man, and last night I was glad to find out that I am not alone in this sentiment when I stumbled across a blog entirely dedicated to the idea of him being fired, which can be found here. We all know it would probably never ever happen, but being able to take solace in the fact that I am not the only one out there that finds his antics and commentary on baseball completely infuriating is a pretty nice feeling. Actually anymore the entire ESPN baseball sportscasting crew is fairly intolerable. It's almost painful to watch Baseball Tonight. Give me Steve Stone over any of these ass hats. Anyway, moving on...

I found this to be a pleasant surprise when I stumbled across it a few months ago while sifting through used CD's. Apparently released in 2004, The Will to Strike is a retrospect of Kill Creek's work through 1989 to basically somewhere around 1999 or so and can be found on Second Nature. Even better it happens to contain Kill Creek's first two albums St. Valentine's Garage and Proving Winter Cruel, which before I had only heard through very poorly ripped MP3's, so I was pretty enlightened to find this. For those that aren't aware already, Kill Creek is a rock band that hails from Lawrence Kansas, which is not to far from where I reside. Anyway, the band was formed way back in 1986, however meandered along recording various demos and tracks of their pop influenced brand of post-punk for random compilations. All this led up until their eventual release of their EP Stretch, which would soon be followed by St. Valentine's Garage. The band through that time and to the present has basically remained the same in key members Scott Born, Patrick Grassy, and Ron Hayes. The band has gone through a number of drummers however. Continuing forth, Kill Creek would release Proving Winter Cruel in 1996, which sort of strayed away from the original power pop approach they had on their debut in favor of a more straight rock record with that classic Midwestern feel. Another album was apparently recorded sometime later, however was terminated and never released, although some of the songs would show up as reworked versions for 2001's Colors of Home on Second Nature Records.

This two disc compilation serves as a very good introduction to the band and a good purchase for already Kill Creek fans as each disc includes one of the full length albums and a number of selected rare tracks and other hard to find material from various years. Take a listen to the tracks below and if you like, go out and find this compilation or some of the out of print records by this incredibly overlooked rock band. Either that you can pick up The Will to Strike over at Blue Collar Distro.

Kill Creek - Unsteady [MP3]
Kill Creek - The Flood V.1 [MP3]
Kill Creek - Todd Newman [MP3]
Kill Creek - Gett On [MP3]
Kill Creek - 39 Fingers [MP3]

Also, drop by the Kill Creek website for more.