Cinemechanica Teaches The Martial Arts...

I featured a song (“Brain Tarp”) by this band on a previous mix; I think it was possibly last months. Anyway, I’ve kind of since then slept on writing about the debut album from the guys in Cinemechanica. Their album The Martial Arts is out now on Hello Sir Records and compiles nine songs of pure technical rock devastation.

Compact is a good choice for a word to describe the band as a whole. The music is quick and the guitars change on a dime. There is no time to think about what you just heard as you’ll promptly be interrupted by something equally or more impressive only a few seconds later. As all over the place as this band appears to be, this is the sound of controlled chaos. I have no doubt in my mind the members of Cinemechanica know exactly what they are doing with their instruments. If you aren’t paying attention to what’s going on during this record, you very quickly will be upon further listening. The group abandons the simple melodies and opts instead to play off one another, showcasing the talented guitars of both Bryant Williamson and Andy Pruett. It’s post-hardcore, however it’s the technicality and influence of Don Caballero mixed with the likes of something rock driven and punchy as Drive Like Jehu. The Martial Arts is a highly impressive effort from this Athens, Georgia group. Obviously Cinemechanica’s sound is deep rooted in musical past, but that’s not to say it should be ignored or disregarded in any way, as music like this should of never left anyway.

Cinemechanica – Yen [MP3]
Cinemechanica – I’m Tired of Paul McCartney [MP3]
Cinemechanica – Bruckheimer [MP3]

You can pick up Cinemechanica’s album The Martial Arts over at their label Hello Sir Records.

Monthly Mix Time...

Time to drop the monthly mix upon you. As usual, some good new stuff thrown in with some past favorites of mine. I hope you all enjoy.

01 - Farside - Square One
02 - The Paper Chase - ...And all the Candy You Can Eat
03 - Cherubs - Coonass
04 - Yo La Tengo - Sugarcube
05 - Bluetip - New Young Residents
06 - Milkmine - Earl Campbell
07 - The Sound of Animals Fighting - My Horse Must Lose
08 - Starkweather - Vespertilian
09 - Cursive - Bad Sects
10 - Rust - Not Today
11 - Camera Obscura - Lloyd I'm Ready to be Heartbroken
12 - Kurt - On the Display
13 - RX Bandits - In Her Drawer
14 - Cortez - I.M.T.v
15 - Bibio - Cherry Go Around
16 - Distorted Pony - Splinter
17 - Drip Tank - Suspended
18 - Blind Mr. Jones - One Watt Above Darkness
19 - Black Cobra - Kay-Dur-Twenty
20 - Snowden - Anti-Anti

Download (.zip file)

Black Cobra is Indeed Bestial...

You almost have to assume something that comes from ex-members of Cavity and 16 is going to be something worth hearing. So when listening to Black Cobra’s new record Bestial, I would be lying if I said I didn’t have any expectations for it. The duo that makes up Black Cobra is members Jason Landrian and Rafael Martinez. The band itself shows similarities to both members past projects, which is welcomed by me.

The idea for the duo originally formed when both Jason and Rafael were in their hometown of Miami visiting family. The result was endless amounts of tape trading and visits to each others respective place of residence (NY/LA). They released a three-song demo in 2004 that immediately demonstrated the ferocious nature of the bands sound. It’s now 2006, and after years of laboring over this release, Black Cobra has released their first album Bestial on At a Loss Recordings.

The music is dense, so dense that it almost feels like that it’s still moving at a sloth-like pace even when the band itself dives into a crust-punk fueled barrage of noise. It’s the type of sound that feels heavy even when it’s hardly making any noise at all, which is a rare occasion on Bestial. Regardless, the duo does well for being just that, a duo. The sound is large and full giving Black Cobra a sound that is almost juggernaut like, possibly larger than many of their peers. Among the dense layers the drums are pounding and pummeling, equally huge as the feedback itself. The vocals are raspy screams for which are indecipherable for the most part, fitting right along with the conveying anger displayed in the music.

I generally find “sludge” a hard genre for me to really appreciate at times. I won’t lie; there are many cases where I grow tired quickly with a lot of music associated in this genre. However, it really impresses me when something like Bestial is released that can sit in my CD player and I never have the notion to get up and take it out. It keeps my interest and to put it quite simply, it just really fucking rocks.

Black Cobra – Thrown From Great Heights [MP3]
Black Cobra – Sugar Water [MP3]

For anyone that was fans of the band member’s previous bands, by all mean check out Black Cobra. And anyone that digs music like High on Fire, Eyehategod, or anything of the sort…check it out too. You can do so by heading on over to At a Loss Recordings and picking up the album.

Last Call for Superdrag...

Yes, yes. I’ve been gone for, to the Internet world, probably what seems like forever. However, last week was sort of a busy one for me. It’s hard to believe to those that actually know me. Anyway, last week was spent getting my brother his driver’s license, another Royals game (we won this time), and participation in my towns Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society. I was up all night Friday into Saturday morning either walking around a track or doing some other activity.

I am back however, and hopefully I will stick around through most of this week. I don’t see why not. One thing this weekend was responsible for was my rediscovered love for Superdrag. Yeah, the band that made that catchy hit back in ’96 called “Sucked Out” and then for most people was never to be heard from again. Well, Superdrag continued to release albums all the way up until 2002 before the band would eventually call it a day sometime in 2003. Each one being a solid release of power pop/rock with a touch of 60’s fuzz and strong melody thrown into the mix. It’s no doubt that Superdrag was channeling the sounds of past 60’s garage rock acts and with a bit of a modernized radio friendly touch. It worked nicely as singer/songwriter John Davis had a brilliant ability to write some very catchy and memorable hooks that positioned Superdrag as to being a consistently solid band.

After releasing the Fabulous 8 Track Sounds of Superdrag EP on Darla Records in 1995, the band found interest from Elektra Records, which snatched them up for the release of their debut album Regretfully Yours in 1996. The album spawned the aforementioned pop hit “Sucked Out”, which found itself in regular rotation on MTV due to earning the notorious “Buzz Bin” status. However, like most bands that would find success during the mid nineties alternative boom, they would quickly become forgotten when it came time for a follow up to Regretfully Yours. In 1998 the band released their second album for Elektra titled Head Trip in Every Key, however despite the album receiving positive reviews it wasn’t what the label had in mind and the band found themselves with little push from the label to support the album. The band would demand to be dropped for work on their third album In the Valley of Dying Stars. It would find it’s release in 2000 through Arena Rock Recordings, which would later release their fourth album in 2002 titled Last Call for Vitriol which then the band found themselves on indefinite hiatus afterwards.

Regretfully Yours:
Superdrag - Destination Ursa Major [MP3]
Superdrag - Garmonbozia [MP3]

Head Trip in Every Key:
Superdrag - Do the Vampire [MP3]
Superdrag - Wrong vs. Right Doesn't Matter [MP3]

In the Valley Dying Stars:
Superdrag - Bright Pavilions [MP3]
Superdrag - Some Kind of Tragedy [MP3]

Last Call for Vitriol:
Superdrag - Feeling Like I Do [MP3]
Superdrag - Remain Yer Strange [MP3]

It’s hard to narrow down which release is my personal favorite, however I am partial to Last Call for Vitriol. It was a bit more of a rock n’ roll affair, however each release is very good. They were one of the most quietly consistent bands to come out of the 90’s alt. era. After the split in 2003, singer John Davis came back in 2005 with a solo album, cleaning up his act after years of hard drinking.

Practically every Superdrag release can still be purchased over at Insound, so I highly recommend people check those out.

Drop Nineteens...

The shoegaze movement of the early 90’s was primarily a product of England, however, as big as it became it was surely bound to crossover in the states just enough to spawn some contributors to the scene. The number of those wasn’t very high though, and generally the majority of them were lost among the genre frontrunners like MBV, Ride, etc. One of the better American groups to come out of that time period though was the Drop Nineteens. Only together for roughly 4 years, the Boston MA based group released two EP’s and two full-length albums during that span. However, the time together was a rough one, as the group saw a number of lineup changes after the release of their first album Delaware, which was released on Caroline Records. Original members Paula Kelley (vocals, guitar), Chris Roof (drums), and Motohiro Yasue (guitar) would all leave the band leaving members Greg Ackell (vocals, guitar) and Steve Zimmerman (bass) to continue on.

The band was able to regroup and was joined by new members Megan Gilbert (vocals, guitar), Pete Koeplin (drums), and Justin Crosby (guitar) to release their second album titled National Coma released on Caroline in 1993. However, the band wouldn’t last much longer after that as the members were once again dealing with artistic differences which eventually proved to be to tumultous for the band to get over. They did manage to put out an EP called Your Aquariam in 1994, but the end result was the band breaking up sometime in 1995.

Not to terribly different than any of the more prominent English acts of the same time. The Drop Nineteens had a bit of a more indie rock feel to their sound, but still relied on the swirling guitar effect to the likes of My Bloody Valentine or Swervedriver for the majority of their first album Delaware. With their second album National Coma, the rock influence played a bit more of a role in the bands sound along with a bit of an odd experimental side that the band didn't necessarily touch much upon previously. The band however was always much more praised upon in the UK. Not surprising as shoegaze pretty much lived and died there.

Drop Nineteens - Delaware [MP3] (Delaware)
Drop Nineteens - Winona [MP3] (Delaware)
Drop Nineteens - Skull [MP3] (National Coma)

Both full-lengths are no longer available for purchase any more, so scouring the Internet for a good deal on a used copy of either is the only method of obtaining any material. Amazon or eBay, again and again and again. Why can’t anything be in print?

Cherubs - Heroin Man...

Quite honestly, there might not be an album that sounds as dirty and filthy as this. Back in 1994 the Cherubs released Heroin Man, which stands as one of the most ugly records I’ve ever heard. Not that it’s really any noisier than anything I’ve posted about on here before; it’s just that it captures a feel that most others don’t. It somehow manages to take all the grime and sweat that you picture coming off the stage and putting it into a sound. This album practically drips of filth; honestly…it might make you want to bathe.

The Cherubs was a foursome that was based out of Austin TX. However, they only managed to release two full albums before they called it quits sometime in 1995. Heroin Man serves as that second and final album, as well as their definitive record in their discography. Later a collection of singles and whatnot would be released titled Short of Popular. There are occasionally bands that sound exactly like where they came from and it’s no doubt that the Cherubs were one of those bands. The state of Texas is ever present in their sound, to the point where you almost feel as if your sitting in some dingy dive bar, complete with brawls, and to top it all off…no air conditioning. That’s the best I can do in describing just as to how this record sounds to me, so just listen to the songs and develop your own scenario.

Cherubs – Stag Party [MP3]
Cherubs – Mr. Goy [MP3]
Cherubs – Dave of the Moon [MP3]

Released on King Coffey’s now defunct Trance Syndicate label, the album is of course out of print. So it can be had through various online retailers the do the used thing. Or of course there is always eBay for the more adventurous. Regardless of which route you take, picking up this album is incredibly worth it for whatever small price you will most likely pay.

Double Death of Coachwhips...

I did some brief CD shopping yesterday, and managed to pick up a couple of the releases on my 2006 list that I hadn’t been able to track down yet. Also, to my delight, I ran across a copy of the new Coachwhips CD/DVD release Double Death. So today, in a rare Saturday update since I was fairly hit or miss all week, I will talk a bit about this fine release from Narnack Records.

Double Death is the compilation release from the Coachwhips which collects various rarities, B-sides, and a DVD chock full of concert footage. I am typically not a fan of anything resembling to throwback garage rock or anything of the sort. However, the Coachwhips were a band that were so careless in their approach and playing that it actually made it more appealing. Releasing 4 albums worth of distorted and downright dirty rock ‘n roll in just as many years. This isn’t your garage rock for The Strokes set, this is something almost completely inaudible at times and noisy that it’s actually in my opinion much more true to those acts of the late 60’s. Not being focused on any sort of production qualities, John Dwyer’s vocals are just as equally loud and distorted in the mix of noise.

Coachwhips - Hands On [MP3]
Coachwhips - Brains Out [MP3]
Coachwhips - Guess I'm Fallin' in Love (The Velvet Underground)[MP3]

The second portion of this CD is great too as it features a bunch of covers from the band doing songs from which undoubtedly led them to this abrasive sound. Featuring covers from The Kinks, The Sonics, and a few more. The DVD portion of the release shouldn’t be missed either as it contains some good live footage of the band. The footage itself is a great resemblance of the bands style and sound, as it does a pretty damn good job at capturing the gritty feel of their live shows and complete insanity that ensued. This is a must for anyone that is a Coachwhips fan. Even if you’re not and you see this floating around in your local record shop, grab it anyway; it’s completely worth it. If that’s not possible, pick it up directly over at Narnack.

Spacehorse...

I wrote something about Spacehorse last year on a much lesser incarnation of this blog, but that was then, so I’ve decided to go back and touch upon them again.

I was fairly impressed with their self-titled EP that they released last year through Matt Anderson’s own Gravity Records, who also serves as the drummer in Spacehorse. The band also includes vocalist Russell White (Camera Obscura, Champagnekiss), bassist Adam Gunsiphen (Nullfied), and guitarist Scott Bartilonni (Heroin, Clikitat Ikatowi). The music is firmly rooted in the members past in key hardcore/punk bands of those mentioned. However, it’s been molded into something a bit more refreshing and surprisingly catchy for music of this nature. The songs are just as you would expect, nothing clocking in at over 2 minutes plus, burning through song after song. They never sound dated however, which I think is a fairly high achievement when looking at a record such as this. They’ve managed to be innovative enough to add to a classic sound while still maintaining a sense of nostalgia and the energy that surrounded the genre at one time. It’s nothing that will drop jaws or break any new ground, but it’s a good portion of straight up hardcore that I think can be enjoyed and appreciated by many, so give it a listen.

Spacehorse – Burn Your Kerosene [MP3]
Spacehorse – Double Zero [MP3]
Spacehorse – Hang Your Child [MP3]

There should be record out soon, if it isn’t already. I say that because I can’t honestly find out if it’s available or not. The target date was late June according to Day After Records, but there hasn’t been any update on that and I can’t find it for purchase, so I assume it’s still waiting in the wings. Despite that, you can still check out new material from the EP, which is called Ghosts of the Civil Living, on their MySpace. So head on over there for some more great tunes.

You can also purchase their self-titled EP over here.

Mikaela's Fiend...

How two people can make so much damn noise is beyond me. However, Mikaela’s Fiend does just that. The band is comprised of cousins Chris Ando and Donnie Shoemaker, who are only the ages of 18 and 16. Already, the band has a full length to show for themselves that was just released at the end of May through SAF Records called We Can Driving Machine. The artwork for the album (pictured in this post) is interesting as it’s supposedly an oil painting of their grandmother, and on the other side features a similar oil painting of their grandfather.

The album opens up with the trademark crackling/pop of a vinyl record and the voice of a lady singing, which from what I have read is their grandmother singing as well. However, that only lasts a mere 1:40 or so before an onslaught of distortion and thundering drums come barreling over you. For a duo, this is an impressively loud and chaotic dose of instrumental noise rock. With no pause in between tracks, it leaves you without being able to catch your breath as it burns through song after song, which are all untitled.

Mikaela's Fiend - Untitled 3 [MP3]
Mikaela's Fiend - Untitled 7 [MP3]

I strongly recommend this record for those that enjoy ferociously heavy noise rock. You can pick it up currently through Red Eye and help support these kids. Great stuff.

Ventura - Pa Capona...

One of the best feelings in the world is to spontaneously check out a band that you have no prior knowledge of and come to find out that they are quite good. More so, they aren’t just good, but the bands album ends up being one of the better things you’ve heard all year. I usually get this only a handful of times throughout the year. I was beginning to get a little worried however, as here I am in June and I hadn’t had many those special cases up until this point.

How I ran across Ventura is really pretty simple, boredom and MySpace factor into it. So yeah, going from one profile to the next I eventually stumbled across this trio, which after hearing only a couple tracks off their page I knew it was right up my alley.

Taken from their MySpace:
VENTURA is a three piece from Giez-sur-Lausanne (Switzerland) founded in summer of 2002 when current and past members from such fine acts as Illford and Iscariote got together with the firm intention to pay tribute to their first musical love:indie rock.....this was an added flavor of some bad ass riffing as a bonus. After some gigs, serious things started for them when swiss video artist Emmanuelle Antille offered them to use some of their music to her new film "Rollow". That gave them the opportunity to go in the studio to record some tunes and the film has since been shown at the International Film Festival in Locarno. Ventura has shared stage with fine acts such as The pAper chAse, Mediactions, Cat On Form and Scumbucket. In 2005, the band released two 10'' splits vinyl in a row on Get a Life Records. The first split was shared with the mighty swiss band Disco Doom and the second with the brutal Cortez. In 2006, Ventura's first full length will be out. Stay tuned and check out www.getaliferecords.com for more info

Ventura - The Question [MP3]
Ventura - I Keep Starting [MP3]
Ventura - Limits [MP3]

Indie rock or not, their new album Pa Capona partly reminds me of acts like Hum or Houston on tracks like "I Keep Starting" and "Limits". Definitely a throw back in a sense to the driving/pounding hard rock that was more prominently found through the early to mid nineties. All I can say is that I am digging this quite a bit and I suggest that you check it out at their MySpace. I could seriously listen to stuff like this forever. You can pick up Pa Capona through Get a Life Records, just follow the instructions on their page.

Driving School...

I had meant to make an update yesterday, but alas the “Internet Gods” weren’t having any of that. So, after numerous attempts I finally waved the white flag of defeat. However, today is another day and hopefully they will go a bit easier on me. As of right now though things aren’t looking so good, so if by the end of the day I am not the only one who has read this, I consider myself fortunate.

The past week or so I have been given the responsibility of teaching my brother how to drive. I assume the reasoning behind that is because a.) They know I have no real choice to begin with b.) I also have the least valuable car, which can be seen in the picture featured in this post. I honestly don’t look at myself as a good teacher, because the fact of the matter is I am not the most responsible driver on Earth. I do my fair share of douchebaggery on the road and I am doing my best to not let those influences rub off on to my brother, who in a week will be sitting next to some stranger critiquing him who I am sure wants to see him use that blinker.

So today’s post I have compiled a list of songs that have to do with any aspect of driving from what I can make out. This being due to the above mentioned and that for the next week or so I am going to be doing a fair share of driving and changing of underwear. I’ll leave the underwear inspired songs off the list…

Armor for Sleep – Car Underwater [MP3]:
Now this is surely something I do want to avoid. Thankfully I am in an area void of possible water hazards so long as we stay within a ten-mile radius or so. However, I don’t rule out the chances of this happening and I will have my hand placed on the door opener at all times for any sudden bail attempt.

Jawbox – Motorist [MP3]:
Exactly what I will be, pretty self-explanatory. Hopefully the lyrics “This is my wreck, so let it be. Cracked gauges carry messages for me” do not come into play or in the future mean anything more to me other than being a line in a great song from band I love.

Braid – That Car Came out of Nowhere [MP3]:
The excuse that I am sure I have used at some point and many others have as well. I have no doubts that I will eventually hear this muttered from my brother’s mouth at some point. However, in my case the better song title could have been “That Mailbox Came out of Nowhere”. Yes, laugh it up…as it’s true.

Swirlies – Park the Car by the Side of the Road [MP3]:
Last week when I took my brother out driving we cruised around on back roads and even went by our old house for a bit of nostalgia. However, immediately after passing the house we were met by a bumblebee that had flown in the window and was pretty pissed off at the fact that its flying path had been interrupted by my beast of an Escort. So, for about a mile I had to somehow convince my brother to pull over without him knowing there was one very mad bumblebee flying around in the back seat. Not bad for our first couple days out.

Bluetip – I Even Drive Like a Jerk [MP3]:
I won’t lie. I am a horrible driver. Thankfully it has only resulted in a couple of wrecks (both of which were ice related, thank you) and only a few upset fellow motorists. However a couple of the ones I did manage to upset were angry enough to leave the comfy confines of their car or bright light me for over ten miles. So yeah, I would like to think I can teach someone how to drive…but really, would you want me to?

Hayden – Driveway [MP3]:
And this my friends is where I would like my car to stay unless I am the one behind the wheel. But the powers above have deemed my car the lucky one by method of the totem pole. posted by Jonathan at 4:25 PM 2 comments

You Won't Catch Me Sleeping...

Nope, not on this release. Eagerly awaiting the US release for the new album by Japanese hardcore vets Envy titled Insomniac Doze. Just released at the end of May in Japan, it won't see a stateside release until August 22nd which will be put out through Temporary Residence.

For over a decade now, Envy have been releasing some of the most beautiful, while at the same time devastating hardcore music to be found. The band has countless numbers of 7 inches, compilation appearances, and full-lengths under their belt, which brings them up to their newest release Insomniac Doze. Carrying on with their special blend of post-rock influenced hardcore that builds and tears down musical compositions with the best of them. The intensity and emotion captured through Envy's music is something that just has to be heard, and apparently the live show is even more balls out, which would surely be something to witness judging by the studio material. Regardless, the band has surely established themselves with each release as an amazingly talented band. If not, I have no doubt that Insomniac Doze will win over even more fans. This is a band that has gave its all over the years and still hasn't let up one bit.

Envy - Further Ahead of Warp [MP3]
Envy - A Warm Room [MP3]

You can buy various Envy releases over here.

BONUS MP3:
Mogwai - I Chose Horses (feat. Tetsuya Fukagawa of Envy) [MP3]

Buy Mogwai Mr. Beast at Insound!

God is an Astronaut?

Sometime last year I was recommended the band God is an Astronaut a three piece outfit from Dublin. I assume the band was originally passed my way due to my affinity with the style of shoegaze. However, when listening to their last full-length album All is Violent, All is Bright I didn't see the connection there aside from maybe some of the dreamy textures. At first a bit disappointed by what appeared to be yet another notch in the ever expanding post-rock genre, I was gradually found myself warming up to it after repeated listens. I eventually came to the realization that the music within All is Violent, All is Bright isn't just another half assed stab at achieving something monumental and epic sounding. Instead, God is an Astronaut is monumental and epic sounding. Although the songs on the album are generally shorter than most post-rock compositions, I actually find it a bit relieving. Not to say I don't like the Godspeeds of post-rock, however the similarities and carbon copy effect can get quite tiresome after awhile. So in that sense, God is an Astronaut is a much welcome addition.

Taking an already familiar sound, God is an Astronaut incorporate a vast amount of synth and various other electronic elements to their music. Thus giving All is Violent, All is Bright a chilled ambiance to it that surely makes the more powerful moments throughout the album stand out even more. Listen to this album at night, as I did, and it will become even more apparent that this album is a great soundtrack of sorts. One that definitely deserves a hefty amount of praise. However, God is an Astronaut are still a bit under the radar, but with each album that they release they are gaining the notoriety they deserve.

God is an Astronaut - A Deafening Distance [MP3]
God is an Astronaut - Remembrance Day [MP3]

If you missed out on All is Violent, All is Bright in 2005, be sure to pick it up now at their website. You can also grab their newest EP A Moment of Stillness and their reissued debut The End is the Beginning through their website as well.

The music of God is an Astronaut is just one of a few bands that have been written into the screenplay for a television show called Lenexa that a couple of friends and I have been working on over the past few months. In actuality I contribute only a very small fraction to the creative process and none of us ever plan to have the show made, but it serves as a fun project for all of us to take part in and grow creatively. I do hope that anyone who is intrigued will check it out over at its MySpace page for screenplay downloads and more information on the show.

Yet a Different Formula...

I was making a mix CD yesterday, and originally I had planned for the final track to be something drone oriented and a bit lengthy, however that changed when I was going through possible options. I ran across the album Formula by O.L.D. (Old Lady Drivers), which I hadn't listened to for a couple years at least. However I immediately knew then that I was going to use "Last Look" as the final track for the mix. Why? I really don't know or have a good reason as to why other than it fit well and I remember listening to the song an outrageous amount times when I was younger.

For those that might not know, O.L.D. was the ever changing experimental project of James Plotkin, a name that I am sure is fairly familiar among most, especially those who are fans of experimental or electronic music. What originally started as a death metal/grindcore outfit on their debut self-titled album, eventually ended on a completely different note that was Formula. Each album carried a different sound, extending and branching the original sound past any sort of present boundaries there might be. As much as I like the albums Lo Flux Tube and the Self-Titled, I've found myself coming back to Formula more often than not due to it being an incredibly captivating listen.

Being released in 1995, I can imagine how this probably didn't sit well with many older fans and overall probably didn't really fit well among various Earache acts at the time. You often hear the phrase "ahead of its time", and sometimes those statements are true, however with Formula there is no doubt in my mind that this was ahead of its time. Moving even further from conventional metal, Formula is an album heavy on keyboards and harmonics. Focused more so on ambient loops, droning melodies, and some impressive textural guitar work from Plotkin himself. The end result is something that has a certain beauty to it while maintaining a bit of abrasiveness and an underlying darkness that could be found on older releases, as displayed on tracks like "Devolve" and "Thug".

O.L.D. - Last Look [MP3]
O.L.D. - Thug [MP3]

It's sad to see an album like this to be out of print since really I think it deserves a bit more recognition in shaping the electronic/dub genre. However, you'll be cast off to scour used record bins and all the other online sources for this one.

James Plotkin has since went on to do numerous projects and collaborations since O.L.D. came to an end, the most recognizable of them being Khanate, which contains former O.L.D. vocalist Alan Dubin and Stephen O' Malley of Sunn O))), Burning Witch, and Thorrs Hammer fame.