GRAVEDIGGAZ: 6 FEET DEEP (Gee Street/Island, 1994)

First, forget what critics and fans and Wikipedia and Fangoria have to say about Gravediggaz being "...widely credited as one of the most influential and pioneering groups in the small hip-hop subgenre of horrorcore." It's just silly. This album is in a class of it's own and in no way should be compared to the likes of ICP, Twiztid, Eminem, etc. The need to classify and create new genres (and subgenres) is god damn absurd; it drives me crazy.

Not only is this some of the RZA's best work (lyrically at least), this is a brilliantly conceived masterwork of an album. At the time it was completely unlike anything that the hip hop world had seen. The horror theme that runs through the album exhibits a perfect balance of humor and legitimate scariness. Though a bit campy at times, the lyrics and themes do not lose sight of the concept; it remains remarkably consistent from one song to the next.

Every time I listen to this I feel like I'm sixteen again in the back seat of my friend's car driving through unexplored back roads, fantasizing and causing mild trouble.

Happy Halloween.

"chewed my fuckin arm off and made my escape"

GANGLIANS - GANGLIANS 7" (CAPTURED TRACKS, 2009)

More California psychadelia, this time from Sacramento weirdos Ganglians. Side A, Blood on the Sand, is a catchy as hell, reverb jam and Side B, Make It Up, oscillates easily between classic pop and zombie garage.

To Download (Via Mediafire):

Ganglians: Ganglians 7" (2009)

THE WAKE: CRUSH THE FLOWERS [7"] (Sarah, 1989)

The Wake are a pretty well kept secret. They're a great listen; especially if you're jonesing for something similar to early New Order that isn't a copycat throwback from 2007. In the early days, they were even labelmates.

They put out a good amount of material between the early eighties and nineties. This is the first of two singles released by The Wake on the legendary Sarah Records label.

The two songs on this single are unlike anything else that they released. I don't know what was going on but everything works here better than on any of their other efforts; shame it's only two songs.

Not only are these my two favorite songs by The Wake, they're also two of my favorite songs ever (and I'm not afraid to say it). Both are in my top five Lastfm play count. They are two beautifully and brilliantly written perfect pop songs.

If anyone would like to see more music by The Wake up here, just comment and let me know.

"...but I don't know what to do, why should I listen to you?"

GIRLS: ALBUM (True Panther, 2009)

I have to admit, I was really wary of this album because of the hype. The never-ending comparisons to Elvis Costello and The Beach Boys seemed too good to be true. More Pitchfork bullshit, I thought.

However, casting aside all of that and actually listening to it, I really like this album. The mishmash of pop, surf rock, and psychedelia is pure California but there is something very beautifully and uniquely sad about the way Girls execute it. Frontman Christopher Owens delivers his uncomplicated, lonely lyrics in such a way that it is jarring how easily relatable they are without seeming cheesy or contrived. "I'm sick and tired of the way that I feel," he sings on Hellhole Ratrace, and on Ghost Mouth, "Now I'm a ghost man in a ghost town and I just wish I could get out and get into heaven."

A lot of people have called this a great Summer record, and although there is a song about the season called Summertime, it seems mostly nostalgic, like Summer is just another thing Owens has lost. To me, Album is much more suited to the colorful cold that is Fall.

To Download (Via Mediafire):

Girls: Album (2009) (Re-uploaded, 10 November 2009)

THE ZOMBIES: THE SINGLES COLLECTION: As & Bs (1964-1969, Big Beat)

The Zombies are one of those bands whose songs have made their way into the collective consciousness. Oldies radio, TV commercials, spoofs, etc... We've heard them whether or not we know it.
I first listened to Odessey and Oracle a little over two years ago. I know, I was a little behind on that one. I was astonished at how much Of Montreal shamelessly borrows (or steals) from their vocal arrangements among other elements.
Being their only proper studio album, I wondered where I could find all of their other songs, which I assumed were only released as singles. Naturally, I forgot about this and never bothered to look.
Two weeks ago I was in the library. I literally stumbled upon this cd and figured; why not? It's free after all. The act of "purchasing" a physical cd took me back quite a few years...
Not only is this compilation thorough (including both A sides and B sides of all their singles), It also includes a few bonus tracks and is presented in the originally recorded mono format. Listen to this one with your mom and dad!


...but it's too late to say you're sorry...

AWESOME AUTUMN #1: GBV & SY

GUIDED BY VOICES: UNDER THE BUSHES, UNDER THE STARS (Matador, 1996)
SONIC YOUTH: BAD MOON RISING (Homestead, 1985)




Once the temperature starts dropping and the leaves start turning, I can never get enough of Guided By Voices; particularly their ninth album, Under the Bushes, Under the Stars. This has been a mainstay of essential autumn listening since I was sixteen. Nearly every time I listen, I am brought back to the car rides up to my aunt and uncle's house to go apple picking.
This is by far my favorite GBV album. As it is the first one I ever purchased and listened to, I may be biased. Biases aside, it has definitely withstood the test of time.

The second album in this installment leans a lot more to the dark side of the season. While GBV's UTBUTS paints the picture of the colorful, warm, aromatic, and romantic side of autumn, Sonic Youth's Bad Moon Rising represents the gray, dismal, dark, cold and lonely parts.
The opening arpeggios of the album let me envision nothing less than leaves falling to the ground against a gray sky. From there on in it becomes darker and darker. The realization that winter is coming, that it's only going to get colder, that everything is dying are all here. The presence of Halloween is also very apparent; emphasized both by the cover art and the bonus track, "Hallowe'en".

There is no doubt that my interpretation and the connections that I make(here and elsewhere are heavily influenced by my New England upbringing. The autumn is a strange and magical time for myself and many others. This is but a taste of some of the music that I feel captures this essence.
More to come.

Links:
"pass the word, the chicks are back"

"I love her all the time"

ATLAS SOUND: LOGOS (KRANKY, 2009)

When unfinished demos of Logos leaked in 2008, Bradford Cox almost abandoned the whole project. I, for one, am grateful he decided not to, as this is quickly becoming my favorite album of 2009 - and it hasn't even been properly released yet.

All of Cox's established trademarks are here - layered, sometimes muffled vocals that can border on ghostly; pop that is both heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time; gorgeous soundscapes that make me feel like I am dreaming underwater - but Logos is a much more developed work than 2008's Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel. He's not just experimenting anymore; he's using everything he's got to really write songs now, and they are graceful, nuanced, and more often than not, stunning. The collaborations with Noah Lennox of Animal Collective and Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab don't hurt, either.

To Download (Via Mediafire):

Atlas Sound: Logos (2009)