Stuff You Put On Toast

Welcome Back Low End

2010-05-21T22:55:00.000-07:00

Ever since my Klipsch 2.1 speakers died I've been using a pair of M-Audio monitors for computer speakers. While they are good speakers, especially for voice (i.e. movies), they lack severely in the low end department being a 2.0 system.

I listen to music quite a bit while sitting at the computer - more than I should - so I finally decided to get a proper 2.1 system for my new PC. I ended up with the Logitech Z-2300 system that seemed to be getting some great reviews for the price. So far so good with them and I'm still using the on-board sound. The sub seems to be pretty damn good for the size (no farting out yet). It's nice to finally get back those sub 100Hz frequencies that the M-Audio speakers couldn't reproduce.

Floor - Blow & Beyond Box Set

2010-04-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

Long before Torche came into being, there was Floor, who were around a decade before getting an album widely released. Over those 10 years were plenty of recordings that are collected in the 'Below & Beyond' box set (along with their two studio albums). This box set documents the band's evolution in sound and line-up changes. Some of the material is very rough (not in a good way) and lacking in ideas but most of the set shows that they were ahead of their time. The earlier material reminds me a bit of a rougher, less polished Helmet before they merged into their Earth tribute era (even before Sunn O))) decided to do their version) and eventually into what got tagged as "doom pop" with their melodic vocals over a down-tuned, wall of sound (that has since been the inspiration for many of the newer metal bands).

I just wish I could afford to pick up the gorgeous LP set that Robotic Empire has put together.

Rest of the 'Foogers

2010-04-08T19:28:00.000-07:00

A shipment of two more Moog Moogerfoogers arrived at work yesterday - the Frequency Box and Ring Modulator. After getting them in the signal chain I only spent 10 minutes with them (and I haven't read the manuals yet), the sonic chaos has begun. I can't even accurately describe how they change the signal of my bass, but the results should lead to much fun and creativity. Now just one more Moogerfooger and I'm done with them.

Really enjoying the new album from Brant Bjork

2010-04-03T15:59:00.001-07:00

As the weather starts to warm up it's always pleasing to the ears to have new material from Brant Bjork to spin. I'm certainly a big fan of the man's music so it's nice to hear him continue to improve as a musician. This time around with 'Gods & Goddesses' he has a new lineup of The Bros backing him up. Without having to be a one man band, it seems Brant has worked on his vocals. He really stretches out on this one, showing more range and variation than previous works - it's been a slow progression from the buried vocals on the legendary 'Jalamanta' album. Some wonderful playing by the new Bros as well, great tones and production.

First Of The Moogerfoogers

2010-04-02T20:57:00.000-07:00

After selling a couple of bass amps and a speaker cabinet, I've been waiting for some used Moog Moogerfoogers to come onto the market on TalkBass. The plan was to get together a Moog and Eventide or EHX board together using the money form the sales or buy a more powerful tube amp. Eventually I will buy a new tube amp but in the meantime I've purchased three Moogerfoogers, the Bass MuRF, Ring Mod and Frequency Box.

Today the Bass MuRF was the first to arrive. With a 20+ page manual, I have some reading to do but my experiments with it have been good so far. It's quieter and has a better bypass than I anticipated. Hopefully I can get something dialed in that will shop up in a new song - it's been inspiring in the brief time I've had it.

New Arrivals

2010-04-02T20:53:00.000-07:00

A massive order from All That Is Heavy arrived on Wednesday (with a nice hole in the shipping box thanks to the post office). Mostly new releases from Eagle Twin, Ararat, Yawning Sons, Brant Bjork, YOB, Causa Sui, Circle, and Fu Manchu. ATH included a couple of freebies, self-titled albums by Elder and Sardonis.

New Blog Idea

2010-03-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

Since I have now become terrible at updating this blog, I'm thinking of changing what I've written about in the past and going for more a long form "tweet" type of post. Hopefully that will eliminate these long, overdue updates and will shift the focus somewhat from recent music and gear purchases to comments about the music I'm listening to and creating.

A Long Overdue Update From Archive

2009-11-09T18:58:00.000-08:00

Likely due to slow sales and downturn of the economy, Archive CD has been relatively quiet this year for releases. But as long as Scott Slimm doesn't fold up shop, I don't mind the sparse release schedule.

The Goslings return with a collaboration effort. From the Archive website: "Originally released as a 5 track small run collaborative CD between the Goslings and Roxanne Jean Polise recorded in 2004-05. The current resurrection of this release features 4 of the original tracks with an actually proper mastering job from James Plotkin. The backend of the disc features 4 new traxs that were cultivated between the Goslings and Warmth (name change for the mid-west Steev Thompson) between 2007-08."

This release takes them back to their earlier days with more sparse instrumentals mixed in the crushingly dense riffs. Unlike similar groups (*cough* Nadja *cough*), The Goslings keep the quality high on every release.

Almost every batch of releases has an artist I've never heard before and this time it's from Purling Hiss, a project from Birds Of Maya's guitar player. A combination noise rock, garage rock and psych rock make this a joy of a listen. It the type of album that's different from the rest of the Archive catalog yet it fits perfectly. A nice surprise with this one.

From the Archive distro I picked up one of the new Suishou No Fune albums 'Phantom Of The Eternal Night'. It's a full band effort on this one and each of the four 15+ minute songs is a trip.

An Even Longer Overdue Update

2009-10-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

Not too long after my last post the house market in San Diego County had tanked and I began a quest to find a house to buy. So not much happened during the period regarding music purchases. I'm still getting a monthly 7" from Sub Pop and started a second monthly series with Volcom Entertainment. Other than that, my music purchases are few and far between these days.

There have been some great albums released. The new one from Alice In Chains was a nice surprise. I had no expectations for it and think it's a well done album. They work in the new guy nicely over the course of the record.

The new Porcupine Tree album is a long concept piece that has excellent variation over the course of the 55 minutes. Looks like Deadwing was their only bump in the road.

Sunn O)))'s 'Monoliths & Dimensions' couldn't have a better titled as the album has both in spades. I'm really liking where they went with the collaborations and new instrumentation.

Clutch's new one hasn't quite clicked with me like their last two albums but it's a solid effort.

The Mars Volta have finally released something that is relatively accessible while still retaining their sound. A solid album but I think the Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Band is the real new TMV album since it's pretty much the same band and is all over the map.

Big Business' first album as a trio is good but I dislike one of the tracks and it's a short album so I'm not quite in love with it like their last album.

Les Claypool's latest has a weird, organic percussion sound that shows some progression from his other solo albums.

A couple fine records from Cave and Eternal Tapestry round out the new purchases with some quality psych-rock jams. I think I'm liking this year better for music.

Long Overdue Update

2009-04-09T22:27:00.000-07:00

A new batch of Archive discs arrived earlier in the week. Being the Archive fanatic that I am, I bought the limited edition LP+CD for the Hasegawa & Igler release and the lathe cut 7"+CD for the Zaika release. Some excellent instrumental music from both. Hasegawa & Igler create some noisey, psychedelic-like sounds that go to the verge of harsh noise but they manage to keep it listenable. Zaiaka is the duo of Tom Carter and Marcia Bassett who create some spacey, haunting sounds.

Other new music arriving was the huge double LP, single CD release by Three Lobed of Sunburned Hand Of The Man's 'A Grand Tour Of Tunisia'. The CD is a live set called 'London Zero' that features some Beat-like poetry with sparse instrumentation throughout. The double LP on the other hand is a free folk, psych-tinged adventure. I also picked up the new Mastodon album with the DVD that has a documentary on the making of the album. It's a different sound from them as they were going for a classic progressive rock sound.

From Sub Pop's subscription series, singles from Arthur & Yu, Tyvek and Circle have showed up. I started a new 7" series with Volcom Entertainment and the first edition is a split between Kandi Coded and Valis.

On the gear front, I've added a Agile 2000 guitar to the mix. It's a Gibson Les Paul style guitar with a flamed top. For effects pedals, I've added the Devi Ever Bit and MXR Bass Auto Q Wah to the mix. I built up a Cream Pie boost/overdrive and combined it with a clone of Electro-Harmonix's Mole/Hog's Foot bass boost. I've found it to be a great combination that works very well with my fuzz pedals. I'm also working on an original project that generates different waveforms where you can modulate the amplitude and frequency.

My Top Albums Of 2008

2009-02-03T19:15:00.000-08:00

Since I forgot to post them in January, here is the list of my favorite albums of 2008, listed in alphabetical order.

Bass Communion - Molotov And Haze
Black Mountain - In The Future
Brant Bjork - Punk Rock Guilt
Causa Sui - Summer Sessions Vol. 1
Colour Haze - All
Dozer - Beyond Colossal
Earth - The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull
Grails - Take Refuge In Clean Living
LSD Pond - LSD Pond
Nachtmystium - Assassins: Black Meddle Part 1
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Runhild Gammelsaeter - Amplicon
Silver Mt. Zion - 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons
Sitaar Tah! - Semimimimimin
Spiritualized - Songs In A&E
The Black Angels - Directions To See A Ghost
The Mars Volta - The Bedlam In Goliath
Torche - Meanderthal
Ufomammut - Idolum
Victor Wooten - Palmystery

Favorites that were not a full length album...

EPs/7"s of year:
Om - Gebel Barkal
Howlin Rain - Wild Life
GHQ - Everywhere At Once
Black Boned Angel & Nadja - Christ Send Light
Blues Control - Snow Day

January Roundup

2009-02-03T18:40:00.000-08:00

I forgot to chronicle my music purchases for January so I'll fix that in February. From Robotic Empire's distro arrived the last full length album from Raccoo-oo-oon. Sad news for me as they've become one of my favorite bands in the past year. Also arriving was Nachmystium's vinly-only release Eulogy IV. It's not as good as they album they released in 2008 but it's still some of the better black metal I've heard.

From All That's Heavy were some fantastic albums. Luckily for me Burning Saviour's debut album has been reissued after missing out on it and then not being able to find a copy elsewhere. I finally was able to pick up Ogre's new album which is an epic 35+ minute track of classic rock inspired traditional doom metal. Some new material from Los Natas has made it's way to a 10" split with side project Solodolor in a nicely done vinyl package. Elektrohasch has reissued Los Natas' epic second album on vinyl as well, 'Cuidad de Brahman'. It's one of my favorite albums of the genre so I had to have it on wax. For a freebie I picked up Abdullah's self-titled album after hearing that they were calling it quits.

On the 7" club front I received the last from Volcom Entertainments 2008 vinyl series, a split between Valient Thorr and HR. Sub Pop's latest in their 3.0 series were two new tracks from Finland's Circle.

New CDs and Gear

2008-12-21T14:46:00.000-08:00

An order from All That Is Heavy for some new releases and freebie came in earlier this month. The Kings Of Frog Island, My Sleeping Karma and Hyatari have all followed up their debut albums with new full lengths. Morkobot have put out their third album (I had no idea of the existence of an earlier album than their last release until recently). For I freebie I chose an album from The Mushroom River Band.

In need of more cabinets for my three bass amp heads, I've been looking at Carvin and Avatar for good "bang for the buck" cabs. Both companies have different products but with Carvin being local I would be able to try before I buy. Carvin doesn't have any 12" driver loaded cabs and Avatar doesn't have any 15" or 18" driver loaded cabs and I wasn't set on why type of speaker configuration I wanted. I tried out all of the Carvin cabinet configurations and thought their BRX10.4 Neo cab sounded the best. It handled the low B of my five string very well and can handle the full output of my BX1200 amp. I still might add a 1x15" or 1x18" to it though and I'd like to get a nice lightweight cab for my Markbass Little Mark II for a more portable rig.

November Update

2008-11-29T22:28:00.000-08:00

A few orders and a trip to the record store resulted in the following additions to the collection:

Blood Of The Black Owl - A Feral Spirit
Hammers Of Misfortune - Fields/Church Of Broken Glass
Earthless - Live At Roadburn
Mogwai - The Hawk Is Howling
Hush Arbors - Hush Arbors
Nachtmystium - Assassins: Black Meddle Part 1
Asva - What You Don't Know Is Frontier
Religious Knives - The Door
Omar Rodriguez Lopez Quartet - The Apocalypse Inside Of An Orange
Giant Brain - Plume
Dozer - Beyond Colossal
Grails - Doomdayer's Holiday
Serpent Throne - The Battle Of Old Crow
Black Mountain - Lucy Brown 7" (latest in the Sub Pop Singles Club)

In gear related news, the VT Bass pedal I had on back order has finally arrived, good as advertised. I also added Electro-Harmonix's Micro POG to my board. I finished my Woolly Mammoth clone, which is currently on my board, bringing a total of three fuzz pedals to my current pedal board. The Tonebender clone has been built on my breadbaord but I haven't made a decision about it yet. I changed out some of the caps with larger values in hope of getting better low end retention for bass, but I didn't get as good of result that I was hoping for. So I need to find a better way to increase bass response, perhaps by adding a tone stack to the circuit and perhaps use different transistors. Currently the Brassmaster clone is on the breadboard but is not working yet so I have some troubleshooting to do.

Effects Pedals

2008-10-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

Been awhile since I've updated this space. Since the last post I've added a Wilson Effects Bass Q Wah (12 position switch with vintage specs) and a Micro POG from Electro-Harmonix. My Tech 21 Bass Driver DI has been sold and I'm on the wait list for the new Tech 21 VT Bass pedal which is an upgraded Bass Driver but without the DI. I'm also looking to sell my Clone Theory chorus pedal and get a different chorus pedal. I'm also interested in adding an envelope filter to the fix so I can get some funky sounds.

The few weeks I have been buying supplies and components to build some effects pedals. Once I get them in I'll finish up my Woolly Mammoth clone and start on Tone Bender and Brassmaster clones and possible some other types of effects other than fuzz.

At the start of October I have finally started taking lessons which should help me trememdously in coming up with more music compositions.

New Releases From ImpRec and Archive

2008-09-29T20:36:00.000-07:00

Both Important Records and Archive CD have recently been two of the more consistent labels when it comes to quality releases. In the last month or so, Important has released two albums from Steven Wilson under his Bass Communion banner. The first was a full length CD and the latest is a live collaboration with Pig (who I know nothing about) on vinyl. It's been awhile since they have released a full-length but Conifer also have a new record out that contains some excellent instru-metal with special guest Eugene Robinson of Oxbow contributing vocals on the last track.

Archive has already released two DVDs and with the latest release group have added another four to the discography. The one and only live performance by Khlyst was captured for a short but sweet DVD with more fantastic artwork by Stephen Kasner. Enough footage of Mick Barr, both solo and part of his various duos, was recorded for a double DVD release. Live footage of Suishou No Fune at various shows and jam session at Bardo Pond's Lemur House and a live show from Ai Aso round out the new releases. I also picked up the remaster of Corrupted's long out print CD 'Paso Inferior'.

A New Axe

2008-09-13T22:04:00.000-07:00

Since around January I've been on the lookout for a left-handed Rickenbacker 4003 bass. A few have popped up on ebay for ridiculous amounts of money and I've yet to find an online shop that had one in. They seem to constantly going to those on wait lists that can be over a year long.

So when I found one in stock at an online shop and just couldn't pass up the opportunity to own one. My Carvin 5-string is very versatile but there's one sound it can't get and that's the famous sound of a Rickenbacker.

I had to make some adjustments so the pickup cover has been removed. I'm not sure if I will put it back on, but I like the look of it with it attached. My GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) have been heavily relieved by this bass now that have a really nice 4 string to learn, practice and record with.

New 7" Club Releases And A Trade

2008-08-31T10:39:00.000-07:00

I'm currently subscribed to two 7" vinyl clubs, one from Volcom Entertainment and one from Sub Pop. Volcom is now on it's fourth volume, a split between Red Fang and Tweak Bird, two bands I know nothing about. Upon first listen I liked the Tweak Bird track a lot and thought Red Fang's contribution was solid. It's always great in a series to hear some good music from bands you've never heard of. Sup Pop's first entry comes from Om, their first recording with new drummer Emil Amos of Grails. I like the new track, especially the b-side dub version. Hopefull this is sign of things to come from Om.

In trade plus money I acquired Earth's "tour only" live CD called Radio Earth that features live versions of songs from the new album plus a previously unreleased track.

Order From All That Is Heavy

2008-08-21T21:35:00.000-07:00

Colour Haze's latest album All has finally arrived on double vinyl. Elektrohasch does a great job with their vinyl, making sure that the original analogue recording stays analog. I've been enjoying the album on CD and can't wait to hear it on their best format.

CDs that came included the latest from Peru's La Ira de Dios, Elektrohasch's reissue of Josiah's self-titled album (with two bonus tracks) and Wall Of Sleep's Sun Faced Apostles (as the freebie).

A Pair Of New Releases

2008-08-09T10:53:00.000-07:00

As part of the URSK series from Utech Records, Runhild Gammelsæter has released her first solo album. The former vocalist of Thorr's Hammer and contributor to Sunn O))) and Khlyst, Runhild shows off her vocal range throughout the album. Musically it's much mellower than her other work and she has a much different approach as the sole musician. There's a good variety of songs throughout which keeps the listener interested.

20 Buck Spin has released yet another album from Black Boned Angel, this time a hour plus single track that starts very minimal and builds and builds til the end. Campbell Kneale is apparently retiring the Birchville Cat Motel project so hopefully this will mean more BBA works for the future.

Trading In The Old For The New

2008-08-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

Went down to Lou's Records to trade in some CDs that I'll never listen to again. With the credit for the CDs I was able to pick up some new releases. They had the latest releases from Jandek which I never ordered through Corwood for cheaper so I picked up the lastest live album CD and the double DVD release that includes rehearsal footage that sounds very interesting. The other new releases included a new one from the Melvins, their second with Big Business as the rhythm section. Kayo Dot, despite loosing most of their members have released a jazz-tinged modern prog-rock album - all the metal in their music is finally gone. The lone older release was Ghost's 2004 epic album that I've been meaning to pickup for awhile now.

Jandek - Ready For The House LP Reissue

2008-07-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

Jackpot Records has licensed the first Jandek album, originally called The Units, for reissue on vinyl. The original goes for hundreds of dollars on eBay so the reissue is a huge welcome for someone who has never heard a Jandek album on vinyl. They've done a great job with the release - it sounds and looks great. Apparently on request of Corwood Industries, this is a different version than what was originally released and from the 2005 CD remaster. So the track lengths are different as a result.

I'm curious to see if more of the early Jandek material will get reissued on vinyl in the near future.

Out Of Town Arrivals

2008-07-01T18:41:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time coming but I finally put in order to VHF Records for some CDs. The newer releases included the softmore album from Stephen O'Malley's project Aethenor and the latest from acoustic drone quartet Pelt (who includes the great acoustic guitar player Jack Rose). The older CDs all come from Pelt's back catalog.

Archive CD has done a first and released two new CDs that come with 7" lathe cut records containing edits of the material featured on the CDs. Both Paul Metzger and Michael Gibbons (as 500mg) have two track albums of instrumental music. The lathe cuts sound fantastic and have a different sound from the CD versions. A successful experiment from Archive.

It always seems when I put in an order to All That's Heavy that soon after they'll stock more releases that I want. So I ordered from them the softmore release from Ten East and Gary Arce's new project called Dark Tooth Encounter. A CD from Oak's Mary was thrown in as a freebie.

Some 2008 New Releases

2008-06-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

A couple of packages arrived yesterday with some new releases.

Germany's Colour Haze have released a monster of an album appropriately titled "All". It's lengthy album with quite a few tracks to show their range as a band. It's an album that will take several spins before it sinks in. The debut album from The Freeks has finally arrived. The Freeks are the "all-star" collective of Ruben Romano (Nebula / Fu Manchu), Scott Reeder (Kyuss / Across the River), John McBain (Monster Magnet / Wellwater Conspiracy), Isaiah Mitchell (Earthless), Lorenzo Woodrose (Baby Woodrose / On Trial), Jack Endino (Skin Yard / Earthworm), Jason Corbin (Bartenders Bible / The Casbah), John Cobett (Hammers of Misfortune / Ludicra) and Bernie Worell (Wizard of Woo & Woo Warriors / Funkadelic / Parliament). Should be interesting to hear what they come up with.

Another new release from Three Lobed Recordings is out. Matt Valentine and Erica Elder have a strickly duo LP that features songs with a heavy influence from India and surrounding areas. With the help of some non-Western instruments and a couple of Electro-Harmonix effects pedals, they create some interesting sounds. As a bonus, there's a full length CD that contains a collection of unreleased material from MV&EE with The Golden Road appearing on some of the tracks. As always the final is on 180g black vinyl and this time housed in a thick single pocket sleeve. The CD comes in it's own plastic sleeve with artwork. I'm not a huge fan of the duo but this a solid release.

Another One For The Board

2008-06-21T19:20:00.000-07:00

I've been reading a bunch of the TalkBass forums recently and it seems everyone has a SansAmp Bass DI pedal or similar pedal on their board or use it as a pre-amp with a power amp setup. It sounded like a box that would give me that tube amp sound without having to buy a tube amp. So I gave it a spin to see/hear what the hype was all about. Playing into a solid state amp you could definitely dial in that tube sound and then some. Being able to use it for some dirt in your signal chain, as a pre-amp or DI box really seems to give the pedal value for the price.

Having only used the stock strings on my Carvin bass, I decided to try some new strings and picked up a set of DR high beams to see how much different the bass might sound with some aftermarket strings.

Acoustic Guitar And Some New CDs

2008-06-15T20:38:00.001-07:00

Ever since I got my electric guitar I've wanted to get an acoustic guitar for the times when I don't feel like plugging in and when I'd like to be more mobile. That and I love the sound of acoustic steel guitars.

Being left-handed, I have a limited selection to choose from and music stores tend to carry the really cheap lefty guitars. Thankfully Carvin has a lefty acoustic that I'm able to try out and the price was right for me. I doubt I could find a cheaper lefty guitar that sounds as awesome as the Carvin C250LH.

After a long delay, I finally received my order from Important Records. Short and sweet, Grails have a new album that could be their best one yet. I really wish they could have recorded a track or two more while they had the momentum. Also arriving is another album from Acid Mothers Temple under the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. banner. Usually the heavier material from Kawabata and company is under the Cosmic Inferno name but this release is definitely the heaviest set from the Melting Paraiso which has two 36+ minute tracks on it.

New At Lou's

2008-06-08T18:50:00.000-07:00

I went down to Lou's Records on Friday to return a CD I already had (I can't believe this finally happened) and picked up some new albums.

After a long time between albums, Spiritualized have returned to good form with a new album. So far I like it much better than the past two albums from J. Spaceman and company. Opeth have unleashed a new album with their new guitarist and drummer. Their albums seem to be growers so I'm unsure of where this will rank in their discography. Harvey Milk have followed up their 2006 album (my favorite of that year) with a quality new full length. I'm not sure if it will sit atop my 2008 list but it's great to have them back as a band making records again. Lastly, I finally got around to buying Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' Murder Ballads which has been on my "to buy" list for nearly a decade. I guess it's better late than never.

Oscillation III, Part 2

2008-06-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

Part two of the Oscillation III CD series from Three Lobed arrived on Saturday with three discs. That leaves one final disc to complete the series.

The second set contains albums from Bardo Pond, Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth fame and The Micheal Flower Band featuring members of Vibracathedral Orchestra and Sunburned Hand Of The Man. Will all the recordings they do, I expect a quality disc from Bardo Pond. Lee Ranaldo is always doing something different that's interesting. The Michael Flower Band is something I have no clue what it will sound like but a mix of those bands would be interesting. Time to get listening.

SX Bass

2008-05-30T18:25:00.000-07:00

After reading about the how good the SX basses were considering their price, I ordered an SX BG-205 fretless from Rondo Music. For $100 they had a left-handed 5-string fretless bass in a black finish. It's far from flawless, but the quality of the instrument for the price is fantastic.

I've never played a fretless bass before as no one caries one around here. So I took the gamble and ordered one to see if I'd like playing a fretless. I love the sound of the fretless but I'm afraid I'd always be out of tune. The BG-205 has lines on the fretboard to help me out with the learning process. If anything this bass could be upgraded with new pickups and a new bridge to make it sound even better.

Heavy Winged - Alive In My Mouth

2008-05-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

The latest release from Three Lobed Recordings continues their trend of an LP on 180g black vinyl with a CD of the material with a bonus track. Heavy Winged have a previous release on TRL that featured material released on a pressed CD for the first time. That was my introduction to the trio. Since then I've bought their Archive release 'Feel Inside' and the vinyl-only 'We Grow' LP which I think is their best material to date.

Until now. Side A offers the familiar sound of Heavy Winged with a few new elements/textures to keep things interesting. Then comes Side B which contains the most crushing song they've yet to record. The first half the 16+ minute track is a wall of sound that comes crashing down half way through and then simmers until the end. The CD contains a third song clocking in over 17 minutes alternates between a frenzy of sounds and quieter, moody parts. Chalk up another stellar release from Three Lobed.

New Stuff From Lou's

2008-05-18T14:28:00.000-07:00

On Friday I went down to Lou's Records to pickup new albums from Boris and The Black Angels that I had pre-ordered. They also had a sale going on and I picked up a bunch albums from Jefferson Airplane, Weather Report, Soundgarden, The Velvet Underground, Rush and Neil Young that have been on my "to buy" list for many years now. I also bought the two full length CDs from Howlin Rain and a Religious Knives disc.

Vinyl purchases included the debut LP from Holy Fuck, a vinyl only release from Gown, Fatso Jetson's live album and a GHQ record they had on sale. A good haul from Lou's.

A Couple From Crucial

2008-05-14T21:30:00.001-07:00

I ordered up a couple of new releases from Crucial Blast and they arrived today. After reading some reviews and an interesting description of their music, the debut full-length CD from Wildildlife sounds right up my alley. Yet another Nadja album has been released, this time it's not a reissue but brand new material from the duo who both play bass and are accompanied by a live drummer this time around. Can't wait hear where their sound is heading. Both CDs come in high quality mini-LP gatefold sleeves.

Gear And A CD

2008-05-09T15:41:00.000-07:00

I went over to Guitar Center today to check out the new line of Acoustic Amplification products. I played their new B200H bass head through their new 4x10 and 1x15 cabs. Sounded good to me but I wasn't able to crank it like I would have liked to. Seems like a great buy for the price and I probably get the amp and a cab if I didn't already have an old Acoustic 370 head and had room for more cabinets.

The minor purchases was a new strap for the Squire bass and some bass and guitar strings.

I've been wanting to get a delay pedal and have been reading up and asking about them on some forums. I wanted something that was analog and wouldn't break the bank so I bought the MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay. It's easy to use and should work great with the rest of my pedal chain.

Arriving along with a book from Amazon is the latest album from bassist Victor Wooten. After the upbeat R&B sould music on 'Soul Circus', Vic has returned to more of a fusion sound. He pulls bits of African, Indian, Middle Eastern and jazz music along with material that might fit on a Flecktones album. 'Palmystery' could end up being his best album to date after repeated listens.

CDs From 20 Buck Spin

2008-05-07T18:28:00.001-07:00

Put in an order to 20 Buck Spin since there was a distro sale and some new releases available. As a teaser for the full length album, the collaboration between Black Boned Angel and Nadja has produced an EP with a 21+ minute track. Can't wait to hear how the full length album will turn out for 20 Buck Spin. The lone new label release comes from Humanfly. They're one of the best bands from the Neurosis/Isis mold I've heard in awhile.

Other distro items include the debut double album from Monarch! and collaborations Fear Falls Burning did with Nadja and Birchville Cat Motel.

ATH Order And More

2008-05-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

I had a 10% off coupon for All That Is Heavy distro and put in a good sized order to them. From their Meteor City label I bought their latest releases from Dead Man and Farflung after liking the sample tracks. A couple of solid albums from bands I had never heard off before. I'm trying to get the complete Elektrohasch discography so I got the Sula Bassana and Rotor albums. Amazingly they got back in stock Fatso Jetson's 'Flames For All' and now have Spirit Caravan's 'Dreamwheel' EP back in print. Lastly are pair of albums from Sweden's Graveyard and Burning Saviours.

Utech Records has started a new series with artwork by Stephen Kasner called the Fine Are Series. The first release comes from Skullflower and is features packaging and artwork that rival the many releases from Archive CD. A well done release and some of the better Skullflower material I've heard.

The Week's Haul

2008-04-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

Arriving earlier in the week was the latest from Three Lobed Recordings. A three-sided LP from Enos Slaughter who features members from Sunburned Hand Of The Man and No Neck Blues Band. The two LPs come on heavy 180g vinyl and a CD of the material is included as well. The music is rather hard to describe as I haven't heard any of the group's previous material. They take acoustic instruments and make a junkyard-like brand of folk music. It's going take more listens to get a handle on what they are doing since no traditional sound structures are used.

From the fantastic distro and label Eclipse Records came a bunch of new releases and reissues. Tompkins Square has reissued a bunch of early material from James Blackshaw that has long been out of print so I ordered the albums I didn't already have. In order to get everything I can get my hands on by Raccoo-oo-oon, I bought my first cassette tape in 13 or so years. The tape is entry number 4 in their Mythos Folkways series. Rounding out the order are a couple of LPs, the latest from Belgium's Silvester Anfang and a pervious CD-R only release from Six Organs Of Admittance.

New Guitar Gear

2008-04-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

After buying the G400 and borrowing a small practice amp, I've been looking for decent combo amp for practice and recording. I ended up with the Vox Valvetronix AD30VT. At 30W with a 10" speaker, it should be plenty loud for what I want to do with it. It's a hybrid amp with a 12AX7 tube in the preamp section. I don't know how much I'll use the amp modeling and built in effects, but it will be fun to play around with them.

I broke my first string so I needed a new set. I'm trying some Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 10s at the moment with GHS Boomers 10s and D'Addario XL Bright 10s waiting for a try. Also purchased was a strap, SKB case and guitar stand. Should be a good starter setup for me.

While I Was Away And A Trip To Lou's

2008-04-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

While being out of town for awhile, I got a couple of packages in the mail. The second release from Volcom's 7" split series features the pairing of Witch and Earthless doing exclusive tracks. I have a feeling it will be my favorite of the series. As arriving were a pair of releases from Profound Lore - Half Makeshift's Omen and Nadja's remastered reissue of Bliss Torn From Emptiness.

At Lou's Records I picked some new releases that came out on Tuesday by Nine Inch Nails, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Torche. I also bought newer releases from Silver Mt. Zion, Dead Raven Choir and yet another Nadja reissue.

My New Axe

2008-04-02T19:42:00.001-07:00

After many years of wanting a guitar, I finally decided to buy one. My plan is to learn a how to play a bit from a book and try to figure out some things on my own that I can add to future R³ songs. Will the collection of effects pedals I now have, I'll be able to get some even more interesting noise.

Not wanting to spend the big bucks on a Gibson, but wanting their SG style guitar, I went with the Epiphone G400L.

I still see myself as a bass player but I think learning a bit of guitar will only help in my bass playing. Now the search for an amp begins. It sounds alright through my Acoustic B20, but it's definitely missing that bright sound of a guitar amp.

Religious Knives

2008-03-31T21:51:00.000-07:00

After liking their release on Archive, I ordered up two more CDs from Religious Knives, both on No Fun Productions. Each album compiles tracks released on limited CD-Rs, splits, tapes and records along with a few unreleased tracks. Both CDs come in thick cardboard mini gatefold sleeves. I've read that their material has changed a bit since their earlier releases so I'm curious as to what they sound like on these albums.

DIY Effects Pedal

2008-03-29T21:35:00.000-07:00

I ordered the Big Muff Pi clone kit from General Guitar Gadgets after reading some great comments about it. The kit from GGG allows you build six different versions of the class BMP distortion pedal from Electro-Harmonix. I went with GGG Tuned Version and spent four hours soldier and assembling the pedal. Getting the larger enclosure upgrade was a smart decision and made routing easier. I took my time and it worked the first time I fired it up.

I sold my Double Muff pedal after not being thrilled with it so this pedal is going to fill that spot. Compared to the Double Muff, this version of the BMP is of a much higher quality and is very versatile in comparison. With bass it keeps more of the low end in the signal and can still get nasty some nasty tone.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the enclosure. It's still unpainted so perhaps I'll add a sticker to it as paint tends to chip off of molded aluminum. Probably not the best first kit for those who are new to soldiering together electronics, but I'd recommend it for someone who's looking to do an easy DIY project.

Three New Ones From Archive

2008-03-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

Arriving yesterday were the latest three new releases from Archive CD.

After releasing the collaboration with Keiji Haino, Sitaar Tah! now have their own Archive release and it's a monster of a track. 40+ minutes of subtle variation with lots of textures from percussion and sitar orchestra. There's even some throat singing added to the mix.

Religious Knives is a name I've been seeing in my search for new music but I never did check them out. So when I heard Archive was doing a live release from them I decided to wait for it to be my introduction to them. Sounded good to me first listen so I'll have to track down more material by them. It's been awhile since I've listened to Double Leopards but I this seems to be a much different project for the duo.

Nadja have (I believe) put out their first live album that features a pair of lengthy tracks from two of their albums from last year. Since it was performed as a duo live, it has a bit more of a stripped-down feel to it.

For distro items I picked up the latest double album from Suishou No Fune and the first pressed CD (to my knowledge) from Silvester Anfang.

Bardo Pond's Batholith

2008-03-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

Three Lobed Recordings has unleashed a beast of a new album from Bardo Pond. The material itself is not new but a new batch of recordings that never properly got released. Coming in a beautiful gatefold sleeve on heavy duty 180gram vinyl and a pressed CD, it's another impressive package from TLR. Pre-ordering it also got me a bonus disc with a 13 minute exclusive track.

Since it's more dated material, the tracks on here are a bit shorter and more "song-based" which is a welcome after all the jamming they've done in all their side projects recently (not that I'm complaining). I need some more listens for this one to sink in but after a spin the album flows nice as a whole and there's a good variety. It's been a good month for Three Lobed with this and part 1 of the Oscillation III series.

New Gear

2008-03-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

A couple of new effects pedals and a combo amp have been added to my collection. Although I was only going into Guitar Center to buy some strings I wanted to test out the Jim Kelley Amplifiers' Furr Pedal prototype on some of the amps there. On the rack of small combo amps, I saw something that I didn't know existed, a combo amp from Acoustic called the B20 (it's 2oW amp with a 12" speaker). Some of the forums I'm on have bassists raving about the old Acoustic Control Corp. amps from the lates 60s, early 70s. Jaco Pastorius used an Acoustic 370 back in the day and I've been on the lookout for one if it was a good deal.

I like my big rig but I don't always want to play at that volume so I've had in the back of my mind to get a small combo practice amp. I played the Acoustic, Peavy and Fender combos around the same wattage and price range. But I kept coming back to the Acoustic with it's classic lowercase logo and powder blue piping. I ended leaving with just strings but when I got home to research the combo I found it was $30 cheaper online. So I just had to make an order. I don't know how much the new Acoustic company has to do with the old one, but I hope they start making a reissue of the old Acoustic amps. While being a really cheap amp, I'm surprised by the quality of sound it produces. A real simple, "plug and play" design that works.

For effects I bought a pair of Electro-Harmonix pedals, The Clone Theory Stereo Chorus/Vibrato and the Small Stone Nano (it's a small version of their famous phase shifter). On their own the produce some neat sounds but when working together in series they can produce some really trippy effects. I can't wait to experiment with them in stereo mode and use them on some new recordings.

My Double Muff just isn't working for me so I plan on selling it and getting a new distortion/fuzz pedal or perhaps building one myself. A clone of the Big Muff Pi might an easy project to do.

New Important Records

2008-03-13T20:07:00.000-07:00

A monster package from Important Records has finally arrived. Coil's The Ape Of Naples has finally received a release on vinyl thanks to a 4LP box set. The original album takes up three one-sided LPs with the fourth LP featuring unreleased songs on both sides. Credit to Important Records for using plenty of packaging to protect the set and shipping the records outside of the sleeves - everything arrived in immaculate shape. This set is HEAVY. The vinyl is on thick red vinyl with the four records housed in a thick box with nice graphic work. In the end it was worth the steep price tag for such a great album.

As coming in the box is the latest(?) from Birchville Cat Motel. It's always hard to keep up with all of Campbell Kneales releases. Also is a double disc live set from Rameses III who put out an excellent EP on ImpRec last year. The first disc features some remixes from live material and the second disc appears to be a suite.

Bass Upgrade

2008-03-08T14:35:00.000-08:00

The first bass I got when I started out playing was a Squire Precision Bass. Definitely a good starter bass but it has some cheap hardware on it. The wood is solid enough though to keep it around and use a backup to my Carvin IC5WP.

I decided to upgrade it and ordered some new parts. Although it was probably overkill in terms of quality, I replaced the stock bridge with a Leo Quan Badass II bridge, replaced the stock pickups with Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pickups and replaced the stock nut with a brass nut. While they claimed to be direct replacements for a Fender p-bass, it was a bit tight for the pickups and the nut was too long. After some grinding and filing of the nut, it now blends well with the neck. The wiring of the pickups to the potentiometers left a lot to be desired so maybe I'll eventually get around to re-wiring them. A new jack might also be a good idea.

While the action is still high, the sustain has really improved. The pickups definitely have give the bass a better (and wider) tone. So while it's not perfectly setup, I'm happy with the results so far.

I have some new effects pedals and a small combo on the way so I'm looking forward to uses both basses with them now.

Oscillation III, Part 1

2008-03-07T07:54:00.000-08:00

The first part of the CD subscription series from Three Lobed Recordings, Oscillation III, has arrived. The first batch includes 6 albums and a silk-screened slipcase to hold all the CDs. The albums length range from long EPs to short LPs. The previous series, Modern Containment, had what appeared to be a decent lineup but after going through the series I found it to be excellent with some of my favorite releases of the year coming from it. Oscillation III has an even better lineup so I'm hoping for it to surpass Modern Containment in quality.

The first batch features albums from GHQ, Jack Rose, Howlin Rain, The Bark Haze, Tom Carter and Vanishing Voice. It's almost too much good stuff at one time. I can't wait to dig into the series in the next few weeks.

Looking forward to part 2 in eight weeks!

New Release Tuesday

2008-03-05T19:08:00.000-08:00

I hit up Lou's Records yesterday for some new albums that came out in the past month. The newest of the bunch is the latest from Flogging Molly. Been awhile since they've put out a new full-length album so I'm hoping it's as good as their past material.

Last week's new release was a live EP from Porcupine Tree. The live set is actually just Steven Wilson on acoustic and electric guitar and John Wesley helping out on guitar and backing vocals. It's great to hear short versions/stripped down versions of some old PT songs. Definitely an essential release for fans of the band.

The older new releases include softmore albums from Black Mountain and Danava, another solo album from The Mars Volta's Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and a long in the making full-length from the instrumental duo 5ive.

Mailorder From Tequila Sunrise

2008-02-26T19:02:00.000-08:00

After a long time waiting, an order from Tequila Sunrise has arrived. I ordered the LP-only 'A Symphony Of Sound' by The Velvet Underground but unfortunately it was out of stock and another could not be found.

What did make it was an import copy of Flower Travellin' Band's Anywhere on CD and Alexander "Skip" Spence's Oar on vinyl. A couple of old classics that I'm grateful to finally own.

Jandek - The Myth Of Blue Icicles

2008-02-23T19:18:00.000-08:00

After a delay that should have had it out in 2007, the 52nd Jandek album has finally seen the light of day in 2008. For 0790, we get a studio album by Jandek featuring acoustic guitar and vocals. I've given it one spin so far, but it sounds like there are two acoustic guitars on this album for the entirety. Vocally this album doesn't hit the higher notes of past Jandek albums. There's much less wailing making it sound like a more confident delivery of the lyrics. The guitar playing remains distinctly Jandekian but there are times when it almost becomes conventional in the approach. Overall it's one of the better studio albums this decade from Corwood Industries.

Bass Communion's Pacific Codex

2008-02-18T20:49:00.000-08:00

The latest release from Steven Wilson's Bass Communion project has finally seen the light of day on Equation Records. Originally I believe it was supposed to be a vinyl release (which makes sense considering their are two tracks that could each take up a side of vinyl), it has arrived on CD and DVD-A mixed in surround sound. While pricey for the limited release, it does come nicely packaged in a nice sleeve with a thick booklet of photography and a mini gatefold to house the discs.

Old And New From Hydra Head And New Not Not Fun

2008-02-15T17:12:00.000-08:00

I put in a massive order to Hydra Head for some new releases and some older albums they have recently gotten back in stock.

The new stuff is Pelican's DVD/3" CD package that includes their recent 'Pink Mammoth' 10" plus an extra track on the CD. The DVD is live footage, interview and video. The other new release is from Ocrilim, guitarist Mick Barr's solo project.

Older albums include the softmore album from Isis' Mike Gallagher's solo project MGR, Lustmord's collaboration with the Melvins' Buzz Osborne, Aaron Turner's solo project House Of Low Culture's full length, Oxbow's CD/DVD compilation, and James Plotkin's Phantomsmasher.

From Not Not Fun Records I received the latest CD from The Goslings, a duo that has really created some interesting works recently. I have high expectations for this one. LPs from Family Underground (the description sounded interesting), the latest from Mudboy and a split between Christina Carter (Charalambides) and Pocahaunted came as well. Lots of new music I've never heard before.

Best Of 2007

2008-02-10T16:42:00.000-08:00

I've had a list done for awhile now but I've kept forgetting to post my favorite albums of 2007. I managed to form a top 10 but with no order. I don't like including EPs in my top 10 so I did a separate list for them. There's also a long list of honorable mentions.

Top 10 Albums (in no order):

Citay - Little Kingdom

A fantastic album that sounds like it came out in the early '70s. Featuring mellow, acoustic folk-like tracks along with psychedelic rock of the same era.

Clutch - From Beale Street To Oblivion

Now with full-time keyboard player, Clutch have continued their streak of great albums. This album might be their bluesiest to date. They just groove on every track.

Earthless - Rhythms From A Cosmic Sky

Their live show is stunning so it's no surprise they record live in the studio with minimal overdubs. Two long jams and a nice cover of the Groundhogs to end the disc.

Big Business - Here Come The Waterworks

If I had to choose a number one album, I would probably pick this one. It took 4 or 5 listens and then really clicked with me. The vocals do tend to be similar on every track but the hooks make up for it. Love the closing mellow track after they crush you.

High On Fire - Death Is This Communion

I didn't care much for their previous album so this one came as a nice surprise. Better production, a new bass player who brought new instruments to the table and some great hooks make this my favorite metal album of the year.

Raccoo-oo-oon - Behold Secret Kingdom

Although their previous releases have more of a free folk vibe, this album has more of a psychedelic rock feel to it. Some great jams on here thanks to their awesome drummer.

Nadja - Thaumogenesis

Lots of releases from Nadja in 2007 thanks to a bunch being reissued but this was my favorite of the new material. One long track that goes from blissful to crushing throughout.

Witchcraft - The Alchemist

While their influences are still clear, they now have their own identity and it's working great. From more pop sounding songs to a song in Swedish to the epic title track, it's well written album.

Om - Pilgrimage

Nothing dramatically new compared to their previous album but this is their best songwriting to date. Every track is fantastic and has its own identity.

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez - Se Dice Bisonte, No Bufalo

This might be my favorite solo album he has done so far. Plenty of variety in the styles of music he pulls from and the playing is top notch.

EP of The Year:
Torche - In Return

This was only a few tracks short of making my top 10. Can't wait to hear a new full length by them.

Rest of the EPs:
Porcupine Tree - Nil Recurring
Rameses III - Honey Rose
Bloodhorse - Bloodhorse
Nadja - Guilted By The Sun

Honorable mentions (in no order):
Tomahawk - Anonymous
Oxbow - The Narcotic Story
The Angelic Process - Weighing Souls With Sand
Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound - Ekranoplan
Titan - A Raining Sun Of Light & Love, For You & You & You
Wolves In The Throne Room - Two Hunters
Wooden Shjips - Wooden Shjips
Solace - The Black Black
Six Organs Of Admittance - Shelter From The Ash
Sir Richard Bishop - Polytheistic Fragments
Serpent Throne - Ride Satan Ride
Aluk Todolo - Descension
Reverend Bizarre - III: So Long Suckers
Porcupine Tree - Fear Of A Blank Planet
Neurosis - Given To The Rising
Mammatus - The Coast Explodes
Grinderman - Grinderman
Fu Manchu - We Must Obey
Electric Orange - Morbus
Electric Wizard - Witchcult Today
Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond
Do Make Say Think - You, You're A History In Rust
Deathspell Omega - Fas - Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum
Circle - Katapult
Causa Sui - Free Ride
Buried At Sea - Ghost
Brant Bjork And The Bros - Somera Sol
Bass Communion & vidnaObmana - Continuum 2
Baroness - Red Album

Pair Of AMT Albums And New Stuff From SL

2008-02-09T16:31:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the Archive CD distro, the latest releases from Acid Mothers Temple have arrived. The first album is under the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. moniker and is a reissue from a vinyl only album back in 2002 with two bonus tracks. The latest from the Cosmic Inferno version of AMT has an album of new material coming in a nice mini gatefold sleeve with a pop-up.

From Southern Lord came the new CD from Earth which has been in the can for awhile now. When I saw them back in July of last year they were done recording and played a bunch of new tracks. I think they upped the ante with this one.

To celebrate Earth's tour with Sir Richard Bishop, both artists have a new "tour only" split 12" album featuring side-length tracks from Richard and Dylan. Also released was a beautiful picture disk version of Earth's 'Hibernaculum' that comes in a heavy cardboard sleeve. It's definitely one of the better sounding picture disks I've heard.

ATH Order #1

2008-02-08T10:58:00.000-08:00

The first order of 2008 from All That's Heavy has arrived. I picked some new 2007 releases and reissues along with a couple of older albums.

They had great deals on the reissues of BigElf's 'Hex' and 'Closer To Doom' that I couldn't pass up. I've been meaning to pick up both of those for years now.

As far as 2007 releases go I bought the new Reverend Bizarre double album which is sadly going to be their final release as a band along with the self-titled debut from The Bakerton Group who is the band Clutch minus their singer/guitar player.

Having just gotten into Reverend Bizarre, I picked up their last album along with a double disc reissue of an older album. For a freebie I finally have Solace's 13 which is now back in print.

Gown's 'For The Maples'

2008-02-05T18:46:00.000-08:00

The first release of what promises to be an amazing year from Three Lobed Recordings has arrived. Gown, aka Andrew MacGregor, has teamed up with Sunburned Hand Of The Man for an album titled "For The Maples". Another fantastically produced album from Three Lobed. The LP is on black 180 vinyl and comes with a pressed CD of the vinyl material in a silk screened jacket. And for pre-ordering a bonus CD has been included with a 20 minute track.

Having just spun the record for the first time, I'm loving both sides of it. The first track has some vocals on it but it's nothing but some great jamming the rest of the way out. The second side-long track is a real psychedelic rock burner. Absolutely a fantastic way to start 2008 for Three Lobed.

The Blackout Party, Earthless and Blue Cheer at the Casbah, San Diego February 1, 2008

2008-02-02T12:54:00.000-08:00

Considering how long the headlining band has been around I was expecting a very diverse crowd (age-wise) and I was correct. Lots of older folks showing up to see the mighty Blue Cheer rock the Casbah. The house music was particularly good which is usually not the case for some shows. Turns out they had Brainticket DJ's spinning some vinyl records from the past and present.

First up was The Blackout Party. Instead of checking them out on the web before the show I decided to let their live show be my introduction to their music. They play a style of country-folk rock music with lyrics heavy on drinking, women and other topics usually associated with country and blues. I like how they have a guitarist doubling on flute and a lap slide guitar player (and apparently they also have a fiddle player). They had some nice jams but ultimately didn't suck me into their set.

Switching gears to first of two power trios for the night, Earhless continues to melt people's faces. Seems like every time I see them they are winning over people in the crowd. Reuben was on fire tonight on the kit. They're using much variation in their jams these days.

Having been around since the late 60s, Blue Cheer have been a huge influence on fuzzy, bluesy hard rock bands. The trio sounded massive with the original rhythm section of Dickie Peterson and Paul Whaley and with fantastic guitar playing from Duck MacDonald. With a mix of classics and new cuts, they got better as the set progressed. They played most of (if not all of) their debut album 'Vincebus Eruptum' with the highlights being 'Parchment Farm', 'Sumertime Blues' and a 25+ minute version of 'Doctor Please' that included a drum solo. 'Just A Little Bit' was the only song from their second album I recognized but it was enough of their classic songs to make me happy. Their new tracks blended in well and while I've only listened to their new album one time, it sounded great. It's great to these veteran rockers showing the young kids how it's done.

Get Your Death On!, It's Casual and Fu Manchu at the Casbah, San Diego January 18, 2008

2008-01-19T10:46:00.001-08:00

First show of the year and it was my first time seeing Fu Manchu live.

Opening up the show was San Diego's Get Your Death On!. I knew nothing about them going into the show so I was curious to hear what they sound like. Thankfully their sound is hard to describe. They mix elements of what people would call "indie rock", add elements of Black Sabbath inspired doom along with elements from the "jam band" scene. If I had to guess, these guys like a lot of the same music I do. Looks like they had a friend on "aux percussion" to augment their quartet. I thought they had a couple of great jams. There's a new album from them on the way and I'm looking forward to hear what they do in a studio setting. Great band to open the night.

In the middle was slotted It's Casual from Los Angeles. I knew a little about them going into the gig mainly that they are a duo on guitar and drums and their guitar player is left-handed. After a long delay as the guitar player was having trouble with his monster rig, they were off and running. These two play with a lot of energy and have a strong hardcore punk influence. You would think that a duo would have a drummer with a huge kit to take up all of the empty space but this guy had the most minimal kit I've seen - bass drum, snare, high-hat and crash symbol. That was it. Just the right band to get the crowd fired up before the Fu hit the stage.

I really don't have any excuses as to why I've yet to see Fu Manchu live (other than I was out of town when they played last year) as I've been listening to them for many years now. I've read all about their live shows and seen video footage. Well they definitely were rocking the Casbah last night. The setlist covered much of their discography, with only their first two albums and 'California Crossing' not getting any attention. The crowd was as into the music more than I've seen at any Casbah show. Perhaps due to more Orange County/L.A. presence? 'Saturn III' and 'Hogwash' and 'Anodizer' were the best jams and the highlights of the show for me. Ending the show with 'King Of The Road' was perfect. Not sure if they did an encore (it wasn't looking like it so I left), but the set ended perfectly without one.

New Gear And A New Song

2008-01-13T20:36:00.000-08:00

On Thursday the M-Audio Axiom 49 MIDI keyboard I ordered arrived. With 49 keys, 8 touch pads, 9 sliders, 8 dials and loads more buttons, it's feature laden controller that will do much more than I'll ever learn.

My goal is to augment my arrangements with synthesizers, keyboards and organs either in a droning fashion, a way to create different layers or perhaps add melodic element to the composition. Having no formal music training and not a clue how to really play a piano, I'll be using very simple patterns.

Two of the plugins that came with ProTools, Reason Adapted and Analog Factory, have some great presets and allow for lots of tweaking so I'm hoping to create some interesting sounds. Eventually I'd like to get GForce's MiniMonsta and M-Tron going for Minimoog and Mellotron emulation but they are not compatible with ProTools at the moment (or at least the ProTools version I have).

There's a new track on the R³ myspace page that utilizes my new microphone and one of the sequenced synth settings in Analog Factory. The song is called 'Orbiting Planet'. I tried experimenting with some different techniques. There's a track of mostly feedback with some slides and random notes played. Another track has recording my 5-string bass acoustically. There's a track with just me blowing into the mic and a track with a simple cymbal pattern. Lastly there is the synth track. I wasn't too happy with the final master as I couldn't quite get the synth mixed into the rest of the track properly.

New Releases From Archive and Glass Throat Recordings

2008-01-10T19:59:00.000-08:00

Some fantastic looking releases from Archive arrived yesterday in the post. Headlining the bunch is the 2 disc album collaboration between LSD March and Bardo Pond dubbed LSD Pond. The packaging for the release is top notch and includes a booklet for the first time ever for an Archive set. The second new one from Archive is an album from Chinese guitarist Li Jianhong whom I've never heard of before. There was lots of praise for the guy so I also picked up another album by him in the distro. Rounding out the new releases is the latest from Peter Wright. Also picked up from the distro a double live album from LSD March that is limited to 500 copies and comes in a nice heavy stock gatefold-like sleeve with the discs sitting on hubs.

From Glass Throat Recordings comes a double album from The Elemental Chrysalis that was just released on the end of 2007. The double CD comes in the now typical 6"x6" six panel case with the discs on soft hubcaps. After enjoying Ruhr Hunter's 2006 release, I decided to round out the order with the previous two full length Ruhr Hunter CDs.

Beginnings....

2008-01-06T08:42:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in my last post of 2007, I've started to do some recordings with an MBox2 Mini using ProTools with the plugins it came with. Going directly into the box, usually through my Double Muff and/or custom "furr" pedal worked well. But what I really want to do is mic my cabinets, so I bought Carvin's CTM100 condenser tube microphone (along with a telescoping boom mic stand).

A trio of demo songs I did in before the start of 2008 are now part of a music project I've named R³. You can go to the obligatory myspace music page, located here, to sample the music I've done.

I have a couple more pieces of equipment coming and I'll have a nice recording setup.

Last Of 2007 Purchases

2007-12-31T17:30:00.000-08:00

I had the itch to go to the record store and pick up some CDs and records at Lou's. I hit up the used section first and finally bought Mr. Bungle's California on CD. On LP I found some nice gems - Frank Zappa's Joe's Garage Act I, The Moody Blues' Seventh Sojourn, and Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow.

In the new store I picked a limited edition 7" from Mick Barr's Octis project and a 10" from Tim Hecker I've never seen before. On CD were 2007 releases from Citay, Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound, and Richard Youngs. Older discs included last years debut from Citay and the collaboration between UP-TIGHT and Makoto Kawabata of Acid Mothers Temple fame.

So coming in the new year will be my Best Of 2007 list along with information on my music project. For Christmas I received an MBox2 Mini from Digidesign that comes with ProTools and loads of plugins. I've working on compositions that center around my two bass guitars and now I'm trying to add new elements into the mix. 'Til next year...

Christmas Haul

2007-12-26T19:35:00.000-08:00

Not a big haul, but I received some new jazz discs for Christmas. Except for a couple tracks released on compilations, the recordings from the Trio Of Doom have finally been released. The Trio Of Doom is the probably the ultimate power trio with John McLaughlin on guitar, Jaco Pastorius on bass and Tony Williams on drums. Unfortunately the album is short but there is plenty of mind blowing playing on it.

Also released this year was The Complete On The Corner Sessions from Miles Davis. The box set comes in tin slipcase with the cover painted on both sides along with a huge booklet and the six discs. A lot of the material recorded during these sessions went on to be released on many other Miles Davis albums. Can't wait to dig through it all.

The Most Expensive Short Album (Ever)?

2007-12-18T19:32:00.000-08:00

While I'm glad to have new release from Buried At Sea, their new album 'Ghost' is a single track clocking in at 29 minutes and 58 seconds. The problem is that it's being sold as a full length album at a full length price. Directly from the label it's $14 but I was able to get it for $15 (and with free shipping) from Amazon after purchasing a separate Christmas gift. I'd expect the price would be a lot better coming from an independent record label. The price could of been forgiven if the disc came packed in some awesome packaging but all you get is a standard jewel case. Oh well, at least the music is crushing.

Last Order From ATH In 2007?

2007-12-02T16:53:00.000-08:00

With a good sized stack of CDs on my desk, I'm hoping I received my last order from ATH for 2007. It's been one of the best years of music since probably 2004. The only new release that I need to get from this year is the latest from Burning Saviours. Other than that I can't think of any more new albums on my "to buy" list. Here's the latest haul:

CDs
Suma - Suma
Rosetta - Wake/Lift
Lento - Earthern (Deluxe Edition) - This is the latest piece of artwork from the Malleus' Supernatural Cat label and the best looking and constructed one yet.
Golden Death Music - Ephemera Blues (freebie)
VA - Road To Nowhere (freebie)

LPs
The Sword / Witchcraft - Split 12"
Burial Chamber Trio - WVRM 10"

20 Buck Spin Sale

2007-11-30T12:50:00.000-08:00

20 Buck Spin has a sale going on and I just had to take advantage of it. Since I have a good chunk of the label releases, I bought only distro items that I probably couldn't get cheaper anywhere else. I picked a couple of Acid Mothers Temple ('Wild Gals A Go-Go' reissue and 'Minstrel In The Galaxy') and Circle ('Panic' and 'Arkades') releases. Apparently the 'Arkades' jewel was broken, so Dave threw in a disc from Ryokuchi as a freebie. I have no idea who that is so it should be an interesting first listen.

Also coming in the mail from Robotic Empire was the first full length LP from Behold... The Arctopus. The LP comes with a pressed CD of the album which is something I hope more labels will be doing in the future. And since it took so long to ship, they threw in the disc of the Torche self-titled album. I already have that album, but it was a nice gesture.

Turkey Week Roundup

2007-11-24T21:33:00.000-08:00

Back from a nice Thanksgiving in the mountains, there were some packages waiting for me.

From Crucial Blast were a pair of reissues, that of Grey Daturas' 2004 album 'Dead In The Woods' and a remaster of Skullflower's IIIrd Gatekeeper.

Public Guilt have released the debut full length album from French occult psych rock band Aluk Todolo so I picked that up along with one of the latest albums from Finland's Circle. They also threw in the sampler disc featuring bands on Public Guilt and Implied Sound.

An order from the fantastic label/distro Eclipse Records came a couple of new CDs from Drag City - Sir Richard Bishop's second release of the year 'Polytheistic Fragments' and another new album from Six Organs Of Admittance titled 'Shelter From The Ash' (an appropriate title for where I'm at after 1/3 of the county burned down in October). On vinyl came the latest from Bardo Pond side project Alasehir, a new 45 from Wooden Shjips, and a split 7" from Jack Rose and Silvester Afang.

Massive Week In Review

2007-11-17T17:19:00.001-08:00

Not getting anything last week in the mail and the holiday on Monday, several orders arrived between Tuesday and Thursday.

From Archive CD came three surprise releases that to my knowledge weren't know until they went on sale on the website. A reissue of the first UP-TIGHT album along with a couple of bonus tracks, and two collaborations - Astro, Jazkamer, and Hair Stylistics for a long track and Todd Merrell, Aidan Baker and Patrick Jordan for some mellow tracks. From the distro I bought the new Boris with Merzbow live album 'Rock Dream', a reissue of Circle's first album 'Meronia', South Saturn Delta's debut album, and expanded editions of Sunn O)))'s 'Flight Of The Behemoth' and 'The GrimmRobe Demos'.

Coming from Constellation Records was their two releases from Hrsta (featuring members of Godspeed You Black Emperor), one of them a new release and the other I finally got around to picking up.

From Kranky Records came a load of CDs by Charalambides, including their two most recent releases, 'Likeness' on Kranky and 'Electricity Ghost' on Wholly Other that features outtakes from the 'Joy Shapes' sessions.

After not being able to find them in a couple of trips to the record store, I reluctantly put in an order to Souther Lord Records for the latest albums from Orthodox, Wolves In The Throne Room, Oren Ambarchi and Deathspell Omega.

Earthless, Danava, Saviours and Witchcraft at Brick By Brick, San Diego November 6, 2007

2007-11-07T18:42:00.000-08:00

First time I've been to Brick By Brick to see a show and the lineup for the Tuesday night gig was stellar. After seeing all the shows at the Casbah, Brick By Brick feels gigantic in comparison. It was nice to have some room to roam around between sets. The downside was they opened the doors about 45 minutes late. I believe the everything did start on time however.

First up was Earthless and their broken-finger-playing guitar player. Back from a US tour (which they said was great), Earthless started off their jam in similar fashion but went into different territories afterwards. Starting with some fretboard acrobatics, they eventually went into some heavy jamming for most of the set. Definitely the heaviest set I've heard from them as it featured less guitar effects, but the excellent soloing was still intact.

Next was Danava whose first album from last year was a welcome surprise when I got it as a freebie. I loved that their bass player was out in front and playing all over the fretboard (fingerstyle!) for their seemingly brief set. My complaint about them, and perhaps this was the soundman's fault, but I couldn't hear the electronics/keyboards/synths very well. Either they really wanted them blended into the sound or something was off at the mixing board.

Saviours, the only band that I wasn't really familiar with, ripped their doom-tinged "classic" style of metal. They certainly had a nice contingent of fans for their set but I couldn't get into them. There wasn't enough uniqueness to their sound to differentiate them from the pack. It was solid metal but nothing that hasn't been done already.

The headliners for the night coming all the way from Sweden was the Black Sabbath and Pentagram influenced Witchcraft. One thing is clear right away is that they are much heavier live than on their records. Once again I loved the fact that their bass player was playing fingerstyle and all over the fretboard. It was their first showing in San Diego and the good turnout for a Tuesday night was excited they were in town. Witchcraft played a great set of tunes from their three full length releases. They seemed to be having a great time playing and hopefully they'll be back again.

New Important Records

2007-11-06T18:27:00.001-08:00

A big order from Important Records finally arrived with new CDs and LPs from the always diverse label.

The CDs included another live album from Suishou No Fune (Archive just recently released a live album by them as well), a new (very short for a) full-length from LSD March and the self-titled (debut?) album from Sky City who features Robert Horton, Tom Carter, and Lisa and Lee Ann Cameron.

ImpRec has put out the new Citay album on vinyl and I decided to pick that up. I still need to get their first album. However this second album sounds fantastic. Getting some buzz on the music forums was the self-titled LP from A Place To Bury Strangers. Haven't given it a spin yet but I'm curious to hear what "New York's loudest band" sounds like. The collaboration between Oren Ambarchi and musician-producer Chris Townend, dubbed simply Sun. I'm not sure if this is the first Sun release, but I've enjoyed Oren's past work.

From The Archive Distro

2007-10-29T20:33:00.000-07:00

A couple of new discs arrived from the fantastic Archive distro. After releasing a live CD/DVD combo on the Archive label, Kousokuya have released another live album that was recorded a few months before the passing of their guitar player. Just about all the info in the liner notes is in Japanese, so a translation would be helpful.

After reading the review on fakejazz.com, the latest album from Mammal sounded like an interesting release in the world of noise music. So I decided to make an impulse purchase in hopes of it being a good album. Scott from Archive liked and I'll take his word on it.

Lou's Again + ATH

2007-10-26T20:59:00.000-07:00

Went back to Lou's Records to pick up some stuff they didn't have in last time. While they didn't have almost any of it in, I did manage to pick up many CDs and LPs.

CDs:
Captain Beyond - Captain Beyond
Captain Beyond - Sufficiently Breathless
Wooden Wand - James & The Quiet
Neil Young - Chrome Dreams II
The White Buffalo - EP
Bartenders Bible - Rimrock Recording Sessions

LPs:
Heavy Winged - We Grow
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Willie And The Poor Boys
Jefferson Airplane - After Bathing At Baxter's
The Moody Blues - Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge
The Moody Blues - To Our Childrens Childrens Children

And the latest order from All That's Heavy featuring a couple of new releases. Everything is on CD:

Witchcraft - The Alchemist
Los Natas - El Universo Perdido de Los Natas (2CD)
YOB - Elaborations Of Carbon
Blind Dog - Captain Dog Rides Again
The Ribeye Brothers - If I Had A Horse...

Cuneiform Records And More

2007-10-19T19:12:00.000-07:00

It's been on my "to order" list for a long time, but I finally placed another order to Cuneiform Records to fill out the rest of the proper Heldon discography. Not only have they released the Heldon and Richard Pinhas albums, but they have also released the latest album from San Diego's Upsilon Acrux. Although the lineup has changed, Upsilon Acrux are still playing that jazz-punk-King Crimson-math rock influenced music.

I must have missed it when I ordered the other two Jandek tributes, but Summersteps Records has a third tribute album in their handmade series that contains cuts that didn't make it on the first two releases. I think 'Corwood Variations' might actually be the best of the three.

On a trip to Best Buy to buy a new external hard drive, I picked up the latest album from Down along with the special edition of the Mastodon's latest album (includes a making of DVD).

Back To Lou's

2007-10-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

Now that summer is over with and traffic on the freeway is not insane, I finally made a trip to Lou's Records in search of some new releases. All but one of the CDs was a recent release and I managed to score some good vinyl.

CDs:
Area C - Haunt
Kawabata Makoto - INUI 4
Nadja - Radiance Of Shadows
Om - Pilgrimage
Deathspell Omega - Kenose

Vinyl:
Oren Ambarchi - Stacte Motors
Oren Ambarchi & Scott Horscroft / Hado Ho - Split
Big Business - Here Come The Waterworks (gold vinyl)
GHQ - California Night Burning Dreams (plus 3" CD-R)
LSD March - Shindara Jigoku
Silvester Anfang - Echte Vlaamse Geiten

Arriving the mail during the weak was another vinyl release from Three Lobed Recordings. Under the name of Basalt Fingers, Elisa Ambrogio, Ben Chasny and Brian Sullivan play some improvised guitar-only music that take up both sides of the record. I previewed a bit of the music just hear what it was like (different from what I expected) so I still need to sit down with this one for a spin. Love the fact that a pressed CD of the vinyl material has been included with the silk screened packaging.

ATH Order

2007-10-06T13:33:00.000-07:00

Will some new releases out and some excellent deals to be had, an order to the All That's Heavy online shop was due.

New releases from Expo 70 (who I've never heard of but liked the reviews), Truckfighters and The Perfect Rat have come out in the last few weeks. Truckfighters continue to be the best of the new fuzz rock bands that have come out of Sweden. The Perfect Rat features a mix of SST and desert artists like Greg Ginn, Gary Arce and Mario Lalli. An interesting mix that has set to sink in yet. Expo 70 is just a dude playing improvised ambient and drone music with a slew of instruments.

For older albums I picked up Eternal Elysium's two albums on Meteor City. The blend heavy blues rock with psychedelic/stoner rock. After reading some positive reviews and with a very cheap price I also picked up the self-titled album from Sir Hedgehog.

Earthless and Jesu at the Cashbah, San Diego October 4, 2007

2007-10-05T14:53:00.000-07:00

Wolves In The Throne Room were scheduled to open up the show but apparently they broke down on the drive to the gig. While I did see them back in July, I was looking forward to hearing them again and buying their latest album. Instead of pushing up the other two bands, they stuck to the original schedule which meant more sitting around doing nothing until 10pm. Making things worse the Jesu merch table wasn't open before the show started. I was probably going to buy a couple CDs but ended up buying nothing.

Earthless went on a little after 10pm and dig right into a 50 minute jam of 'Godspeed', the first track on their new album. This was my fourth time seeing the band and they are continuing to play phenomenal sets. They did different intro than I remembered hearing the previous time and it works well.

I've enjoyed Jesu up until the last album, but being from the UK, I figured I won't have many opportunities to see them live. I wasn't sure what kind of configuration Justin Broadrick would have; turns out they are a trio with help from a laptop providing the noises and keyboards. Perhaps it was because of the location as was at, but the mix just wasn't working for me. The drums were way too loud and the guitars needed to be turned up - way up. I was expecting to bathed in washes of guitars but it was not to be. They played (from what I can tell) mostly new material including the best tracks from 'Silver'. Not sure if there was anything from the self-titled album or not. The encore song, whose name escapes me, was by far the best part of the set.

Nil Recurring

2007-10-03T18:29:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update this time.

Arriving from the UK was the latest release from Porcupine Tree. An EP called 'Nil Recurring' featuring four tracks that didn't make the cut on their recent album. Robert Fripp contributes some lead guitar work on the title (instrumental) track. The EP really shows the diversity of the band throughout the four songs. A welcome edition to the PT catalog.

New Archive CDs, An Order From Aquarius and A Couple Discs Lost In The Shuffle

2007-09-29T14:08:00.000-07:00

Slipping through the cracks was a pair of releases by Half Makeshift that arrived earlier in the month. A one-man project, Half Makeshift uses piano and organ as lead instruments to create atmospheric and at times heavy music (such is the case on the 20 Buck Spin release). The other release on the new CD-R label Small Doses maintains the more atmospheric and ambient drone side of Half Makeshift and makes for some excellent background music.

Continuing to try different ways of packaging a CD, Archive has released two new albums that come in vellum overlays with graphics by Chase Middaugh. A three song, single live track from Japan's Suishou No Fune has the group in duo form drenched in echo performing an excellent set that I like much better than their last release. Heavy Winged's second release of the year is more psych-noise jams that go over 10 minutes each. I also picked up the new James Plotkin CD (part of Utech's Arc series) through the distro.

Finally arriving from Aquarius Records is the debut full length CD from San Francisco's Wooden Shjips. The limited edition includes all of their vinyl releases on a second disc which is a great to have a pressed CD of all that material. Their new material is a bit different from the vinyl but I think I'll like it just the same. After enjoying a track with a split with Hush Arbors, I ordered the new album from Voice Of The Seven Woods. Certainly a heavy Six Organs Of Admittance influence apparent on the full length album.

20 Buck Lore

2007-09-26T19:13:00.000-07:00

Couple of orders arriving in the mail on Monday from Profound Lore and 20 Buck Spin.

Profound Lore has recently released sophomore albums from Atavist and The Angelic Process. Atavist sounds very similar to earlier Sunn O))) but with more going on behind the subsonic riffage. The Angelic Process reminds me of a mix of Jesu, The Goslings and Nadja.

From 20 Buck Spin one of their new releases is a split CD from Grey Daturas and Monarch!. The former I've never heard before while the latter has a huge Thorr's Hammer/Khanate influence to them. Turns out Grey Daturas also have similar influences but go with instruments only. I also picked up some distro items like the debut EP from Zoroaster, the 3-way split from Discordance Axis, Corrupted and 324 and Deathspell Omega's 'Si Monvmentvm Reqvires, Circvmspice'.

Week In Review

2007-09-22T18:54:00.000-07:00

Lots of new stuff arriving this week in the post. First in was the latest vinyl release from Three Lobed Recordings. A 12" from Sarin Smoke (the duo of Peter Swanson and Tom Carter) along with a CD EP live recording is some mellow, "meditative" guitar duo work that works great as background music or something to relax to. Nice silk screened black and white artwork and thick heavy black wax make for another solid release from Three Lobed.

Coming from No Idea Records, who are mostly a punk rock label, was three albums from Atom And His Package ('Package' being his sequencer) and the second "lost" album from Floor. Atom is someone who I heard about years ago in college and I finally got around to buying some of his albums. I've not heard Floor's 'Dove' yet but hopefully it's as good as their self-titled album.

Forgetting that I was going to see them on Thursday, I made the mistake of ordering the deluxe edition of High On Fire's new album from Relapse. It comes with a "making of" DVD that hopefully is worth the few extra bucks. But I did finally order the latest full length from Zombi, who I saw live last year. The album is good but it doesn't match the experience of their live show. Also coming in the order is the remaster of Sun Dial's 'Other Way Out' psych rock album along with an outtakes disc titled 'Other Way In'. They sort of fit in with the Spaceman 3/Spiritualized side of psych rock.

High On Fire, Mono, Panthers, Coliseum at the Cashbah, San Diego September 20, 2007

2007-09-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

It was a sold out show at the Casbah last night as High On Fire and company kicked off their tour. Coliseum, hailing from Kentucky, started the night playing their punk-tinged doom metal. After breaking a snare drum on the first song and dealing with other drum issues described by their singer/guitarist as their "broken drummer", they ripped their set. Not quite my type of music but it was they were a good opener. Hope their drum issues get worked out for the rest of the tour.

From Brooklyn, New York Panthers were slotted next. After a couple songs apparently the power went out on stage left and the guitarist had a broken string. Panthers have that New York garage rock sound mixed with the heaviness of Black Sabbath for a sound I haven't come across so far. Usually with their type of music the vocals are never melodic, but their singer brought a Strokes-like vibe with his delivery.

Continuing with the diverse lineup was the New York-via-Japan instrumental band Mono. This was the second time I've seen Mono and they put on a hell of show. Perhaps it was because it was my second time seeing them, but I thought their set wasn't quite as good this time around. They've been touring for a long time and starting to tire of it. Nonetheless they played some of their best tracks incorporating the quiet to loud formula to perfection.

Closing out the night was the mighty High On Fire whose fourth album came out on Tuesday. The trio is getting huge and probably could have played a much larger venue. This was my first time seeing Matt Pike and company and they sounded great with their new bass player. New songs like 'Death Is This Communion', 'Turk' and 'Rumors Of War' were highlights of the show. An interesting note is that Mike is playing a 9-string guitar on these tracks. That certainly helps fill in the gaps that a trio usually has.

Robotic Empire

2007-09-10T17:45:00.001-07:00

Picked up a CD and double LP from Robotic Empire. After being out print for years now, RE has reissued Isis' epic 'Panopticon' on vinyl. I went for the silver wax. The CD is the self-titled album from Floor, who no longer exist but whose members went on to form Torche. Floor certainly shares a similar sound.

The New Rig

2007-09-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

Getting a nice bass guitar and having to play it on a cheap combo amp was just not going to work. So the search began for a new amp. My uncle had two cabinets from DeCuir loaded with 15" JBL K140 drivers that he's not using so I only needed to find a new head. At the Carvin showroom I played my bass on their BX1200 dual mono amplifier that was getting good reviews in the bass magazines.

So upon further testing on the BX1200 and their other bass amp (the BX1500), I felt the BX1200 was the right choice based the price and features on the amp. So I have my work cut out to find a tone that I like.

Next on the want list is a quality tuner (in pedal form) along with a fuzz/distortion/overdrive pedal.

Heavy Stuff

2007-09-06T19:14:00.000-07:00

The latest batch of purchases focuses mostly on the heavy side of rock music. I picked up the new Baroness album simply titled 'Red Album'. A departure from their two EPs as the aggression has been turned down for more varied songwriting. Nadja's millionth release of the year is an EP called 'Guilted By The Sun' that is probably the heaviest thing they have done so far as well as their shortest release and individual songs. Valkyrie's self-titled debut album came recommended and after liking the first track I ordered the CD. I still need to listen to the whole thing.

For some older albums I picked up The Mystick Krewe Of Clearlight's self-titled album that has some fine southern-inspired (instrumental) swamp jams on it. For a freebie I got Stinking Lizaveta's album 'III' which I believe is all instrumental as well. The lone LP in the group is a reissue of Sleep's coveted second album 'Sleep's Holy Mountain'. Comes in nice gatefold sleeve with original artwork and lyrics. Nice to see this hit the wax.

A New Toy

2007-09-02T09:47:00.000-07:00

At the end of June I made the decision to get a new bass guitar. I've had a cheap Squire P-Bass since 2000 but I've never gotten around to learning how to properly play the damn thing. Now that I have time to play, looking at the Squire didn't give me much inspiration.

So after a quick trip to Guitar Center to see what they had, I went to the Carvin factory here in San Diego. After playing a few of their basses I knew I had to order one. Being left-handed limited my selection so ordering a custom bass was the way to go. I decided on the IC5WP, a 5-string with piezo pickups on the saddle and walnut wood. For options I went with the 5 piece maple neck with walnut strips, abalone black inlays, stainless steel frets and black chrome plated hardware.

Now the search begins for a new amp as my cheap 50W combo isn't cutting it. Oh and now I have to learn to really play...

Trio Of CDs, Part 2

2007-08-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

A couple of new releases plus a three year old album arrived in the last few days. The latest from Japan's Mono collects rare and out of print EPs on a single disc. A wonderful collection of tunes but I don't know why they decided to put 'Yearning' on it since it was on their last album as well. It's a fantastic track but I'm sure there were other tracks that could have been included instead of it.

The other two CDs are by Richard Bishop of Sun City Girls fame. Under the moniker Sir Richard Bishop, he plays some impressive acoustic guitar in the tradition of John Fakey, Leo Kottke and Robby Basho. 'Improvika' is just solo acoustic guitar but on his new album 'While My Guitar Violently Bleeds' he uses other instruments to compliment his acoustic playing.

Conifer & Ocean

2007-08-21T18:31:00.001-07:00

Important Records has released a split 12" with new material from Portland Maine's Conifer and Ocean. Apparently both bands have shared members and are good friends, but also musically it makes sense to pair them up on a split. Both bands feature a single 20 minute track that explore many of the different aspects of heavy music. Full length albums from both bands are expected to hit next year and I will be looking forward to hear what they come up with.

Trio Of CDs

2007-08-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

For the weekend three CDs arrived.

First in was the latest from Three Lobed Recordings. Heavy Winged makes their debut on TLR with 'Blacc Lust' which collects a pair of CD-R releases that are probably long out of print. I heard about Heavy Winged before but never had a chance to listen to their music. Someone described them as Bardo Pond mixed with The Goslings and that's probably a decent description of what they are doing. It has the long psych-ish jam of BP mixed with the intensity and noisy abrasive side of The Goslings which creates an interesting sound. They are like the link between psych rock and noise rock but take the better qualities of each side. This one needs to get more spins to really sink in.

Two years ago Bass Communion and vidnaObmana (aka Steven Wilson and Dirk Serries) got together for a collaboration titled 'Continuum'. They are now back with 'Continuum 2' and a much different sound. The first in the series was minimalist ambient work while the second release goes in the complete opposite direction and sounds more like a mix of Sunn O))) and Black Boned Angel with ambiance of the first release underneath the wall of guitar.

Zoroaster released a self-titled EP last year that reminded me of Electric Wizard and Sleep. While I still need to pick up that album, I ordered their first full length CD titled 'Dog Magic'. I haven't given this one a spin yet, but from what I've read it's supposed to have more of a psychedelic tinge to it.

TempResLtd

2007-08-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

Finally the package containing some new and old releases from Temporary Residence Ltd. showed up in the post yesterday. On clear red wax comes the second collaboration between Hydra Head and TRL, a split 12" from Jesu and Eluvium. The other new release is from Maserati who make their debut TRL release with 'Inventions For The New Season'. The certainly will fit in on the roster along with Explosions In The Sky, Grails and Mono. I also picked up a couple of older CDs from Eluvium, 'Talk Amongst The Trees' and 'Lambent Material'.

Roundup Of Last Week

2007-08-12T08:23:00.000-07:00

Last week saw the arrival of many packages in the post.

From Relapse came the reissue of the very hard to find Harvey Milk album 'The Pleaser'. Not only does it contain a bonus track, but also included is a second disc containing the rare live album 'Live Pleaser'. I also finally got around to buying High On Fire's 'Blessed Black Wings' in anticipation of their upcoming album.

Robotic Empire had a few new releases for order. A remastered and remixed version of Torche's debut album with a bonus track was reissued along with an EP of new material. Coming in gorgeous glossy gatefold sleeve is a colored 10" record in one sleeve and a CD in the left panel. Just a fantastic release by RE. The debut from Pygmy Lush also came out. It's one of those records that cannot be classified under one genre. The songs range from folk to punk rock, often alternating between styles through the tracklist.

From All That's Heavy the came the following CDs:
Solace - The Black Black (one of the better albums this year and that's saying a lot)
Tonerlow - Tonerlow (some doom mixed with psych rock)
Gas Giant - Mana (another album from Elekrohasch, the best label for heavy psych rock)
Suma - Let The Churches Burn (heavy stuff influenced by Kyuss, etc.)
Solarized - Driven (fuzz rock from Meteor City)

And coming all by itself was an officially released album from Beatallica. As the name suggests these dudes play songs by the Beatles in the style of Metallica with all new lyrics. The contains mostly older songs that have been re-recorded along with a few new gems. A rather bizarre listening experience if you've never heard them before.

Jandek Box Set

2007-07-30T18:53:00.000-07:00

Another first arrived from Corwood Industries today - a four disc box set from Jandek chronicling the two live sets performed in Brooklyn, New York on September 7, 2005. According to Seth Tisue's website, the Representative played electric guitar (a fretless for the second set) and Matt Heyner and Chris Corsano joined on double bass and drums respectively. I have no idea what this sounds like so I'm looking forward to putting it on.

New Releases From Elektrohasch

2007-07-19T20:03:00.000-07:00

New releases from German psychedelic rock label Elektrohasch arrived compliments of All That's Heavy. Although not new music, they reissued a pair of albums that came out a few years ago. Recorded by in the late 90s, 'This Is...' by The Beginning gets a reissue treatment with a couple of bonus live tracks. The other reissue is of Electric Orange's 'Platte' which might have been a vinyl only release. Included are a couple of long bonus tracks. The third Elektrohasch album I bought was the debut from The Kings Of Frog Island who feature members of Josiah and The Beginning.

For a freebie I received 'Spit Blood' by The Atomic Bitchwax which includes a sampler from MeteorCity.

Pair Of Important Records

2007-07-18T21:08:00.000-07:00

Arriving in the post today was a pair of new releases from Important Records. The next in the Floating Frequencies/Intuitive Synthesis from Eleh comes on thick 200 gram black wax and is dedicated to Charlemagne Palestine. There's a warning that due to the low frequencies, side B must be played at a higher volume than side A. Side A reminds of the last record while side B has some nice low frequency pulses and gives the hi-fi a good low-end test.

The next release in their Arts & Crafts series comes from Barbez who I absolutely nothing about. It's a nice 7" on red wax with a nice instrumental on side A and apparently a sort of protest song on the flipside. Sounded pretty good on my first spin.

Red Sparowes Debut LP

2007-07-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

I bought the repress of the debut double LP from Red Sparowes titled 'At The Soundless Dawn'. The LP features different artwork from the CD version. Robotic Empire did two color variations for it and I went with the "clear with smoke". The wax itself sounds awesome on my system so I couldn't be happier. This was one of my favorite albums from 2005 and still my favorite Red Sparowes release to date.

Trace Bundy, Acoustic Music San Diego, San Diego July 13, 2007

2007-07-14T10:11:00.001-07:00

Having only seen a video on YouTube and a few snippets on his website, I got invited to go see acoustic guitar player Trace Bundy last night. I wasn't sure what to expect from him but the samples I heard were decent.

Hailing from Boulder, Colorado and taking a complete grassroots approach to music, Trace has released three CDs and has toured all over the country and overseas. Having an arsenal of five capos, he would pick, strum, bend and tap his way through classic pieces, traditional folk songs, modern covers and original compositions. His fretboard work was top notch as he constantly displayed his "ninja-like" attack. Most of his arrangements attempted to play the bass, rhythm and lead parts all at the same time as well as incorporating percussive beats on the body of the guitar and using a looping/sampling effects pedal to add a background for him to play over.

So going into the show not knowing what to expect I was pleasantly surprised by his playing and rapport with a audience that had such a wide age gap.

Pair Of Collaborations And A New One From Three Lobed

2007-07-07T21:33:00.000-07:00

Out on Supernatural Cat Records is a collaboration between Italian psychedelic doom kings Ufomammut and the "ambient postcore" (that what it says on the website) of Lento. Lento I have never heard of before but I love everything that Ufomammut has released so far. I bought the special edition which has been hand-printed and numbered by artist Malleus. I like what Malleus did with the Morkobot album and decided to get the limited artwork. The packaging isn't quite as good as the Morkobot artwork but it's still very nicely done.

The other disc is both a split and collaboration between Rosetta and Balboa titled "Project Mercury". Balboa goes first with three tracks, then Rosetta with a pair of songs and the final track is the collaboration between both groups.

The latest from the ever consistent label Three Lobed Recordings is a recording from Tom Carter, Robert Horton and Michael Shannon called Turnstone. Apparently they all got together for a five hour jam session and this disc represents the best material. There's definitely a jam type of vibe as the music just seems to be stream of conscious without much structure. There are all kinds of instruments used throughout which makes it harder to grasp the first listen through. Seems to be a continued thread in the recent crop of albums from Three Lobed that requires that the listener give repeated listens to uncover all the nooks and crannies of the album.

Wolves In The Throne Room, Weedeater, Earth and Sunn O))) at the Casbah, San Diego July 2, 2007

2007-07-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

Southern Lord's 777 West Coast Tour kicked off in San Diego last night. I'm unaware if it was sold out, but there were many folks on hand to throw up some horns and doom claws.

Wolves In The Throne Room got things started with a couple of long songs. After their first song was over the guitarist/singer announced they were playing their last song of the night. About 20 minutes later they were done. The first thing I noticed about Wolves was that they don't have a bass player so their sound lacks the bottom end that I love so much. They have a blackish metal sound that incorporates some ambient and progressive rock elements. Not exactly my type of music but I they were good at what they do.

Next up was Weedeater from one of the Carolinas (I forget which one). They play a mix of doom and stoner rock with a their bass player handling frontman duties. The drummer and bassist put on a hell of a show but the guitarist seemed like he was going through the motions (I guess he's just a low-key type of guy). Despite falling in genres that I like, I couldn't get really into them. But I'd like to hear a record of theirs before I pass complete judgment on them.

Earth had a lineup of some kind of keyboard, drums, bass and of course Dylan Carlson on guitar. They played almost (if not entirely) new material from their new album which is due next February. The material continued where they set out with Hex, but with a bit more variety in the mix. The guitar parts had some nice fills and touches not present on Hex and the keyboards played a larger roll in the sound. The title track from their upcoming album and "Carrion Crow" are sure to be highlights. Can't wait to hear the finished album!

Sunn O))) capped off the night with something I didn't expect from them. Earth's keyboard player (who I believe is Steve Moore) joined the band along with an upright bass player and vocalist Attila Csihar. After a heavy amount of fog pumped out of their fog machines, Steve, Stephen (on guitar) and Attila took the stage for about 15 minutes that a mix of guitar noises, both Golem-like and Gregorian chant-like vocals and trombone. It's one of the better and unique songs I've heard Sunn O))) perform. Then came Greg and the upright bass player to add the low end to the performance while Steve switched from trombone to a Moog synth. Eventually they built up a massive drone that had long periods of the sound waves beating and Attila took a nap on the stage until coming back with Golem-like vocals in the end.

Having never seen Sunn O))) before, it certainly was an experience. I can't remember having felt the music so much as the speakers pushed enough air to vibrate my entire body. Along with the fantastic "tour only" merchandise from Sunn O))), it was a fantastic night of music.

New goods:
Sunn O))) - Oracle 2CD
Sunn O))) - Oracle LP

A Pair From Slimm

2007-06-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

After releasing three new albums on his Archive label, Scott Slimm has kept the distro stocked with some great releases. Suishou No Fune have put out two fantastic releases and they have a new album out called 'Writhing Underground Flowers'. Three lengthy tracks make up the release that was produced by Bardo Pond's Michael Gibbons. I haven't been able to give this a listen yet.

I do like to buy directly from the label, but Slimm has the new two disc set by Australia's Whitehorse on 20 Buck Spin. I've heard some great things about this band and the previous releases Slimm had in stock sold out very quickly. Now just need to find some time to listen to both of these.

The Mars Volta and Related Projects

2007-06-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

When I was looking at records in Amoeba Records in May I noticed that all of albums, the EP and single of The Mars Volta were all available. For some reason I thought their full length albums were out of print and never bothered to confirm this. Having spent enough money Amoeba I decided to hold off getting their recordings on vinyl. Until now... Also picked up some of The Mars Volta's guitarist's solo recordings and a CD from their dub side project.

LPs:

The Mars Volta - Tremulant EP
The Mars Volta - De-Loused In The Comatorium 2LP
The Mars Volta - Frances The Mute 3LP
The Mars Volta - The Widow 12"
The Mars Volta - Amputechture 2LP
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez - Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (Picture Disc)
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez & Damo Suzuki - Please Heat This Eventually 12"

CDs:
The Mars Volta - Termulant EP
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez - A Manual Dexterity: Soundtrack Volume One
De Facto - Megaton Shotblast

Pair Of New Releases

2007-06-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

The latest albums from Oxbow and Tomahawk have arrived in the post today. Tomahawk's 'Anonymous' comes in a gorgeously designed digipak that has raised lettering and graphics that perfectly fit the them Native American theme that runs throughout the disc. This will certainly be a controversial album for Tomahawk and Mike Patton fans who were probably expecting more of a rock record. I think came up with one of the more original albums I've heard in awhile.

Oxbow has put out a record in awhile and they're back with 'The Narcotic Story'. According to the liner notes it's the first part of a trilogy the will conclude with a film and soundtrack. I've only listened once but it sounded like a very solid album that might match what they did on 'An Evil Heat'.