Alice, Sweet Alice

I'm a freak. I don't mean that to say that I'm a hippie, stoner, Punk Rocker or some other fad. See, I'm always that one step off. As an example, I've been thinking about how much I loved Alice Cooper. Not so strange? Here's the thing, I kinda sorta hated the 1970's Alice Cooper ( a couple of songs were worthwhile, but otherwise, useless to me) and I definitely hate the sober, resting on his laurels Alice of the 1990's onwards. The Alice Cooper I love is the blackout drunk from the early to mid 1980's. Yup, the totally disowned records: Flush the Fashion, Special Forces, and Zipper Catches Skin. I still listen to those records, but when I mention how much I like Alice Cooper, people think I mean stuff like Only Women Bleed, and School's Out, both of which are absolute drek to me, and were part of the reason I hated music in the 1970's.
So, I mention song I like, such as "Who Do You Think We Are" and "Grim Facts" and "I like Girls", and people have no idea. I think that the reason why I like them, and the reason why Vincent Furnier was so self destructive while making them are two sides of the same coin: this is the point where the wheels had come off- where the pieces were worn out and couldn't be made to work. See, that's right where a shock rocker becomes truly shocking. He wasn't playing at being a monster, he was doing everything he could to stop the monster he was becoming, even if it killed him. The music was furious and thrashing, like the band, even was trying to escape from Rocknroll. That's where it gets interesting to me, because that's an honest tension, and something I can understand- the point at which you cannot continue with where you've been going, but you don't yet understand where you should go next. So, you do fake new wave songs dressed half in drag, and half like Rambo. That clicks with me.I can relate to that. See, that's what I mean by saying that I'm a freak- I've always been on that edge where the past has to be dropped, but I can't see the future, just yet. I've grown comfortable with that feeling. I don't think Alice ever did, and so, believe it or not, I feel sorry for the man Vincent Furnier has become.

Red Fang

So, yes, I like hard rock. I wouldn't exactly call myself a punk or a metal head, though. I just like really loud rocknroll. I think that fits Red Fang, as well. They've been called Stoner Metal, Doom indie, Sludge punk, and (my favorite) Beer Metal. But, really, they just play really loud Rock. They've got an active sense of humour, and a bullet belt of "Hell Yeah!" riffs, to pair up with their love of facial hair and beer. You'll probably think of bands like Black Sabbath, and Queens of the Stone Age, but I'm hearing everything from AC/DC to ZZ Top. They're just damn fine, very loud rock music. With Pabst. And foot long beards. and sleazoid guitars that appear to be welded pieces of other intruments, fished out from the Puget sound. Oh, and Tecate. Maybe some Schaefer.
Look, I was thinking earlier about how hard it is getting to trust anyone or anything, when everybody seems to want to sell you on something. Everybody from your favorite politician to that girl who smiled at you at the gas station, that you thought might be flirting, but then, you realized was smiling that same way to every guy who came in. Rock bands, especially want to sell you on some concept, or some marketing ploy, so's you'll buy an extra T shirt at the merch table. I'm not trying to sell you on anything, here. I make a pretty good salary, enough that I can afford to buy somewhere around 100 CDs a year, and download a bunch more stuff. Between that and the free stuff, I bet I hear about 365 new releases per year. I know most folks can't keep up with that. Most folks I know maybe download 20 songs in a month, if that. They might buy 6 CDs in a year. So, if you went out and bought everything I suggested, you'd be pretty poor, pretty quick.
All that having said, if you do buy just 1 CD per month, go stream some Red Fang, and decide for yourself if you want to buy it. I'm seriously happy I bought the new one Murder the Mountains. I wasn't the biggest fan of their first record, but it had some moments. This one is an instant classic to me. I'm getting the same joy from this that I did when I heard Rated R by QOTSA: a band that I sorta liked suddenly was awesome. So, yes, I think Red Fang are awesome.

Only Partly about Music: White Zombie

So, as of late, I've been writing a lot about different musical groups, primarily alt rock. You'd be forgiven for thinking that this is a music blog. I suppose, it is partially. But, primarily, it's my pop culture blog- operative word being "my"- which for those few who know (I think that's maybe 3 people at this point) means that I don't see the arts as discreet separate entities. Sometimes, the best part of a film is the soundtrack, sometimes the best part of a book are the pictures, sometimes a band looks cooler than their music is, sometimes a comedian is a better dramatic actor, and so on. It all blurs together, for me. To give you some concrete examples, let me present today's subject: White Zombie.
Primarily, they were a band. At times, they were a great rocknroll band. However, if you subtract the graphics, they're greatly diminished. If you further strip away the psychotronic poetry of their endless pop culture references embedded in the lyrics, they're getting to be pretty insignificant. On top of that, if you remove their remixes, they've got only about 60 minutes of decent music. Then, if you want to straight jacket them only to the Alt-Metal sound they popularized, you're left with a handful of singles. So, to appreciate them for what they really were, you've got to re-align how you define the Arts- they were a performance troupe, playing music, making graphics, doing disguised pop culture criticism, constructing sideshow dramas, and creating personas.
So, If I'm going to talk about them, I've got to not only talk about the music, I've also got to talk about the T shirts, the stage show, the references, and so on. For example, the point of their apex, musically, is mixed : some of Soul Crusher, when they played noise rock, is right up there with the Birthday Party and Sonic Youth for skronk with a purpose, and much better than better lauded peers like Live Skull and Pussy Galore. It wasn't until Astro Creep that they matched the musical vision, albeit in a different genre (by now, they were more definite, and played a metallic boogie rock, like the Allman brothers, minus swing but on steroids)Graphically, however, they never topped out- though I think there are several weak points, musically with their breakthrough record "La Sexorcisto..."- graphically, it's a tour-de-force of what we can call "Zombieland", a strange carnivalesque pastiche of Rat Fink, classic Horror flicks, psychedelia, professional wrestling, punk rock, and 1970's tabloid exploitation, and exceeded only by the addition of the dystopian scifi elements of Astro Creep. What I am saying is that I don't think I'd go out of my way to get the CD, but I'd pay decent money to get one of the T shirts from around the Sexorcisto era.The real deal, though would be the live show- a zombieland combination of Kiss and Gwar with a large amount of American sideshow.
What brings it up is that I'm reading Sean Yseult's "I'm in the Band". Like most musicians, Sean is no writer. At her best, she reaches a "teen Beat" style of gushing, and she relies a lot of testimonials from others. However, she's a gifted photographer, and there's some really great photography. Also, her more cartoon-y take on Zombieland is charming, almost cuddly. The graphics are actually much more communicative than the writing: I'd almost prefer to see this as some kind of a PowerPoint presentation, sold on a thumb drive, or something...
So, that got me to dig out the CD/record collection. Yes, Astro Creep, and Supersexy Swingin' Sounds are just as amazing as you probably remember, but I am struck by how complete, and devastating Soul Crusher is. It's truly under-rated: from the weird biker-movie homage-montage of the cover art ( it's like cramming "Wild Angels" into a photo)to the pioneering use of samples, to the completely unhinged vocals ( Rob never sounded quite so psycho, again) to the ramshackle chug of the tunes it neatly sums up the early 1990's... in 1987! The next two records are really tame, by comparison. Make Them Die Slowly is metallic in all the wrong ways- it sounds about like how it would feel to try to actually eat the CD, and the songs are artsy-fartsy fanboy attempts at Thrash metal. It even looks bland. La Sexorcisto, looks amazing. From the super-groovy tattoo flash graphics to the glow in the dark translucent vinyl (yes, I have the vinyl) Yes, Thunderkiss is a great mash up of Kiss and Pantera. But, most of the songs meander about in search of a hook. The guitars sound very shiny and clean, which betrays all the supposed psychotic babble of the lyrics. It's just not right. The EP "Nitecrawlers", allows Sascha from KMFDM to correct the musical flaws, and he (rightfully) turns White Zombie's sound to a kind of metallic disco stomp, which suits the dichotomy of creamy guitars with twisted lyrics. I think it was that lesson that allows them to make Astro Creep- which is a stone classic, and you should already own it.I don't think main man, Rob Zombie has topped Astro Creep until he went into films. So, rather than talk about his solo career, I'd prefer to talk about his films- and by "his Films" I mean House of 1000 corpses and The Devil's Rejects. (Again, see what I mean about how I don't see White Zombie as being complete if you just talk music?) House of 1000 corpses is a fantastic slasher film, that takes a left turn in the last third, into a surreal monster movie. Honestly, I cannot think of another movie quite like it. It's structured just like a classic grindhouse slasher film, until the real mayhem gets unleashed, and then it gets crazier than a Jodorowsky film. You've got everything from respirators to bunny costumes to zombies to mutants, to fields on fire to hallucinatory sound montages. Absolutely amazing. The Devil's Rejects is yet another amazing mash up- this time between Revenge movie (Billy Jack, Standing Tall, etc) Slasher Film ( I spit on your grave) and outlaw biker flick ( think Hell's Angels on Wheels) There are moments in it that are genuinely disturbing (the scenes with Bill Mosely and Priscilla Barnes come immediately to mind) and some moments of beauty not seen outside of Westerns in American films.
See, again- it's not about one form, it's about finding those artistic moments that appeal to you. That's what I'm about. I might concentrate pretty heavily on music, but that's because it's the form that speaks loudest to me. Heck, keep in mind, I'm a trained Cameraman, in addition to being a sound engineer- in fact, I think that there are those who'd argue I'm a better videographer than anything else I've done. As should be obvious, here, I also am not unfamiliar with the English language so I can write, too. Ergo, why would I put all my eggs into a CD basket? That'd be a real Zodiac Mindwarp. (hehehe)

Seen the New Jane's Track, yet?

Well, stop delaying. It's right here, and it is awesome.
One warning- if Nekkid Women offend/worry/bother you, it might be a bit much for you.

Blackmail

There are probably too many bands with "black" as part of their name, so points deducted for the name.
On top of that, there's something willfully obscure about the band. They sing in English, but they're a decidedly German band. I mean, the only way I could get any of their music was either illegally, or via German Itunes or German Amazon. So- unless I'm a German who speaks English, I'm afraid I'd be out of the target demographic- and thus it's very likely that unless you are a German who speaks English, you won't have heard of Blackmail, apart from the criminal act. But such is my dedication that when i was told I should hunt them down, I did. I could not afford to get several of their releases, so I did skip buying the new one, "Anima Now!" which upon streaming it, it does sound pretty, and resonates well. Instead, I threw in my lot with 2008's "Tempo Tempo"- and it's very rewarding. This is fairly gritty Indie Rock, along the lines of latter-day grunge. I could seem them on a bill with the Afghan Whigs, Toadies and Hum. However, the songwriting is stronger than that might indicate. Actually, I can see some Greg Dulli in the songwriting, which is a fairly high compliment. There's also a solid Mod component- shades of the Who and Kinks are present fairly often. Seeing as most folks won't share my enthusiasm for northern European Indie Rock ( Hey, I'm self-aware enough to know it's an obsession of mine. If it was made by folks somewhere north of France, west of the Ukraine, and East of England, I'll give it a shot, pretty much without question) why am I bothering to tell anyone about my purchase of a three year old record by a band readers will not have heard, and most likely won't try to hear? Because I would encourage them to do likewise. Maybe you have a yen for Japanese Oi!, or Mexican Jazz. Follow that muse! Go with it, because the miracle of the Information Age is that it is possible to follow that out. Yes, that is miraculous- consider, I heard of the band, for the first time on Wednesday. Today is very early Saturday. I streamed records on Thursday, and downloaded my selection Friday morning,burned a CD from my Itunes library within 20 minutes, listened to that CD in the Car, and my Ipod during the day- and here we are, with me expressing my joy with the band. Now, imagine it's 1981. First, I would have had to somehow actually visit their part of Germany long enough to hear the band, and figure out where I'd order the record from, assuming that such a thing were possible. Then, I'd type up my review, Xerox my fanzine, maybe offset the printing, and you'd have to randomly find my Zine. That's a pretty amazing change, in only 30 years- as big a change as from horses to planes. It also makes it such a shame that most people simply accept the Top 40 with minor variations, around the globe. There are such treasures out there, that it's almost crime to settle for the Black Eyed Peas, or Doughtry.
So, if you want to hear a German band that mixes Who-ish Power Pop with Afghan Whigs styled high tension grooves, Blackmail are your boys, and I'd hunt them down if I were you. But, more than that, I'd say to follow that format- hunt down whatever strange niche you enjoy- the days of the finite choices are not now.

Partial Vindication in Studebaker's Blacksmith Shop

I mentioned the band before, stating that they were good, but held back by somewhat stiff vocals. Well, they've got a newer release out, called "Excuse me, are you Sick?" and it's getting much better. The vocals are still a bit stiff in parts, but the music has gone far less stoner, and far more plain old "alt rock', so the vocals sound less out of place, even if they get overly formal still. For some reason, the end effect reminds me a bit of Belly, but that's probably something strange from the back of my brain.
I think the best way I can describe this altered direction is that similar to Garcia, they've injected a lot of pop music into a stoner-alt base. I mean, I can hear the Queens of the Stone Age influence, but also some Nine Inch Nails, with some of The Gathering and now, some of Pandora's.box (yes, I can finally hear the connection) So it's getting to be pretty good robot rock. I really like the electronic flourishes and when Kerstin scrapes up her voice a bit. So, yeah, "Asshole Dance" is a standout for me. So is album closer "Therapy". Hey, it's free, if nothing else, but seriously, that's not the best reason to get it. There are literally hundreds of thousands of free albums out there. The main reason to get this is that it's good music, that blows away the weak drek you'll hear even on "Alt Rock" American Radio stations. I will admit, I'd like a little more polish on the production, and a bit more rawness to the performances, but it's still unique music- stoner electro rock with female vocals- and the vision is becoming much more clear.

Mainstream Sellout

Yes, of course I am. I listen to the hitmakers, let me tell you.
For example, I can see the hype, so I know it's time to listen to Raphael Saadiq- never mind the fact that all he's doing is a the typical career makeover we've seen 100 times before- bland popstar goes "retro" by exploring their "roots". In Raphael's case it's slightly more hipster, in that late 1960's soul is having a moment right now, but how is this different from Sting going Jazz back in the late 1980's or Everlast going folk in the late 1990's? But, I must not think bad thoughts, and accept that this is somehow much more cool than Cee Lo Green, because this is marketed to indie hipsters, and I want so very badly to be an indie hipster. When's he playing Coachella?
All snark aside, there are some good singles on his past two records, and he does a pretty blistering cover of "Search and Destroy" at rock festivals, but download what you like, and ignore the rest because I think this is a pretty naked marketing ploy- it'd be insulting to buy in.

Another example is how I spent yesterday. I went to go see Everclear. You remember them? The "acceptable" grunge band who did Dad rock songs about broken homes? See, I know my demographic- this is exactly what 40 somethings are supposed to do. It's either Adult Alternative or Country, and hey, Everclear do a little of both.
But, here's the twist- I actually like a lot of Everclear's stuff, and I think Art is a relatively honest songwriter. On top of that, I was going with my wife and son to Rock the Farm, which is a benefit for local kids. If that's not enough, when my son was very little, Everclear was one of his favorite bands, and he and I used to bond over singing songs from "Sparkle and Fade" usually with modified lyrics ( example- his mother and I lived 7 hours by car apart from each other. When I'd come to get him, we'd sing a modified version of Everclear's Santa Monica, while we drove through the desert "We could be beside the Ocean/ Leave this fire behind/Swim out into the breakers/and watch my car die") so, much as I might like Everclear or not, getting a chance to see them with my son was a priority. Oh, and by the way, the show was pretty good. It was plagued by some technical problems, but the opening act was the local school of rock, and it was pretty awesome to see really enthusiastic teens and pre teens having a "rock moment", getting to play on the same stage with a rock star, and then, getting to hang out with that same rock star, after the show. So, yeah, it might play into my demographic, but that's the kind of community I saw lacking in the hipper than thou circles. Seriously, I saw dudes wearing Amon Amarth T shirts playing with 4 year olds at a giant slide. That's a community for you.

Jesu

God Bless Justin Broadrick. That guy has brought so very much to the world. Napalm Death, Godflesh, Final, Head of David, etc. But beyond that, he's brought us Jesu. I could say that Jesu is the best Metalgaze Drone ambient doom metal pop band in the world, but that's a bit stupid, as only Jesu makes the kind and type of music that they do. Imagine a band inspired in equal part by Killing Joke, Psychick TV and A R Kane. Yeah, that's hard to do, so consider just listening to Jesu, instead.
People are telling me today the world ends. Of course, it's only right and proper to take the piss out on such people- however, I've got an even better idea: give them a soundtrack. Jesu just released Ascension. It's absolutely perfect. If I woke up to a post apocalypse scenario tomorrow, it would make for the absolute perfect sound track. It's full of a beautiful, grand, desolate sadness. It's the sound of a man plagued by demons once the demons have left, and that man realizes those demons were the only friends he had. In other words, it's that painful sensation of first enlightenment, all full of tragedy and transcendence.
But of those of us who do not believe that the rapture is today? It's still a really excellent set of songs to put on the Ipod.

Yeah, I'm in my 40's, what of it?

So, I hit upon Hammerbox on my Ipod twice today, and it got me thinking.
Ask a 20 something about Grunge, and they might talk about Pearl Jam, Nirvana or Soundgarden. Fair enough, I guess. Those of us who were there could name a dozen better bands, but tastes vary, don't they?
Where it gets more interesting is if you ask about female fronted grunge bands. I'm willing to bet that if they can name any, it'll be Hole. Unfortunately, let's just get this out of the way- Hole sucks. Not "Courtney Love sucks". No, Hole as a band sucks. The "songs" at best are derivative of Courtney's collaborators, the playing is tired and vapid, and the image is a lousy attempt at what others did better. Now, I truly loathe Courtney, as only those who know her real name do, but there's enough gossipy bulldada out there. I mean that the best that Hole could do as a band, in a just universe would be overshadowed by several dozen better bands.
So, in an effort to bring about a little of that justice, I'd like to bring up just 4 of those bands that are better. Maybe it'll inspire someone. Heck, maybe, in my little dream world, someone will read this, hear one of these bands and form a band inspired by one of them, and good music will live on.... Yeah, right.
So, first is Hammerbox. They're one of the top 100 bands ever for me. Considering that I've heard literally tens of thousands of bands, just since 1990, when I first heard Hammerbox, let alone the thousands of bands I heard before, it means yes, I really really like them. See, first let's talk dynamics. Most Alt bands just learn dynamics from the Pixies. LOUDquietLOUD, you know? Hammerbox do that, but they also do slowFASTslow, MAJORminorMAJOR, and Oddmeterevenmeter. Think of it as Alt rock with a prog rock education. But that wouldn't work if the songs didn't gel, but they do because of an unerring sense of what feel fits the dynamics- country, jazz, punk, rock, whatever suits. Also, Carrie Akre could sing in ways I've not heard before nor since. She could croon, bellow, snarl, screech and chirp all in the course of one song. For an example, here's their meisterwerk- When 3 is 2. Tell me it's a bad song, go on. Especially the first guitar solo, and the final bridge where Carrie is incoherent. Between those two moments alone, Hammerbox blows away the competition.
Then, There's the Nymphs. Imagine if Courtney Love had actual talent, could focus her rage at targets, and was versed in pagan rites. You're getting close to Inger Lorre. The band played a more metallic version of alt-rock than most. It ends up sounding a bit like a gothic punk version of Led Zeppelin. If that doesn't get you, you might be Sad and Damned. Heheh. Honestly, they had the potential to be the band to inherit the throne Jane's Addiction were abdicating, at the time.
But, we're talking about Grunge, right? When I think of "grunge", more than I think of Nirvana or Alice in Chains, or even Mudhoney, I think of L7. I mean, look at them. Yeesh. But the music? Well, if you like Black Sabbath, Motorhead, The Runaways and the Germs- this would be the result of combining all the above.I read something about some female metal band the other day, about how heavy they were, and I chuckled. L7 were heavier than the Melvins, and never got the credit for it. I can't really explain why people have been so quick to forget L7, except maybe it's that they don't fit preconceived notions- but I cannot think of a single sludge/stoner/doom band that carries over nothing from L7 (yes, the multiple negatives has a meaning) So, listen and decide.
Again, it's not about Courtney. She was actually in a much better band than Hole. Babes in Toyland render Hole completely moot. Virtually everything on the first two Hole records had already been done better by Kat Bjelland's band. There's something dark, chthonic and twisted about Babes in Toyland that places them more in a post-punk setting than grunge, yet, there's enough earthiness that yes, I think they qualify. What they really remind me of, more than music, is the super-gritty horror/exploitation films of the 1970's- Last House on the Left, I spit on Your Grave, Texas Chainsaw massacre- that sort of thing.

See, and that still leaves out at least a dozen bands. I didn't even have to raise the dead, and talk about the Gits, or Seven Year Bitch. But, this little exercise isn't just about some 45 year old's nostalgia- the point is that there are thousands upon thousands of bands, so there is no need to settle upon a single one as representation of any one thing. On top of that, it's to your detriment to accept whatever the mass marketing machine just throws at you. You could do this same exercise wit ummm, Mongolian Hardcore bands, or African Techno artists- the mass media likes for things to have a face put on it- so when Grunge became a thing, they could prepackage it with Kurt and Courtney as the face on it. That did a huge disservice to not only all the bands who were actually better, but also to all the people who were ignorant of the reality of being a small-scale independent rock band in 1992- because they were robbed of getting a rich, and vibrant experience. That's only part of the injustice of accepting mass culture, but I'm not trying to be didactic, just having some fun....

My face is red

Oi, what a mistake! I don't think I've even mentioned that I've been listening to Wire's new one, Red Barked Tree, since umm, mid January!
To rectify that, there are three basic facts that should be known-
1. Wire is wire, regardless of who's missing. They are the only band I know like that, where one of the core members can be gone for years, and the band still retains the same essence. Robert Gotobed was gone, and it was still wire. Guitar player Bruce Gilbert has been gone much of the millennium, and it's still Wire.
2. Wire isn't punk, or Prog, or post punk, or whatever else. They occupy a completely unique spot, and therefore are outside of pop music conventions. You cannot judge them based upon those parameters. It'd be like judging a comic book and installation Art on the same rubric.
3. Wire are a "foundational" band for me- by which I mean, if not for being a fan of Wire since I was 15, I wouldn't be the same guy, now, 30 years later.

So, yes, I like it, but that's besides the point. How does it hold up to other Wire releases? It's as good as Pink Flag, not as good as Chairs Missing, better than 154, much better than Document and Eyewitness,better than The Ideal Copy, Not as good as A bell is a Cup until its Struck, as good as IBTABA, better than Manscape, a bit better than the First Letter, as good as Send, and better than Object 47. So, basically, I'd say it's the third or fourth Wire record you should buy. Get The Ideal Copy, first. Seriously, it's one of those things that if you really consider it, it will alter your perception, forever. But, after you've got that, and A Bell is a Cup..., and possibly Pink Flag- it's a toss up between this one and Send. Get the picture? It's very good, and if it was the new record by, say, The Killers, I'd be blown away at the improvement in quality, but as far as Wire standards go, it's middle of the pack.

( a quick thank you to Jonathon for reminding me. )