All Open Again: The Minimalist Zen of Einsturzende Neubauten

Album: Alles Wieder Offen
Artist: Einsturzende Neubauten
Genre: Experimental/Industrial/Minimalist
Year: 2007
Label: Potomak/Independent

The music of Einsturzende Neubauten is a living thing. It has a pulse and a heartbeat, one as deep and powerful as to move your very soul. The band hails from Germany and is one of the most original and experimental Industrial groups in the world. Along with acts like Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire, they are responsible for inventing the genre. But to pigeonhole them as merely Industrial is to take away from their music, for it is truly a marvel to hear. They are widely known for their innovative percussion, banging on metal items and found objects to create the perfect beat. They are also known to be noisy, but this album has something else in store. “Alles Wieder Offen”, the group’s umpteenth release, is a grand show of minimalist restraint. For all the band’s pounding force, this time around they focus everything so tightly that, at times, they seem to not be there at all. Only on “Let’s Do It a Dada” does the band give in to total chaos. Whirring, buzzing and clanging, the song is a perfect piece of industrial anarchy. But the rest of the album is far more contained, though its pulse is no less strong. The opener “Die Wellen” starts with a simple bass line, then slowly at first, a piano, and then the voice of Blixa Bargeld, the mastermind behind this genius band. As the track builds, a low roar is heard, and then it begins to grow, like a great train approaching from the distance. The song builds and builds and builds more and more until it finally, suddenly stops. That is what this album is all about, building from simple pieces to grand crescendos. “Von Wegen” like “Die Wellen” begins simply enough, but builds into a grand symphony of metallic percussion and a wall of sound so powerful that even Blixa loses his words in the sheer ecstasy of the piece.

The band’s discography is extensive, but this is not a bad place to begin, as it gives insight into many facets of the band’s work. And, there is not a single weak moment throughout the album. My belief is that there is no language barrier here. Sure Blixa is singing in German, but you don’t have to understand it to enjoy the music. It is glorious, it is powerful, it is alive. And it will make you live too.

Show Review: The Future of Hip-Hopx3

Main Act: El-P, Dizzee Rascal
Opening Acts: Busdriver
Venue: Neumos

I’m not sure what to say about this show, but I know one thing: It was fucking awesome. I’ve been having good luck recently. All the shows I’ve gone to recently have either had good opening acts or none at all. Seeing as how this show was my first Hip-Hop show, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I got my monies worth with every act that evening, and I left with a grin still painted on my face. Doors opened at 8:00 and Busdriver started about 9:00. I’m not sure how long he performed for, but it was good… if impossible to understand. That was for a couple of reasons, the first and foremost being that Busdriver raps extremely fast, barely slowing down to catch his breath. He was so fast (and so high) that I could often hardly understand what he was saying, but I understood enough to like it and I was more impressed later when I realized he was free styling. He put in a valiant effort to entertain us, and my immediate thought after it was over was “I’m going to have to get something by him.” So I did.

But moving on, after Busdriver, Dizzee Rascal’s DJ played a solo set, which was so bass heavy I could feel my brain rattling around in my skull. That’s the thing that really threw me about this show, the bass. It rumbled, pulsed and from time to time pushed me back from the stage. And I thought TooL was heavy… After that Dizzee Rascal trooped on to the stage and the energy in the room rocketed up. Most people were here to see him and it showed. And he was an excellent showman, far better than his records would show. Part of it is the environment, there’s no call and response with the crowd on “Sirens” like there is when it’s live. It was the stuff like that, the call and response, the crowd becoming a part of it that made that part of the show for me. I left with much more respect for Dizzee Rascal than when I began. This is not to discredit him; I’m just not as interested in his work as I am in, say, El-P’s. After all, that’s who I was there to see.

There was a short break after Dizzee’s Set and then El-P was up. This is also where I really got into it. El-P is the artist I credit with getting me into Hip-Hop. I regard “I’ll Sleep When You’re Dread” as one of the greatest Hip-Hop albums ever. So to see him live was sort of like bringing it full circle. Knowing all the words and choruses was even more fun with El-P then it was with Dizzee. A few highlight were things like; a brief interlude of A Tribe Called Quest’s “Can I Kick It?” which the crowed (including myself) loved. El-P’s stuff can be dark though, actually hearing “Stepfather Factory” and “Poisenville Kids” live was depressing, if still entertaining. Others like “Smithereens” and “Run the Numbers” also had great chorus moments, my personal favorite being “Find those Detonators” on “Numbers”. Mr. Dibbs (The DJ) did a solo jam, El-P talked politics (He thinks the election is rigged and we’re all doomed) and I was considerably deafened. All and all, an excellent show and a fun evening. I got home at 1:00 in the morning and was exhausted all day the next day… but it was worth it.

Dizzee Rascal Set (Incomplete, In No Particular Order)

-Sirens
-Where’s Da G’s?
-Paranoid
-Flex
-Bubbles?
-Temptation
-G.H.E.T.T.O.
And More…

El-P Set (Incomplete, In No Particular Order)

-Tasmanian Pain Coaster (Short Version)
-Smithereens (Stop Cryin’)
-Up All Night
-EMG (Everything Must Go)
-Run the Numbers (Short Version)
-The Overly Dramatic Truth
-No Kings
-The League of Extraordinary Nobodies
-Poisenville Kids/No Wins
-Can I Kick It? /Mr. Dibbs Jam 1
-Mr. Dibbs Jam 2
-Stepfather Factory
And More…

I Have Seen The Bedlam In Goliath, and it is Fucking Mad

Album: The Bedlam In Goliath
Artist: The Mars Volta
Genre: Progressive/Space Rock/Jazz Fusion
Year: 2008
Label: Universal Motown Records/Gold Standard Laboratories

It’s taken three albums and collaboration with Arggo Hip-Hop visionary El-P to convince me, but it’s done. I am assured of The Mars Volta’s genius and love it. Move over hipsters, I’m joining the bandwagon. Sure there are things that annoy me, Rick Rubin producing their first album for one, touring with the Red Hot Chili Peppers for another. But ultimately that doesn’t matter anymore, as The Mars Volta have gone far, far beyond anything that the Chili Peppers or Rubin is capable of. The band has had a tumultuous time, perhaps even insane, of trying to solidify their line-up. For now, they seem to have settled on a nine member ensemble which allows for some of the nuttiest prog anthems they’ve attempted yet. Bedlam is a strong album, despite the chaotic recording process, which almost (apparently thanks to a cursed Ouija board) went belly up in the water (literally, Rodriguez-Lopez's home studio flooded twice during the recording process.) Curses and Ouija boards be damned, the album was finally pieced together and released and what an album it is. Omar Rodríguez-López’s (Holy crap, his name) guitars are brilliant. I don’t usually get off on a good guitar freak-out, but this is just too good not to mention.

Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s voice takes a little getting used to, but it’s grown on me. His lyrics are bizarre and seemingly non-sensical, but as with their previous albums focus on a story. The story behind Bedlam lies with the Soothsayer, the previously-mentioned cursed Ouija board which damned The Mars Volta straight to hell, at least until it was buried in an undisclosed location. Gone but not forgotten, the bad juju that whammied the band is the main creative source for the lyrics. They may not make sense, but they’re interesting enough to make you try to figure them out. What to say next? I would normally review individual tracks, but here I’m not sure what to say. This album is a power trip and for me to try to extol the virtues of the individual pieces with the information I have would probably not do them justice. This is probably not the album to begin your journey to the heart of the Volta, that would be De-loused in the Comatorium or Frances the Mute (If you can handle Cassandra Gemini) but once you’ve done that you’ll be ready for the chaos and brilliance of this album. Once again, The Mars Volta provide an Epic, Spaced out Jazz-Prog Explosion that leaves the room clear of nay-sayers. And they’re prolific; this is their fourth album in five years and the next one is already in the works. After curses and Ouija board doom, next time they’ll probably set off an alien invasion. One can only wonder…

And For My Next Trick, I Will Make Everything Go Very Slowy

Album: Houdini
Artist: Melvins
Genre: Sludge Metal
Year: 1993
Label: Atlantic

It’s been a week and I haven’t written shit. So, in the spirit of getting my ass in gear and writing something, I’ve decided the best course of action would be to pick an album and jump write, I mean right, in. How to pick though, I have so many albums it’ll make your head spin. I could compile my own list of albums you must hear before you die based on my collection alone and you’d be set for life. But we’re not here to talk about me (fascinating as I am,) in fact, you’re not here to talk at all, you’re here to listen. So listen to what I have to say about Houdini (the Melvins album not the man.)

Houdini is the Melvins at some of their sludgy best. You play this with your bass cranked high and it hits you like a sledge hammer… a big muddy sledge hammer. Atlantic records probably had no idea what they were getting into when they signed the Melvins. They probably saw them as their chance to capitalize on the grunge phenomenon sweeping the nation at the time. Thank god (take your pick) that the Melvins A) aren’t and have never been grunge and B) are so indomitably weird that nothing, not even major label bad juju could set them straight. King Buzzo is probably, along with Mike Patton and Les Claypool among the strangest people in modern music. It’s nearly impossible to tell what the man is saying a majority of the time, but that doesn’t really matter because it’s usually gibberish anyways. The lyrics make so little sense in fact, that they probably comprise some very wonderfully Dadaist poetry. But the music is the ultimate solution with this band. Again, it’s sludgy, slow and heavy. Dale Crover’s drums are like the beats of the fourth horseman of the surreal barring down on you from out of the mouth of the bog… or, to be less arty, they’re very heavy and very good. Lorax (the Melvins are incapable of keeping a bass play for too long) chugs alongside Buzzo and Crover, providing a steady stream of mucky bass lines that’d slow a cheetah if it were to run in front of them.

Kurt Cobain supposedly produced this album, but from the sound of it probably just sat around getting high while the band played on (seriously, I don’t see his influence here at all.) Moving on, this is some of the Melvins more structured work, actual songs rather than doom metal splatter bombs. Some of these actual songs are: “Hooch” the crunchy opener and ridiculously catchy for some inexplicable reason; “Night Goat” the bands sludgy pinnacle of the album; “Goin’ Blind” a Kiss song (Q: no! A: Yes!) Which the band completely remakes into their own deranged love (well… not really) song. Other excellent tracks are “Honey Bucket” which I know is completely obvious to anyone who knows the Melvins but it’s a damn fine song; “Sky Pup” One of the Melvins less structured more psychedelic sludge bomb tracks, featuring Lorax at her finest; and “Spread Eagle Beagle” a ten minute percussion jam that closes the album. It’s a bit hard to listen to all the way through sometimes, but showcases Crover’s drumming beautifully.

The truth is the whole album is pretty much fantastic, with no real weak points. The Melvins were (for some reason) hugely influential on the grunge movement and with this album put every single grunge band from Nirvana to Alice in Chains to shame. This to me is beautiful.

“Desolation…Will Be the State of the Room If I Hear Him Sing One More Time”

Album: Heart and Soul
Artist: Jah Wobble
Year: 2007
Genre: Dub Reggae/ World Dub
Label: Sanctuary

Jah Wobble was the bass player for Public Image Ltd. But that was a long time ago. Since then, his focus has been mainly in Dub Reggae and World Music, with the most Punk thing he’s done since being his work with The Damage Manual. This album, Heart & Soul, is a Dub Reggae album to the max. And maybe that’s the problem. I’ve heard a lot of different kinds of music, and am pretty well versed in Reggae and Dub. I actually like Dub a lot, but I don’t really like Jah Wobble doing it by himself. I say “by himself” because not long ago he collaborated with Bill Laswell on a Dub project that, in my opinion, was very successful. Part of that was because it was instrumental, with voice (that wasn’t Jah’s) only used as another instrument. The problem with Heart & Soul is Jah’s voice. It’s not actually about lack of vocal talent, but rather this weird wobble (Ha-HA) effect he’s using on it that causes his voice to be both high and shaky, like Horace Andy, but fake-like. If the whole album was instrumental, it would be fine. Jah’s bass is, as always, brain devouring and excellent. But that damn voice, when it sings words, it’s just unbearable. The occasional weird howling I have no problem with, actual words about the state of the nation, problem. I’m sorry, but aside from the instrumental tracks, and the tracks when he’s not using that damn wobbling effect, fine. But overall, it’s just not that great. Goodish, but not great.

Trent Reznor Gives Us The Slip (For Free)

Album: The Slip
Artist: Nine Inch Nails
Genre: Industrial Rock/Dark Ambient
Year: 2008
Label: The Null Corporation

Having no homework can be awesome. It can also be boring, too, which leaves me planted to write another review. Conveniently, Nine Inch Nails just released a new album, today! What a twist!!! I got into NIN with their “With Teeth” album and assumed, wrongly, that I would have to wait five years for another one. How wrong I was. These last few years have been full to bursting with Nine Inch music, “The Slip” is just the latest. Having listened to every single Nine Inch Nails album, remix album, live album and just about anything else I could get my hands on, I feel very qualified to review this one.

After the slow build intro of “999, 999” the album takes off with “1,000,000” (shocking) one of the most rocking tracks Nine Inch Nails has ever done. Not to say that previous works haven’t rocked, this one just seems to rock most obviously. Come to that, this may be the first time that Trent has allowed other musicians to play on the recording, or at least that’s what I’ve inferred from the liner notes. The album actually has a full band sound that sets it apart from earlier works, mainly because even when those sounded like full bands you know it’s all just Trent. Not this time it looks like. I would be remised not to mention the method of the release. Reznor is quickly outdoing Radiohead; actually, he’s already outdone them by leaps and bounds. Previous to this album he released the instrumental 36 track long “Ghosts I-IV”, which you could download at various qualities for a mere 5 dollars, and the album came with art work and liner notes and everything. “The Slip” was also released over the internet, but was released as a free download. Free! With artwork and everything! While Radiohead offered us to pay anything we wanted (including nothing) for their album “In Rainbows”, Trent hasn’t asked us to pay anything and allows for you to choose what format we want the music in, from MP3 to FLAC Lossless.

It would be a shame to go through all of this trouble and have the album be a disappointment. While things are business as usual at the NIN camp, business is good and has been for a long time. Lyrically, the evolution of Nine Inch Nails lyrics has never been great. Loss of identity, reality crumbling, insanity, misery and ultimately absorption into the void are all recurring topics from previous albums. But that’s exactly what NIN fans want to hear and that’s not a bad thing. The high point of the album is the music side rather than the lyrical. As I previously stated, this is one of the most rock oriented album NIN has released since “With Teeth”. “Year Zero” had its more rock moments (“The Beginning of the End” for example) but “Ghosts” was an excursion into instrumental and ambient territory not breached since “The Fragile”. While some could tout Trent for being unoriginal or repeating himself, “The Slip” is a blend of some of the more experimental noise sides of “Year Zero”, the haunting dreamlike quality of “Ghosts” and the straight ahead Industrial Rock of “With Teeth”. It finds this middle ground best on tracks like “Letting You” (a driving noise rock explosion) and Echoplex (a slow burning grind of Trent signature guitar style and piano melodies.)

Some of the most interesting tracks on the album are the instrumental ones. “Corona Radiata” sounds like a longer, slower big brother to “A Warm Place” from “The Downward Spiral”. It’s ambient, slow and almost barely feels like it’s there… but it is and it grows and grows until it peaks with the sound of a ten thousand recycled, but muffled screams (I even heard a cat in there), and then it ends. “Head Down” is a particular favorite of mine and the best of the rocker tracks on the album in my opinion, with its chorus of “This is not my face, this is not my life, and there is not a single thing here I can recognize” Sounds like the industrial rock version of The Talking Heads “Once in a Lifetime”. The other real gem here is “Lights in the Sky,” a haunting piano tune in the tradition of songs like “Right Where it Belongs” from With Teeth. It’s beautiful in its despair and minimalism, the perfect slow note to cool things down before the instrumental section.

Overall, the album is strong and I would recommend it highly to anyone who likes Nine Inch Nails. Also, this is a good album to get if you’re new to the band considering it’s available for free. Excellent stuff.