It Tastes Better Than The Truth

Album: Nude With Boots
Artist: Melvins
Genre: Sludge Metal
Year: 2008
Label: Ipecac

The Melvins are an institution of weirdness. They’ve been around forever now, since 1983, I believe, that’s forever in dog years, right? Right. The band is more or less comprised of guitarist/vocalist Buzz Osborne, drummer Dale Crover and a random third member. Over the years, the band’s membership has been in flux, the inconsistent piece being the bass player. For whatever reason, the Melvins seem incapable of holding onto one for more than a few years at a time, and they’ve got quite a few ex-members. The most recent departure was Kevin Rutmanis, also of The Cows and Tomahawk, who was booted out of the band for drug use, supposedly. This left Buzz and Dale in a quandary: what to do next, right? Being a Sludge Metal band, it seemed important to have a bass player to provide a weighty end to the music. But as long as they’re getting a new bass player, they thought, why not get another drummer as well. So began the latest era of Melvimania, the era of the double drums of peace. The new members come in the form of Coady Willis (drums) and Jared Warren (bass) of low-end Assault Metal duo Big Business. Incorporating Big Business into their band was the best decision that Osborne and Crover have made in years as these two young bucks decisively augmented their already impressive sound. They’ve since released two albums with this new configuration, the supremely awesome (A) Senile Animal and the supremely bizarre Nude With Boots. We’re here to talk about the second one.

Nude With Boots is the latest release by the Melvins and it shows them to still be a powerhouse of Sludgy glory, a swamp beast from deep within the bog, come to ooze it’s way out onto civilization and take us back to a time when all that mattered was that your guitar could riff and your drums could pound. There is a sort of primal simplicity to their music and it doesn’t need to be complicated to be good. The Melvins are very technically proficient though, as is evident in the dueling drums of Crover and Warren. The pounding fury they generate is dynamic and potent, each one augmenting the other with their banging battery. The Melvins are one of those bands where you can actually hear the double drum sound, especially in the bass drums, which rumble and roll like nothing else.

Besides the drumming, the most recognizable aspect of the Melvins music is Buzz Osborne’s booming vocals. Melvins lyrics rarely if never make sense but, boy, do they take up space in the mix. On this album, like the last one, Osborne’s deep, resonant bellow is backed by each other member of the band, quadrupling the effect and giving the weighty vocals even more girth. But a Melvins album wouldn’t be complete without the raging riffage created by Osborne’s guitar. It’s grungy but not dated, hardcore with more then three chords and it solos something fierce, but not in that masturbatory, egotistical way. Without it, the Melvins wouldn’t have a prayer.

The Melvins are not a Grunge or Hardcore band though, and Nude With Boots is considerably more jammy than (A) Senile Animal was. With (A) Senile Animal, each song had a very tight structure and that was only broken for the ends of songs in which almost every track dissolved into a drum battle between Warren and Crover. But Nude With Boots is different, looser in many circumstances and with less of the grounded feel than it’s predecessor possessed. The jammyest track is probably the upbeat “Suicide In Progress” which begins life as… well… a jam, before changing tracks and devolving into the Melvins version of haunting minimalism, complete with Osborne intoning dark remarks about “little animals floating in the air”. The whole album has a more energetic (almost weirdly happy) atmosphere that has previously been unheard in their music. It contrasts starkly when weighed against other pieces of their work, especially the dark Pigs Of The Roman Empire, which was just about as menacing as you can get with the Melvins.

The finest moment on Nude With Boots comes with the thunderous screamer “The Smiling Cobra” which contains the chorus “There is no ending! And there’s no wonder why!!” which could very well be the finest description of the Melvins I’ve ever heard. Nude With Boots is an excellent continuation of the wonderful strangeness that is the Melvins, if you’re already a fan, you’ll love it. If you’ve never heard them before, it’s an excellent blend of their straight-ahead Sludge Rock and odder more experimental fare. Regardless, you should get it. Why? Cause I said so.

Something Nobody Cares About But Me!

Album: Moonchild – Songs Without Words
Artist: John Zorn
Genre: Hardcore Improv
Year: 2006
Label: Tzadik

Improvised music can, in the wrong hands, go horribly, horribly wrong. Thankfully for all involved, John Zorn understands how to improv with style and skill. The Moonchild Trio was birthed out of one of the darker corners of Zorn’s mind, leading him to seek out frequent collaborators Joey Baron (drums,) Trevor Dunn (bass,) and Mike Patton (voice) to form the ultimate Hardcore Improv group. Baron is one of Zorn’s most frequent allies and a fellow Masada performer and Dunn and Patton are both of the Dada Metal band Fantômas. Under John Zorn’s direction, they are a nightmare of improvisational extremes. Musically speaking, the Moonchild Trio is a pitch black ensemble that touches on elements of Metal, Hardcore and Noise Rock. It’s a very simple arrangement, just the three performers with Zorn conducting from the wings, but the sound goes all over the place.

Like Fantômas, Patton relies on voice music outside the confines of language alternately spitting, cursing and convulsing out whatever dark abstractions pop into his head. That’s where a major difference between this work and something like Fantômas lies. With Fantômas, Patton has a set plan that he follows to the letter, but here, he’s allowed to run wild, only reigned in by Zorn. Dunn’s high tuned bass playing may be mistaken for a guitar, but it takes us on some low end rides that could only be bass work. Also allowed more room to go wild, Dunn thrashes about with the best of them providing the weightiest aspect of the music. Joey Baron’s Jazz inflected drumming beats out the primitive rhythms that hold the music together. I think that of everyone involved, Baron is probably the most constricted, because he has to keep the beat. Despite this, though, he’s still allowed a lot of room to freak out. As previously mentioned, Zorn, instead of playing his skronking saxophone, oversees and conducts the affair, like a warlock in the style of Alistair Crowley, who the album’s inspiration is partly attributed to.

Zorn had the right idea to sit this one out, lest the project just turn into Painkiller (another of his bands) without Bill Laswell. Zorn has some black patches in his mind and this is definitely one of the darkest. The album’s themes are all related to dark magics of one kind or another and that feeling of evil comes across strongly in the music. This is not for the faint of heart and those who don’t appreciate Noise should stay well away. The closest comparison I can think of is something like Ruins, which has the same arrangement of drums, bass and vocals. But Ruins is nowhere near the suffocating darkness of this album. The best way to listen to this music is from the safety of your thaumaturgical circle, with all your strongest wards in place to keep the demons away.

"Still No Rest Cause We're Not Finished Yet"

Album: Bayani
Artist: Blue Scholars
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Year: 2007
Label: Mass Line Media

The Physics are fun and Grayskul is dark, but the Blue Scholars are another story entirely. Composed of Geologic (Rhymes) and Sabzi (Beats), the Scholars are the people’s Hip-Hop duo. Singing proletariat blues calling for social reform and empowerment of the people, the Blue Scholars have been called the Northwest’s finest, and thier album, Bayani, is a testament to that statement. This album is unique for a couple of reasons, but the one that stands out for me is this: This is the first Hip-Hop album I’ve ever heard without a single guest. Even Atmosphere’s God Loves Ugly had a track featuring I Self Divine. But here, it’s just Geologic and Sabzi holding their own, on their own.

Geologic is the voice of the Scholars, and what a voice indeed. While some rappers take the abstract route to storytelling, Geologic has a very direct way of explaining things. His voice is clear, crisp and completely calm. His subject matter is varied and deep, covering everything from the pain of immigrants (The Distance) to debating whether to give up riding the metro bus in favor of a car (Joe Metro.) His stories are all very accessible, making his pain and joy easily felt by the listener. Sabzi is the music of the Scholars and his production is also very accessible while remaining interesting and unique. His beats are unfettered and simple, and the samples he uses range from funky bass lines to dramatic piano phrases. It’s cool, because it’s not like mainstream Hip-Hop where the production is all glam, but it’s also not the gloomy minimalism of Grayskul or the abrasive machine funk of EL-P. It’s music for the people that’s uplifting and down-to-earth all at the same time. The combination of these two elements, Geo and Sabzi, makes for fantastic listening.

But just because Sabzi’s beats are head-bobbing goodness doesn’t mean that all is right with the world. The Scholars tackle serious matters in their songs and Geologic is one of the smartest, most explicit (I don’t mean swearing) political rappers I’ve ever heard. This is evidenced by tracks such as “Back Home” which is a direct comment on the Iraq war and the harrowing “50K Deep” which tells the tale of the WTO protests that took place in Seattle on November 30, 1999. It’s a brutal story to those who know it and Geo’s account is particularly memorable. It’s probably the best track on the album and makes one wonder if we’re really living in the democracy we’re purported to be.

This album has not been easy to review because I’m afraid I’m not doing it, or the Scholars, justice. I can’t find anything bad to say about it; it’s flawless. Geologic and Sabzi are the cream of the crop when it comes to Northwest Hip-Hop and you will be a better person for going out and buying this masterpiece.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It: The Dark Heart News Of Aesop Rock

Album: None Shall Pass
Artist: Aesop Rock
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Year: 2007
Label: Definitive Jux

My original introduction to Definitive Jux records was through the El-P album I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead. On the album were two tracks featuring guest appearances from two other Def Jux artists: Cage and Aesop Rock. Because of this, I will forever think of these three artists as the individual parts of a triad: El-P is paranoid, Cage is gross and Aesop Rock is weird. Born Ian Bavitz, Aesop Rock is one of Def Jux’s best and strangest artists and a personal favorite of mine in the Hip-Hop world. What makes him a favorite are the bizarre, often surreal lyrical themes the man surrounds himself with. Half of the time I couldn’t begin to tell you what it is he’s rapping about but I like it. He’s not like abstract rapper Busdriver, who is often nonsensical. Like his namesake, Aesop Rock tells stories. Odd stories, strange stories, but stories none the less. Deciphering them is the fun part, as the imagery he creates is something else.

None Shall Pass is thus far my favorite Aesop Rock album and features some of the best production that he’s had so far. Rock’s main collaborator in the production world is Blockhead, who produced almost the entirety of his Labor Days album. He returns here for seven tracks while Rock himself produces five. Other guest producers include El-P and Rob Sonic who also both rap on individual tracks. The Rob Sonic track is actually one of the most fun on the album. Rock and Sonic wax lyrical about the supernatural news service “Dark Heart News” a shout out to all those who can “levitate or bend spoons”. There are other great collaborations on the album, like “Getaway Car” on which both Breeze Brewin’ and Cage (the gross one) appear. It’s actually sort of odd. Both Brewin’ and Rock stick to the tracks plan of highlighting the woes of being stuck in a cubicle all day, but when Cage gets to the mic he goes off about his experience in a mental institution from when he was a kid. It’s not so much that it’s bad rapping, what Cage has to say is interesting; it’s just sort of off topic.

Of course, I’m only guessing at the interpretation of the lyrics here. I could have it all wrong but it’s more fun to think I know what I’m talking about most of the time. The greatest moments on this album seem to be produced by Blockhead. The title track “None Shall Pass” is a bouncing ball that you chase down the street after and “Coffee”, the albums closer, is nothing short of stomptastic and features a vocal section by John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats. Both of these tracks showcase Aesop Rock’s weirdness wonderfully too, that, of course, being the point. The album has weak points, the tracks “Fumes” and “No City” being two of them, but that’s really about it. If you like strangeness in your Hip-Hop mix, don’t pass Aesop Rock.

The System is Down

Album: Scars on Broadway
Artist: Scars on Broadway
Genre: Alternative Metal
Year: 2008
Label: Interscope

With System of a Down on a much-needed hiatus, the world finds itself with a hole that was once filled by aggressive, politically urgent music. That hole it seems is going to be filled by none other then the former members of System themselves, with each member pursuing their own projects. Serj Tankian, System’s vocalist went solo, releasing a record called Elect the Dead, which was exactly what the last two System records should have been: aggressive Metal music with Serj’s often surreal poetry complementing the whole affair. Shavo Odadjian, System’s bass player, is palling around with RZA of The Wu-Tang Clan but has yet to show us anything really concrete with his Achozen project. In the interim, Daron Malakian, System’s guitarist, has teamed up with John Dolmayan, System’s drummer, to form a new band called Scars on Broadway. The formula is to combine aggressive Metal music with politically urgent vocals. Sound familiar? On Scars on Broadways debut album, the auspiciously titled Scars on Broadway, we find Malakian doing little to deviate from System of a Down’s particular brand of Thrash Metal. But is this necessarily a bad thing? The answer is yes. As a friend of mine once said “what’s the point of having a solo project if it doesn’t sound any different from your regular band?”.

System of a Down created an excellent record in their early days and has steadily progressed backwards from there. The first album was a blend of Malakian’s Thrash Metal leanings and Tankian’s abstract, yet politically aware, lyrics. It was dark, abrasive and yet kind of accessible, probably due to Rick (The Dick) Rubin’s production. The second album was more of the same but even more accessible. System’s last two full lengths, Mezmerize and Hypnotize, were both mainly penned by Malakian, with him stepping forward to share vocal duties with Tankian. Here’s where the camels back breaks. Malakian, while able to pen an excellent riff, can’t sing like Tankian, he doesn’t even come close. Also, his lyrics tend to be more straightforward and down to earth in comparison to Tankian’s uncanny ramblings, giving the whole thing a less abstract and more unfussy atmosphere. This is what ruined the last two System albums for me, too much Malakian, not enough Tankian. Malakian was responsible as the lead songwriter on both albums for penning some of the worst songs in System’s catalogue, with Serj stepping in to save the day in only a couple of places. So my reaction to hearing that Malakian was releasing a solo album went like this: “Really? Why?”

But here’s a question, does Malakian fail as epically when Tankian isn’t around to be compared to? The answer is: kind of. Malakain still suffers from one big factor: his voice. It’s just annoying, high pitched and whiny. However good the music is completely overshadowed by the man’s petulant wailing. This is what I believe I will refer to as “Rush Syndrome” a situation where otherwise talented musicians suffer from an inept vocalist (maybe not, Rush isn’t that talented, suggestions?) The music, when taken on its own, is adequate. If you like the riffage of System then you won’t have any complaints here. That, however, is the problem. Adequate instrumentation and poor vocals combine to form even poorer music and there isn’t a whole lot of new ground being covered here. Malakian is still pissed about the system, the government, and the world and shows no signs of lightening up. And that’s fine, it’s good to be politically conscious, but that doesn’t mean you have to sing about it.
I am of the opinion that Scars on Broadway is a project with a future as every single fan of System of a Down will be sure to pick it up. But is it as good as either previous System records or Tankian’s solo album? No. Not really.

I still like Malakian, provided he doesn’t sing. The man has some musical chops that aren’t going away anytime soon. But he needs his band for them really to shine and he needs a vocalist worth backing Oh well. Maybe Odadjian’s project will bear fruit, cause this one sure didn’t.

We Carry On: The New Sounds of Portishead

Album: Third
Artist: Portishead
Genre: Down Tempo Electronica
Year: 2008
Label: Island

This is not Portishead of yore. In 1994, Portishead was one of the premier Trip-Hop acts, along with Massive Attack. Their music was informed by a Down Tempo, Jazz influenced sound, with Beth Gibbon’s unearthly vocals haunting the air. Their first album, Dummy, is a classic piece of Bristol Trip-Hop. In 1997, they released a self titled album and 1998, a live album. They then withdrew from the spotlight and performed for roughly ten years. Last year, Portishead returned with their appropriately named “Third” album. Unlike the Noir Jazz sounds of Portishead classic, this is a different animal, drawing on numerous electronic elements to form a cold and alienating whole. This album, more than their previous efforts, centers around the musical wizardry of Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley. Beth Gibbons is still present and her vocals remain as eerie as ever, but the music she sings over is far more forward then the music of Dummy or the self-titled album.

The music of Dummy was immediately beautiful and spooky. The music of Third on the other hand, is immediately spooky, but the beauty may take time to emerge. Having eschewed the Jazz influence almost entirely, this album sounds rougher, not more rock, but more electric, with fewer samples and more raw sound, the kind you might get from a really old synth. This isn’t the only major twist though. One of the tracks, the short “Deep Water” is 1 minute and 33 seconds of Beth Gibbons and a tropical ukulele, creating one of the strangest Portishead songs ever recorded. It’s the most fun, and I do mean FUN, that you’ll ever have with Portishead and it reveals a sort of humor not normally seen in Gibbon’s sadness soaked vocals. “Machine Gun”, on the other hand, is a jack hammer of a song, with sharp, repetitive beats banging along like factory machines. It’s probably the loudest Portishead song that’s ever been committed to tape and its menacing atmosphere communicates a kind of fear that has only been hinted at in their music.

Third is nigh perfect, though it may not appeal to you in the same way that Dummy did. But this isn’t Dummy and shouldn’t be confused for it or their self-titled album. As I said before, this is a new animal, bred from blue electronics and an earth angel’s voice. Its sound is foreign, yet familiar and brings a kind of melancholy that hasn’t been felt in music for a long time. If you’re feeling blue, this album is for you.

Crack Sabbath: Better Than Your Kiss Cover Band.

Album: Bar Slut
Artist: Crack Sabbath
Genre: Jazz/Metal (sort of)
Year: 2004
Label: ???

Crack Sabbath is the best cover band that you’ll ever hear. This is not up for debate. Consisting of Seattle’s saxophone maestro Skerik, Hammond organ wizard Ron Weinstein, bass player Keith Lowe and drummer Mike Stone, the group is a veritable who’s who of Seattle Jazz power. I don’t know the group’s history, how they came together or really any details about the schematics, but it’s not for lack of trying. There simply is no information about them anywhere on the Internet. That being said, I’ll tell you what I know and hope to add something to the void of information.

As previously stated, Crack Sabbath is a cover band and the best one you’ll ever hear. I say this because, what other group could possibly produce such kick ass covers of both Charles Mingus and Nirvana tunes on the same CD? That’s right, no one. Most cover bands produce redundant music by simply playing the original work note for note without any variation or interesting contortions. But Crack Sabbath provides us with music that twists and turns so much you’ll have whip lash by the end of the album. Arguably, the best take on the album is their cover of Charles Mingus’s fantastic “Better Get Hit In Yo’ Soul” (slightly re-titled) which follows the original masterfully up until the bridge, where they break down into a cover of Black Sabbath’s Sweat Leaf. Mixing Mingus and Sabbath may sound like sacrilege, but it works out surprisingly well, the two elements brought together by master musicians. Keith Lowe is no Charles Mingus, but then again no one is and he does his best to fill his big shoes and does an admirable job. Skerik and Weinstein completely steal the show on the track, however, Skerik’s roaring sax takes center stage while being augmented by Weinstein’s manic organ. Things take an even more lunatic turn when the group tackles Nirvana’s “Breed” on which Keith Lowe’s grungy bass playing propels the track forward at breakneck pace. As good as it is, having heard the original so many times, I’m completely sick of this song and it’s cool to hear Skerik and Co. breath new life into this dilapidated carcass.

Just because Crack Sabbath is a cover band doesn’t mean they only perform covers. Four of the twelve tracks on the album are original works and all of them are utterly strange. The first is the droning “Crack of Doom” which opens the album and would make Drone Metal masters Sunn O))) proud. “Bar Slut” is a more traditional Jazz cut that demonstrates the groups compositional chops best and is the proper start to the album. The two strangest tracks though, are “Makin Out With My Dad” and “Bukkake Ducati” both of which take the Black Sabbath influence to heart giving us powerful Jazz Metal cuts that would make Ozzy Osborne blow a gasket. These are also the only vocal tracks on the album, with vocalist Brad Mowen growling his way through both of them. With Bar Slut, Crack Sabbath demonstrates some serious ambition and manages to follow through on it expertly. Some may balk at this modern group devouring and reanimating the works of Mingus, Davis and Cobain, but I’m not one of them. This album is solid and it’ll be worth your time to go to the extra effort to find a copy.