CaligulaDisco

Music Picks for December 31st, 2010

2010-12-31T06:13:00.000-08:00

Alright my loyal readers. This is it. The last music post of 2010. I'll be taking the next 52 days off to prepare the 2010 Drager Awards. Have a safe New Year's Eve and I'll see you again on February 22nd, 2011. Carry on...

December 31st, 2010

NEW SONGS THAT I DIG:

Briton Rites – “Vampire Hunter, 1600” (from For Mircalla)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY1L4f8IZt0

Duran Duran – “All You Need Is Now” (from All You Need Is Now)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0tKdKh-XZo

Helmet – “Seeing Eye Dog” (from Seeing Eye Dog)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxAFCNLXIHg

Kanye West – “Power” (from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96tTu9-aW9k

Sarah McLachlan – “Heartbreak” (from Laws Of Illusion)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMeXAqd_wQE

Shinedown – “Diamond Eyes” (from The Expendables Soundtrack)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m7OCPfJF9A

Smashing Pumpkins – “Stitch In Time” (from Teargarden By Kaleidyscope EP, Vols. 1 and 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szCbkMF2Ttc

Tesseract – “Concealing Fate, Pts. 1 – 6” (from Concealing Fate EP)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF_YIiRoRFM

NEW ALBUMS THAT I LIKE:

Smashing Pumpkins – Teargarden By Kaleidyscope EP, Vols. 1 and 2 (Martha’s Music / Rocket Science)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teargarden_By_Kaleidyscope

NEW ALBUMS THAT JUST DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:

Drake – Thank Me Later

Father Befouled – Morbid Destitution Of Covenant

Gil Scott-Heron – I’m New Here

Ghost – Opus Eponymous

NEW ALBUMS THAT WERE “MEH”:

Black Dub – Self-Titled

Deathspell Omega – Paracletus

Lesbian – Stratospheria Cubensis

Thou - Summit

Music Picks for December 12th, 2010

2010-12-12T14:05:00.000-08:00

December 12th, 2010

NEW SONGS THAT I DIG:

Agalloch – “The Watcher’s Monolith” (from Marrow Of The Spirit)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlKzz78hj60

Cee-Lo Green- “Fuck You” (from The Lady Killer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc0mxOXbWIU

Cough – “Crippled Wizard” (from Ritual Abuse)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9gm1MoMuzY

Detail – “Shakin’ My Head” (with Flo Rida) (from Only One Flo, Part One)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaJ0TSnlkIA

Duffy – “Keeping My Baby” (from Endlessly)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fml_rC43KUM

Equilibrium – “Der Wassermann” (from Rekreatur)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUBQiOVd_6o

Far East Movement – “Rocketeer (w/Ryan Tedder)” (from Free Wired)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcmKbTR--iA

Flo Rida – “Puzzle” (from Only One Flo, Part One)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmkA7cdP4A8

Girl Talk – “Triple Double” (from All Day)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10f-WBX2umE

Hinder – “What Ya Gonna Do?” (from All-American Nightmare)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CJMwmEmXjA

Krieg – “All Paths To God” (from The Isolationist)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHokojg05P4

N.E.R.D. – “Hot-n-Fun” (w/ Nelly Furtado) (from Nothing)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6ZfA5QZDHY

Nicki Minaj – “Roman’s Revenge” (w/Eminem) (from Pink Friday)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cnr2wLOv8o

Oceano – “Weaponized” (from Contagion)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mlsdx_IDhwQ

Rascal Flatts – “All Night To Get There” (from Nothing Like This)
http://www.last.fm/music/Rascal+Flatts/_/All+Night+To+Get+There

Robyn – “Indestructible” (from Body Talk)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ketX6HITIDU

Salome – “Terminal” (from Terminal)
http://www.npr.org/2010/10/31/130884801/first-listen-salome-terminal

Sargeist – “From The Black Coffin Lair” (from Let The Devil In)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWsZcp2B76k

The Saturdays – “Higher” (Remix with Flo Rida) (from Headlines! And Only One Flo, Part One)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyQdIfL7fhk

Sugarland – “Tonight” (from The Incredible Machine)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pok6WDCRaWI

NEW ALBUMS THAT I LIKE:

Cough – Ritual Abuse (Relapse)
www.myspace.com/cough666

Equilibrium – Rekreatur (Nuclear Blast)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rekreatur

Far East Movement – Free Wired (Cherrytree / Interscope Records)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Wired 62.1485

Girl Talk – All Day (Illegal Art)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Day_(album)

Hinder – All-American Nightmare (Universal Republic)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_American_Nightmare

Oceano – Contagion (Earache Records)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contagion_(Oceano_album)

Robyn – Body Talk (Konichiwa , Interscope)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_Talk_(Robyn_album)

Sargeist – Let The Devil In (Moribund Records)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sargeist 60.0357

NEW ALBUMS THAT JUST DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:

Atheist - Jupiter

Kamelot – Poetry For The Poisoned

Unearthly Trance - V

Warpaint – Self-Titled

NEW ALBUMS THAT WERE “MEH”:

Cradle Of Filth – Darkly, Darkly Venus Aversa

Daft Punk – Tron: Legacy – Original Soundtrack

Electric Wizard – Black Masses

Melechesh – The Epigenesis

Music Picks for November 25th, 2010

2010-11-25T16:31:00.000-08:00

November 25th, 2010 (Thanksgiving Edition)

NEW SONGS THAT I DIG:

Eric Clapton – “Rolling And Tumbling” (from Clapton)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTkBc2spNls

Jamey Johnson – “Heartache” (from The Guitar Song)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDh81xL5R6Q

Kid Rock – “Purple Sky” (from Born Free)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1aLnxtwHXI

Lauren Pritchard – “Going Home” (from Wasted In Jackson)
http://www.we7.com/#/song/Lauren-Pritchard/Going-Home

Mark Ronson And The Business International – “Record Collection (w/Simon LeBon and Wiley)” (from Record Collection)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjoEA1vaKkM

Mutant Supremacy – “Extinction” (from Infinite Suffering)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5fucDrfoLU

Neil Young – “Love And War” (from Le Noise)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skJddbSJQjA

No Age – “Fever Dreaming” (from Everything In Between)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kno3QhKm1Z4

Rihanna – “What’s My Name? (w/Drake)” (from Loud)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0CGsw6h60k

Robert Plant – “Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down” (from Band Of Joy)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1n2JLbrgo8

Shakira – “Lo Que Mas” (from Sale El Sol)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-kXtR06zKo

Terror – “Return To Strength” (from Keepers Of The Faith)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJhbdGFVYkE

Withered – “From Shadows” (from Dualitas)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZMsrz6Vyno

NEW ALBUMS THAT I LIKE:

Jamey Johnson – The Guitar Song (Mercury Nashville)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guitar_Song

Mark Ronson And The Business International – Record Collection (Columbia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_Collection_(album)

Terror – Keepers Of The Faith (Reaper Records)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terror_(band)

NEW ALBUMS THAT JUST DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:

John Legend And The Roots – Wake Up!

Richard Thompson – Dream Attic

Salem – King Night

Sia – We Are Born

Sister Sin – True Sound Of The Underground

Therion – Sitra Ahra

NEW ALBUMS THAT WERE “MEH”:

The Black Angels – Phosphene Dream

Forbidden – Omega Wave

Joe Elliott’s Down ‘N’ Outz – My Regeneration

Skyforger – Kurbads

OLD ALBUMS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT

Bob Dylan – The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6: Concert At Philharmonic Hall (2004)

The Clash – Self-Titled (1977)

The Doors – Self-Titled (1967)

Grateful Dead – Golden State Studios 11-3-65 (1965)

Immortal – Battles In The North (1995)

Live – Birds Of Pray (2003)

Mudoney – My Brother The Cow (1995)

OLD SONGS YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO:

Albert King – “That’s What The Blues Is All About” (from I Wanna Get Funky 1974)

Buddy Holly – “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” (from Reminiscing 1963)

Full Blown Chaos – “Hollowed” (from Within The Grasp Of Titans 2006)

Jann Arden – “I Would Die For You’ (from Self-Titled 2005)

Joy Division – “Day Of The Lords” (from Unknown Pleasures 1979)

The Smiths – “Meat Is Murder” (from Meat Is Murder 1985)

Steve Earle – “Billy And Bonnie” (from I Feel Alright 1996)

Music Picks for November 14th, 2010

2010-11-14T12:55:00.000-08:00

November 14th, 2010

NEW SONGS THAT I DIG :

Acid Tiger – “Dark Hands” (from Self-Titled)
http://www.myspace.com/acidtigermusic

Alter Bridge – “Isolation” (from AB III)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S9D5RRwQ8g

Blind Guardian – “Sacred Worlds” (from At The Edge Of Time)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC2shNk6RFI

Brian Eno – “Bone Jump” (from Small Craft On A Milk Sea)
http://www.last.fm/music/Brian+Eno/_/Bone+Jump

Cephalic Carnage – “When I Arrive” (from Misled by Certainty)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXLy7sNHln0

Dawn Of Ashes – “God-Like-Demon” (from Genocide Chapters)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq2pp6ZpwBQ

Devo – “What We Do” (from Something For Everybody)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc0uQXxkOcg

Elvis Costello – “Bullets For The New-Born King” (from National Ransom)
http://www.elviscostello.com/words-detail/Hear+Music/Elvis+Costello+/Bullets+for+the+New-Born+King/cd/729/8919

Monster Magnet – “Gods And Punks” (from Mastermind)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=347M0hcgjcw

Paramore – “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man)” (from Coal Miner’s Daughter: A Tribute To Loretta Lynn)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWGGj4duzIo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_Miner%27s_Daughter:_A_Tribute_to_Loretta_Lynn

Suicidal Angels – “The Pestilence Of Saints” (from Sanctify The Darkness)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsTvM-bLwVk

Taylor Swift – “Mean” (from Speak Now)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CPrzNr1b14

Trent Reznor And Atticus Ross – “In The Hall Of The Mountain King” (from The Social Network - Original Soundtrack)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPZtigbbkz4

Zac Brown Band – “Colder Weather” (from You Get What You Give)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CXDmKg7SS4

NEW ALBUMS THAT I LIKE:

Acid Tiger – Self-Titled ( Deathwish)
http://www.myspace.com/acidtigermusic

Alter Bridge – AB III (Road Runner)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AB_III

Blind Guardian – At The Edge Of Time (Nuclear Blast)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_the_Edge_of_Time

Brian Eno – Small Craft On A Milk Sea (Warp)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Craft_On_A_Milk_Sea

Cephalic Carnage – Misled By Certainty (Relapse)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misled_by_Certainty

Dawn Of Ashes – Genocide Chapters (Metal Blade Records)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_Of_Ashes

Devo – Something For Everybody (Warner Bros.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Something_for_Everybody_(Devo_album)

Elvis Costello – National Ransom (Hear Music / Universal Records)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Ransom

Monster Magnet – Mastermind (Napalm Records)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastermind_(Monster_Magnet_album)

Taylor Swift – Speak Now (Big Machine)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speak_Now

Zac Brown Band – You Get What You Give (Atlantic Nashville)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Get_What_You_Give_(album)

NEW ALBUMS THAT JUST DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:

Charred Walls Of The Damned – Self-Titled

Das Racist – Sit Down, Man

Lil’ Wayne – I Am Not A Human Being

NEW ALBUMS THAT WERE “MEH”:

Drudkh – Handful Of Stars

Philip Selway – Familial

OLD ALBUMS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

Elvis Presley – 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong (1959)

John Lennon – Double Fantasy (1980)

Judas Priest – Unleashed In The East (1979)

Napalm Death – Scum (1987)

Rob Zombie – Educated Horses (2006)

Rush – Snakes And Arrows (2007)

Toad The Wet Sprocket – Pale (1990)

OLD SONGS YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO :

The Contours – “Do You Love Me?” (from Do You Love Me? 1962)

Edgar Winter’s White Trash – “Turn On Your Love Light” (from Roadwork 1972)

The Kinks – “Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues” (from Everybody’s In Showbiz 1972)

The Monkees – “I’m A Believer” (from More Of The Monkees 1966)

Roy Orbison (w/K.D. Lang) – “Crying” (from The Best Of Roy Orbison 1996)

Smashing Pumpkins – “Glynis” (from Rarities And B-Sides 2005)

Neil Young – “If I Could Have Her Tonight” (from Self-Titled 1968

Music Picks 10 / 31/ 2010 (Halloween / Samhain Edition)

2010-10-30T15:47:00.000-07:00

October 31st, 2010(Halloween / Samhain Edition)

NEW SONGS THAT I DIG

Accept – “The Abyss” (from Blood Of The Nations)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5yp19t4VYs

All That Remains – “Aggressive Opposition” (from For We Are Many)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKcHct3O_6s

Beneath The Massacre – “The Casket You Sleep In” (from Maree Noire EP)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUOZRcocoFI

Brandon Flowers – “Jilted Lovers And Broken Hearts” (from Flamingo)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52DUVvuI1S4

Bruno Mars – “The Other Side” (w/Cee-Lo Green and B.o.B.) (from Doo-Wops And Hooligans)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8Ed8in9Qng

Dimmu Borgir – “Ritualist” (from Abrahadabra)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck61ZX7MQ2Y

Elton John and Leon Russell – “Hey Ahab” (from The Union)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L88lY_IEQvw

Goo Goo Dolls – “Sweetest Lie” (from Something For The Rest of Us)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXqxNMOB1Z4

Kvelertak - "Mjød" (from Self-Titled)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc_zhE9tBeg

Kylesa – “Drop Out” (from Spiral Shadow)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKQcjX3_SlA

Otargos – “Hexameron” (from No God, No Satan)
http://www.myspace.com/otargos

Soulfly – “Great Depression” (from Omen)
http://www.last.fm/music/Soulfly/_/Great+Depression

NEW ALBUMS THAT I LIKE:

All That Remains – For We Are Many (Prosthetic / Razor & Tie)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_We_Are_Many

Brandon Flowers – Flamingo (Island / Vertigo)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flamingo_(album)

Bruno Mars – Doo-Wops And Hooligans (Atlantic / Elecktra)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doo_Wops_and_Hooligans

Dimmu Borgir – Abrahadabra (Nuclear Blast)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrahadabra_(album)

Elton John and Leon Russell – The Union (Decca Records)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Union_(album)

Kvelertak – Self-Titled (Indie Recordings)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kvelertak_(album)

Kylesa – Spiral Shadow (Prosthetic)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_Shadow

NEW ALBUMS THAT JUST DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:

Kings Of Leon – Come Around Sundown

NEW ALBUMS THAT WERE “MEH”:

Abigail Williams – In The Absence Of Light

Torche – Songs For Singles EP

OLD ALBUMS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT

Alkaline Trio – Agony & Irony (2008)

The B-52s – Wild Planet (1980)

Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band – Doc At The Radar Station (1980)

The Eagles – Hotel California (1976)

Fleetwood Mac – The Original Fleetwood Mac (1971)

Garbage – Self-Titled (“Pink Feathers Album”) (1995)

Helloween – Keeper Of The Seven Keys, Pt.2 (1988)

Incubus – S.C.I.E.N.C.E. (1997)

Samhain – November-Coming-Fire (1986)

OLD SONGS YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO

Aqua – Halloween (from Aquarius 2000)

Fastway - Trick or Treat (from Trick Or Treat: Original Soundtrack 1987)

Dave Matthews Band – Halloween (from Recently EP 1994)

Dead Kennedys – Halloween (from Plastic Surgery Disasters 1982)

King Diamond – Halloween (from Fatal Portrait 1986)

Marilyn Manson – This Is Halloween (from The Nightmare Before Christmas: Special Edition Soundtrack 2006)

Ministry - Everyday is Halloween (from Twelve Inch Singles 1987)

The Shaggs – It’s Halloween (from The Shaggs’ Own Thing 1982)

Type O Negative – Halloween In Heaven (from Dead Again 2007)

Music Picks for October 10th, 2010

2010-10-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

October 10th, 2010

NEW SONGS THAT I DIG

22-20s – “Heart On A String” (from Shake/Shiver/Moan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NlmtyPBF6I

Bad Religion – “The Resist Stance” (from The Dissent Of Man)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sykzo1QpSlE

Bettye LaVette – “It Don’t Come Easy” (from Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_9QRuoZoHE

Brian Wilson – “I Got Rhythm” (from …Reimagines Gershwin)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1DOjrGGDiM

Broken Social Scene – “World Sick” (from Forgiveness Rock Record)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb9WKJhqVWs

The Candles – “Not Enough” (from Between The Sounds)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0Ejw7UTQE8

Fall Of Envy – “White Flag” (Radio Single)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLDbwKMz-Jc

Hail The Villain – “Take Back The Fear” (from Population: Declining)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lFBbDzHIwQ

How To Destroy Angels – “The Space In Between” (from Self-Titled EP)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWbfgGDl6XE

Linkin Park – “The Catalyst” (from A Thousand Suns)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rjs08E-Ps7w

Mouth of The Architect – “Restore” (from The Violence Beneath EP)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpEZwOPqxKg

The National – “Anyone’s Ghost” (from High Violet)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45OKNWxvgXg

Papa Roach – “Kick in The Teeth” (from Time For Annihilation)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiI4rA6nrog

Saving Abel – “The Sex Is Good” (from Miss America)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hriW0--5NhE

Sun Kil Moon – “Third And Seneca” (from Admiral Fell Promises)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMrYmEJXfY0

The Sword – “Lawless Lands” (from Warp Riders)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pxicylHN9o

NEW ALBUMS THAT I LIKE:

Brian Wilson – Reimagines Gershwin (Disney Pearl Series)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson_Reimagines_Gershwin

Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record (Arts & Crafts)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forgiveness_Rock_Record

Linkin Park – A Thousand Suns (Warner Bros.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_thousand_suns

The National – High Violet (4AD)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Violet

Sun Kil Moon – Admiral Fell Promises (Caldo Verde Records)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admiral_Fell_Promises

The Sword – Warp Riders (Kemado)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warp_Riders

NEW ALBUMS THAT JUST DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:

Circle Of Dead Children – Psalm Of The Grand Destroyer

Haken – Aquarius

Ice Cube – I Am The West

Shining - Blackjazz

NEW ALBUMS THAT WERE “MEH”:

Crowned In Earth – Visions Of The Haunted

Interpol – Self-Titled

School Of Seven Bells – Disconnect From Desire

OLD ALBUMS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT

King Diamond – A Dangerous Meeting (1992)

Oasis – (What’s The Story)Morning Glory? (1995)

Queensryche – American Soldier (2009)

Sponge – New Pop Sunday (1999)

Testament – The Ritual (1992)

The Who – Live at the Royal Albert Hall (2000)

Neil Young And Crazy Horse – Rust Never Sleeps (1979)

OLD SONGS YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO

Fred Neil – “Everybody’s Talkin’” (from Self-Titled 1966)

George Jones – “The Race Is On” (from The Race Is On 1964)

John Lennon – “Dizzy Miss Lizzy” (from Live Peace In Toronto 1969)

Primus – “Wounded Knee” (from Pork Soda 1993)

Repulsion – “Bodily Dismemberment” (from Horrified 1986)

The Undertones – “Male Model” (from Teenage Kicks 1993)

V.A.S.T. – “Be With Me” (from Turquoise And Crimson 2004)

Music Picks For September 12th, 2010

2010-09-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

September 12TH, 2010

NEW SONGS THAT I DIG

10 Years – “Don’t Fight It” (from Feeding The Wolves)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEAte7K_7ok

The Abominable Iron Sloth – “Heterodox Nonconformists” (from The Id Will Overcome)
http://www.myspace.com/theironsloth

Ares Kingdom – “Descent Of Man” (from Incendiary)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j8fLnqm0mU

Band Of Horses – “Compliments” (from Infinite Arms)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW6hmtjZ37c

Best Coast – “Crazy For You” (from Crazy For You)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-hLFn5XsJw

Big Boi – “Tangerine (w/T.I. and Khujo Goodie) (from Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lLZlaNn-bo

Cypress Hill – “Carry Me Away (w/Mike Shinoda)” (from Rise Up)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP4iRw_du_Y

Hellyeah – “Hell Of A Time” (from Stampede)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyC5xTD_2po

John Mellencamp – “No Better Than This” (from No Better Than This)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBrQv66oLxc

Kataklysm – “Push The Venom” (from Heaven’s Venom)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlUNc8vA1Tg

Katy Perry – “California Gurls” (from Teenage Dream)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwE-SLnLkqY

Kylie Minogue – “Better Than Today” (from Aphrodite)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh87t2HhXC4

Mike Posner – “Cooler Than Me” (from 31 Minutes To Takeoff)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqWq_48LxWQ

Noctiferia – “Demoncracy” (from Death Culture)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfUdtyZ4dVQ

Sheryl Crow – “Long Road Home” (from 100 Miles From Memphis)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U_4VMVpcBE

Sting – “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” (from Symphonicities)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKIJ9g7jVr4

Stone Sour – “Say You’ll Haunt Me” (from Audio Secrecy)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEn-nTkbEM0

Uffie – “ADD SUV (w/Pharrell Williams)” (from Sex Dreams And Denim Jeans)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzh9RzYyWpg

NEW ALBUMS THAT I LIKE:

10 Years – Feeding The Wolves (Republic)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feeding_The_Wolves

The Abominable Iron Sloth – The Id Will Overcome (
Independent)
http://www.myspace.com/theironsloth

Ares Kingdom – Incendiary (The End Records)
http://www.myspace.com/areskingdom

Best Coast – Crazy For You (Mexican Summer)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_for_You_(album)

Big Boi – Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty (Purple Ribbon, Def Jam)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Lucious_Left_Foot:_The_Son_of_Chico_Dusty

Cypress Hill – Rise Up (Priority)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rise_Up_(Cypress_Hill_album)

John Mellencamp –No Better Than This (Rounder Records)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Better_Than_This

Kataklysm – Heaven’s Venom (Nuclear Blast)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven%27s_Venom

Noctiferia – Death Culture (Listenable Records)
www.myspace.com/noctiferia

Sting – Symphonicities (Deutsche Grammophon)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphonicities

Stone Sour – Audio Secrecy (Roadrunner)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_Secrecy

Uffie – Sex Dreams And Denim Jeans (Ed Banger, Because, Elektra)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_Dreams_and_Denim_Jeans_(album)

NEW ALBUMS THAT JUST DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:

Korn – III: Remember Who You Are

Wavves – King Of The Beach

NEW ALBUMS THAT WERE “MEH”:

Disturbed - Asylum

Horseback – The Invisible Mountain

Tarot – Gravity Of Light

Warbeast – Krush the Enemy

OLD ALBUMS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT

• Due to time and scheduling restraints, there are no albums listed for this

segment. They will return in the next segment*

OLD SONGS YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO (“Chris Is Two Years’ Sober” edition)

AC / DC – “Have A Drink On Me” (from Back in Black 1980)

Amy Winehouse – “Rehab” (from Back To Black 2007)

Johnny Cash – “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” (Radio Single 1970)

Kiss – “Cold Gin” (from Cold Gin 1974)

Metallica – “The House Jack Built” (from Load 1996)

Ozzy Osbourne – “Demon Alcohol” (from No Rest For The Wicked 1988)

Thin Lizzy – “Whiskey In The Jar” (from Vagabonds of The Western World 1972)

Tool – “Sober” (from Undertow 1993)

Van Morrison – “Don’t Go To Nightclubs Anymore” (from Keep It Simple 2008)

War – “Spill The Wine” (from Eric Burdon Declares War 1970)

Music Picks for August 20th, 2010

2010-08-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

August 20th, 2010

NEW SONGS THAT I DIG:

Arcade Fire – “City With No Children” (from The Suburbs)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unwL8TaG8LA

The Black Keys – “Ten Cent Pistol” (from Brothers)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnR3I9xXd1U

Buckcherry – “Dead” (from All Night Long)
http://www.myspace.com/buckcherry

The Dead Weather – “Looking At The Invisible Man” (from Sea Of Cowards)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW-TpX5mXbE

Die Antwoord – “Enter The Ninja” (from $O$)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NZBxwjcwMc

Enemy Of The Sun – “I Am One” (from Caedium)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTJ11_OTbrg

Grace Potter And The Nocturnals – “Medicine” (from Self-Titled)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjaTVkRAxaI

Iron Maiden – “Coming Home” (from The Final Frontier)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfgDXrs81Rs

M.I.A. – “XXXO” (from Maya)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ontdIqBc3Sk

Mike Patton – “Urlo Negro” (from Mondo Cane)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTSq3A0470w

The New Pornographers – “Crash Years” (from Together)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KZANuDcRO4

Ov Hell – “Krigsatte Faner” (from The Underworld Regime)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtsHl9Dqf8s

Villagers – “I Saw The Dead” (from Becoming A Jackal)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZGCfIIHWhk

Whitechapel – “Reprogrammed To Hate” (from A New Era Of Corruption)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spCOhySipdw

The White Stripes – “Jolene” (from Under Great White Northern Lights)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekxFlPENWQY

Woe Of Tyrants – “Threnody” (from Threnody)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfBpX43kcCY

NEW ALBUMS THAT I LIKE:

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs (Merge)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Suburbs_(Arcade_Fire_album)

The Black Keys – Brothers (Nonesuch)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brothers_(The_Black_Keys_album)

Buckcherry – All Night Long (Eleven Seven Music , Atlantic)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Night_Long_(Buckcherry_album)

The Dead Weather – Sea Of Cowards (Third Man)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_of_Cowards

Die Antwoord - $O$ (Interscope Records)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_antwoord

Grace Potter And The Nocturnals – Self-Titled (Hollywood)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Potter_and_the_Nocturnals_(album)

Iron Maiden – The Final Frontier (EMI)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Final_Frontier_(Iron_Maiden_album)

M.I.A. – Maya (N.E.E.T., XL, Interscope, Hostess)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_(M.I.A._album)

Mike Patton – Mondo Cane (Ipecac Recordings)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondo_Cane_(album)

The New Pornographers – Together (Matador)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Together_(The_New_Pornographers_album)

Ov Hell – The Underworld Regime (Prosthetic Records)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Underworld_Regime

Whitechapel – A New Era Of Corruption (Metal Blade)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_New_Era_of_Corruption

The White Stripes – Under Great White Northern Lights (Third Man)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_Great_White_Northern_Lights

Woe Of Tyrants – Threnody (Metal Blade)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threnody_(album)

NEW ALBUMS THAT JUST DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:

Clinging To The Trees Of A Forest Fire – Songs Of Ill Hope And Desperation

Sleigh Bells - Treats

Valkyrie – Man Of Two Visions

NEW ALBUMS THAT WERE “MEH”:

Grave – Burial Ground

OLD SONGS YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO

The Brogues – “I Ain’t No Miracle Worker” (Radio Single 1965)

Elvis Presley – “Welcome To My World” (from Aloha From HawaiI 1973)

John Lennon – “Isolation” (from Plastic Ono Band 1970)

Rush – “Working Man” (from Self-Titled 1974)

Tom Waits – “Singapore” (from Rain Dogs 1985)

Trouble – “Psalm 9” (from Psalm 9 1984)

Zoroaster – “Voice Of Saturn” (from Voice Of Saturn 2009)

OLD ALBUMS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

The Kinks – Preservation Acts 1 & 2(1973)

Morbid Angel – Formulas Fatal To The Flesh (1998)

Neil Young And Crazy Horse – Broken Arrow (1996)

Opeth – Still Life (1999)

Queensryche – Rage For Order (1986)

Smashing Pumpkins –Turpentine Kisses (1995)

Stevie Ray Vaughan – Mega Rare Tracks (2007)

Music Picks for August 8th, 2010

2010-08-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

August 8th, 2010

NEW SONGS THAT I DIG

Aeon – “Abomination To God” (from Path To Fire)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_MR_6l5qP8

Alan Jackson – “Freight Train” (from Freight Train)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xyt9gUlrec

Black Tusk – “Way Of Horse And Bow” (from Taste The Sin)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmYTl2FGEk4

The Bravery – “Ours” (from Twilight: Eclipse Soundtrack)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmtuwDddcos

Cee-Lo Green – “What Part Of Forever?” (from Twilight: Eclipse Soundtrack)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpgJtsmB9Aw

Court Yard Hounds – “See You In The Spring” (w/Jakob Dylan) (from Self-Titled)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCstHX_HH7o

Die – “Rise Of The Rotten” (from Rise Of The Rotten)
http://www.myspace.com/diedenmark

Florence + The Machine – “Heavy In Your Arms” (from Twilight: Eclipse Soundtrack)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BELNiWGF0aM

Freya – “The Light That Rivaled The Sun” (from All Hail The End)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwC7VFXNNsc

Hanson – “Carry You There” (from Shout It Out)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl6gvug_11o

Karen Elson – “The Ghost Who Walks” (from The Ghost Who Walks)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmFQfgdmyzY

Miseration – “Voyaging The Seas Of Thought” (from The Mirroring Shadow)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at2uAn2DPK0

Nachtmystium – “Addicts” (from Addicts: Black Meddle, Pt. 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKqBQq-jCrs

Orphaned Land – “Sapari” (from The Never Ending Way of ORWarriOR)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3doOjLwJHDg

The Roots – “Radio Daze” (w/Blu, P.O.R.N. and Dice Raw) (from How I Got Over)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqfNBbtn5e4

Soilwork – “Late For The Kill, Early For The Slaughter” (from The Panic Broadcast)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dww2JwSbOl4

Truth And Salvage Co. – “Hail Hail” (from Self-Titled)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djoYfi24rOc

Ufomammut – “Eve Pt. 1” (from Eve)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks8_QZe0UfM

Veil Of Maya – “Resistance” (from (id))
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m61ep5DanpI

NEW ALBUMS THAT I LIKE:

Aeon – Path Of Fire (Metal Blade Records)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Path_of_Fire

Black Tusk – Taste The Sin (Relapse)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Tusk_(band)

Court Yard Hounds – Self-Titled (Open Wide / Columbia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_Yard_Hounds_(album)

Freya – All Hail The End (Victory Records)
http://www.myspace.com/freya

Miseration – The Mirroring Shadow (Lifeforce)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miseration

Nachtmystium – Addicts: Black Meddle Pt. 2 (Century Media Records / Candlelight Records)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addicts:_Black_Meddle,_Part_II

The Roots – How I Got Over (Def Jam)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_I_Got_Over_(album)

Soilwork – The Panic Broadcast (Nuclear Blast)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Panic_Broadcast

Truth And Salvage Co. – Self-Titled (Silver Arrow)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_and_Salvage_Co._(album)

Twilight: Eclipse – Original Soundtrack (Chop Shop / Atlantic)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twilight_Saga:_Eclipse_(soundtrack)

Ufomammut – Eve (Supernatural Cat)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ufomammut

NEW ALBUMS THAT JUST DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:

Jucifer – Throned In Blood

Nightbringer – Apocalypse Sun

NEW ALBUMS THAT WERE “MEH”:

Decrepit Birth - Polarity

OLD SONGS YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO
Destiny’s Child – “Say My Name” (from The Writing’s On The Wall 2000)

The Fatima Mansions – “Evil Man” (from Valhalla Avenue 1992)

Eddie Rabbitt – “I Love A Rainy Night” (from Horizon 1980)

Greg Kihn Band – “Jeopardy” (from Kihnspiracy 1983)

Judge Dread – “Big Eight” (Radio Single 1973)

Lord Tariq And Peter Gunz – “Déjà Vu” (from Make It Rain 1998)

Napoleon XIV – “They’re Coming To Take Me Away Ha-Haaa” (Radio Single 1966)

OLD ALBUMS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

8 Mile – Original Soundtrack (2002)

A Chorus Line – Original Broadway Soundtrack (1975)

Alice Cooper- Pretties For You (1968)

Al Green – Green Is Blues (1969)

Immortal – At The Heart Of Winter (1999)

Katatonia – Dance Of December Souls (1993)

Machito – Kenya (1957)

Music Picks for July 23rd, 2010

2010-07-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

July 23rd, 2010

NEW SONGS THAT I DIG
Eminem – “White Trash Party” (from Recovery)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5f7HZtx0rg

The Gaslight Anthem – “Bring It On” (from American Slang)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfjeiCkZzgg

Ihsahn – “Frozen Lakes On Mars” (from After)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpluTn_bPXI

Laura Marling – “Devil’s Spoke” (from I Speak Because I Can)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QirL0HXnyS4

Melvins – “The Water Glass” (from The Bride Screamed Murder)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZaPDhhrdaY

Ozzy Osbourne – “Diggin’ Me Down” (from Scream)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dHHZ6W2tsw

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – “I Should Have Known It” (from Mojo)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_iBKacXIA4

Watain – “Reaping Death” (from Lawless Darkness)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrOfvhFiq6E

Witchery – “The God Who Fell From Earth” (from Witchkrieg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8oLTpw7veQ

Yakuza – “Be That As It May” (from Of Seismic Consequence)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wizHGyNuM_U

NEW ALBUMS THAT I LIKE:

Eminem – Recovery (Aftermath / Interscope / Shady)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recovery_(Eminem_album)

The Gaslight Anthem – American Slang (SideOneDummy)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_slang

Ozzy Osbourne – Scream (Epic)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scream_(Ozzy_Osbourne_album)

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – Mojo (Reprise)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mojo_(album)

Watain – Lawless Darkness (Seasons Of Mist)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watain

Witchery – Witchkrieg (Century Media)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchery

Yakuza – Of Seismic Consequence (Prosthetic Records)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakuza_(band)

NEW ALBUMS THAT JUST DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:

Bison B.C. – Dark Ages

NEW ALBUMS THAT WERE “MEH”:

Jacob Dylan – Women And Country

The Ocean - Heliocentric

OLD SONGS YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO

Caleb – “Baby Your Phrasing Is Bad” (from Nuggets, Vol. 2 2001)

Genesis – “Cul-De-Sac” (from Duke 1980)

KMFDM – “What Do You Know?” (from What Do You Know Deutschland? 1986)

Ministry – “Here We Go” (from With Sympathy 1983)

Only Living Witness – “Nineveh” (from Prone Mortal Form Demo 1992)

Quicksand – “Transparent” (from Slip 1993)

Richie Havens – “Freedom” (from Woodstock: Disc One 1969)

Testament – “New Eyes Of Old” (from Demonic 1997)

The Undertones – “Hypnotised” (from Teenage Kicks 1993)

OLD ALBUMS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

Dire Straits – Live At The BBC (1995)

Iron Maiden – Beast Over Hammersmith (2002)

Judge – What It Meant (2005)

Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains The Same (1976)

Poison – Crack A Smile…And More (2000)

Rainbow – Rising (1976)

Slayer – Decade Of Aggression (1991)

Sarah Vaughan – The Complete Sarah Vaughan (1986)

The Yardbirds – Live! Blues Wailing (1964)

Music Picks for July 2nd, 2010

2010-07-02T11:26:00.000-07:00

NEW SONGS THAT I DIG
Against Me! – “Spanish Moss” (from White Crosses)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s3VyKAr5fo
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – “Round And Round” (from Before Today)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiLqAu4s-_s

Danzig – “On A Wicked Night” (from Deth Red Sabaoth)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MREBqMtJeao

Destruktor – “Endless Reign Of Terror” (from Nailed)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxv8UrkdLVQ

Easton Corbin – “A Lot To Learn About Livin’” (from Self-Titled)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imuJs6CJvbM

Heidevolk – “Reuzenmacht” (from Uit Oude Grond)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p8j3qAXF14

Jimmy Buffett – “Paradise” (from Encores)
http://www.margaritaville.com/index.php

Melissa Etheridge – “Drag Me Away” (from Fearless Love)
http://awakening.melissaetheridge.com/music/

NEW ALBUMS THAT I LIKE:
Against Me! – White Crosses (Sire)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Crosses_(album)
Danzig – Deth Red Sabaoth (Evilive / The End Records)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deth_Red_Sabaoth
Easton Corbin – Self-Titled (Mercury Nashville)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easton_Corbin_(album)
Heidevolk – Uit Oude Grond (Naplam Records)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uit_oude_Grond
Jimmy Buffett – Encores (Mailboat)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encores_(Jimmy_Buffett_album)
Melissa Etheridge – Fearless Love (Island)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fearless_Love

NEW ALBUMS THAT JUST DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:

Nevermore – The Obsidian Conspiracy

Raven – Walk Through Fire

NEW ALBUMS THAT WERE “MEH”:

Cathedral – The Guessing Game

Defeated Sanity – Chapters Of Repugnance

Dr. Dog – Shame, Shame

Janelle Monae – The ArchAndroid

OLD SONGS YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO (4th Of July Edition)

Caitlin Cary – “Fireworks” (from While You Weren’t Looking 2002)
Elliott Smith – “Independence Day” (from XO 1998)
Jimmy Eat World – “Just Watch The Fireworks” (from Clarity 1999)
Less Than Jake – “In-Dependence Day” (from In With The Out Crowd 2006)
Martina McBride – “Independence Day” (from The Way That I Am 1993)
No Motiv – “Independence Day” (from Daylight Breaking 2004)
Soundgarden – “4th Of July” (from Superunknown 1994)
X – “Fourth Of July” (from See How We Are 1987)

OLD ALBUMS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT (4th Of July Edition):

America – History (1975)
The Charlatans – Self-Titled (1969)
David Bowie – Hunky Dory (1971)
Elton John – Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975)
Ladytron – Light & Magic (2002)
Miles Davis – Sketches Of Spain (1960)
Minutemen – Double Nickels On The Dime (1984)
Paul Revere And The Raiders – Just Like Us! (1966)
Primus – Brown Album (1997)

Music Picks for June 13th, 2010

2010-06-13T07:45:00.000-07:00

NEW SONGS THAT I DIG:

1349 – “When I Was Flesh” (from Demonoir)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqK4cXZ095k

Barren Earth – “Curse Of The Red River” (from Curse Of The Red River)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlTqtXUjQFU

Blood Of The Black Owl – “Intent” (from A Banishing Ritual)
http://www.myspace.com/bloodoftheblackowl

Cornershop – “Who Fingered Rock N’ Roll?” (from Judy Sucks A Lemon For Breakfast)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTt42i8oQBQ

Exodus – “Class Dismissed” (from Exhibit B: The Human Condition)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHGiInoCo9I

GBH – “This Is Not The Real World” (from Perfume And Piss)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFYGrksPpeI

Gogol Bordello – “Immigraniada” (from Trans-Continental Hustle)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulGQVyRpzvA

Hole – “Honey” (from Nobody’s Daughter)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5YwUS0AEZw

Kingdom Of Sorrow – “Behind The Blackest Tears” (from Behind The Blackest Tears)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqyVL18UL2Y

Landmine Marathon – “Shadows Fed To Tyrants” (from Sovereign Descent)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31-b95z0iz4

LCD Soundsystem – “Drunk Girls” (from This Is Happening)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdRaf3-OEh4

Meat Loaf – “Living On The Outside” (from Hang Cool Teddy Bear)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PMw1AXlKBw

Merle Haggard – “Live And Love Always” (from I Am What I Am)
http://new.music.yahoo.com/merle-haggard/tracks/live-and-love-always--218663054

Ratt – “Best Of Me” (from Infestation)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjEYZaG8rYQ

Stone Temple Pilots – “Hickory Dichotomy” (from Self-Titled)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxWcndzhAbc

V.V. Brown – “Shark In The Water” (from Travelling Like The Light)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPQlxHWsemI

NEW ALBUMS THAT I LIKE:

Barren Earth – Curse Of The Red River (Peaceville Records)
http://www.myspace.com/officialbarrenearth

Blood Of The Black Owl – A Banishing Ritual (Bindrune Recordings)
http://www.myspace.com/bloodoftheblackowl

Exodus – Exhibit B: The Human Condition (Nuclear Blast)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exhibit_B:_The_Human_Condition

Gogol Bordello – Trans-Continental Hustle (American Recordings)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Continental_Hustle

Hole – Nobody’s Daughter (CherryForever)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobody%27s_Daughter

Kingdom Of Sorrow – Behind The Blackest Tears (Relapse)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behind_the_Blackest_Tears

Landmine Marathon – Sovereign Descent (Prosthetic Records)
http://www.myspace.com/landminemarathon

LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening (DFA)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_Happening

Meat Loaf – Hang Cool Teddy Bear (Mercury, Loud And Proud)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hang_Cool_Teddy_Bear

Stone Temple Pilots – Self-Titled (Atlantic)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Temple_Pilots_(album)

V.V. Brown – Travelling Like The Light (Island)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelling_Like_The_Light

NEW ALBUMS THAT JUST DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:

High On Fire – Snakes For The Divine

NEW ALBUMS THAT WERE “MEH”:

Kate Nash – My Best Friend Is You

OLD SONGS YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO:

Apocalyptica – “Toreador II” (from Reflections 2003)
1987)
Guano Apes – “Open Your Eyes” (from Proud Like A God 1997)
Iron Maiden – “Hallowed Be Thy Name (Live)” (from Live After Death 1985)
King Diamond – “Tea” (from Them 1988)
Ray Charles – “Nobody Cares” (from The Birth Of Soul Boxset 1991)
Steve Earle And The Dukes – “Six Days On The Road” (from Planes, Trains and Automobiles Soundtrack Thelonious Monk – “San Francisco Holiday” (from Thelonious Monk In Italy 1961)

OLD ALBUMS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

The Allman Brothers Band – Idlewild South (1970)
Black Flag – The First Four Years (1983)
Danzig – 777: I Luciferi (2002)
Faith No More – King For A Day…Fool For A Lifetime (1995)
Funk, Inc. – Chicken Lickin’ (1972)
Huey Lewis And The News – Fore! (1986)
Jackson 5 – G.I.T. Get It Together (1973)

Music Picks for May 21st, 2010

2010-05-21T11:32:00.000-07:00

May 21st, 2010

NEW SONGS THAT I DIG:

Cavo – “Over Again” (from Bright Nights, Dark Days)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3uh49FMzUQ

Lair Of The Minotaur – “Let’s Kill These Motherfuckers” (from Evil Power)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5dmeTZQ4CQ

Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings – “Money” (from I Learned The Hard Way)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJlTWubKSsc

Sevendust – “Ride Insane” (from Cold Day Memory)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ2sf7CPJ04

Sick Of It All – “Lowest Common Denominator” (from Based On A True Story)
http://www.ryansrockshow.com/php2/news/37-tidbits/2563-sick-of-it-all-new-song-lowest-common-denominator-streaming-online.html

Slash – “Watch This” (w/Dave Grohl and Duff McKagan) (from Self-Titled)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF_ZHErYb5s

White Wizzard – “Iron Goddess Of Vengeance” (from Over The Top)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PmKhxkQMDc

NEW ALBUMS THAT I LIKE:

Cavo – Bright Nights, Dark Days (Reprise)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bright_Nights_Dark_Days

Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings – I Learned The Hard Way (Daptone)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Learned_the_Hard_Way

Sick Of It All – Based On A True Story (Century Media Records)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Based_on_a_True_Story_(Sick_of_It_All_album)

Slash – Self-Titled (EMI)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slash_(album)

NEW ALBUMS THAT JUST DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:

The Apples In Stereo – Travellers In Space And Time
Deiphago – Filipino Antichrist
Spoon - Transference

NEW ALBUMS THAT WERE “MEH”:

Urgehal - Ikonoklast

OLD SONGS YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO:

Atheist – “An Incarnation’s Dream” (from Unquestionable Presence 1991)
The Cranberries – “Put Me Down” (from Everybody Else Is Doing It So Why Can’t We? 1993)
David Gray – “January Rain” (from Lost Songs: 95-98 2001)
Enslaved – “Krigaren Eg Ikkje Kjende” (from Mardraum-Beyond The Within 2000)
Iron Maiden – “Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son” (from Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son 1988)
Kyuss – “Deadly Kiss” (from Wretch 1991)
Van Morrison – “Hymns To The Silence” (from Hymns To The Silence 1991)

OLD ALBUMS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy – This Beautiful Life (1999)
George Jones – 24 Gospel Greats (1989)
Jimi Hendrix – Electric Ladyland (1968)
John Denver – Aerie (1971)
John Lennon – Plastic Ono Band (1970)
Napalm Death – Noise For Music’s Sake (2003)
Nelly Furtado – Whoa, Nelly! (2000)

Music Picks for May 1st, 2010

2010-05-01T17:32:00.000-07:00

May 1st, 2010

NEW SONGS THAT I DIG:

Dark Tranquility – “The Fatalist” (from We Are The Void)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9Cvu9-kNhY

Fear Factory – “Controlled Demolition” (from Mechanize)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PDlOoHZfVw

Ludacris – “I Know You Got A Man” (w/Flo Rida) (from Battle Of The Sexes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXFl5WldThA

MGMT – “Brian Eno” (from Congratulations)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkS6x7ihljc

Triptykon – “Myopic Empire” (from Eparistera Daimones)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX1IK8tOXdE

NEW ALBUMS THAT I LIKE:

Dark Tranquility – We Are The Void (Century Media)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Are_the_Void

Fear Factory – Mechanize (Candlelight Records)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanize

Ludacris – Battle Of The Sexes (DTP, Island Def Jam) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Sexes_(album)

MGMT – Congratulations (Columbia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congratulations_(album)

Triptykon – Eparistera Daimones (Prowling Death Records, Ltd) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eparistera_Daimones

NEW ALBUMS THAT JUST DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:

Apostle Of Solitude – Last Sunrise

NEW ALBUMS THAT WERE “MEH”:

Angst Skvadron – Sweet Poison
Burzum – Belus
Sarcolytic – Thee Arcane Progeny

OLD SONGS YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO:

Better Than Ezra – “A Southern Thang” (from Before The Robots 2005)
Bryan Adams – “I Finally Found Someone” (from The Mirror Has Two Faces Soundtrack 1996)
The Cramps – “Journey To The Center Of A Girl” (from Stay Sick! 1990)
Patsy Cline – “I Don’t Wanta” (1957 Radio Single)
Ella Fitzgerald – “Over The Rainbow” (from The Complete Ella Fitzgerald 1993)
Eric Clapton – “Before You Accuse Me” (from Unplugged 1992)
Fats Domino – “No No Baby” (1951 Radio Single)
Ladytron – “They Gave You A Heart, They Gave You A Name” (from Velocifero 2008)
Little Richard – “Slippin’ And Slidin’” (from Here’s Little Richard 1957)
Lords Of Acid – “Marijuana In Your Brain” (from Voodoo U 1994)
Poison – “I Won’t Forget You” (from Look What The Cat Dragged In 1987)
Rascal Flatts – “Backwards” (from Me And My Gang 2006)
Rollins Band – “During A City” (from Come In And Burn 2005)
Tom Waits – “Rockin’ Chair” (from The Early Years, Vol. 1 2004)

OLD ALBUMS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

Anthrax – Live: Hammersmith Odeon , London 2-15-87 (1987)
Counting Crows – Recovering The Satellites (1996)
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young – American Dream (1988)
David Bowie – On Air Radio 2 (1995)
Elton John – Peachtree Road (2004)
Fugazi – Repeater (1990)
James Brown – Live At The Apollo, 1968 (1968)
King Diamond – Fatal Portrait (1986)
KMFDM – ANGST (1993)
Life Of Agony – River Runs Red (1993)
Louvin Brothers – Tragic Songs Of Life (1956)
Pink Floyd – Live At Pompeii (1972)
Queensryche – Q2K (1999)
Sarah Vaughan – The Complete Sarah Vaughan (1990)

Music Picks for April 15th, 2010

2010-04-15T15:46:00.000-07:00

April 15th, 2010

NEW SONGS THAT I DIG:

Armored Saint – “Loose Cannon” (from La Raza)
http://www.last.fm/music/Armored+Saint/_/Loose+Cannon

Broken Bells – “The Ghost Inside” (from Self-Titled)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDeO46FwdeU

Eluveitie – “Quoth The Raven” (from Everything Remains As It Never Was)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13X2G5_AL_s

Freelance Whales – “Broken Horse” (from Weathervanes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZPvp-HRRYQ

Gorillaz – “Some Kind Of Nature (w/Lou Reed)” (from Plastic Beach)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=461DTk1C5_Y

Rage – “Empty Hollow (Pts. I-V)” (from Strings To A Web)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddNRieQNbj4

Rob Zombie – “Werewolf, Baby” (from Hellbilly Deluxe 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHkggBj4YYk

She And Him – “Over It Over Again” (from Volume 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfScLmVkJNs

Shout Out Louds – “Walls” (from Work)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZXUjfleqKA

Valkyrja – “Oceans To Dust” (from Contamination)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCf8JVDtetI

NEW ALBUMS THAT I LIKE:

Armored Saint – La Raza (Metal Blade Records)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Raza_(album)

Eluveitie – Everything Remains As It Never Was (Nuclear Blast) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everything_Remains_as_It_Never_Was

Freelance Whales – Weathervanes (Frenchkiss / Mom + Pop) http://www.myspace.com/freelancewhales

Rob Zombie – Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls and the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool (Roadrunner) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellbilly_Deluxe_2

NEW ALBUMS THAT JUST DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:

Bigbang – Edendale
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Beat The Devil’s Tattoo
Danny Barnes – Pizza Box
Drive By Truckers – The Big To-Do

NEW ALBUMS THAT WERE “MEH”:

De Profundis – A Bleak Reflection
Troll – Neo-Satanic Supremacy
Vampire Weekend – Contra

OLD SONGS YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO:

Accept - “Breaker (Live)” (from Staying A Life 1990)
Cracker – “Night Falls” (from Greenland 2006)
Great White – “I Don’t Need No Doctor (Live)” (from Recovery: Live 1988)
Iron Maiden – “The Trooper” (from Piece Of Mind 1983)
Johnathan Coulton – “Lady Aberlin’s Muumuu” (from The Aftermath 2008)
Miles Davis – “Autumn Leaves (Live)” (from Miles In Berlin 1965)
Richie Havens – “The Key” (from Nobody Left To Crown 2008)

OLD ALBUMS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

Alice In Chains – Dirt (1992)
Allman Brothers Band, The - Live At Ludlow Garage (1991)
Band, The – The Last Waltz (1978)
Crystal Method, The - Vegas (1997)
Jimmy Buffett – Havana Daydreamin’ (1975)
Leonard Cohen – Songs From A Room (1969)
Wolfmother – Self-Titled (2005)

Music Picks for April 1st, 2010

2010-04-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

April 1st, 2010

NEW SONGS THAT I DIG:

Alkaline Trio – “This Addiction”(from This Addiction)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7fJincn4Yg

Cavo – “Champagne” (from Bright Nights, Dark Days)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA3pESvUl3I

Crash Kings – “Mountain Man” (from Self-Titled)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVa7M2aC4n4

Hot Chip – “Hand Me Down Your Love” (from One Life Stand) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCLNU_lxz9w

Jeff Mangum – “Sign The Dotted Line” (from Live at Jittery Joe’s) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOWyIPKV81U

Jim James And The Preservation Hall Band – “Louisiana Fairytale” (from Preservation Hall Benefit Album) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXeGGDcnDnY

Lady Antebellum – “Love This Pain” (from Need You Now)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x3c9PFj9gg

Mammoth Grinder – “Frozen” (from Extinction Of Humanity”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hio-71Kb8o

Massive Attack – “Paradise Circus” (from Heligoland)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O86iI7oXYfA

Portishead – “Chase The Tear” (Amnesty International Single)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5hpnLIswbQ

Sade – “Soldier Of Love” (from Soldier Of Love)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR5_rTCi-Bo

Throwdown – “The Blinding Light” (from Deathless)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=630SFMfSupI

Timbaland – “Morning After Dark” (with Nelly Furtado) (from Presents Shock Value II)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25LBTSUEU0A

Titus Andronicus – “Theme From Cheers” (from The Monitor)
http://www.myspace.com/titusandronicus

NEW ALBUMS THAT I LIKE:

Sade – Soldier Of Love (RCA Epic) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldier_of_Love_(album)
Throwdown – Deathless (E1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deathless

NEW ALBUMS THAT JUST DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:

Alberta Cross – Broken Side Of Time
Arkona – Goi, Rode, Goi!!
Barn Burner - Bangers
Devin Townsend Project, The - Addicted
OK Go – Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky
Secrets Of The Moon - Privilegivm
Sinister Realm – Self-Titled
Squash Bowels - Grindvirus
Swallow The Sun – New Moon
Tenebrae in Perpetuum - L'eterno Maligno Silenzio
Witchmaster – Trucizna

NEW ALBUMS THAT WERE “MEH”:

Immolation - Majesty And Decay

OLD SONGS YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO:

Animals, The – “The Other Side Of Life” (from Animalism 1966)
Asteroids Galaxy Tour , The – “Bad Fever” (from Fruit 2009)
Bad Brains – “Without You” (from Rise 1993)
Cathedral – “Blue Light” (from The Carnival Bizarre 2007)
Iron Maiden – “Wildest Dreams” (from Dance Of Death 2003)
Johnny Cash – “Orange Blossom Special” (from Orange Blossom Special 1965)
Loverboy – “Turn Me Loose” (from Self-Titled 1981)

OLD ALBUMS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

Breaking Benjamin – We Are Not Alone (2004)
Butthole Surfers – Rembrandt Pussyhorse (1999)
Carcass – Necroticism: Descanting The Insalubrious (1991)
Frank Sinatra – The Voice Of Frank Sinatra (1946)
Glen Campbell – Unconditional Love (2007)
King Diamond And Black Rose – 20 Years Ago: A Night Of Rehearsals (2001)
Ringo Starr – Live At Soundstage (2007)

4th annual Drager Awards For 2009 (as Presented by Caligula Disco)

2010-03-26T12:06:00.001-07:00

4th Annual Drager Awards For The Best In Music 2009 (As Presented By Caligula Disco)
Okay, I know they’re like a month late but, here you go. The longest and most involved list of Drager Awards to date,this thing almost freaking killed me.
At this point, I would normally like to be quippy, sardonic, snarky with just a soupcon of self-interest and all-around witty with my scintilating music-based reparte, breaking my arm patting myself on the back, but I just simply don’t have the energy.
Myself and the rest of the Caligula Disco crew (which is me, basically) would like to extend a sincere, heartfelt “Thanks” to: Tiger Woods’ sex therapist, Sandra Bullock’s divorce attorney (whichever one she picks anyway)Aerosmith’s anger management counselor, the Harrah’s Casino employee who “accidentally” erased the Ben Roethlisberger sexual assault tape, the Canadien women’s Olympic curling team, the staffs of Rolling Stone and Decibel magazine, the design teams behind Toyota’s floor mats and gas pedals and, of course, the fine people at Mountain Dew without whom none of this would have been possible.
Lastly, the weekly picks will be back starting sometime in April. I need a few days off, first, ya dig? See you then. Kole Sere!
The 2009 Drager Awards (as presented by Caligula Disco) are brought to you in cooperation with Nickolodeon, BlackBerry, Adidas, Books-A-Million, Hewlett-Packard and a grant from the Chubb Group.
And now, the four words you’ve been waiting a year to hear…(dramatic pause)…

Let The Arguing Begin..!

Best Songs Of 2009

291. Wind Phoenix - CYMBALS EAT GUITARS (from Why There Are Mountains): Starting off this year’s list is Staten Island’s own (and Pitchfork favorites) Joseph Ferocious (a.k.a Joseph D’Agostino) and his bandmates smoking American Spirit cigarettes while doing an indie pop stroll by strippers grinding on Ikea furniture. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8nctB2b_Jo

290. When You Call My Name – DAWES (from North Hills): Trading in their post-punk sounds for a ride to the North Hills area of Los Angeles, the Goldsmith brothers and brethren echo the Laurel Canyon sounds of CSN&Y with “authentically vintage” analog vibes and help from Conor Oberst, Chris Robinson and Wilco’s own multi-tasker Pat Sansone.
www.last.fm/music/Dawes/_/When+You+Call+My+Name

289. For The Rest Of Your Life - HOPE SANDOVAL AND THE WARM INVENTIONS (from Through The Devil Softly): Opal and Mazzy Star vocalist Sandoval backlights her crippling stagefright with this smoldering turn that is just as dark and sultry as her famous near blacked-out live performances.
http://www.last.fm/music/Hope%2BSandoval%2B%2526%2BThe%2BWarm%2BInventions/_/For+The+Rest+Of+Your+Life

288. Barbecue In Bhopal – MUMAKIL (from Behold The Failure): Swiss grinders climb “mountains of waste” and wade “rivers of dried blood” to bring you an ode to the “new terraforming” and eventual exticntion of the “human virus” that will trample you like the band’s namesake J.R.R. Tolkien war elephant on the cd jacket.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHg7uz8gxeQ

287. Bird Of All Faiths And None/Bell From Madrone - BLACK MATH HORSEMAN (from Wyllt): Picture if you will P.J. Harvey as vocalist for Black Sabbath circa the writing sessions for”The Writ” as Sera Timms and her slow bludgeoning bandmates gloomily bore into you like a medieval drill press and all encased in a creep-tastic cover jacket combining the best of Welsh linguistics, “The Godfather” severed horsehead scene and a Magic: The Gathering playing card.
http://www.myspace.com/blackmathhorseman

286. Percussion Gun - WHITE RABBITS (from It’s Frightening): The Missouri sextet combines Indie-Tiki swing rhythm and a love of switching instruments on this relentless nod to “jumping ship” on a sinking relationship
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IClBpch9vmM

285. Lee Majors Come Again - BEASTIE BOYS (from Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 1): Hot off it’s debut on DJ Hero (where it was mixed with Daft Punk, mind you) our favorite Jewish rapping legends spin a yarn about the Six Million Dollar Man wearing Apple Bottom Jeans while using his kung-fu grip to help Mark Nishita spin records at famed New York club A7 (or something like that).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfVqHwjvOsI

284. Crosses Made Of Bone – BELPHEGOR (from Walpurgis Rites-Hexenwahn): Moving on from the Spanish Inquisition themes of the past, Salzburg, Austria’s favorite blackened death metallers regurgitate demonology, witchcraft, erotica(?) and in the case of this track, dead children, black masses, ravens picking through shallow graves and Lord Satan himself. Consult a Priest before ingestion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0Eawo8suG4

283. Cost Of Living - LIVING THINGS (from Habeus Corpus): In-between holding live concert debates and toasting our “broken American dream”, the three St. Louis brothers and their friend who lent their song “Bom Bom Bom” to those old Cingular ads found time to compose an alt-rock take on the seven deadly sins that fits somewhere between lust and greed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw8N_AKaF7U

282. Lips - MICACHU AND THE SHAPES (from Jewellery): Hailed as “thrillingly improbable pop made by a grade-A maverick”, Surrey born Mica Levi (her oddly low voice) and her band use homemade instruments (including a cd rack / bowed instrument) to make homemade music that will stick in your cranium for days. And in case you’re wondering, “Micachu” is her first name plus “Chu”, a type of homemade, hammer action guitar. You just got learned.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoEA_xYaLBw

281. Nobody Got No Bizness - NEW YORK DOLLS (from Cause I Sez So): Only original remaining members David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain (with help from producer Todd Rundgren) let it roll from Chicago to Philadelphia, preaching from the pulpit how to be a REAL rock n roll band with harmonica and bass that will “swaggerjack” you.
http://popup.lala.com/popup/360569488122542747

280. Sic Semper Tyrannis - GRAVES OF VALOR (from Salarian Gate): From a proud South Carolina band formerly known as Through the Eyes Of The Dead and yet another 2009 ode to the Roman Empire (see: Ex Deo – Romulus) comes “Sic Semper Tyrannis” and it just goes to show that in a different timeline John Wilkes Booth could’ve parlayed his acting skills into a career as a vocalist for a death metal band.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX0O-SvQfFQ

279. Dead Skin Mask – NADJA (from When I See The Sun Always Shines On T.V.): From the Canadian duo’s doom / metalgaze cover album comes this entrancing, droning, funeral procession send up of the classic Slayer track about Ed Gein.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QASe0nt_Lng

278. Crime Wave - 50 CENT (from Before I Self Destruct)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRa9iqO_WCg

277. Possibility - LYKKE LI (from Twilight: New Moon Soundtrack): Perfectly placed on the soundtrack to Twilight: New Moon, Swedish born Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson (pronounced just how it looks)and her sullen church bell vocals weave a eulogy to the silence of hearts being both broken and stopped outright.
http://vimeo.com/7161094

276. Fire Burning - SEAN KINGSTON (from Tomorrow)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkyhvCdJ_vM

275. No Dice – BEIRUT (from March Of The Zapotec and Real People):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M1YsGKgHXc

274. Street Walkin’ - DAN AUERBACH (from Keep It Hid):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5GG30zLSPs

273. Next Attack - MANTIC RITUAL (from Executioner): Formerly known as Meltdown and leading the thrash revival from Pittsburgh (?), these Pennsylvania boys channel Kill ‘Em All era Metallica (with just a hint of Laaz Rockit) all while flashing the headlights and chugging beer (like the kids in Heavy Metal Parking Lot) as they drive from the steel mill to the Golden Gate Bridge cranking this seeming Bay Area homage to Iron Maiden’s classic track “Killers”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6f8ZSWeVjw

272. I’m Sittin’ On Top The World - WILLIE NELSON AND ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL (from Willie And The Wheel): Adding to a list of artists that includes Carl Perkins, Dean Martin, Les Paul, Doris Day and Jerry Lewis who have performed this 1925 Henderson/Lewis/Young classic, the Red-Headed Stranger and Paw Paw, West Virginia natives Asleep At The Wheel cut a perfect musical switch of their own.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJE3e_Mjewg

271. Fast Fuse – KASABIAN (from West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBo9bfdS4DE

270. Bonkers – DIZZEE RASCAL & ARMAND VAN HELDEN (from Tongue N Cheek)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci40ae8BlcE

269. Pussy – RAMMSTEIN (from Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da): Berlin’s favorite Neue Deutsche Harte sextet unweld their flies and let loose with a stereo porno grind that channels the best of all that is “adult entertainment”. A XXX video where each member of the band plays a porn stereotype (playboy, cowboy, fetishist, etc.) and full-frontal nudity is the least of the v-chip’s worries. The most concise come-on in music history (pun intended) with the instant classic lyric “You’ve got a pussy. I’ve got a dick. So what’s the problem? Let’s do it quick” and delivered with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Plus, the album form whence it came is entitled Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da (“Love Is There For Everyone”). Oh that German sense of humor…
(For obvious reasons, I will include a link to the track only. No video. It’s a porno folks. If you want to see it, Google it for yourself)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlLPUw_rScM

268. Bagpipes From Baghdad – EMINEM (from Relapse): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPIug2pM3SY

267. Slow Life - GRIZZLY BEAR w/VICTORIA LEGRAND (from Twilight: New Moon Soundtrack)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w_uVfPVShs

266. Escape These Walls – THE EYES OF A TRAITOR (from A Clear Perception)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZJr9ZIC-8A

265. Mettanpeiton Valtiaalle – KORPIKLAANI (from Karkelo)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhaFDhaKpDE

264. Relentless Fours – GRAMMATICS (from Self-Titled)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhidXv-Upvc

262. Flight Of The Demoiselles – BLACKLIST (from Midnight Of The Century) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTaWOERlkqw

261. Medicine – STARFUCKER (from Jupiter EP) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfJWkfqN97E

260. Blessed Are They Who Bash Your Children’s Heads Against A Rock / No Question – DALEK (from Gutter Tactics) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go_GDg7pW0Q

259. Good Morning John – KRIS KRISTOFFERSON (from Closer To The Bone) http://popup.lala.com/popup/504684669549842755

258. Last One To Die – RANCID (from Let The Dominoes Fall) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErLZaItKFaY

257. Tell Me It’s Not Over – STARSAILOR w/ BRANDON FLOWERS (from All The Plans) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHandWOWaVY

256. Dessicate Earth – TRIGGER THE BLOODSHED (from The Great Depression) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yyj7XWnAQLs

255. Light After Sound – THESE ARE POWERS (from All Aboard Future) http://popup.lala.com/popup/360569466651292596

254. Oh, Lonesome Me – M. WARD w/LUCINDA WILLIAMS (from Hold Time) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MRysO58leA

253. Fitz And Dizzyspells – ANDREW BIRD (from Noble Beast)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjJknXGR7QE

252. Summertime Clothes – ANIMAL COLLECTIVE (from Merriweather Post Pavilion) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxhaRgJUMl8

251. Raindrops – BASEMENT JAXX (from Scars) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeovgXXQZNk

250. Conceived Into Enslavement – DYING FETUS (from Descend Into Depravity) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdzPph7Qxg8

249. Heads Up – KAREN O AND THE KIDS (from Where The Wild Things Are Soundtrack) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3nq1zibPjI

248. Burden Of Empire – IRON AGE (from The Sleeping Eye) http://popup.lala.com/popup/360569458417075232

247. East Jesus Nowhere – GREEN DAY (from 21st Century Breakdown) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVbwVejOics

246. I Love College – ASHER ROTH (from Asleep In The Bread Aisle) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYx7YG0RsFY

245. I Miss You So – WILLIE NELSON (from American Classic) http://popup.lala.com/popup/576742254328617255

244. Sulphur To Sugarcane – ELVIS COSTELLO (from Secret, Profane And Sugarcane) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxZi0BzmtHU

243. Russian Roulette – RIHANNA (from Rated R) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R24f6vswDI0

242. Nothing Seems The Same – HEARTLESS BASTARDS (from The Mountain) http://popup.lala.com/popup/648799847531162612

241. Sending Signals – EVERGREEN TERRACE (from Almost Home) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3qvRzZk_Pk

240. Ignorance – PARAMORE (from Brand New Eyes) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH9A6tn_P6g

239. Autochthon – KRALLICE (from Dimensional Bleedthrough) http://www.myspace.com/krallice

238. Here Eye Come – BRIA VALENTE (from Elixir) http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7w27h_here-eye-come-bria-valente_music

237. Let’s Go Surfing – THE DRUMS (from Demos) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OsTUnkqSi4

236. The Marvelous Slut – EVERY TIME I DIE (from New Junk Aesthetic) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4TKIwCI_bE

235. The Winged Panther – DESTROY DESTROY DESTROY (from Battle Sluts) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4TKIwCI_bE

234. Skeleton – BLK JKS (from After Robots) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydoJzkOvOrQ

233. Hell On The Heart – ERIC CHURCH (from Carolina) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3--O2_PwoYw

232. Paranoiac – BLOODHORSE (from Horizoner) Loose, bottom heavy Boston metal trio that falls somewhere between Ozzy-era Sabbath and Undisputed Attitude-era Slayer with a hint of C.O.C. meets Kyuss. They sound like they should be named “Bloodhorse”. Polish up your gravity bong. You’re gonna need it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_Iksqh_bII

231. Beneath The Eye Of Mars – THE GATES OF SLUMBER (from Hymns Of Blood And Thunder)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZSYHW8bZiA

230. We’re Going To Hell – CURSIVE (from Mama, I’m Swollen) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUCcTTKgzOA

229. Summer Things – TYVEK (from Self-Titled) http://popup.lala.com/popup/4900197880213416728

228. Undead – ADAGIO (from Archangels in Black) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS5Gr4ZlOYo

227. You Make Me Wait – THE WARLOCKS (from The Mirror Explodes) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBMExmCmXGk

226. Urbana-Champaign – GOES CUBE (from Another Day Has Passed) http://popup.lala.com/popup/504684678139755678

225. Red Parrot – REVOLTING COCKS (from Sex-O Olympic-O) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBzOaDerf1s

224. Heroes And Villains – VREID (from Milorg) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wV-zBQMKaE

223. Up A Tree (Went This Heart I Have) – THE COTTON JONES BASKET RIDE (from Paranoid Cocoon) http://popup.lala.com/popup/5620773816444519196

222. On Impulse – ANIMALS AS LEADERS (from Self-Titled) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xaB6dZE9j0

221. Leaving In The Morning – J.J.CALE (from Roll On) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1V5RZLyPgQ

220. Cattle - SUCCESS WILL WRITE APOCALYPSE ACROSS THE SKY (from The Grand Partition And The Abrogation Of Idolatry) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSNAu2-GxzU

219. Let A Poor Man Be – CLUTCH (from Strange Cousins From The West)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dewHxzxkAPQ

218. My Way To You – JAMEY JOHNSON (Radio Single) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf0cHRUH9FM

217. Break The Silence – ARKAEA (from Years In The Darkness)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WST7dMMlmWY

216. Stormcalling – GWYNBLEIDD (from Nostalgia) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQQ3VWHxE2I

215. Caligulove – THEM CROOKED VULTURES (from Self-Titled) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMARYFxJOqY

214. Got Nuffin’ – SPOON (from Got Nuffin’) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4Q9zngV52U

213. Cry Out – THE ANSWER (from Everyday Demons) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JXr9mMTFvc

212. I Never Said I Was Deep – JARVIS COCKER (from Further Complications) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr96A9XG1rs

211. Santuario di Sangua – MY DYING BRIDE (from For Lies I Sire) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9qubiWk8pU

210. Wetter – TWISTA (from Category F5) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X33PHPDx0LA

209. Wrong – DEPECHE MODE (from Sounds Of The Universe) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bsXOcK9_Cw

208. Jail La La – DUM DUM GIRLS (from Jail La La) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLA9aJ2hTh4

207. Tin Pan Alley – BRIAN FALLON (MySpace single) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OIOj6sCif0

206. Wolves Of The Sea – ALESTORM (from Black Sails At Midnight) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOr7c7ybAgE

205. The All Destroying – GOATWHORE (from Carving Out The Eyes Of God) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beiipUvY50g

204. Unthought Known – PEARL JAM (from Backspacer) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxs7KgZFKuI

203. Win Park Slope – GOMEZ (from A New Tide) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbBX_Q-bYOg

202. Boom DJ From The Steel City – TODDLA T (from Skanky Skanky) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh4p7HTfj2M

201. I’ve Never Been Here Before In A Long Time - PARIA (from The Barnacle Cordious) Losing their Fear Factory-esque vocals on two tracks (this one and “Pish Posh”) and showing off their instrumental skills, Paria combine the best of Cynic and Dream Theater with just a hint of Les Claypool meets Steve Harris style fusion jazz bass.
http://www.myspace.com/paria

200. Monday Bloody Monday – 16 (from Bridges to Burn) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZxtpigNljY

199. Orbital Elements – OBSCURA (from Cosmogenesis) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYZLp1jhpHI

198. Bulletproof – LA ROUX (from Self-Titled) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUsbpmQ9-mc

197. Norden On Fire – IMMORTAL (from All Shall Fall) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbezVB_PT80

196. Why Wait?- SHAKIRA (from She Wolf) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FcIOqWjfFQ

195. Billionaire – PEACHES (from I Feel Cream) Just for the line about “Salt in your diet” “Quiet Riot” and “Staying at the Hyatt” http://hypem.com/track/796408/Peaches+-+Billionaire

194. Shooting The Moon – O.K. GO (from New Moon: Original Soundtrack) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DhV5FHeZWU
193. Heartbeat – NNEKA (from Concrete Jungle) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ivg3J3h5Ps
192. The Purveyor Of Novelty And Nonsense – COALESCE (from Ox) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcwD4I94Y04
191. The Way We Are – THE FLATLANDERS (from Hills And Valleys) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3rYzZMcsHo
190. Bye Bye Bayou – LCD SOUNDSYSTEM (Single) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7TvFGrs8bQ
189. Losin’ Yo Head – MONSTERS OF FOLK (from Self-Titled) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euHj9teuaTo
188. People Got A Lotta Nerve – NEKO CASE (from Middle Cyclone) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXl870NoF4E
187. Scream – CHRIS CORNELL (from Scream) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GiyhVHIiWo
186. Valley Of The Kings – SAXON (from Into The Labyrinth) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2kRGPVt9po
185. Conclusion of An Age – SYLOSIS (from Conclusion Of An Age) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msxWbCvuzyA
184. Hurry For The Sky - ROBYN HITCHCOCK AND THE VENUS 3 (from Goodnight Oslo) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWxG53aHEmk
183. A Long, Long Time - BUDDY AND JULIE MILLER (from Written In Chalk) http://www.myspace.com/buddyandjuliemiller
182. Two-Thumbed Fist – COBALT (from Gin) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3Lc1x84FZ0
181. I Need To Know Where I Stand – RHETT MILLER (from Self-Titled) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WibrHnbfRI
180. Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun – 1349 (from Revelations Of The Black Flame) If you’ve ever wondered what a Pink Floyd cover would sound like if done by a dark, ambient Norwegian black metal band, now you know…psychedelic, doom-laden and scary as hell. Useless fact: The name “1349” comes from the year that The Black Death reached Norway. You just got learned. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZsymgO02Lw
179. All The Beautiful Things – EELS (from Hombre Lobo) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtmgX2D_ooE
178. Lungs – STEVE EARLE (from Townes) http://popup.lala.com/popup/504684656664919191
177. Forever - DRAKE w/KANYE WEST, EMINEM and LIL WAYNE (from More Than A Game - Soundtrack) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDuRoPIOBjE
176. Electric Avenue – SKINDRED (from Shark Bites And Dog Fights) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1cL5J9bW2U
175. She’s A Genius – JET (from Shaka Rock) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVA799gKNzo
174. Preacher’s Daughter – 3 INCHES OF BLOOD (from Here Waits Thy Doom) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqihjMv9uUE
173. False Knight On The Road – WHITE ANTELOPE (MySpace single) http://www.myspace.com/awhiteantelope
172. My Turn – HOOBASTANK (from For(N)ever) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8igfKFZl-3k
171. Drommen Om Undergang – BERGRAVEN (from Til Makabert Vasen) http://popup.lala.com/popup/2017894112368969710

170. The Royal We – SILVERSUN PICKUPS (from Swoon) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7wZhURS7X8

169. Superhero – THE PRISCILLAS (from 10,000 Volts) Whether it’s Superman carrying Lois Lane in his arms as they circle the earth or Spider Man kissing Mary Jane upside down in the rain, these British pop-punk rock birds have written the definitive background track for the superhero love scene. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6a1mZt1hrk

168. Get Your Money Up – KERI HILSON (from In A Perfect World) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B7-rVqT9Gs

167. Hyph Mngo – JOY ORBISON (from HFT009) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa_PDKKc2_A

166. Bury The Vatican – COUGAR DEN (from Keepondrifter)

165. Manslaughter – DREAMING DEAD (from Within One) From Los Angeles, Dreaming Dead are fronted by a metal goddess named Elizabeth Schall who sounds eerily like late era Death frontman Chuck Schuldiner (circa Symbolic). Even the band itself sounds ike Death (with just a hint of Carcass thrown in). If you like Central Florida metal by way of California (and a sick case of deja-vu), check ‘em out.

164. Life Is Good - D.J. DECKSTREAM w/MOS DEF (from Soundtracks 2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyZ7axrViu4

163. Kinda Like A Big Deal - CLIPSE w/KANYE WEST (Single) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LD98c-9fGY

162. Days Of High Adventure – GRAF ORLOCK (from Destination Time Today) The standout track from the California quartet’s first actual album take clips from Arnold Scwarzenegger’s classic Conan The Barbarian. As a man and a metal fan, it’s impossible not to love a Cimmerian grindcore song based on the Conan theme. Good stuff. http://www.myspace.com/graforlock

161. Lust For Life – GIRLS (from Album) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuoTjYYqe4c

160. Papa Was A Rodeo – BRIGHT EYES (from Score! 20 Years Of Vantage Records: The Covers!) Falling somewhere between The Temptations and Donnie And Marie, Conor Oberst and his crew cover the 1999 Magnetic Fields ironic cowboy lament with their usual tongue-in-cheek gusto. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek1UlNWoRCw

159. Lime - FRANCIS AND THE LIGHTS (MySpace single) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcmTs6Q3kZQ

158. You’re A Cad – THE BIRD AND THE BEE (from Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D2Orp3Y98k

157. Do The Joy – AIR (from Love 2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a84UWK50C-w

156. Prom Queen – LIL WAYNE (from Rebirth) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTurfn7vvCk

155. Somebody Put Something In My Drink – CHILDREN OF BODOM (from Skeletons In The Closet)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BG0oJD2Nic

154. Dust Devil – MADNESS (from The Liberty Of Norton Folgate) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69oq5kiDSn4

153. Saintbleeder – DEVIAN (from God To The Illfated) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8O6b83Pjuo

152. Let it Rock - KEVIN RUDOLF w/LIL WAYNE (from In The City) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0n4eMGXAyk

151. Around The Bend – THE ASTEROIDS GALAXY TOUR (from Fruit) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq-aNkBc2_M

150. Dead Harvest – THIS ENDING (from Dead Harvest) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjBTvwyMgD4

149. Vodka Inferno - DIABLO SWING ORCHESTRA (from Sing-Along Songs For The Damned And Delirious)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hTrgZfw8io

148. The Ripe Beneath the Rind – CATTLE DECAPITATION (from The Harvest Floor) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEyCK4sb28g

147. Dick To Mouth Resuscitation - AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED (from Agorapocalypse) The life-saving track from Massachusetts’ favorite drum machine grindcore band puts a whole new spin on first aid fellatio. Forget The Fray, THIS is how to save a life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUThR9WItnU

146. Payback – OBITUARY (from Darkest Day) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weHtWcZ6Jdw

145. Radical Resistance – KREATOR (from Hordes Of Chaos) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZwEHf-CK48

144. Anti-Orgasm – SONIC YOUTH (from The Eternal) Between “mission control” and “the brain police”, bassist Kim Gordon flatout humps her bass amp in coital vocal unison with husband/guitarist/vocalist Thurston Moore. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUsam3H4eTQ

143. I’m Beginning To Think You Prefer 90210 To Me – FIGHT LIKE APES (from Fight Like Apes And The Mystery of The Golden Medallion) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFIZlevrQno

142. Back With You – TINTED WINDOWS (from Self-Titled) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U21sxVm95zE

141. Not Fair – LILY ALLEN (from It’s Not Me, It’s You) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUYaosyR4bE

140. Worm Mountain - THE FLAMING LIPS w/MGMT (from Embryonic) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z9HDrk6gFg

139. Misery Hymn – THE RED SHORE (from Unconsecrated) http://s0.ilike.com/play#The+Red+Shore:Misery+Hymn:111606215:s45477963.11695102.21630460.0.2.136%2Cstd_047dafab8fb347808b4d61ddb4b6d1bd

138. America’s Favorite Pastime – TODD SNIDER (from The Excitement Plan) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zlAuY_-M30

137. Beheading And Burning – CANNIBAL CORPSE (from Evisceration Plague) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCSkFwDpjlM

136. Walking On A Dream – EMPIRE OF THE SUN (from Walking On A Dream) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eimgRedLkkU

135. Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us – PARADISE LOST (from Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BONcpuDcrc

134. Delusions Of Grandeur – ARTILLERY (from When Death Comes) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GZf8pjy40c

133. You Were The Cancer – THURSDAY (from Common Esixtence) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrKwW9e7Up8

132. Inhuman Affliction – OCEANO (from Depths) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu0_3QN4r9E

131. Sundial – WOLFMOTHER (from Cosmic Egg) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMhXmFxdzA8

130. Darkness Into Light – MATISYAHU (from Light) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjgMNgy-qGQ

129. Venus In Arms – DEATHSTARS (from Night Electric Night) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GztOR8pKtw

128. C’Mon – CHESTER FRENCH (from Love The Future) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5OJY9Y95us

127. Blacklight – SNAIL (from Blood) http://www.myspace.com/snailexhumed

126. Alligator Assassinator – FAKE PROBLEMS (from It’s Great To be Alive) http://popup.lala.com/popup/360569484175488454

125. Leave A Scar – MARILYN MANSON (from The High End Of Low) Where Manson takes Nietzsche to his logical cynical conclusion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuUM8vUgxrs

124. I’m Losing Myself - BRAZILIAN GIRLS w/DAVID BYRNE (from New York City) http://www.myspace.com/braziliangirls

123. The Last Baron – MASTODON (from Crack The Skye) http://popup.lala.com/popup/360569475235807649

122. Run This Town – JAY-Z w/RIHANNA and KANYE WEST(from The Blueprint 3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVA-xTBeHyM

121. When Last I Spoke To Carol – MORRISSEY (from Years Of Refusal)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ra_DnwazNU

120. Go Square Go – GLASVEGAS (from Self-Titled) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJHbqCipWEM

119. Frisk – THE BIG PINK (from A Brief History of Love) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cANBChGN34

118. Lost Weekend - THE QEMISTS w/MIKE PATTON (from Join The Q) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7suFAr7WSj0

117. King Of The Dogs – IGGY POP (from Préliminaires ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIBMYfQhkJA

116. Everyone I Know Has Fangs – HE IS LEGEND (from It Hates You) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oFeo_hB8z0

115. Space Hero Suites - THOSE DANCING DAYS (from In Our Space Hero Suits) Taking their name from the Led Zeppelin song “Dancing Days” and falling somewhere between “Blondie backed by The Attractions” and “The Slits rehearsing with Bow Wow Wow”, this suburban Swedish girl quintet combines the best of early 1960’s girl groups with the upbeat feel of indie pop. Pointless but ludicrously catchy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD_TJ-O6aoY

114. London Is The Reason – THE GALLOWS (from Grey Britain) These brutish British boyos simply do not let up EVER. Indicting their homeland and all it’s crippling, problematic issues with the zeal of a militant Clash and Sex Pistols, the band strafes any and everything that moves with collateral damaging drums, Gatling gun guitar and barbed wire vocals. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RcDzVqI250

113. Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out – MAYER HAWTHORNE (from A Strange Arrangement) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBKx8PyE5qQ

112. Mature Fantasy – DRUMMER (from Feel Good Together) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nBZhmLPWoo

111. E.S.T. – WHITE LIES (from To Lose My Life…) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSSskvNbKAY

110. You Can’t Lose What You Ain’t Never Had – LEVON HELM (from Electric Dirt) http://www.last.fm/music/Levon+Helm/_/You+Can't+Lose+What+You+Ain't+Never+Had

109. Bang - RYE RYE w/M.I.A. (Single) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjgg7jGSNZU

108. 1,000 Cigarettes - MSTRKRFT w/FREEWAY (from Fist Of God) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1STkAaWzKI

107. Calm – MAXIMO PARK (from Quicken The Heart) Newcastle, England alt-indie-rockers conjure up Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire” if it was covered by The Cure for the next Crow movie soundtrack with band vocalist Paul Smith doing a dead-on Morrissey for good measure
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HirqV6fwFE

106. Wait For Me – MOBY (from Wait For Me) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEnS2zAwYN4

105. Feel It All Around – WASHED OUT (from Life Of Leisure) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DkslcOhytU

104. Soldiers Get Strange - JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT (from Self-Titled) http://www.last.fm/music/Jason+Isbell+and+The+400+Unit/_/Soldiers+Get+Strange

103. Pray – GRAVE DIGGER (from Pray E.P.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsxdsrX3Q-o

102. Lovesick – GRAND DUCHY (from Petits Four) Pixies frontman Frank Black and his wife Violet Clark churn out a poppy filled song about the libidinous British hotel side of Spring Fever, phone sex and pure love for a plastic doll. http://popup.lala.com/popup/504684643780014423

101. Chamberlain, S.D. - MARK OLSON AND GARY LOURIS (from Ready For The Flood) http://www.myspace.com/readyfortheflood

100. Ten Talons Deep – BLACK ANVIL (from Time Insults The Mind) Sewn together from parts of Kill Your Idols, Madball and H2O, this New York City trio seemingly did the impossible in combining hardcore and death metal into an audibly assaulting amalgam highlighted by the raptorous “Ten Talons Deep” http://popup.lala.com/popup/1657606146627277770

99. Nothing To Do With Love – HALESTORM (from Self-Titled) If Kelly Clarkson fronted a “so bad they’re good” throwback NWOHM (New Wave Of Hair Metal) band, it would be Halestorm. They could just as easily tour with Lita Ford, Vixen and Femme Fatale on the “Cheesy-Cake Tour” as well as Lacuna Coil and Sirenia (if they were opening for Alice Cooper). Guilty pleasure of the year, I must say. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWkxZlbqQMw

98. Alive – HYPOCRISY (from A Taste Of Extreme Divinity) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EWBVx0U484

97. Blame Game – THE VON BONDIES (from Love, Hate And Then There’s You) Besides being a great Motor City garage rock-revival track, it’s worth checking out the album just for the jacket / alternate cover to a Bret Easton Elis novel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tcO7-sckH0

96. Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go – MIRANDA LAMBERT (from Revolution) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXuG3xT-QP8

95. Hour Of Rats – THE RED CHORD (from Fed Through The Teeth Machine) Have you heard a better title for an album this year? I didn’t think so. It’s like Grant Morrison and Richard Case designed an album cover. Creep-y. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYifxW7UxjQ

94. Prepare Your Coffin – TORTOISE (from Beacons Of Ancestorship) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zRJftR_508

93. Break Your Heart Any Day Of The Week – MANDY MOORE (from Amanda Leigh) Yes, I know it’s Mandy Moore. But it’s a catchy track and she grew up like twenty minutes from where I live. Plus, I met her once for about thirty seconds. Gotta represent for Florida. Go Winter Park! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRcOVVMMaE4

92. 3 – BRITNEY SPEARS (from The Singles Collection) Britney Spears demanding her boyfriend join her in a threesome. What else do I need to say? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTs6oQx1WJY

91. Daimonos – BEHEMOTH (from Evangelion) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMB7vyRx6UQ

90. Eisenbahnmorser – ASPHYX (from Death…The Brutal Way) Written about a giant German railroad mortar used during World War II, this track is as bombastic and flakking as it’s inspiration. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-q36kokppE

89. Slap Dash For No Cash – ART BRUT (from Art Brut Vs. Satan) The masterstroke of the album, Eddie Argos and his crew of Jean Debuffet fans poke Brian Eno in the ribs, making fun of his many audio labors. http://www.last.fm/music/Art+Brut/_/Slap+Dash+For+No+Cash

88. Zero – YEAH YEAH YEAHS (from It’s Blitz!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmGNo8RL5kM

87. Earth: As A Furnace – ALTAR OF PLAGUES (from White Tomb) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xuRz5IX0ls / http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG6CIioJOZY

86. Stronger Than Jesus – A CAMP (from Colonia) Paying for the “Stronger Than Jesus” download? $.89 on Amazon.com. Buying the Colonia cd at Best Buy? $12.99. Owning a song that compares love to the King of the Jews sporting a 12-gauge shotgun? Priceless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkeGjbTPcIY

85. Kafir! – NILE (from Those Whom The Gods Detest) Karl Sanders and his cult of South Carolina Lovecraftian Egyptologists shred the fine lines between an Islam word that can simultaneously mean “Ingrate”, “One who hides the truth of the Quran” or a derogatory term for non-Muslims; turning it on it’s papyrus head and proclaiming “Allah Akhbar” (or there is no god). Brilliant! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3Jb2Bkm8jI

84. Throne Of Skulls – AZARATH (from Praise The Beast) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCRCIR-7sq0

83. Legal Tender – HANDSOME FURS (from Face Control) http://popup.lala.com/popup/360569449466175202

82. Hedonist – ADVERSARY (from Singularity) http://popup.lala.com/popup/432627043555152368

81. To All The Lights In The Windows – CONOR OBERST AND THE MYSTIC VALLEY BAND (from Outer South) Where Oberst and his stranded in Mexico musician cohorts sing of lost love and Moses..? http://popup.lala.com/popup/1801721334709882276

80. Ol’ Skool Company – PRINCE AND THE MINNEAPOLIS SOUND (from MPLSoUND) The Purple One returns this year with his call-to-arms to bring real music back to radio. http://www.mefeedia.com/entry/the-leno-experience-1-3-ol-skool-company-aka-i-m-a-funkateer/15940435

79. The Box – THE 1990s (from Kicks) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsBI7MxUhxw

78. Evolution Through Revolution – BRUTAL TRUTH (from Evolution Through Revolution) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT7HIsPIZXY

77. American Saturday Night – BRAD PAISLEY (from American Saturday Night) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvdoKvHYxcA

76. Liberation – KATATONIA (from Night Is The New Day) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nqvp113mks

75. Last Place That Love Lives – THE BLACK CROWES (from Before The Frost…Until The Freeze) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cAjfm43IdE

74. No You Girls – FRANZ FERDINAND (from Tonight: Franz Ferdinand) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkihU5YFy4g

73. My Lucky Day – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (from Working On A Dream) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=113kJKz2mMI

72. Carby - DISCOVERY w/EZRA KOENIG (from LP) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfB1ugZwisY

71. Dark Horse – CONVERGE (from Axe To Fall) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1coBXXChNpU

70. White Dwarf – ZOROASTER (from Voice Of Saturn) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZrf2-Yk_NM

69. Nashira – COUNT RAVEN (from Mammons War) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbhknQJRB7w

68. Don’t Stop – CHALI 2NA (from Fish Outta Water) the clear standout track, finding Chali reflecting on the ups and downs of hip-hop (with help from smooth vocalist Anthony Hamilton) and an Emile beat that will absolutely blow out your speakers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6efRBXtZZ1o

67. Grave Reaper – FUNEBRARUM (from The Sleep of Morbid Dreams) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcr-lRJkKcw

66. Fossil Genera - A Feed From Cloud Mountain - BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME (from The Great Misdirect) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBNKBClDtxE

65. Spacious Thoughts - N.A.S.A. w/TOM WAITS and KOOL KEITH (from The Spirit Of Apollo) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiJ2E0xGOv8

64. Where Spirits Lie Dead – LAY DOWN ROTTEN (from Gospel Of The Wretched) a menacing phantasmal monster with banshee wailing guitar and a runaway rhino backbeat layed down by drummer Timo Claason and bassist Uwe Kilian buoying an almost Lemmy-esque vocal flesh-stripping provided by Jost Kleinert. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LfPJvPNZQU

63. Change – DANIEL MERRIWEATHER (w/WALE) (from Love & War) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvz2PLiHyo4

62. Little Secrets – PASSION PIT (from Manners) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScC_pi3PJ9k

61. IRM - CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG (from IRM) Man, everything sounds better in French. Even a medical procedure like an MRI or, in the case of this song, “Imagerie par Résonance Magnétique”. Now THAT’S sex-ay. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7KxvSwmzkY

60. Hey, Snow White – THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS (from Dark Was The Night Compilation Album)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdbGCfa8qkg

59. Jars – CHEVELLE (from Sci-Fi Crimes) A tongue in cheek environmental track about saving the Earth literally by putting it in jars for later. As quirky as the cd cover itself what with it’s (apparent) urinating skeletons and ufo’s and such. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dfh8YaV4mg

58. Morning After Dark - TIMBALAND w/ SOSHY and NELLY FURTADO (from Shock Value II) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25LBTSUEU0A

57. Fed To Pigs – DEVOURMENT (from Unleash The Carnivore) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3Vb1FEAUEc

56. Sleep Alone – BAT FOR LASHES (from Two Suns) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1vtr9fXdg8

55. Lifeline – PAPA ROACH (from Metamorphosis) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxVACta6dbA

54. My Wife’s Home Town – BOB DYLAN (from Together Through Life) http://popup.lala.com/popup/504684648074981255

53. Screams From The Deep – SERPENTCULT (from Weight Of Light) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9ribUfdeic

52. Victim Of Mass Production – THE CRIBS (from Ignore The Ignorant) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQEja_uPjFI

51. Swim – SURFER BLOOD (from Astro Coast) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-c5grn5OKg

50. On The Brink Of Extinction – NAPALM DEATH (from Time Waits For No Slave) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIfnyoKMZeA

49. Burned Bridges – LIVING COLOUR (from The Chair In The Doorway) Yes, THAT Living Colour. New York City’s favorite band of Black Rock Coalition veterans reunited with all their instrument demi-godness and burn down the roots to make the tree grow with this unapologetic monster of an opening track. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQcLjlbi2Bo

48. Enemy Of The Sun – UNANIMATED (from In The Light Of Darkness) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90mPd-MM4TQ

47. The Seventh Summer – SIRENIA (from The 13th Floor) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6qiHNDpP7A

46. Shame On Me – AMANDA BLANK (from I Love You) An absolutely fantastic lament over love gone wrong, “Shame On Me” is Depeche Mode if Dave Gahan had a sex change, pure and simple. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gwxIzuqUjg

45. Dear Coach’s Corner – PROPAGANDHI (from Supporting Caste) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAouOc2u1hA

44. Hallelujah Goat – VOLBEAT (from Guitar Gangsters And Cadillac Blood) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZHqD5ZlXMI

43. It’s A Business Doing Pleasure With You – TIM McGRAW (from Southern Voice) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2r0Xmkw7Co

42. Chorus Of Cracking Necks – MARDUK (from Wormwood) If the patron deity of Babylon moved to Sweden, formed a death metal band, got trashed on Absinthe and wrote his own professional wrestling entrance music, it would be this track. Try not to cringe too much at the repeated sound effect of actual necks cracking. Skin crawling and nauseating all at once. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcZazDZeLII

41. Devilizer – VADER (from Necropolis) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTvAOXDm8K8

40. A Horse Called Golgotha – BARONESS (from Blue Record) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qii59-7JAM

39. So Far From Your Weapon – THE DEAD WEATHER (from Horehound) The meaty nougat of the album, vocalist Alison Mosshart’s own staggering solo composition is a didgeridoo based Outback-drop for an Old West, high noon showdown. You can almost see the twitching thumbs, focused stares, drifting tumbleweeds and flapping trenchcoats within the borderline jazz synapses. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEPouBnFFgA

38. California On My Mind – WILD LIGHT (from Adult Nights) With New Hampshire born vocalist Tim Kyle proclaiming “Fuck Oakland”, “Fuck San Francisco” and “Fuck California” as a whole, the Governator and his crew in Sacramento are most definitely NOT recommending this track to the California Tourism Board. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRJmfjZ2JmE

37. Contractor – LAMB OF GOD (from Wrath) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN9e_zVhtQc

36. Just Singing A Song – NEIL YOUNG (from Fork In The Road) from the album inspired by Young's Lincoln Continental that had been retooled to run entirely on alternative energy, this standout track is an “Action, not words” anthem for going Green and sweeping up your carbon footprint. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_R5Q1b2GIY

35. You Don’t Belong – DAUGHTRY (from Leave This Town) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYHtt45Ob3U

34. Obsessed (Cahill Radio Mix) – MARIAH CAREY (from Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel) Based on a line of dialogue from the film Mean Girls, Carey has stated that this ridiculously upbeat track is one of her all-time favorite songs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFx0YKpyx0Y

33. If I Were King – QUEENSRYCHE (from American Soldier) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BYJhYZ1yuI

32. The Great Escape – THE RIFLES (from Great Escape) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV7rNoECycs

31. Choose Your Enemy – SÉANCE (from Awakening Of The Gods) http://www.myspace.com/seanceseance

30. Satellite Minds – METRIC (from Fantasies) Where the Canadien indie rockers pristinely sing about a stalking ex-lover who listens to her former amour “fucking through the walls”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw1Jjc5Baw0

29. In Your Heart – A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS (from Exploding Head) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR5JV3qXbak

28. Jesus Saves! – FUNERAL MIST (from Maranatha) Blood curdling and thought provoking all at the same time, this pummeling track (which could also be known as the “Love Theme From The Exorcist”), is a rabid testimony to the hypocrisy of Christianity as well as a “how-to” on how to destroy it at it’s most base faiths. Oh, and it would terrify Slayer. If you believe in the Bible, this would NOT be an editor’s choice for you. This track DOES make the baby Jesus cry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ8PcgAZkm8

27. Beauty Through Order – SLAYER (from World Painted Blood) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR-UPaVNcAU

26. Tell Me True – SARAH JAROSZ (from Song Up In Her Head) where the stunning 18 year old bluegrasser weaves a bruised-fruit teen’s cautionary query to her young love. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVGg38_QzOI

25. Her Diamonds – ROB THOMAS (from Cradlesong) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srg5qHHQ9i4

24. 1901 – Phoenix (from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4MXFOMpVIw

23. Crushed Beyond Dust – SKELETONWITCH (from Breathing The Fire) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idhHtlRLUIA

22. Save Me San Francisco – TRAIN (from Save Me, San Francisco) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2_p57YfhlU

21. A Lot To Drink About – JIMMY BUFFETT (from Buffet Hotel) A “high-speed drinking song” wherein the Key West troubadour makes the troubles of the world go away as only he can; with tongue-in-cheek humor and a cold Margarita. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGbrCJfgH8s

20. Wars – HURT (from Goodbye To The Machine) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT18DCcvNt0

19. I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight – U2 (from No Line On The Horizon) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q_AHAMVQ9c

18. Pilgrims In An Unholy Land – RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS (from Underneath The Owl) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emC5nGs9kWc

17. Honestly - YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND (from The Show) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spZpMP3IMHs

16. Beyond To Slight The Maze – ASTRA (from The Weirding) Picture if you will a quintet of San Diego based, space rock Yes fanatics hooking up with Ozzy Osbourne and Jethro Tull at a museum dedicated to the art of Roger Dean. There you go. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJEoxiRzXWs

15. Body Combat – BLACK LIPS (from 200 Million Thousand) http://popup.lala.com/popup/937030249097502084

14. In Ashes They Shall Reap – HATEBREED (from Self-Titled) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRd6En458Zw

13. Back With A Vengeance – DEVILDRIVER (from Pray for Villains) The outright monster on an album of musical mayhem and masterwork. Relentless, unyielding, merciless. A vendetta forged in guitar, bass, drum and vocal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT_BPQ-GxeM

12. Ten Thousand Words - THE AVETT BROTHERS (from I And Love And You) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt6k8htvc9k

11. Squirm – DAVE MATTHEWS BAND (from Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King) a Middle Eastern tinged, funeral dirged attempt to pry open your third eye (thank you Maynard Keenan for the line) backed by Carter Beauford’s goblin war drums. Fitting right in with some of the band’s magnum opus stuff (including “”Typical Situation”, “Drive In Drive Out”, “Grace Is Gone” and “Crush”) it also contains one of Matthews’ best lyrics to date…”If Kindness Is Your King, Then Heaven Will Be Yours Before You Reach The End”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFCp_axaVZw

10. Eating The Sun - THE SIGN OF THE SOUTHERN CROSS (from Of Mountains And Moonshine) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSu2I_C1os4

9. Meet Me On The Equinox – DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE (from Twilight: New Moon – Original Soundtrack)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjIErrcr75A

8. Griftefrid – THYRFING (from Hels Vite) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUreZwGqBr8

7. New Divide – LINKIN PARK (from Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen Soundtrack)I’m sorry, what? I just heard this behemoth of a song on 5.1 surround sound and I’m still picking up my teeth (along with the “ashes that fell like snow”). As far as I’m concerned, this rampaging track alone makes up for their critically acclaimed (albeit Drager despised) album Minutes To Midnight and almost excuses both of the god-awful Transformers movies (almost). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysSxxIqKNN0

6. Life And Times – BOB MOULD (from Life And Times) With some angry carry-over from last year’s District Line, Mould rings the bell for round two of pummeling his ex-boyfriend, playing rope-a-dope with the outright venomous rock of the title-track. http://www.lala.com/#album/360569445168255490

5. Drumming Song – FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE (from Lungs) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpLXQorSQe8

4. End Transmission – A.F.I. (from Crash Love) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzlla9POXwc

3. In One Ear – CAGE THE ELEPHANT (from Self-Titled) A show opener, show stopper and lyrical pimp slap to to all the critics, haters and deriders, et al who just don’t get it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9LRo0D_uWM

2. Letters From The Sky – CIVIL TWILIGHT (from Self-Titled ) Named for when the center of the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon, this South African trio burns bright through the dusk and fog on this haunting track lilted with eerie piano and melancholy vocals about a love that cannot (or will not) be denied. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wa7dFR09vU

1. Don’t Let Me Stop You – KELLY CLARKSON (from All I Ever Wanted) Get your airbags ready, your fireproof jockstrap on and pack your bags, boys. Kelly Clarkson is PISSED! With help from co-writers Andreas “Quiz” Romdhane , Josef Larossi and a blast furnace of an attitude, Clarkson forged an ear-hooking, anthemic barnburner about a dude who better shit or get off the pot and takes the defiance to his less than stellar behavior (kissing her with his eyes open, looking over his shoulder at other women) to Defcon-1 with ceiling crumbling vocals and angst and anger a plenty. More than willing to not only show her man the door as throw him through it, Clarkson’s throaty yalp screams from the mountaintops that 1. Any man with her better be all in and 2. She will not be taken advantage of. She’ll be quite alright without you, I assure you. If you’re not in it for real, don’t waste her time. She didn’t waste our time with this ABSOLUTE monster track, THE best song of 2009 actually. Wasting her time would only be rude. ..and possibly hazardous to your health. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNZv7Hm2GyI

Best Albums Of 2009

105. Bria Valente – Elixer (NPG) The smoking hot debut cd from Prince’s new protégé is so sexily smoldering, it should come with a free condom and cigarette for you to smoke after listening to it. Romantic raunchiness over a smooth R&B groove. Is it getting hot in here? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bria_Valente

104. Black Math Horseman – Wyllt (Tee Pee) Metacritic: Not Ranked Pitchfork: 7.0
http://www.myspace.com/blackmathhorseman

103. Rancid – Let The Dominoes Fall (Hellcat) Metacritic: 72 Pitchfork: Not Ranked
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_The_Dominoes_Fall

102. Peaches – I Feel Cream (XL Records) Toronto’s Merrill Beth Nisker (aka “Peaches”) and her band The Herms (short for “Hermaphrodites”. Get it? “Peaches And Herms”?) release another gender-bending electronica album that should somehow be spelt with three X’s. About as subtle as Wendy O’Williams with that sledgehammer on that piano, Peaches pummels you with sex and profanity while finding twelve different ways to tell you she doesn’t give a fuck about you or what you think of her, and you still come back for more. If Missy Elliot and David Bowie had a love child and left it to be raised by Pete Burns of Dead Or Alive, it would be Peaches. Dance at your own risk. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Feel_Cream

101. The Asteroids Galaxy Tour – Fruit (Import) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroids_Galaxy_Tour

100. Maximo Park – Quicken The Heart (Warp Records) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quicken_The_Heart

99. Chali 2na – Fish Outta Water (Decon Inc.) From his hometown of Chicago to the streets of South Central where he grew up, to the Thursday nights spent at the Good Life Café with fellow high schooler /spoken word artists The Unity Committee to his turn as vocalist for both Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli (not to mention a near death experience on the 2000 Warped Tour), to a cd cover that reminds me of Aquaman when he had his camouflage uniform, Charlie Stewart (a.k.a. “Chali 2na” due to his vocal resemblance to the Starkist mascot) has led a fifteen year career that finally culminated in a long hinted at solo debut. Aptly titled since Chali mainly strays from his comfort zone of collaborative work, the man (and his absolutely fantastic baritone vox) start us off with “Get Focused” featuring the play between both himself and a similarly named radio host (over a Bean One beat, mind you), giving just a hint of the bouncing ebb and flow to come. “So Crazy” is an upbeat critcal rebuttal where Chali shows he’s as deep as his voice. “Lock Shit Down” is only improved with the addition of (former Black Star-er) Talib Kweli. “Comin’ Thru” finds the man making like the Red Queen quote from Alice In Wonderland when she tells Alice “to stay where you are you have to keep running” acknowledging his Jurassic 5 roots while also tilting the musical compass towards where he is headed. “Love’s Gonna Getcha” features an exemplary Scott (not Larry) Storch beat. On “Graff Time” Chali nods to his artistic roots. “Controlled Coincidence” is a lambast of war and the media with assist courtesy of Kanetic Source (also from Ozomatli).The final track “4 Be Be” closes it out with a memoriam of sorts to a deceased cousin featuring soaring help from Ming Xia (of The Spooks). The infectious “Don’t Stop” however is the clear standout, finding Chali reflecting on the ups and downs of hip-hop (with help from smooth vocalist Anthony Hamilton) and an Emile beat that will absolutely blow out your speakers. Vastly underrated as an emcee with one of the best voices I’ve heard in a very long time, Mr. 2na’s solo debut is a new trend cyclical throwback to fun hip-hop that will not only show the growth of the artist as a man and musician, but will also get the asses out of their seats at your next party. I must admit, as a fan of all music, I’m embarrassed I didn’t know about this guy and his absurdicusly good voice and style sooner. DJ? Cue it up, please. Metacritic: 72 Pitchfork: Not Rated http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chali_2na

98. Art Brut – Art Brut Vs. Satan (Downtown) An extraordinary goofball, Eddie Argos and his crew of Jean Debuffet fans weave art-punk tales of drinking one too many the night before then having to go to work; a sarcastically sad ode to comics and cold, dairy treats; riding on the bus and in the masterstroke of the album, they poke Brian Eno in the ribs, making fun of his many audio labors. And don’t forget their nod to the Bobby Fuller Four with the line “I fought the floor and the floor won”. Good stuff http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Brut_vs._Satan

97. Black Lips – 200 Million Thousand (Vice) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/200_Million_Thousand

96. Wolfmother – Cosmic Egg (Modular) Metacritic: 65 Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_Egg

95. Nile – Those Whom The Gods Detest (Nuclear Blast) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Those_Whom_the_Gods_Detest
94. Dying Fetus – Descend Into Depravity (Relapse) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descend_into_Depravity

93. U2 – No Line on the Horizon (Interscope) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Line_On_The_Horizon

92. Sylosis – Conclusion Of An Age (Nuclear Blast Records) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conclusion_of_an_Age

91. Tortoise – Beacons Of Ancestorship (Thrill Jockey) Metacritic: 71 Pitchfork: 7.9
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beacons_of_Ancestorship

90. Thursday – Common Existence (Epitaph) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Existence

89. Miranda Lambert – Revolution (Columbia Nashville) Metacritic: 84 Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolution_(Miranda_Lambert_album)

88. The Decemberists – The Hazards Of Love (Capitol Records) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazards_of_love

87. Cobalt – Gin (Profound Lore) http://www.myspace.com/stinktown666
86. Séance – Awakening Of The Gods (Pulverised Records) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awakening_of_the_gods

85. The Cribs – Ignore The Ignorant (Warner Bros.) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignore_the_ignorant

84. Train – Save Me San Francisco (Columbia) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Save_Me_San_Francisco

83. Goes Cube – Another Day Has Passed (The End) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_Day_Has_Passed

82. Graf Orlock – Destination Time Today (Level Plane Records) On their first official album, California cinema grind masters (& UCLA alums) Graf Orlock (named after Max Schreck’s character in the 1922 film Nosferatu) combine film quotes from The Shooter, The Terminator, 12 Monkeys and Collateral (amongst others)with grindcore blastcaps into a melange of metal movie madness distributed in quick, violent bursts. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destination_Time_Today

81. Sarah Jarosz – Song Up In Her Head (Sugar Hill) Correctly labelled as "a songwriter of uncommon wisdom” by The Austin Chronicle, this stunning bluegrass debut from the 18 year old Wimberley, Texan prodigy on piano, banjo (clawhammer and otherwise), mandolin and guitar showcases Jarosz sounding wise and weary beyond her years with a voice echoing from a turn-of-the-century coalmine. Seemingly the missing bonus cd from Patty Loveless’ brilliant 2001 Mountain Soul compilation, the eleven original compositions and two covers (The Decemberists’ “Shankill Butchers” about a group that terrorized Irish Catholics in the 1970s and Tom Waits’ masterful “Come On Up To The House”) show a talent rarely seen nowadays and one that’s gleefully welcome to pick and grin on my front porch anytime. Metacritic: Not Rated Pitchfork: Not Rated http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Jarosz

80. Prince – LOtUSFLOW3R (NPG) This time The Purple One simultaneously released two cds of his own (of which this is the far superior album) along with the debut from his protégé Bria Valente in one package. Vintage Prince from end-to-end, it covers the whole spectrum from funk to blues to pop to soul and back again. Check out “Colonized Mind”, hands down one of the best songs he has ever done. But, I have to ask why he didn’t just place the fan-frakking-tastic “Ol’ Skool Company” (with it’s call-to-arms to bring real music to radio) and the ego-tastic “There’ll Never B (Another Like Me)” on this album and dismiss the far weaker (by Prince standards) MPLSoUND all together? But, that’s just me. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotusflower

79. Malefice – Dawn Of Reprisal (Metal Blade) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_of_Reprisal

78. Tinted Windows – Self-Titled (S-Curve Records) Teaming-up like a pop music Justice League Of America, Taylor Hanson, Adam Schlesinger, Bun E. Carlos and James Iha combine the best of Hanson, Ivy, Fountains Of Wayne and Cheap Trick and just a soupcon of sublime Smashing Pumpkins guitar into a pop palette of late 70’s goodness. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinted_Windows_(band)

77. Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band – Outer South (Merge) On their second album in as many years, Oberst and his stranded in Mexico musician cohorts released an album that runs the plethora gamut. From floating in pools while singing bubbly pop music (“Slowly” and “Air Mattress”) to having sex on Mendeleyev’s table of the elements while listening to “church bells that ring like a mobile phone” (“I Got The Reason”), Oberst manages to sound like Tom Petty and Bob Dylan (“Big Black Nothing” and “Worldwide”), Elvis Costello (“Spoiled”), Nick Drake (“White Shoes”) exactly like himself (“Bloodline”) and Mike Love singing a country dirge (“Snake Hill”). The two stand outs though are “To All The Lights In The Windows”, which combines lost love and Moses (?) and “Roosevelt Room”, where Oberst channels his inner Joe Strummer and recalls the days of his masterpiece Bright Eyes track “Four Winds” with the lyrics “the working poor you’ve been pissing on are pulling double shifts tonight”. In “Difference Is Time” Oberst laments that “life is hard, even if you cheat”. Luckily he and his band didn’t cheat us on this album. Metacritic: 67 Pitchfork: 4.9 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_South

76. MSTRKRFT – Fist Of God (Universal) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fist_of_God

75. Devian – God To The Illfated (Century Media Records) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devian

74. Bob Mould – Life And Times (ANTI-) With some angry carry-over from last year’s District Line, Mould rings the bell for round two of pummeling his ex-boyfriend, encompassing everything from the outright venomous rock of the title-track to the heartbreaking freedom song “I’m Sorry Baby, But You Can’t Stand In My Light Anymore”. Whether in Husker Du, Sugar or solo, Mould is the man. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_And_Times_(Bob_Mould_album)

73. Mantic Ritual – Executioner (Nuclear Blast) Imagine a parallel world where Dave Mustaine didn’t get fired from Metallica, actually became the vocalist, moved the band to Pittsburgh and they became a Slayer tribute band that toured with Venom. Thrash revivalists Mantic Ritual echo the early eighties Bay Are thrash scene so eerily well you’ll pull out your sleeveless jean jacket with the Testament backpatch while listening to this album. “One By One” is Slayer’s “Chemical Warfare” by way of “Evil Has No Boundaries” succinctness. “Black Tar Sin” combines the best of Metallica’s “No Remorse” with Slayer’s “Black Magic”. “Death And Destruction” is straight out of Metallica’s “Four Horsemen” demos and “Murdered to Death” is the missing track from Slayer’s Hell Awaits plus(!) check out the absurdicus fret work on this track as well as on “Double The Blood”. “Souls” is the best song that British demon masters Venom never wrote.The closing monster “Next Attack” is so vintage Kill ‘Em All Metallica you’ll swear it’s a “Seek And Destroy” outtake right along with being the best song on the album. Horns up, kids. Thrash is back. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executioner_(album)

72. Deathstars – Night Electric Night (Nuclear Blast) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Electric_Night

71. Children Of Bodom – Skeletons In The Closet (Spinefarm) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeletons_in_the_Closet_(album)

70. Hypocrisy – A Taste of Extreme Divinity (Nuclear Blast) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Taste_of_Extreme_Divinity

69. Living Colour – The Chair in The Doorway (Megaforce Records) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chair_in_the_Doorway

68. Brad Paisley – American Saturday Night (Arista Nashville) Metacritic:84 Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Saturday_Night

67. Cattle Decapitation – The Harvest Floor (Metal Blade Records) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Harvest_Floor

66. Napalm Death – Time Waits For No Slave (Century Media) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Waits_For_No_Slave

65. Thyrfing – Hels Vite (Regain Records) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hels_Vite

64. Buddy And Julie Miller – Written In Chalk (New West Records) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Written_in_Chalk

63. The Flaming Lips – Embryonic (Warner Bros.) Metacritic: 80 Pitchfork: 9.0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embryonic

62. Tim McGraw – Southern Voice (Curb) Metacritic: 66 Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Voice_(album)

61. Asphyx – Death… The Brutal Way (Century Media) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death...The_Brutal_Way

60. Funebrarum – The Sleep Of Morbid Dreams (Cyclone Empire) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://www.myspace.com/funebrarum

59. Artillery – When Death Comes (Metal Mind Productions) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_death_comes

58. The Eyes Of A Traitor – A Clear Perception (Listenable Records) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Clear_Perception

57. White Lies – To Lose My Life Or Lose My Love (Fiction) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Lose_My_Life...

56. Matisyahu – Light (Epic Records / JDub Records) Metacritic: 57 Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_(Matisyahu_album)

55. Morrissey – Years Of Refusal (Attack / Lost Highway) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Years_of_Refusal

54. Funeral Mist – Maranatha (Southern Lord) Just when you thought Swedish death metal was languishing comes this dark solo project from Marduk vocalist Daniel “Arioch” Rosten to audibly crucify you. From the eye-bursting scream of “It’s the blood!” that starts off opening track “Sword Of Faith” to the Satanically sarcastic secular strike that is “Jesus Saves!” to the burning red sun and blood of Cain that flows through “A New Light”, Maranatha (which jokingly translates as “Our Lord has come”) is truly an omen of the end times and shows that the kingdom of Lucifer may already be here and it’s about fucking time. In actuality the second official album from the band, this Satanic juggernaut fires on all pitchforks and will burn you at the stake. Unnerving, relentless and just plain scary as hell (pun intended) Mr. Arioch and his skin crawling vocals (which he fittingly describes as “my voice is a thousand open graves”) put the shit in my pants and lit a cigarette off my ashen corpse…and I went back for more. After this nightmare inducing musical monster I understand why people kept playing with that box in the Hellraiser films. You have been warned. Sell your soul if you have to, but get in touch with this macabre masterstroke. I’ll be under the bed pressing “repeat” if you need me. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funeral_Mist

53. Keri Hilson – In A Perfect World (Interscope) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_a_Perfect_World%E2%80%A6

52. Living Things – Habeus Corpus (Jive) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habeas_Corpus_(Living_Things_Album)

51. Elvis Costello – Secret, Profane And Sugarcane (Hear Music) Teaming up with T-Bone Burnett and a gaggle of the country’s best bluegrass and country musicians, Costello combines songs from his catalogue done anew, material from his unfinished commission for the Royal Danish Opera about the life of Hans Christian Andersen and two new songs (one done with Loretta Lynn) into a breath of fresh country air. Whether pushing his friend in front of a train (“Hidden Shame”) attacking America’s slavery past (“Red Cotton” ) or trekking around the country seemingly borrowing ideas from Marilyn Manson to “wrap you up in cellophane” (“Sulphur To Sugarcane”), this one is not to be missed. Metacritic: Not Rated Pitchfork: 3.8 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret,_Profane_%26_Sugarcane

50. Zoroaster – Voice Of Saturn (Terminal Doom Records) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://www.myspace.com/thezoroaster

49. My Dying Bride – For Lies I Sire (Peaceville Records) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Lies_I_Sire

48. Queensryche – American Soldier (Rhino Entertainment) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Soldier_(album)

47. Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown (Reprise) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21st_Century_Breakdown

46. Levon Helm – Electric Dirt (Dirt Farmer / Vanguard) Metacritic: 84 Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_dirt

45. Rob Thomas – Cradlesong (Emblem / Atlantic) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cradlesong

44. The Qemists – Join The Q (Ninja Tune) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_qemists

43. Oceano – Depths (Earache Records) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depths_(album)

42. Baroness – Blue Record (Relapse) Metacritic: 88 Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Record

41. Fight Like Apes – Fight Like Apes & The Mystery Of The Golden Medallion (Model Citizen Records) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_Like_Apes_and_the_Mystery_of_the_Golden_Medallion

40. Eric Church – Carolina (Capitol Nashville) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_(Eric_Church_album)

39. Volbeat – Guitar Gangsters And Cadillac Blood (Megaforce) The Danish quartet return with another fantastic example of what would happen if Glenn Danzig era Misfits joined up with Metallica circa 1983-84 and decided to form a Reverend Horton Heat tribute rockabilly band. (It is unnerving how eerily similar vocalist Michael Poulson sounds to both Glenn Danzig and James Hetfield, especially on the seemingly missing Death Magnetic track “Still Counting” and the referential Metallica track “Wild Rover Of Hell”). Listen if only for the astounding Corrosion Of Conformity-esque “Hallelujah Goat” and their jaw-dropping take on the Hank Williams’ classic “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_Gangsters_%26_Cadillac_Blood

38. Hurt – Goodbye To The Machine (Amusement) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodbye_to_the_machine

37. Propagandhi – Supporting Caste (G7 / Smallman / Hassle) Like the punk rock version of fellow veganarchists Cattle Decapitation, Canada’s own Propagandhi mix hockey, fermentation fetishism, whaling, and wholesale role-reversal slaughter on this, their latest PETA approved, jaw-dropping album. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supporting_Caste

36. Gallows – Grey Britain (Warner Bros.) After their debut Orchestra Of Wolves made them the vanguard of new hardcore punk, brutally ironic tattooed frontman Frank Carter and his blighty cohorts had their work cut out for them. With Grey Britain they made the cut. From the opening salvo of “The Riverbank” straight into the blitzing “London Is The Reason” these brutish British boyos simply do not let up EVER. Indicting their homeland and all it’s crippling, problematic issues with the zeal of a militant Clash and Sex Pistols, the band strafes any and everything that moves with collateral damaging drums, Gatling gun guitar and barbed wire vocals. Drawing simultaneously from the wells of both Slayer and The Exploited and with an assload of John Lydon-ism thrown in for good measure, Carter warns us that he knows where we live (“Black Eyes”) gives us the armageddon roll call for the four horsemen (“Death Voices”), pummels us with throwback thrash (“The Riverbed”) and leads the mob scene as the band does their best homage to Pantera’s classic two-headed monster “Suicide Notes, Pt 1 & 2” (“The Vulture: Acts I & II”). Giving us a one-two punch of Iron Maiden riffs (“Queensbury Rules”) and squealing pigs (“Misery”, which Carter said he wrote at “his lowest ebb”), the band shows that bringing in stammering producer GGGarth Richardson (of Chevelle, Rage Against The Machine and Mudvayne fame) was just one more armament in their already explosively lethal arsenal. On “Dread The Night” (which would’ve been on the We Are The Night Soundtrack in another life) Carter expounds that they “Are the new black and serious as a heart attack”. Maybe it’s the snarling British accent, but I believe him. Carter once stated in an interview that Gallows is “a hobby I get paid for”. All I can say is thank god it wasn’t model train collecting. Simply a relentlessly brilliant album. Metacritic: 77 Pitchfork: Not Rated http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Britain

35. BLK JKS – After Robots (Secretly Canadian) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: 6.2
http://www.myspace.com/blkjks

34. Marilyn Manson – The High End Of Low (Interscope) Finally recovered from his burlesque divorce, Manson releases his best album in six years and incorporates Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, David Bowie and the fantastic production / bass work of Twiggy Ramirez into a return to sadistic glory. “Leave A Scar” takes Nietzsche to his logical cynical conclusion. “Running To the Edge Of The World” is as close as Manson is gonna come to a power ballad. “We’re From America” is self-loathing fascism from a pierced tongue-in-cheek patriot sardonically proud of a country that “doesn’t need credibility because it knows it’s fucking incredible” all while it “turns literatue into litter” and “Into The Fire” finds Manson as a manic-depressive Sisyphus walking a “November Rain”-esque land where “rapist werewolves” mistake God’s urine for rain. It’s great to have our favorite Anti-Christ back at the controls of the torture chamber. We missed him. Thank you Dita Von Teese and all the good work you did. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_End_of_Low

33. This Ending – Dead Harvest (Metal Blade Records) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Ending

32. Trigger The Bloodshed – The Great Depression (Metal Blade) http://www.myspace.com/triggerthebloodshed

31. Black Anvil – Time Insults The Mind (Momentum Records) Sewn together from parts of Kill Your Idols, Madball and H2O (among other groups), this New York City trio (comprised of band members P, G and R) seemingly did the impossible in combining hardcore and death metal into an audibly assaulting amalgam. Combining the best parts of Celtic Frost and Darkthrone (including a cover of Celtic Frost’s “Dethroned Emperor”) into a relentless, crunchy coredrill highlighted by the raptorous “Ten Talons Deep” and the anagrammed monstrosity “L.T.H.L.T.K.” (“Longer The Hate, Longer The Knife” in case you were wondering), this album is an urban take on Scandinavian metal that runs rampant through the streets of Brooklyn just like the mythological beast of the same name featured in their song / nod to Clash Of The Titans, “Release the Kraken”. To quote the band themselves “This dirt feels good”. http://www.myspace.com/blackanvilny

30. Pearl Jam – Backspacer (English) Metacritic: 80 Pitchfork: 4.6
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backspacer_(Pearl_Jam_album)

29. Mastodon – Crack the Skye (Reprise) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crack_the_skye

28. Riverboat Gamblers – Underneath The Owl (Volcom Entertainment) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverboat_Gamblers

27. Korpiklaani – Karkelo (Nuclear Blast Records) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karkelo

26. Behemoth – Evangelion (Metal Blade / Nuclear Blast / Mystic) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelion_(album)

25. Amanda Blank – I Love You (Downtown Records) With one foot in Philadelphia performance art group Sweetheart and the other in rap group Spank Rock, Germantown, PA’s Amanda Mallory (a.k.a. Amanda Blank) has decided to take her collaboration skills (see: her mix-tape work with Ghostface Killa, M.I.A. and Santogold amongst others) to the next logical step and released her estrogen fueled solo debut, orgasms,ovarian angst and mouth of a longshoreman included. With help from producers Diplo, Switch and XXXChange, Blank makes like a crunk Debbie Harry (especially on the Blondie-esque “Big Heavy” with it’s undeniable guitar riff), guiding us to the dance floor as I Love You grunts, spins and freestyles from Missy Elliot meets Debbie Allen banging her Fame cane on the floor while screaming at spelling bee contestants (“Something Bigger”) to getting ready for a night out…on Mars (“Make-Up”, a spot-on update cover of a song written by Prince for his 1980’s protégé girl group Vanity 6) to a “How-To” guide on showing losers and hangers-on the door that’s as “smooth as butter on a ‘Ruffie’ (“Lemme Get Some” with Chuck Inglish) to cold-hearted comeuppance for the guys who never call or only want sex (“Leaving You Behind” with help from friend Lykke Li)to her first track, “Might Like You Better”, a single-entendre dance referendum on sex that leaves nothing to the imagination. Between the profanity riddled ode to how fantastic she really is (“Gimme What You Got” with guest appearance by her fellow crass Spank Rockers) to the absolutely fantastic lament over love gone wrong “Shame On Me”(which is Depeche Mode if Dave Gahan had a sex change), there’s more than meets the eye to Miss Blank, and as soon as the DJ stops spinning her next track I’m gonna look into finding out what it is. Metacritic: 58 Pitchfork: 2.0 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Love_You_(Amanda_Blank_album)

24. Sonic Youth – The Eternal (Matador Records) You’ve got to show due respect to an iconic band that, in one song (in this case “Thunderclap For Bobby Pyn”) can name-drop the Heaven’s Gate cult and the lead singer of The Germs. Not only proving that the three years since their last album Rather Ripped (their longest gap ever) was worth the wait, The Eternal, all other things aside, shows that bass-playing vocalist MILF Kim Gordon is truly the best part of the legendary New York avant-punk band. At it’s roots a straight rock album, the cd starts off with the one-two combo of “Sacred Trickster” (with Gordon rubbing up against her bass amp) and “Anti-Orgasm” (where between “mission control” and “the brain police”, Gordon flatout humps her bass amp in coital vocal unison with husband/guitarist/vocalist Thurston Moore). The guitarist Lee Ranaldo penned “What We Know” is as complex as it is face-melting. “Calming The Snake” finds Gordon “no waving” over deadly riffs with double entendre titling to boot. “Poison Arrow” finds gang leader Thurston Moore doing a spot-on Lou Reed with the best song not written for Reed’s classic Transformer album. A barely hinting return to their original SST sound, The Eternal is not only the band’s first cd for Matador but the first volley in what sounds like a new musical canon for the art-rock masters (see what I did there?). Dedicated to deceased Stooges member Ron Asheton, the punk guitarist is looking down wishing he could make noise sound this good. This album is not to be missed. Metacritic: 78 Pitchfork: 6.8 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eternal_(album)

23. The Dead Weather – Horehound (Third Man) With yet ANOTHER side-project, Jack White has not only returned to his first instrument (the drums) but managed to combine The White Stripes (himself), The Raconteurs (himself and bassist Jack Lawrence), The Kills (phone sex vocalist Alison Mosshart) and Queens Of The Stone Age (guitarist Dean Fertita) into an amalgam of rock influences that becomes far more than the sum of its parts. Drawing from every area of rock imaginable the quartet outright jam on an album written in just a few weeks and with song insight coming from every band member therein. Drifting through the teasing atmospheric fog of opening track “60 Feet Tall” the band, led by Mosshart’s sultry guile, touch on second-tier Thomas Harris villainy / organ driven reggae with Heimlich maneuver vocals (“I Cut Like A Buffalo”) , a Led Zeppelin-esque soundtrack for Oedipus Rex, complete with syllogism and military marching (or sex) instructions (“Treat Me Like your Mother”) a raucous voodoo cover of Bob Dylan’s “New Pony” (about a little horse named “Lucifer” with bonus face-melting guitar), twitchy Casio keyboard rhumba (“Bone House”) and acoustic Delta blues / sea shanty gospel (“Will There be Enough Water?”) The meaty nougat of the album though is Mosshart’s own staggering solo composition “So Far From Your Weapon”, a didgeridoo based Outback-drop for an Old West, high noon showdown. You can almost see the twitching thumbs, focused stares, drifting tumbleweeds and flapping trenchcoats within the borderline jazz synapses. On “Hang You From The Heavens” we are warned that we’ll be “grabbed by the hair and sent off to the devil”. If this is the music I’ll be hearing on the way, I’ll leave the front door unlocked. Just come on in Ms. Mosshart. Metacritic: 75 Pitchfork: 7.5 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horehound_(album)

22. Clutch – Strange Cousins From The West (Weathermaker Music) Metacritic: 72 Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_Cousins_from_the_West

21. Adversary – Singularity (Trustkill)Imagine Better Left Unsaid meet Unearth and they begin jamming on Carcass tunes. That’s Adversary in a nutshell. It’s not gonna blow your mind but it is far better than I thought it was going to be (and it’s wholly better than anything that All That Remains has done). It’s like Arch Enemy, just without the smokin’ hot female lead vocalist. Dig in. http://www.myspace.com/adversarymetal

20. Sirenia – The 13th Floor (Nuclear Blast) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_13th_Floor_(album)

19. Marduk – Wormwood (Regain Records) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wormwood_(Metal_album)
18. Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King (RCA) On their best album since 1998’s Before These Crowded Streets (and the first since the death of saxophonist LeRoi Moore. The album title is a reference to his nickname), the Virginia boys let it rip on a surprisingly upbeat album and fitting tribute to their fallen bandmate. Check out the impending “Time Bomb” which is great in the way that the live version of “Dirty Day” from U2’s Zooropa ’93 – Live In Australia DVD was great and the masterstroke centerpiece “Squirm”, a Middle Eastern tinged, funeral dirged attempt to pry open your third eye (thank you Maynard Keenan for the line) backed by Carter Beauford’s goblin war drums. Fitting right in with some of the band’s magnum opus stuff (including “”Typical Situation”, “Drive In Drive Out”, “Grace Is Gone” and “Crush”) it also contains one of Matthews’ best lyrics to date…”If Kindness Is Your King, Then Heaven Will Be Yours Before You Reach The End”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_whiskey

17. Cage The Elephant – Self-Titled (Relentless) Fresh from SXSW and Lollapalooza, the Kentucky bred Shultz brothers and their band of backwater brethren mix white garage blues rock with rap-soul-funk and a dead-on impression of Alex Turner vocals into a G. Love and Special Sauce meets The Heavy by way of Red Hot Chili Peppers moonshine that rocks as much as it flows. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cage_the_Elephant_(album)

16. Eminem – Relapse (Aftermath / Interscope / Shady) Fresh from the pseudo rehab center Popsomp Hills, Eminem released the spectacular first of two 2009 discs (Relapse 2 to be released later this year) and charges right out of the gate spewing Detroit venom. Simply the best stuff he’s done since 2002’s The Eminem Show, it’s worth repeated listening just for “Medicine Ball” and it’s hilariously wrong argument between Mr. Mathers and the now deceased Christopher Reeve over use of the Superman costume. Fantastic! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relapse_(album)
15. A.F.I. – Crash Love (Interscope) Metacritic: 75 Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crash_Love

14. Vreid – Milorg (Indie Recordings) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milorg_(album)

13. Vader – Necropolis (Nuclear Blast) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necropolis_(album)

12. The Sign Of The Southern Cross – Of Mountains And Moonshine (Independent) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://www.myspace.com/southerncrossband

11. The Avett Brothers – I And Love And You (American Recordings) Metacritic: 75 Pitchfork: 5.8
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_and_Love_and_You

10. Jimmy Buffett – Buffet Hotel (Mailboat) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffet_Hotel

9. Immortal – All Shall Fall (Nuclear Blast) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Shall_Fall

8. Yonder Mountain String Band – The Show (Frog Pad Records) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yonder_Mountain_String_Band

7. Lay Down Rotten – Gospel Of The Wretched (Metal Blade Records)Simply stated, this proud band of German marauders is neither too technical nor too extreme, but just right in the pocket of what is simply fantastic, chainsaw slinging, Swedish vein death metal. While their Metal Blade debut (and fifth album overall) doesn’t break any molds, it does do it’s best to break your neck with guest appearance help from such vocal legends as Martin Van Drunen (Hail Of Bullets, Pestilence, Asphyx), Marc Grewe (Morgoth) and brutal sound production amped up by engineering master/part-time member of Edge Of Sanity and Katatonia, Dan Swano (who also does some vocal work). “Hours Of Infinity” starts it off and speaking of time travel they apparently brought back Chuck Schuldiner to do vocals as well as vocalist Jost Kleinert does a dead-on phlegm flinging impersonation of the fallen Death founder. “Thy Won’t Be Done” is unintentionally funny hereticism over searing guitar work courtesy of Nils Forster and part-time vocalist Daniel Jakobi. “Altering The Whore” is a meat grinding track that will rape your ear canal while showing that “blood is a serious business”. The pummeling “Conditioning The Weak” is just begging to be played in the background of a Marine Corps recruiting spot. The best of this Teutonic beast are “When All Becomes Nothing” with it’s ominous violin (?) and “Where Spirits Lie Dead”, a menacing phantasmal monster with banshee wailing guitar and a runaway rhino backbeat layed down by drummer Timo Claason and bassist Uwe Kilian buoying an almost Lemmy-esque vocal flesh-stripping provided by Herr Kleinert. Far better than I expected it to be, don’t be surprised if this under the radar album (with creepy nautical zombie cover/nod to Gustave Dore supplied by Killustrations artist Bjorn Gooses) ends up in the top ten for the Drager Awards 2009. Just saying is all. http://www.myspace.com/mylaydownrotten

6. Florence And The Machine – Lungs (Island) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: 7.2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lungs_(album)

5. Altar Of Plagues – White Tomb (Profound Lore) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Tomb
4. Lamb Of God – Wrath (Epic / Roadrunner) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrath_(album)

3. Hatebreed – Self-Titled (E1 Music) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatebreed_(album)

2. Slayer – World Painted Blood (American / Sony Music) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Painted_Blood

1. DevilDriver – Pray For Villains (Roadrunner) When vocalist Dez Fafara screams “Let’s start a riot!” on the track “Another Night In London”, he’s not being facetious. Seemingly taking all the energy gathered from their Guinness record attempts at the “world’s largest circle pits”, Santa Barbara, California groove metallers DevilDriver hone their heaviness into a levelling bulldozer of mind-boggling blast beats, rampant riffs and demon baiting screaming. Completely shed of his former Coal Chamber nu-metal skin, Fafara and his cohorts let loose from the opening title track about fallen heroes and frustrated optimism and never let up, crushing you beneath their juggernaut gears. Drummer John Boecklin is so fast on “Pure Sincerity”, you’d swear it’s a drum machine. “Fate Stepped In” is thrown bones and karmic crunch. The lamenting “I’ve Been Sober” is destined to be covered by Mike Ness, bad math included (“I’ve been sober thirteen days and seven nights…”). “Forgiveness Is A Six-Gun” is a Punisher comic meets Neil Peart lyrics (“Truth is a moving target…”)written in a hail of gunfire and Mike Spreitzer and Jeff Kendrick guitar. “It’s In The Cards” is pure and simple Lamb Of God with Phil Anselmo’s “We’re demon strong” attitude. Savor the irony of “Teach Me To Whisper” where Dez screams the song title with a voice that can shred paint, not just peel it. “Resurrection Blvd.” sounds like an outtake from Hypocrisy’s self-titled masterpiece…and that’s the low-point of this album. “Back with A Vengeance” however, is the outright monster of this musical mayhem. Relentless, unyielding, merciless. A vendetta forged in guitar, bass, drum and vocal. In the album closer “I See Belief”, Dez claims there’s “No method to this madness”. But in the mouth of that madness, there is a spectacular, ludicrously good album. Going back to “Another Night In London”, Mr. Fafara states “It takes people like us to make people like him”. Then we are some very angry people who have helped make the best album of 2009. Note: Make sure you get the special edition of the cd so you can also check out the bonus tracks “Self-Affliction” (which welcomes you “back into the fold” with an actual melodic keyboard/bass line) and the eulogical “Dust Be Thy Destiny” (just for the line “There’s a hole in my head to let the rain in”). Both of these songs were written for Pray For Villains but not included for some reason. Also added are “Damning The Heavens”, a borderline PM5K sounding outtake from the band’s The Last Kind Words cd as well as their cover of the Iron Maiden classic “Wasted Years” from Kerrang! magazine’s compilation Maiden Heaven: A Tribute To Iron Maiden. Metacritic: Not Rated Pitchfork: Not Rated http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pray_For_Villains

I'm Back...March 12th, 2010

2010-03-12T10:54:00.000-08:00

SONGS THAT I DIG:

Cavo – “Champagne” (from Bright Nights, Dark Days))
Crash Kings – “Mountain Man” (from Self-Titled)
Jeff Mangum – “Sign The Dotted Line” (from Live at Jittery Joe’s)
Jim James And The Preservation Hall Band – “Louisiana Fairytale” (from Preservation Hall Benefit Album)
Massive Attack – “Paradise Circus” (from Heligoland)
Portishead – “Chase The Tear” (Amnesty International Single)
Throwdown – “The Blinding Light” (from Deathless)
Timbaland – “Morning After Dark” (with Nelly Furtado) (from Presents Shock Value II)
Titus Andronicus – “Theme From Cheers” (from The Monitor)

ALBUMS THAT I LIKE:

Throwdown – Deathless

ALBUMS THAT JUST DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:

Arkona – Goi, Rode, Goi!!
Devin Townsend Project, The - Addicted
OK Go – Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky
Secrets Of The Moon - Privilegivm
Sinister Realm – Self-Titled
Squash Bowels - Grindvirus
Swallow The Sun – New Moon
Tenebrae in Perpetuum - L'eterno Maligno Silenzio
Witchmaster - Trucizna

Music Picks for December 22nd and 29th, 2009

2009-12-30T14:35:00.001-08:00

Attention faithful readers,
This will be the final posting for the year 2009. For the next sixty (or so) days I will be off the grid collating, prioritizing, and generally streamlining all of this year's choices for "Best Songs" and "Best Albums " of 2009.
Fret not, I will be back on February 22, 2010 for the 4th Annual Drager Awards for the Best in Music 2009 as Presented by Caligula Disco. Get your tickets now as they won't last long.
Until then,
Kole Sere!
Caligula

12-22-2009:

New Songs That I Like:

BLK JKS – “Molalatladi”, “Kwa Nqingetje” and “Skeleton” (from After Robots)

Count Raven – “Nashira” (from Mammon’s War)

Hatebreed – “Become The Fuse”, “In Ashes They Shall Reap”, “Everyone Bleeds Now”, “Through The Thorns” and “Pollution Of The Soul” (from Self-Titled)

Immortal – “Norden On Fire”and “Mount North” (from All Shall Fall)

Jimmy Buffett – “Nobody From Nowhere”, “Big Top”, “Summerzcool”, “Surfing In A Hurricane” and “A Lot To Drink About” (from Buffet Hotel)

Rammstein – “Waidmann’s Heil”, “Haifisch”, “Weiner Blut” and “Pussy” (from Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da)

Them Crooked Vultures – “New Fang”, “Warsaw Or The First Breath You Take After You Give Up”, “Caligulove” and “Gunman” (from Self-Titled)

New Albums That I Dig:

BLK JKS – After Robots (Secretly Canadian) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: 6.2
http://www.myspace.com/blkjks

Hatebreed – Self-Titled (E1 Music) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatebreed_(album)

Immortal – All Shall Fall (Nuclear Blast) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Shall_Fall

Jimmy Buffett – Buffet Hotel (Mailboat) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffet_Hotel

New Albums That Just Didn’t Work For Me:

Grief Of War – Worship (Prosthetic Records)

Malfeitor – Incubus (Agonia Records)

Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Pt. II (Ice Water / EMI Records)

Old Songs:

The Bee Gees – “How Deep Is Your Love?” (from Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack 1977)
Converge – “Heartless” (from You Fail Me 2004)
Morbid Angel – “Angel of Disease” (from Covenant 1993)
Motorhead – “Hellraiser” (from March Or Die 1992)
Tom Waits – “In-Between Love” (from from The Early Years, Volume 2 1993)
Neil Young – “Lotta Love” (from Comes A Time 1978)
Savatage – “Back To A Reason” (from Poets And Madmen 2001)

Old Albums:

Armored Saint – Raising Fear (Chrysalis Records 1987)
The Cure – Wish (Fiction / Elektra 1992)
Dave Matthews Band – Busted Stuff (RCA 2002)
Kataklysm – Prevail (Nuclear Blast 2008)
Seal – Second Self-Titled Album (ZZT / Warner Music UK / Sire 1994)
Tears For Fears – Tears Roll Down (Polygram / Fontana 1992)
Tom Petty – Full Moon Fever (MCA 1989)

12-29-2009:

New Songs That I Like:

A Camp – “Stronger Than Jesus” and “Golden Teeth And Silver Medals” (from Colonia)

Asphyx – “Death The Brutal Way” and “Eisenbahnmorser” (from Death…The Brutal Way)

Krallice – “Autochthon” and “Untitled” (from Dimensional Bleedthrough)

The Red Shore – “Misery Hymn”, “Deception Prologue” and “The Architects Of Repulsion” (from Unconsecrated)

The Sign Of The Southern Cross – “Huck Finn”, “Weeping Willow” and “Eating The Sun” (from Of Mountains And Moonshine)

Wolfmother – “New Moon Rising”, “Sundial”, “10,000 Feet” and “Pilgrim” (from Cosmic Egg)

New Albums That I Dig:

Asphyx – Death… The Brutal Way (Century Media) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death...The_Brutal_Way

The Sign Of The Southern Cross – Of Mountains And Moonshine (Independent) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://www.myspace.com/southerncrossband

Wolfmother – Cosmic Egg (Modular) Metacritic: 65 Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_Egg

New Albums That Just Didn’t Work For Me:

Ancestors – Of Sound Mind (Tee Pee Records)

Municipal Waste – Massive Aggressive (Earache)

Old Songs:

Accept – “Restless And Wild” (from Restless And Wild 1983)
Elton John – “Multiple Personality” (from The Muse Soundtrack 1999)
Eric Clapton And B.B. King – “Ten Long Years” (from Riding With The King 2000)
Mudhoney – “Magnolia Caboose Babyshit” (from Self-Titled 1989)
My Dying Bride – “The Light At The End Of The World” (from The Light At The End Of The World 1999)
The Smashing Pumpkins – “Drown” (from Singles Soundtrack 1992)
Sonny Boy Williamson And The Yardbirds – “I Don’t Care No More” (from Sonny Boy Williamson And The Yardbirds 1966)

Old Albums:

Black Sabbath – Volume 4 (Vertigo 1972)
Filter – Title Of Record (Reprise 1999)
Frank Sinatra – In The Wee Small Hours (Capitol 1955)
Jethro Tull – Too Old To Rock N Roll: Too Young To Die! (Chrysalis / Capitol 1976)
Megadeth – So Far, So Good…So What! (Combat / Capitol 1988)
Pink Floyd – The Division Bell (EMI 1994)
Tom Waits – Bone Machine (Island 1992)

Music Picks for December 8th and 15th, 2009

2009-12-15T20:31:00.000-08:00

12-08-2009:

New Songs That I Like:

Altar Of Plagues – “Earth: As A Furnace” (from White Tomb)

Gwynbleidd – “Nostalgia” and “Stormcalling” (from Nostalgia)

Nile – “Kafir” and “Iskander Dhul Karnon” (from Those Whom The Gods Detest)

Paradise Lost – “Faith Divides Us-Death Unites Us” and “Universal Dream” (from Faith Divides Us-Death Unites Us)

The Red Chord – “Hour Of Rats” and “Ingest The Ash” (from Fed Through The Teeth Machine)

New Albums That I Dig:

Altar Of Plagues – White Tomb (Profound Lore) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Tomb

Nile – Those Whom The Gods Detest (Nuclear Blast) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Those_Whom_the_Gods_Detest

New Albums That Just Didn’t Work For Me:

Culted – Below The Thunders Of The Upper Deep
Keelhaul – Triumphant Return To Obscurity
Killswitch Engage – Self-Titled

Old Songs:

Cat Stevens – “Northern Wind” (from New Masters 1967)
Cracker – “Mr. Wrong” (from Garage D’Or 2000)
Mudhoney – “The Farther I Go” (from Self-Titled 1989)
Neil Young And Crazy Horse – “Cortez The Killer” (from Zuma 1975)
Rare Earth – “Feelin’ Alright” (from Get Ready 1969)
Steely Dan – “Deacon Blues” (from Aja 1977)
Tapes N’ Tapes – “Hang Them All” (from Walk It Off 2008)

Old Albums:

Big Star – Radio City (Ardent Records 1974)
Elvis Costello And The Attractions – Armed Forces (Columbia 1979)
LCD Soundsystem – Sound Of Silver (DFA 2007)
The Police – Ghost in The Machine (A&M 1981)
Sepultura – Chaos A.D. (Roadrunner 1993)
Staind – Tormented (Self-Released 1996)
The Who – A Quick One (Reaction 1966)

12-15-2009:

New Songs That I Dig:

Belphegor – “Veneratio Diaboli”, “Reichswehr In Blood”, “The Crosses Made Of Bone” and “Der Geistertreiber” (from Walpurgis Rites-Hexenwahn)

Death Cab For Cutie – “Meet Me On The Equinox” (from New Moon: Original Soundtrack)

Grizzly Bear w/ Victoria Legrand – “Slow Life” (from New Moon: Original Soundtrack)

Hope Sandoval And The Warm Inventions – “For The Rest Of Your Life” (from Through The Devil Softly)

Lykke Li – “Possibility” (from New Moon: Original Soundtrack)

Marduk – “Funeral Dawn”, “Into Utter Madness” and “Chorus Of Cracking Necks” (from Wormwood)

OK Go – “Shooting The Moon” (from New Moon: Original Soundtrack)

New Albums That I Dig:

Marduk – Wormwood (Regain Records) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wormwood_(Metal_album)

New Albums That Just Didn’t Work For Me:

Delain – April Rain
Major Lazer – Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do
November’s Doom – Into Night’s Requiem Infernal

Old Songs:

The Blues Brothers – “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love” (from Blues Brothers: Music From The Soundtrack 1980)
Cryptic Slaughter – “Rage To Kill” (from Convicted 1986)
Frank Sinatra – “Head On My Pillow” (Radio Single 1940)
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds – “The Mercy Seat” (from Tender Prey 1988)
Pink Floyd – “The Fletcher Memorial Home” (from The Final Cut 1983)
Player – “Baby Come Back” (Radio Single 1977)

Old Albums:

Five For Fighting – Message For Albert (Nettwerk 1997)
Iron Maiden – The X Factor (EMI 1995)
Matt Nathanson – Some Mad Hope (Vanguard 2007)
Pearl Jam – Vitalogy (Epic 1994)
Rush – Vapor Trails (Atlantic 2002)
U2 – How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (Island / Interscope 2004)
Wu-Tang Clan – Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers (Loud/RCA/BMG 1993)

Music Picks for November 24th and December 1st, 2009

2009-12-01T16:17:00.000-08:00

11-24-2009:

New Songs That I Like:

Katatonia – “The Longest Year”, “Onward Into Battle” and “Liberation” (from Night Is The New Day)

Passion Pit – “Little Secrets”, “Moth’s Wings”, “To Kingdom Come”, “Swimming In The Flood” and “Let Your Love Grow Tall” (from Manners)

Yonder Mountain String Band – “Fingerprint”, “Honestly”, Steep Grade, Sharp Curves” and “Causualty” (from The Show)

Zoroaster – “Spirit Molecule”, “Undying”, “White Dwarf” and Lamen Of The Master Therion” (from Voice Of Saturn)

New Albums That I Dig:

Yonder Mountain String Band – The Show (Frog Pad Records) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yonder_Mountain_String_Band

Zoroaster – Voice Of Saturn (Terminal Doom Records) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://www.myspace.com/thezoroaster

New Albums That Just Didn’t Work For Me:

Kid Cudi – Man On The Moon: The End Of Day (GOOD, Universal, Motown)
Porcupine Tree – The Incident (Roadrunner Records)

Old Songs:

The Corrs – “Breathless” (from In Blue 2000)
Crowded House – “Don’t Dream It’s Over” (from Self-Titled 1986)
Enya – “Orinoco Flow” (from Watermark 1988)
Europe – “Rock The Night” (from The Final Countdown 1986)
Norman Greenbaum – “Spirit In The Sky” (from Spirit In The Sky 1969)
Mat Kearney – “Nothing Left To Lose” (from Nothing Left To Lose 2006)
The Lemon Pipers – “Rice Is Nice” (Radio Single 1968)

Old Albums:

Bobby Bland – Two Steps From The Blues (Duke/MCA 1961)
Alice Cooper – Welcome To My Nightmare (Atlantic 1975)
Genesis – We Can’t Dance (Atlantic, Virgin 1991)
Kix – Blow My Fuse (Atlantic 1988)
Night Ranger – Greatest Hits (MCA 1989)
Samael – Reign Of Light (Galactical Records 2004)
System Of A Down – Steal This Album! (American, Columbia 2002)

12-01-2009:

New Songs That I Like:

Devourment – “Abomination Unseen”, “Fed To The Pigs” and “Incitement To Mass Murder” (from Unleash The Carnivore)

Funebrarum – “Grave Reaper”, “Beyond Recognition”, “Incineration Of Mortal Flesh” and “Nex Monumentum” (from The Sleep Of Morbid Dreams)

Skeletonwitch – “Where The Light Has Failed”, “Released From The Catacombs”, “Stand, Fight And Die”, “The Despoiler Of Human Life” and “Crushed Beyond Dust” (from Breathing The Fire)

Vader – “Devilizer”, “Impure”, “We Are The Horde”, “Black Metal” and “Fight Fire With Fire” (from Necropolis)

New Albums That I Dig:

Vader – Necropolis (Nuclear Blast) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necropolis_(album)

Funebrarum – The Sleep Of Morbid Dreams (Cyclone Empire) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://www.myspace.com/funebrarum

New Albums That Just Didn’t Work For Me:

Flyleaf – Memento Mori (A&M, Octone)
Gossip – Music For Men (Columbia)

Old Songs:

The Chemical Brothers – “Galvanize (w/Q-Tip)” (from Push The Button 2005)
Company Flow – “Friend Vs. Friend” (from Little Johnny From The Hospitul 1999)
Rick Dees – “Disco Duck” (from The Original Disco Duck 1976)
The Fabulous Thunderbirds – “Tuff Enuff” (from Tuff Enuff 1986)
J. Geils Band – “Centerfold” (from Freeze Frame 1981)
Gravel – “Legs Are Spreading” (from Dirty Beauty 2008)
John Parr – “Naughty Naughty” (from Self-Titled 1984)

Old Albums:

Dream Theater – Images And Words (Atco 1992)
Great White - …Twice Shy (Capitol 1989)
Avirl Lavigne – Let Go (Arista 2002)
Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank (Epic 2007)
Liz Phair – Exile In Guyville (Matador 1993)
Joe Satriani – Surfing With The Alien (Relativity 1987)
Tom Waits – Closing Time (Asylum 1973)

Music picks for November 10th and 17th, 2009

2009-11-18T09:17:00.000-08:00

11-10-2009:

New Songs That I Like:

Dawes – “When You Call My Name”, “Give Me Time” and “Peace In The Valley” (from North Hills)

Drummer – “Mature Fantasy” and “Good Golly” (from Feel Good Together)

Every Time I Die – “The Marvelous Slut” and “Who Invented The Russian Soldier?” (from New Junk Aesthetic)

He Is Legend – “Everyone I Know Has Fangs”, “Cult Of She”, “Stranger Danger”, “That’s Nasty” and “Mean Shadows” (from It Hates You)

Karen O And The Kids – “Animal” and “Heads Up” (from Where The Wild Things Are)

Slayer – “World Painted Blood”, “Beauty Through Order”, “Human Strain” and “Playing With Dolls” (from World Painted Blood)

Snail – “Relief” and “Blacklight” (from Blood)

Train – “Save Me San Francisco”, “Hey, Soul Sister” and “Words” (from Save Me, San Francisco)

New Albums That I Dig:

Slayer – World Painted Blood (American / Sony Music) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Painted_Blood

Train – Save Me San Francisco (Columbia) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Save_Me_San_Francisco

New Albums That Just Didn’t Work For Me:

Burnt By The Sun – Heart Of Darkness (Relapse Records)
Dinosaur Jr. – Farm (Jagjaguwar)
Sean Bones – Rings (French Kiss)

Old Songs:

Betty Everett – “The Shoop Shoop Song” (Radio Single 1964)
Cornershop – “Brimful Of Asha” (from When I Was Born For The 7th Time 1997)
The Gants – “Road Runner” (Radio Single 1965)
The Georgia Satellites – “Keep Your Hands To Yourself” (from Self-Titled 1986)
Icehouse – “Electric Blue” (from Man Of Colours 1987)
Laura Branigan – “Gloria” (from Branigan 1982)
Love Me Butch – “Hollywood Holiday” (from This Is The New Pop 2005)

Old Albums:

AC/DC – Back In Black (Atlantic Records 1980)
Carcass – Reek Of Putrefaction (Earache Records 1988)
Dio – Holy Diver (Warner Bros. 1983)
Flickerstick – Welcoming Home The Astronauts (226 Records 2001)
Overkill – I Hear Black (Atlantic 1993)
Soul Asylum – Grave Dancers Union (Columbia 1992)
White Zombie – Astro-Creep 2000: Songs Of Love, Destruction And Other Synthetic Delusions Of The Electric Head (Geffen 1995)

11-17-2009:

New Songs That I Like:

Animals As Leaders – “On Impulse” (from Self-Titled)

The Big Pink – “Dominos”, “Frisk” and “Tonight” (from A Brief History of Love)

Diablo Swing Orchestra – “A Tap Dancer’s Dilemma”, “Bedlam Sticks”, “Vodka Inferno” and “Stratosphere Serenade” (from Sing-Along Songs For The Damned And Delirious)

Dying Fetus – “Conceived Into Enslavement” and “At What Expense” (from Descend Into Depravity)

Evergreen Terrace – “Sending Signals” (from Almost Home)

Hypocrisy – “No Tomorrow”, “Alive” and “Tamed” (from A Taste of Extreme Divinity)

Tim McGraw – “Good Girls”, “It’s A Business Doing Pleasure With You” and “Southern Voice” (from Southern Voice)

New Albums That I Dig:

Dying Fetus – Descend Into Depravity (Relapse) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descend_into_Depravity

Hypocrisy – A Taste of Extreme Divinity (Nuclear Blast) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Taste_of_Extreme_Divinity

Tim McGraw – Southern Voice (Curb) Metacritic: 66 Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Voice_(album)

New Albums That Just Didn’t Work For Me:

Goreaphobia – Mortal Repulsion (Ibex Moon)
Suffocation – Blood Oath (Nuclear Blast)

Old Songs:

Black Mountain – “Bright Lights” (from In The Future 2008)
Brownsville Station – “Smoking In The Boy’s Room” (from Yeah! 1973)
The Cult – “Love Removal Machine” (from Electric 1987)
Guru Josh – “Infinity” (from Infinity 1989)
Joe Walsh – “Rocky Mountain Way” (from Rocky Mountain Way 1985)
The Marshall Tucker Band – “Can’t You See?” (from Self-Titled 1973)
Tracy Byrd – “Ten Rounds With Jose Cuervo” (from Ten Rounds 2002)

Old Albums:

Corrosion Of Conformity – America’s Volume Dealer (Sanctuary 2000)
Evanescence – The Open Door (Wind-Up Records 2006)
Frank Sinatra – Songs For Swingin’ Lovers! (Capitol 1956)
The Jesus And Mary Chain – Automatic (Blanco Y Negro Records 1989)
Kiss – Lick It Up (Mercury 1983)
Metallica – Ride The Lightning (Elektra 1984)
Public Enemy – It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (Def Jam 1988)

Music Picks for October 27th and November 3rd, 2009

2009-11-04T14:56:00.000-08:00

10-27-2009:

New Songs That I Like:

The Avett Brothers – “I And Love And You”, “Ten Thousand Words”, “Laundry Room” and “Tin Man” (from I And Love And You)

Children Of Bodom – “Somebody Put Something In My Drink”, “Just Dropped In”, “Talk Dirty To Me” and “Oops!..I Didi It Again” (from Skeletons In The Closet)

Converge – “Dark Horse”, “Cutter”, “Cruel Bloom” and “Wretched World” (from Axe To Fall)

Willie Nelson – “Fly Me To The Moon”, “Come Rain Or Come Shine”, “Ain’t Misbehavin’”, “I Miss You So”, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” and “On The Street Where You Live” (from American Classic)

New Albums That I Dig:

The Avett Brothers – I And Love And You (American Recordings) Metacritic: 75 Pitchfork: 5.8
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_and_Love_and_You

Children Of Bodom – Skeletons In The Closet (Spinefarm) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeletons_in_the_Closet_(album)

New Albums That Just Didn’t Work For Me:

The Bullet Monks – Weapons Of Mass Destruction (Napalm Records)
Sugar Ray – Music for Cougars (Pulse Recordings)

Old Songs:

Acda En De Munnik – “Niet Of Nooit Geweest” (from Naar Huis 1998)
Amii Stewart – “Knock On Wood” (from Knock On Wood 1979)
Fair Weather – “Natural Sinner” (radio single 1970)
Feeder – “Just A Day” (radio single 2001)
The Futureheads – “The Beginning Of The Twist” (from This Is Not The World 2008)
Phantom Planet – “Leave Yourself For Somebody Else” (from Raise The Dead 2008)
Remy Zero – “Save Me” (from The Golden Hum 2001)

Old Albums:

Bob Marley And The Wailers – Survival (Island / Tuff Gong 1979)
Bruce Springsteen – Human Touch (Columbia 1992)
The Cure – Disintegration (Fiction / Elektra 1989)
House Of Pain – Fine Malt Lyrics (Tommy Boy Records 1992)
Pink – I’m Not Dead (LaFace 2006)
Roxy Music – Country Life (Atco / Reprise 1974)
Wipers – Is This Real? (Sub Pop 1980)

11-03-2009:

New Songs That I Like:

Baroness – “Steel That Sleeps The Eye” and “A Horse Called Golgotha” (from Blue Record)

Civil Twilight – “Anybody Out There?”, “Letters From The Sky” and “Perfect Stranger” (from Self-Titled)

The Flaming Lips – “Your Bats”, “The Ego’s Last Stand”, “Sagittarius Silver Announcement”, “Worm Mountain (w/MGMT)”, “Silver Trembling Hands” and “Watching The Planets (w/Karen O)” (from Embryonic)

New Albums That I Dig:

Baroness – Blue Record (Relapse) Metacritic: 88 Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Record

The Flaming Lips – Embryonic (Warner Bros.) Metacritic: 80 Pitchfork: 9.0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embryonic

New Albums That Just Didn’t Work For Me:

Shrinebuilder – Self-Titled (Neurot Recordings)
Yob – The Great Cessation (Profound Lore)

Old Songs:

Bobby Brown – “Every Little Step I Take” (from Don’t Be Cruel 1988)
The Cowsills – “The Rain, The Park And Other Things” (radio single 1967)
Estrella – “Stay” (from Self-Titled 2007)
Irene Cara - “Fame” (from Fame Soundtrack 1980)
Manfred Mann – “The Mighty Quinn” (from Mighty Garvey! 1968)
Shakira – “Wherever, Whenever” (from Laundry Service 2002)
Sheb Wooley – “Purple People Eater” (radio single 1958)

Old Albums:

Andrew Ridgeley – Son Of Albert (Columbia 1990)
The Eagles – The Long Run (Asylum 1979)
Genitorturers – Sin City (Cleopatra Records 1998)
Jethro Tull – Crest Of A Knave (Chrysalis 1987)
Jimmy Buffett – Fruitcakes (MCA 1994)
Midnight Oil – Red Sails In The Sunset (Columbia Records 1984)
Nirvana – Bleach (Sub Pop 1989)

Music Picks for October 13th and 20th

2009-10-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

10-13-2009:

New Songs That I Like:

Coalesce – “Wild Ox Moan” and “The Purveyor Of Novelty And Nonsense” (from Ox)

The Cribs – “We Were Aborted”, “Hari Kari” and “Victim Of Mass Production” (from Ignore The Ignorant)

Goatwhore – “The All-Destroying” and “Shadow Of A Rising Knife” (from Carving Out The Eyes Of God)

Living Colour – “”Burned Bridges”, “Young Man” and “Asshole” (from The Chair In The Doorway)

Shakira – “She Wolf” and “Why Wait?” (from She Wolf)

New Albums That I Dig:

The Cribs – Ignore The Ignorant (Warner Bros.) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignore_the_ignorant

Living Colour – The Chair in The Doorway (Megaforce Records) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chair_in_the_Doorway

New Albums That Just Didn’t Work For Me:

Children – Hard Times Hanging At The End Of The World (Kemado)
Dead By Sunrise – Out Of Ashes (Warner Bros.)

Old Songs:

Adele – “Chasing Pavements” (from 19 2008)
Animotion – “Obsession” (from Self-Titled 1985)
Briskeby – “Hey Baby” (from Tonight, Captain 2003)
Enrique Iglesias - “Addicted” (from 7 2003)
The Fray – “Over My Head” (from How To Save A Life 2005)
Stevie Nicks – “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around (w/Tom Petty)” (from Bella Donna 1981)
Ray Stevens – “The Streak” (from Boogity Boogity 1974)

Old Albums:

Arcade Fire – Funeral (Merge / Rough Trade 2004)
Blink 182 – Take Off Your Pants And Jacket (MCA 2001)
The Clash – London Calling (CBS / Epic / Legacy 1979)
Flogging Molly – Swagger (SideOneDummy 2000)
The Little Mermaid – Original Soundtrack (Disney 1989)
Nine Days – The Madding Crowd (Sony 2000)
George Thorogood And The Destroyers – Haircut (MCA 1993)

10-20-2009:

New Songs That I Like:

The Black Crowes – “Garden Gate”, “Roll Old Jeremiah”, “Good Morning Captain”, “What Is Home?” and “Last Place That Love Lives” (from Before the Frost…Until The Freeze)

Steve Earle – “Pancho And Lefty”, “White Freightliner Blues”, “Lungs (w/Tom Morello)”, “No Place to Fall” and “Loretta” (from Townes)

Madness – “Dust Devil”, “Rainbows”, “Idiot Child”, “Africa” and “NW5” (from The Liberty Of Norton Folgate)

Matisyahu – “One Day”, “For You” and “Darkness Into Light” (from Light)

Daniel Merriweather – “Change (w/Wale)” and “Could You?” (from Love And War)

Monsters Of Folk – “The Right Place”, “Baby Boomer”, “Man Named Truth” “Ahead Of The Curve”, “Losin’ Yo Head” and “The Sandman, The Brakeman And Me” (from Self-Titled)

New Album That I Dig:

Matisyahu – Light (Epic Records / JDub Records) Metacritic: 57 Pitchfork: Not Reviewed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_(Matisyahu_album)

New Album That Just Didn’t Work For Me:

Patrick Wolf – The Bachelor (Bloody Chamber Music)

Old Songs:

Bryan Adams – “There Will Never Be Another Tonight” (from Waking Up The Neighbours 1991)
Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass – “A Taste Of Honey” (from Whipped Cream And Other Delights 1965)
Bad English – “Forget Me Not” (from Self-Titled 1989)
Cracker – “Teen Angst” (from Self-Titled 1992)
Dionne Farris – “I Know” (from Wild Seed, Wild Flower 1995)
Queen – “Another One Bites The Dust” (from The Game 1980)
Radiohead – “Creep” (from Pablo Honey 1993)

Old Albums:

Billy Joel – 52nd Street (Columbia 1978)
Van Morrison – Moondance (Warner Bros. 1970)
Primus – The Brown Album (Interscope 1997)
Pro-Pain – Foul Taste Of Freedom (Regain 1992)
Paul Revere And The Raiders – Greatest Hits (Columbia 1967)
Sly And The Family Stone – Dance To The Music (Epic 1968)
The Velvet Underground – Self-Titled (MGM 1969)

Music Picks for September 29th and October 6th, 2009

2009-10-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

09-29-2009:

New Songs That I Like:

AFI – “End Transmission”, “I Am Trying Very Hard To Be Here”and “It Was Mine” (from Crash Love)

The Gates Of Slumber – “Beneath The Eye Of Mars” (from Hymns Of Blood And Thunder)

Jay-Z – “D.O.A.”, “Run This Town” (w/Kanye West and Rihanna), “Empire State Of Mind” (w/Alicia Keys) and “Off That” (w/Drake) (from The Blueprint 3)

Korpiklaani – “Mettanpeiton Valtiaalle” (from Karkelo)

Kris Kristofferson – “Good Morning John” (from Closer To The Bone)

Unanimated – “Enemy Of The Sun” (from In The Light Of Darkness)

New Albums That I Dig:

AFI – Crash Love (Interscope) Metacritic: 75 Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crash_Love

Korpiklaani – Karkelo (Nuclear Blast Records) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karkelo

New Albums That Just Didn’t Work For Me:

Voivod – Infini (Relapse)

Old Songs:

Ashton Shepherd – “Takin’ Off This Pain” (from Sounds So Good 2008)
Destiny’s Child – “Bootylicious” (from Survivor 2001)
Evanescence – “Bring Me To Life” (from Fallen and Daredevil Soundtrack 2003)
The Frogs – “Lord Grunge” (from Starjob EP 1997)
Haircut 100 – “Love Plus One” (from Pelican West 1982)
Jonathan Edwards – “Sunshine” (from Self-Titled 1971)
Mountain – “Mississippi Queen” (from Climbing! 1970)

Old Albums:
Anthrax – Persistence Of Time (Island 1990)
David Bowie – Hunky Dory (RCA 1971)
Eric Clapton – 461 Ocean Boulevard (RSO 1974)
Danzig – 2: Lucifuge (Def American 1990)
Iron Maiden – Brave New World (EMI Sony 2000)
New York Dolls – Self-Titled (Mercury 1973)
Bruce Springsteen – Born In The USA (Columbia 1984)

10-06-2009:

New Songs That I Like:

3 Inches Of Blood – “Preacher’s Daughter” (from Here Waits Thy Doom)

Mariah Carey – “Obsessed” (Cahill Radio Mix) (from Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel)

La Roux – “Bulletproof” (from Self-Titled)

Miranda Lambert – “White Liar”, “Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go” and “Sin For A Sin” (from Revolution)

Tortoise – “Prepare Your Coffin” (from Beacons Of Ancestorship)

Neil Young – “Just Singing A Song” and “Johnny Magic” (from Fork In The Road)

New Albums That I Dig:

Miranda Lambert – Revolution (Columbia Nashville) Metacritic: 84 Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolution_(Miranda_Lambert_album)

Tortoise – Beacons Of Ancestorship (Thrill Jockey) Metacritic: 71 Pitchfork: 7.9
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beacons_of_Ancestorship

New Albums That Just Didn’t Work For Me:

Iron Man – I Have Returned (Shadow Kingdom Records)
Stratovarius – Polaris (Victor / Edel Music)

Old Songs:

Aerosmith – “Walk This Way” (from Toys In The Attic 1975)
Thomas Dolby – “She Blinded Me With Science” (from The Golden Age Of Wireless 1982)
Grey Daze – “Sometimes” (from Wake Me 1994)
Harvey Danger – “Flagpole Sitta” (from Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone? 1998)
Paul And Linda McCartney – “Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey” (from Ram 1971)
Plastiscines – “Mister Driver” (from LP1 2007)
Rinocerose – “Cubicle” (from Self-Titled 2006)

Old Albums:

Disturbed – The Sickness (Giant/Reprise 2000)
Judas Priest – British Steel (Epic 1980)
Led Zeppelin – Houses Of The Holy (Atlantic 1973)
Nine Inch Nails – The Slip (The Null Corporation-Halo 27 2008)
Pink Floyd – A Saucerful Of Secrets (Columbia/EMI 1968)
Radiohead – OK Computer (Parlophone / Capitol 1997)
James Taylor – Sweet Baby James (Warner Bros. 1970)

Music Picks for 9-15 and 9-22-2009

2009-09-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

09-15-2009:

New Songs That I Like:
Arkaea – “Break The Silence” and “Rise Today” (from Years in The Darkness)

Artillery – “10,000 Devils” and “Delusions Of Grandeur” (from When Death Comes)

Azarath – “Invocation”, “Queen Of The Sabbath” and “Throne Of Skulls” (from Praise The Beast)

Brad Paisley – “American Saturday Night”, “Water” and “Catch All The Fish” (from American Saturday Night)

Discovery – “Carby” (w/Ezra Koenig) (from LP)

Iron Age – “Burden Of Empire” (from The Sleeping Eye)

New Albums That I Dig:

Artillery – When Death Comes (Metal Mind Productions) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_death_comes

Brad Paisley – American Saturday Night (Arista Nashville) Metacritic:84 Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Saturday_Night

New Albums That Just Didn’t Work For Me:

Ahab – The Divinity Of Oceans (Napalm Records)
At War – Infidel (Heavy Artillery)
Megadeth – Endgame (Roadrunner)

Old Songs:

Berlin – “The Metro” (from Pleasure Victim 1982)
Buffalo Springfield – “For What It’s Worth” (from Self-Titled 1967)
Joe Nichols – “Brokenheartsville” (from Man With A Memory 2002)
Low Vs. Diamond – “Heart Attack” (from Self-Titled 2008)
Men Without Hats – “The Safety Dance” (from Rhythm Of Youth 1982)
Roberta Flack – “Killing Me Softly With His Song” (from Killing Me Softly 1973)
Status Quo – “Pictures Of Matchstick Men” (from Picturesque Matchstickable Messages From The Status Quo 1968)

Old Albums:

Black Flag – Damaged (SST 1981)
Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (MCA 1973)
George Thorogood And The Destroyers – Maverick (EMI America Records 1985)
Miles Davis – Sketches Of Spain (Columbia 1960)
Mission Of Burma – ONoffON (Matador Records 2004)
The Rolling Stones – Aftermath (Decca/ABKCO 1966)
The Zombies – Odessey And Oracle (Date Records 1968)

09-22-2009:

New Songs That I Like:

Bergraven – “Drommen Om Undergang” (from Till Makabert Vasen)

Clutch – “Struck Down”, “50,000 Unstoppable Watts”, “Abraham Lincoln”, “Let A Poor Man Be” and “Freakonomics” (from Strange Cousins From The West)

Goes Cube – “Restore”, “Daughter”, “Urbana-Champaign” and “Clenching Jaws” (from Another Day Has Passed)

Jarvis Cocker – “I Never Said I Was Deep”, “Homewrecker”, “Fuckingsong” and “Caucasian Blues” (from Further Complications)

Pearl Jam – “Got Some”, “The Fixer”, “Unthought Known” and “Supersonic” (from Backspacer)

New Albums That I Dig:

Clutch – Strange Cousins From The West (Weathermaker Music) Metacritic: 72 Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_Cousins_from_the_West

Goes Cube – Another Day Has Passed (The End) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_Day_Has_Passed

Pearl Jam – Backspacer (English) Metacritic: 80 Pitchfork: 4.6
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backspacer_(Pearl_Jam_album)

New Albums That Just Didn’t Work For Me:

Joker’s Daughter – The Last Laugh (Team Love Records)
Nahemah – A New Constellation (Lifeforce Records)

Old Songs: (Note: the recurrence of “Wild Wild West” is just a coincidence, not another drinking game)

El DeBarge – “Who’s Johnny?” (from Short Circuit Soundtrack 1986)
Enrique Iglesias – “Bailamos” (from Enrique and Wild Wild West Soundtrack 1999)
The Escape Club – “Wild, Wild West” (from Wild Wild West 1988)
John Cafferty And The Beaver Brown Band – “On The Dark Side” (from Eddie And The Cruisers Soundtrack 1983)
Nancy Sinatra – “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” (from Boots 1966)
The Saw Doctors – “Out For A Smoke” (from The Cure 2005)
Van McCoy – “The Hustle” (from Disco Baby 1975)

Old Albums:

Bush – Golden State (Atlantic 2001)
Five For Fighting – Two Lights (Aware/Columbia 2006)
Gram Parsons –Grievous Angel (Reprise 1974)
Lordi – The Market Square Massacre (Sony BMG 2006)
Slayer – South Of Heaven (Def Jam/Geffen/Warner Bros. Records 1988)
Stone Sour – Self-Titled (Roadrunner 2002)
White Lion – Pride (Atlantic 1987)

Music Picks For September 8th, 2009

2009-09-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

09-08-2009:
New Songs That I Like:
Behemoth – “Daimonos” (from Evangelion)
Florence And The Machine – “Dog Days Are Over”, “Kiss With A Fist”, “Drumming” and “My Boy Builds Coffins” (from Lungs)
Kasabian – “Fast Fuse” (from West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum)
Levon Helm – “You Can’t Lose What You Ain’t Never Had” and “When I Go Away” (from Electric Dirt)

New Albums That I Dig:
Behemoth – Evangelion (Metal Blade / Nuclear Blast / Mystic) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangelion_(album)

Florence And The Machine – Lungs (Island) Metacritic: Not Reviewed Pitchfork: 7.2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lungs_(album)

Levon Helm – Electric Dirt (Dirt Farmer / Vanguard) Metacritic: 84 Pitchfork: Not Reviewed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_dirt

New Albums That Just Didn’t Work For Me:
The Gathering – The West Pole (Psychonaut Records)
Hacride – Lazarus (Listenable Records)

Old Songs:
Breathe – “Hands To Heaven” (from All That Jazz 1988)
Carolyn Dawn Johnson – “Georgia” (from Room With A View 2001)
Jude Cole – “Take The Reins” (from I Don’t Know Why I Act This Way 1995)
New Edition – “If It Isn’t Love” (from Heart Break 1988)
Nunatak – “How Many People?” (Single 2007)
Ome Henk – “Barbie Girl” (Cover Song) (Single 1997)
Tori Amos – “Cornflake Girl” (from Under The Pink 1994)

Old Albums:
The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds (Capitol 1966)
Black Sabbath – Mob Rules (Warner Bros. 1981)
The Clash – Self-Titled (CBS 1977)
Down – NOLa (Elektra 1995)
Elton John – Tumbleweed Connection (UNI 1970)
Gin Blossoms – Congratulations I’m Sorry (A&M 1996)
Lords Of Acid – Lust (Caroline Records 1991)

Music Picks for August 31st, 2009

2009-08-31T11:12:00.000-07:00

08-31-2009:
New Songs:
Astra – Picture if you will a quintet of San Diego based, space rock Yes fanatics hooking up with Ozzy Osbourne and Jethro Tull at a museum dedicated to the art of Roger Dean (“The Weirding”) before passing out facedown in psychedelics while listening to Iron Butterfly cover Pink Floyd’s “Let There be More Light” (“Beyond To Slight The Maze”) (from The Weirding)

Black Anvil – “Ten Talons Deep” and “L.T.H.L.T.K.” (from Time Insults The Mind)

New Albums:
Black Anvil – Time Insults The Mind (Momentum Records) Sewn together from parts of Kill Your Idols, Madball and H2O (among other groups), this New York City trio (comprised of band members P, G and R) seemingly did the impossible in combining hardcore and death metal into an audibly assaulting amalgam. Combining the best parts of Celtic Frost and Darkthrone (including a cover of Celtic Frost’s “Dethroned Emperor”) into a relentless, crunchy coredrill highlighted by the raptorous “Ten Talons Deep” and the anagrammed monstrosity “L.T.H.L.T.K.” (“Longer The Hate, Longer The Knife” in case you were wondering), this album is an urban take on Scandinavian metal that runs rampant through the streets of Brooklyn just like the mythological beast of the same name featured in their song / nod to Clash Of The Titans, “Release the Kraken”. To quote the band themselves “This dirt feels good”.

New Albums That Just Didn’t Work For Me:
Amber Asylum – Bitter River (Profound Lore Records)
Choir Of Young Believers – This Is For The White In Your Eyes (Ghostly International)
Forsaken – After The Fall (I Hate Records) Imagine Dio becomes a white metal band and simply decides to stop creating good music.
Japandroids – Post-Nothing (Polyvinyl Records)
Madder Mortem – Eight Ways (Peaceville UK)

Old Songs:
Bobby Lewis – “Tossin’ And Turnin” (Radio Single 1961)
Eve w/Gwen Stefani – “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” (from Scorpion 2001)
The Hollies – “The Air That I Breathe” (from Hollies 1974)
Jane’s Addiction – “True Nature” (from Strays 2003)
Jimmy Eat World – “Bleed American” (from Bleed American 2001)
Marshall Crenshaw – “Someday, Someway” (from Self-Titled 1982)
Ricky Skaggs and Travis Tritt – “My Little Georgia Rose” (from Ricky Skaggs And Friends Sing The Songs Of Bill Monroe 2002)

Old Albums:
Hole – Celebrity Skin (Geffen 1998)
Jimmy Buffett – License to Chill (Mailboat 2004)
John Coltrane – Giant Steps (Atlantic 1960)
Mariah Carey – Self-Titled (Columbia 1990)
Nile – In The Beginning (Relapse 2000)
Soulfly – 3(Aum) (Roadrunner 2002)
The Lost Boys – Soundtrack (Atlantic 1987)

Music Picks For August 23rd, 2009

2009-08-23T16:17:00.000-07:00

08-23-2009:
New Songs:
Graves Of Valor – From yet another ode to the Roman Empire (see: Ex Deo - Romulus from last week) come some tracks courtesy of the major label debut of the South Carolina band formerly known as Through The Eyes Of The Dead. Check out “Sic Semper Tyrannis” (which just goes to show that in a different timeline John Wilkes Booth could’ve parlayed his acting skills into a career as a vocalist for a death metal band), “To Breathe Blood” (which does Edward Gibbon’s classic The Rise And Fall Of The Roman Empire proudly) and the closing “No Gods Left” (a slow creeping, echoing requiem dirge that wipes the blood from the blade perfectly) (from Salarian Gate)

Lay Down Rotten – “Where Spirits Lie Dead” and “When All Becomes Nothing” (from Gospel Of The Wretched)

Linkin Park – “New Divide” (from Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen Soundtrack) I know it’s been out since May, but I just heard this behemoth of a song on 5.1 surround sound and I’m still picking up my teeth (along with the “ashes that fell like snow”). As far as I’m concerned, this rampaging track alone makes up for their critically acclaimed (albeit Drager despised) album Minutes To Midnight and almost excuses both of the god-awful Transformers movies (almost). A sure front runner for song of the year at the upcoming Drager Awards 2009.

Obituary – “Payback” (from Darkest Day)

New Albums:
Lay Down Rotten – Gospel Of The Wretched (Metal Blade Records)Simply stated, this proud band of German marauders is neither too technical nor too extreme, but just right in the pocket of what is simply fantastic, chainsaw slinging, Swedish vein death metal. While their Metal Blade debut (and fifth album overall) doesn’t break any molds, it does do it’s best to break your neck with guest appearance help from such vocal legends as Martin Van Drunen (Hail Of Bullets, Pestilence, Asphyx), Marc Grewe (Morgoth) and brutal sound production amped up by engineering master/part-time member of Edge Of Sanity and Katatonia, Dan Swano (who also does some vocal work). “Hours Of Infinity” starts it off and speaking of time travel they apparently brought back Chuck Schuldiner to do vocals as well as vocalist Jost Kleinert does a dead-on phlegm flinging impersonation of the fallen Death founder. “Thy Won’t Be Done” is unintentionally funny hereticism over searing guitar work courtesy of Nils Forster and part-time vocalist Daniel Jakobi. “Altering The Whore” is a meat grinding track that will rape your ear canal while showing that “blood is a serious business”. The pummeling “Conditioning The Weak” is just begging to be played in the background of a Marine Corps recruiting spot. The best of this Teutonic beast are “When All Becomes Nothing” with it’s ominous violin (?) and “Where Spirits Lie Dead”, a menacing phantasmal monster with banshee wailing guitar and a runaway rhino backbeat layed down by drummer Timo Claason and bassist Uwe Kilian buoying an almost Lemmy-esque vocal flesh-stripping provided by Herr Kleinert. Far better than I expected it to be, don’t be surprised if this under the radar album (with creepy nautical zombie cover/nod to Gustave Dore supplied by Killustrations artist Bjorn Gooses) ends up in the top ten for the Drager Awards 2009. Just saying is all.

New Albums That Just Didn’t Work For Me:
Kult Ov Azazel – Destroying The Sacred (Arctic Music)
Neaera – Omnicide-Creation Unleashed (Metal Blade Records)
Poison The Well – The Tropic Rot (Ferret)

Old Songs:
Beau Brummels – “Laugh, Laugh” (from Introducing The Beau Brummels 1965)
The Calling – “Our Lives” (from Two 2004)
The Cult – “Love Removal Machine” (from Electric 1987)
Rogue Traders – “Candy Coloured Lights” (from Better In The Dark 2007)
Saw Loser – “You’re Beautiful” (from Long Distance Phone Calls 2007)
The Ventures- “Mission: Impossible Theme” (from Tele-Ventures: The Ventures Perform The Great TV Themes 1996)
Vicki Lawrence – “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” (from The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia 1972)

Old Albums:
Bloodhound Gang - One Fierce Beer Coaster (Republic Records / Geffen Records 1996)
Cold – 13 Ways To Bleed On Stage (Geffen Records 2000)
Bob Dylan And The Band – The Basement Tapes (Columbia 1975)
Chris Isaak – Forever Blue (Reprise 1995)
Ludacris – Chicken N Beer (Disturbing Tha Peace / Def Jam 2003)
Beth Orton – Trailer Park (Heavenly / Dedicated 1996)
Otis Redding – The Dock Of The Bay (Volt / Atco 1968)

Music Picks for August 17th, 2009

2009-08-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

08-17-2009: (Special drinking game edition. Take a shot every time you see a reference to “Blondie” and/or “Debbie Harry”)

New Songs:
1349 – “Maggot Fetus…Teeth Like Thorns” and “Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun” (from Revelations Of The Black Flame) If you’ve ever wondered what an idea straight from a Clive Barker novel and a Pink Floyd cover would sound like if done by a dark, ambient Norwegian black metal band, now you know…psychedelic, doom-laden and scary as hell. Useless fact: The name “1349” comes from the year that The Black Death reached Norway. You just got learned.

Amanda Blank – “Something Bigger”, “Shame On Me” and “Might Like You Better” (from I Love You)

Chali 2na – “Get Focused”, “Don’t Stop” and “Comin’ Thru” (from Fish Outta Water)
Those Dancing Days – “Home Sweet Home” and “SpaceHeroSuites” (from In Our Space Hero Suits)
Taking their name from the Led Zeppelin song “Dancing Days” and falling somewhere between “Blondie backed by The Attractions” and “The Slits rehearsing with Bow Wow Wow”, this suburban Swedish girl quintet combines the best of early 1960’s girl groups with the upbeat feel of indie pop. Pointless but ludicrously catchy.

New Albums:
Amanda Blank – I Love You (Downtown Records) With one foot in Philadelphia performance art group Sweetheart and the other in rap group Spank Rock, Germantown, PA’s Amanda Mallory (a.k.a. Amanda Blank) has decided to take her collaboration skills (see: her mix-tape work with Ghostface Killa, M.I.A. and Santogold amongst others) to the next logical step and released her estrogen fueled solo debut, orgasms,ovarian angst and mouth of a longshoreman included. With help from producers Diplo, Switch and XXXChange, Blank makes like a crunk Debbie Harry (especially on the Blondie-esque “Big Heavy” with it’s undeniable guitar riff), guiding us to the dance floor as I Love You grunts, spins and freestyles from Missy Elliot meets Debbie Allen banging her Fame cane on the floor while screaming at spelling bee contestants (“Something Bigger”) to getting ready for a night out…on Mars (“Make-Up”, a spot-on update cover of a song written by Prince for his 1980’s protégé girl group Vanity 6) to a “How-To” guide on showing losers and hangers-on the door that’s as “smooth as butter on a ‘Ruffie’ (“Lemme Get Some” with Chuck Inglish) to cold-hearted comeuppance for the guys who never call or only want sex (“Leaving You Behind” with help from friend Lykke Li)to her first track, “Might Like You Better”, a single-entendre dance referendum on sex that leaves nothing to the imagination. Between the profanity riddled ode to how fantastic she really is (“Gimme What You Got” with guest appearance by her fellow crass Spank Rockers) to the absolutely fantastic lament over love gone wrong “Shame On Me”(which is Depeche Mode if Dave Gahan had a sex change), there’s more than meets the eye to Miss Blank, and as soon as the DJ stops spinning her next track I’m gonna look into finding out what it is. Metacritic: 58 Pitchfork: 2.0

Chali 2na – Fish Outta Water (Decon Inc.) From his hometown of Chicago to the streets of South Central where he grew up, to the Thursday nights spent at the Good Life Café with fellow high schooler /spoken word artists The Unity Committee to his turn as vocalist for both Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli (not to mention a near death experience on the 2000 Warped Tour), to a cd cover that reminds me of Aquaman when he had his camouflage uniform, Charlie Stewart (a.k.a. “Chali 2na” due to his vocal resemblance to the Starkist mascot) has led a fifteen year career that finally culminated in a long hinted at solo debut. Aptly titled since Chali mainly strays from his comfort zone of collaborative work, the man (and his absolutely fantastic baritone vox) start us off with “Get Focused” featuring the play between both himself and a similarly named radio host (over a Bean One beat, mind you), giving just a hint of the bouncing ebb and flow to come. “So Crazy” is an upbeat critcal rebuttal where Chali shows he’s as deep as his voice. “Lock Shit Down” is only improved with the addition of (former Black Star-er) Talib Kweli. “Comin’ Thru” finds the man making like the Red Queen quote from Alice In Wonderland when she tells Alice “to stay where you are you have to keep running” acknowledging his Jurassic 5 roots while also tilting the musical compass towards where he is headed. “Love’s Gonna Getcha” features an exemplary Scott (not Larry) Storch beat. On “Graff Time” Chali nods to his artistic roots. “Controlled Coincidence” is a lambast of war and the media with assist courtesy of Kanetic Source (also from Ozomatli).The final track “4 Be Be” closes it out with a memoriam of sorts to a deceased cousin featuring soaring help from Ming Xia (of The Spooks). The infectious “Don’t Stop” however is the clear standout, finding Chali reflecting on the ups and downs of hip-hop (with help from smooth vocalist Anthony Hamilton) and an Emile beat that will absolutely blow out your speakers. Vastly underrated as an emcee with one of the best voices I’ve heard in a very long time, Mr. 2na’s solo debut is a new trend cyclical throwback to fun hip-hop that will not only show the growth of the artist as a man and musician, but will also get the asses out of their seats at your next party. I must admit, as a fan of all music, I’m embarrassed I didn’t know about this guy and his absurdicusly good voice and style sooner. DJ? Cue it up, please. Metacritic: 72 Pitchfork: Not Rated

New Albums That Just Didn’t Work For Me:

Ex Deo – Romulus (Nuclear Blast) As much of a fan as I am of Maurizio Iacono and his fellow Canadian death metallers in Kataklysm, this side-project concept album of the history of the Roman Empire (which features such high stature guest appearances as Karl Sanders of Nile and Nergal of Behemoth) just,well, you know…

Old Songs:
The B-52’s – “Debbie” (from Time Capsule: Songs For A Future Generation 1998) (if you’re playing this week’s drinking game, take three shots now ‘cause this song is about Blondie vocalist Debbie Harry.)
Blackfoot – “Train, Train” (from Strikes 1979)
Blues Image – “Ride Captain Ride” (from Open 1970)
Daniel Powter – “Bad Day” (from Self-Titled 2005)
Darkest Of The Hillside Thickets – “20 Minutes Of Oxygen” (from the Spaceship Zero Soundtrack 2001)
50 Cent – “In Da Club” (from Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ 2003)
The Go-Go’s – “Our Lips Are Sealed” (from Beauty And The Beat 1981)

Old Albums:
Blondie – Parallel Lines (Chrysalis 1978)
Dave Matthews Band – Under The Table And Dreaming (RCA 1994)
The Doors – L.A. Woman (Elektra 1971)
The Jam – All Mod Cons (Polydor Records 1978)
The Offspring – Smash (Epitaph 1994)
Phunk Junkees – Injected (Interscope 1995)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication (Warner Bros. 1999)

Note: If you did choose to play this week’s drinking game, you should’ve taken nine (9) shots. Thank you for your patronage. And please, drink responsibly. Choose a designated reader.

Music Picks for August 10th, 2009

2009-08-10T10:37:00.000-07:00

08-10-2009:
New Songs:
Sarah Jarosz – “Tell Me True” (a bruised-fruit teen’s cautionary query to her young love) and “Broussard’s Lament” (a levee breaking nod to natural disaster ala Hurricane Katrina era New Orleans that is just chomping at the bit to become a jaw-dropping live jam) (from Song Up In Her Head)
Sonic Youth – “Anti-Orgasm”, “What We Know” and “Poison Arrow” (from The Eternal)
The Warlocks – “You Make Me Wait” (from The Mirror Explodes)

New Albums:
Sarah Jarosz – Song Up In Her Head (Sugar Hill) Correctly labelled as "a songwriter of uncommon wisdom” by The Austin Chronicle, this stunning bluegrass debut from the 18 year old Wimberley, Texan prodigy on piano, banjo (clawhammer and otherwise), mandolin and guitar showcases Jarosz sounding wise and weary beyond her years with a voice echoing from a turn-of-the-century coalmine. Seemingly the missing bonus cd from Patty Loveless’ brilliant 2001 Mountain Soul compilation, the eleven original compositions and two covers (The Decemberists’ “Shankill Butchers” about a group that terrorized Irish Catholics in the 1970s and Tom Waits’ masterful “Come On Up To The House”) show a talent rarely seen nowadays and one that’s gleefully welcome to pick and grin on my front porch anytime. Metacritic: Not Rated Pitchfork: Not Rated
Sonic Youth – The Eternal (Matador Records) You’ve got to show due respect to an iconic band that, in one song (in this case “Thunderclap For Bobby Pyn”) can name-drop the Heaven’s Gate cult and the lead singer of The Germs. Not only proving that the three years since their last album Rather Ripped (their longest gap ever) was worth the wait, The Eternal, all other things aside, shows that bass-playing vocalist MILF Kim Gordon is truly the best part of the legendary New York avant-punk band. At it’s roots a straight rock album, the cd starts off with the one-two combo of “Sacred Trickster” (with Gordon rubbing up against her bass amp) and “Anti-Orgasm” (where between “mission control” and “the brain police”, Gordon flatout humps her bass amp in coital vocal unison with husband/guitarist/vocalist Thurston Moore). The guitarist Lee Ranaldo penned “What We Know” is as complex as it is face-melting. “Calming The Snake” finds Gordon “no waving” over deadly riffs with double entendre titling to boot. “Poison Arrow” finds gang leader Thurston Moore doing a spot-on Lou Reed with the best song not written for Reed’s classic Transformer album. A barely hinting return to their original SST sound, The Eternal is not only the band’s first cd for Matador but the first volley in what sounds like a new musical canon for the art-rock masters (see what I did there?). Dedicated to deceased Stooges member Ron Asheton, the punk guitarist is looking down wishing he could make noise sound this good. This album is not to be missed. Metacritic: 78 Pitchfork: 6.8

New Albums That Just Didn’t Work For Me:
Inevitable End – The Severed Inception (Relapse)
Pet Shop Boys – Yes (Parlophone)
Sunset Rubdown – Dragonslayer (Jagjaguwar)
Tanya Morgan – Brooklynati (Interdependent Media)

Old Songs:
Blind Melon – “Tones Of Home” (from Self-Titled 1992)
The Blues Brothers – “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love” (from The Blues Brothers Soundtrack 1980)
Botch – “Man The Ramparts” (from We Are The Romans 2000)
The Butthole Surfers – “John E. Smokes” (live) (from Double Live 1990)
Death Cab For Cutie - “Cath…” (from Narrow Stairs 2008)
Heather Nova – “Welcome” (from Redbird 2005)
The Smashing Pumpkins – “1979” (from Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness 1995)

Old Albums:
Cannibal Corpse – Tomb Of The Mutilated (Metal Blade 1992)
Genesis – The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (Charisma / Atco 1974)
Kraftwerk – Trans-Europe Express (Kling Klang / EMI / Capitol 1977)
Machine Head – Burn My Eyes (Roadrunner 1994)
Ozzy Osbourne – Diary Of A Madman (Epic 1981)
Sister Hazel – Chasing Daylight (Croakin’ Poets / Sixthman 2003)
The Stooges – Raw Power (Columbia 1973)

Music Picks for August 3rd, 2009

2009-08-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

08-03-2009:
New Songs:
Daughtry – “You Don’t Belong”, “No Surprise” and “What I Meant To Say” (from Leave This Town)
The Dead Weather – “I Cut Like A Buffalo”, “So Far From Your Weapon”, “Treat Me Like Your Mother” and “New Pony” (from Horehound)
Mandy Moore – “I Could Break Your Heart any Day Of The Week” (from Amanda Leigh) Yes, I know it’s Mandy Moore. But it’s a damn catchy track and she grew up like twenty minutes from where I live. Plus, I met her once for about thirty seconds. Gotta represent for Florida. Go Winter Park!
Moby – “Wait For Me” (from Wait For Me)
Rhett Miller - “I Need To Know Where I Stand” (from Self-Titled)
Street Sweeper Social Club – “100 Little Curses” and “Promenade” (from Self-Titled) What we need to do is follow in the political action footsteps of Mr. Tom Morello and petition him to stop forming side-projects and just maybe hook up with this vocalist Zach De La Rocha from the duo One Day As A Lion and I think, together, they would form a pretty good band. I also know of this bassist Tim Commerford and this drummer Brad Wilk both of whom recently worked with Puscifer, who need the work and would be perfect for said group. Just saying is all.

New Albums:
The Dead Weather – Horehound (Third Man) With yet ANOTHER side-project, Jack White has not only returned to his first instrument (the drums) but managed to combine The White Stripes (himself), The Raconteurs (himself and bassist Jack Lawrence), The Kills (phone sex vocalist Alison Mosshart) and Queens Of The Stone Age (guitarist Dean Fertita) into an amalgam of rock influences that becomes far more than the sum of its parts. Drawing from every area of rock imaginable the quartet outright jam on an album written in just a few weeks and with song insight coming from every band member therein. Drifting through the teasing atmospheric fog of opening track “60 Feet Tall” the band, led by Mosshart’s sultry guile, touch on second-tier Thomas Harris villainy / organ driven reggae with Heimlich maneuver vocals (“I Cut Like A Buffalo”) , a Led Zeppelin-esque soundtrack for Oedipus Rex, complete with syllogism and military marching (or sex) instructions (“Treat Me Like your Mother”) a raucous voodoo cover of Bob Dylan’s “New Pony” (about a little horse named “Lucifer” with bonus face-melting guitar), twitchy Casio keyboard rhumba (“Bone House”) and acoustic Delta blues / sea shanty gospel (“Will There be Enough Water?”) The meaty nougat of the album though is Mosshart’s own staggering solo composition “So Far From Your Weapon”, a didgeridoo based Outback-drop for an Old West, high noon showdown. You can almost see the twitching thumbs, focused stares, drifting tumbleweeds and flapping trenchcoats within the borderline jazz synapses. On “Hang You From The Heavens” we are warned that we’ll be “grabbed by the hair and sent off to the devil”. If this is the music I’ll be hearing on the way, I’ll leave the front door unlocked. Just come on in Ms. Mosshart. Metacritic: 75 Pitchfork: 7.5

Old Songs:
Darkthrone – “Eon” (from Soulside Journey 1990)
Eddie Money – “I Wanna Go Back” (from Can’t Hold Back 1986)
The Fitness – “Day Job” (from Call Me For Together 2003)
Helloween – “Twilight Of The Gods” (from Keeper Of The Seven Keys, Part I 1987)
Ministry – “”Burning Inside” (Live) (from In Case You Didn’t Feel Like Showing Up (Live) 1990)
Morbid Angel – “Lord Of All Fevers And Plagues” (from Altars Of Madness 1989)
Royskopp – “Remind Me” (from Melody A.M. 2001)

Old Albums:
Barry White – Can’t Get Enough (20th Century 1974)
The Clash – Super Black Market Clash (Epic 1993)
KMFDM – XTORT (Wax Trax / TVT, Metropolis 1996)
Michael Jackson – Off The Wall (Epic 1979)
Operation Ivy – Energy (Lookout! 1989)
The Rolling Stones – Goats Head Soup (Atlantic 1973)
10,000 Maniacs – MTV Unplugged (Elektra 1993)

Music Picks for July 27th, 2009

2009-07-27T10:50:00.000-07:00

07-27-2009:
New Songs:
DevilDriver – “Back With A Vengeance”, “It’s In The Cards” and “Another Night In London” (from Pray For Villains)
Elvis Costello – “Complicated Shadows” and “Sulphur To Sugarcane” (from Secret, Profane And Sugarcane)
Gallows – “London Is The Reason” (from Grey Britain)
Success Will Write Apocalypse Across the Sky – “Cattle” and “Despot” (from The Grand Partition And The Abrogation Of Idolatry)

New Albums:
DevilDriver – Pray For Villains (Roadrunner) When vocalist Dez Fafara screams “Let’s start a riot!” on the track “Another Night In London”, he’s not being facetious. Seemingly taking all the energy gathered from their Guinness record attempts at the “world’s largest circle pits”, Santa Barbara, California groove metallers DevilDriver hone their heaviness into a levelling bulldozer of mind-boggling blast beats, rampant riffs and demon baiting screaming. Completely shed of his former Coal Chamber nu-metal skin, Fafara and his cohorts let loose from the opening title track about fallen heroes and frustrated optimism and never let up, crushing you beneath their juggernaut gears. Drummer John Boecklin is so fast on “Pure Sincerity”, you’d swear it’s a drum machine. “Fate Stepped In” is thrown bones and karmic crunch. The lamenting “I’ve Been Sober” is destined to be covered by Mike Ness, bad math included (“I’ve been sober thirteen days and seven nights…”). “Forgiveness Is A Six-Gun” is a Punisher comic meets Neil Peart lyrics (“Truth is a moving target…”)written in a hail of gunfire and Mike Spreitzer and Jeff Kendrick guitar. “It’s In The Cards” is pure and simple Lamb Of God with Phil Anselmo’s “We’re demon strong” attitude. Savor the irony of “Teach Me To Whisper” where Dez screams the song title with a voice that can shred paint, not just peel it. “Resurrection Blvd.” sounds like an outtake from Hypocrisy’s self-titled masterpiece…and that’s the low-point of this album. “Back with A Vengeance” however, is the outright monster of this musical mayhem. Relentless, unyielding, merciless. A vendetta forged in guitar, bass, drum and vocal. In the album closer “I See Belief”, Dez claims there’s “No method to this madness”. But in the mouth of that madness, there is a spectacular, ludicrously good album. Going back to “Another Night In London”, Mr. Fafara states “It takes people like us to make people like him”. Then we are some very angry people who have helped make the clear front-runner for album of the year. Note: Make sure you get the special edition of the cd so you can also check out the bonus tracks “Self-Affliction” (which welcomes you “back into the fold” with an actual melodic keyboard/bass line) and the eulogical “Dust Be Thy Destiny” (just for the line “There’s a hole in my head to let the rain in”). Both of these songs were written for Pray For Villains but not included for some reason. Also added are “Damning The Heavens”, a borderline PM5K sounding outtake from the band’s The Last Kind Words cd as well as their cover of the Iron Maiden classic “Wasted Years” from Kerrang! magazine’s compilation Maiden Heaven: A Tribute To Iron Maiden. Metacritic: Not Rated Pitchfork: Not Rated
Elvis Costello – Secret, Profane And Sugarcane (Hear Music) Teaming up with T-Bone Burnett and a gaggle of the country’s best bluegrass and country musicians, Costello combines songs from his catalogue done anew, material from his unfinished commission for the Royal Danish Opera about the life of Hans Christian Andersen and two new songs (one done with Loretta Lynn) into a breath of fresh country air. Whether pushing his friend in front of a train (“Hidden Shame”) attacking America’s slavery past (“Red Cotton” ) or trekking around the country seemingly borrowing ideas from Marilyn Manson to “wrap you up in cellophane” (“Sulphur To Sugarcane”), this one is not to be missed. Metacritic: Not Rated Pitchfork: 3.8
Gallows – Grey Britain (Warner Bros.) After their debut Orchestra Of Wolves made them the vanguard of new hardcore punk, brutally ironic tattooed frontman Frank Carter and his blighty cohorts had their work cut out for them. With Grey Britain they made the cut. From the opening salvo of “The Riverbank” straight into the blitzing “London Is The Reason” these brutish British boyos simply do not let up EVER. Indicting their homeland and all it’s crippling, problematic issues with the zeal of a militant Clash and Sex Pistols, the band strafes any and everything that moves with collateral damaging drums, Gatling gun guitar and barbed wire vocals. Drawing simultaneously from the wells of both Slayer and The Exploited and with an assload of John Lydon-ism thrown in for good measure, Carter warns us that he knows where we live (“Black Eyes”) gives us the armageddon roll call for the four horsemen (“Death Voices”), pummels us with throwback thrash (“The Riverbed”) and leads the mob scene as the band does their best homage to Pantera’s classic two-headed monster “Suicide Notes, Pt 1 & 2” (“The Vulture: Acts I & II”). Giving us a one-two punch of Iron Maiden riffs (“Queensbury Rules”) and squealing pigs (“Misery”, which Carter said he wrote at “his lowest ebb”), the band shows that bringing in stammering producer GGGarth Richardson (of Chevelle, Rage Against The Machine and Mudvayne fame) was just one more armament in their already explosively letahl arsenal. On “Dread The Night” (which would’ve been on the We Are The Night Soundtrack in another life) Carter expounds that they “Are the new black and serious as a heart attack”. Maybe it’s the snarling British accent, but I believe him. Carter once stated in an interview that Gallows is “a hobby I get paid for”. All I can say is thank god it wasn’t model train collecting. Simply a relentlessly brilliant album. Metacritic: 77 Pitchfork: Not Rated

Old Songs:
The Bee Gees – “Alive” (from To Whom It May Concern 1972))
Creedence Clearwater Revival – “99 And A Half (Won’t Do)” (from Woodstock Boxset 1995)
The Chi-Lites – “Oh Girl” (from A Lonely Man 1972)
Chris Isaak – “Dancin’” (from Silvertone 1990)
Repulsion – “Radiation Sickness” (from Horrified 1989)
Van Morrison – “Try For Sleep” (from The Philosopher’s Stone 1998)
Volbeat – “Mr. & Mrs. Ness” (from Rock The Rebel / Metal The Devil 2007)

Old Albums:
Brian Setzer – Nitro Burnin’ Funny Daddy (Surfdog Records 2003)
Evans Blue - The Melody And The Energetic Nature Of Volume (Hollywood 2006)
Hayes Carll – Trouble In Mind (Lost Highway 2008)
Korn – Take A Look In The Mirror (Epic / Immortal 2003)
Oasis – Definitely Maybe (Creation 1994)
Rob Zombie – The Sinister Urge (Geffen 2001)
Soundgarden – BadMotorFinger (A&M 1991)

Music Picks for July 20th, 2009

2009-07-20T09:36:00.000-07:00

07-20-2009:
Greetings subscribers. Starting with todays list of music picks you'll notice I've included the respective rankings for each new album provided by critique websites Metacritic and Pitchfork. Thought you'd be interested in seeing how other critics' viewpoints compare against those of yours truly. Enjoy!

New Songs:
Black Math Horseman – “Tyrant”, “Torment Of The Metals” and “Bird Of All Faiths And None” (from Wyllt)
Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band – “To All The Lights In the Room” and “Roosevelt Room” (from Outer South)
Rancid – “Up To No Good”, “Last One To Die”, “New Orleans”, “L.A. River” (just for the “boom-shaka-lakkas” and the “shimmy-shimmies”. It’s like a song from the Grease Soundtrack) and “The Highway” (from Let The Dominoes Fall)

New Albums:
Black Math Horseman – Wyllt (Tee Pee) Metacritic: Not Ranked Pitchfork: 7.0
Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band – Outer South (Merge) On their second album in as many years, Oberst and his stranded in Mexico musician cohorts released an album that runs the plethora gamut. From floating in pools while singing bubbly pop music (“Slowly” and “Air Mattress”) to having sex on Mendeleyev’s table of the elements while listening to “church bells that ring like a mobile phone” (“I Got The Reason”), Oberst manages to sound like Tom Petty and Bob Dylan (“Big Black Nothing” and “Worldwide”), Elvis Costello (“Spoiled”), Nick Drake (“White Shoes”) exactly like himself (“Bloodline”) and Mike Love singing a country dirge (“Snake Hill”). The two stand outs though are “To All The Lights In The Windows”, which combines lost love and Moses (?) and “Roosevelt Room”, where Oberst channels his inner Joe Strummer and recalls the days of his masterpiece Bright Eyes track “Four Winds” with the lyrics “the working poor you’ve been pissing on are pulling double shifts tonight”. In “Difference Is Time” Oberst laments that “life is hard, even if you cheat”. Luckily he and his band didn’t cheat us on this album. Metacritic: 67 Pitchfork: 4.9
Rancid – Let The Dominoes Fall (Hellcat) Metacritic: 72 Pitchfork: Not Ranked

Old Songs:
Dierks Bentley – “What Was I Thinking?” (from Self-Titled 2003)
Elton John – “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” (from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 1973)
Katatonia – “Without God” (from Dance Of December Souls 1993)
Mastodon – “Siberian Divide” (from Blood Mountain 2006)
Napalm Death – “Thrown Down A Rope” (from Words From The Exit Wound 1999)
Sleep – “Holy Mountain” (from Holy Mountain 1993)
Sonny Boy Williamson And The Yardbirds – “23 Hours Too Long” (from Sonny Boy Williamson And The Yardbirds 1966)

Old Albums:
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Some Loud Thunder (Self Released 2007)
Godflesh – Streetcleaner (Earache 1989)
The Kinks – UK. Jive (MCA 1989)
Neil Young And Crazy Horse – Rust Never Sleeps (Reprise 1979)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? – Original Soundtrack (Mercury 2000)
R.E.M. – Green (Warner Bros. 1988)
Superjoint Ritual – A Lethal Dose Of American Hatred (Sanctuary 2003)

Music Picks for July 13th, 2009

2009-07-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

07-13-2009:
New Songs:
Bloodhorse – “Paranoiac” (from Horizoner) Loose, bottom heavy Boston metal trio that falls somewhere between Ozzy-era Sabbath and Undisputed Attitude-era Slayer with a hint of C.O.C. meets Kyuss. They sound like they should be named “Bloodhorse”. Polish up your gravity bong. You’re gonna need it.
Eels – “All The Beautiful Things” and “Beginner’s Luck” (from Hombre Lobo)
Halestorm – “Nothing To Do With Love” (from Self-Titled) If Kelly Clarkson fronted a “so bad they’re good” throwback NWOHM (New Wave Of Hair Metal) band, it would be Halestorm. They could just as easily tour with Lita Ford, Vixen and Femme Fatale on the “Cheesy-Cake Tour” as well as Lacuna Coil and Sirenia (if they were opening for Alice Cooper). Guilty pleasure of the year, I must say.
Maximo Park – “Calm” (from Quicken the Heart) Newcastle, England alt-indie-rockers conjure up Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire” if it was covered by The Cure for the next Crow movie soundtrack with band vocalist Paul Smith doing a dead-on Morrissey for good measure
Peaches – “Billionaire” (just for the line about “Salt in your diet” “Quiet Riot” and “Staying at the Hyatt”), “Show Stopper” and “Relax” (from I Feel Cream)

New Albums:
Maximo Park – Quicken The Heart (Warp Records)
Peaches – I Feel Cream (XL Records) Toronto’s Merrill Beth Nisker (aka “Peaches”) and her band The Herms (short for “Hermaphrodites”. Get it? “Peaches And Herms”?) release another gender-bending electronica album that should somehow be spelt with three X’s. About as subtle as Wendy O’Williams with that sledgehammer on that piano, Peaches pummels you with sex and profanity while finding twelve different ways to tell you she doesn’t give a fuck about you or what you think of her, and you still come back for more. If Missy Elliot and David Bowie had a love child and left it to be raised by Pete Burns of Dead Or Alive, it would be Peaches. Dance at your own risk.

Old Songs:
Diamond Head – “Sweet And Innocent” (from Lightning To The Nations 1980)
Flickerstick – “Believe” (Live) (from Causing A Catastrophe – Live 2002)
John Coltrane – “Theme For Ernie” (from Soultrane 1958)
Opeth – “Blackwater Park” (from Blackwater Park 2001)
Seal – “Rolling” (from System 2001)
Sonic Youth – “Tuff Gnarl” (from Sister 1987)
The Yardbirds – “I Ain’t Got You” (from For Your Love 1965)

Old Albums:
The Flaming Lips – At War With The Mystics (Warner Bros. 2006)
Harry Connick, Jr. – We Are In Love (Sony / Columbia 1990)
The Mamas And The Papas – If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears (Dunhill 1966)
Our Lady Peace – Naveed (Columbia 1994)
Portishead – Dummy (Go! Discs / London 1994)
Tom Waits – Rain Dogs (Island 1985)
Warren Zevon – Excitable Boy (Asylum 1978)

Music Picks for July 6th, 2009

2009-07-06T10:27:00.000-07:00

07-06-2009:
New Songs:
Graf Orlock – “Franky; Buying Dog Food”and “Days Of High Adventure” (from Destination Time Today) The two standout tracks from the California quartet’s first actual album take clips from Steven Seagal’s Out For Justice and Arnold Scwarzenegger’s classic Conan The Barbarian. As a man and a metal fan, it’s impossible not to love a Cimmerian grindcore song based on the Conan theme. Good stuff.
Nadja – “Dead Skin Mask” (from When I See The Sun Always Shines On TV) From the Canadian duo’s doom / metalgaze cover album comes this entrancing, droning, funeral procession send up of the classic Slayer track about Ed Gein.
Rob Thomas – “Her Diamonds”, “Mockingbirds”, “Snowblind” and “Wonderful” (from Cradlesong)

New Albums:
Graf Orlock – Destination Time Today (Level Plane Records) On their first official album, California cinema grind masters (& UCLA alums) Graf Orlock (named after Max Schreck’s character in the 1922 film Nosferatu) combine film quotes from The Shooter, The Terminator, 12 Monkeys and Collateral (amongst others)with grindcore blastcaps into a melange of metal movie madness distributed in quick, violent bursts.
Rob Thomas – Cradlesong

Old Songs (4th Of July Weekend Edition):
Caitlin Cary – “Fireworks” (from While You Weren’t Looking 2002)
Elliott Smith – “Independence Day” (from XO 1998)
Jimmy Eat World – “Just Watch The Fireworks” (from Clarity 1999)
Less Than Jake – “In-Dependence Day” (from In With The Out Crowd 2006)
Martina McBride – “Independence Day” (from The Way That I Am 1993)
No Motiv – “Independence Day” (from Daylight Breaking 2004)
Soundgarden – “4th Of July” (from Superunknown 1994)
X – “Fourth Of July” (from See How We Are 1987)

Old Albums:
The Byrds – Younger Than Yesterday (Columbia 1967)
Eve 6 – Self-Titled (RCA 1998)
Megadeth – Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying? (Combat / Capitol 1986)
Planet Terror – Original Soundtrack (Varese Sarabande 2007)
Slayer – Christ Illusion (American 2006)
U2 – Zooropa (Island 1993)
W.A.S.P. – Live…In The Raw (Capitol 1987)

Music Picks for June 28th, 2009

2009-06-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

06-28-2009:
New Songs:
Cage The Elephant – “In One Ear” ( a show opener, show stopper and lyrical pimp slap to all the critics, haters and deriders, et al who just don’t get it) “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked” (about doing what you got to just to survive) and “Back Stabbin’ Betty” (about the worst kind of cold-hearted, shrewish bitch)
Phoenix – “1901” (from Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix)

New Albums:
Cage The Elephant – Self-Titled (Relentless) Fresh from SXSW and Lollapalooza, the Kentucky bred Shultz brothers and their band of backwater brethren mix white garage blues rock with rap-soul-funk and a dead-on impression of Alex Turner vocals into a G. Love and Special Sauce meets The Heavy by way of Red Hot Chili Peppers moonshine that rocks as much as it flows.

Old Songs:
Cat Stevens – “Another Saturday Night” (Radio Single 1974)
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – “Sea Of Madness” (Woodstock Original Soundtrack 1970)
Eric Clapton – “Broken Down” (from Reptile 2001)
Fugazi – “Reprovisional” (from Repeater 1990)
Pink Floyd – “Apples And Oranges” (Radio Single 1967)
Rammstein – “Mann Gegen Mann” (from Rosenrot 2006)
Van Morrison And The Chieftains – “I’ll Tell Me Ma” (from Irish Heartbeat 1988)

Old Albums:
Big Brother And The Holding Company – Cheap Thrills (Columbia 1968)
Butthole Surfers – Locust Abortion Technician (Toucn And Go 1987)
C.C.R. – Bayou Country (Fantasy 1969)
The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland (Reprise 1968)
Ministry – Filth Pig (Warner Brothers 1996)
Mudhoney – Tomorrow Hit Today (Reprise 1998)
The Smashing Pumpkins – Machina Acoustic Demos (Bootleg 1998)

Music Picks For June 21st, 2009

2009-06-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

06-21-2009:
New Songs:
Art Brut – “Alcoholics Unanimous”. “DC Comics And Chocolate Milkshakes”, “The Passenger” and “Slap Dash For No Cash” (from Art Brut Vs. Satan)
Funeral Mist – “Jesus Saves!” (from Maranatha) Blood curdling and thought provoking all at the same time, this pummeling track (which could also be known as the “Love Theme From The Exorcist”), is a rabid testimony to the hypocrisy of Christianity as well as a “how-to” on how to destroy it at it’s most base faiths. Oh, and it would terrify Slayer. If you believe in the Bible, this would NOT be an editor’s choice for you. This track DOES make the baby Jesus cry.
Mantic Ritual – “One By One” and “Next Attack” (from Executioner)
White Rabbits – “Percussion Gun” (from It’s Frightening!)

New Albums:
Art Brut – Art Brut Vs. Satan (Downtown) An extraordinary goofball, Eddie Argos and his crew of Jean Debuffet fans weave art-punk tales of drinking one too many the night before then having to go to work; a sarcastically sad ode to comics and cold, dairy treats; riding on the bus and in the masterstroke of the album, they poke Brian Eno in the ribs, making fun of his many audio labors. And don’t forget their nod to the Bobby Fuller Four with the line “I fought the floor and the floor won”. Good stuff.
Funeral Mist – Maranatha (Southern Lord) Just when you thought Swedish death metal was languishing comes this dark solo project from Marduk vocalist Daniel “Arioch” Rosten to audibly crucify you. From the eye-bursting scream of “It’s the blood!” that starts off opening track “Sword Of Faith” to the Satanically sarcastic secular strike that is “Jesus Saves!” to the burning red sun and blood of Cain that flows through “A New Light”, Maranatha (which jokingly translates as “Our Lord has come”) is truly an omen of the end times and shows that the kingdom of Lucifer may already be here and it’s about fucking time. In actuality the second official album from the band, this Satanic juggernaut fires on all pitchforks and will burn you at the stake. Unnerving, relentless and just plain scary as hell (pun intended) Mr. Arioch and his skin crawling vocals (which he fittingly describes as “my voice is a thousand open graves”) put the shit in my pants and lit a cigarette off my ashen corpse…and I went back for more. After this nightmare inducing musical monster I understand why people kept playing with that box in the Hellraiser films. You have been warned. Sell your soul if you have to, but get in touch with this macabre masterstroke. I’ll be under the bed pressing “repeat” if you need me.
Mantic Ritual – Executioner (Nuclear Blast) Imagine a parallel world where Dave Mustaine didn’t get fired from Metallica, actually became the vocalist, moved the band to Pittsburgh and they became a Slayer tribute band that toured with Venom. Thrash revivalists Mantic Ritual echo the early eighties Bay Are thrash scene so eerily well you’ll pull out your sleeveless jean jacket with the Testament backpatch while listening to this album. “One By One” is Slayer’s “Chemical Warfare” by way of “Evil Has No Boundaries” succinctness. “Black Tar Sin” combines the best of Metallica’s “No Remorse” with Slayer’s “Black Magic”. “Death And Destruction” is straight out of Metallica’s “Four Horsemen” demos and “Murdered to Death” is the missing track from Slayer’s Hell Awaits plus(!) check out the absurdicus fret work on this track as well as on “Double The Blood”. “Souls” is the best song that British demon masters Venom never wrote.The closing monster “Next Attack” is so vintage Kill ‘Em All Metallica you’ll swear it’s a “Seek And Destroy” outtake right along with being the best song on the album. Horns up, kids. Thrash is back.

Old Songs:
Black Stone Cherry – “Devil’s Queen” (from Folklore And Superstition 2008)
Gnarls Barkley – “Going On” (from The Odd Couple 2008)
Joan Jett And The Blackhearts – “Light Of Day” (from Light Of Day Soundtrack 1987)
Lionel Ritchie – “Dancing On The Ceiling” (from Dancing On The Ceiling 1986)
Ocean – “Elizabeth” (from Give Tomorrow’s Children One More Chance 2000)
Sick Puppies – “All The Same” (from Dressed Up As Life 2006)
Til Tuesday – “Voices Carry” (from Voices Carry 1985)

Old Albums:
Burn The Priest – Self-Titled (Legion 1999)
Flying Burrito Brothers – Burrito Deluxe (A&M 1970)
Mayhem – Chimera (Season Of Mist 2004)
Rancid – Grease And Garbage (Import 2007)

Music Picks for June 14th, 2009

2009-06-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

06-14-2009:
New Songs:
Dave Matthews Band – “Shake Me Like A Monkey”, “Funny The Way It Is”, “Why I Am?”, “Squirm”, “Alligator Pie” and “Time Bomb” (from Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King)
Gomez – “Win Park Slope” (from A New Tide)
Marilyn Manson – “Leave A Scar”, “Running To the Edge Of The World”, “We’re From America” and “Into The Fire” (from The High End Of Low)
Mumakil – “Barbecue In Bhopal”, “Get Wasted Or Die” (just for the growl), “The Eyes of Wrath” (for it’s seemingly machine-gun attack atmosphere), “Let There Be Meat” (for the failing scuba gear vocals), “Useless Fucks” (just for the “Yee-Haw” that starts it off) and “Wish You The Worst” (for it’s borderline apoplectic seizures) (from Behold The Failure)
New York Dolls – “Making Rain”, “Drown” and “Nobody Got No Bizness” (from Cause I Sez So)
Trigger The Bloodshed – “Dessicate Earth” (from The Great Depression)

New Albums:
Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King (RCA) On their best album since 1998’s Before These Crowded Streets (and the first since the death of saxophonist LeRoi Moore. The album title is a reference to his nickname), the Virginia boys let it rip on a surprisingly upbeat album and fitting tribute to their fallen bandmate. Check out the impending “Time Bomb” which is great in the way that the live version of “Dirty Day” from U2’s Zooropa ’93 – Live In Australia DVD was great and the masterstroke centerpiece “Squirm”, a Middle Eastern tinged, funeral dirged attempt to pry open your third eye (thank you Maynard Keenan for the line) backed by Carter Beauford’s goblin war drums. Fitting right in with some of the band’s magnum opus stuff (including “”Typical Situation”, “Drive In Drive Out”, “Grace Is Gone” and “Crush”) it also contains one of Matthews’ best lyrics to date…”If Kindness Is Your King, Then Heaven Will Be Yours Before You Reach The End”.
Marilyn Manson – The High End Of Low (Interscope) Finally recovered from his burlesque divorce, Manson releases his best album in six years and incorporates Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, David Bowie and the fantastic production / bass work of Twiggy Ramirez into a return to sadistic glory. “Leave A Scar” takes Nietzsche to his logical cynical conclusion. “Running To the Edge Of The World” is as close as Manson is gonna come to a power ballad. “We’re From America” is self-loathing fascism from a pierced tongue-in-cheek patriot sardonically proud of a country that “doesn’t need credibility because it knows it’s fucking incredible” all while it “turns literatue into litter” and “Into The Fire” finds Manson as a manic-depressive Sisyphus walking a “November Rain”-esque land where “rapist werewolves” mistake God’s urine for rain. It’s great to have our favorite Anti-Christ back at the controls of the torture chamber. We missed him. Thank you Dita Von Teese and all the good work you did.
Trigger The Bloodshed – The Great Depression (Metal Blade)

Old Songs:
The Bangles – “Hazy Shade Of Winter” (from Less Than Zero Soundtrack 1987)
Bobby Darin – “Mack The Knife” (from Mack The Knife 1958)
Donny Osmond – “Soldier Of Love” (from Self-Titled 1989)
Edie Brickell And New Bohemians – “What I Am” (from Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars 1988)
The Isley Brothers – “This Old Heart Of Mine” (Radio Single 1966)
The Yardbirds – “For Your Love” (Radio Single 1965)
The Young Knives – “Terra Firma” (from Superabundance 2008)

Old Albums:
A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory (Jive / RCA 1991)
Cracker – Kerosene Hat (Virgin 1993)
Jason Mraz – Waiting For My Rocket to Come (Elektra 2002)
Jet – Shine On (Atlantic 2006)
Snow Patrol – Songs For Polar Bears (Never Records 1999)
Spider-Man – Original Soundtrack (Sony Music 2002)
Zero 7 – When It Falls (Elektra 2004)

Music Picks For June 7th, 2009

2009-06-07T11:53:00.000-07:00

Hey kids.
Yes, I'm back. As you now know I was across the country for a wedding two weeks ago and spent this last week catching up on everything that I missed in my absence. My apologies for the limited pickings this week. Time was constrained this week to say the least. Next week we'll be back to normal, I gahr-ohn-tee.
Kole sere,
Thanks,
Caligula (Mr. Disco if you're nasty)

06 – 07 - 2009:
New Songs:
Adversary – “Hedonist”, “The Grand Mistake” and “Singularity” (from Singularity)
Eminem – “Bagpipes From Baghdad”, “We Made You”, “Medicine Ball”, “Old Time’s Sake”(w/Dr. Dre) and “Crack the Bottle” (w/Dr. Dre and 50 Cent) (from Relapse)
Empire Of The Sun – “Walking On A Dream” (from Walking On A Dream)

New Albums:
Adversary – Singularity (Trustkill)Imagine Better Left Unsaid meet Unearth and they begin jamming on Carcass tunes. That’s Adversary in a nutshell. It’s not gonna blow your mind but it is far better than I thought it was going to be (and it’s wholly better than anything that All That Remains has done). It’s like Arch Enemy, just without the smokin’ hot female lead vocalist. Dig in.
Eminem – Relapse (Aftermath / Interscope / Shady) Fresh from the pseudo rehab center Popsomp Hills, Eminem released the spectacular first of two 2009 discs (Relapse 2 to be released later this year) and charges right out of the gate spewing Detroit venom. Simply the best stuff he’s done since 2002’s The Eminem Show, it’s worth repeated listening just for “Medicine Ball” and it’s hilariously wrong argument between Mr. Mathers and the now deceased Christopher Reeve over use of the Superman costume. Fantastic!

Old Songs:
Anberlin – “The Feel Good Drag” (from New Surrender 2008)
The Bar-Kays – “Soul Finger” (Radio Single 1967)
Coolio – “Gangsta’s Paradise” (from Dangerous Minds Original Soundtrack 1995)
Crowded House – “Don’t Dream It’s Over” (from Self-Titled 1986)
Eastmountainsouth – “So Are You To Me” (from Self-Titled 2003)
Riddlin’ Kids – “I Feel Fine” (from Hurry Up And Wait 2002)
Rihanna – “Unfaithful” (from A Girl Like Me 2006)

Old Albums:
Bob Dylan – Blood On The Tracks (Columbia 1975)
Cinderella – Night Songs (Mercury 1986)
Misfits – Earth A.D. (Plan 9 Records 1983)
Motley Crue – Saints Of Los Angeles (Eleven Seven Music 2008)
The Rolling Stones – Made In the Shade (Atlantic 1975)
Rose Tattoo – Self-Titled (Albert Productions 1978)
Type O Negative – Dead Again (SPV 2007)

Music Picks for May 24th, 2009

2009-05-24T16:05:00.000-07:00

05-24-2009:
New Songs:
Chester French – “C’Mon (On My Own)” and “Neal” (from Love The Future)
Dreaming Dead – “Manslaughter” (from Within One) From Los Angeles, Dreaming Dead are fronted by a metal goddess named Elizabeth Schall who sounds eerily like late era Death frontman Chuck Schuldiner (circa Symbolic). Even the band itself sounds ike Death (with just a hint of Carcass thrown in). If you like Central Florida metal by way of California (and a sick case of deja-vu), check ‘em out.
Grand Duchy – “Lovesick” (from Petits Four) Pixies frontman Frank Black and his wife Violet Clark churn out a poppy filled song about the libidinous British hotel side of Spring Fever, phone sex and pure love for a plastic doll.
Green Day – “East Jesus Nowhere” and “The Static Age” (from 21st Century Breakdown)
Hurt – “Wars”, “Fighting Tao” and “Flowers” (from Goodbye To The Machine) Covering casualties of conflict, meditations on mortality and a sardonically entropic list of everyone and thing that’s gonna die (including bunnies, aliens, hermaphrodites, friends, family and even the band itself), these Virginia boys fall somewhere between Seether and Seven Mary Three, are wholly underappreciated and these three standout tracks from their fifth album show why that’s a true shame.
The Priscillas – “Superhero” (from 10,000 Volts) Whether it’s Superman carrying Lois Lane in his arms as they circle the earth or Spider Man kissing Mary Jane upside down in the rain, these British pop-punk rock birds have written the definitive background track for the superhero love scene.

New Albums:
Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown (Reprise)
Hurt – Goodbye To The Machine (Amusement)

Old Songs:
Bobby Brown – “Every Little Step” (from Don’t Be Cruel 1988)
Kenny Chesney – “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems” (from No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems 2002)
Material Issue – “Valerie Loves Me” (from International Pop Overthrow 1991)
Onyx – “Slam” (from Bacdafucup 1993)
Paula Abdul – “Blowing Kisses In The Wind” (from Spellbound 1991)
R.E.M. – “Living Well Is The Best Revenge” (from Accelerate 2008)
Remy Zero – “Save Me” (from Golden Hum 2001)

Old Albums:
Kiss – Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions (Mercury 1997)
Miles Davis – Plays Classic Ballads (Columbia 1981)
Nile – Annihilation Of The Wicked (Relapse 2005)
Radiohead – Pablo Honey (Parlophone 1993)

Music Picks for May 17th, 2009

2009-05-17T15:19:00.000-07:00

5-17-2009:
New Songs:
Buddy And Julie Miller – “A Long, Long Time” (from Written In Chalk)
Eric Church – “Hell On The Heart” (from Carolina)
Oceano – “Inhuman Affliction” and “With Legions” (from Depths)
Paria – “Pish Posh” and “I’ve Never Been Here Before In A Long Time” (from The Barnacle Cordius) Losing their Fear Factory-esque vocals on two tracks and showing off their instrumental skills, Paria combine the best of Cynic and Dream Theater with just a hint of Les Claypool meets Steve Harris style fusion jazz bass.
Propagandhi – “Dear Coach’s Corner” and “Human(e) Meat” (from Supporting Caste) Like the punk rock version of fellow veganarchists Cattle Decapitation, Canada’s own Propagandhi mix hockey, fermentation fetishism, whaling, and wholesale role-reversal slaughter on these stand-out tracks from their latest PETA approved, jaw-dropping album.

New Albums:
Buddy And Julie Miller – Written In Chalk (New West Records)
Eric Church – Carolina (Capitol Nashville)
Oceano – Depths (Earache Records)
Propagandhi – Supporting Caste (G7 / Smallman / Hassle)

Old Songs:
Boy Meets Girl – “Waiting For A Star To Fall” (from Reel Life 1988)
Boys Don’t Cry – “I Wanna Be A Cowboy” (from Self-Titled 1986)
Danny And The Juniors – “At The Hop” (Radio Single 1957)
Five Finger Death Punch – “White Knuckles” (from The Way Of The Fist 2007)
Gerry Raferty – “Baker Street” (from City To City 1978)
Local H. – “Bound For The Floor” (from As Good As Dead 1996)
Patty Loveless – “The Boys Are Back in Town” (from Mountain Soul 2001)

Old Albums:
Authority Zero – A Passage In Time (Lava / Atlantic 2002)
Buddy Guy – Skin Deep (Zomba 2008)
Chevelle – Wonder What’s Next (Epic Records 2002)
Death – Leprosy (Combat 1988)
Jimmy Buffett – Live In Las Vegas (Mailboat 2003)
Ludacris – The Red Light District (Disturbing Tha Peace / Def Jam 2004)
Sevendust – Chapter VII: Hope And Sorrow (7 Bros. / Asylum 2008)

Music Picks for May 10th, 2009; Mother's Day Edition

2009-05-10T17:31:00.000-07:00

5-10-2009: Mother’s Day Edition
New Songs:
Agoraphobic Nosebleed – “Dick To Mouth Resuscitation” (from Agorapocalypse) The life-saving track from Massachusetts’ favorite drum machine grindcore band puts a whole new spin on first aid fellatio. Forget The Fray, this is how to save a life.
Bat For Lashes – “Sleep Alone” (from Two Suns)
Bob Mould – “Life And Tmes” and “I’m Sorry Baby, But You Can’t Stand In My Light Anymore” (from Life And Times)
Bright Eyes – “Papa Was A Rodeo” (from Score! 20 Years Of Vantage Records: The Covers!) Falling somewhere between The Temptations and Donnie And Marie, Conor Oberst and his crew cover the 1999 Magnetic Fields ironic cowboy lament with their usual tongue-in-cheek gusto.
The Flatlanders – “The Way We Are” (from Hills And Valleys)
Keri Hilson – “Get Your Money Up” (w/Keshia Cole and Trina) and “Change Me” (w/Akon) (from In A Perfect World)
Les Savy Fav – “Precision Auto” (from Score! 20 Years Of Vantage Records: The Covers!)
Metric – “Satellite Minds”, “Gold Guns Girls”, “Gimme Sympathy” and “Gimme Sympathy (acoustic)” (from Fantasies) The Canadien indie rockers pristinely sing about a stalking ex-lover (“Satellite Minds”) that next addictive high (“Gold Guns Girls”) and the perpetual musical question: The Beatles or The Rolling Stones? (“Gimme Sympathy”)
The Mountain Goats – “Drug Life” (from Score! 20 Years Of Vantage Records: The Covers!)
The New Pornographers – “Don’t Destroy The Night” (from Score! 20 Years Of Vantage Records: The Covers!) Seemingly becoming the go-to band for compilations (this is their second this year), The New Pornographers do a typical great job covering the lesser known track by Rock*A*Teens (from Cabbagetown, Georgia. No, I’m not kidding)
The Shins – “Plenty Is Never Enough” (from Score! 20 Years Of Vantage Records: The Covers!) Albuquerque’s hometown boys-done-good do New Mexico (and love itself) proud with their pop-a-rific cover originally done by Chris Lopez.
Ted Leo And The Pharmacists – “The Numbered Head” (from Score! 20 Years Of Vantage Records: The Covers!) The mind fuck Robert Pollard track is taken to it’s most existential feedback extremes by Ted Leo and company. Cue the lava lamps and strobe lights and take your blotter acid…now.
Tracy Thorn And Jens Lekman – “Yeah! Oh, Yeah! (from Score! 20 Years Of Vantage Records: The Covers!) Yet another Magnetic Fields cover turns killing your spouse into a brilliant black comedy.

New Albums:
Bob Mould – Life And Times (ANTI-) With some angry carry-over from last year’s District Line, Mould rings the bell for round two of pummeling his ex-boyfriend, encompassing everything from the outright venomous rock of the title-track to the heartbreaking freedom song “I’m Sorry Baby, But You Can’t Stand In My Light Anymore”. Whether in Husker Du, Sugar or solo, Mould is the man.
Keri Hilson – In A Perfect World (Interscope)

Old Songs: Mother’s Day Edition!
Blink 182 – “Mother’s Day” (from Take Off Your Pants And Jacket 2001)
The Close Lobsters – “Mother Of God” (from Foxheads Stalk This Land 1987)
Danzig – “Mother” (from Danzig I 1988)
The Decemberists – “My Mother Was A Chinese Trapeze Artist” (from Five Songs EP 2003)
Good Charlotte – “Thank You Mom” (from Self-Titled 2000)
Hammock – “Gold Star Mothers” (from Maybe They Will Sing For Us Tomorrow 2008)
Iron & Wine – “Mothers Of The Rodeo” (from Rare & Unreleased 2002)
John Lennon – “Mother” (from Plastic Ono Band 1970)
The Kinks – “Some Mother’s Son” (from Arthur (…Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire) 1969)
Melpo Mene – “Good With The Mothers” (from Holes 2004)
Metallica – “Mama Said” (from Load 1996)
Misfits – “Mommy, Can I Go Out And Kill Tonight?” (from Walk Among Us 1982)
Mull Historical Society – “Oh Mother” (from Us 2003)
Ozzy Osbourne – “Mama, I’m Coming Home” (from No More Tears 1991)
Pink Floyd – “Mother” (from The Wall 1979)
Queen – “Tie Your Mother Down” (from A Day At The Races 1976)
Quiet Riot – “Mama Weer All Crazee Now” (from Condition Critical 1984)
The Rolling Stones – “Mother’s Little Helper (from Aftermath 1966)
Three Dog Night – “Mama Told Me Not To Come” (from It Ain’t Easy 1970)
The Wonder Stuff – “Mother And I” (from The Eight-Legged Groove Machine 1988)

Old Albums:
The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour (Capitol 1967)
Garth Brooks – Ropin’ The Wind (Liberty 1991)
Genesis – Self-Titled (Atlantic / Vertigo / Virgin 1983)
Jimmy Buffett – Havana Daydreamin’ (MCA 1976)
King Diamond – Abigail 2: The Revenge (Metal Blade 2002)
Serj Tankian – Elect The Dead (Serjical Strike / Reprise 2007)
Stone Temple Pilots – Shangri-La Dee Da (Atlantic 2001)

Music Picks for May 3rd, 2009

2009-05-03T15:43:00.000-07:00

5-03-2009:
New Songs:
16 – “Monday Bloody Monday” (from Bridges To Burn)
Bob Dylan – “My Wife’s Home Town”, “Shake Shake Mama” and “It’s All Good” (from Together Through Life)
Bria Valente – “Here Eye Come” (from Elixer)
Heaven And Hell – “Bible Black” (from The Devil You Know)
Prince – “Colonized Mind” (from LOtUSFLOW3R) and “Ol’Skool Company” (from MPLSoUND)
Silversun Pickups – “The Royal We” (from Swoon)
Tinted Windows – “Back With You” (from Self-Titled)
Volbeat – “Hallelujah Goat” (from Guitar Gangsters And Cadillac Blood)

New Albums:
Bria Valente – Elixer (NPG) The smoking hot debut cd from Prince’s new protégé is so sexily smoldering, it should come with a free condom and cigarette for you to smoke after listening to it. Romantic raunchiness over a smooth R&B groove. Is it getting hot in here?
Prince – LOtUSFLOW3R (NPG) This time The Purple One simultaneously released two cds of his own (of which this is the far superior album) along with the debut from his protégé Bria Valente (see above)in one package. Vintage Prince from end-to-end, it covers the whole spectrum from funk to blues to pop to soul and back again. Check out “Colonized Mind”, hands down one of the best songs he has ever done. But, I have to ask why he didn’t just place the fan-frakking-tastic “Ol’ Skool Company” (with it’s call-to-arms to bring real music to radio) and the ego-tastic “There’ll Never B (Another Like Me)” on this album and dismiss the far weaker (by Prince standards) MPLSoUND all together? But, that’s just me.
Tinted Windows – Self-Titled (S-Curve Records) Teaming-up like a pop music Justice League Of America, Taylor Hanson, Adam Schlesinger, Bun E. Carlos and James Iha combine the best of Hanson, Ivy, Fountains Of Wayne and Cheap Trick and just a soupcon of sublime Smashing Pumpkins guitar into a pop palette of late 70’s goodness.
Volbeat – Guitar Gangsters And Cadillac Blood (Megaforce) The Danish quartet return with another fantastic example of what would happen if Glenn Danzig era Misfits joined up with Metallica circa 1983-84 and decided to form a Reverend Horton Heat tribute rockabilly band. (It is unnerving how eerily similar vocalist Michael Poulson sounds to both Glenn Danzig and James Hetfield, especially on the seemingly missing Death Magnetic track “Still Counting” and the referential Metallica track “Wild Rover Of Hell”). Listen if only for the astounding Corrosion Of Conformity-esque “Hallelujah Goat” and their jaw-dropping take on the Hank Williams’ classic “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”

Old Songs:
Chris Cagle – “Chicks Dig It” (from Self-Titled 2003)
Classics IV – “Spooky” (from Spooky 1968)
Dinah Washington – “Relax Max” (from The Swingin’ Miss “D” 1956)
The Eels – “Elizabeth On The Bathroom Floor” (from Electro-Shock Blues 1998)
Elvin Bishop – “Fooled Around And Fell In Love” (Radio Single 1976)
Gary Wright – “Love Is Alive” (from The Dream Weaver 1975)
Manfred Mann – “The Mighty Quinn” (Radio Single 1968)

Old Albums:
The Animals – Live At The Go-Go (MGM 1965)
The Beach Boys – Beach Boys Party – Live! (Capitol 1965)
Faces – Long Player (Warner Bros. 1971)
Fleetwood Mac – The Dance (Reprise 1997)
Foo Fighters – The Colour And The Shape (Roswell / Capitol 1997)
Gravity Kills – Self-Titled (TVT 1996)
Venom – Welcome To Hell (Neat Records 1981)

Music Picks for April 26th, 2009

2009-04-26T14:44:00.000-07:00

4-26-2009:
New Songs:
Asher Roth – “I Love College” (from Asleep In The Bread Aisle)
Brazilian Girls w/David Byrne – “I’m Losing Myself” (MySpace Single)
Brutal Truth – “Evolution Through Revolution” (from Evolution Through Revolution)
Cursive – “We’re Going To Hell” (from Mama, I’m Swollen)
The Decemberists – “The Rake’s Song” (from The Hazards of Love)
MSTRKRFT – “1000 Cigarettes” (w/Freeway) (from Fist of God)
Riverboat Gamblers – “Pilgrims In An Unholy Land” (from Underneath The Owl)
Rye Rye w/M.I.A. – “Bang” (from Fast And Furious Soundtrack)
Vreid – “Heroes And Villains” (from Milorg)
Wild Light – “California On My Mind” (from Adult Nights)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Zero” and “Dull Life” (from It’s Blitz!)

New Albums:
MSTRKRFT – Fist Of God (Universal)
Riverboat Gamblers – Underneath The Owl (Volcom Entertainment)
The Decemberists – The Hazards Of Love (Capitol Records)
Vreid – Milorg (Indie Recordings)

Old Songs:
The Box Tops – “Cry Like A Baby” (from Cry Like A Baby 1968)
The Frogs – “Lord Grunge” (from Starjob EP 1997)
Loggins And Messina – “Back To Georgia” (from Sittin’ In 1972)
Fountains Of Wayne – “Stacey’s Mom” (from Welcome Interstate Managers 2003)

Old Albums:
Buffalo Springfield – Self-Titled (Atco 1967)
Death Cab For Cutie – Narrow Stairs (Atlantic / Barsuk 2008)
Jimmy Buffett – Take The Weather With You (Mailboat Records 2006)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Stadium Arcadium (Warner Brothers 2006)

Music Picks for April 19th, 2009

2009-04-19T12:41:00.000-07:00

4-17-2009:
New Songs:
M. Ward (w/Lucinda Williams) – “Oh Lonesome Me” (from Hold Time)
My Dying Bride – “Echoes From A Hollow Soul” and “Santuario di Sangue” (from For Lies I Sire)
Portrait – “A Thousand Nightmares” (from Heavy Metal Killers)
Revolting Cocks – “Red Parrot” (from Sex-O Olympic-O)
Séance – “Murder” and “Choose your Enemy” (from Awakening Of The Gods)
The Eyes Of A Traitor - “Escape These Walls” and “Decorus” (from A Clear Perception)
The Qemists – “Lost Weekend” (w/Mike Patton) and “Dem Na Like Me” (w/Wiley) (from Join The Q)
Willie Nelson and Asleep At The Wheel – “I’m Sittin’ On Top Of The World” (from Willie And The Wheel)

New Albums:
My Dying Bride – For Lies I Sire (Peaceville Records)
Séance – Awakening Of The Gods (Pulverised Records)
The Eyes Of A Traitor – A Clear Perception (Listenable Records)
The Qemists – Join The Q (Ninja Tune)

Old Songs:
Alphaville – “Forever Young” (from Forever Young 1984)
Rob Thomas – “This Is How A Heart Breaks” (from …Something To Be 2005)
3rd Bass – “Pop Goes The Weasel” (from Derelicts Of Dialect 1991)

Old Albums:
Cinderella – Long Cold Winter (Mercury 1988)
Jim Croce – Photgraphs and Memories (ABC Records 1974)
James Taylor – Sweet Baby James (Warner Bros. 1970)
The Temptations – Ultimate Collection (Motown 2000)
Traffic – Welcome To The Canteen (Live) (Island 1971)

Music Picks for April 12th, 2009

2009-04-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

4-12-2009
New Songs:
The Answer – “Cry Out” (from Everyday Demons)
Mastodon – “The Czar” and “The Last Baron” (from Crack The Skye)
Napalm Death – “On The Brink Of Extinction”, “Feeling Redundant” and “A No-Sided Argument” (from Time Waits For No Slave)
Obscura – “Orbital Elements” (from Cosmogenesis)
Papa Roach – “Lifeline” and “Live It Down” (from Metamorphosis)
Royksopp – “The Girl And The Robot” (from Junior)
Sirenia – “The Seventh Summer” (from The 13th Floor)
Thyrfing – “Griftefrid” (from Hels Vite)
White Lies – “E.S.T.” and “To Lose My Life” (from To Lose My Life Or Lose My Love)

New Albums:
Mastodon – Crack the Skye (Reprise)
Napalm Death – Time Waits For No Slave (Century Media)
Sirenia – The 13th Floor (Nuclear Blast)
Thyrfing – Hels Vite (Regain Records)
White Lies – To Lose My Life Or Lose My Love (Fiction)

Old Songs:
Crazy Town – “Drowning” (from Darkhorse 2002)
DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince – “Summertime” (from Homebase 1991)
John Parr – “St. Elmo’s Fire” (from St. Elmo’s Fire Soundtrack 1985)
Kim Wilde – “Kids In America” (from Self-Titled 1982)
Paramore – “Brighter” (from All We Know Is Falling 2005)
Saving Abel – “Drowning (Face Down)” (from Self-Titled 2008)
The Smashing Pumpkins – “Drown” (from Singles Soundtrack 1992)
Timex Social Club – “Rumors” (from Vicious Rumors 1986)
T’Pau – “Heart And Soul” (from Bridge Of Spies 1987)

Old Albums:
Duran Duran – The Wedding Album (Capitol / EMI 1993)
Madonna – The Immaculate Collection (Sire / Warner Bros. 1990)
Prince – 1999 (Warner Bros 1982)
Prince And The Revolution – Purple Rain (Warner Bros 1984)

Music Picks for April 5th, 2009

2009-04-05T13:06:00.000-07:00

4-05-2009
New Songs:
Heartless Bastards – “Nothing Seems The Same” (from The Mountain)
J.J. Cale – “Down To Memphis” and “Leaving In The Morning” (from Roll On)
Kreator – “Radical Resistance” and “Demon Prince” (from Hordes Of Chaos)
Lamb Of God – “Contractor” and “Grace” (from Wrath)
Queensryche – “Hundred Mile Stare” and “If I Were King” (from American Soldier)

New Albums:
Lamb Of God – Wrath (Epic / Roadrunner)
Queensryche – American Soldier (Rhino Entertainment)

Old Songs:
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy – “You & Me & The Bottle Makes Three Tonight” (from Americana Deluxe 1998)
Blink 182 – “Dammit” (from Dude Ranch 1997)
Nonpoint – “What A Day” (from Statement 2000)
Rancid – “Ruby Soho” (from …And Out Come The Wolves 1995)
Real Life – “Send Me An Angel” (from Heartland 1983)

Old Albums:
Alice In Chains – Dirt (Columbia 1992)
Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On (Motown 1971)
Tool – Undertow (Zoo Entertainment 1993)
Wallflowers – Bringing Down The Horse (Interscope 1996)

Music Picks for March 29th, 2009

2009-03-29T08:16:00.000-07:00

3-29-2009
New Songs:
Adagio – “Undead” (from Archangels In Black)
Beirut – “No Dice” (from March of the Zapotec / Realpeople Holland EP)
Cattle Decapitation – “The Ripe Beneath the Rind” (from The Harvest Floor)
The Cotton Jones Basket Ride – “Up A Tree (Went This Heart I Have)” (from Paranoid Cocoon)
Cougar Den – “Bury The Vatican” (from Keepondrifter)
Dan Auerbach – “Street Walkin’” (from Keep It Hid)
Fake Problems – “Alligator Assassinator” (from It’s Great To Be Alive)
Grammatics – “Relentless Fours” (from Self-Titled)
Grave Digger – “Pray” (from Ballads Of A Hangman)
Starsailor w/Brandon Flowers – “Tell Me It’s Not Over” (Unreleased Single)

New Albums:
Cattle Decapitation – The Harvest Floor (Metal Blade Records)

Old Songs:
Drowning Pool – “37 Stitches” (from Full Circle 2007)
Kottonmouth Kings – “Dog’s Life” (from Royal Highness 1998)
Nick Lowe – “Cruel To Be Kind” (from Labour Of Lust 1979)
School Of Fish – “Three Strange Days” (from Self-Titled 1991)

Old Albums:
Cracker – Kerosene Hat (Virgin 1993)
Cream – Disraeli Gears (Atco 1967)
Jimmy Buffett – A-1-A (MCA 1974)
Pearl Jam – Lost Dogs (Epic 2003)
Puddle Of Mudd - Come Clean (Flawless / Geffen 2001)
Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble – Texas Flood (Epic 1983)
Stone Temple Pilots – Purple (Atlantic 1994)

Music Picks for March 22nd, 2009

2009-03-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

3-22-2009
New Songs:
Andrew Bird – “Fitz and Dizzyspells” (from Noble Beast)
Animal Collective – “Summertime Clothes” (from Merriweather Post Pavillion)
Cobalt – “Two-Thumbed Fist” (from Gin)
Dalek – “Blessed Are They Who Bash Your Children's Heads Against A Rock / No Question” (from Gutter Tactics)
Fight Like Apes – “I’m Beginning To Think You Prefer ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ To Me” (from Fight Like Apes & the Mystery Of The Golden Medallion)
Morrissey – “When Last I Spoke To Carol” (from Years Of Refusal)
Serpentcult – “Screams From The Deep” (from Weight Of Light)
Sylosis – “Conclusion Of An Age” (from Conclusion Of an Age)
These Are Powers – “Light After Sound” (from All Aboard Future)

New Albums:
Cobalt – Gin (Profound Lore)
Fight Like Apes – Fight Like Apes & The Mystery Of The Golden Medallion (Model Citizen Records)
Morrissey – Years Of Refusal (Attack / Lost Highway)
Sylosis – Conclusion Of An Age (Nuclear Blast Records)

Old Songs:
The Beatles – “Penny Lane” (Capitol Records Single 1967)
Golden Earring – “Twilight Zone” (from Cut 1982)
Gravity Kills – “Guilty” (from Gravity Kills 1996)
Matisyahu – “King Without A Crown” (from Live At Stubb’s 2005)
Night Ranger – “When You Close Your Eyes” (from Midnight Madness 1983)
Snow Patrol – “Run” (from Final Straw 2004)
Stevie Nicks – “Rooms On Fire” (from The Other Side Of The Mirror 1989)

Old Albums:
Beat Happening – You Turn Me On (K Records / Sub Pop 1992)
Big Black – Songs About Fucking (Touch & Go 1987)
The Black Crowes – Shake Your Money Maker (Def American 1990)
The Doors – The Doors (Elektra / Asylum 1967)
The Jackson 5 – Boxset (Motown 2004)
Meat Loaf – Bat Out Of Hell (Epic 1977)
Metallica – ReLoad (Elektra 1997)
Michael Jackson – Bad (Epic 1987)
Michael Jackson – Dangerous (Epic 1991)
Michael Jackson – Off The Wall (Epic 1979)
Michael Jackson – Thriller (Epic 1982)
Tom Cochrane – Mad, Mad World (Capitol 1992)

Music Picks for March 15th, 2009

2009-03-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

3-15-2009
New Songs:
David Sitek – “With A Girl Like You” (from Dark Was The Night Compilation)
Feist and Ben Gibbard – “Train Song” (from Dark Was The Night Compilation)
Flo Rida – “Right Round” (from R.O.O.T.S. )
Hoobastank – “My Turn” and “Tears of Yesterday” (from For(N)ever)
Kelly Clarkson – “Don’t Let Me Stop You” and “Long Shot” (from All I Ever Wanted)
Living Things – “Cost Of Living” (from Habeus Corpus)
N.A.S.A. feat./David Byrne, Chali 2na, Gift of Gab and Z-Trip – “The People Tree” (from The Spirit of Apollo)
N.A.S.A. feat./David Byrne, Chuck D., Ras Congo, Seu Jorge and Z-Trip – “Money” (from The Spirit of Apollo)
N.A.S.A. feat./Del the Funkee Homosapien and DJ Qbert – “Samba Soul” (from The Spirit of Apollo)
N.A.S.A. feat./Karen O, Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Fat Lip – “Strange Enough” (from The Spirit of Apollo)
N.A.S.A. feat./Tom Waits and Kool Keith – “SpaciousThoughts” (from The Spirit of Apollo)
The New Pornographers – “Hey, Snow White” (from Dark Was The Night Compilation)
This Ending – “Instigator Of Dead Flesh” and “Dead Harvest” (from Dead Harvest)
Thursday – “You Were The Cancer” (from Common Existence)

New Albums:
Living Things – Habeus Corpus (Jive)
This Ending – Dead Harvest (Metal Blade Records)
Thursday – Common Existence (Epitaph)

Old Songs:
Alien Ant Farm – “Smooth Criminal” (from ANThology 2001)
Cutting Crew – “(I Just) Died In Your Arms” (from Broadcast 1986)
Guano Apes – “Open Your Eyes” (from Proud Like A God 1997)
Iron Maiden – “Ides Of March” (from Killers 1981)
The O’Jays – “Back Stabbers” (from Back Stabbers 1972)
Stuck Mojo – “Country Road” (from The Great Revival 2008)
The Union Underground – “Turn Me On ‘Mr. Deadman’” (from …An Education In Rebellion 2000)

Old Albums:
Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A-Changin’ (Columbia 1964)
Caesar And Cleo – Baby Don’t Go (Atlantic / Atco 1965)
Carcass – Heartwork (Earache 1993)
Dream Theater – Images and Words (Atco 1992)
Rush – Grace Under Pressure (Anthem 1984)
U2 – Pop (Island 1997)

Music Picks for March 8th, 2009

2009-03-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

3-08-2009
New Songs:

Black Lips – “Body Combat” (from 200 Million Thousand)
Deathstars – “Venus In Arms” (from Night Electric Night)
Lily Allen – “Not Fair” (from It’s Not Me, It’s You)
Saxon – “Valley of the Kings” (from Into The Labyrinth)
U2 – “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight” (from No Line on the Horizon)
The Von Bondies – “The Chancer” and “Blame Game” (from Love, Hate and Then There’s You)

New Albums:
Black Lips – 200 Million Thousand (Vice)
Deathstars – Night Electric Night (Nuclear Blast)
Malefice – Dawn Of Reprisal (Metal Blade)
U2 – No Line on the Horizon (Interscope)

Old Albums:

Boston – Self-Titled (Epic 1976)
Soul Coughing – Irresistible Bliss (Slash / Warner Bros. 1996)

Old Songs:

Framing Hanley – “Lollipop” (MySpace single 2008)
Helloween – “I Want Out” (from Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2 1988)
Jenn Grant – “Make It Home Tonight” (from Orchestra For The Moon 2007)
Johnette Napolitano – “Suicide Note” (from Underworld: Soundtrack 2003)
Sevendust – “Going Back to Cali” (from Take A Bite Outta Rhyme: A Rock Tribute to Rap 2000)
Sugarcult – “Memory” (from Palm Trees And Power Lines 2004)

Music Picks for March 01, 2009

2009-03-01T10:49:00.000-08:00

Greetings readers,
Hope you all enjoyed the 2008 Drager Awards (those that are done with them. And those that are still trying to finish, I know, I went a little overboard this year on the longwindedness). Thank you to everyone for their feedback. Your concerns and comments were most welcome (except for what my faithful readers in Ohio said about where I could put my Madonna cd pick. Sorry, but that physical feat is just impossible. My head won't fit there)
As I was playing catch-up the last few weeks, I don't have as many choices for albums as I would like but I found two so far that are at least worth checking out. I hopefully gave you enough songs to start your year off right.
Enjoy!
Songs:

The 1990s – “The Box” (from Kicks)
Alestorm – “Wolves Of The Sea” (from Leviathan EP)
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - “Around The Bend” (from Fruit)
The Bird And The Bee – “You’re A Cad” (from Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future)
Bruce Springsteen – “My Lucky Day” (from Working On A Dream)
Cannibal Corpse – “Beheading And Burning” (from Evisceration Plague)
Chris Cornell – “Take Me Alive” (MusicRemedy single)
Destroy Destroy Destroy – “The Winged Panther” (from Battle Sluts)
Devian – “Saintbleeder” (from God To The Illfated)
Francis And The Light – “Lime” (MySpace single)
Franz Ferdinand – “No You Girls” (from Tonight: Franz Ferdinand)
Glasvegas – “Go Square Go” (from Glasvegas)
Handsome Furs – “Legal Tender” (from Face Control)
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – “Soldiers Get Strange” (from Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit)
Lil Wayne – “Prom Queen” (from Rebirth)
Mark Olson And Gary Louris – “Chamberlain, SD” (from Ready For The Flood)
Neko Case – “People Got A Lotta Nerve” (from Middle Cyclone)
The Rifles – “The Great Escape” (from The Great Escape)
Robyn Hitchcock And The Venus 3 – “Hurry For The Sky” (from Goodnight Oslo)
Skindred – “Electric Avenue” (MySpace single)
White Antelope – “False Knight On The Road” (MySpace single)

Albums:

The Asteroids Galaxy Tour – Fruit (Import)
Devian – God To The Illfated (Century Media Records)