Friday, December 29, 2006

Common Sense Ain't So Common.....Siltblog's 'Best Of' 2006



I ain't one much for Best Of list's but at least it's a plug for some & a shout-out to others. I guess I could've been more in depth about these choices but I'm already runnin late (we're goin to Bolivia for the New Year's) & it ain't brain surgery (at least not yet) so fuck it. I got a plane to catch. My apologies to anyone I missed whoever you are.



Some CD's;

Meatus Murder-More Songs About Balling & Food
Chris Corsano-The Young Cricketeer
Kousokuya-Live At Minor
Country Teasers-Empire Strikes Back
Paeces-Otherroomly Soundtrack
xxNo Barbequexx-Sunshine Of Your Love
Eddy Current Suppression Ring-S/T
Solar Anus-Skull Alcoholic (dbl)

Some Vinyl;

Pink Reason-S/T 7"
Donna Parker-Debutante Lp
Evil- A True Untimely Atrocity 10"
Homo Stupids-Brutal Birthday 7"
Las Malas Amistades-Jardin Interior 3x7"
Clockcleaner-Missing Dick 7"
Hank IV-3rd Person Shooter Lp
Sapat-Tongue-Tied & Staid 7"
Psychedelic Horseshit-Who Let The Dogs Out? 7"
Sun City Girls-Djinn Funnel Lp
Nothing People-Twinkie Defense 7"
Major Stars-Syntoptikon Lp
Circle-Arkades Lp

Cassette's;

Blues Control-Riverboat Styx
Violent Students-Bitchy Woman
Hole Class-A Glimpse Of Hole Class
The Captain & Shaquille-Blood Bath & Beyond
The Pigeons-River Surfer (dbl)


Label's;

Vinyl-On-Demand
Sublime Frequencies
Intransitive Recordings
S-S


Live;

Times New Viking
Country Teasers
Clockcleaner
Hank IV
Endless Boogie

See ya next year!

Thursday, December 28, 2006

The Black Plastic Sound.....Psychatrone Rhonedakk's 'Disturbs The Air' CD



A belated Merry Christmas to all the readers out there. I hope it was fun & festive. Ours was spent up to Bethlehem, PA as the "guest's" of Mr. & Mrs. Clifford Knowtes, old (now ex) friends of mine from the Camp Century days. It weren't a traditional invite, more like a plea for help disguised as one. "You just have to come. You must, I will not take no for an answer" was the message on the voice mail. "And bring Miriam too, absolutely. Would you mind terribly if we impressed both your services for preparing Christmas dinner? I thought not. That's the spirit! Don't worry, we'll have everything here you'll need. I'll send a car down early Friday to pick you up. Report directly to the kitchen on your arrival, I mean, it will be so nice to see you both! Cheers Roland, Cheers Miriam, see you soon".
And so our dye was cast. By the way, Miriam is MG's 1st name. That's right, Miriam, Miriam Webster. Up till now I didn't want to get her implicated on this blog, but considerin the situation, it can't be helped. She & Cliff ain't never got along. He think's she's a pedantic know-it-all, she think's he's a lazy neophyte. But I see the goodness in both of'em. Or did. So yeah, we went up there & knocked out one helluva Xmas dinner; baked oysters, roast duck, plum pudding, a mulled wine...it was like something outta Dickens & the fuckers were just about as stingy too. It weren't but a few minutes after we was done w/the dishes & polishin the silver when some fella come in & said, 'your car is ready'. No after dinner drinks, no thank you's, goodbye's or leftovers,nothin! We was shown the door & driven out into the night as though we was banished servants. I was fit to be tied. I shoulda known. Cliff Knowtes was always looking for the cheap & easy way to go. And I played us right into it. As we was drivin down 309 on our way back I was recountin the story to our driver, York. He didn't seem too suprised by it all & I don't wonder why. Probably happens all the time. Like myself, York was a bit of a philosopher so when I seen his eyes lookin at me in the rear view mirror, all sympathetic as he pronounced "that's life" to our plight, I knew he understood. The he got to tellin us how he kept himself sane while surrounded by all the pettiness & backstabbin; ambient music. Specifically an artist know as Psychatrone Rhonedakk. He asked if I'd ever heard him. I felt myself tense up a bit at the question. See, I had heard some of his stuff a few yrs back & didn't take to it at all. But I thought better of tellin the truth & said 'No'. With that, York put in a cd called 'Disturbs The Air' & said 'check this out & tell me what you think'. So for the next howeverlongittook to get back to the Fishtown we listened in silence to the dark droning world of Psychatrone Rhonedakk. And I gotta tell ya, it was far out! I can't say what it was that had put me off his stuff them yrs before, but as we slipped through the rain 'n fog enveloped in his murky trance, I couldn't have been any happier than if I was home. There was alot workin & it seemed to come at us from all sides. I heard moments where I'd have swore it was DG 307 & others when it sounded like it could be some bizarre genius on the Limelight or Mainstream label.There was a little bit of Todd Clark & AK Process in the mix too. He even does a Warren Zevon cover & reworks it into an ominious fugue that recalls something off've Roxy Music's 'For Your Pleasure' more than anything by an excitable boy in dancing school. Overall it was decidedly atmospheric & in all likelihood I'd have probably never given it a chance if it was somethin I was to play at the house but that's why fate is so important. So I got hustled into workin Christmas by a shitbag & his wife. That's the hand I was dealt. But in the end it was really a setup for the wildcard (& moral of the story) which was Psychatrone Rhonedakk. Here I am writin up someone I'd written off all because of a ripoff & sendup that I shoulda been smart enough to see through. It was all an elaborate plot so's I could make good on my initial dumbheadedness w/the dismissal of Psychatrone Rhonedakk & his work. So while I didn't get to feast on no duck, I sure got myself plenty of crow to digest. One of these days I'll find them other cd's of his I got & see what I missed, & when that happens, I'll build a car to drive'em around, but for now, I'm content to just glide along w/'Disturbs The Air' as my sonic navigator through his DIY solar system. Contact http://www.summerstepsrecords.com/ for more info.

Friday, December 22, 2006

S.H.I.T.P.O.P. 2006.....Times New Viking/Psychedelic Horseshit Split 7" EP

Last post was concernin the Times New Viking/Psychedelic Horseshit current 'No Xmas' tour & what to do about it, as in.....GO SEE THEM. Up till now the 10 little dimes they's collected's only amounted to a wet, wrinkled dollar but sometimes that's all it takes to make a dream come true in New York City. Tonight's show at Cake Shop is definitely TNV's final EC outing of this year, but might also be the last time anyone see's them in these parts shiverin in their flimsy Siltbreeze t-shirts. Word has it that a Matador ensemble of matching beret's & scarf's have been ordered. The band claims that they have indeed been fitted for said attire & are excited to don the garish foppery asap but are holding out for pink Vespa's + a sidecar (for gear carryin purposes) to sweeten the pot. Wait, did I just say pot? That reminds me, they.......
Anyway, last post also mentioned a split "tour only" ep that perked the ears of some West Coasties. Their question was, 'is it true?' The answer is yes, as true as any of the truths that have ever been tittered on this testimonial. The Times New Viking side is a hot preview from their forthcoming 'Presents The Paisley Reich' (cd) release; 3 songs-including one track ripped from/inspired by half of a Half Japanese cover-that will no doubt continue to have the glossy compnoscenti spilling verbiage about comparisons to Pavement or Guided By Voices simply because they can't "accurately" reference (let alone ever heard) the Clean or Axemen. But it's all good, right? Psychedelic Horseshit's contrib continues to pile up the no-fi ante, tipplin towards the Axemen side of the coin; smearin, slashin both spleen 'n strings in the grand tradition of Bob Cardy & Stevie McCabe so expertly that if I didn't know better I'd have figured these tracks was culled from a Sleek Bott cassette. If this comparison sounds foreign to you, that's cause it is. We can't all be from God's Country. It's high time some of ya learned that. Wait, did I just say high? What in the hell is.......


This split 7" is available (if not now, soon) via http://www.midheaven.com/ or contact either band through their MySpace pages (sorry, you'll have to look those up yourself. I'm goin to bed!).
Don't be afraid to ask for the handcolored one's either.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Yes Virginia, There Is A Appomattox Courthouse, I mean, SANTA CLAUS.....Times New Viking/Psychedelic Horseshit Live! Last 2 Dates! Go See'em!!



Times New Viking & Psychedelic Horseshit got the bright idea to do a small tour of the near South & East Coast the week right before Christmas. And it has been about as hostile & inhospitable of a folly than it deserves. And so w/a couple of cancelled gigs, the little army of six decided to bivouac at my place for the past few days. Nice people's one & all. You can always learn from your houseguests, especially if they's in band's. For instance, up until today, I never knew what the inside of a cigarette filter smells like or that an entire floor of a building could replicate said aroma but that's what I got goin on now. You'd have thought they was all smokin clones devised by Phillip Morris in a 'Boys From Brazil' sorta way. They huff 'n puff them butt's like they was a life force.It's an eye burnin, sneeze inducin fog that won't lift. I was thinkin about leavin some bleach out to kill the stench but I'm afraid one of'em would drink it (they'll do just about anything to catch a buzz, especially the one called Jor-el, or Jarrod). They's went down to Baltimore yesterday for a skirmish at Talking Head & come back about 4am all the more worse for the wear. There's gear missin, eye-glasses what's been lost, toes broken & on top of all that, they didn't even get paid! I tell ya, listenin to the tales of woe & seein them all in various states of fatigue, anger & bewilderment, they's like a ragtag band of Confederate ruffians tryin to scavenge the landscape in the early days of April, 1865. And every time I open the door to the downstairs parlor-what w/the odor've forced heat blowin stale smoke,ripe socks, etc.-& see their bloated bodies wheezin & coughin as they sleep, it's about a close to a Matthew Brady repro of Antietam as I want in the here & now. But while's they might be bloodied, they remain unbowed & the last 2 shows will no doubt prove to be the dingers of this, uh, "campaign". Grey thumbs or not. So fans, enlist now! Here's where;

TONIGHT
Weds.
12/20/06
Philadelphia, PA
TRITONE BAR
1508 South Street

Times New Viking
Home Blitz
Psychedelic Horseshit

*

FRIDAY
12/22/06
New York City, NY
CAKE SHOP
152 Ludlow St

Times New Viking
Psychedelic Horseshit
Clockcleaner

And don't forget to ask for (& buy) the new tour only split 7" ep, limited to idon'tknowhowmany copies. They can't eat'em. Maybe you can.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

A Huffy By Any Other Name.....Top Ten List for 12/14/06



Why is it that the people's who nowaday's want to know so much about Desperate Bicycles is also the one's that ride'em? Ever notice that? Ponderous, ain't it?

Here's a play list for the past half hour;

Smelly Feet-Toe Tapping Songs 7" ep

American Gorilla-Forsaking All Others/Masters Of War 7"

Usch-LTO 7"ep

The Moodists-Gone Dead/Chad's Car 7"

TVP's-I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives/Magnificent Dreams 7" (Japanese Pressing)

Tom & Marty Band-New Wave Twist 7" ep

25 Cents-Y The Wich/Don't Decieve Me 7"

The One Takes-Extended Play 7" ep

Front-System/Queen's Mafia 7"

The Sleepers-Seventh World 7" ep

If You Can't Stand The Heat, How About Freezing To Death As An Option?.....Flaming Fire's 'When The High Bell Rings' CD



This here blog is my job as any readers out there in Readerland already knows. And because of my opinionatin, this blog has gained a modicum of interest, so's it seems to me that if promo's come, they oughta be mine, correct? And it also seems logical (to I) that some stuff should arrive bearin my name for my perusal. That's happened a few times lately & a certain someone started cavortin around w/the BF ('Bitch Face'). That was until he heard'em. Then it was all smiles 'n laughs as though he'd dodged a bullet. What a douche! Granted for the most part it ain't been a problem as there ain't many promo's arrivin. For that, everyone here at Siltbreeze & Siltblog (both of us) says THANK YOU. Sure, we's glad to get the good one's. Even the bad one's that the hipster's can't see through makes for lunch money. But then there's one what shows up & you come to the glarin realization of what a shit encrusted business the music industry is. For instance, bingo!, this here's that came by Flaming Fire. I ain't sure I can parley the utter uselessness of it's existence. How about an equation like; Reesa & The Rooters plus Picasso Trigger divided by The Tubes & there you go. Better yet, the "lost" Waitresses lp on Load! Or how about if Six Flags, Taco Bell & Red Bull were looking to mount a travelling production for the Punk version of Meatloaf's 'Bat Out Of Hell'..... I've got the cast they's lookin for right here! I know what your thinking & your right. It's worse. They gotta website to see for yourself at: http://www.flamingfire.com/
or just wait for the article in Blender that's sure to appear soon enough. For you local's that want a taste, in about 5 minutes I'm gonna drop this into the trashcan at Girard & Frankford, so if you's is ridin by on your ironic bike, feel free to "comp" this into the pocket of your vintage coat on the way to the coffeeshop so you can sit outside in the rain & smoke. And to the promo department of Silly Bird I say, thanks a latte. For nothing. There's only one Arthur in this town & it ain't Treacher's (RIP), so save them promo stamps to address to US when you got somethin GOOD to hawk. Like ol' Ken Franklin used to say "It's a cold world out there sometimes. Particularly when you've got no spark".

Ain't it the truth?

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Message In A Blotter.....Hototogisu+Burning Star Core's 'Volume One' CD




MG's lil sister Buzzy was here not far back at Thanksgiving & boy she sure has gone 'n growed up. But other than strikin a nice figure, I couldn't see any difference. At first. She's still prone to just sit there & give you the long distance stare all through the day & never has been much for talkin. But after we'd done went to bed it was a different story. Up all night she'd be, checkin out our various cd's & records, havin a whale of time by the sound of things. In the mornings I'd ask her what it was she'd been listenin to & she'd just giggle, eat some oatmeal, bat her eyes & giggle some more.If you know Buzzy then you'll know that this retard bit is a coin toss. Is it an act or is it real? I've learned not to let it dwell. Just take it on the chin. So we finally got her back on the bus home the other day & as I was cleanin up the guest room I found some journal she'd left behind. Most of it was filled with letters what was never sent, drawin's of mythical beasts, basically, the usual.And then I come across this entry & had a laugh. I was gonna review the cd myself but I think ol' Buzzy got the drop on me w/this one. I still ain't sure if she's runnin on a full tank mentally, but she seems to know a thing or two about a thing or two. An idiot savant perhaps? There ain't no way I could ever say somethin like that to MG or her folks, they'd kill me! All's they'd hear was the idiot part & my goose would be cooked. So's I'm gonna run it here for you's to decide. Like I said, it's got legs, but I may be bias seein as how she's family 'n all. Well, almost.

11/26/06 3:30am

Wow, Roland sure has a lot of music. My sister told me he was a total geek when it came to records & cd's but this is amazing. There's so much cool stuff. I guess if you have a blog then you get free shit. I want a blog! I would do mine like a diary or something. Make it more intimate and warm. Not cold & mean like Roland's. I basically like people even if I can't stand the sight of them. What would be my 1st review? How about this cd by Hototogisu + Burning Star Core. It looks rad!

11/26/06 3:38am
Wow, this is going to be good I can just tell. It's like industrial psychedelia! The only drag is that I don't think the drummer's much of an improviser. He's beating that snare like one of those windup monkey toys with the cymbals. He needs to be more organic, like Andrea Centazzo, and less intrusive, like John Bonham. I think he's the same guy in Hair Police. Roland says they are like Harry Pussy lite. I think that is funny. I'm always giving my Dad a hard time about listening to Aerosmith for the same reason. I'm like 'Dad, don't you have some shitty Rolling Stones records that are better than this"? He always says that what the Budweiser's for but he says that about alot of things. I hate Budweiser.

11/26/06 4:08am
Wow, now it sounds like a convergence of angels. But not Heavenly angels, rather, Angels of Satan. I was reading a magazine called Bananafish that I found lying around & it had an interview w/this guy Spencer that's on this cd. He was talking about how he was classically trained and preparing for conservatory and perhaps a career w/a orchestra or something but he decided to leave the light and embrace the darkness. Like Lucifer did. I know a few people that if I played this for them they would think they were trapped in some sort of sonic, aural Hell. Speaking of which, if this Spencer guy is still living in Cincinnati, then he's closer to Lucifer than he knows. Talk about a Hell on earth! I think I'd be mad too.

11/26/06 4:25am
Wow, what exactly is a Hototogisu? It is like a Hototoginsu, like a special knife? Would it be a knife for carving sound? What would a sound knife look like? Would it look like a Hototogisu or a Hototoginsu? Where do these people come up with these names? They must be really smart.

11/26/06 4:28am
Wow, this little pin just fell out of the cd case! It's a pin with the face of Marcia Bassett on it. It's just like her picture on the cover of the cd, only bigger. The resemblance is uncanny, it's almost exactly the same. Now that is intense. Not to mention psychedelic. I think I'm starting to see trails too. Killer.

11/26/06 4:50am
Wow, I think I nodded off there for a sec. This cd is soothing yet punishing. It sort of reminds me of that line from that one Hellraiser movie where the pinface guy says "Your suffering will be legendary. Even in Hell"! In a way I could see this music as a soundtrack for a horror movie. I guess. Maybe a colonial horror movie with Genesis P-Orridge as an evil George Washington. Or Martha Washington. Or both! Woah, that's a creepy thought. It could work, that's the really scary part. Is this cd great or what?

11/26/06 5:06am
Wow, that cd was neat. It's not even over yet. Or maybe it started all over again. Whatever, I have to go to bed. It's going to be great for that. It's like my ears are ringing after a night of mutilating cattle or listening to my parents scream at each other about all the empty Budweiser cans my Dad has strewn all over the house. I bet if we had this Hototogisu + Burning Star Core cd at my house, the place would be a lot cleaner, especially if I threatened my folks with it every waking minute of the day.Or maybe I should just move out. That's a good idea too. I'll have to sleep on it.
Okay, good night!

http://www.dronedisco.com/

Monday, December 11, 2006

What's The Difference Between Another Noise Rock Band & A Bucket Of Shit?.....Howlin Magic's S/T Cd



It wasn't all that long ago when somebody asked for a moratorium on bands usin the name 'Wolf' as a callin card. There is a bunch of'em
too, most as sad & borin as the day is long. This year Howlin was the name that caught on. Howlin this & Howlin that. 2006, the year Howlin broke....funny ain't it? Okay it's not. It's sad. Sad 'cause none of the Howlin bands I heard really howled. Whined maybe, rocked a little, stomped around. No howlin though & not all that convincin to my ears. But the name's trendy & carries a certain cache I reckon. I'm just waitin for some dumb duck's to come along & call themselves Howlin Wolf, thinkin that they's bein original. Mark my words, it'll happen. Probably come out on Sub Pop too, who'll put a spin on it & have it wreakin of irony. Some dud at Pitchfork will pick it up & run with it &...... gettin depressed? Hold on, I ain't even wrote nothin about Howlin Magic yet!
Listenin to the Howlin Magic cd, my 1st thought was that K-Tel came back in business. You know, cashin in on the New Weird America scene. Howlin Magic got all the moves & noises down pat, the results of which are as sterile as an operatin room. The guitars squall-just like their supposed to-the drums thud w/feral intentions, there's lot's of obligatory extraneous "found" crap, on the whole the thing is sufficiently "gnarly". On top of that, the artwork & layout is so incredibly lame that if I didn't know better I'd have thought it was the work of somebody w/a bone to pick takin the piss, you know, like the Pork Dukes. Stoic believers in the New Weird America bible live by a mantra that all noise is cool, so if they's butterin your bread, this is essential. I mean it has to be, cause it sounds just like everybody else. If this was a cdr I wouldn't have even bothered, but somebody's went & started a label w/this shit, got themselves a barcode & everything. Couldn't they have just saved that money & gone to law school instead? I guess that don't have the same resonance of cool down to the Tonic or Pink Pony or wherever. But hey, if bands could sue for blatant thievery, the brain-trust at Azul Discografia would know the error of their decision. If this is what's passin for Pollander All Fruit in the scene right now then alls I gotta say is make mine w/jelly!
And before I forget,the answer is-the bucket.
Your welcome.

azulddiscografica@gmail.com

Friday, December 01, 2006

Cosmic Tones From Hoosier Hotshots.....Lord Fyre's 'Destruction At 2013' LP



I got this friend named Vance Hitler who claims he's related to you-know-who. An uncle or somethin. I know, it's preposterous! Claims he growed up on Long Island where folks either hated or feared him 'cause of his surname. Says his line of the family had always kept a considerable distance from their despotic kin even as far back as the 1930's. So all's they got in common is the name. That's alot if ya ask me! But Vance is a funny guy & just about as opposite from his evil forebearer as a fella could be. He loves meat ('cept sausages), hate's marzipan, don't paint, not a dog fan, despises clowns, never done coke & likes his drink (not whiskey though. "makes me mean" he always says w/a smile). And comin up wherever in Long Island, he was surrounded by cults, paranormal mediums & ufo nuts of all sorts. Which might go a long way to explain why he runs this bookstore what's devoted to Flat Earth theories, conspiracies of all sort's, science fiction, the whole bit (the one exception bein anything on the Spear Of Destiny for, uh, obvious reasons). It's a neat place & there's always some curious smellin incense permeatin the room as well as atmospheric music waftin outta the speakers.Once when I was in to pickup this book on Mayan submarines the nose-ringed girl what sometimes filled in was playin this spacey instrumental buzz & I asked who it was. "Lord Frye" was the response, "like the boot". I don't know why, but right then I weren't no longer interested. I never did like them boots, they took forever to break in & yr feet hurt like hell all the way through. So I got what I came for & split. Then yesterday I was in to see if Vance had a recipe for Kykeon & he was playin something that sounded an awful lot like the boot stuff. 'Cept this time there was singin. It had a vibe that I couldn't quite pinpoint. It was sorta like Gothic Hut if they'd gone psychedelic or maybe even Culturcide if they's stayed the course instead of cashin in for laughs. Vance just rolled his eyes at all them notions. 'Mein Gott, it's this band Lord Fyre" & handed me the lp jacket. That changes everything! I had a gander at the inner sleeve to see what was what. Lots of names & instrument info that I didn't have time for so I went & got a copy for myself. Listenin to it again this mornin it's all right nice & suitably avant oddball w/hint's of stoner. They got this thing for Sun Ra & you can tell someone in the ensemble is very big on 'Strange Strings' &/or 'Atlantis'. Their overall psychic design seemed reminiscent of early Tower Recordings, as though a copy of 'Fraternity Of Moonwalkers' was somewhere within arm's reach (the cute aka's they give themselves was a dead giveaway too). And while I'm at it, there was moments on here where if I didn't know better I've swore I was listenin to parts off've Dashiell Hedeyat's 'Obsolete' album. And that sure don't happen much. I ain't criticizin'em for any of it, hey, them's good places to check in & see the sparks fly. I was very taken w/'Destruction At 2013'. And once I Sherlocked that insert but good I spied a name from the past that almost brought a tear to my eye. It's comfortin to know that some old coots can keep on rollin. I can't say how "real" Lord Fyre is, meanin, I know that some of'em got's other musical concerns (that I ain't all that interested in) that might take more of a front seat in the overall scheme of things. I understand. But this Lord Fyre stuff, I'd definitely be up for hearin some more. And to think I woulda passed'em by if it weren't for Vance Hitler. Thanks Vance! I tell ya, that guy....they don't come much better.

(Check it out at www.midheaven.com & www.emperorjones.com)