MAGMA: ATTAHK

We intterupt this broadcast to bring you more Magma. Warped, sick, claustrophobic, paranoid, like something out of a Philip K. Dick novel, but loaded with funk. This time it's "Attahk".

MAGMA: DE FUTURA

Magma. Seriously warped, science fiction/jazz fusion/prog rock from the 1970's. Their drummer and band leader Chrstian Vander invented his own language and his own world for his music to take place in. This is the heaviest fusion/prog rock I have ever heard next to King Crimson. Some of Magma's material I almost prefer over King Crimson. Magma's music is pure insanity...horrifying, heavy music with odd time signatures. Unpredictable yet relentless A band led by one who is truly warped on psychedelics and has created his own language...all in all just terrifying futuristic music from another universe you can strangely enough almost dance to, with plenty of evil grooves. Check it out.

I have a few audio cassette tapes of Magma in my collection. That is all. Trying to share with you what I have heard of these guys so far. I may break in later with more Magma madness.

New Caleb Emerson Film in the Oven...

Good news! Caleb Emerson, the director of the maddening, low-budget, twisted and whacked zombie/superhero/quest/ epic/humorous cult film "Die You Zombie Bastards" is currently making a new movie. It's called "Frankie in Blunderland". What it's quite about, I don't know yet, but I've been digging the production stills, etc that are found on this movie's web site. All I know is what it says, "a psychedelic melodrama." Click here.

I personally loved "Die You Zombie Bastards". If you haven't seen this particular piece of celluloid, you should. Definitely not for the squeamish or for those who can't take dirty jokes. Gore and juvenile humor abound in this film. Take it or leave it, it is brilliant in my book. So I leave you with a bit of "Die You Zombie Bastards" as I count down the weeks/months/years it may be before my eyes are graced with "Frankie in Blunderland". Soon, I hope. Soon.

Tis the season...

Can't believe it's that time again. Putting up the tree, trying to get the shape right. It's artificial. Saint Vitus' "V" playing in the back ground. The house is full of gloom. Perfect for the holidays...for me anyway.

In a Kyuss Sort of Way...

Ok, I know I've posted alot about Kyuss, but I've really been listening to "Welcome to Sky Valley" a bit much lately and I feel it deserves another go. Nothing wrong with a little Kyuss every now and then. Here's a few from the album...have some beer or whatever you like, take in a few Kyuss tunes, and enjoy your Saturday.





Last but not least, the greatest Kyuss song and video of all time, in my opinion..."Demon Cleaner". Embedding disabled by request...Click here to listen.

EDITH MASSEY SINGS

Anyone familiar with the films of John Waters remembers Edith Massey. The Egg Lady, Aunt Ida...an exuberant one of a kind actress. She also had a short career as a one-of-a-kind punk singer. Priceless. Marvel at "Hey Punks Get Off the Grass" and her lusty, sick version of "Fever". Brain damaging and sleazy...so bad it's good.

Sneak Peek at New Calabrese Album

Here's a sneak peek of a song from the horror punk kings, Calabrese's new album "They Call Us Death". Can't wait for this to come out. It is due sometime in early 2010. The song is "Violet Hellfire". Click here to listen. It's the first song on the play list. Enjoy.

Priceless Thrift Store Kitsch

HERMANO: THE BOTTLE

An excellent, grainy, black & white, gargantuan club performance here by Hermano of "The Bottle". Even though the sound quality isn't too great, this song can still knock you down. John Garcia in top form once again...ex-Kyuss, ex-Slo Burn, ex-Unida, but early Hermano...killer desert rock. Pick up "Only a Suggestion", Hermano's first and overall best. Three studio albums so far. Hope they stick together for a few more.

THE BEATLES: REVOLVER

In a mellow mood tonight, listening to The Beatles' "Revolver"(1966). As I've said before, when The Beatles hit, they hit hard. Not quite every song on this album is exactly my cup of tea, but there are some true standouts on here. Here's a few you can't go wrong with.

THE CRANES

The Cranes. "Forever"(1993) and "Wings of Joy"(1991). I used to have both of these albums on tape many years ago. They have been lost a long time now in the audio cassette afterlife. I would like to say they have gone to heaven. Been thinking about this band for a while now, their songs whispering their way back into my head like old spider webs. Now I can't take it any more. I must have these two albums again.

For those of you who aren't familiar, The Cranes are a British dark pop band that began in the late 1980's and peaked in the early to mid 1990's. And the phrase "dark pop" is an understatement. Alison Shaw's vocals are the most macabre I have ever heard. She sounds like the ghost of a little girl, lost in the netherworld, trying to communicate with the living...her voice is so fragile, so beautiful, so terrifying. The music is perfect, so ethereal and full of shadow and light but never pretentious. You know you've heard the perfect Cranes song because it will always give you the chills. There is something seriously messed up about their sound, a feeling that hits you in the gut and takes your breath away, a feeling of dread that creeps up your spine and never goes away. This is the stuff true nightmares are made of.

Both "Forever" and "Wings of Joy" come highly recommended, with "Forever" being the stronger of the two. Must have both of them back in my collection.


From "Wings of Joy".


My personal favorite Cranes track, "Starbood" is. Also from 'Wings of Joy". Do not listen to this alone in the dark.


Great song from "Forever". Excuse the poor video quality. All I could find.

ONE YEAR AS OF TOMORROW...

Well, it's Black Friday again, and you know what that means...Hell on Earth, and yes, the one year anniversary of this blog as of tomorrow! Yes, it all began the Saturday after Black Friday, and here's the post that really started it all. I hope you all have enjoyed this blog so far, and I look forward to seeing a second year anniversary here as well. Thanks to everyone for their support. And now, without any further ado...The Jingle Cats!

"Hot on the heels of Black Friday...here's The Jingle Cats performing one of their amazingly psychedelic Christmas tunes....."White Christmas"! This first clip is the original version, and it's trippy enough...but the second clip is a re-mix..."White Christmas in Hell". It is brain melting indeed...Helios Creed would be proud."

HELIOS CREED: LEAVING THE BODY

Some truly unsettling, deep-freeze vaccum of outer space, claustrophobic yet wide open drug-induced terror...beautiful, brilliant. This song gives me the chills every time I hear it. Exquisitely horrific. It's called "Leaving the Body", from Helios Creed's 1995 album "Cosmic Assault". You can't go wrong with Helios Creed. Every album he puts out has consistent quality, and you always know what you're going to get. His output has been prolific and many of his albums are nigh impossible to find. I am partial to "Lactating Purple", though. That disc is his most brilliant moment in my opinion.

Anyway, enjoy "Leaving the Body", and pick up "Cosmic Assault" if you haven't already. If you aren't a Helios Creed fan, maybe this will turn you on to the King of space rock...

THE CANADIAN ROGUES: KEEP IN TOUCH

One for the road. Some grimy Florida 1960's psych/punk...The Canadian Rogues' "Keep in Touch". Enjoy.

THE ALARM CLOCKS: NO REASON TO COMPLAIN

More filthy 1960's fuzz. From Ohio, circa 1966...The Alarm Clocks' "No Reason to Complain".

THE FABS: THAT'S THE BAG I'M IN

Some twisted, sleazy 1960's garage punk. Can't get enough of it...don't know why. Here's one of my favorites of the genre, The Fabs' "That's the Bag I'm In". Sorry there's no decent video for this.

ALICE COOPER: KILLER

I'm really not a huge fan of Alice Cooper but there is something about his 1971 release "Killer" that I undeniably enjoy. Alice Cooper stirs together a strange brew of the gloom of early Black Sabbath, the glam of early David Bowie, the wild energy of The Stooges, and plenty of shock tactics and obnoxious rock and roll to make a truly enjoyable listen. There is nothing too deep or profound here...from the opening notes of "Under My Wheels" you know what you're getting into. There are no pretenses. Just a great listen through and through. Yes, the music sounds very dated today, but so what? I just enjoy this album and it's hard to put my finger on why.

A few of my favorite songs are "Dead Babies" and "You Drive Me Nervous". You should pick this album up if you've ever had your doubts about Alice Cooper or if you just want a solid, somewhat strange yet rewarding retro 1970's listen.

You Drive Me Nervous - Alice Cooper

FISHBONE: SUNLESS SATURDAY

A sunless Saturday...rainy and gloomy. It's just not working for me. Here's the perfect song for an uplift out of the gloom: Fishbone's "Sunless Saturday". It's from the "Reality of My Surroundings" album. An amazing work, full of soul. If you haven't heard this album, you should pick it up.

"Take these clouds away,
I hate this sunless Saturday"

Click here to listen. Once again, embedding has been disabled by request. Shame, shame, shame You Tube...

MILES DAVIS: FREDDIE FREELOADER

This song has been roaming around in my head for the past several days. It's from Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" album. Here it is, "Freddie Freeloader". You generally can't go wrong with Miles. Enjoy.

WE THE PEOPLE: YOU BURN ME UP AND DOWN

Just sick and twisted 1960's garage pych/punk. Never heard of these guys before but I'm going to have to find more of their stuff.

MOVING SIDEWALKS: 99TH FLOOR

Another 1960's garage punk gem, this time from Houston, Texas. The Moving Sidewalks...three members of this band would later move on to form ZZ Top. Here's "99th Floor", one of my favorite songs of the genre.

THE HAUNTED: 1-2-5

I just discovered this gem. Some killer late 1960's garage punk from Canada...THE HAUNTED. Love this song...these guys are dead on. Wonder if they have any other material out there.

HERMANO: AT THE BAR

We go from the worst song ever made to one of the best (and little known). This song comes from Hermano's 2007 album "Into the Exam Room". "At the Bar" is such a perfect song....so quiet, a beautiful downer....thick, glossy, desert haze. John Garcia, please keep making music.

MEN WITHOUT HATS: SAFETY DANCE

I can be a huge fan of laughably bad music at times. Music that is so bad it makes your side split with painful joy...

Here is without a doubt the worst song (and video) ever recorded. Prepare yourself for The Men Without Hats' "The Safety Dance"!

THEE HEADCOATS: A TOWN NAMED SQUARESVILLE

A strangely poetic and very chilling track from Billy Childish's THEE HEADCOATS. One of their best songs. THEE HEADCOATS' music can be very dark at times...like a Film Noir version of THE CRAMPS. This song is no exception. Here it is..."A Town Named Squaresville." Haunting.

FU MANCHU: SQUASH THAT FLY

One of the greatest Fu Manchu songs ever recorded. Irresistable. If you can sit still while listening to this something's not right.

THE MONKEES: PORPOISE SONG

This is one of the heaviest 1960's psych/doom songs ever recorded. It comes from the movie HEAD featuring THE MONKEES in a fractured, sometimes humorous psychedelic nightmare. This movie will rip your synapses and logic apart...great movie and song. One of these days I'll get around to reviewing this one.

The song here is only 30 seconds long. Log in to Imeem or create an account to hear the whole thing. It's a copyright issue, I guess. I highly recommend any serious music fan to have an Imeem account anyway.

Porpoise Song - The Monkees

TROUBLE: PLASTIC GREEN HEAD

Ok. I've been trying to complete my Trouble collection for a long. long time now. Seems like all of their long lost recordings from the late 1980's on are finally back in print. SIMPLE MIND CONDITION, PLASTIC GREEN HEAD, MANIC FRUSTRATION, and TROUBLE. I'm working on getting all of these long lost out of print gems. I just purchased PLASTIC GREEN HEAD (1996) last night and let me tell you, it blew me away.

PLASTIC GREEN HEAD has been long out of print and impossible to find for over a decade. I never even got a chance to hear this album when it originally came out. It was supposed to be a solid follow up to their previous release MANIC FRUSTRATION. I never found it anywhere. It appeared and disappeared that fast. So today, after more than ten years waiting, I'm lucky enough to have my hands on this album and I'm anxious to deliver a review.

PLASTIC GREEN HEAD comes off as a bit more sedate and unsettling Trouble album. It has the vibe of having taken one too many trips....that feeling of being scared to put one foot back into reality. It also conveys a sort of dry, frayed nerve endings, burnt out vibe that can be a bit unnerving but really works to this album's advantage.

There are really two styles of music on this album. The first is a detatched, burnt out, heavy as hell doom....Trouble's riffs have never been so vicious yet so subtle. Eric Wagner's vocals sound a bit distanced and at the same time more painful, but that only adds to the strength of the album. The riffs are incredible..the best of Trouble's career so far. Check out" Plastic Green Head" and "Long Shadows Fall".

The second style that Trouble puts forth on PLASTIC GREEN HEAD is one they had been attempting to perfect on their two previous releases TROUBLE and MANIC FRUSTRATION. The crushing, melodic, psychedelic doom ballad...a heavy slab of depression featuring the bleakest harmonies of THE BEATLES and the dirge-like qualities of the works of DONOVAN comibined into one. Really just heavy 1960's melodic psychedelic doom. They have perfected that sound on this release. Listen to "REQUIEM"...and marvel at their version of THE MONKEES' "PORPOISE SONG"....this has got to be one of the gloomiest psych rock songs ever recorded. There is also a Beatles song on here, "TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS". One thing I really noticed here: There is a lack of the Christian overtones that one has grown to expect from Trouble. It is as if the band had descended into a downward, drug-induced spiral....and I can't complain one bit. This would be their last album until about ten years later when they re-grouped and recorded SIMPLE MIND CONDITION.

All in all, PLASTIC GREEN HEAD is an excellent, crushing, TROUBLE album. It is a bit dry, but if you can get over that fact, this is a solid release, worthy to be in the collection of any self-respecting fan of all things retro and doom.

BLOOD FREAK: THANKSGIVING HORROR

Ok. I've been looking for a Thanksgiving horror movie and I've finally found one. It's a movie that came out in 1972 about a murderous, drug addicted turkey monster that must drink the blood of drug addicts to get his fix. I kid you not! I haven't seen this one yet but here is an excellent review I found: Prepare yourself for BLOOD FREAK! It's out of print, but I will stop at nothing to track down this film.

This trailer is hialrious. So bad it's good...