Call Down The (Gods of) Thunder

I said this over on the other blog, but it's worth repeating: you must go get the new Melvins disc, A Senile Animal. I just cannot stop listening to it. I've been waking up to it all week, it's what I listen to on the way to and from work, and it's on in the evenings. Now, I'm not listening exclusively to it, but I might as well be. Every time I put on another disc, no matter how good (like, say, Gospel's The Moon Is A Dead World, or what I'm listening to as I type this, Om's Variations On A Theme), I wind up putting on The Melvins right after.

Now, my obsession (which will wane with time) is not the most compelling reason to hear this disc. Obviously, it's the music, which is some of the most straightforward and furiously rockin' stuff they've released in some time. Sure, there's nothing on here they haven't really done before. After all, they've been around 20 years and have put out nearly as many albums (if not more) and have never been ones to shy away from experimentation. Consequently, short of a complete stylistic makeover, there's not much "new" they haven't already tried before. This time out, however, they seem to have distilled everything that has made them great into one mindblowing elixir. And, okay, I lied. There are a couple of new wrinkles. Namely, there's the addition of new members Jared Warren on bass and Coady Willis as a second drummer, aka the hard rock duo Big Business. Not only do they add extra-heaviness to an already punishing rhythmic base, but they give it a little swing, too. And, perhaps the most surprising element is the vocal harmonies featured on a number of songs, used to best effect on the song "Civilized Worm", which starts off as a mid-tempo rocker but before long becomes an anthemic ass-kicker and a perfect example of what I love so much about this album. It could be because I've started to ignore/tune-out most vocals (listening to a lot of death/black metal will do that to you), but the harmonies really are a welcome addition to Melvins already potent formula.

Best of all, there's not one track I want to skip when I listen to this. Even the last two tracks, which sound anti-climactic in the wake of the money shot that is "A History Of Bad Men", are worth sticking around for.

As A Matter Of Fact

I did catch the Melvins/Big Business show at the Black Cat tonight. And it was awesome. Picked up the new album, too. Can't wait to hear it. Why weren't you there?

Anyway, here is a live clip of the current lineup.

Buzz Osborne really does have the best white man's fro ever. It's so...Sideshow Bob-ish.

DC Rocks

Sparked by CO's heads up about The Black Keys, here are some show that should be worth checking out.

9:30 Club
10/28 (late show) - Jedi Mind Tricks, RA The Rugged Man, and Outerspace
11/7 - Broken Social Scene, Do Make Say Think (more for DMST than the headliner)
11/12 - Cut Chemist, Lyrics Born

Black Cat
10/19 - The Melvins, Big Business, Joe Lally (I'm going to try make this show. Seriously. Shut up!)
10/24 - Mojave 3, Tim O'Reagan (I don't know anything about O'Reagan, but I love Mojave 3.)
10/30 - Apples In Stereo, Archie Bronson Outfit, Benjy Ferree (Everybody needs a little Apples in their collection.)
12/18 - Mr. Lif, The Coup

The Rock N Roll Hotel
10/26 - DJ Spooky, The Gray Kid, Person
10/30 - MC CHRIS, The Gaskets (MC Pee Pants in the house!)
10/31 - Kayo Dot, Grails, Wooden Wand, Kohoutek, Piasa (Kayo Dot and Grails are awesome. Dare I say, must see?)
11/15 - LA Guns, The Bullet Boys (Kidding about this; though, I bet this would be one helluva fun show. Hmmmm...)
11/17 - The Hidden Hand, Pearls and Brass

So, save your money and go get some live music action!

Can We At Least Mention Some Music Here?

I'm listening to a track off the new Melvins album called "A History of Bad Men" (you can find it here) and I'm really, really enjoying it. And so I thought, in addition to endorsing that track, why not talk about some recent music I've picked up. It's more a way to organize the new acquisitions in my head (and remind myself to listen to stuff if I haven't already).

This past weekend, while down in Wilmington, NC (a road trip with The Drizzle), I stopped by CD Alley and, after spending way too much time going through the racks, picked up Starless and Bible Black Sabbath by Acid Mothers Temple and Katorz by Voivod. I have not listened to either yet.

I also recently picked up Mastodon's latest, Blood Mountain, though, I'm ashamed to say I haven't listened to the whole thing yet. Maybe I'll do that next.

What I have listened to a few times each now are Slayer's most recent (Christ Illusion) and Lamb Of God's newest burner, Sacrament. Both are very good, though I'm liking the Lamb of God just a bit more, if only because of the greatness that is "Blacken The Cursed Sun" (the Allmusic Guide is spot on in that regard). It also sounds a bit more melodic to my ears.

Speaking of melodic metal, Inhuman Rampage by Dragonforce is a ridiculously catchy and shredding disc.

Another album I haven't finished listening to is Masta Killa's Made In Brooklyn. I will say that the track "Iron God Chamber" is an absolute killer and should be dl'ed from whichever music service you use to buy music, if you're that sort.

I just realized I've not listened to much of my haul from my trip to NY. The haul from NYC was (no more links; I'm getting tired): DJ Shadow "Funky Skunk", A-Trak "Oh No You Didn't", and The Rub "It's The Moutherfucking Remix" (from Turntable Lab) and Corrupted "Se Hace Por Los Suenose Asesinos" and Om "Variations On A Theme" (from Other Music). Of those, I've listened to the DJ Shadow a couple of times; ditto the Om disc. The others have gone unspun. Damn, that's sad. Well, at least I know what I'll be getting to next, starting with the Corrupted disc, which is supposed to be some good ol' devastating doom metal par excellence.

I feel like I'm forgetting some other recent purchases, and since I actually have the shelving system updated and everything is in its right place, instead of having new discs piled on top of my stereo speakers, there's no easy way for me to remember what else is new.

But, that's sufficient to break my silence on this here blog. Go and enjoy, if you feel like.