Laibach

M.B. December 21, 1984
Mute/Grey Area

Live album of an early configuration of this mighty Slovene industrial band that – while recorded in 1984, didn’t see release until 1997. It’s also one – like their debut album on Ropot (Noise) – that featured the band’s appropriation of a Malevich cross as a logo rather than their name, due to a government ban on the name Laibach. Noisy and chaotic, most instrumentation consists of heavy martial drumming, metal percussion, electronic sirens and hunter’s horns. Milan Fras is the sole voice on this album (original frontman Tomaz Hostnik being long gone by this time) save for some audio recordings of the late, great Josip Broz Tito.
many songs follow the almost ritualistic form of Ti, Ki Izzivas (You, Who Are Challenging), with pounding drums and Fras’ bellowing, bottomless pit incantations. At times the proceedings approach free-jazz – save for the heavy, industrial pounding and metal-on-metal sturm und drang.

M.B. December 21, 1984 (1997)

1. Sodba Veka
2. Ti, Ki Izzivas
3. Sila / Dokumenti
4. Sredi Bojev
5. Nova Akropola
6. Dokumenti II
7. Tito
8. Dokumenti III
9. Dokumenti IV

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Test Dept.

Pax Britannica
Jungle / Ministry of Power

Another not-too popular album in Test Dept.’s mighty canon that is also one of my favorites. This album is a grand live affair that pairs the band’s martial drumming and industrial clanging with an actual symphony orchestra and choir. From the Test Dept. website:

Part soundtrack to the epic ‘Second Coming’ show which celebrated Glasgow as the cultural capital of Europe 1990, performed at the St. Rollox Railway Works, once the largest producer of trains in the British Empire.

It features a score from John Eacott played by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and conducted by the celebrated scottish composer James MacMillan.

Many regard this album’s concept as flawed or perhaps the execution didn’t jell at this recorded gig. In any event, it is a telling in five movements of the rise and fall of the British Empire, told with spoken oratories by the band, samples of Winston Churchill, Margeret Thatcher and John Major, backed by an epic soundtrack utilizing patriotic British music (most notably Blake’s Jerusalem) . Undoubtably, it would help to see the performance and not having some sort of libretto makes it a little hard to follow and the pace lags somewhat after the third movement. It remains one of my favorites because I like how it utilizes patriotic motifs to serve as readymades to critique the imperialism of England, somewhat in the same way that Slovene band Laibach does. Although not perfect, this album is a chilling look a once mighty nation that ought to serve as a warning about imperial hubris (especially to us yanks).

Pax Britannica – 1990

1. Movement I:
2. Pledge, Jerusalem, Heavens Command, Characters of Light, Agincourt, Accusation
3. Movement II:
4. Territory (The Epic of the Race)
5. Movement III:
6. From the Land (As An Fhearann)
7. Movement IV:
8. God, King and Law
9. The Cracked Facade
10. Farewell the Trumpets
11. Movement V:
12. The Legacy (A Lasting Presence)

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Test Dept.

Tactics for Evolution
Invisible

A departure of sorts for British industrial band Test Dept. Gone is the found object metal percussion and strident political agitprop that made them so famous and controversial – this being a largely instrumental electronica affair. Nice, hip-hoppish, aggro beats throughout. If I didn’t know better, I would’ve suspected the help of Jack Dangers, as the beats are bass-heavy and somewhat edgy. This is also the last proper Test Dept. album (save for a live outing recorded in 1990 that came out in 2002). Although not typical of their total output, this is one of my favorites.

Tactics for Evolution (1997)

1. Enigma of Doctor Dee
2. Unforgiven
3. Voyager
4. Atlantis
5. 2 Ghettos
6. Dark Light
7. Motivation
8. Miotica
9. Vena Cava (Life Blood)
10. Rat

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To Rapidshare or Not

Marcus sez:

a little suggestion: could(or would)you try to use different servers(like: megaupload,paylessoft,uploading.com,badongo,filesend)than rapidshare? when you use only this one you give more power to this one. maybe i’m wrong, but rapidshare could became a dangerous leader in this field. there are also sendspace(not very good),mediafire and others,but maybe not everybody in the web can have those sites working…
think about it.

I hear you, Marcus. I know many hate Rapidshare, but it seem to be the most universally used. I often use it because i don’t know what is the most compatible with folks around the globe. I’d hate to use something that would limit who could download. I also like (and use) MegaUpload, as it’s easy and seems to be popular.

Any thoughts out there?
I know RS is going through some tribulations with GEMA, so maybe nows the time to stop using them. I don’t really have the time to make more than one upload choice per post. I know there are a few Sharrity saints who do, but if I did it, it would mean posting much less, as my time is a rare commodity.

KILL UGLY RADIO BARGAIN BASEMENT

I’m going music swapping downtown today.

Here are some CDs I’m getting rid of because I never listen to them anymore and am pretty sure I don’t want taking up space. I don’t feel particularly compelled to write about them, either. If anyone wants them – and feels so moved to post them, write them up, etc. – feel free to do so. I won’t be offended one iota.

• Wesley Willis - Dr. Wax
• Yello – Claro Que Si
• Nailbomb – Proud to Commit Commercial Suicide (Live)
• V/A: Something’s Gone Wrong Again - Buzzcocks Tribute album
• Mehul Kumar – Aasoo Bane Angerey (Bollywood Soundtrack)

Hopefully, I will come back with lots of interesting stuff to share.

Pigface

Easy Listening for Difficult Fuckheads
Underground Inc.

A mixed bag from the multi-star-spangled juggernaut that Martin Atkins (PiL, Killing Joke) calls Pigface.
I don’t know what to make of an album that tells me to “fuck conformity, fuck the mainstream” but then contains some of the most ready for Clearchannel Nu-Rock spuzz (Blow You Away, Bitch, King of Negativity) and formulaic quirky Goth-girl pop (Sweetmeat) imaginable. It does feature a cool version of Delta 5’s Mind Your Own Business, a weird turn by Ex-KMFDM’s En Esch and a dreamy track from My Life with the Thrill Kill Cult’s Groovie Mann (Closer to Heaven- which also features ex-PiL member Keith Levene, making it a reunion of sorts), which is heads above anything Thrill Kill’s done in a long time. Chris Connely makes an appearance on Miss Sway Action, a floating, Berlin period-Bowie-esque tune. There’s certainly a wide array of styles and genres represented here, so you’re a little less likely to be completely disappointed. Add to that a calculated faux rant piece by Penn Jillette as the closer that is sure to only shock/annoy/entertain those who didn’t hear it coming.

Get Easy Listening

Butthole Surfers

The Hole Truth.. And Nothing Butt
Totonka

Semi-legit bootleg comp that includes two very early demo versions of songs that appeared on their first EP and LP respectively.
Most of the live recordings occur around the mid-eighties and early nineties, the latest including tracks from around the time of Independent Worm Saloon. Sound quality on all are good to excellent. The real prize is the WNYU interview from 1987 wherein the Buttholes do an impromptu version of Gordon Lightfoot’s Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald. I dug this out today and noticed it still has a price tag of $25. No way did I pay that much – or did I? I found it years ago in a somewhat dubious market known for its bootlegs. It appeared to be some kind of radio promo with an actual air date posted on it, but I’ve since seen it in other places, so who knows?

Go get it.

A Vast Pile of Buttholes

Were you aware of this?

Chances are, if you are a regular vistor of either WFMU’s Beware of the Blog or Archives.org, you may already know that there is a treasure trove of live recordings of The Butthole Surfers. Some of them date back to the mid-eighties, thier peak era. All are in the FLAC format, though. I might download and convert some and pass them along if worth it. Link right here.

Also, at the formerly mentioned WFMU BotB, some kind poster put up that funny Thai song that is in the middle of Locust Abortion Technician (Kuntz). It’s nice to hear it in its unadulterated form, although weird not to hear it looping and pitch distorted. My memories of that song are watching the Buttholes play at the Pine Street Theater in Portland on Halloween night in ‘86 or ‘87 – several people tripping hard – and that song playing on the house system while the band took a break. Paul Leary came out on stage and took his break, smoking the biggest joint I’ve ever seen outside of a Cheech and Chong movie – seemingly oblivious to the crowd.
Another was playing that song very loudly at the factory I worked at at the time (the Butthole’s doctored version of it anyway) and putting it on nearly every mix tape for nearly a year. Go get it here.

That is all.

Various Artists

S.W.A.T.: Deep Inside a Cop’s Mind
Amphetamine Reptile

You know something bad is going to go down when you have a convergence of criminal lowlifes such as these inside of a recording studio: Jim Goad (author, Answer Me!, Redneck Manifesto) , Adam Parfrey (author, Apocalypse Culture I & II, Extreme Islam), Nick Bougas (of Celebrities at Their Worst series and Death Scenes fame) Boyd Rice (The King of Noise Music) and the late, great Anton LaVey. What have they done? They recorded an ode to the thin blue line between chaos and even more chaos. They documented the Manichean struggle between good and evil in America’s crumbling cities.

That’s right, folks. This gang, who are no strangers to encounters with the boys and blue, have put out an album dedicated to the fine men and women of the police, almost entirely through the use of of hilariously re-purposed cover songs – usually from the perspective of a jaded or overly alert policeman. It’s funny to hear the staged skit featuring Rice as a young rookie and LaVey as an aging, departing cop, given their real-life relationship within the Church of Satan.

As unappealing as an album by a bunch of authors and cultural shit-disturbers may sound, let me assure you that they are aided and abetted by some of Portland’s finest – in the form of nearly four-fifths of Poison Idea (Jerry A., Pig Champion, Thee Slayer Hippy, Mondo – Sheesh – I hope they had reinforced floors!) and Sam Henry (Wipers, Napalm Beach) on drums.

Download it! 

Oblivion Seekers

Snake Eyes
Tim Kerr Records

This Portland Oregon band has been around for two decades and has been a virtual revolving door who’s who of P-town musicians from Napalm Beach, The Jackals and even a member or two from Poison Idea. They play a mix of rockabilly, sixties soul and most predominately, punk. If I had to describe them using other bands (a supposed rock-critic no-no), I’d describe them as X meets Roy Orbison. I realize that that sounds kind of horrifying, but this album is the one that the formula really works. I’ve owned more than a few Oblivion Seekers albums, but for many reasons, this one remains a favorite. This album (from 1994) was bassist/vocalist-and sole constant throughout the band’s long life- Mark Sten’s keyboard-driven, girl backup singer concept of the band. I saw this configuration open for The Cramps back in the mid-nineties and it was really great. I fell in love with the incredibly cute singers (and the girl that kept grinding her ass into my playground throughout the Cramps set) and the band was really hot despite the mellowness of the songs. That was one of the best bills I think I ever attended; The Oblivion Seekers, The Doo Rag (Yeah!) and The Cramps during their Flamejob tour. Ahhh.. Memories. Wish I coulda found that girl after the Cramps set.

Snake Eyes