Leadbelly - The Bourgeois Blues (sometime in the late 1930's?)

Got a Leadbelly compilation from the 1960's on vinyl. This is the first song off it. Nice way to end up on the FBI's shit list back in the day. Worth sharing. 

 

Palatka - The End of Irony (1999)

Palatka is an uncompromising band. Call them emo, call them punk, call them thrash or grindcore or whatever it is your heart desires, but any arbitrary genre tag placed on them will simply fall off. In thirteen minutes they get their point across, you just have to listen. I enjoy this album for its intensity and guest appearances - every song latches onto your face and captures your breath.   

 

Unwound - Caterpillar (1991)

 

An amazing 7" EP from Washington noise heroes, Unwound. Equal parts grunge and indie pop, Unwound's first release captures a stimulating basement rock vibrancy that is eerily catchy down to its core. Sweet sweet 90's wall rattling rock.  

Rick Wakeman - The Six Wives Of Henry VIII (1973)

Rick Wakeman is the notorious keyboardist/magician for the classic prog rock band, Yes. Like some of the other members of Yes, Wakeman was interested in doing a few solo projects, with his albums typically following a certain theme or story. Six Wives of Henry VIII is just his second album, but the distance he actively travels away from Yes's music is crucial - which is really saying something seeing as how many of the tracks feature his band mates as guests. Still, this is a much jazzier album than the name or cover imply and listeners might find themselves questioning the prog rock tag vs a jazz fusion one. Any fans of fast paced organs and Moogs need look no further than this funked up foray into old school royal drama. 

 

Usurp Synapse/Neil Perry - The Chilling Tale Of Usurp Synapse As Told By Neil Perry (2000)

 

Prepare your earholes, this ain't your grandma's screamo. No, this isn't black makeup, fishnets, and skinny jeans screamo. This is Usurp Synapse and Neil Perry vying for the Apeshit Rock Band Heavy Weight Title of the World. First up on this beautiful 7" is Usurp Synapse - one of the most intimidating bands of all time. The sounds of a werewolf breaking into an unsuspecting cabin for a midnight snack. Yes, Usurp Synapse has it all, a John C Reilly sample, illegal filthy riffing, a drummer who can't stop playing, and lots and lots of guttural violent screaming that would make a black metal band blush. The lyrics are something else too.

"The fumes whisper in as the pin is set in place. scroll back zoom out echoes of strummer. tangled in the process circuitry revealed by the grinding default and error eyes water joints go weak"

Damn

How do you follow up something like that? The answer is Neil Perry, the bastard cousin of Usurp Synapse, complete with muffled audio samples, diabolical guitars, and a singer on the verge of shitting his pants. Neil Perry does longer songs than Usurp, but the mood is quite similar: angry. But there is still a tongue and cheek sense of humor that makes this record special - it isn't just a Debbie Downer sadboi kind of a deal, in fact the whole thing could be a joke if I didn't know any better. Neil Perry's last song is titled "Josh's Dream Party; Beer, Girls, And A Computer." Bands like these are decisive and not everyone will enjoy blasting raw rage into their ears. Nonetheless, those of us who enjoy the occasional outburst can do no better than these two entities.       

Electric Light Orchestra - Eldorado (1974)

 

A beautiful album by any other name. So beautiful that director Kenneth Anger used it as a soundtrack for his re-release of Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome. This is perhaps the most monumental masterpiece the oft-overlooked ELO brought into this world. A concept album of sorts, Eldorado merges the harmonies of the Beatles with the song structures of prog rock and classical music instrumentation. The resulting music is an insightful and imaginative journey into a fantasy world of magic and tranquility. Jeff Lynne, the front man, found a fantastic sound that would eventually catapult ELO into radio standards, but unfortunately, like so many other bands of the era, they would be most remembered for their hit songs. Through the magic of the internet and the sheer ability to listen to almost anything recorded in the 20th century - this album and many of their others can find a place amongst the stars where they can shine.    

Fleetwood Mac - Tusk (1979)

 

Rumors this! "Dreams" that! Fleetwood Mac rides again thanks to the help of Tik Tok's latest video craze of skateboarders and roller-bladers singing along to "Dreams." And you know what, good for Fleetwood Mac! They've been working their asses off since the 60's to remain relevant in the world of pop and rock, and sometimes the blues. They deserve the love. Rumors is perhaps the pinnacle of Fleetwood Mac, the album everyone's parents had in their vinyl collection. But, follow-up album, Tusk, is the black sheep of the Fleetwood Mac family (excluding the Bob Welch years). Tusk seems to go against everything the band achieved with Rumors. It's a double album, hardly known for a single hit song, and actually kind of avant-garde as far as Fleetwood Mac goes. John McVie said it best in that it sounds like the work of individual solo artists, something quite useful in a band like Fleetwood Mac. Lindsey Buckingham brings more of the radical post-punk sound in songs like the suspiciously funky "The Ledge" and the USC marching band laden "Tusk." Stevie Nicks is on her song-writing A-game with "Sisters of the Moon" and "Angel," lesser known tracks from her that prove she was by no means a one album wonder. Christine McVie is a force to be reckoned with on "Brown Eyes" and "Never Forget," truly the glue that makes this a Fleetwood Mac album. And of course, original members John McVie and Mick Fleetwood keep things in rhythm with remarkable studio professionalism on bass and drums. Hey, even original guitarist Peter Green makes an appearance on "Brown Eyes." All in all this album is a lively romp in the hay with Fleetwood Mac. It's fun, imaginative, and pretty damned catchy.