Song of the day: Smart Went Crazy - A Halo and A Nosebleed

Rarely can music find a median of presenting both perversion and grace in equal amounts without sounding like a parody of either. "A Halo and A Nosebleed" from Smart Went Crazy's debut EP Cubbyhole is the perfect introduction to the band's graceful and lifelong sarcasm and wit. With Chad Clark's distinctive cigarette smooth vocal and the sinister use of cello and crunchy guitar and bass, it's hard not to become addicted. With lyrics that describe a narrator having his relationship turn inside out and outside in: "She's at your mercy, she wears your coat. She's at your disposal, she's at your throat.", you just can't shake the feeling that Chad Clark is warning us to not get too high off possessiveness. Well said.

Song of the Day: Blonde Redhead - Here Sometimes

If I had a 'missed connections' list with various "eras, albums or songs" from artists that I loved; it'd be a really jumbo huge list. One of the most recent came in the form of Blonde Redhead's post-Misery Is A Butterfly material. It's not that I hated 23 or Penny Sparkle, it's just I was content enough being mesmerized by the their noisy art rock style and the later refining and expanding of their signature sound in the trilogy of Guy Picciotto-produced albums. But with a greater examination I came to see that their last two efforts were good ol' Blonde Redhead in a fresh new package. 'Here Sometimes' serves not only to show Kazu's new confident vocal delivery, but the incorporation of layering organic and electronic textures in ways that have only been hinted at in earlier releases. This and more (the goddamn bass and moog synth creeping in!) results in a smart slice of surreal pop that reveals itself seductively to the listener, something I'm more than happy to oblige to.

Catalyst or not

Here's the 'setup' for the collaborative project between Starlon and I; Mister Ugly. Consists mainly of me using the floor tom, hi-hat, and guitar while providing some much needed delayed vox. Starlon handles the drum machine (barely pictured), bugle, vox, and additional percussion. We both interchangeably use the horrible mid-90's keyboard thank you very much! While still in the infantile stages and with little hope of having an audience in the local area, we trudge on with early Saturday afternoon practices despite great sleep deprivation. More to come.

Song of the Day: Cold Body Radiation - A Change of Pace

I have been a quiet fan of Cold Body Radiation's shoegaze/slowcore inspired black metal sound for about a year now after I discovered The Great White Emptiness. It is a shame though that it took me a little bit longer to get into last year's Deer Twilight. It is a joyful revelation though, as "A Change of Pace" serves as one of the faster songs on CBR's slower sophomore effort and contains some extremely cool guitar progressions that leads to a nice breakdown accompanied by a sparse synth and chill bassline. Lovely and dynamic black metal.

The most avant-garde Christmas ever!

It's been a relatively short time since The Drift came out in 2006 and the onset confusion I've had ever since I first heard it. (Avant-garde meat punching just wasn't my thing when I was 13) I honestly wasn't expecting to hear another album by pop singer-turned-experimental-mastermind Scott Walker until I was 30. Imagine my surprise when this trailer pops up shortly after the announcement of a new album! Prepare for the sharp knives my friends.

Song of the Day: Boredoms - Acid Police

This is what a mid-90's Trout Mask Replica would sound like if were a million times more fun to trudge through (burn, not really). Highly recommended noisy, musical, Japanese dadaism. It also helps that the musicianship is raw AND top notch and makes you want to destroy things. Try and figure out how many words you can substitute in the refrain!

Song of the Day: Shrek - Lord Farquaad's Festering Fetal Fairy Tale Feast

Straight from Riverside, CA comes some of the most lo-fi and satirical Black Metal I've ever come across. Shrek provides the heaviness and distorted electronic drums to the forefront and never lets the listener go. Expect the debut and sadly, final album soon this year. Shrek on Facebook