Amidst the rise of “Queens of the Stone Age” in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, musician Josh Homme founded a musical collective series called “The Desert Sessions.” This series consisted of collaborations with numerous artists as they would record music in “Rancho De La Luna” in Joshua Tree. This series went on until Vol. 9 & 10 were released in 2003 featuring artists such as PJ Harvey, Dean Ween, Jeordie White, Alain Johannes, Troy Van Leeuwen, and Joey Castillo. This was the final session to be released and after 16 years it was looking like “The Desert Sessions” wouldn’t happen again, becoming a memory of the past for the die hard Homme fans, but today Homme announced that Desert Sessions Vol. 11 & 12 will be released on October 25th. The album will feature Billy Gibbons, Stella Mozgawa, Jake Shears, Mike Kerr, Carla Azar, Les Claypool, Matt Sweeney and Matt Berry, Libby Grace, and Töôrnst Hülpft. You can watch a funny little video Homme released to promote the album below:
On this day in 1989 “Tears for Fears” released their third album The Seeds of Love. Following the success of their hit singles and albums The Hurting and Songs from the Big Chair, the band made the bold move of departing from the “Pop” structure that garnered them much success. “As a band, we came from the programmed pop era of the early ’80s and we had inherited a sense of structure that permeated almost all our music. The way we were working was becoming too sterile. We wanted to do something more colorful, something that sounded big and warm. You cannot get that from machines. You only get that with real musicians and real players,” described bassist and vocalist Curt Smith. That bigger and warmer sound was definitely achieved. Working with numerous musicians and incorporating elements of “Jazz,” “Blues,” and “Psychedelic Rock,” the band transcended the limits of the “Pop” sound that was dominant at the time, and even that garnered them even more success. Happy 30th anniversary.
On this day in 1979 “Gang of Four” released their iconic debut album Entertainment! This album went on to be one of the most essential releases in “Post-Punk” history, influencing a myriad of artists such as “Red Hot Chili Peppers,” Michael Stipe, and “Nirvana.” On this album the band delivered the anti-establishment ethos of “Punk Rock” with lead singer Jon King’s topical lyrical content of consumerism, feminism, sex, and alienation, and what separated the band from their peers was their heavy incorporation of genres such as “Funk” and “Dub” thanks to bassist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham. Add Andy Gill’s angular guitars to the mix that added a chaotic but controlled flavor, and you’ve got a sound that’s uniquely their own. You can still hear their Funk-driven influence on “Post-Punk” and “Indie Rock” bands today. Considering how the genre of “Post-Punk” can be obscure to some, it’s impressive how the band’s sound has managed to remain relevant after 40 years. Happy 40th anniversary.
In a music world where artists emphasize sentiment and critics praise only those who strive to innovate, people have forgotten how to have fun once in awhile, but Helsinki, Finland based band “Socks and Ballerinas” haven’t forgotten what it means to make fun music to dance to. However, dancing to their music can be a difficult task, because their knack for creating odd “Math Rock” inspired instrumentation is far from the norm. Not much is known about the band. Their “Bandcamp” and social media profiles feature brief descriptions and very little background, which is odd because their music is technically skilled and quite impressive. What we do have is their new album Soap! The music definitely reflects the absurd nature of their name with wacky and zany melodies and irregular time signatures that can be frustrating for those who want consistent rhythmic structure. The drums are sharp and fast-paced, and the constant use of loop pedals gives the illusion that you’re hearing a five-member band, and there’s only two members! Soap! is an album that gives you a live experience without having to leave your house. It’s fun instrumental music that is as complex as it is accessibly catchy.
Noise/Industrial duo “Street Sects” have undoubtedly been on a roll since the release of their “Gentrification” EP’s back in 2014. Following the success of their string of singles, an E.P. and two full-length albums, the idea of the band continuing their harsh and abrasive “Gentrification” series seemed unlikely, but earlier this year we were treated to a third installment titled Gentrification III: Death and Displacement, and it was as Hellish as one would expect. Now, a month later, the band have announced that they will release the fourth installment of this series on November 22nd via “The Flenser.” It will be titled Gentrification IV: Suspended from Gallery Rails. Today the band shared one out of the two tracks titled “Tomorrow is a Trap,” and it’s back to business as usual, which makes the band so damn enticing. You can listen to “Tomorrow is a Trap” below:
Post-Punk band “Ganser” will release a new E.P. titled You Must Be New Here on November 8th. This will follow their stellar debut album Odd Talk which was released last year. The band previously released a single titled “Bad Form,” and they recently appeared at “Riot Fest” in Chicago, and now it’s looking like the band won’t be slowing down anytime soon. Today the band have shared a new song off the upcoming E.P. titled “Buio” which is accompanied by a music video featuring actress Caitlin Ewald. In the video Ewald sits at a dinner table with cake and wine. She proceeds to mash her fingers in the cake while the others at the table seem to be ignoring her. This could represent the idea of an outsider being overwhelmed having to endure fast-paced social interaction, but Ewald lets her self go by not repressing her impulse to…. well, mash her fingers in cake and chug wine, and she does it without a care in the world. About the song, the band describe it as an “intuitive song about the relationship between author and audience.” You can always rely on “Ganser” to provoke thought with intelligent and introspective content. You can watch the music video for “Buio” below:
It’s a good day for Nick Cave fans. Today the legendary singer/songwriter announced on his fan Q&A page “The Red Hand Files” that “The Bad Seeds” will release their new album Ghosteen next week. It will be a double album and Cave has described that the songs on the first album are “the children” and the songs on the second are “their parents.” “Ghosteen is a migrating spirit,” Cave describes. This album will follow 2016’s Skeleton Tree. Check out the album cover and tracklist below:
GhosteenTracklist:
Part 1:
1. The Spinning Song
2. Bright Horses
3. Waiting For You
4. Night Raid
5. Sun Forest
6. Galleon Ship
7. Ghosteen Speaks
8. Leviathan
On this day in 1999 “Nine Inch Nails” released their masterpiece The Fragile, a double album that was a big departure from it’s predecessor The Downward Spiral. Moving away from the harsher noise-infused tumult of The Downward Spiral, which reflected songwriter Trent Reznor’s descent into madness, The Fragile found Reznor incorporating elements of “Ambient,” “Electro,” eerie soundscapes, and even a little “Hip Hop,” but wasn’t any less self-reflective. The lyrical themes of depression, isolation, and drug addiction continued. If The Downward Spiral was the soundtrack to someone’s descent into depression, addiction, and nihilism, then The Fragile was the ultimate coping method and state of realization. It was the sadness that follows the anger, and it was an incredible end of an era for “Nine Inch Nails.” Happy 20th anniversary.
“HMLTD” are one of the most exciting bands at the moment. The evolution of the band has been incredibly captivating going from their 2017 Post-Punk/Gothic singles to last year’s Synth-Pop heavy E.P. Hate Music Last Time Delete to their dark Electronic-laden Pop singles released late last year, they’ve been on many people’s “must watch” list and they still don’t even have a full length album! Today the band returned after what felt like an eternity with a brand new single “Loaded.” The song is about material wealth and spiritual poverty, and it’s deliciously catchy. You can watch the video for “Loaded” below:
What separates JPEGMAFIA from all of the edgelord shitposters whom try to get a rise out of people by being offensive for the sake of being offensive? Well, to a lot of people absolutely nothing, but if you delve deeper into what may come off as surface level shock, you’ll find that there is merit to what Peggy is saying. On his last album Veteran, the album that garnered him acclaim, the Baltimore rapper/producer assaulted the genre of “Hip Hop” by giving us an album that was instrumentally discombobulating with bizarre and abrasive samples and unorthodox song structure, and on top of that he rapped aggressively, getting a rise out of everyone from right-wing extremists to millennial keyboard warriors. This radical delivery prompted a lot of Hip Hop traditionalists to grab their 2Pac and Biggie bibles, and it’s the kind of shaking up the Hip Hop world needs right now. He’s the “Punk” of Hip Hop, and dare I say he’s the “Throbbing Gristle” of Hip Hop? Many of you are probably thinking “what the Hell is a Throbbing Gristle?” Deemed “the wreckers of civilization,” “Throbbing Gristle” were a band in the late 70’s that made everyone else in the realm of “Experimental” music sound like “ABBA.” They had no interest in making traditional music, instead they were the complete deconstruction of traditional song structure, touching on taboo subjects that left many disturbed and unsettled. They helped birth “Industrial” music, and over 40 years later here we are with a genre called “Industrial Hip Hop,” a genre where JPEGMAFIA fits in quite well, and like “Throbbing Gristle,” Peggy has stated that the whole traditional song structure of verse-chorus-verse-chorus needs to be rejected. I would say he’s on a mission to deconstruct the norms of Hip Hop, but it seems as if his “anti” approach comes out of him naturally, as opposed to having to try hard to go against the grain. So where do you go after a highly successful album such as Veteran puts you on the map? Well, there are two options. You can either play it safe by giving the people what they want and become a gimmick of yourself, or you can progress even further and sharpen your skills by utilizing what makes you great to explore new ideas, and on his new album All My Heroes Are Cornballs Peggy does the latter. This album is still radical, it’s still abrasive, and it’s still instrumentally discombobulating, but there is a bit of maturity believe it or not. Peggy has sharpened his masterful production skills incorporating more melody with atmospheric synths, samples, and even acoustic guitars that appear randomly throughout the tracklist, but at the same time this album is even more anti-structured than Veteran. That isn’t to say this album is without it’s killer choruses. The track “Free the Frail” will make anyone shed a tear with it’s gorgeous chorus and the album’s opener “Jesus Forgive Me, I Am A Thot” has an auto-tuned high note that is hard not to sing along to, and crafting a whole album that throws traditional structure out the window that doesn’t come off as a bunch of noise is no easy feat, and he was able to do this because he himself is a fan. His eclectic taste translates to his music. Everything from creating “Punk Rock” without picking up an instrument on the track “PRONE!” to covering “No Scrubs” on the track “BasicBitchTearGas,” it’s evident that Peggy has an ear for melody as much as he has an ear for abrasion. One thing we need to remind ourselves though, is that Peggy is primarily a student of Hip Hop. To top off his unique production skills, he flows nicely, and much of the lyrics are a lot more thematic and conceptual. There is a recurring “thot” theme, and this can be interpreted as Peggy calling himself a thot, painting a picture of a fictional promiscuous woman, but when he speaks from her perspective it’s almost as if he’s talking about himself, and whether or not he’s using this as a metaphor for being a “thot” for money, materials, and fame is very much open for interpretation. The track “Grimy Waifu” is a lush guitar-driven track that finds Peggy dressing up the track as a love song, but underneath the surface it’s about a gun. He claims that his gun is his waifu, waifu being a term for a fictional anime character that fans have an affection for. This track can be seen as commentary on America’s obsession with guns, and serving in the military, Peggy has experienced firsthand how guns have a lot of power in this country. Following the mixture of topical subject matter, thematic concepts, and his usual braggadocio, the album is summed up with the brutally honest closing track “Papi i Missed U.” Many of this song’s lyrics can be viewed as offensive and insensitive, but Peggy has no interest in sugar-coating or being your non-corrupt hero, which reflects the album’s title All My Heroes Are Cornballs. This speaks on the unrealistic image we create of our so-called heroes. We view celebrities as these untouchable beings when at the end of the day they’re only human like everyone else, humans that aren’t as pristine as we’d like them to be. JPEGMAFIA may not be a traditional celebrity, but his fearlessness, his honesty, and his unique style are exactly what music needs right now, because sometimes we need an artist to make us look at ourselves and realize that we’re all a bit ridiculous.
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