Employee of the Month

Nacho LIbre

2006-06-22T09:41:00.000-07:00

I am a big Lucha Libre fan, so you can imagine how excited I was to see the trailer for Nacho Libre a few months back. While I'm not ready to slam it, I was more than a little disappointed. Imagine Wes Anderson directing a Rob Schneider vehicle and you'll get the idea. Regardless, the film looked pretty great and the soundtrack had a few gems on it. The main track being this one:

Religious Man (I Am, I Am) - Mr. Loco (YSI)
Religious Man (I Am, I Am) - Mr. Loco

The King Khan and BBQ Show

2005-08-11T16:46:00.000-07:00

When Montreal's Spaceshits exploded, they rained shitty debris all over planet earth. Landing squarely in Berlin was King Khan aka Blacksnake. His King Khan projects combine the trashy rock 'n roll of the Spaceshits with nasty Stax style rhythm and blues.

The King Khan and BBQ Show sees a reunion of two former Spaceshits and an ass-searing record that conjures up beer-drenched flashbacks of parties where people actually dance.

MP3s:
Fish Fight
Hold Me Tight
Chuck-a-Muck

From
The King Khan & BBQ Show
www.goner-records.com
www.hazelwood.de

13th Floor Elevators

2005-06-29T11:20:00.000-07:00

It's been argued that the 13th Floor Elevators invented psychedelic rock. Regardless, in 1966 they released their debut, The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators containing this little scorcher. Their biggest hit, "You're Gonna Miss Me" is the ultimate fuck-you song. With its sneering vocals and nasty guitar, this track probably fertilized the soil for decades of disturbed Texas rock and roll.

MP3:
You're Gonna Miss Me

from:
The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators

PVC

2005-04-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

I don't know much about this band of German punks. They had a great single on RCA called "Berlin By Night", but this one is my favourite. It could be from this live LP (above) but really, I am not sure. I am sure that this is a nasty little slab of Krautpunk that would be a great soundtrack to pushing things over or being impolite.

MP3:
I Wish I Could Die
(Try to download it but if it doesn't work, try back in a day. I am switching my files from geoshitties)

The White Stripes

2005-04-19T16:29:00.000-07:00

It is a commonly held opinion that by the time a band makes it to the big time, their best years are behind them. Some bands, however, rise to the occasion. There was something exciting about Nirvana's rise to stardom. Who knew what they would do next? What band would they bring on tour? What would they do on the MTV awards? Everyone knows how that story ended but out of that media shitstorm came their best album (In Utero) and it was fun to root for them while it lasted.

The White Stripes, to some extent, are now in that position. Success has given them the ability to resucitate careers, carefully control their image and even record their albums for less money than a catered meeting at V2. On top of all this, each record has been better than the last. Just when you thought they might jump the shark (celebrity romances and movie roles had many worried), they sneak up with sweaty little number like Blue Orchid.

If you have iTunes, you can download this track from the upcoming Get Behind Me Satan. I was considering throwing it up here but in the last 24 hours, anyone that has put it online has taken it down (someone must be turning the screws). Besides, this song is worth the 99 cents. Otherwise, stream it here.

Teengenerate

2005-04-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

The recent passing of Bass Wolf made me think of my other favourite Japanese punk rockers, motherfucking Teengenerate. For a good portion of the 90s, Teengenerate were the best thing to come out of Japan since Sonny Chiba. These guys were a rock and roll tsunami. Like Guitar Wolf, they recorded everything in the red but this is was no gimmick. Their shit was tight. Teengenerate were punk rock scholars and at heart they were a power pop combo. With their wisely chosen covers, they turned a lot of people on to bands like The Zeros, The Fun Things, Radio Birdman and The Kids. You really can't go wrong with any of their records but if you must start somewhere, get "Get Action" on Crypt

MP3s:
Human Tornado
My GTO

Links:
Crypt Records

Antony and the Johnsons

2005-04-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

Antony is a rare and unique artist that seems to exist in a cultural vacuum where things like MTV, cell phones and the Internet do not exist. When I first heard him, I thought of Isabella Rossellini in Blue Velvet. His voice echoes cabaret and lounge greats but is at once unique and his own. Lou Reed spotted Antony a couple of years ago and collaborated with him on The Raven. Antony toured with him and was said to bring down the house with his regular encores of Candy Says. You may also remember him from a small but memorable part he had in Steve Buscemi's Animal Factory. Antony played an androgynous inmate serenading the other prisoners.

Antony and the Johnsons' latest album, I Am A Bird Now is unlike anything I have heard in a long time. It is refreshingly genuine and irony-free. His quivering falsetto could reduce long-shoremen to tears.

MP3:
Hope There's Someone

From:
I Am A Bird Now

Antony and the Johnsons

Ike Turner - Bad Motherfucker

2005-04-08T14:40:00.000-07:00

Don't even let me get started on Ike...
He arguably invented rock and roll but what is his legacy? A fucking Disney movie (the film itself is not that bad -Angela Bassett is good and Laurence Fishburne is a great Ike - but it's a movie).
I am not trying to defend whatever abuse or bad behaviour actually occurred but some celebs seem to get a pass (Tommy Lee, James Brown, James Taylor, Dennis Hopper, Jerry Lee Lewis, the one-armed drummer from Def Leppard, Rick Springfield and Fabian - to name but a few), when others like Ike don't.
This is the man who is responsible for some of the hottest tracks ever in R&B, Blues, Funk and Rock and Roll. "Rocket 88" is very often cited as the first rock and roll record ever. That's right he invented this shit. Time for some respect.
Ike's latest album is a reissue of previously forgotten tracks that he either played on, produced, or wrote.
It's called The Bad Man.
Get it.

The Reigning Sound

2005-04-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

If you were to line up today's, Garage Rock explosion with yesterday's Grunge Rock explosion, the parallels might look like this:

Sub Pop - Sympathy
Seattle - Detroit
Nirvana - White Stripes
Mudhoney - The Dirtbombs
Soundgarden - The Hives
Pearl Jam - The Strokes
Alice in Chains - Jet
Sonic Youth - Blues Explosion
Candlebox - The Killers
Billy Childish - Billy Childish
The Wipers - The Gun Club
Leadbelly - Son House
The Jesus Lizard - The Oblivians

The Oblivians were the shit and they imploded long before they could reap any of the deserved recognition or cash that others did. They left behind a shitload of great sides including these:

Mp3s:
Christina
I Don't Wanna Live Alone
No Reason to Live

Members of the Oblivians spawned a number of solo albums and great bands including The Compulsive Gamblers, Pearlene, The Cool Jerks and The Reigning Sound. The Reigning Sound play rock and roll. They don't pretend to be bluesmen or travelling hobos but their sound is firmly rooted in Americana. If Springsteen were living any sort of real existence today, this is what he would sound like. Pick up Too Much Guitar! and Time Bomb High School today.

Mp3s:
Time Bomb High School
Reptile Style
from:
Time Bomb High School

Take A Ride
I'm So Thankful
from:
Break Up Break Down

As Long
Since When
I Don't Care
Goodbye
from:
Live on Thacker Mountain Radio

Links:
The Oblivians
The Reigning Sound

Crypt Records
Sympathy for the Record Industry
In The Red

Black Mountain

2005-04-07T13:59:00.000-07:00

According to their bio, Black Mountain are named for some avant-garde, experimental school for hippies. If they were an actual mountain, they would straddle the borders of Neilyoungland, Velvetundergroundistan and Canada. This is a really good record from the guy who brought us the Pink Mountaintops.

Mp3s:

Druganaut
Heart of Snow
from:
BLACK MOUNTAIN self-titled CD and LP (JAG70)

Rock'n'roll Fantasy
Can You Do That Dance?
from:
THE PINK MOUNTAINTOPS Self-titled cd (JAG67)

The Black Mountain Army