Burning Minds

Burning Minds presents...GAY SCIENTIST RECORDINGS

2010-07-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

First, apologies for the defunct state of this blog, hoping to get it started back up when I return to Oakland after a summer working on farms.

In any case, I am posting today to announce that myself and a friend have started a diy recording label, Gay Scientist Recordings. In line with the Burning Minds ethos, we plan to release works in a variety of media by artists pushing the boundaries of what has come before them, but here you can expect a particular focus in the realm of doom, powerviolence, black metal, hardcore, and noise.

I won't harp too long cuz you can here more about what we are doing at the website, but I will take just a moment to hype our first release. After back-cataloging the at-times infamous Kentucky Fried Doom/Sea Legs split cassette Gorekraken Bongdirge as GSR #000, we are ever-so-siked to be releasing the U.S. version of Urarctica Begins, the debut release from Montreal's crusty doomsters Ensorcelor. You can stream the entire EP on the GSR site but since I know some of you are lazy fucks I've posted the first track in its entirety below. Enjoy, my beloveds.

01 A Crown of Smoke on the Brow of the Earth

Duobetic Homunkulus - Cásti a Mechanismy Stroju (2006)

2009-06-17T18:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a demo from a totally strange Czech death metal outfit. This band is ex-!T.O.O.H!, an excellent death/grind band whose albums I used to own until I lent them to some thieving idiot friend of mine. Anyway, this band is really weird and they fucking destroy. I don't know what else to say. This will fuck with your head. Eat some drugs and download it.

http://sharebee.com/f1204c44

By the way, these tracks were made available for free by the band because they're such nice guys, so buy their full length when it comes out soon!

Confessor - Condemned (1991)

2009-06-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

Here's some doom metal... I guess. This album is pretty weird, especially in the vocal department. I cant think of any band I'd compare Confessor with, but the off beat nature of the drums sort of reminds me of a precursor to Meshuggah or something at times - not that I know what I'm talking about, I don't know shit about music theory. Anyway try this album out. Chances are you haven't heard anything quite like it.

http://sharebee.com/2fdfe30a

Mörser - Two Hours to Doom (1997)

2009-06-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

Here's some fucking insane German hardcore shit. This album is a shining example of what's come to be known as "bremen style" hardcore or the "per koro sound." It's sort of like a marriage between 90s metallic hardcore and aggressive, tremolo-picked European "screamo" riffs that seem to hum out of the speakers. Don't let the emo reference put you off- this is about as scathing and wimp-free as music gets. Two Hours to Doom is so blazing fast that its basically grindcore, and if memory serves this band has 4 vocalists and 2 bass players. Ridiculous, amazing album. Your head will be spinning. Get it now.

http://sharebee.com/cc6b9aed

K-Rino - Triple Darkness Vol. 2 (The Lyrics)

2009-06-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

Here's one of my favorite albums by my favorite rapper. This is available on a bunch of other blogs, but what the hell - most of the Burning Minds readership haven't heard this, and thats a crime. K-Rino sits easily among the nastiest lyricists of all time. He's been in the game for over 20 years, has about as many albums, and is the founder of H-town supergroup the South Park Coalition. Yet somehow he is still underrated as fuck. Triple Darkness Vol. 2 is his 2nd album (of 4 total) from 2008, released on his own label Black Book International (so-called after the black binders in which he scribbles his material). This album is full of extremely clever wordplay, complex multi- and meta-rhymes, unusual vocabulary, hilarious punchlines, and plenty of devil-hating Nation of Islam theology. Straight hard-hitting lyrical skillz the way hip hop ought to be - proof that the South can make conscious rap just as good or better than anything from Queensbridge or Brooklyn. If you enjoy lyrical rap you need to get this right now. You'll thank me.

http://sharebee.com/b83a90ba

Salamander - Birds of Appetite (2003)

2008-12-08T13:55:00.000-08:00

Salamander is a band I know next to nothing about (you can find a more complete bio at Camera Obscura); based out of Minneapolis, this troupe of psychedelic marauders has apparently been turning out their own smoldering brand of space rock since the early 90's, although the label bio linked to above would seem to suggest the band's currently status as one of semi-permanent hiatus. While the basic instrumentation here is somewhat standard psych-rock fare (guitar/bass/drums), the band prides itself on both its non-traditional use of said rock instrumentation and its use of non-traditional rock instrumentation, including "hammered dulcimer, shenai (an oboe-like instrument), and something they call the 'space whistle'." This particular album, 2003's Birds of Appetite, was my first introduction to these masters of ambiance (though I have no idea how or where I discovered it), and it remains my favorite of their works.

While the Om-like album opener 'Vessel is Vacant' suggests strict Summer of Love worship with its tablas and half-chanted vocals, it's eventual descent into gentle drone foreshadows the album's subsequent minimalist turn. On Birds, Salamander is most successful at creating long, smoldering songs that utilize crescendo much as a post-rock band might without falling into the conventions of that most amorphous of genres; for all of it's bombastic song lengths (it does feature four songs over the eight-minute mark), this album has a distinct late-night psych feel matched by a earthy, folkish tone. With little or no vocals on most of the sparsely layered tracks, the music is left here to speak for itself, evoking a mystical, haze-ridden atmosphere with a drummer and lead guitar player who make no attempt to mask the influence of Indian classical music on their playing styles. The band's name - which comes to us from a semi-mystical animal thought in ancient times to be born of fire - is a perfect fit for the mood achieved here, at once brooding, lysergic and somehow vaguely alchemical.

Those of you with a Paypal account can still get the 'Birds of Appetite' CD here, or download it from us.

Gong - Pre-Modernist Wireless: Peel Sessions 1971-74

2008-11-15T01:50:00.000-08:00

First off, thanks to postcooksey for shame-kicking my lazy ass into restarting this once-stagnant blog. I have a slew of to-be-posted albums on my desktop, and it is time for me to get to work on them. Here's goes.

This album, which is actually not an album at all, compiles the appearances of trans-continental prog champions Gong on the legendary John Peel show on BBC Radio. Gong, a band of tripped-out fuckheads that is almost as famous for its bizarre mythology as for the idiosyncratic music it produced, show themselves here as a capable live act, with the songs losing none of their charm whatsoever without the playground of a studio (a common trait of late-60's sike, where production techniques often masked boring, by-the-book pop numbers as bold and experimental). In fact, what this set accomplishes is to demonstrate that for all the conceptual wonder-pinnings of their long-form concept albums, Gong wrote fucking great self-contained songs that hold up even without spoken-word interludes about 'pot-head pixies' and the like (not that there's anything wrong with that!). From acid-folk ('Magick Brother') to irreverent ska ('Clarence in Wonderland') and of course the cosmic anthem "You Can't Kill Me," Gong provides one of those rare listening experiences that feel like one has been temporarily transported into the mind of a lunatic, only to discover that it's actually a lot more fun than the so-called 'real world' (a dull waste of time, this author can assure you).

For those of you unfamiliar with Gong's studio output, you can find their essential first five albums over at Black Acid; as a hint, the band generally followed the era's transition from psychedelic to progressive rock, with their early works resembling an especially spaced-out take on late-60s psych, exploding into full-blown prog with the infamous "Radio Gnome Trilogy."

It seems to be out of print but you can find "Pre-Modernist Wireless" as a $45 import on Amazon, or opt for sheer musical piracy here.

Warning (UK) - Watching from a Distance

2008-11-14T04:36:00.000-08:00

Here's a fairly recent release from Warning, a depressive UK-based doom band I should have heard of sooner. I have no idea if Swill (creator of this blog and friend of mine) is going to like this, but this is my idea of astoundingly good doom. I've recommended some doom and stoner rock gems to Swill in the past, for example Valkyrie from Virginia (go listen to them), and he's shot them down. He also thinks Asunder sucks and I would call that a stretch. (not true. just said that their albums are boring, which I stand by - swill)

I hope he will enjoy this band if he hasn't heard it cause this is without question the best doom record I've listened to this year. Yes, it came out in 06. Chronic weed smoke means I'm slow on the uptake, why are you judging me? Please forgive me for being slightly behind schedule in faithfully delivering you free music you ungrateful jerk.

The riff proficiency here is clearly top shelf and no internerd out there will convince me otherwise. But what's truly brilliant about this album is the vocals, and I think that's what might hang people up with this band. I won't ruin it for you by describing them too much, but they're unique. If you don't like the vocal performance then I just don't understand you. Personally I am blown away. Few doom bands are this successful at creating an atmosphere so bleak and depressing. Someone on the collective zine board described it as being like "listening to Loss and Red House Painters at the same time."

I'm cursing myself for sleeping on this because every copy seems to be sold out now, including the reissue on Metal Supremacy earlier this year. Fuck... I'm stuck with these mp3s:
http://sharebee.com/2842c251

Gris - Il était une forêt (2007)

2008-11-14T00:46:00.000-08:00

Here's some black metal from Canada. You can tell by the excess of color and presence of a toy boat on the cover that you're getting into delicate post-rock influenced territory. Usually when I hear bands like this I'm like dude, wheres the metal, but this is actually amazing. Most "depressive/suicidal" black metal bands should feel embarrassed by the level of musicianship and songwriting on this album. The atmospheric passages are all excellent and don't sound like some nerd with a keyboard lifted the melody from a Nintendo game. How many black metal bands can you think of who can play competent chamber music?

At first I felt kinda bad for letting you internet cheapos download this fine slab of blackened art for free, since its pretty recent, but then I was like fuck it. You can decide whether or not to buy this from Sepulchral Productions; their website makes it seem like you'd be supporting Québécois nationalism and possible Nazi connections. Buy it (and potentially support separatist bombings) or download it from the link below. Or don't, see if I fucking care. Does my opinion mean nothing to you?

http://sharebee.com/32f8d763

Contropotere - Nessuna Speranza Nessuna Paura LP

2008-09-30T00:16:00.000-07:00

One-of-a-kind experimental punk made by like 9 Italian squatters. Contropotere is really fucking bizarre and you will probably not enjoy it. Dual female vocals (not to be tokenizing) and strangely structured songs with atypical instrumentation. This would completely alienate most crust kids I know - a rare virtue. Their name translates as "counterpower", and apparently they were heavily involved in the Napoli autonomist movement during the 90s.

This is is their first LP, which came out in 1989 on Attack Punk. They released a demo tape, an EP, and an additional LP, all of which are available on other blogs. Oh yeah, and a CD of fucked up techno. After this their shows seem to have become mostly high concept performance art, which I'm sure pissed off alot of fans, which rules. Check youtube.

"Contropotere is every one of us.The power to transform us, to come into contact with our part more True, more intimate, more powerful person.To transform us to be able to transform.To pass from what risks becoming a simple game, a possibility without potentiality, in something serious, less spectacular perhaps, less recognizable and catalogabile as the spirit that continues and it animates…the power that every one of us has as potential of transformation.Every form to be able imposes.Easy to be authoritarian to the outside of us.Difficulty to be with ourselves.Difficult because the correct street.The power on if same is the first footstep toward the change.The transformation through our transformation.The self-discipline that becomes management of own power.That natural power as a lightning that doesn’t recognize external authority to itself, but it recognizes that every to be able is balanced to the other, that every living being is connected to the other…in a delicate equilibrium.The reality, further to be a fascinating mystery is very hard and Raw / the life that we live is a stage on which all recite a part looking for the more possible than to be comfortable..."

Some dude on the Profane Existence message board hosted this, I can't take credit. I don't own it cause this album is out of print as fuck.

http://www.mediafire.com/?mg2jxtmmtqd

Zeroid - 2004

2008-09-06T14:19:00.000-07:00

Here's some classic dark hardcore from Germany - oppressive, dissonant, rapidly changing downtuned riffs coupled with throat-tearing screams of absolute desperation and hatred for daily life. I think Zeroid fucking rules, but the reviewer for Violent With Anger Zine #57 has a different opinion. Here's the dude's take on an earlier Zeroid album:

"A few hardcore wanna - be's tryin' to play some nihilistic death - metal influenced whatever-core. To make it short: If you've ever been listening to the real gruesome shit, than you definitely don't have to waste your time on this crap. Weak and powerless drums and uninspired and straight-to-no-point guitarriffing makes this one a pain in the ass of true death-metal maniac's. I'm not sure if there's even a bass line 'cause of the low - level production, which was made in several no-name studio's which i've never heard of and hopefully never ever have to. The vocals suck. If this is the future of the "hard-and-heavy" genre than you better start headbangin' to the new eminem cd. However, reading the 16-paged booklet doesn't make it more comfortable to bore through the full-length (nearly 70 minutes) digital desaster: The lay-out is done only semi-professional and seems to be stolen from arty-farty photocatalogues no one ever wants to see. But the really pathetic and offensively senseless lyrics are more interesting: These guys have the guts to heavily flirt with suicide, death and destruction. Real sickos will love it. It's been released on formerly totally unknown bremen based hardcore label "Unsociable" whose mastermind gives proof of excellent bad humour by turning the unholy but still sacrificed "Earache" logo into a "Hellache" synonym. Really funny, guy. This record is so shitty that i've to honor it with 9 out of ten points on my very own "crap-of-the-month" scale."

Hahaha... anyway here is the last (and best?) Zeroid disc. I can't find any other blogs hosting their music and they're one of my favorite bands so I might put some more of it up later. You should pick this up, by the way, from Pray for Death, a sweet distro out of Savannah : http://prayfordeathrecords.com/

Or download it here you cheap fucker.
http://sharebee.com/c0f6a3f1

Tracklist:
01. rien ne va plus
02. kurzschlußüberlegungen
03. frage / antwort
04. wir gewinnt
05. warteschleife
06. vorletzter akt
07. auf zielkurs halten
08. rohrkrepierer

Naked City - Torture Garden

2008-09-05T19:03:00.000-07:00

Here's another old school Earache release. Fans of total mindfucking music are hopefully familiar with avant-garde multi-instrumentalist John Zorn, but if not here's an album of some of the most fucked up jazz(?) you will ever come across.

This pretty much defies classification. If I had to pin it down I'd call it jazz grind, but there's surf, country, and punk in here too. Also featuring horrific screams from Boredoms member Yamatsuka Eye, this is the perfect album to put on at a party after you've taken too many drugs and you want all the squares to leave.

1. Blood Is Thin - 1:00
2. Demon Sanctuary - 0:38
3. Thrash Jazz Assassin - 0:45
4. Dead Spot - 0:31
5. Bonehead - 0:51
6. Speedball - 0:37
7. Blood Duster - 0:13
8. Pile Driver - 0:33
9. Shangkuan Ling-Feng - 1:14
10. Numbskull - 0:29
11. Perfume of a Critic's Burning Flesh - 0:24
12. Jazz Snot Eat Shit - 0:24
13. The Prestigitator - 0:43
14. No Reason to Believe - 0:26
15. Hellraiser - 0:39
16. Torture Garden - 0:35
17. Slan - 0:23
18. Hammerhead - 0:08
19. The Ways of Pain - 0:31
20. The Noose - 0:10
21. Sack of Shit - 0:43
22. Blunt Instrument - 0:53
23. Osaka Bondage - 1:14
24. Igneous Ejaculation - 0:20
25. Shallow Grave - 0:40
26. Ujaku - 0:27
27. Kaoru - 0:50
28. Dead Dread - 0:45
29. Billy Liar - 0:10
30. Victims of Torture - 0:22
31. Speedfreaks - 0:29
32. New Jersey Scum Swamp - 0:41
33. S & M Sniper - 0:14
34. Pigfucker - 0:23
35. Cairo Chop Shop - 0:22
36. Fuck the Facts - 0:11
37. Obeah Man - 0:17
38. Facelifter - 0:34
39. N.Y. Flat Top Box - 0:43
40. Whiplash - 0:19
41. The Blade - 0:36
42. Gob of Spit - 0:18

This came out in like 1989 or 1991 or something... who gives a shit, I'm drunk.

EDIT: LINK FIXED
http://www.mediafire.com/?mfnd6s2yxps

Nocturnus - The Key

2008-09-05T13:16:00.000-07:00

For my first contribution to this blog (swill has been on me to post for a while but I'm a lazy stoner), here's one of the most insane and atypical death metal albums ever released. Does this album belong on Burning Minds? Not sure, but theres no doubt it completely fucks my brain.

Anyway, Florida band Nocturnus released The Key in 1990 on Earache. Vocalist, drummer, and main songwriter (!!) Mike Browning had played earlier in Morbid Angel, a far more well-known Florida death metal band. DM from this region was exploding in popularity during this time, but Nocturnus never quite got the exposure of peers like Obituary, Death, or Morbid Angel. It certainly isn't due to inferior musicianship, so I suspect that it has more to do with the fact that this album is fucking weird.

First of all, Nocturnus was basically the first death metal band to use keyboards - this may not seem terribly novel eighteen years later, but it was definitely new and innovative in 1990. The song structures on here are more complex than your typical DM release and there is an absurd amount of soloing everywhere that's pretty much guaranteed to shred your head. This disc also has very unconventional lyrical content. While Satanist themes remain, the band has an unheard of sci-fi angle to their blasphemy - The Key is a concept album of sorts about a cyborg sent back to year zero via time machine in order to kill baby jesus and head off the rise of Christianity. Pretty hilarious and cool if you ask me... and just look at the fucking badass cover art. I love it.

01 - Lake Of Fire 05:04
02 - Standing In Blood 04:20
03 - Visions From Beyond The Grave 04:09
04 - Neolithic 04:51
05 - Undead Journey 04:16
06 - BC/AD (Before Christ/After Death) 04:57
07 - Andromeda Strain 03:42
08 - Droid Sector 04:21
09 - Destroying The Manger 06:09
10 - Empire Of The Sands 06:27

You can pay 50 bucks for it on amazon or download it free here:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DP0YD28I

Om - Splits with Current 93 (2006) and Six Organs of Admittance (2006)

2008-04-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I've been on a serious Om kick ever since their demise earlier this year. Featuring the (achingly slow) rhythm section of Stoner/Doom legends Sleep, Om's music centers around Al Cisneros' droning bass lines and hypnotic chanting, conjuring up mystical imagery that would make Alejandro Jodorowsky proud. This post is intended as a compliment to Anthem of the Space's incomplete discography, rounding out their LP collection with a duet of splits recorded with Six Organs of Admittance and Apocalyptic folk wierdos/legends Current 93. While the Six Organs release seems to be out of print, you can still grab the CD version of 'Inerrant Rays of Infallible Sun' from Jnana Records.

boomp3.com

Grab 'em here

Various Artists - Extreme Music from Africa (2001)

2008-03-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

A mixed bag of harsh noise and other electronic wierdness compiled by William Bennet of seminal noise posse Whitehouse. While the anonymous nature of these songs along with the extreme obscurity of their performers makes such claims almost impossible to confirm or deny, I've heard accusations that these pieces were actually produced by Bennet himself and dolled up as 'African' in a crass marketing ploy. If so, kudos to Mr. Bennet for his sharp (if evil) mind as well as his prolific talent, but the variety of styles explored within would seem to suggest otherwise. Either way, the music(?) here is pretty excellent across the board, and manages to keep momentum even across a number of relatively-similar drone pieces. If you think this compilation embodies the imperialist tendencies of 'world music,' you'll love its follow up, the equally tokenizing Extreme Music from Women.

Available via PayPal from Susan Lawly.

boomp3.com

boomp3.com

Get it here

Moose - Jack EP (1991)

2008-03-21T23:33:00.000-07:00

This debut EP from British alt-rockers Moose serves as a four-track microcosm of my oft-conflicted feelings about shoegazer music, alternating between syrupy-sweet early-90s-indie vocals that drive me insane and atmospheric guitar workouts for which I go nuts. Flagship members of The Scene That Celebrates Itself, Moose never got the gushes the music press heaped upon My Bloody Valentine and, to a lesser extent, bands like Ride and Slowdive and, to be completely honest, they didn't deserve to, serving up but a few gems across several EPs and an album before shifting to a more country-influenced style that I've never felt the need to explore. While the vocals on the title track embody some of the scene's worst pop tendencies, I'm never going to be able to say no to some shimmering, multitracked guitar haze, and this record's got it in spades, most impressively on the song 'Boy' posted below. Make sure to stick around for the closer 'I'll Take Tomorrow,' a soft'n'dreamy number replete with ethereal swells and some of the best slow tambourine playing this side of The Velvet Underground and Nico, a definite nominee for most beautiful song to fall asleep to (meant to be a compliment).

allmusic

boomp3.com

Get it here

Hans Arp, Raoul Hausmann, Kurt Schwitters - "Dada Antidada Merz" (2005)

2008-02-20T12:03:00.000-08:00

When I came across it in Amoeba Records in Los Angeles, this compilation of poetry and spoken word pieces from three major contributors to the Dada movement was an offer I simply could not refuse. Although it was far more sparse than I had originally envisioned, I found myself entranced by their warped, brain-twisting take on verbal delivery and the recording medium itself. While I don't speak German or French, the two 'real' languages most often featured/referenced here, that didn't much detract from my experience of the works, which are focused as much on tonality and off-kilter timing as the semantic content to which they apparently correspond. To the these linguistically-naive ears, the result is like some kind of vocal free-jazz, a challenging and intruiging document of some incredibly challenging and intruiging 'artists.' Honestly, written description isn't going to do it here; you just gotta go with it.

Buy it

download here

Electric Wizard - Come My Fanatics... (1996)

2008-02-18T12:55:00.000-08:00

The album that took doom metal out of the caverns and into the stratosphere, Electric Wizard's Come My Fanatics is an absolute shit-storm, rumbling through one's bones with enough force in a single riff to induce multiple unplanned trips to the bathroom. If you thought you'd heard an overdriven bass guitar before coming across this album, think again; EW draw from subsonic influences including supernovae, continental drift, and the tortured cries of the imprisoned god Loki to produce a toxic rumble so heavy it will move your subwoofer several feet across the floor. Fusing impossibly fat, smoked-out blues with a Satanic take on the kosmiche style pioneered by bands such as Amon Düül II and Can, Electric Wizard occupy a metalliverse all their own, often copied but never equaled.

For more E-Wiz, including 2000's excellent Dopethrone, check out Anthem of the Space's collection here

boomp3.com

allmusic

Buy it

Try it

Devo - Hardcore Devo Vols. 1 and 2 + Be Stiff EP (1974-77; 1978)

2008-02-04T12:55:00.000-08:00

Long before those silly hats and that oh-so-whacky video for 'Whip It,' Devo were one of the most exciting - and bizarre - bands to come out of the first wave of U.S. punk. Comin' straight outta Akron, Ohio to upset freaks and squares alike with their strange combination of 60s sci-fi fetishism and pseudo-corporate advertising, Devo laid down a form of bizarro agit-pop so loaded with irony that it was impossible to tell where the jokes ended and the real message began. While their debut LP "Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!" has been rightfully recognized as an absolute classic, their pre-Warner Bros. material has been more or less neglected by critics, giving the false impression that these Devo boys were some kind of avant-tard flash in the pan whose decent into the banalities of New Wave represent some lack of creative stamina. It is in the name of changing such perceptions that BURNING MINDS presents the entirety of Devo's independent catalog, represented by the two Hardcore Devo 1974-77 volumes and the Be Stiff EP originally released on the band's own Booji Boy label. Most of the songs here consist of 4-track demos, but even in their unpolished form these are some of the coolest, most whacked-out tracks this side of Don Van Vliet (an obvious influence in attitude if not in pure sound). Whether you're an old Devo-tee or a total stranger to the terrifying truths of Devolution, do yourself a favor and grab these yams while they're hot; monkeys might never look the same again.

boomp3.com

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Buy Vol. 1 + Vol. 2

Download here and here (or get everything here)

edit: in getting higher-bitrate version of these albums, I lost some versions of songs that I much preferred. Get the superior cut of "Social Fools" here.

Boris and Sunn O))) - Altar: Complete Edition (2006)

2008-01-11T17:29:00.000-08:00

A collaboration to end all heaviness, 2006's Altar sees the wedding of two of metal's most hallowed names, American drone/doomers Sunn O))) (for the uninitiated, yes, it's just pronounced 'Sun') and Japanese sludge psychos Boris (who awesomely derive their own name from a song off the Melvins' 1991 album Bullhead). Another exploration in the pseudo-genre of 'power ambient' neologized by Sunn-sters Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley, the set here merges the former band's moody doomscapes with the latter's awesome sense of tonality and texture to produce some of the prettiest and most trying heavy music you're ever likely to come across. The 'complete edition' I've put together here includes every track from the Southern Lord and Inoxia Records versions for a whopping nine songs clocking in at over 90 minutes. A record to be listened to at high volumes and in low light.

allmusic

Awesome photos from a live performance of Altar

boomp3.com

Buy here (direct from Southern Lord)

D/l link here

Azul - Blue Demo (2002?)

2008-01-06T11:56:00.000-08:00

A BURNING MINDS exclusive, this 5-track demo EP was cut by some friends of mine from high school in the early 2000s. Centered around some absolutely insane sax and guitar interplay, Azul lay down some of the best and hardest jazz/psych I've ever heard, all the more impressive if you consider that most of this material was written when they were 16, and their sound on this recording is full and hearty. Hands-down one of my favorite live acts, Azul went their separate ways after school, occassionally playing reunion shows in their native North Hollywood and the surrounding S.F. Valley. Lead singer and axe-slinger Brandon Intelligator now plays guitar in an NYC indie band called The Restless.

boomp3.com

get it here

Pearls Before Swine - One Nation Underground (1967) + Balaklava (1968)

2007-12-31T20:35:00.000-08:00

A tragically underlooked talent that is only now beginning to receive the renown he/they deserve, Tom Rapp and his Pearls Before Swine emerged from the oversaturated 60's folk-rock scene with a strangely timeless surrealist sound unlike any of their contemporaries. Rapp's echo-drenched lisp winds bittersweetly through a maze of styles and tempos here, from old-timey pieces ('Guardian Angel', see below) and faux-raga ('I Shall Not Care') to rousing garage/folk ('Uncle John'), and the moods achieved across these albums are simply too numerous to count. Located somewhere in the same sonic universe as 'Highway 61'-era Dylan and the 13th Floor Elevators, Pearls Before Swine are simply one-of-a-kind, the work of a bona fide rock'n'roll genius (I am tempted to say 'auteur') and a high watermark in the acid-folk tradition. On a personal note, these two albums - which represent the band's work on independent labels - were among the few I had with me on my journeys in India last fall, earning them an especially special place in my rainbow-colored heart.

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get them here

The Trees Community - The Christ Tree Box Set (1975; reissued 2007)

2007-12-31T16:48:00.000-08:00

One of the more unique musical statements you're likely to hear in this lifetime, The Christ Tree box is a retrospective collection of Christian acid-folk troubadours The Trees Community, a wandering band of Jesus People who composed haunting, lushen reinterpretations of classic and contemporary hymnals. With more than 80 instruments played by only seven members, The Trees Community explore a compelling space between religious and psychedelic consciousness, mixing hippie communitarianism with Christian agape to produce a powerful alternative to contemporary fundamentalisms. My own discomfort with devotional music aside, this collection ranks among the finest psych-folk I've come across, its lyrical tone serving as icing on an already freaky cake. Check out 'Psalm 42' below, guaranteed to soothe even the most Satanic beast within.

excellent allmusic review

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downloads: disc one - disc two - disc three - disc four

Manuel Göttsching - Inventions for Electric Guitar (1974)

2007-12-31T14:27:00.000-08:00

While technically credited to his Ash Ra Tempel / Ashra outfit, Inventions for Electric Guitar is in fact a Manuel Göttsching solo exercise, following the legendary space-rocker through a series of complex tape delays to produce three ambient prog epics somewhat reminiscent of Robert Fripp's 'Frippertronics' work with (and without) Brian Eno. While there are plenty of tape-delay masterworks out there to sort trhough, IFEG stakes out its own claim to worthiness on Göttsching's incredible speed and precision, along with a fine sense for mood and - dare I say it - negative space. What I love about this piece is its listening dynamism: while it can certainly be appreciated as an ambient piece, those who pay close attention are rewarded with countless intricacies that are all to more impressive when one considers that all sounds here were produced with a single electric guitar.

allmusic

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Aural Fit - Livestock (Tokyo, 2004)

2007-12-30T15:37:00.000-08:00

Another lucky internet find for yours truly, Aural Fit embody just about everything I seek in music, an insanely heavy, sludgedout headfest meant strictly for fucking minds. On this live album from 2004, the blues are lit aflame and then shredded through layers of bellowing squeal, descending into harsh, psychedelic noise before being twisted back into AMT Cosmic Inferno-like jams. Not for the faint of heart.

myspace

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鉄アレイ (Tetsu Arei) - 鉄アレイ II

2007-12-26T23:10:00.000-08:00

Heard about these Tokyo hardcore legends (whose name, by the way, translates as 'Iron Dumbbell') from my friend Kohei, who used to play with one of their former members in the equally ubiquitous Extinct Government. Apparently these guys were one of the original hardcore punk bands to form in Japan, and their super-heavy sound makes this a good deal more interesting than your average throw-away hardcore album. Don't get me wrong; these guys are as punked out as they get, but it's the way they combine typically catchy street-punk screamalongs with Sabbath-esque guitar sludge that gives them an edge up on the competition. Unfortunately, my inability to read Japanese makes finding album art and further info impossible, but luckily that won't prevent you from enjoying the songs.

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The Klubs - Midnight Love Cycle (1968)

2007-12-26T19:08:00.000-08:00

I found out about The Klubs completely by chance, stumbling across their album labeled as that of the "Best Freakbeat band ever," Freakbeat being the psychedelic variant of the Merseybeat sound most famously represented on the Beatles' earliest recordings. While I am hardly enough of an authority to verify this claim, it is hands down one of the best undiscovered gems of the late 60's UK psych scene, a melodic, fuzzy exploration fusing an early rock'n'roll backbeat with spacey vocals and eerie guitarwork. Throw in some of the warmest lo-fi production imaginable and one of the very best cuts of the era ("Can't Ebenezer See My Mind") and you've got yourself an unqualified forgotten classic. The expanded CD edition includes alternate versions and some unreleased tracks from subsequent spin-offs.

Official Website

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edit: I left out Tracks #13-17 - some live versions from a 1999 reunion show - in order to post the album to Sharebee. At your collective request, here they are.

Melvins - Lysol (1992) + Houdini (1993)

2007-12-25T14:29:00.000-08:00

Two classic slabs of steaming riffage from WA grunge godfathers The Melvins, Lysol and Houdini stand as two especially high points in an all-around stellar career, the former representing the band's heavy, sludgey excess while the latter (partially produced by, and featuring, none other than Kurt Cobain himself) shows the groups twisted pop sensibilities. Since making these albums, the two main Melvins (drummer Dale Crover and guitarist/singer King Buzzo) have cycled through a number of bassists, and the currently consists of a four-piece with the addition of Karp's Jared Warren and and drummer Coady Willis (formerly of the Murder City Devils). I'll be seeing the Melvs for the third time in about as many months on Dec. 30th, and if they come to your town you probably should too; the tandem drumming alone makes them one of the best acts around right now.

allmusic: Lysol // Houdini
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Kawabata Makoto and the Mothers of Invasion - Hot Rattlesnakes (2006)

2007-12-25T12:31:00.000-08:00

Yet another side project from Acid Mothers Temple mastermind/speed guru Kawabata Makoto, Hot Rattlesnakes takes Makoto's typically fuzz-laden cosmic riffing into intriguingly ambient territory, most notably on middle track Fripian Flipped Over Niffy Their King of Frippery. Those who like his material with AMT should feel right at home here, and these Mothers might even ending up converting an acolyte or two. Highly recommended.

allmusic

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Boogie Down Productions - By All Means Necessary (1988)

2007-12-25T12:28:00.000-08:00

KRS-ONE CONTROLS AMERICA

Classic POLITICAL hip-hop, you'll be recognizing familiar samples left and right, nothing else to say really. 5 1/2 Stars (out of 5).

allmusic

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p.s. This is my first actual blog post. I am very proud of myself right now.