Dengue Fever – Cannibal Courtship

(Fantasy, 2011)

Dengue Fever mixes elements of Cambodian pop and psychedelic rock with a hint of jazz on Cannibal Courtship to create a wonderfully upbeat and trippy surf rock atmosphere.

The album starts off sounding like 60’s pop with nothing too out of the ordinary, an organ being a nice touch. However, by the second track, Cement Slippers, it is obvious this band is a little different and out there to have fun, the opening line reads: My girlfriend likes everything at the beach except the water, the sand, and the sun. The organ being more pronounced, and it is this use of the Farfisa which gives this album a real edge.

Dengue Fever consists of five guys from Los Angeles founded by brothers Ethan and Zac Holtzman who went on to recruit Cambodian karaoke songstress, Chhom Nimol, to share vocal duties with Zac. Many songs feature Khmer lyrics; some solely – Uku comes across as traditional Cambodian pop; and some with shared vocal duties – Only A Friend has Zac sing the chorus: I’m overseas flirting with girls and catching diseases / He makes her laugh and he keeps her from falling to pieces. I could hazard a guess, but it would be interesting to know her lines.

Cannibal Courtship is very striking with its array and fusion of culture and musical styles. Despite this mix the album seems very uniform with all tracks feeling like they belong, from the very popish tunes Family Business and Thank You Goodbye, to the traditional Uku and Kiss of the Bufo Alvarius, to 2012 (Bury Our Heads), my personal favourite song here which calmly deals with theories of the world’s end in 2012.

Razorwyre – Coming Out (EP)

Formerly known as Gaywyre, this band reeks of classic ‘80s metal. Hailing from Wellington, New Zealand, the band changed to Razorwyre in 2010; “a name that reflects the energy, aggression and direction of the band”. They then came out with Coming Out. Despite the name change, their attitude remains the same; exorbitant shredding leads to a homoerotic crescendo, gratifying the likes of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.

Neve Campbell is back with Scream 4 but thankfully there is no sign of her or that fuckwit Scott Wolf on opening track Party of Five. Instead the ‘Wyre hit us with explosive thrash and wailing vocals; the later half being a buildup of classic metal guitars and background hollering. The 80s metal spirit continues with Fuck You Tonight. A common hair metal subject of sexual conquest is explored here, however there’s no beating around the bush with cheesy lyrics like putting their logs in fireplaces or anything like that. The title says it all; they’re straight up, straight to the point, no fucking around.

More explosions are to be had on Operation Market Garden; the best track on the EP. There’s venom in Z-Chylde’s vocals and the wailing is taken to another level with a war zone backdrop of bombs and gunfire battle rising in intensity along with the music. 

Another important element in hard rock is a reference or two to some classic horror. Suspiria fills that role here; it’s a haunting tale of terrorizing witches. Battleshark finishes the album; an epic song which chugs along showcasing a myriad of techniques which pay tribute to Razorwyre’s heavy metal predecessors. It also displays that these guys can play pretty damn well themselves.

I’m not a massive fan of heavy metal, but these guys clearly are. What they do, they do well. Taking the piss, partying hard, theatrical vocals, spandex suits, general thrusting; Razorwyre exhibit all of these fine things to the point of excess.

Buy the album (or a classic Gaywyre t-shirt) here: 

http://razorwyre.bigcartel.com/

Live Review: Eat Skull

Mighty Mighty, Wellington – 20 April, 2011

I turned up at Mighty Mighty last night for Eat Skull’s first show of their New Zealand tour only to find that the venue was split in two. I was prepared to pay the $15 but found instead that it was free to stand at the bar on the smelly side of the curtain; there were no bands playing anyway. Opening band Full Fuckn Moon was nowhere to be seen and the other band, Pumice, could not be bothered.

A jug and a half later I heard some sort of commotion going on (it was Full Fuckn Moon baby!). It wasn’t until I went to the urinal that I realised that these guys were really good; the bathroom walls were reverberating to the sound of FFM. So I paid my $15 and in I went hoping to find out more. Unfortunately (or more likely, fortunately) I only caught the last song of their set. In this short space of time I noticed wigs and a chain. The chain was amazing; at first I thought lead singer, Bek Coogan, just dropped it in time with music, but then she dropped it again & again; Brilliant! My friend then pointed out the wigs but I was mesmerized by the chain. The set finished all too soon. Mrs Moon confirmed they were wearing wigs. I noticed the drummer was wearing a mask

Conclusion: I should learn how to play the chain.

Pumice was up next. Not really a band but a one man sideshow. He reminded me of Son of Dave but was more like the son of Son of Dave. Kind of like Dave’s son’s son being electronic and screwing around like kids these days; whereas Dave senior is all about guitars, and shit, and music, and the blues, and a harmonica. Fuck the Crash Test Dummies anyway. Maybe Dave should give his son's son more time.

Conclusion: It sounded nothing like Son of Dave

Then came Eat Skull. The music was lo-fi. The clothes were garage. The setup was DIY; this was especially pertinent seeing as one dude was playing an ironing board. The contrasting plaid shirts; one was red, the other blue, laughed in the face of the grunge fad of the early nineties. This was garage as, baby! Instead they looked to Josh Tesh (Entertainment Tonight) and his wholly (holey) t-shirt. At least I appreciated it, especially when an empty keg was kicked through the crowd. Rock!

Conclusion: Who cares what you sound like as long as you’re energetic.

Foo Fighters – Wasting Light

(RCA, 2011)

You pretty much know what you’re going to get with the Foo Fighters. That is why news of a new album by Dave Grohl and gang didn’t peak my interest. There was no excitement or anticipation to the release and the fact that it was recorded in Grohl’s garage, to me, did not mean a return to raw, stripped back rock; I’m sure Grohl’s garage is not your average cold storage space with an old refrigerator, misplaced tools, and a puddle of oil under an ’82 Cortina.

To a large degree, I was right (about the album - I am yet to see Grohl’s garage); it is more of the same from the veteran rockers. Although, in saying that, it is a fine album. Gone is Grohl’s incessant shouting of hits like Best of You, The Pretender, and Erase Replace. Instead the music is a little heavier and the return of guitarist Pat Smear, last seen on The Colour and the Shape, gives the music a punk appeal.

Before the album was released, the Foo’s had been talking it up as rocking from start-to-finish; Grohl saying something to the effect that they could play any song at any time in their set and it would go off; this is certainly true for the first half of the album. By now I’m sure you’ve heard the first single Rope; a wise choice by these old heads, its appeal lapped up by rock and pop stations alike. Bridge Burning and Dear Rosemary have the same appeal (but would probably prove too heavy for the pop stations), and together with the Rope they form a heavy-hitting start to he album.

Next is the jewel and absolute standout of the album; White Limo. It takes the speed of the opening three tracks and turns it up a notch. The aggression levels here are at an all time high for the Foo’s with Grohl’s vocals some his best work and reminiscent of Weenie Beenie off their self-titled debut. Arlandria and These Days are solid tracks too; the melodies, hooks, and catchy choruses more of the mainstream stuff the Foo Fighters have produced recently.

Back & Forth is an attempt at more of the same but this is where the album starts to wane. Grohl sings “show a little backbone, why don’t you?” and that is precisely what this song seriously lacks; it’s a throwaway pop song. The promise of rock from start-to-finish ends here with the rest of the songs being fairly timid; I Should Have Known especially so and the appearance of Krist Novoselic is seriously wasted on this track.

Walk is a nice way to end the album, but by then the momentum of the first six tracks has disappeared. So yeah, another solid album by the Foo Fighters; White Limo is outstanding, the first half oozes energy, but some uninspiring work towards the back end prevents it from being great.

Meat Puppets – Lollipop

Today's review comes courtesy of Cam Paulik; a big fan of Meat Puppets, and even bigger fan of Beezy Listening.

(Megaforce, 2011)

Legendary cow punkers the Meat Puppets have released their 13^th studio album and it did not disappoint. Lollipop is the third release since the Kirkwood brother’s reunion and the line-up has changed since 2009’s Sewn Together. Joining Curt and Cris is Shandon Sham, taking the place of Ted Marcus on drums. Band leader Curt Kirkwood now resides in Austin, Texas, but still conjures up the sun drenched desert imagery which coloured seminal albums Meat Puppets II and Up on the Sun.

Lollipop starts with the track Incomplete, which is somewhat of a departure for the band. Replacing the classic guitar/bass duel is Cris Kirkwood on synthesizer. Curt’s soothing mellow vocals make their return however and this is a solid opener. The vocals remain consistently laid back for all twelve tracks, something Curt has utilised since their return in 2007 with Rise to Your Knees. The melodies are there but I can’t tell whether it’s a combination of Curt and Cris or Curt and his dubbed self. Meatheads can rejoice further when the searing psychedelic solos of yesteryear resurface.

Baby Don’t is reminiscent of a more upbeat George Jones track and is my pick for the album. Cris’s bass line is wonderful here and wouldn’t be amiss on their 1985 classic Up on the Sun. The puppets continue to test the country waters with Town. This is one of the more earnest tracks on the album as you can detect vulnerability in the vocals. In Damn Thing, Curt manages to maintain his mellow brilliance amongst fast paced twanging that Neil Young would be proud of. These forays into the country style capture the Meat Puppets at their brilliant best and are highlights of the album.

With Lollipop the enigmatic Meat Puppets deliver an album full of the variety they are famous for. It’s never easy to pin them down to one style and the mixture of acoustic-electric guitaring asserts this. For a Meat Puppets album this latest offering is surprisingly accessible. The songs mostly stay south of the four minute mark and feature catchy riffs, light-hearted song writing, and Sahm’s up tempo drumming. Lollipop is a must for Meat Puppets fans and also recommended to those unacquainted with the trio.

Secret Chiefs 3 – Book of Horizons

We'll wrap things up this week with Secret Chiefs 3. Most of the credit for Mr. Bungle seems to go Mike Patton's way, but guitarist Trey Spruance is equally gifted, if not more so. The album Book of Horizons blows my mind, so much so that I'm not even going to try to explain it. Instead I've come up with this; make what you like out of it:

(Web of Mimicry, 2004)

 

In an unsuspecting corner somewhere, anywhere, in Persia, life goes on as normal; rats scurry in the alleyways, traders barter on the streets in a frenzied manner to the unaccustomed visitor. Something sinister lurks in an unknown underbelly.

A woman sobs as she tries to get her child to sleep; wishing with all her might that he will someday have a peaceful life. Outside her window a man pulls his cart full of unsold goods home; his life one hard and unsuccessful day after another. There’s no joy to be had in this town.

The bustling streets are lively. Children play merrily, musicians exude jovial sounds. Laughter and excitement fills the air. The harsh realities of life are put on hold for day at least.

Something sinister lurks.

People are being tortured. Souls are being ripped and separated from bodies to which they belong. These souls are being sold to abhorrent demons.

Somehow these monsters need to be stopped. Peace and calm is all everyone, anyone, ever asks for here. A plan is devised. A hero is needed. But a hero simply doesn’t exist in these parts. It is a futile exercise; a futile existence.

A journey is undertaken by a few brave individuals in search of our hero. In search of the one man that can save a whole society; he who can defeat the beasts. There is hope, but it is hope that may never return.

A search is cast over all of Persia; many places are visited, no stone is left unturned. Familiar territories are covered; mysterious valleys are traversed. All have different characters and customs. All have the same result; none. There is only one place left to look… California.

Our hero lives on the water. With long blond hair and a surf board as his only possession; he is found. He who can conquer the beasts back home and bring peace to a civilisation.

Meanwhile back at home, innocent individuals continue to perish. Arms, legs, torsos, ripped and gnashed. Piercing screams fill the air. Screams which are the only signs of life amongst the discarded chunks of flesh and bone floating in makeshift rivers of blood.

An eerie change sweeps across the land.

The bustling streets are, once again, lively. Children are playing again. Wonderful music is in the air. Laughter and excitement has returned. The harsh realities of life seemed to have disappeared. The Californian dude has saved these people.

Our Californian hero returns to the surf. Farmers dance in the rain; celebrating their new found wealth. Traders pull their empty carts home; gleefully smiling after another prosperous day. Trouble will return, however it hardly matters at this point in time.

Welcome to the world of Secret Chiefs 3…

The Tango Saloon – Transylvania

Another one of the Mr. Bungle members to move to Australia is Danny Heifetz. He now resides in Sydney and is part of the band The Tango Saloon.

(Phantom, 2008)

Transylvania is suspenseful tango/spaghetti western music with dash, no make that a whole heap, of comedy.

First track The Count opens up the album with a thriller/mystery type introduction giving some insight as to what is about to come. What follows includes; a worrying tale of a woman crying out for something in her life (I Want Some Fun), enchanting stories of seemingly distant places and times (Into the Castle, L’Anima Sulle Sue Mani), and action packed escapades (The Chase). We also see a whole lot of exotic tango and humour.

Title track Transylvania gets thing going in real tango fashion with rhythm and heart, at times sounding like something out of Curb Your Enthusiasm; you could certainly see Larry David getting up to something mischievous to this music. Dance of the Dead turns the Curb Your Enthusiasm notch up a level, while Oblivious (There’s Something Down There) and Kiss of Death sound like, in the right context, they could be genuine attempts at some serious tango (if tango is meant to be taken seriously).

Dracula Cha Cha puts everything to bed with an appearance by none other than Mike Patton; and we see the whole outfit seems to be in jest. It is a fun album and would no doubt be better in a live setting (where they are sometimes known as The Mango Balloon).

Fantômas – Suspended Animation

Due to his role in Faith No More and his massive array of other projects since, and also because he's a complete genius, Mike Patton is the most well known member of Mr. Bungle. While he played a large part in making Faith No More and Tomahawk what they are/were, they were never solely his responsibility. Fantômas is his baby, his creation, his warped point of view.

(Ipecac Recordings, 2005)

Fantômas have released four studio albums to date; their self-titled debut was (and still is) unlike anything I’ve heard; experimental to say the least, with Mike Patton using his voice to frighteningly great effect. Next came an album of horror movie songs, The Director’s Cut, which was surprisingly accessible. The masterpiece in Patton’s entire library would have to be Delìrium Còrdia, a 74 minute mind-fuck where the listener overlooks a surgical procedure. However, for me, Suspended Animation best sums up Fantômas – playfully evil.

The album retains Fantômas dark and twisted way of looking at things. Patton is once again screaming, squealing, and making any other sound effect he finds appropriate; his support cast of Buzz Osborne (Melvins, guitar), Dave Lombardo (Slayer, drums), Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, bass) as precise as ever. The difference comes with the abundance of samples, but they’re not just any samples; they’re all linked to children. Cartoons, toys, and kids laughing and playing; not exactly what you associate with music of this variety.

Each track represents a day in April, and by 04/10/05 Saturday there’s an overload of samples and a myriad of "uh oh’s", "bye bye’s", and "boing’s" thrown in. 04/24/05 Sunday is a prelude to the work Patton did on the Crank 2: High Voltage soundtrack and 04/14/05 Thursday somehow stands out above the rest, its production simply superb.

The end result is total meltdown of your senses best listened to on headphones; disturbing yet cheeky, sinister yet merry. It’s pure Patton; you’re unable to tell if he’s just plain evil or if he’s got tongue firmly planted in cheek and is just fucking with your head. 

MadLove – White With Foam

Next up from the Mr. Bungle clan is bassist Trevor Dunn. Although Dunn is probably most well known in his post-Bungle days for his role in Fantomas, he has become pretty much a hired hand performing with everyone from Sean Lennon to the Melvins to former Korn member Brian "Head" Welch (an album which Dunn says, despite being on it, he has never heard). His latest project is rock group MadLove.

(Ipecac Recordings, 2009)

Punchy and bass/guitar-centric, MadLove combines driving bass with classical instruments less associated with rock to produce heavy melodramatic arrangements.

White With Foam is all Dunn’s work, and his attempt at writing rock music. While the album is much more standard in terms of song structure to other projects Dunn has been involved in, there’s a bit too much variation and subtle nuances for it to become all that popular. This is a good thing because the subtle use of more traditional instruments is what sets Dunn apart from his more popular counterparts.

Korean songstress Sunny Kim handles most of the vocals; her distinctive vocals, at times, have a very vulnerable feel to them. The combination of Kim’s vocals and the use of vibraphone, harp, cello, violin, and viola produce a classical effect and another reason why it is unlikely to hit the “mainstream”.

Kim sounds more assure of herself on Absence & Noise, the strong vocals and heavy bass giving it real guts. A few songs do lack guts but for the most part Dunn’s focus on bass and Icelandic guitarist, Hilmar Jensson’s power chords keep this firmly somewhere in the rock category. Simple, punchy riffs give songs like As Sad as it Was Beautiful a foot-stomping like quality.

Dirty is very… well, dirty - gritty may be a better word; the bass being very prominent, even more so than the rest of the album. Left With Nothing sees Dunn take a turn on vocals and, in my opinion, it’s probably the standout track on the album. His vocals are a little more soothing and give a somewhat trippy effect; certainly an entirely different mood is conveyed. It would be interesting to hear the whole album sung with a different vocalist.

Umlaut – Umlaut

This week I've decided to do a little tribute to Mr. Bungle. Each member has gone on to produce some pretty incredible and different music since the band's breakup in 2004 so each day this week I'll focus on one of these projects. First up is saxophonist Clinton "Bär" McKinnon and his band Umlaut.

(Amphead Aus/Zoom, 2009)

Melbourne based Umlaut’s first effort combines quirky jazz based instrumentals with humorous experimental pop and even includes an appearance by someone named Mike Patton.

The album undeniably has the blood of Mr. Bungle running all the way through it; there’s some sort of structure but it’s impossible to tell which direction it is headed next. The songs alternate between suspenseful jazz-based instrumentals and catchy pop tunes filled with comedic lyrics. Just like Mr. Bungle the music is beautifully arranged but is not to be taken seriously, and how could you take it seriously with tracks like Dirty Dishes (an ode to cleaning up after yourself), Work Truck ("who wants oysters?"), and Chill Pill (“just chill, chill the fuck out”).

The album makes a splash early on with the vocals on Atlas Face provided by Mike Patton. He displays several different vocal techniques for the song and has me guessing as to whether some sort of voice effects machine is used for part of it or if he’s just extremely talented. The short answer is both. A heavier element is also prevalent throughout the album but most noticeable on Bigfoot is Real and Buttons. The latter is a sweeping track that encompasses electronic and heavier components before ending with a dramatic flow of synth.

Keyboards play a large part in the sound of Umlaut, but it is Bär’s excellence on the saxophone and flute, plus the addition of a vibraphone which give an edge to their sound, a sound comparable to a junior Mr. Bungle.

The Field – Yesterday and Today

(Kompakt Records, 2009)

The Field is one of the monikers used by Swedish based techno artist Axel Willner. Yesterday and Today is his sophomore effort and is highly atmospheric in its use of electronics.

Willner slowly builds into Yesterday and Today. The environmental techno opener, I Have the Moon, You Have the Internet, sends the listener into their own world, transfixed on nothing in particular. The repetitious and soothing beats empty the mind and, despite the electronic framework, it all feels very natural.

Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime sends the relaxation levels up another rank with its addition of harmonious vocals before Leave It totally disrupts the peace. A driving and repetitive beat pounds away to the back of your head for a solid three minutes until a neat little rhythm emerges and that pounding all of a sudden becomes distant and unnoticeable until you notice that you’re taking great pleasure from it. 

The main reason for my interest in this album was the presence of drummer John Stainer (Battles, Helmet, Tomahawk). He makes an appearance on the title track which turns out to be fairly nondescript club number with just a hint of psychedelia. The More That I Do was the one single off Yesterday and Today, and by the time we get to it the album has taken a whole new dynamic; the mood a whole lot more lively. The pulsing, 15 minute long Sequenced, rounds out the album by bringing everything back down a notch and once again spacing out the listener.

The album is highly ambient, minimal techno where long, repetitive conceptions are the order of the day (the six tracks clock in at a tad over 60 minutes), and while Yesterday and Today, at times, does border on boredom, for the most part it remains largely captivating.

 

Goon Moon – Licker’s Last Leg

(Ipecac Recordings, 2007)

A horrendous screaking sound greets the listener on Licker’s Last Leg, an album as disconcerting as it is alluring. Goon Moon sees Chris Goss (Masters of Reality) and Jeordie White (Twiggy Ramirez from Marilyn Manson) come together to produce an album which displays a collage feelings and emotions. The riffs and vocals are somewhat catchy, however the feel of the album is delightfully eerie with some disturbingly beautiful lyrics.

Bake the children in the pies.

Licker’s Last Leg is a mix of experimental, eclectic, industrial, and gothic rock, but despite this is very accessible. All this is not too surprising given the ingredients which see Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) and Josh Freese (Nine Inch Nails) join Goss and White on this “lovingly crafted journey”.

Sat at the bar with a skull mask on.

Chatty Cathy hasn’t spoke for weeks.

A few songs here could quite easily have appeared on QOTSA’s Era Vulgaris which was released the same year and, like all QOTSA releases, produced by Chris Goss. My Machine and Feel Like This in particular have the same feel about them and underline the impact Goss has on both Josh Homme and QOTSA. This album proves just as catchy, possibly even more so, however the dark tone is not so radio friendly and perhaps too misunderstood for Goon Moon to fully take off.

Toss the sisters in the ditch.

Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You is a cover of one of The Bee Gees early, pre-disco tracks. In this instance the song seemingly floats from its psychedelic upbringing into the loving arms of Goss and White where it becomes sharp and mature. Both this and An Autumn Which Came Too Soon could possibly be described as electro-folk, illustrating just how diverse his album is, all the while staying somewhat uniform.

I’ve got a pocket full of gum – Yum!

The album culminates in eight-part The Golden Ball which could be an album on its own and demonstrates Goss and White’s skill in seamlessly hopping from one style to another. This truly is a masterful blend where the boundaries of disturbing and dark experimentation have been pushed closer to a more popular form of alternate rock.

Mashed potatoes, Uncle Sam, apple pie, honey baked ham.

Burning Embers – Burning Embers

(Burning Embers Inc, 2010)

Burning Embers is a rock 5-piece originating from Wainuiomata, Wellington who have just completed a fairly extensive North Island tour. Their eponymous fist release is grunge bordering on alternative rock, and ends up sounding very much like Days of the New.

The Days of the New vibe is struck very early on with the first track, No Fear, borrowing heavily from the acoustic guitar sound of the 90’s rockers. However, some guitar overlays of the more electric variety add a heavier dynamic to the mix. The first four songs on the album (No Fear, I Bleed, Open the Door, and Crystal Ball) all follow this recipe with singer Robert Morgan's forceful vocals telling of troubled past. There’s a sense of calm to his aggressiveness and it’s clear that he has buried his demons and is looking forward from here. Crystal Ball may be the best of these four tracks and sees one of the three lead guitarists show off his chops with an extended solo.

End of the Rainbow sees a change in tempo. The slow burning number seems to be a nod to Led Zeppelin with its progressive rock element making the next track Playing With Fire all the more effective. The combination of deeper, devil-like vocals with traditional metal-like wailing give the song impetus and mark a turn back to their darker side. Wait for a Moment adds a slightly trippy element while Denial’s Easy has an old school punk feel its Jello Biafra type over powering vocals.

The rest of the album is somewhat of a letdown with about three too many angst-ridden grunge ballads. Climb Any Mountain is the best of these with its uplifting theme more fitting with the early part of the album. Get Out of My Way is a good way to close the album and displays their intentions showing that what these guys do best is show their raw emotion with an aggressive attitude.

Although I have not heard these guys live, the heavier, more aggressive tracks would definitely translate well to bars and small clubs and there’s no doubt they’d give a balls to the wall performance each and every time.

Butthole Surfers – Locust Abortion Technician

(Touch and Go, 1987)

“Daddy,”

“Yes son?”

“What does regret mean?”

“Well son, a funny thing about regret is that it’s better to regret something you have done, than regret something you haven’t done. And by the way, if you see your mom this weekend would you be sure and tell her: SATAN!”

I had never listened to Butthole Surfers before but was kind of expecting an introduction like this. I was also expecting the experimental funk-rock style of lead track Sweet Loaf. I was not expecting the myriad of styles and bizarre bursts of adroitness which followed. The combination of funk, punk, heavy metal, noise rock, and psychedelics somehow has an overall industrial feel to it.

Most of the album could be described as gibberish. Interesting gibberish. Thoughtful gibberish. Maybe even meaningful gibberish. But gibberish none the less. There’s a lot of mixing, reversing, and stretching going on throughout the album. Hay is apparently a reversed version of 22 Going on 23, and sounds like it has a few farmyard animals thrown in the mix.

The first appearance of Graveyard (there are two tracks with this title) is slowed down to the point where the vocals are obviously warped but the music remains something which the Smashing Pumpkins would be happy to put out. U.S.S.A. is warped in some form or another; or more likely, some form AND another.

Human Cannonball stands out mainly because it has nothing out of the ordinary going on. It has a very 80’s punk staple drum line and vocal setup. The O-Men is just plain amazing. It’s as if Tweety Bird and the Tasmania Devil have formed a heavy metal band with the Devil himself. The album is rounded out by a track named Kuntz which is a remixing of some Thai recording where apparently the word “itch” (or maybe the Thai word for itch) has been altered in many different ways to make it sound like “cunt”, and we also get a second helping of Graveyard. Here it is not so warped and actually sounds pretty good.

I’m not really sure how to sum up the Butthole Surfers after this. Genius? Ingenious? Anarchic? Eccentric? Grotesque? I think I’ll just describe them, quite simply, as interesting.

Mini Mansions – Mini Mansions

(Ipecac Recordings/Rekords Rekords, 2010)

On the face of it Mini Mansions is a modern take on playful pop music of the 60’s and 70’s. However, it has some creepy and sinister undertones making it delightfully compelling.

Queens of the Stone Age’s Michael Shuman is the brainchild behind this project, and along with Zach Dawes and Tyler Parkford, they produce a sound which most have compared to The Beatles. The album also contains a psychedelic element reminiscent of Pink Floyd, an artful playfulness reminiscent of David Bowie, and a modern touch reminiscent of Arcade Fire; putting it somewhere towards the back end of The Beatles existence, possibly even a indication of what The Beatles would have gone on to become.

Right from the first track, Kiddie Hypnogogia, the tone of the album is set with a lighthearted and upbeat opening quickly giving in to slow melancholic chords which create a sense of mystery and fear of the unknown. The Room Outside introduces a Beatles-esque tone and with lyrics about astro-psychical realms points more towards their progressive side. Majik Marker later continues this and is possibly the strongest track on the album, providing a wonderful throwback into the world of 1960’s psychedelics.

Mini Mansions maintains a strong piano element throughout which give tunes like Crime of the Season and Girls and lighthearted and at the same time worryingly dark feel. Monk stands out as the creepiest track on this chilling album. Lyrics such as “If I promise that my hands don’t move, you wanna tuck me in? No touching or feelin’ anything / If I promise that my lips stand still, you wanna run your mouth? No touching or feelin’ anything” stand in stark contrast to the catchy beat and vocal harmony of the song.

Wunderbars is slow and brooding, Seven Sons is upbeat and uplifting, and mixed in throughout are Vignette #’s 1, 2, and 3 creating a range of moods and emotions and a something quite unique from what is around right now and what has come before.

Darcy Clay – Jesus I Was Evil (EP)

(Antenna Records, 1997)

Darcy Clay was a New Zealand born musician who put out two six track EPs before taking his own life at the age of 25. The first of these two EPs, Jesus I Was Evil, was recorded mostly in his bedroom on a 4-track recorder. The result is part rock, part blues, part electro-pop, and all Darcy.

Through the title track, Darcy gained some airplay and notoriety throughout New Zealand. The catchy Jesus I Was Evil has been described as a “Kiwi cult classic. It sounds like nothing you’ve ever heard before, and yet it’s everything you’ve ever heard”. He maintains high levels of enthusiasm and energy, especially on All I Gotta Do which, with its low production values, sounds exactly like it would in a small club, surely with a lively bunch of 20 to 30 students flailing their bodies about.

Darcy has certain twang to his singing voice, something that would have Dolly Parton fans cringing if they ever heard his cover of Jolene. Here it fits perfectly with a swagger and confidence befitting of Mick Jagger. The only track on the EP that was produced in a studio, In the Middle, is (for 1997) ahead of its time with an infectious electro-pop groove that would see him fit in somewhere between Disasteradio and Kids of 88 in today’s musical landscape.

Sadly Darcy’s musical brilliance was lost too early. On his next EP he covered Elton John’s tribute to Princess Diana, Candle in the Wind (Darcy named it English Rose), this song could suitably be used to describe Darcy also; “your candle burned out long before your legend ever will”.

Polkadot Cadaver – Purgatory Dance Party

(Rotten Records, 2007)

Polkadot Cadaver comes from the strange and creative minds of Dog Fashion Disco. Vocalist Todd Smith is the closest thing I’ve heard to Mike Patton and on Purgatory Dance Party Patton’s influence is noticeable. However, where Dog Fashion Disco had a large Mr. Bungle feel to them, this sways more towards Tomahawk with a heavy dose of programmed drums. There is more to Smith, Stepp, and the rest gang being rip-off artists though; there is a whole lot of originality and mind-boggling themes going on here.

After an acoustic introduction, singer Smith shows off his Patton-esque vocal chords on A Wolf in Jesus Skin which also has the classic Dog Fashion Disco keyboards. Title track Purgatory Dance Party is about, and sounds like exactly that; a purgatory dance party. Picture a group of brainwashed sinners getting together to let off some steam. Deathwish carries on this morbid theme, keyboards more appropriate for a funeral introduce the story of a girl who will soon be joining the party, while Phantom Limb does the same except this time the keyboards would be better suited to a circus.

By now the dark theme is pretty well implemented, however Long Strange Trip to Paradise has a fun electric pop feel giving off a humour similar to that of the Eagles of Death Metal but here sounds more like the Eagles of Experimental Metal. Bring Me the Head of Andy Warhol is well and truly a pop song, but with an anti-Hollywood spin. Think Britney Spears meets Tomahawk (the chorus sounds exactly like Pop 1).

The only thing which saves Chloroform Girl from being a boring, radio friendly karaoke hit is the dark, disturbing, and downright weird lyrics; I guess that’s the point. This leads us to the heaviest opening and strongest song on the album What’s the Worst Thing that Could Happen?. The changes in tempo and vocal range make this standout; Smith whispers, growls, howls, and provides some striking harmonies to great effect. Brainwash is more of their bizarre take on pop, Pure Bedlam for Halfbreeds could be considered avant-garde metal, and Sole Survivor ends with twenty minutes of the word “Satan” on repeat… no need… but every need.

Despite the dark, death-like theme of the album Polkadot Cadaver manage to maintain an fun, upbeat feel throughout, and in doing so create a sound best described as death pop.  

Live Review: Soundwave - Sydney

Today's review comes courtesy of long-time Beezy Listener, Christ Pearce. Christ is a well traveled festival-goer who last week made the pilgrimage over to Sydney for the mostly metal/punk festival Soundwave, taking in bands such as Monster Magnet, Millencolin, Primus, Gang of Four, and Melvins. No mention of Third Eye Blind, however. Here's his take on the day's action:

Sydney Showground - 27 February, 2011

A change of venue from Sydney’s Eastern Creek Speedway to the more accessible Olympic Park Showgrounds meant that Soundwave 2011 became more like a heavy Big Day Out. So although most of the same stages remained from Australasia’s biggest music festival, the ironic t-shirts were replaced by black Slayer and Iron Maiden merchandise and the normally fluoro accessories were more of the permanent ink variety here. Mid strength beers and mixers were still being peddled however, although it presented little barrier to intoxication (I suspect the frozen cocktails had a bit more venom). The forty degree heat which plagued last year’s Soundwave was thankfully absent, and the occasional rain shower maintained an ideal atmosphere for accepting punishing aural attacks.

British legends Saxon should have appeared first on one of the twin main stages but had pulled out in the days prior to the event, reportedly in order to finish recording their new album. It sounded a bit weak to me, since I don’t know anyone likely to buy such an album, though plenty who were keen to see them perform. So instead we arrived a bit later to see Saxon touring partners The Sword play a very loud and energetic set on a smaller stage. With a clear Sabbath influence these Texans knew how to kick off a festival, and the large and ever increasing crowd were receptive. I passed by British band This Town Needs Guns who began by admitting that although they were neither metal nor punk, they were at least pleased to be at Soundwave. So what would they be then? An At the Drive-In derivative from what I could tell. The wavering vocals were spot on if a little wimpy, but the jumpy guitar riffs not quite as melodic as some of the better bands of their type.

Waiting for Monster Magnet to start at the main stage, I caught the last few of songs from skate-punkers MXPX with some dismay (I had planned on a more heavy agenda). Although the loyal crowd screamed along to every lyric – their closer Let’s go to the Punk Rock Show is classic sing-a-long punk – I am sure the band could have squeezed in another two minute rocker rather than carry on with their inane stage banter which included plugging a DVD in which singer-guitarist Mike Herrera apparently stars half-naked. This sort of time-wasting rubbish seems to be typical of a lot of pop-punk bands of late. As the feedback faded, space rockers Monster Magnet strode out with real purpose and frontman Dave Wyndorf announced they would start this one off slow and build it up. He wasn’t kidding. Beginning with sludgy cruiser Nod Scene and the drug-addled Tractor, the set became ever more erotic and by the middle of Look to Your Orb for the Warning, Wyndorf and guitarists Garret Sweeny and Phil Caivano were gyrating all over their monitors. I was sweating at this point myself, despite keeping a safe distance. Wyndorf’s vocals sounded a lot more gruff than on their records, and I’m certain he cranked up the levels of growling and heavy breathing as well. For their final song Spacelord, we were told that the chorus would sound a lot better if we all sang “mother fucker” at the same time, which of course it did. And the scene was complete with Wyndorf pelvic thrusting all the way to the end. Brilliant.

Bullet For My Valentine followed immediately after and with a unexpectedly powerful intro. I almost thought Slayer had come on early as the three guitarists charged out and swung their hair and flying V’s to the punishing Your Betrayal. It deserved applause but I had other tasks to attend to such as wrist-banding, gaining some more friends, and booze. On the way I made a stop at old Swedish punk favorite Millencolin, who were playing their classic Pennybridge Pioneers album to a packed tent. Millencolin are one of only a handful of pop-punk bands who can get away with touring an album over ten years old, and by all accounts the sound was better than most of the outdoor stages.

I was intrigued to hear what Terror would sound like – terrific, terrible? My initial experience turned out to be not of the band but of a fan wearing a Terror t-shirt being dragged away from the stage. Perhaps I’d already missed the best of them... you had to assume the guy had been enjoying himself. Unlike him, I managed to catch the end of the Californian hardcore act, which sounded heavy enough but didn’t seem to offer much more than what hardcore from the late 90's has already given us. Though to be fair I didn’t hear or see enough to pass a considered judgment.

Having bought a can of beer and a can of whiskey and dry I mulled over what to drink first. They were both barely satisfying cold so I decided to drink the beer first on account of the whiskey RTD being most likely to keep its flavour when warm. As I later found out, the superior drink choice was the multi-coloured, multi-flavoured, oozing frozen cocktail. Music festivals demand many such considered decisions as this from all punters. Pizza, hot dog, noodles, nothing? Spew on the ground or in the toilet?

Choosing Primus over High on Fire was an easy decision. I was drawn immediately to the front after watching opener To Defy the Laws of Tradition from afar. Having only listened to Primus’ albums I had never guessed at how much of their overall sound actually comes from Les Claypool’s bass. The man is simply a magician. While rapidly slapping and finger tapping his various basses (bass is not even the appropriate name fro them, he produces the whole range of pitches as well as percussion) he strutted about the stage at times like a prancing parading moustached soldier, his distinctive vocals instantly appealing even when chatting to the crowd between songs – “there are so many things I’ve been wanting to say to each and every one of you, but they told me to just get up and play this four-stringed piece of furniture”. There were no let-ups throughout the whole set, with American Life, My Name is Mud and Tommy the Cat all producing spontaneous freak-outs from the crowd when they weren’t staring mesmerised by one of the most unheralded groups of the last twenty years. A large gathering of backstage admirers was testament to the genius on show. My highlight of the day. I later heard that the High on Fire set was halved by technical difficulties.

On to the eagerly anticipated Gang of Four. The British post-punk band immediately engaged everyone by destroying a Fender before the first song was over. After replacing it, besuited guitarist Andy Gill announced oddly “I’m like ya dad”, singer and tambourinist Jon King added for clarification “he’s like ya dad... after a bottle of rum... on Christmas Eve”. There was so much energy in this performance they made the rest of the bands look like a rehearsal. King repeatedly crashed into equally as sharply dressed bassist Thomas McNeice who barely noticed, and knocked his mic stand to all parts of the stage. Whenever he managed to calm down King would go into what appeared to be a sort of ‘rock trance’. It was reminiscent of a younger Peter Garrett, although unlike his also politically motivated band, Gang of Four haven’t compromised anything and are still going strong. Highlights included Do As I Say and closer To Hell With Poverty which King screamed himself hoarse and soaking wet.

Just as anticipated were thrash legends Slayer, and naturally a sizeable crowd was building. After a ten minute delay the murmuring crowd was silenced by the arrival of some kook coming on stage to say “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but...” - cue a shower of bottles and cans. Apparently singer Tom Araya was ill in hospital and unable to perform. The fence I was leaning against shook dangerously and air was tense, but everyone eventually gathered control. Although I later heard reports of fans pissing on their Slayer shirts and burning them (or probably the other way around). A few quotes overheard from fans moments after the cancellation – “he’s gonna get his arse reamed!” (metal is occasionally homoerotic); “let’s go and see Foxy Shazam” (I don’t think anyone did); in response to the surprising calm - “that’s why we’re on mid-strengths”; and the sensible “let’s visit him in hospital and bring him donuts”.

Queens of the Stone Age turned up on time and played a set from most of their catalogue, opening with Rated R classics Feel Good Hit of the Summer and Lost Art of Keeping a Secret. Always tight and heavy, frontman Josh Homme sculled from a bottle of Smirnoff and urged the crowd to dance. Before the show I’d been led to believe they were touring partly to promote a reissue of their self-titled debut, so I was looking forward to hearing at least a couple of tracks from the Kyuss era. But no such luck with this set. Anyhow, every song had the crowd rocking out from kick off and the closing three from Songs for the Deaf – Go With the Flow, No One Knows, and A Song for the Dead and made it a solid, if a little predictable, performance.

I traversed the festival grounds so quickly to catch Melvins that I managed to experience the end of a pumped up Rob Zombie finishing up at the adjacent stage. Now this was some serious entertainment. Seeing the end of a faithful cover of Alice Cooper’s School’s Out had me a little confused as to who was playing at first, but there was no doubt when he came out for encore Dragula, introduced by hot rod horror visuals. Surely this is as close as metal can come to dance music. After directing guitarist John 5 to smash his guitar to pieces “I hate that fucking guitar”! Rob and his band screamed over fading feedback.

For what I assume was a piss-take, Melvins came on and screamed over their own feedback for a minute or so before launching into the furious riffing and call-and-response vocals of The Water Glass. All wearing slightly strange outfits, Buzz Osbourne’s veteran band powered flawlessly through jagged rhythms and timing changes, although they occasionally flashed a grin across the crowd to confirm that it’s all really just a bit of fun. Billy Fish, Let it all Be, The Bit created the greatest amount of head-banging that I saw all night (pretty closely in time with Buzz’s swaying hair). Good heavy shit.

After foregoing the first half of their two hour set, I made the pilgrimage to The Royal Iron Maiden Symphony Orchestra. A set full of long operatic songs (incidentally, latest album The Final Frontier is their longest ever album), the majority of tracks seemed to come from post-90’s albums which surely only die-hards must listen to. The backdrop changed for every song and Bruce Dickinson pranced around in a torn shirt labeled ‘Psych Ward’, gesturing like he was reciting Shakespeare. It resembled a school production more than a metal concert. I wouldn’t have been surprised if their mums were in the audience to watch it. The song Iron Maiden from the album of the same name by the band of the same name (a couple of whom also wear t-shirts of the band of the same name) was notable for the entrance of a giant mechanical, possibly robotic, possibly real, probably a guy in a suit named Eddie who came out on stage to terrorize the band and then play guitar (well, hold a guitar) and finally simulate masturbating over Dave Murray! The final act thankfully included Number of the Beast and Hallowed Be Thy Name, and finished with Running Free which was interrupted by a brief singing of ‘happy birthday’ to guitarist Adrian Smith and Dickinson’s bizarre ramblings - he joked that it’s Sunday so we have all probably been to church and then immediately pointed out a pair of tits in the crowd! And then like any practiced theatre performance they finished precisely on schedule. Apparently a band called Polar Bear Club played at the same time.