Plastilina Mosh – All U Need is Mosh

Author: tracysigler | Posted: September 4th, 2008 | | Tags: , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

Plastilina Mosh - All U Need is Mosh

The latest Plastilina Mosh record came out just in time for my birthday a few weeks ago. After the first full listen of All U Need is Mosh I was stunned that is wasn’t the greatest record ever made, because I’m huge, huge fan. I guess it’s bound to happen, but it’s always a downer when a band seems to take a step backward. I know, it’s all in my head. After several more complete listens I do love more than at first. There are a large number of great tunes and the whole world should buy it. My favorites in general are the more electronic stuff, but the punk-pop single “Let U Know” is totally fun. Other standouts include the slow electro-funk “Paso Fino” and the pretty “Pervert Pop Song.”


Snuff – Tweet Tweet My Lovely

Author: tracysigler | Posted: August 12th, 2008 | | Tags: , , , , , | No Comments »

Snuff - Tweet Tweet My Lovely

It’s my birthday, and I’m celebrating by posting one of my all-time favorite records, Tweet Tweet My Lovely by Snuff. It’s not even my favorite record by Snuff. I’m playing it as I write, I’m only on song number 6, and it’s given me goosebumps at least as many times. Snuff is the most soulful punk band that ever existed. These cats are the real deal, they know how to have fun, but they also know how to make some of the most poignant heavy music you’ll ever hear. And the details! Everything is perfect: the gang vocals, the crescendos, the speed, etc. Layer on some Hammond organ and trombone, and then seeing them live and it’s more exciting than I can describe. I’ll save the live show for the next Snuff record I post.

Don’t believe me? Don’t be ridiculous. Check out the snippets at AllMusic.

Then go to Snuff at MySpace. Then get all the Snuff history at Wikipedia.

Goosebumps. Goosebumps.


Mother Love Bone — Apple

Author: tracysigler | Posted: June 20th, 2008 | | Tags: , , , , , | No Comments »

Mother Love Bone -- Apple

This Mother Love Bone record, Apple, is better than I remember. Too bad the singer Andrew Wood wasn’t able to manage his state. He died of a heroin overdose before this album was released. On the back cover there is a note: “In memory of Andrew Wood.” At the time I thought they were a little too perfect, too Seattle, too trippy. Some of the lyrics and titles still strike me as a bit uh… something, but the record has plenty of great riffs and hooks. My favorite song is a dirge, “Stardog Champion.” I’m a sucker for gang vocals from a bunch of kids. Check out the video, and stay tuned for the kinders at the end.

More about Mother Love Bone at Wikipedia.


Hellacopters — Supershitty to the Max

Author: tracysigler | Posted: May 29th, 2008 | | Tags: , , , , , , , | No Comments »

Hellacopters -- Supershitty to the Max

Hellacopters -- Supershitty to the MaxWhat a complete breakdown in posting discipline. Things happen, and these records take time to post. This one is worth the wait though. Not that I’ve been waiting. I’ve been spinning Supershitty to the Max (1996) by The Hellacopters every day since I mentioned the guys last week. This is their first record and I’ve been in love with them ever since. Thanks to Bob Schick for turning me on, and tuning me in.

Supershitty is totally raw rock and roll in the spirit of The Stooges, Motorhead and roots punk. There’s no hint whatsoever of the occasional power pop song you hear on their later recordings. My favorite, and what too often feels like my theme song, is “Born Broke.”

Now that my son Mars discovered there is a bonus song by The Hellacopters in Guitar Hero III I can’t imagine my productivity is going to increase any time soon.

I think you need to read more about The Hellacopters.


Garbage — The World Is Not Enough

Author: tracysigler | Posted: May 12th, 2008 | | Tags: , , , , , , | No Comments »

Garbage -- The World Is Not Enough

I am not a particularly big fan of Garbage, but I am a James Bond lunatic. I have every single legitimate Bond movie made, along with some not-so-legitimate 007 flicks. In addition to the movies I have an odd assortment of Bond music from every relevant decade. So, I was happy to get this CD single “The World Is Not Enough” (1999) from a coworker at the time, Mona Sharma. I used to have a real turntable on my desk along with a “now playing” sign, just like in the record stores from the good ol’ days. For a while, I sat next to Mona. I asked her once what kind of music she liked and she replied that she really only listened to soundtracks. I thought that was funny at the time, in a cool non-conformist way, but in the years since that conversation I have been collecting more and more soundtracks and film scores. Mona was on to something.

As far as Bond movie themes go this one by Garbage is pretty solid. This is a promo that includes the original version along with the “Chilled Out Remix.” To be honest, after several listens I can’t tell them apart. Both are chilled out, and good.


Beck — Guerolito

Author: tracysigler | Posted: May 5th, 2008 | | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

Beck -- Guerolito

I like Beck’s thinking on this project more than the outcome. As you can see from the track listing there are some big names involved, but overall Guerolito is less enjoyable than Guero. I suppose that’s what you should expect with remixes.

Track listing from Wikipedia:

All songs were written by Beck Hansen and The Dust Brothers, except where noted.

  1. “Ghost Range” (Hansen, Dust Brothers, Beastie Boys) – 4:24
    • E-Pro” remix by Homelife
  2. “Qué Onda Guero” – 2:29
  3. Girl” – 3:53
    • Octet remix
    • Originally released in the special edition CD/DVD package of Guero
  4. “Heaven Hammer” (Hansen, Dust Brothers, Marcos Vinicius de Moraes, Carlos Eduardo Lyra) – 4:54
    • “Missing” remix by Air
  5. “Shake Shake Tambourine” (Hansen, Dust Brothers, Eugene Blacknell) – 3:37
    • “Black Tambourine” remix by Ad-Rock
  6. “Terremoto Tempo” (Hansen, Dust Brothers, Mark Adams, Steve Washington, Daniel Webster, Mark Hicks) – 3:47
    • “Earthquake Weather” remix by Mario C
  7. “Ghettochip Malfunction” – 2:39
    • “Hell Yes” remix by 8-Bit
  8. “Broken Drum” (Hansen) – 5:36
    • Boards of Canada remix
    • Originally released in the special edition CD/DVD package of Guero
  9. “Scarecrow” – 4:37
  10. “Wish Coin” (Hansen, Dust Brothers, Jack White) – 3:44
    • “Go It Alone” remix by Diplo
  11. “Farewell Ride” (Hansen) – 4:51
  12. “Rental Car” – 2:59
  13. “Emergency Exit” – 3:18
  14. “Clap Hands” – 3:19
    • Originally released in the special edition CD/DVD package of Guero

Metallica — Live Shit: Binge and Purge

Author: tracysigler | Posted: April 25th, 2008 | | Tags: , , , , , , | No Comments »

Metallica -- Live Shit: Binge and Purge

A package this big needs at least two pics…

Metallica -- Live Shit: Binge and Purge

My personal rule for all the music I’m posting is that I have to listen to the entire thing and decide whether to keep it. I’m not going to pretend that I’ve consumed the entirety of Metallica’s over-the-top-box-set Live Shit: Binge and Purge (1993), again. It’s almost nine hours of live music! There are three VHS tapes and three CDs. I don’t even have a VCR any more. They released it later with DVDs but I couldn’t wait for that. Actually, this was a birthday present, I believe, and it was stupid spendy. But worth every penny!

That package is the coolest. It even has little metal hinges on the back. In addition to the audio and video stuff there is a small stencil, a moss pit pass from the tour, and a great book. The book has tons of photos and photocopies of set lists, and some serious, but humorous, memos about what the band can and can’t do on stage in various countries, and much more.

I got to see them play at least once on this mega-tour, but I can’t find the ticket stub. This package is an even better memento. Happy birthday to me, and as they say the introduction in the book, “Happy Overdose”!

You can read all about Metallica’s Live Shit: Binge and Purge at Wikipedia.


The Cult — Fire Woman Mini CD Checkbook Thing

Author: tracysigler | Posted: April 24th, 2008 | | Tags: , , , , | No Comments »

The Cult -- Fire Woman Mini CD Checkbook Thing

Here is something you don’t see every day: a mini CD by The Cult packaged in something similar to a checkbook cover. A mini CD should not be confused with the MiniDisc. This little guy will play in most older CD players, but I’m scared to stick into the side of this iMac without an adapter. And I haven’t seen one of those adapter rings in years.

I don’t know if we paid for this, I hope not, but it’s on Beggar’s Banquet which probably means we bought it for the record store we had at the time. I was long over The Cult when this came out in 1989, but the cool package must have convinced to keep it. That’s not working now though. I think this is only the second time the disc has been out of the cover, and some of the ink stuck to the plastic.

There are three songs: “Fire Woman,” the big hit from the Sonic Temple record; “Automatic Blues,” a fun riff rocker that’s awfully similar to Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” (I was toggling between the two and Mary didn’t realize they were different); “Messin’ up the Blues,” an acoustic blues shout out to every American roots rock musician you can think of. That last one is painfully long and cheesy even by The Cult standards.

The dope on Fire Woman.
All about the mini CD


Jane’s Addiction — Nothing’s Shocking

Author: tracysigler | Posted: April 16th, 2008 | | Tags: , , , , , | No Comments »

Jane\'s Addiction -- Nothing\'s Shocking

“This album is 20 years old! That’s craz-”

“You’re 41 years old. You forget that.”

Thanks for the reminder, Mary. It still sounds fresh! That’s why it’s hard to believe it’s this old, not because I’m senile.

Who doesn’t love this record? If you bought it right when it was released you were probably a hipster, maybe you still are, even in your 40s. That’s because this was the major label debut for Jane’s Addiction and pretty much only fans of their first record were waiting for it to hit. At the time my brother and I had record store and a number of our regulars were excited to get their hands on Nothing’s Shocking. I know I was, being a hipster and all. The album opening pretty ditty “Up the Beach” was the perfect spacey, ethereal set up for the flat out rocking “Ocean Size” that followed it. The rest of the album is just as good, and of course it also contains what I suppose was their biggest hit, the studio version of “Jane Says.”

And check out that ticket stub. I got to see Jane’s Addiction a couple months later, with Iggy freakin’ Pop(!) for a whopping ten bucks. Yeah, I remember that too. It was a great show and the crowd was definitely there for both bands. Navarro’s shredding was even more impressive in person. No rock star silliness, just full on rocking. And it was good. Amen.

Nothing’s Shocking at Wikipedia

Wish I was ocean size
They cannot move you
No one tries
No one pulls you
Out from your hole
Like a tooth aching in a jawbone


Young Gods — T.V. Sky

Author: tracysigler | Posted: April 14th, 2008 | | Tags: , , , , , | No Comments »

I don’t know where I got T.V. Sky (1992) by The Young Gods, but it’s always been a favorite. These guys can be called “industrial” but the sound on this record is really more hard rock or metal with plenty of sampling, loops and tricky time signatures. I love the whole thing, even the 20 minute Doors-y “Summer Eyes.” My favorite is the album opener, “Our House.” The lyrics sound like something from Sesame Street, maybe because these guys are ESL. But they’re perfect juxtaposed with the minimal and ultra-heavy jackhammer riff that finally kicks in for the last minute of the song, after two minutes of almost ambient loops, with when singer Franz Treichler yells “Hey Friends!”

Another great song is “The Night Dance.” Listen for the deft sampling and looping of Guns and Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” guitar riff.

Fans include The Edge (U2) and David Bowie.(?) Those geezers are cooler than I thought.

From the looks of it they’ve gone acoustic more recently. You can check the acoustic version of “Our House” at the Young Gods’ MySpace page.

YoungGods.com
Young Gods at Wikipedia

Our house… is a house… that moves…
Just like the ocean, just like the ocean, just like the ocean
Hey friends!
If you wanna come by
It’s easy to find, it’s easy to find
Hey friends!
It’s front of the sky, it’s in front of the sky