I've been having fun posting Halloween-related videos over the course of the day, so I figured I'd compile them here. Enjoy: Gnaw Their Tongues — Broken Fingers Pointed Upwards in Vain The Cramps — I Was A Teenage Werewolf Frank Zappa & The Mothers — Cheepnis David Bowie — Scary Monsters (& Super Creeps) Bad Brains — Fearless Vampire Killers Ronald Stein — Spider Baby The Misfits — I Turned Into A Martian Bauhaus — Stigmata Martyr Ray Parker Jr. (or, Huey Lewis & The News ) — Ghostbusters Dokken's "Dream Warriors" was included, but embedding was disabled.  Bummer. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

As this evening shall be fraught with costumes, candy, horror and diabetes, figured the man for whom every night is Halloween should deliver the evening's soundtrack. Happy Halloween. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Issue #13 of Kicking Against The Pricks is up. You can find that here . My sole contribution to this issue was a review of Bad As Me by Tom Waits . Tom Waits Bad As Me ANTI- Released: 10.25.11 Kicking Against The Pricks review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Some Cramps / Surfaris action: Longboards, punk rock and monster movies. Thee Cormans ' new album, Halloween Record w/ Sound Effects , was released this week through In The Red.  Listen to "Open The Gates" and then absorb some info which comes from Force Field PR.    Thee Cormans - "Open The Gates" by forcefieldpr Just in time for Halloween, Thee Cormans release new LP on In The Red Records MP3: "Open The Gates" - http://soundcloud.com/forcefieldpr/thee-cormans-open-the-gates Fiends! Ghouls! Creeps! In the grand tradition of Frankie Stein & his Ghouls and The Deadly Ones , In The Red is proud to announce the release of Thee Cormans' Halloween Record w/ Special Effects - a bonafide Halloween rock n' roll album being dropped just in time for the only holiday that matters. Southern Californian biker/surf instrumental combo Thee Cormans have been bashing out their brand of Davie Allan & The Arrows meets the Vent...

The lo-fi thing has gotten old, but that doesn't mean every lo-fi band should suffer even if their genre has grown over-saturated and mediocre.  I like "Find Them Empty" by Woods : Subtle tune, Count Five keys, decent voices and psych guitar. Woods will be on tour this Winter, though Philadelphia's off the leg.  All info is courtesy of Force Field PR.    "Find Them Empty" by Woods by forcefieldpr Woods announces Dec. tour STREAM: Woods - "Find Them Empty" - http://soundcloud.com/forcefieldpr/find-them-empty-by-woods VIDEO: "Blood Dries Darker (Live)" - http://vimeo.com/28976600 Woods On June 14th of this year, WOODS released their 6th full-length album, Sun & Shade , on their own Woodsist record label. Recorded Winter to Winter, 2010-2011, Sun & Shade features a helping hand from west coast brother, Glenn Donaldson ( Skygreen Leopards , Art Museums ) and is the first full alb...

The new Factory Records compilation, Fac. Dance , is out and a couple more songs have been made available as pre-purchase appetizers.  I posted about Fac. Dance months ago, but you can find info on the release below along with some music via Force Field PR. Do some dancin.'  Away with you.    A Certain Radio- Wild Party (from Fac. Dance) by Strut Hear a track from A Certain Ratio from FAC. DANCE, a new Factory Records collection of 12" mixes & rarities from 1980 - 87 STREAM: A Certain Ratio - "Wild Party" - http://soundcloud.com/strut/a-certain-radio-wild-party STREAM: FAC. DANCE Bill Brewster Factory Records Mini Mix - http://soundcloud.com/strut/fac-dance-bill-brewster/ A Certain Ratio Strut presents FAC. DANCE , an essential new retrospective covering the dance output of Factory Records, the seminal Manchester record label founded by Tony Wilson , Alan Erasmus and designer Peter Saville . The album turns the spotlight on some...

Russian Circles Empros Sargent House Released: 10.25.11 No Ripcord review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

The extended Rodriguez-Lopez clan, (Omar the creative impetus behind At The Drive-In and The Mars Volta), have a jam band called Zechs Marquise.  Though I spotlighted their Getting Paid album a few months ago, (it was released late September), Terroreyes TV recently issued a video for the title track.  Never one to shun the visually interesting Terroreyes, I figured I could spread this around.  The music's good, too.  All info, links and dates were provided by Us/Them Group.   Zechs Marquise premiere Terroreyes video session, announce winter tour with Thursday and headlining dates Click image above to watch video   "Forget the Van Halens , if you want to know about a true musical dynasty, look no further than the Rodriguez-Lopez 's! In between Omar , Marcel , and Marfred , these talented hermanos are changing the face of free-form jamming." -- MTV Tres "Thrusting listeners into chase scenes through psychedelic dreamscapes is nothing new for ...

Promoting a song called "My Life Sucks" is not only very high school for me, but also very Descendents .  Punk band The Spits are putting out a new fifth album, which is as self-titled as their last four.  All the info and links come courtesy of Force Field PR.  Enjoy the post-pubescent whine.    The Spits - "My Life Sucks" by forcefieldpr The Spits prep new album for In The Red, launch tour next week in Portland MP3: "My Life Sucks" - http://soundcloud.com/forcefieldpr/the-spits-my-life-sucks Everyone's favorite space-age mutant skate punks are back with their long awaited fifth album (self-titled as were the previous four) and and it does not disappoint. Twelve new action-packed songs of apocalyptic fuzzed-out over driven madness. The Spits are already as ingrained in modern punk music as possible, yet still manage to devour the rip-offs and influence the youth of today without even looking like they're trying. Going strong no...

Today, post-rock trio Russian Circles is releasing their new full-length album, Empros .  I'm currently in the midst of reviewing the album for No Ripcord , so expect that to be posted as soon as tomorrow.  In the meantime, the full album is available for streaming as are a few singles.  "Mladek" in particular demonstrates the extent to which Russian Circles captivates via Empros , their penchant for expansive sound brought down to the crucial riff.  Whatever radiance you hear, keep listening: softness eventually gives way to might. All links and info come courtesy of Us/Them Group. Russian Circles new album Empros in stores today, North American headlining tour starts in November Full album streams on SPIN.com and Spinner Photo credit: Chris Strong "Empros is one of the most viscerally exciting and completely entertaining albums I've heard in a long time. There is perfection in the air and the battle for album of the year just heated up again....

Norway's Shining released a track-by-track preview of their upcoming live DVD, Live Blackjazz . Looks brutal. Check it out: You can find more info on the DVD release here along with my review of Blackjazz here . Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

The Marshmallow Ghosts is an intriguing electronic band that I’ve been sort of checking out over the last couple weeks, either through video or single. The band recently put out their self-titled LP and have an album-length film called, Corpse Reviver No. 2 , from which scenes have been pulled so as to apply visuals to their music, hence their videos which are essentially single-sized trailers. Everything is Halloween themed, so... ‘Tis the season. The video for “Trick” is not suitable for the cubicle because it has tits and witches. All info and links come courtesy of Terrorbird Media. The Marshmallow Ghosts - Wait for the Day from Graveface Records on Vimeo . The Marshmallow Ghosts present Corpse Reviver No. 2 Trailer from Graveface Records on Vimeo . Graveface debuts two new videos for Marshmallow Ghosts, new LP and Corpse Reviver No. 2 out now The Halloween themed project featuring members of Black Moth Super Rainbow, Casket Girls, Lady Lazarus, and Drea...

I mentioned in July that Fantômas was releasing a DVD of a performance of their brilliant Director’s Cut album. Well, the DVD is out and some trailers have surfaced: Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehea

Rock out to Rich Kids On LSD and then check out some info about the re-release of Greatest Hits: Live in Berlin . From Howlin' Wuelf Media: After 22 years "out-of-print," Destiny Records is re-releasing "Greatest Hits - Live in Berlin" by Santa Barbara almost legendary Hardcore Specialists RICH KIDS ON LSD October 14 . You'll find downloadable/streamable live videos to 12 songs here: http://greatesthitsliveclips.npage.de/ This re-issue is being done with the full cooperation with all surviving band members and close friends and has been in the works for the past 2 1/2 years. Guitarist Chris Rest was interviewed for the liner notes, guitarist Barry D`Alive enlisted Mark McCloud ("LSD-Art-Coryphee") to provide new acid-hits graphics for the cover and Joe Raposo (Bass)  reconstructed and personally painted the original Dany Sites lettering & logo with pen and ink (all the original artwork for Greatest Hits vanished years ago). Friends...

Post-hardcore trio, Coliseum , will be releasing an EP dubbed, Parasites , via Temporary Residence Ltd. mid-November. Recorded at Inner Ear Studios (quite a legacy: Bad Brains , Fugazi , Rites of Spring ...etc.) and produced by Jawbox frontman, J. Robbins , Coliseum’s promise for a solid new release comes through their latest single, “Waiting (Too Late).” A video has been procured and attached. COLISEUM "Waiting (Too Late)" Music Video from Coliseum on Vimeo . The band is currently playing shows with Boris and Tera Melos and will be touring throughout the rest of October with alternating guests. All info, tour dates and links come to you via PMA PR: COLISEUM ANNOUNCES NEW PARASITES EP US TOUR DATES SUPPORTING BORIS NEW MP3 AND VIDEO NOW AVAILABLE Louisville, KY/Birmingham, AL power trio Coliseum is set to embark on a stateside tour supporting Japanese doom/sludge faves Boris in mid-October. Shortly after the tour, Coliseum will release the explosive eight song Pa...

The Besnard Lakes You Lived in the City EP Jagjaguwar Released: 9.22.11 No Ripcord review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

I have to admit: I’m not sure if I like the idea that to experience certain types of music, conceptually, you have to have a smart phone or pad device. I think the notion of site-specific music, which is the concept currently driving Bluebrain’s recent Central Park (Listen to the Light) album, makes for an interesting way to capture the sights, sounds and moments that influence or inspire a piece of work and I could see how video could enliven such a concept. But, have we outgrown our ability to sense this stuff by simply listening? In my estimation, certain albums hold resonance because they enable your senses to experience them, which is why music has endured generations and has had so much hold over how we think and feel. And, while I’m aware that technology will only continue to inform how we relate to music, I can only imagine that an album available solely for those of us with the latest phone excludes those of us who would rather put something on a stereo, tune out the world...

One of my new favorite band names, Megaton Leviathan seems far too syllabic to be deemed "gaze"-like. The band just finished a tour with Wolves In The Throne Room and some footage of them performing "Guns and LSD" made it online. Check the video. All info comes courtesy of Earsplit PR. MEGATON LEVIATHAN: Portland Doom-Gazers Issue Tour Wrap-Up Portland, Oregon doom-gazers MEGATON LEVIATHAN recently wrapped up a tour with cerebral black metal goliaths Wolves In The Throne Room. The band joined Wolves midway through their Celestial Lineage Tour and sullied 11 unsuspecting cities with their miasmic scores. Commented vocalist/guitarist Andrew Costa : "Upon returning home our only complaint is that it was too short a trip. It was a singular experience to share the stage with Wolves In The Throne Room, shaping our shared vision in the often tiny, overcrowded and sweaty spaces. We send our deepest thanks and appreciation to all those who came out and sweate...

If you don’t already, you should follow I Heart Noise because the very well-informed and musically well-versed individuals running that blog often feature the best information, like news of this upcoming documentary about Amphetamine Reptile Records and their founder Tom Hazelmeyer dubbed, The Color Of Noise . And if it weren’t already enough that they reported this, they’ve also compiled a very comprehensive list of AmRep bands/musicians. You can find that here . The benefit to the once-burgeoning independent music scene having grown into antiquity has been that the music mostly seen as irrelevant thanks to being forever cast in the shadow of Woodstock can now be appreciated for its importance.  While those of us affected by this music have always been aware of how vibrant and critical it's been, and how essential certain labels have been for giving independent music its platform, it is a pity that a scene has to be well past its prime for it to be considered "worthy...

Parts & Labor have announced they'll be on an "indefinite hiatus" following a slew of concert dates they've planned.  Not sure if this is a true break-up or not, but the news was enough to conjure Twitter tears from Greg Kot : Kot evidently acts in defiance of P & L's new song, "No Nostalgia."  You can check out the song below, along with the band's announcement and tour dates. Their last album, Constant Future , was reviewed at Kicking Against The Pricks . R.I.P, Parts & Labor.  Or, simply enjoy your working sabbatical. Parts & Labor Announce 10th Anniversary and Retrospective Shows Followed by Indefinite Hiatus   An announcement from Parts & Labor in their own words: Dear friends, This January , Parts & Labor turns 10 years old. We're planning a string of celebratory shows, in which we play selected material from all of our full length albums, leading up to a big 10th anniversary blow o...

Over at the Jagjaguwar/Dead Oceans/Secretly Canadian offices, there's been buzz about the recent acquisition of A Place To Bury Strangers and their upcoming CMJ Showcase.  Though the band is set to release a five-song EP early in 2012, no new songs are yet available.  That being the case, I found this live clip of the band playing "Ocean" for KEXP, which was recorded during CMJ 2008. All info comes courtesy of Dead Oceans. A Place To Bury Strangers Signs to Dead Oceans EP to be released in Early 2012 New York noise czars A Place To Bury Strangers are making moves. Never ones to stand still for very long (literally and figuratively), the band is announcing a new label and new music. Dead Oceans is proud to welcome APTBS to their roster. Label co-founder Phil Waldorf says, "I've been enamored with A Place to Bury Strangers since I first heard their debut album. Their live shows have rattled me time and time again. It is not often you get to work ...

This Town Needs Guns :  Decent math rock, thankfully tougher than most current indie rock fair. All info comes courtesy of Us/Them Group. <a href="http://thistownneedsguns.bandcamp.com/album/adventure-stamina-anger">Adventure, Stamina &amp; Anger by This Town Needs Guns</a> This Town Needs Guns release new 7" single while working on next album "Animals sees th e Oxford-based indie kids take care of the wizardry, combining math-rock time signatures, intricate guitar / bass tapestries and a rip-roaring vocal that swoops above the virtuoso sonics like a musical trapeze artists. The tracks themselves retain a fine balance between the intellectual and emotional, the cerebral and the visceral." -- Rock Sound "This Town Needs Guns sound stylish, sussed and like reformed mathcore men Minus The Bear covering seminal Mancunian miserablists The Smiths . Good, in other words." -- Kerrang Oxford, England quartet This Town ...

Blackjazz was one of the most abrasive, ridiculous and brilliantly crafted records to come out of 2010 in my often too-humble opinion.  Norway's Shining has taken their live act and committed it to DVD, Live Blackjazz being the result.  The band recently released a trailer for the DVD.  All info comes courtesy of Indie Recordings . You can read my review of Shining's Blackjazz at No Ripcord. SEE THE FIRST CLIP FROM LIVE BLACKJAZZ For the first time ever, the raw energy of their legendary live performances has been captured on tape in a setting organized solely by the band itself. Produced by the multi-talented front-man Munkeby , and backed by the same mixing and mastering team as on their previous Blackjazz studio album, we could not get a truer version of what Blackjazz is meant to be. Straight from the horse’s mouth, this is the new standard that bands will strive to match for the next 10 or 20 years to come. See the first clip from the DVD here: ...