Kikagaku Moyo : "Green Sugar" (via Tell All Your Friends PR/ Consequence of Sound /Soundcloud) Hooded Fang : "Dead Battery" (via Force Field PR/ DIY Magazine /Soundcloud) The Red Krayola with Art & Language : "No! No! No! Trust Yourself!"(via Drag City /Soundcloud) La Luz : "Easy Baby" (via Hardly Art /YouTube Zig Zags : "They Came For Us" (via Terrorbird Media/ Castle Face Records / Consequence of Sound /Soundcloud) Gruesome : "Raped By Darkness" (via Earsplit PR/ Relapse Records / Revolver Magazine /Soundcloud) Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Cluster Cluster 1971-1981 Bureau B Released: 4.8.16 No Ripcord review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Prince Rogers Nelson , known to us all simply as Prince , (and for a time, "The Artist" ), has passed away at the age of 57.  Prince was a provocative, often controversial, and always brilliant entertainer, one whose gifts as a musician and willingness to carve his own path awarded him status as either an inspiration or a question mark.  He was essential to the story of Rock 'N' Roll and it's strange that he's no longer with us. A little over thirty years ago, Tipper Gore tried to save us from Prince .  Did you know that?  Long before her husband Al served as Vice President, got ridiculed for "inventing the Internet," and became the spokesman for climate change, she was a Senator's wife who took issue with the music industry's then relaxed stance on lyrical content.  An evidently out of touch mother, Gore purchased a copy of Purple Rain for her daughter who, at the time, wasn't yet a teenager.  And it was with the song "Darling...

It seems fitting that Virus would follow-up their excellent The Agent That Shapes The Desert a month after I've replaced my last copy.  I managed to break the CD pushing it into its case.  So, I had to get a new one very quickly.  Anyway, "Steamer" is the lead single from the group's upcoming fourth release, Memento Collider , and it continues the group's funk-tinged rhythmic strike and metallic unorthodoxy.  While the track doesn't stray too far from what's come before, Virus dabbles in time signature to a pretty significant level and almost "ghosts" the track up with instances of quivering theremin sound.  There's a lot for the ears to distill, from the dominance of low end and melodic textures to the group's undeniable camp factor. Memento Collider is to be released June 3rd via Karisma Records .  The track was premiered by Decibel Magazine and all the info below was provided by Earsplit PR. VIRUS: Norwegian Avant-Garde ...

It's April 20th.  Four-twenty.  Sleep put it best: You know what day it is, and you know what to do... — Sleep (@sleep_official) April 20, 2016 A while ago I'd compiled some songs written as tribute to or inspired by the holiest of all leaves .  I was going to re-post the list, but found that many of the links are no longer operable.  So, in the spirit of the occasion, I'm revisiting the list and adding more tracks.  Hopefully, you'll find this mix suitable to today's agenda.  Any additions?  Hit me up in the comments or on the socials. Cypress Hill : "Hits From the Bong" Cypress Hill/Sonic Youth : "I Love You, Mary Jane" Black Sabbath : "Sweet Leaf" Sleep : "Dopesmoker" High On Fire : "Fertile Green" Kyuss : "Gardenia" The Goats : "Wake 'N' Bake" The Other Half : "Mr. Pharmacist" Electric Wizard : "Dopethrone" The Pharc...

Polonium Seraphim Controlled Burn Records Released: 4.8.16 If you’ve ever listened to the industrialized post-hardcore of The Austerity Program and thought to yourself, “Huh… I can get into this,” Polonium was the initial creative outlet for AP bassist Thad Calabrese and guitarist/vocalist Justin Foley , the mid-90s starting point. The album is called Seraphim and it rests nicely alongside much of what influenced its creation, Calabrese and Foley consciously adding to and subtracting from the Amphetamine Reptile/Touch and Go idiom in order to come up with what you’ll hear. It’s difficult not to cite either Godflesh or Big Black when listening to the contents of Seraphim , its generous Melvins -caliber sonic muck working so heavily within the aforementioned and, perhaps, accidentally perfect construct of “pigfuck” and/or post-hardcore.  The factorial blasts of drum sound and eventual sludge-laden crawl of "Bastard" set a precedent in some ways for the...

Napalm Death The Melvins Melt-Banana Underground Arts Philadelphia, PA 4.13.16 Photo by Dan Long   Phawker live show coverage Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Cetus "Bowhead" single Dullest Records Released: 4.10.16 Following last year's excellent album, The Remnant Mass , the loud 'n' local metallurgists Cetus have released a new single, "Bowhead." Exciting and nuanced, I'll let the track speak for itself. Listen below: Bowhead Single by Cetus The Remnant Mass is available for purchase digitally or on CD at Dullest Records .  If you like the single, I urge you to pick up a copy of the album. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

SUMAC : "Rigid Man" (via Thrill Jockey Records/YouTube) The Dwarfs Of East Agouza : "Clean Shahin" (via Rarely Unable/Soundcloud) Salem's Pot : "Just For Kicks" (via Us-Them Group/ RidingEasy Records /Soundcloud) Dälek : "Control" (via Rarely Unable/ Profound Lore Records / FACT Magazine /Soundcloud) Caseyland : "Secrets" (via Caseyland/Soundcloud) Dumdum Score : "Swells and Flows" (via Dumdum Score/Bandcamp) Audio Sheep by dumdum score Novembre : "Bremen" (via Fresno Media/YouTube) Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

"This album contains material which a truly free society would neither fear nor suppress. In some socially retarded areas, religious fanatics and ultra-conservative political organizations violate your First Amendment Rights by attempting to censor rock & roll albums. We feel that this is un-Constitutional and un-American.   As an alternative to these government-supported programs (designed to keep you docile and ignorant), Barking Pumpkin is pleased to provide stimulating digital audio entertainment for those of you who have outgrown the ordinary. The language and concepts contained herein are GUARANTEED NOT TO CAUSE ETERNAL TORMENT IN THE PLACE WHERE THE GUY WITH THE HORNS AND THE POINTED STICK CONDUCTS HIS BUSINESS. This guarantee is as real as the threats of the video fundamentalists who use attacks on rock music in their attempt to transform America into a nation of check-mailing nincompoops (in the name of Jesus Christ). If there is a hell, its fires wait for the...