Four more... As I've been delving into all of this personal history (or old CDs), some of which I haven't revisited in ages, it's apparent which albums have held up in my mind versus those that haven't.  This has proven both interesting and disappointing depending on what I've listened to.  In some ways this sort of makes me regret my decision to reexamine these albums, their impact permanent despite my new assessments.  You sort of go, "Huh...  I wonder why this was such a big deal."  Naturally, exposure humbles your opinions with regard to your milestone records.  Age does, too.  At 17, my musical world tiny next to where I am at 37, I definitely interpreted these releases differently.  But, like I said, some have held up.  For that, I'm grateful.   Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral When Trent Reznor released the Broken EP, which was much more of a metallic and guitar-driven affair than Pretty Hate Machine had been, I ...

S.O.A. First Demo 12/29/80 Dischord Records Released: 3.14 *Genuine shock. **Despite my daughter's reservations, First Demo 12/29/80 is completely worth picking up for any fans of D.C. hardcore and, in my opinion, trumps in many ways the performances in the No Policy EP.   Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Liars Mess Mute Released: 3.24.14 No Ripcord review Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

So, Boris and Boredoms dosing Leary style?  Bo Ningen 's new single, "DaDaDa," is a rapid, thick mass of guitar noise and vocal melody that caught me by surprise.  Colorful.  Very colorful.  Very loud.  I think it's pretty cool so, if that means anything , please give "DaDaDa" a listen. Bo Ningen's new album is III and it will be out May 20th on Stolen Recordings.  Tour dates and release info are provided by PIAS.    Bo Ningen Announce New Album Details + US/UK Tour Dates Artist: Bo Ningen Title: III Release Date: May 20th (US) / May 13th (UK/ROW) Cat. No. : SR077 CD / double LP / download Label: Stolen Recordings  Bo Ningen's third album III will be released by Stolen Recordings on May 20th, 2014 (May 13th in UK/ROW). It is a rich and accomplished album that has seen them evolve musically. Collaborations with Jehnny Beth of Savages and Roger Robinson of King Midas Sound feature and they've sung partly in English for th...

Melvins Unplugged...  I, like many of you following the ever-prolific and constancy of the Melvins, have been hearing of this Buzz Osbourne acoustic work.  I hadn't posted anything because I wanted to hear something before fashioning any opinion.  So, Rolling Stone posted this "Dark Brown Teeth" track, which is characteristically aggro.  He maintains a good level of energy, managing to tone it down without betraying his Buzz-ness.  It's pretty cool.  The album is called This Machine Kills Artists and it's out on Ipecac.  It's out June 3rd.  All info comes courtesy of Speakeasy PR & Marketing. Photo credit: Mackie Osborne   THE MELVINS' BUZZ OSBORNE RELEASES FULL-LENGTH SOLO DEBUT, THIS MACHINE KILLS ARTISTS, JUNE 3 VIA IPECAC RECORDINGS  Los Angeles, March 18, 2014 - Buzz Osborne, the legendary grunge progenitor who has helmed the Melvins for thirty plus years, releases his debut solo full-length album, This Machine ...

From Iggy Pop 's Facebook page: My dear friend Scott Asheton passed away last night. Scott was a great artist, I have never heard anyone play the drums with more meaning than Scott Asheton. He was like my brother. He and Ron have left a huge legacy to the world. The Ashetons have always been and continue to be a second family to me. My thoughts are with his sister Kathy, his wife Liz and his daughter Leanna, who was the light of his life. Iggy Pop Scott Asheton, founding member and drummer of The Stooges , has passed away at 64 .  He's followed his brother, Ron , who died in 2009 .    While Iggy Pop remains one of the greatest frontmen in rock 'n roll's history, he had the brothers Asheton powering his every utterance with sonic manna from some perverse nether-heaven, guitar work that could slice through steal and a snare hit that rattled senses.  Scott and Ron both changed the game, nailing the lid shut on the 60s and providing a template for what...

I'm not big on nostalgia.  At least, not normally. It's rare that I bask in the warm glow of fond remembrances or gaze at photos or relics of my youth satisfied with the experiences they depict or the joyous interactions we've shared.  The past for me is empty and I find myself looking ahead most of the time as the unchanging and meaninglessness of yesterday falls deeper and deeper from the grasp of recollection.  Any time I've allowed myself even a second's worth of self-examination via personal history, I wind up irretrievably sunk into a vast network of "what ifs," rethinking my way out of mistakes I've made, pissed off at being young and stupid and incapable of doing things differently.  Truth be told, childhood and adolescence were both obstacles for me, something that had to be negotiated and worked through before being finally rewarded with adulthood.  There wasn't much to enjoy about being young.  I wanted autonomy.  I don't envy the ...

The Unsemble s/t Ipecac Recordings Released:  3.4.14 Peaks and valleys and whatever's in between, it could be that a collaboration joining members of some of the strangest and most aggressive acts to exist in the last thirty years builds up expectations to a summit that's impossible to reach.  It could also just be the nature of improvisation, that whatever develops naturally between those involved won't always garner applause or the complete and total sum of a listener's attention or appreciation.  I'll admit that I was convinced I'd fall in love with The Unsemble , whose combination of both composed and improv'd instrumentals resulted in an album that's been growing on me steadily.  And while I've been able to enjoy it more as I've listened, its compositional strengths point out somewhat of a flaw in its making: that when the band isn't working within an established and tangible construct, it seems to fall short in nurturing spur of ...

Pattern Is Movement : "Climb To Me" (via Force Field PR/ Stereogum /Soundcloud) La Sera : "Losing to the Dark" (via Force Field PR/Soundcloud) Lark : "Goodbye Man" (via Care in the Community Records/Soundcloud) Kairos : "Can/Cannot" (via Fin Records/Soundcloud) Odonis Odonis : "Angus Mountain" (via Force Field PR/Buzz Records/ Noisey /Soundcloud) North : "Hiraeth" (via Earsplit PR/Cvlt Nation/Soundcloud) The Socks : "Electric War" (via Earsplit PR/ Heavy Planet Stoner Rock Blog /Soundcloud) Pontiak : "We've Got It All Wrong" (via Thrill Jockey Records/Viemo) Pontiak - We've Got It Wrong from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo . Red Fang : "No Hope" (via Relapse Records/ Gear Gods /YouTube) Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Good evening, Have you ever listened to Bells by Albert Ayler ?  It was recorded live in the mid-60s, twenty minutes of formless, twitchy, excited and intense saxophone blasts delivered unto thee by ESP.  It's not for everyone and it's also not something I can treat myself to on a daily basis.  I decided to revisit the album today, though, after I heard "Breakdiscodance" from the Finnish punk jazz outfit known as Can Can Heads . Ayler and The Untouchables , maybe some aural toxicity resultant from a violent fluid exchange between James Chance and The Mae Shi , Can Can Heads exude a heavy bass rhythm and the solid shriek of wild brass that recounts elements of No Wave and Free Jazz. The band is releasing its sophomore release, Butter Life , later this March.  The band's first release, Headcracking Lifestyle , came out in 1999.  Can Can Heads - Breakdiscodance from Tomi Nuotio on Vimeo . Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

Good afternoon, Southern Records has been on a reissue tear over the last two or three years, pushing out classics from Crass (in conjunction with Crass Records), Rudimentary Peni and Nomeansno .  April 28th will see the reemergence of Nomeansno's Dance of the Headless Bourgeoisie , which originally released by Alternative Tentacles in 1998.  The social commentary is still biting, wildly pronounced by Nomeansno's brand of sardonic candor and propulsive funk.  Post 9/11 it's hard to imagine the terrorist bent of the title track flying nowadays without prompting some kind of response from the "persecuted" wealthy in the U.S. , but there's safety in obscurity I guess.   Information on the reissue arrived courtesy of Rarely Unable.  NOMEANSNO REISSUE CLASSIC ALBUM DANCE OF THE HEADLESS BOURGEOISIE ON DOUBLE VINYL   RELEASE DATE: 28TH APRIL  “...well you know what they say. The world wasn’t built in a day.” - Nomeansno Originally releas...

Good afternoon readers, It's possible that this news has already coursed through the navigable and applicable avenues of the world wide web and that my efforts are largely redundant at this point. However, as I'm one to promote the ever more cynical motivation behind Record Store Day and those lovely little exclusives that eBay will subsist upon from late April till Christmastime, I'm going to waste your time and mention this shit anyway. If you choose to read, hope this is helpful. This first round of release info was provided by Sub Pop: Sub Pop Makes Record Store Day 2014 Worth Living Mudhoney On Top: KEXP Presents Mudhoney Live on Top of the Space Needle LP Pissed Jeans: The Very Best of Sub Pop 2009-2013: Live at the BBC 12” EP Chad VanGaalen “I Want You Back” 7” Single The Notwist “Run Run Run” 12” Single Herewith, details on Sub Pop’s elaborate and ingenious plans for Record Store Day 2014: a quartet of limited-edition releases comprised of two single...