Oneida – Success

Whereby ‘Success’ is defined as doing what you do really, really well. By me, at least. And this album lives up to the title.

My love for Oneida – which I still don’t know how you pronounce – is a long-lasting one. One of my very favourite pieces of music ever is ‘Sheets of Easter.’ One of my very favourite albums ever made is ‘Rated O.’ These boys have form, and here do they bring it.

Stylistically, this is more like their early, garagey stuff, kind of a return to earth from their incredibly out-there explorations in the post ‘Rated O’ era.

Water Damage – But the Rat was Very Smart

Ok, serious mong time.

Two tracks, extremely repetitive, with an insane guitarist making noise over it, and I mean noise. I assume it’s a guitarist. Could be anything, really, with all the tech these days. I’m only assuming it’s guitar as I can make similarly insane noises when I want to, and it’s fun. They could also be labelled a super-group if you wanted to do that (ok, you’ve made your point – ed). Also, two bass players and three drummers? I just looked at the line up. There’s synth involved too. I have also made insane noises via synth. They too are fun. Anywho, it works.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I may be mildly catatonic. This sort of music certainly makes me glassy eyed, but I happen to really like that sensation. Or maybe it’s just the music that does it. And spreadsheets. They never fail.

Naujawanan Baidar – Khedmat Be Khalq

So I did the first thing they put out under this name, but forgot to keep track. You know how I am.

So listen to this one as well, as it’s well good, innit (technical musical description). Then listen to the ones I missed in between. And given that this one is more overt in the anti-imperial tone, I urge you even more. Just because The Empire Never Ended, doesn’t mean it can’t.

And then go and listen to The Myrrors, with whom there are ties, and who are also well good, innit.

Sereias – O País a Arder

This album will not appeal to many. But those who it does will fackin love it.

You could not predict this. You could not algorithm it. No AI or machine intelligence could begin to parse or grok this in any way. This is humans at their very, most outrageous best.

The above paragraph is probably influenced by my reading of a newsletter called The Convivial Society which lands in my inbox every now and again and whose premise is very close to my heart.

The entire Nest Egg discography

I’ve been meaning to post their new(ish) album Dislocation since I got the mailout from t’Cardinal, but just, y’know, not got round to it. And the tab has been sat there waiting for me to do that thing. and I didn’t do it.

So what I did instead was listen to the other albums they had on their bandcamp, and it turns out they is all good, really good. Hypnotic and trancey with a fondness for also bringing the noise.

Of course, they aren’t aiming this music at me, despite the obvious disguise in dressing it up in so many of my favourite musical traits, the bastards. But they actually say this is for nihilists, and I am not a nihilist. Nothing is impossible (there’s a double meaning there, people; a clue that has been with us all along). So we’ll have to agree to disagree, philosophically, and just dig the music.

There’s more, too. But I’ll not post them all. Go and have a listen.

 

 

 

Naujawanan Baidar – Volume 1

Wile I’m on the Middle east / western rock fusion thing, here’s another one for you that I discovered yesterday as a side effect of someone saying they’ve got volume 2 upcoming.

I don’t usually post the things when the complete album isn’t available for listening because I’ve made the point before that only putting a couple of tracks up for preview is a dead business model that is irrelevant in an age of blooody Spotify and their ilk. However, this one has most of the tracks available for listening, and they are so damn good.

I understand that these recordings are kind of a side effect of the main project which will eventually yield an upcoming album. My appetite is whetted but my breath isn’t held. Because I don’t hold my breath. Stupid thing to do.

Rape Tape – Прочь

So this is another Russian bus, with a few more stops this time.

Some people don’t like getting on this bus because of what they named it, but when you look into their reasons for doing so, then it seems to me that these are thoughtful human beings who are ultimately amongst us good guys, so the ride has to be worth a go.

Now, I don’t speak the lingo so I don’t understand the signs and frankly I can’t even map the cyrillic symbols even slightly to sounds that I associate with words. So, I’m going on overall sound and feel alone, and let me tell you, I really enjoyed this ride.

Russia make good buses. I’m particularly looking forward to the next multi-stop ride from Shortparis.

Fuco – Addicted

The valley of death has relocated
and now you wouldn’t recognise it
it’s a matter of life you step inside
where sunset replaces sunrise

might keep you guessing
you know you’ve seen this place before
it’s the street around the corner
it’s the world outside your only door

the valley of death has had a refit
you’ve really got to come and see it
from the cradle you can save some opinions
and you get to test them out
one by one

Cardiac Park is moving in
Soda Themepark is taking over

the valley of death has had a relaunch
you know you’ll get to see it doesn’t matter of course
life is like a box, no, nothing like a box
can you let me keep these thoughts?
they’re all that I’ve got

EMA – The Future’s Void

Wouldn’t have given this a listen without this interview, so a grudging hat tip to tQ.

Gnod – Just say no…

In complete contrast to the previous two posts, here we have a whole heap of ‘AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!’ aimed right at your face.  And what a fine heap of grumpy-old-man stuff it is, too. Mind you, they’re probably a bit younger than me (I’m 46).

Gnod have made it their recent mission to try and re-politicise the alternative music scene. My own feelings on this are mixed because I have to admit I’ve never seen a tsunami turn back because of protesters on the beach, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be encouraging people to pull their heads out of their ****book feeds and actually look at the world around them and try to re-engage with other actual people, instead of relying on some commentator you will never meet to tell you that things are actually one way that suits them better than you. Also, people are actually nicer to each other when they talk to each other instead of when they argue on the internet, a pastime which only brings out one thing in people and that is the worst.

It reminds me in spirit of the last great outpourings of political music that I was aware of in the 1990s, particularly around the Criminal Justice Act that came in around that time. One of the main reasons for my mixed feelings is because the discontent from those times was one of the main reasons for Tony Blair, and I don’t believe I need to explain why we don’t want a repeat of all that, now. For all that we decry the current wave of so-called populism, it seems it was alright when he did it. But now I’m going all political and frankly I should leave that to this album, and I’m also giving the impression that I think political music is mistaken when I don’t actually think that at all.

So anyway, musically speaking, this is five tracks of loud done in the way that Gnod do loud, which is to say very well. There is rhythm and groove as is their wont, loud guitars, snarling guitars and vocals, and, er, well. You get the message.

I also wouldn’t be at all surprised if you weren’t to see this on a t-shirt or ten before the year is out.

But whilst we’re talking Gnod, I’ve also just discovered The Somnambulist’s Tale from 2012, which is completely at the opposite end of the sonic spectrum from this and demonstrates just how fucking good they have always been. And did you notice that I asterisked a particular web-resource, but left the word ‘fucking’ uncensored? Have it.