My all-time favorite records part I

...and now for something completely different. I have long had the idea of creating a series of posts, celebrating those very special records, that you just know, from the first listen, are something other than just another "good record". Those records, where not one song seems out of place, or lacks quality, and that you continually return to, no matter how much other music you stumble upon and fall in love with. Those records that you just flip over and start over again, as soon as it has run out.

Having thus established the criteria for the selection, its time to present my first entry, and an artist that I can not praise enough, neither musically, nor as a person, namely Jason Anderson and his masterpiece of a record called "The hopeful and the unafraid".

Having seen Jason play live two times, I can say without faltering, that his performances is the most punk thing I ever saw, in that he manages to do what so many punk and hardcorebands strive for. He breaks the barrier between the spectacle and the audience, uniting the two parts into a singing, dancing, flailing crowd of people, singing along to songs they are just hearing for the first time in their lives.

He is one hell of a storyteller, wich is shown clearly on many of the songs on the record, especially the magnificent opening track "El Paso". Musically we are dealing with folk with a distinct diy quality to the songwriting and the performance.

I could use multiple pages praising Jason and this record in particular, but let me leave you with this:

- The first time I heard "El Paso", my eyes teared up, spontaniously.
- Jason's performances mirrors his incredible personality. I can honestly say, that I never met anyone as sympathetic, genuine and thoroughly nice as him.
- If you EVER get the chance to see Jason play live, TAKE IT! And say hi from me, if im not there with you.



















In conclusion, I'd like to share a live performance of one of his best songs ever "So long". To some, the message in this song will propably come across as cheesy, but think about it, and tell me that he's wrong. And watch as he gets the whole crowd to sing along. I fucking love this guy!!!

In the interest of all things obscure part III

Its time once again to get downright obscure. This time, the light shines upon a japanese band called Birushanah and their record 赤い闇. Theres not really a lot to say about this, but here's the deal.

We are dealing in sludge/doom with a former members of noted japanese bands such as YOB and Corrupted. The twist (and you all know by now that theres always a twist in these posts), is that they incorporate traditional japanese music into the mix. This makes for a very strange, and unquestionably unique sound.

Thats the words, now eat your mushrooms and go listen to it.

In the interest of all things obscure part II

Have you ever seen a procession of Hare Krishna's in your neighbourhood? You know, those happy-happy-go-lucky dudes, dancing around in their orange robes, singing and smiling so hard it looks like their heads are about to split in half? Yeah?! Well, these guys couldnt be farther from that stereotype.

Sure, you might be vegetarian or vegan. You might be sxe. You might be really good to animals. You might even be good to your fellow humans and go out of your way to be an allround nice person.....youre still not good enough for these guys.

In the 1990's, hardcore (mainly in the US) experienced a huge influx of people with various spiritual ideas, who infused these into the music. This gave birth among others to bands and labels like the christian Strongarm and Solid State Records. Of course, the Krishnas also had to have a go.

108 was formed in 1991 by Vic DiCara, also known as Vraja Kishor Das, a devotee of Krishna. The band took its name after the number of prayerbeads on the Japa Mala. After the band split, Vraja Kishor Das moved to India to become a monk.

Musically, you ask? Pissed off (read: PISSED OFF!!!), simple hardcore very much in the vein of the early 90'ies sound.Oh yeah, and theres some Krishna-chanting somewhere in the mix sometimes. Next time you see your local Krishnas dancing down the street, imagine them breaking out instruments and playing their asses off with 108 covers!

The birth of the thunder-pop!

Im posting this to celebrate what I think is a truly genious recording. A true masterpiece, in my humble opinion.

I bring you Floor - s/t. For those of you that is unfamiliar with this band, it is worth mentioning that it features key members that would go on to form the mighty Torche, wich would progress with, and evolve the sound put forth by Floor.

Musically we are dealing with heavy-as-fuck (were talking we're-tuning-our-instruments-so-low-that-the-strings-almost-fall-off-heavy-as-fuck) stoney rock, with a sound so unique that its not enough to charachterize it only as stoner, nor fitting enough to classify it as doom or sludge. Hence, many has dubbed Floor and Torche as thunder-pop, stoner-pop and such.

This record is overflowing with musical goodies and several thunderous riffs, that makes you feel
like you're in the middle of an avalanche. A-ma-zing!

Token of Death

After too much time on pause, this should mark my return to this blog as active again. Marco has kept the engine running, but he is to be alone no more!

An epic line-up tonight at Dödsmaskinen/Dortheavej 61 (Love Potion, Night Fever, Moonless, and acccording to rumors, an ASBEST reunion show) made me want to post another great k-town hardcore group.
DEATH TOKEN!

Death token play fast, no bullshit, japanese-inspired hardcore, with nods to thrashcore, and even sludge/black metal sometimes.

members:
vocals/guitar - Tue (ex-Snipers, ex-Asbest)
Bass - Kasper (ex-Hul, ex-No Hope for the Kids)
Drums - Steffen (ex-Broken Hallux)

This incomplete discography include the 12" Funeral music for k-town hardcore, their Walking Dead Life 7", and their 7" split with Kyklooppien Sukupuutto.
I haven't been able to find their 4-track-attack 7", and since my lp player with usb is broken, you'll have to wait for that one. Or, if you have it, please hook me up.

Punish and enjoy!

666 DEATH TOKEN 666

RepoMan Records.

I just finished a succesful quest to the land of milk, honey, and delicious vinyl; namely Copenhagens best recordstore RepoMan Records. And as always when returning from a great record-heist, I must share my findings with you all, so without further mumbo-jumbo, here's the loot:

Cult Ritual - s/t 12'' and Cult Ritual - 2ndEP 7'':
Its only a few days ago that I was made aware of the existence of this amazing band. Cult Ritual plays uncompromising, straight-for-the-throat, gritty-as-fuck hardcore punk. It comes across as one of the few bands that can convey the feeling of "everything is going to shit, so lets do crystal-meth through our asses and play like theres no yesterday"! The 12'' finished up with a 12:10 minutes long, spaced out acidious track entitled "Cancer money". Very rough, very original, very very good, and very much released by Youth Attack!




Gasp - Drome trile of puzzle zoo people 12'':
Apparently cited to have been a huge influence for a petit band called The endless blockade, Gasp and the toungetwisting record "Drome trile of puzzle zoo people", was among the first bands to use ambient and noisy elements in their metallic sounding powerviolence. Also using tape-loops and such, puts them right up there, not far from Man is the bastard. That in it self should be enough to tickle the curiousity of most of this blogs readers. Oh, and its released on Slap A Ham.



Man is the bastard - Abundance of guns 7'':
Im not even gonna bother to introduce this band. If you dont know them, youre missing out on one of the most essential bands of powerviolence. Keywords include; homemade speakers, noise, brutality, supreme originality and homemade speakers. I mostly included this release to brag about owning it, so I guess Im just a consumerist whore. I loose...

Oh yeah, and I also picked up an Insect Warfare - Information Economy bootleg 7''.

In the interest of all things obscure...

As a true and passionate music nerd, of course I dig almost anything, as long as it is obscure enough. A good example is the Vienna Vegetable Orchestra, performing "electronica" that is perhaps better characterized as "organica" as all the intruments are made of vegetables.

Another very good example is The County Medical Examiners and their album Olidous operettas. Here is the breakdown on this outfit: musically we are dealing with straight up, all out Carcass-worship from beginning to goresoaked end. The twist is in the fact that the members of this band actually are county medical examiners by profession and education. As such, the members are listed with their professional titles; Dr. Morton Fairbanks MD, Dr. Jack Putnam MD, and Dr. Guy Radcliffe, MD., Ph.D. The obscurity continues upon noting that Dr. Guy Radcliffe, is more than 60 years of age and isnt even remotely into grind, goregrind or deathmetal, but just joined the project for fun. As such, the band has never played any live shows.

Being all doctors and loving Carcass (at least Dr. Morton Fairbanks and Dr. Jack Putnam) obviusly, all the songs are lengthy, chants ornated with latin terms about autopsy and the medical treatment of corpses.

To underline the point about the obscurity, the link will not, as usual be a picture of the cover of the record (anyone into Carcass will hardly be surprised if I say that is a collage of real more or less cut up corpses), but a picture of the band, with Dr. Guy Radcliffe in the middle.

I hereby challenge anyone to dig up a band as obscure as this!

The County Medical Examiners:
Dr. Morton Fairbanks, MD. - Vocals, Guitar
Dr. Jack Putnam, MD. - Vocals, Drums
Dr. Guy Radcliffe, MD., Ph.D. - Vocals, Bass