Matt's Halloween Mixtape; Part One

Sonic Youth - Death Valley '69

With a few weeks left to go, it feels appropriate to kick things off with a song that leaves its intentions shrouded in mystery.  Sonic Youth uses this vagueness to its advantage by crafting an atmosphere of impending doom and an aggressive creepiness on its own terms.  Death Valley '69 was inspired by the ultra-creepy Manson Family; and the pulsating rhythm, screeching discordant guitars, and schizophrenic vocals stay true to the source material in the most satisfying way.  

The Horrorpops - Walk Like a Zombie

To introduce the other side of "Halloween music" are a Danish group of jubilant misfits (foreshadowing definitely intended) known as The HorrorPops.  Taking the "psychobilly" subgenre to the brink of caricature, The HorrorPops energetically combine 1950s rockabilly and doo-wop songcraft with direct lyrical references to the undead, the otherworldly, the luridly sexual, and the violent.  The result of course, is an ominous yet upbeat representation of whatever debauchery comes to life for Halloween.  

With that we reach the point of no return, the Halloween season is upon us.  It is said that this is the time of year in which the barrier between the living and the dead is at its weakest, and later in the week we will take a close look at some songs that unearth the darker depths of our human psyche…

Introducing: Matt's Halloween Mixtape

Among all of the things that I love about music, possibly the most significant is its ability, perhaps more than any other art medium, to play on one's imagination.  The perfect song choice for any particular moment can emphasize, influence, or sympathize with the listener's mindset in a way that is nothing short of magical.  For a certain type (or types) of music, this quality is brought out in spades once the leaves start drop, scary and/or risque disguises are put together, and an aura of mischief and the macabre creeps into the atmosphere.  Whether the music directly acknowledges Halloween and traditional horror tropes or takes a more vague approach, many artists have found their own ways of celebrating the strange sub-season of October.  

Out of fascination for this, I've decided to start a series of posts highlighting my absolute favorite of these songs; culminating towards the end of the month with The Noisepaper's FIRST EVER compilation release.  The selections will range from the lighthearted celebratory, to the deranged and legitimately fear-inducing, to the just plain weird.  The one thing they will all have in common though is an undeniable contribution to the mysterious, sometimes threatening, but always enjoyable and impossible to ignore Spirt of Halloween.  

Starting tonight, I will be adding songs one by one several times per week until the full compilation is released just in time for All Hallow's Eve.  Stay tuned, if you dare!

America's Best Terrible Band: The Replacements - The Shit Hits The Fans

I have alluded in the past to the idea of walking in on the world's greatest rock band while they are just jamming somewhere without giving a shit.  Well, The Replacements are undoubtedly the most fitting group for that description.  While being a talented and incredibly influential group of musicians, they are often remembered as a band who could be mindblowingly great one night, but an absolute trainwreck the next.  Their infamous concert bootleg The Shit Hits the Fans is the greatest known recorded demonstration of the latter.  The fan-recorded collection, of which only 10,000 original copies exists, puts The 'Mats on display in all of their brilliantly sloppy, embarrassing, unhinged, warts-and-all glory.

The Shit Hits the Fans was recorded late in 1984 at The Bowery in Oklahoma City, by the club's then manager Roscoe Shoemaker.  'Mat's frontman Paul Westerberg's response to Shoemaker's request to record the show, "Why?  We SUCK" apparently qualified as enough of an approval, and the show was recorded by two microphones to a cassette tape.  In between the live performance for around 30 fans and the recording we know now, the tape was supposedly confiscated from a fan by a roadie, confiscated by that roadie by Shoemaker, and partially corrupted due to Westerberg accidentally pressing the record button.  Worry not however, for better or worse the recording remained mostly intact…and this is only the beginning.  

The show starts out as a relatively normal set, albeit sloppy and unorganized as per the 'Mats nature.  It starts out reasonably enough with the raucous cover of Lawdy Miss Clawdy before hinting at the coming chaos with an absent-minded string of cover songs (including lil' Michael's I'll Be There) and the odd original choice of Lovelines.  They hit their stride though with the rapid-fire foursome of original songs Sixteen Blue, Can't Hardly Wait, I Will Dare, and Hear You Been to College.  As the band just barely holds it together through this handful of original songs, they noticeably become increasingly incoherant, and this is where things get interesting.  

 From that point on, the 'Mats played exactly zero original songs, as they had been reduced to painfully struggling through a never-ending series of classic rock covers.  For anyone who, through hindsight, is in on the "joke", it is absolutely hilarious.  Westerberg improvises entirely new, mumbled and/or screamed lyrics to Iron Man and Misty Mountain Hop.  Songs are inexplicably aborted mid-verse.  On more than one occasion part of the band is playing an entirely different song than the rest and they eventually are forced to bring it together, with cringe-inducingly entertaining results.  My personal favorite moment is when Paul gleefully introduces the next trainwreck as "Jumpin' Jack FLASK!?", and proceeds to launch into what could loosely be called a Rolling Stones "cover", which is quickly aborted, but I have to think is something that Keith Richards would have no choice but to be proud of.  The whole thing is a hilariously terrible display, but in a twisted way is a great encapsulation of rock music, considering the vast majority of bands that drunkenly bang through shitty covers in their garage without a care in the world.  The recording has no ending.  It fades into audience chatter (during which Westerberg seems to repeatedly mishear an audience request for a "Beatles" cover as "Freedom?") and a choppy twosome of quickly aborted Beatles and Zeppelin covers bring the whole aural massacre to an end.

If nothing else, this bootleg is a testament to the unique version of greatness via relatability that The Replacements have achieved.  A familiarity of the band at their best reveals a group of uncannily talented musicians and vocalists, with the ability to capture the heart and soul of a lost generation, from the aggressively discontent anthems to the ernest emotion of their stagnancy.  It becomes a fitting contrast therefore, to hear that very same band at the peak of their ineptitude, the crutch of alcohol that had been used during their desperate yet futile search for meaning reducing them to an inside joke at best.  At the end of it all, you are left with...well, this.  And you can take it or leave it.  

All told, The Shit Hits the Fans is enjoyable without guilt for the sake of listening to a band that couldn't possibly give less of a shit (pun unintended).  Put into context however, it is the sound of a great band crippled equally by societal restraint and self destruction.  Whatever the case, the explosion sure is beautiful.

DOWNLOAD HERE:  THE REPLACEMENTS- The Shit Hits The Fans (upgrade). rar

My Favorite Fall Albums [Part One]

Matt Dippong 2013

It's easy at the beginning of any season to claim it as your favorite.  There is nothing more refreshing and inspiring than the change of pace when crippling cold or stagnant heat gives way to the welcome change in conditions.  That said, fall is without a doubt the time of year that I enjoy the most.  The crisp breeze whisks away the summer haze and wraps the world in glowing oranges and browns.  The flannel shirts make their way out of the closet, more blankets find their way to the bed, coffee tastes better than you ever remember, football comes back to life with a vengeance,  and an aura of ominous mystique envelopes your being.  More than anything however, it provides the absolute perfect setting in which to listen to the most genuine, organic music ever created.  

Perhaps more so than any other season, I find it easy to articulate what it is that, to me, makes great "fall music".  The tempo is casual and the instrumentation is sparse, laden with windy harmonicas and strumming acoustic guitars.  The lyrics are introspective, nostalgic, celebratory, and rustic, often ingeniously at the same time.  It is music that makes you yearn to wander aimlessly in the woods, amongst the dead leaves as they litter the cold ground and flutter in the breeze.  It is music that puts you fireside in a log cabin, with nothing else around but the mountains and the deer.  It is music that represents the season of death after the summer revelry, and how we have learned to embrace it.  

Here then are my top ten (for now) absolute favorite albums for this pivotal time of year.

[NOTE:  This article deliberately excludes albums that are specifically fitting for Halloween, that list is for a different time…]

[PART TWO]

1. Neil Young and Crazy Horse

Simply put, it would have been easy for me to fill this list with Neil Young albums.  He is hands down my favorite musician to ever walk the earth, and the autumnal spirit of his music is a big reason why.  So out of fairness to everyone else who has ever made a record, I decided to let the king of fall music sit alone at the top.  

Everybody Knows This is Nowhere introduced the world to the beast that is Neil Young with Crazy Horse, as Neil straps on Old Black and embarks on many a wandering journey of distorted guitar navigations.  Rust Never Sleeps builds on this even further, while simultaneously presenting an album-side of highly personal and organic acoustic contemplations.  Several years earlier Neil had introduced this aspect at its most extreme with Harvest, which may as well have been crafted specifically to be the greatest fall album ever made.  Decades later he saddled up the horse and delivered Ragged Glory, putting everybody in a classic car, roaring down the open road as the red landscape whirls by and deep, loud guitars fill the air.  

All hail the king.  

2. Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde

Ol' Bobby is another genius that could probably have several albums on here, but to me Blonde on Blonde stands above the rest in terms of fall music.  On Blonde on Blonde Dylan put forth a slowed down, slightly derailed version of the ramshackle rock he struck with his preceding album Highway 61 Revisited, added even more surreal imagery, and put the harmonica and acoustic guitars at the forefront of it all.  The result is a crisp, breezy, lightweight soundtrack to orange leaves drifting in the wind.  He occasionally takes this sound in a darker direction with the types of yearning ballads that would be explored to more devastating depths with Blood on the Tracks, but overall strikes the perfect balance between lighthearted whimsy and empty sorrow.  

3. Eddie Vedder - Into the Wild

Given its status as an original soundtrack, a handful of songs on Into the Wild suffer from underdevelopment and rushed endings.  That said, Eddie Vedder was the perfect man to capture the motivation and experience of rejecting society to withdraw into the wilderness, and he absolutely nailed it.  As a whole the album combines the driving rhythms of the open road with aural imagery of majestic untamed landscapes.  The primitive desperation to embrace nature and search for America among the death of autumn is undeniable.  

4. Husker Du - Candy Apple Grey

Husker Du's move to a major label led them to adapt their version of hardcore punk into slower, more heartfelt songs.  As a testament to their greatness as a band, the result was an extraordinary collection of their most genuine, expressive songs.  Nothing was lost in the melodically fuzzed-out guitars or the urgent emotion in the vocals; if anything, the more streamlined template brought out their strongest aspects even more.  Candy Apple Grey sounds symbolically like the strangely blissful ruminations of a man buried deep in the cold dirt under dry leaves, reflecting on how he wound up there and coming to terms with the fact that he will never get out.  

5. Pearl Jam - No Code

Mr. Vedder's second appearance in the top five comes in the form of the Pearl Jam album that saw him break through the "grunge" barrier and truly emerge as a powerhouse songwriter.  No Code, for the most part, trades the grimy guitars and howled vocals for the soft rhythms of folk and Eastern music.  The varying moods and instrumentation is unlike anything Pearl Jam, or the Seattle scene in general, had done before, and thusly it makes a strong impression while leaving much room for contemplation.  No Code takes the listener directly to the mental place that the band itself was in at the time, which is one of self-examination; preferably done while lying face up in a plowed field as the clouds roll by overhead on a brisk September afternoon.  

6. The Velvet Underground - Loaded

There's just something about the brilliant nostalgia of Sweet Jane and Rock and Roll that strongly evokes the windy arrival of cool air, the changing colors on the horizon, and the way we continue through life amidst the transition.  Put into this context the rest of the album plays as a temporary goodbye to the summer, and a joyous celebration of autumn's arrival.  

7. Built to Spill - Keep it Like a Secret

The fractured, fuzzy, wide-open soundscape of Keep it Like a Secret provides plenty of room for Doug Martsch's Neil Young-esque wandering, discontent guitar sequences, and also serves as the perfect platform for Martsch to nasally display his regretful, unsatisfied lyrics.  It is a very introspective album without ever being boring.  The overall sound has a unique vibe of nostalgia for that which is yet to happen, and it lends itself very well to the new-beginning brought on by fall.  

8. Blitzen Trapper - Furr

Furr is definitely rooted in the wistful breeziness of great folk music, but Blitzen Trapper creatively mixes in a certain backcountry spaciness through the instrumentation and song structures that make for a truly unique (yet not overly challenging) listening experience.  The sparse title track puts a somewhat abstract spin on the familiar "back to nature" theme, and fellow standout Black River Killer plays like an incredibly well-crafted vintage murder ballad, which leans slightly toward the paranormal with the synthesizer's entrance.  The rest of the album churns along with fuzzy folk and offbeat country, and if you close your eyes you might swear you were sitting in a log cabin on a chilly, mysterious late October night.   

9.  Uncle Tupelo - No Depression

Rustic blue-collar country meets grinding punk angst, and Jeff Tweedy gets drunk on the gravelly cocktail while belting out song after song of a beaten-down man medicating himself against the brutality of life.  It doesn't get muchmore "real" than No Depression, and it fits perfectly with the reality check that the crisp breeze brings in after the daydream of summer.  

10. The Decemberists - The King is Dead

"Here we come to a turning of the season".  That is how The Decemberists kick open The King is Dead, their 2011 departure from their usual literary style to their roots of woodsy, stomping, harmonica-laden folk.  What follows is 41 minutes of direct celebration of the undeniable celestial cycle that graces us with the beautiful inspiration of transitional seasons.  There is no better album at putting the fall season in perspective, and uniting us to raise a glass under its presence.  

MY FAVORITE FALL ALBUMS [PART TWO]

ALBUM REVIEW: My Bloody Valentine - m b v

You know those weird dreams where you feel like you are free-falling into a terrifying abyss, only to come to a sudden "landing" when you jolt awake in bed?  In a certain way, m b v feels like that moment of weightlessness, only it takes that split second of subconscious panic and stretches it out into 46 minutes of beautiful yet tense submission.   

In 1991, My Bloody Valentine shook the world with Loveless; an album that not only altered the course of indie rock, but brought a new perspective to what music itself could be.  Loveless put a backdrop of sheer noise and distortion to the band's beautiful pop melodies in an absolutely sublime meshing of style and mood, and in the process nearly bankrupt their record label.  In the following decades frontman Kevin Shields would go on to record numerous incarnations of the followup- all of which would be subsequently shelved out of his fear of not living up to the timeless release of Loveless.  That is, until now.

In January, Kevin Shields mentioned during a London concert that the new album will be released in "maybe two or three days"; the type of flaky response that had become typical of one of rock's greatest perfectionists.  This time, however, the promise held true.  On February 2, 2013, the new My Bloody Valentine album was released.  The band's official site crashed immediately, leaving an untold number of fans (including your's truly) staring at error messages for hours on end.  

Such a turbulent release, after two decades of buildup, would be more than enough to cripple any other band.  Of course, in a way that only they could manage, My Bloody Valentine fed off of the hype.  This is an album that was mythical for over two decades before its actual release; it and now that it actually exists, it certainly delivers on its monolithic stature.  Beginning with the artwork, the surreal pink hue of Loveless' cover has given way to ever-darkening shades of blue for m b v.  After being wrapped up in the warmth and surreal comfort of loveless we find ourselves in confrontation of the other side of the spectrum.  Subtle as it may be, it is an effective first-impression to the album.  This is not the smothering euphoria we all fell head-over-heels with in '91.  This is the claustrophobic struggle of a genius haunted by his own legacy.  While Loveless wrapped us in a blanket of bliss that felt as natural as breathing, m b v challenges us to find it within ourselves to embrace the free-fall.  

This is definitely an album that picks up momentum as it goes.  The first half or so operates on relatively the same plain that Loveless did over two decades ago.  This is by no means a negative though; Loveless was far ahead of it's time, and frankly, I think it could come out today and the world still wouldn't be ready for it.  m b v begins with a wall of sound fading in in as if the old machine is warming up to pick up right where it left off.  Upon reaching operating temperature, the band continues in a warm, comfortingly familiar drone for the duration of opener she found now.  only Tomorrow to me, was an early classic upon first listen.  In Bilinda's first appearance she coos sleepily, just as we remember her and hear her in our dreams (or is that just me?).  Meanwhile, the guitars smolder and swirl, but show hints of welcomed modernization with crunchy, start/stop dynamics.  

As the album nears its midpoint, any concern of it simply being rehash gets debunked in the best possible way.  The most assertive change on display is the prominence of the rhythm section.  The drums and bass really make themselves known this time around, especially on new you, which thumps and pulsates behind echoing guitars like a hazy dance song.  Fittingly, this is the point where things early kick into high gear for m b v.  in Another way opens with an alien-sounding burst of manipulated feedback, which jolts into a grinding, uptempo guitar groove.  Bilinda even puts a twist on her signature vocal style, singing with a more staccato, articulate approach that hadn't been seen since the band's early EPs.  For much of the song the guitars stutter and screech with controlled feedback, but it is much faster and more upbeat than what we have come to know.  During the bridge sections there is a ringing drone that sounds like bagpipes.  By the time you get used to all of it, the song segues into nothing is.  For the following three and a half minutes  the noise machine chugs along, building and building tension like some sort of psychedelic snowball.  In true My Bloody Valentine fashion however, the payoff never comes.  Instead you immersed in this turbulent sea of noise and perpetual sonic momentum.  Just when it becomes unbearable, the album drops you back into the abyss with wonder 2.  As the hazy phantom melodies, wall of noise, flanging drums, and overall comforting chaos disappears into flowing waves of feedback, you find yourself in a disorienting yet incredibly satisfying state of sedation.  The final deafening silence leaves you to reflect on the experience, and to realize that it was everything you could hope for in a My Bloody Valentine album.  

For 22 years it seemed impossible, but m b v has proven itself to be a worthy followup to Loveless, and addition to the sublime discography of My Bloody Valentine.  Whether m b v will reach the legendary status of its predecessor is something that only time will tell.  As it stands though, it is an incredibly satisfying outing from one of indie rock's greatest bands.  

New My Bloody Valentine album OUT NOW!

UPDATE:  2/2, 9:17PM (Central)

It's over, the website is up and running and the album that seemingly would never see the light of day is available for purchase.  Listening to it right now...this is what being a music fan is all about.  It has been awhile since an earthshaking release like this has been made.  Look for a review in the next few days, once all of this sinks in.

In the meantime, the album is, at least for the time being, available in its entirety on YouTube; thanks to user acs111501

My thoughts on the album during my first listen:

ORIGINAL POST:

The 20+ year wait for My Bloody Valentines followup to 1991's gamechanger Loveless will continue for at least a little bit longer.  Just over an hour ago today the band made the brand new album available for stream on their website.  Of course, the server was crashed almost instantly due to overwhelming amounts of traffic, leaving thousands of music fans staring at this message while frantically refreshing their browser-

The impact of this album truly can not be overstated.  In the late-80's My Bloody Valentine spearheaded the groundbreaking "shoegazer" scene, and in 1991 released the album that epitomized the genre (and at the time, indie rock itself) with Loveless.  The seamless meshing of harsh, hypnotic distortion and soft, tender melodicism continues to be highly influencial in all genres of music.

Frontman Kevin Shields spoke with England's NME in November, and had the following to say about the long-awaited followup:

 "with this [new] record, people who like us will immediately connect with something. Based on the very, very few people who've heard stuff -- some engineers, the band, and that's about it -- some people think it's stranger than 'Loveless.' I don't. I feel it really frees us up, and in the bigger picture it's 100 percent necessary".

UPDATE:   2/2, 8:05PM (Central)

The website has been blinking in and out, here are some screenshots of what the lucky individuals that have managed to get in were greeted by (images courtesy of buzzfeed):

purchasing info and details on the release

MBV tracklisting

shipping info and details on the vinyl pressing

Here is what the website currently looks like for me:

(this album rocks!)

New Bass Drum of Death album "coming soon"

This afternoon frontman John Barrett posted the following video on the band's blog and facebook page.   He calls it a "promo" for the new Bass Drum of Death album, referred to as simply LP2, and says that it will be "coming out soon" on Innovative Leisure Records.  This is all the information out at the moment, but it definitely seems like a reason to get excited.

As I side note I think I have to have one of those "PISS" shirts he's wearing...let me know if you find one anywhere