Behold! The Monolith

'Behold! The Monolith' hails from Los Angeles, California. With clear influences from Motorhead, High on Fire, Mastodon, and the Melvins, 'Monolith' leads you from track to track on a slow doom tromp, intermittently breaking into an impulsive, gritty, sprinting display of power. Bass lurks through the first track, under layers of fluid guitar work, before the two convene to lay the sludgehammer, setting the mood for the rest of the EP. The vocals reflect influences from metal behemoths like NOOTHGRUSH and Grief, with a hearty helping of Lemmy.

Easily one of my favorite releases of this year:

Behold! The Monolith - EP

--fred

KARP - Self Titled

{This was originally posted by myself on [shiny grey monotone]. I thought it was funny and deserved a re-post}

Year: 1997

[T]his is KARP's final, and my favorite, of all their releases. KARP has been remarked (very stupidly in my opinion) as a 'metal band that even indie rockers can love'. Fuck that. KARP was not metal. They were a noisy cacophonous bundle of confusion, humility, and pure-fucking-exuberance. Song after song is an orgy of cochleatic-grinding that continues to pummel you across your skull long after the record ends. 'KARP' is an ear-raping experience you will never forget, nor never WANT to forget. You will cherish the moment you had with the band...reminisce fondly on Scott Jernigan (drums) breathing heavily over you as Jared Warren (bass, vox) holds you down by the midsection and Chris Smith (gits, vox) penetrates balls deep into your cerebral cortex. Your wounds have healed...but the emotional trauma has stamped itself upon your soul.

KARP is really good! Heavily influenced by the Melvins! It's like a grungy Big Business or somethin!

KARP - Self Titled

TAD - Various Singles

Here's a little grunge lovin' from everyone's favorite Seattle heavy-hitters, TAD.

[1988] Daisy/Ritual Device 7"
(Their first 7", one of the earliest records released by Sub Pop back in the day)

[1989] Tad/Pussy Galore Split
(A split with Pussy Galore; TAD covers Damaged, while Pussy Galore does Damaged II. Probably has the best beginning to any TAD release.)

[1990] Loser Single

[1993] Leafy Incline Single
(features a different version of 'Leafy Incline')

--fred

More Boring Radio Shit

We're going to post some music soon, we promise.

So, Trey and I guest DJed at WMBC sometime last week with Hasan from Death By Hanger (deathbyhanger.blogspot.com, and a good time was had by all. You can check the recording of it on his blog (right panel).

Also, worth nothing, if the very special airing of MINDGRINDER tonight, dubbed GRUNGE-GRINDER, or something of the like. I'll be playing some Amphetamine Reptile-era Noise Rock, Seattle Grunge (before and after the boom), and a few other 90s nostalgia indie bands (Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth, Treepeople). It'll be a good time...

--fred

Varg Vikernes (Burzum) Released from Prison Today. // BURZUM Super Post

Duuuude. Source here.

"I'm ready for society — and I have been for many years," Vikernes told Dagbladet last July . "I have learned from my mistakes and become older. Now I just want to be together with my family. My mind has never been in prison; I think all the time about what I should do on the day that I am released." He added, "I have barely seen my son since he came into the world. Even though I hear his voice on the phone almost every day, it is very tough to not be present while he is growing up. I miss my family. And I look forward the day that I could work on my farm, create music, write books and be with the wife and kids around the clock — and live a normal life. I have received tremendous support from my family. It means a lot."

--fred

CORRECTION: Varg is to be released SOON, not March 10th. I expect within the week or so.

[1992] Burzum
[1992] Hvis Lyset Tar Oss
[1993] Aske
[1993] Det Som Engang Vaar

...

I'm sick of this "Mastodon sucks post-Remission" bull.

You're just trying to be cool, admit it.

this weekend at WMUC...

NIRVANA - (Smells Like Teen Spirit - Lithium - Heart Shaped Box Singles)

While I was home in Baltimore over the weekend, besides from being sick as shit and hating consciousness, I managed to finally get around to ripping some of my CDs, which were lost in the great Hard Drive blowout of '08. Most of my CDs, or 'legally owned music', were bought throughout High School and during my time working at RTT (Record and Tape Traders), and I did happen to run across some pretty cool stuff, which I'll start uploading over the next few weeks.

Included in this post are three separate NIRVANA singles from their heyday; Smells Like Teen Spirit (1991), Lithium (1992), and Heart Shaped Box (1993). None of these are rare--nor contain any unreleased material (as of 2004), and they typically come in a boxed set titled the 'Singles Collection', but I got to collect them the fun way; one by one. Pretty sure I'm missing a couple....whatever, fuck it:

Smells Like Teen Spirit Single
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Even In His Youth
Aneurysm

Lithium Single
Lithium
Been a Son
Curmudgeon

Heart Shaped Box Single
Heart Shaped Box
Milk It
Marigold

--fred

EDIT: just some stuff I forgot to mention...

on the 'SLTS' single: 'Even in His Youth' is a different studio version than what was released on 'With the Lights Out'. Also, that copy of 'Aneurysm' is a better quality version than the mix released on 'Incesticide'. Go figure.

on the 'Lithium' single: That 'Been a Son' track is live, from 1991, I think.

on the 'HSB' single: 'Marigold' was Grohl's first substantial musical input in the band, besides from the riff and the beat from 'Scentless Apprentice'. Then Cobain blew his brains out and Dave never got the chance to share any more of his music with the band. Good on you Kurt.