(127A) Buck 65 - 20 Odd Years: Vol. 4, Ostranenie (2011)

(127A) Buck 65 - 20 Odd Years: Vol. 4, Ostranenie (2011)

1. Days Go By
2. Dolores
3. Joey Bats
4. Legendary

     Buck 65 is my guy. I tend to love everything he releases (can't wait for the next full-length) and this EP was no different. He has been releasing this series of EPs over the last couple years and has not been very informative about what has been going on and when the next release is coming. This is actually the second "Volume 4". I don't know why, but there was another release under a different name that was/is only available on amazon.com for download as far as I can tell. It was 3 songs and completely separate from this was and was "pulled/cancelled" for some reason. Quite awhile after that he released this new "official" Volume 4. 

     As usual, he displays his broad range of musical influences and styles. He includes collaborations that only improve the songs he's written as he has tended to do since he released a 3 CD long album called "Dirtbike" a few years back. On this EP he collaborates with very talented Singers like Jenn Grant (with whom he has worked with A LOT lately). He has a song about baseball,  one about a silver screen movie star, and a song straight out of the old west. Pedal Steel and turntables. Great as usual, can't wait for the long delayed "Volume 5" (6?). (127)

(126A) Tenacious D - Rize of the Fenix (2012)

(126A) Tenacious D - Rize of the Fenix (2012)

1. Rize of the Fenix
2. Low Hangin' Fruit
3. Classical Teacher
4. Señorita
5. Deth Starr
6. Roadie
7. Flutes & Trombones
8. The Ballad of Hollywood Jack and the Rage Kage
9. Throw Down
10. Rock Is Dead
11. They Fucked Our Asses
12. To Be the Best
13. 39

     I am not going to spend a lot of time talking about Tenacious D. They make comedy tinged, over the top Rock Music and its just fun. Their first album was ridiculous and can never be topped but this one was a lot more entertaining than their second. Its funny, has an almost western theme. Their humor is intact and their guitar playing shreds as usual. You have to at the very least do yourself a favor and listen to "To Be the Best" a one minute homage to 80s montage songs a la "Eye of the Tiger". Good for a laugh and a listen or two. (126)

(125A) Animal Collective - Transverse Temporal Gyrus (2012)

(125A) Animal Collective - Transverse Temporal Gyrus (2012)

1. Transverse Temporal Gyrus Part 1
2. Transverse Temporal Gyrus Part 2

     In 2010, Animal Collective played a special show as part of an art installation with a Video Artist. They released this half hour EP as part of this years record store day so that their fans could get a taste of what they missed in that show and what music was written for it. The EP is just short of a half hour and is a return to their experimental, patchwork roots as well as adding some of their newer sounds and trademarks into the mix. It was an enjoyable listen, but not for everyone. You would dig this oksentaminen. (125)

(124A) Animal Collective - Sung Tongs (2004)

(124A) Animal Collective - Sung Tongs (2004)

1. Leaf House
2. Who Could Win a Rabbit
3. The Softest Voice
4. Winters Love
5. Kids on Holiday
6. Sweet Road
7. Visiting Friends
8. College
9. We Tigers
10. Mouth Wooed Her
11. Good Lovin Outside
12. Whaddit I Done

     I have the tendency to gravitate towards The later Animal Collective albums. They are one of those cases of experimental bands that lost a whole lot of their oldest fans due to their development. They have always been experimental, even on those later albums that i like but in their earlier years they were  very experimental, and very lo-fi. I have been trying to branch out a bit more with these guys and dig into their older catalogue. This album is a middle point as their sound had gone away from their first few albums and started to move in the direction of their later albums. It was considered their breakthrough album by a lot of critics and publications. It was made by only 2 members of the 4 base members (Avey Tare and Panda Bear) and it was pretty different because of that fact. Its a very stripped down affair with a lot of acoustic guitars and tribal drums. I would describe the sound as a Psychedelic, folk album with a touch of a beach boys sound. I really dug this album and it was pretty chill as far as Animal Collective releases go. (124)      

(123A) The Flaming Lips 2011: With Yoko Ono / Plastic Ono Band (2011)

(123A) The Flaming Lips 2011: With Yoko Ono / Plastic Ono Band (2011)

1. The Fear of Litany
2. Do It!
3. Brain of Heaven
4. untitled interlude
5. Atlas Eats Christmas
6. untitled outro

     I have a feeling that oksentaminen thought at least close to the same thing as me when he saw that this team up even happened and it was negative and doubtful. When i first saw that The Flaming Lips made an EP with Yoko Ono, I assumed it would be bad and not my favorite. I avoided listening to it for quite awhile and when I finally did, I was proved wrong. It definitely fits in with all the other experimental EPs from 2011 but it ended up being one of my favorites. It was less experimental from many of the others and is almost the opposite ofr the Lightning Bolt release i just reviewed. Surprisingly good stuff, and once again, a couple tracks from this were featured on "Heady Fwends". (123)

(122A) The Flaming Lips 2011: With Lightning Bolt (2011)

(122A) The Flaming Lips 2011: With Lightning Bolt (2011)

1. I'm Working At NASA On Acid
2. I Want To Get High But I Don't Want Brain Damage
3. NASA's Final Acid Bath
4. I Want To Get Damaged But I Won't Say Hi

     This is another entry from The Flaming Lips 2011 string of releases. It is an EP with another experimental band called Lightning Bolt. I have never heard Lightning Bolt before, but their style reveals itself a bit on this release. The first 2 songs are listed as The Flaming Lips with Lightning Bolt and the last 2 songs are Lightning Bolt with The Flaming Lips. It's a very experimental EP and at least worth a listen. Track 1 is the best and I'm sure thats the reason it made it onto the full length release "Heady Fwends". Not my favorite but still worth the couple listens I gave it. I'll listen to track one again  in my life at least. (122)

(121A) (End of Month Theme: Band Recommendation) The Paper Chase - Someday This Could All Be Yours, Vol. 1 (2009)

(121A) (End of Month Theme: Band Recommendation) The Paper Chase - Someday This Could All Be Yours, Vol. 1 (2009)

1. If Nobody Moves Nobody Will Get Hurt (The Extinction)
2. I'm Going to Heaven with or without You (The Forest Fire)
3. The Common Cold (The Epidemic)
4. The Laying of Hands The Speaking  in Tongues (The Mass Hysteria)
5. Your Money or Your Life (The Comet)
6. What Should We Do with Your Body (The Lightning)
7. This Is a Rape (The Flood)
8. The Small of YOur Back The Nape of Your Neck (The Blizzard)
9. This Is Only a Test (The Tornado)
10. We Have Ways to Make You Talk (The Human Condition)

     End of a month that ended a few months ago. I am not even entirely sure I followed the theme I picked hahaha. I think I said it was bands that the other writer introduced us to. This is technically another crossover, but oksentaminen played this album for me in Mid May and it blew me away. He definitely knows the stuff I like. This band is an incredible melding of dissonance and darkness with a catchy pop sensibility. It has elements of bands like cursive and bright eyes. Dissonance, grandiose and large compotions and bands, and angry, shaky vocals. I highly recommend all of their albums. I have listened to 4 of their 5 releases. Bummer that they broke up but The singers new band sounds like he will continue with this sound eventually (121)

04/29/2012: Carcass - Necroticism - Descanting the Insalubrious (1991) [Crossover Review 6]

04/29/2012: Carcass - Necroticism - Descanting the Insalubrious (1991) [Crossover Review 6]

1. Inpropagation
2. Corporal Jigsore Quandary
3. Symposium Of Sickness
4. Pedigree Butchery
5. Incarnated Solvent Abuse
6. Carneous Cacoffiny
7. Lavaging Expectorate of Lysergide Composition
8. Forensic Clinicism: The Sanguine Article
9. Tools Of The Trade
10. Pyosified (Still Rotten To The Gore)
11. Hepatic Tissue Fermentation II

     I am months behind on my entries. I am going to take an hour or so to rock out as many as I can in one sitting so I will keep these short. This is a long over-due crossover chosen by oksentaminen and you can read his review here. He is pretty much spot on for calling it Prog Death Metal as well as his line of "riffs on riffs". Its a really cool album. I enjoyed the long compositions and the music in general. The only reason I wasn't really into it was the vocals. I can appreciate the death metal growl/scream, but I tend to need a breather from vovcals of the type. I know why this album was chosen for me and it was  cool to hear bands that influenced or paved the way for bands I love like Between The Buried And Me. (120)

04/28/2012 The Flaming Lips - Gummy Song Skull (2011)

04/28/2012 The Flaming Lips - Gummy Song Skull (2011)

1. Drug Chart
2. In Our Bodies, Out Of Our Heads
3. Walk With Me
4. Hillary's Time Machine Machine

     This was the next EP from The Flaming Lips 2011 releases. This is another one that is just the band with no collaboration. It is another solid collection of 4 songs from the guys that goes further into the experimental turn they have been on the last couple years. It has strange production as they are wont to do but as I said about "Heady Fwends", I actually prefer the tilt they have been on since Embryonic more than Embryonic itself. Its experimental but with a more chill approach. This EP also came on a USB drive in a Gummy candy except this time a skull. (119)

04/27/2012: The Flaming Lips - Gummy Song Fetus (2011)

04/27/2012: The Flaming Lips - Gummy Song Fetus (2011)

1. Enthusiasm for Life Defeats Existential Fear Part 2
2. Steven's Moonbow
3. Squishy Glass

     After listening to "The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends" I decided to dig deeper into all of the various EP's they released throughout 2011. Gummy Song Fetus was released early on in the year and features 3 songs by The Flaming Lips alone, which was a rarity throughout this year of EPs. It was released as a limited edition on a USB drive stuck inside of an edible gummy Fetus. The songs are trippy and experimental but are solid. Theres a touch of drone and a touch of Flaming Lips pop (118)

04/26/12: Reaching Quiet - In The Shadow of The Living Room (2002)

04/26/12: Reaching Quiet - In The Shadow of The Living Room (2002)

1. Mother You're Long Gone
2. She Ain't Gonna Call You Back (Part 1)
3. Pier 39
4. Your Fish
5. Cabin Pressure
6. Self Portrait Hand Puppet
7. The Fly
8. The Moth
9. On Gummy Worms on Dental Floss
10. Madame Rennevfski
11. Salad Days
12. Split Screen
13. Housewife
14. Her Little Office Watch
15. Indecent Proposal
16. The Vowels
17. The Crush
18. Slow Polaroid
19. She Ain't Gonna Call You Back (Part 2)
20. Me and the Pea Coat
21. Out of Live Wires and Twisties
22. Broken Crow
23. Dead Man's Robin
24. Jesse James' Thesaurusical Advice
25. Lisa Carmichael (Alan Keyes)
26. My Prayer Rug
27. I Beer
28. You Choke
29. The Comfy Chair
30. General Disturbance

     This album is a random buy from quite awhile back that I only purchased because Why? was listed as a contributor. I wish I would have read up on it much sooner. Its actually a collaboration between Why? and Odd Nosdam; my favorite two people from the Anticon label. It is a precursor to Anticon and to their experimental hip-hop group Clouddead. It is a really strange and experimental album itself but it still demonstrates snippets of why I love these guys in a fragmented patchwork fashion. If anything, I may prefer it to Clouddead in a lot of ways just because of the absence of DoseOne. They are mostly incredibly short tracks but it has a sound collage feel that really shows why I like Odd Nosdams production so much. There are a lot of instrumental tracks, but when Why? comes in and sing/raps it leads to some of the coolest moments on this album. He raps well, and suddenly sings like a Beach Boy and continues to be one of my favorites, even from this obscure album from years before I even knew he existed. This album is atmospheric, and poppy, and droning, and at times goofy as hell, but it is a super interesting and entertaining listen that shows some of my favorites at their earliest. (117)

04/25/12: Serengeti - Dennehy (Lights, Camera, Action) (2008)

04/25/12: Serengeti - Dennehy (Lights, Camera, Action) (2008)

1. I Don't Know
2. Dennehy
3. Teenager
4. Go Paint
5. Under the Underground
6. Weber Grill
7. Caucs
8. Juelie and Me
9. Don't Talk to Jueles
10. Love You But
11. IPOD
12. Ozzie Guillen
13. Lights Camera Action
14. Lehas
15. New Dodge
16. Newer Dodge

     When Serengeti released Dennehy in 2006, it was not released anywhere near as he intended it. There isn't a ton of info on this version, but he rereleased the album again in 2008 as a digital download. The story told in this album is based off of a screenplay that he wrote. The Main Characters are Kenny Dennis and Emo Kid. This version of the album is incredibly different than the original. This version has the tracks in the originally intended order with 7 new tracks that weren't on the first version. The original had the wrong track order and included a bunch of tracks that weren't even a part of the album. This has the 7 new tracks, and most of the songs that are on both versions are pretty drastically different on this version. Sometimes there will be a small change in the production but in most cases here there are a bunch of additional skits and interludes to help the album to flow and actually tell the story. I highly recommend listening to both versions because there is a ton of variation and hidden bits of gold within each version. Serengeti is doing some quite interesting shit in hip-hop right now. I wish I got on his train much earlier.(116)

04/24/12: Serengeti - Dennehy (2006)

04/24/12: Serengeti - Dennehy (2006)

1. Critters
2. In's and Out's
3. Feeding
4. I Don't Know
5. Dennehy
6. iPod
7. Lineage
8. Meth
9. Love You But
10. Don't Talk To Jueles
11. Derek
12. Go Paint
13. New Dodge
14. Derek In Paris
15. The Neeg
16. Ozzie Guillen
17. New Dodge (Remix)

     I listened to a good amount of Serengeti now, and this seemed to be an important release in his career due to the fact that he debuted his character Kenny Dennis on this album. Kenny Dennis is the middle aged Chicago Rapper that I mentioned earlier. This album is really rad and tells a rough story of multiple characters including Dennis, Derek, and the Emo Kid. The beats are nothing oiut of the ordinary and very entertaining. What sets this album apart from a normal hip hop record is the fact that his characters are incredibly strange, nowhere near as good of rappers as Serengeti himself and they rap about incredibly off key topics like Brats, being emo, missing iPods, and Meth sales. Good album that is completely worth a listen, but not what Serengeti intended this album to be. I will cover that in the next entry with the "rerelease" of Dennehy. (115)

04/23/12: The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends (2012)

04/23/12: The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends (2012)

1. 2012 (You Must Be Upgraded) (feat. Ke$ha and Biz Markie)
2. Ashes in the Air (feat. Bon Iver)
3. Helping the Retarded to Find God (feat. Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros)
4. untitled 1
5. Supermoon Made Me Want to Pee (feat. Prefuse 73)
6. Children of the Moon (feat. Tame Impala)
7. That Ain't My Trip (feat. Jim James of My Morning Jacket)
8. You, Man? Human??? (feat. Nick Cave)
9. untitled 2
10. I'm Working at NASA on Acid (feat. Lightning Bolt)
11. Do It! (feat. Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band)
12. Is David Bowie Dying? (feat. Neon Indian)
13. untitled 3
14. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (feat. Erykah Badu)
15. Girl, You're So Weird (feat. New Fumes)
16. I Don't Want You to Die (feat. Chris Martin of Coldplay)
17. untitled 4

     I guess this is technically a Compilation album. It features some tracks released throughout the many E.P.s that The Lips released over the course of 2011. That only accounts for 4 tracks on this release though. The rest of the songs are from one off recording sessions with a wide variety of artists from Ke$ha to Nick Cave to Prefuse 73 to Chris Martin. This album was released on a limited edition vinyl for Record Store Day this year. Its a little disappointing that its hard to find because it is a perfectly acceptable followup to 2009's Embryonic. Despite the wide variety of guests, it is an incredibly cohesive record and is representative of the more experimental tilt these guys have been on for the last few years. Even the few songs that were already released seemed more impressive within the organization of this album. It caused me to give many of last years EPs a more repectful listen for this project (coming soon). This album ended up being a must have for any Lips fan. It is really a great listen with the strangest group of contributors ever. Check it out. (114)

04/22/12: Sigur Rós - Hvarf - Heim (2007)

04/22/12: Sigur Rós - Hvarf - Heim (2007)

Hvarf

1. Salka
2. Hljómalind
3. Í Gær
4. Von
5. Hafsól

Heim

1. Samskeyti
2. Starálfur
3. Vaka
4. Ágætis byrjun
5. Heysátan
6. Von

     This is 2 CD compilation album from Sigur Rós. "Hvarf" contains studio versions of previously unreleased tracks, while "Heim" contains live acoustic versions of previously released album tracks. As with many CDs of this type, I would only recommend it to serious fans of the band. I'm not trying to discount these tracks but theres nothing truely essential here if youre new to the group. There are some really great unreleased songs here and the acoustic recordings are great. This is a really solid collection of songs that are recorded perfectly as with all of Sigur Rós' live recordings. the 5 unreleased tracks are good but I mean, they sound like Sigur Rós! Heim has a very interesting take on some of their more well known songs, but they were originally released on their documentary/concert DVD "Heima". If you want to here "acoustic" Sigur Rós, then I highly recommend tracking down the DVD or at least the audio rip of the Concert DVD because you get to hear these same 6 songs with another 12-15 tracks in the same performances. I actually listened to the full length audio rip and will be covering it in my many upcoming posts that I am trying to catch up on. (113)

04/21/12: Disasterpeace - Fez Soundtrack (2012)

04/21/12: Disasterpeace - Fez Soundtrack (2012)

1. Adventure
2. Puzzle
3. Beyond
4. Progress
5. Beacon
6. Flow
7. Frmations
8. Legend
9. Compass
10. Forgotten
11. Sync
12. Glitch
13. Fear
14. Spirit
15. Nature
16. Knowledge
17. Death
18. Memory
19. Pressure
20. Nocturne
21. Age
22. Majesty
23. Continuum
24. Home
25. Reflection
26. Love

     This is the electronic soundtrack from the Videogame Fez. This is one of the many pieces that made Fez such a great game. This soundtrack really blew me away. Fez takes place in a 2D world and one creature discovers there is a third dimension. The music has a very 8-bit, chiptune feel to it yet seems to find an extra dimension through the use of modern day electronic music. it is woven together seemlessly and it hypnotized me and really brought me into the world. Ambient moments merge with more shattered glitchy moments. Spectacular Album (and Game) (112)

04/19/12 and 04/20/12: Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I, II, III and IV (2008)

04/19/12 and 04/20/12: Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I, II, III and IV (2008)

1. 1 Ghosts I
2. 2 Ghosts I
3. 3 Ghosts I
4. 4 Ghosts I
5. 5 Ghosts I
6. 6 Ghosts I
7. 7 Ghosts I
8. 8 Ghosts I
9. 9 Ghosts I
10. 10 Ghosts II
11. 11 Ghosts II
12. 12 Ghosts II
13. 13 Ghosts II
14. 14 Ghosts II
15. 15 Ghosts II
16. 16 Ghosts II
17. 17 Ghosts II
18. 18 Ghosts II
19. 19 Ghosts III
20. 20 Ghosts III
21. 21 Ghosts III
22. 22 Ghosts III
23. 23 Ghosts III
24. 24 Ghosts III
25. 25 Ghosts III
26. 26 Ghosts III
27. 27 Ghosts III
28. 28 Ghosts IV
29. 29 Ghosts IV
30. 30 Ghosts IV
31. 31 Ghosts IV
32. 32 Ghosts IV
33. 33 Ghosts IV
34. 34 Ghosts IV
35. 35 Ghosts IV
36. 36 Ghosts IV

     I pretty much only did that tracklist due to all of the copying and pasting. I am ridiculously behind on my writeups. I only have time for a couple right now despite the fact that i have a list of about 20 or more to do. I am not gonna spend a lot of time on this one. You know the deal. I hadn't truly given this album a full listen. I knew I liked a lot of it but I wasn't able to give my undivided attention to it until recently. It really is a great collection of recordings. It was an experimental endeavor in so many ways. The way it was recorded, the way it was distributed and the way it sounded were all out of the ordinary. I really enjoy this group of recordings. it is varied has moments that remind you of many different Nine Inch Nail albums. Really a solid late career Reznor album that to me serves as a precursor to his film scoring career. (110 & 111)

04/18/12: Fucked Up - Couple Tracks: Singles 2002 - 2009 (2010)

04/18/12: Fucked Up - Couple Tracks: Singles 2002 - 2009 (2010)

1. No Pasarán
2. Neat Parts
3. Generation
4. Ban Violins
5. Dangerous Fumes
6. Triumph Of Life
7. Fixed Race
8. Toronto FC
9. Black Hats
10. David Christmas
11. No Epiphany (Fast Version)
12. Crooked Head (Video Version)
13. I Hate Summer
14. Teenage Problems
15. Carried Out To Sea
16. Looking Back
17. Anorak City
18. I Don't Want To Be Friends With You
19. Mustaa Lunta
20. Dream Come True
21. Magic Kingdom
22. Magic Word (Daytrotter Version)
23. Last Man Standing (Year Of The Dog Version)
24. He's So Frisky
25. David Comes To Life (Daytrotter Version)

     I have already played all 3 studio albums by Fucked Up incessantly and I decided it was time to dig into their expansive amounts of Vinyl releases. They have released a ridiculous amount of 7" and 12" vinyls. They have at least 100 songs I haven't heard yet. Instead of trying to trudge through the many many vinyls off the bat, I decided to start with this compilation release. It includes B-sides, alternate versions, and unreleased tracks. The CD is all over the place. The timeline and production quality is inconsistent which makes sense due to the fact that these songs were recorded throughout a 7 year window. There are a lot of gems on this release but it is by no means a good starting point. Their whole progression up until their epic release "David Comes To Life" from last year is represented. From their more straightforward hardcore punk roots to their more experimental later years. Definitely listen to all of their full-lengths before moving onto this compilation. I'm sure ill hit up a bunch of the individual vinyls later on. (109)

04/17/12: Geotic - Duchenne Smile (2009)

04/17/12: Geotic - Duchenne Smile (2009)

1. Simplehearted
2. Igloo
3. Buried Library
4. Gryffindor Mixer
5. Nanotech Serenade
6. Meadow
7. Vegetable Garden
8. Midnight; Strolling the Treehouse Network
9. Pokémon Potluck
10. Mysticism and Spaceflight

     More relaxing Guitar driven minimalist music from Geotic. While considered an album, it was more of an E.P. in length. I enjoyed this as much as many of his other releases. Always minimalist, a little abstract and experimental. It definitely is more built around Guitars like many of his other releases and is an enjoyable listen. I do enjoy how seemingly erratic some of the Geotic releases get, but I think thats how they hold my attention. This album runs the gammut of looping, guitars, piano, drum machines with a hidden dose of vocals. Another good release from Mr. Weisenfeld. (108)

04/16/12: Geotic - Realms (2010)

04/16/12: Geotic - Realms (2010)

1. The Hell 
2. The Hungry Ghost
3. The Animal
4. The Human
5. The Jealous God
6. The God

     This is another free release by Geotic. He has released quite a few albums over his few years of existence. I liked this album but I didn't love it and thats based on my personal preference when it comes to this type of music. All 6 of these tracks are droning long ambient loops. I guess they are based off of some sort of cycle in Buddhist beliefs. This is definitely not an album I would go out of my way to listen to for enjoyment, but the droning relaxed mood of this album has served as great concentration music while working. It doesn't distract from what I'm working on but it fills in the quiet gaps. I guess thats what this kind of music is for though. Realms was well done, is very consistent but just didn't have the variety or interest of other Geotic albums. Quality if you like ambient drone. (107)