Psychic TV - Themes box set

#183 - 188) Psychic TV - Themes box set (2011)

Disc 1 - Themes
 1. Piano and Clarinet
 2. 23 Tibetan Human Thigh Bones
 3. Cowbell, Bicycle Wheels and Vibes
 4. New Guinea Headhunters Pipe, Large and Small Drum
 5. Piano and String Machine
 6. Recording made at Jonestown, Guyana at the time of the suicides
 7. African Initiation Drum and Animal Tusk Horn
 8. Various Temple Bells, Gongs, Cymbals and Vibes

Disc 2 - Themes 2
 1. Themes 2 part one
 2. Themes 2 part two
 3. Themes 2 part three
 Unclean
 4. Unclean
 5. Mirrors
 6. Unclean Monks


Disc 3 - Themes 2: A Prayer for Derek Jarman
 1. The Loops of Mystical Union
 2. Elipse of Flowers
 3. Mylar Breeze (Parts 1 and 2)
 4. Mylar Breeze (Part 3)
 5. Prayer for Derek
 6. Rites of Reversal

Disc 4 - Themes 3
 1. ???
 2. ???

Disc 5 - Themes 3 part 2
 1. ?
 2. ?
 3. ?
 4. ?
 5. ?
 6. ?
 7. ?
 8. ?
 9. ?

 Disc 6 - Themes 4: Lady Jaye
 1. I'm Making a Mirror
 2. I Like the Holidays (A Children's Story)
 3. Gobbledegook
 4. Mother Jack (A Children's Story)
 5. Candy Factory
 6. I Love You, I Know
 7. This is the Final War

Psychic Tv is the band Genesis P-Orridge formed after Throbbing Gristle. i love TG but for some reason i never really got into PTV. i decided to start with this 6 disc (or 7 discs if you order it directly from the label) set. i had only heard a few PTV tracks but nothing like what was in this set. here's what Cold Spring has to say about it:

For the first time, all THEMES albums by PSYCHIC TV released together, in a sumptuous, matt laminate, spot-varnished box set. The music itself was designed not only as soundtrack but also for subsequent use by Initiates of The Temple Ov Psychick Youth in their rituals as Functional music intended only to aid in the process of making things happen. It is a practical tool. Thee essential collection of rare, archive and modern PTV ritual / esoteric musick!
Each CD has been carefully remastered and is presented in it’s own matt laminate, spot-varnished mini-LP sleeve. The box also includes a 32-page booklet of rare photos and essays.
“Themes” was originally released in 1982 as a limited bonus LP with the first 5000 copies of the legendary PSYCHIC TV album “Force The Hand Of Chance”. Musicians: Stan Bingo, Peter Christopherson (Coil, Throbbing Gristle, Soisong), Genesis P-Orridge, and David Tibet (Current 93).
“Themes 2″ was originally released on LP in 1985 by Temple Records and subsequently reissued as an extended CD version by Cold Spring in 1997. Musicians: Genesis P-Orridge, Alex Fergusson, John Gosling (Zos Kia, Coil, Mekon). “Themes 2″ is presented here as a 2 CD set, including the full vinyl version – plus the original “Unclean” 12″ and it`s two B side tracks that were recorded in the same sessions.
“Themes 3″ was originally released on LP in 1986 by Temple Records and is presented here for the first time on CD, completely remastered. Musicians: Genesis P-Orridge, John Gosling (Zos Kia, Coil, Mekon), Mark Sangerman, Monte Cazazza. “Themes 3″ is presented here as a 2 CD set, with an unheard, yet legendary version performed in Boston, US by Genesis P-Orridge and John Gosling under the title of “Pagan Easter”.
“Themes 4″ is a brand new Psychic TV album, recorded by the late partner of Genesis P-Orridge, Lady Jaye and Psychic TV. Compiled by Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Ryan Martin and Bryin Dall. Musicians: Lady Jaye Breyer P-Orridge, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Larry Thrasher, Bryin Dall.

each track on Themes 1 is named after what the recording contains. the liner notes state that "Almost all the instruments used were acoustic but many of them have specifically ritual or Psychic properties and that is why we chose to use them. Certainly the illogical intensity of these recordings far exceeds those made with conventional acoustic instruments."
as mentioned in the statement from Cold Spring this album was recorded as both a soundtrack to The Temple of Psychick Youth's First Transmission and as "Functional music intended to aid in the process of making things happen."
i really dug these tracks, especially "Tibetan Human Thigh Bones".

Themes 2 collects tracks used in Derek Jarman films while Themes 2: A Prayer for Derek Jarman collects tracks that were used but were previously unreleased. the liner notes state that while Themes 1 was to be used "at the time it was released within ritual to try and consistently generate certain psychic states...", Themes 2 is to be used as "a facilitator of internal psychic and emotional observation."
there's a lot of cool experimentation throughout these tracks and a couple more straightforward pieces, i'm interested to see the films they were written for.

Themes 3 Disc 1 is a live recording of Thee Temple of Psychick Youth done on April 22 and 23, 1984 in Chicago. it was an event featuring "almost 20 video monitors, slides, super 8 films and video projections" presented "in an assemblage manner that made it impossible to focus on more than a third of the images at any one time." it was set up this way with the intent to answer the question "does the leakage from the edge of vision find a more direct path to the 'subconscious' and result in a more primal and evocative effect?"
Themes 3 Disc 2 is a previously unheard alternate version of the set on disc 1 that was recorded April 22 1984 in Boston. it was almost entirely pre-recorded tape and video.
they're both cool records, it's a shame there's no video of either performance though.

Themes 4: Lady Jaye is a disc that collects tracks that were all written by Lady Jaye. Cold Springs says it's a new album but it's more of a "rarities" collection with 2 previously unreleased tracks. 

all in all it's a rad box set and is worth picking up for Genesis' liner notes alone.












































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KMFDM - What Do You Know, Deutschland?

Es Ist Existenz Mit Schwerer Konsequenz

#182) KMFDM - What Do You Know, Deutschland? (1986)

 1. Kickin' Ass
 2. Me I Funk
 3. What Do You Know?
 4. Zip
 5. Conillon
 6. Itchy Bitchy
 7. Deutsche Schuld
 8. Sieg Sieg
 9. Positiv
 10. Lufthans
 11. Itchy Bitchy (Dance Version)
 12. The Unrestrained Use of Excessive Force

so Adam's choice for the theme is "2nd Chances".

i got into KMFDM in the mid-90s when Juke-Joint Jezebel was a big single on the radio. i picked up a couple albums and loved them. later i borrowed this one, which is their debut, from a friend. i was very disappointed. where were all the cool beats and rad metal-ish riffs? this was nothing like the other albums i had listened to. instead of the beats and riffs there were..shitty basslines and simple drum machine patterns. the lyrics were pretty stupid and for the most part didn't seem as aggressive. i listened to it once and gave it back.

when Adam decided on 2nd chances i figured this would be a good time to check out the album again. i picked up the 2006 remaster version that includes the original tracklist plus the tracks that were included on various re-issues and the Kickin' Ass single. there are also some great liner notes that give a little backstory on the recording of this album and where all the tracks come from. as for the music, i appreciate it a lot more than i did. they did some pretty cool stuff with limited resources. unfortunately i still think that the lyrics are pretty shitty. although Zip, which is a warning about zipping up your dick, is fairly amusing. 

while it doesn't compare to 90s era KMFDM, or even the current line-up, and the stupid lyrics ruin Raymond Watts' (oh yeah, i forgot to mention that Raymond Watts was pretty much a full member of the band at this point and recorded most of the record as well) awesome voice, it's actually a pretty rad album. initially i viewed it as a shitty start to an awesome band but now i think it's cool to hear how different these guys were when they started out.

Nadja/Troum - Dominium Visurgis

#181) Nadja/Troum - Dominium Visurgis (2010)

 1. Part 1
 2. Part 2
 3. Part 3

this is a collaboration between Nadja and the German experimental/drone outfit Troum. i'm not super familiar with Troum but i've heard a couple tracks and dug what i've heard. anyway, the back of the record states that the album is the "result of a spontaneous improvisation" in a studio in Germany and that there were no overdubs or processing or anything made after. Parts 1 & 2 are drone-y experimental pieces while Part 2 is more of a Nadja track. overall it's a cool record, it's a shame there's no video of them in the studio though.

King Creosote + Jon Hopkins - Diamond Mine

#180) King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - Diamond Mine (2011)

 1. First Watch
 2. John Taylor's MOnth Away
 3. Bats in the Attic
 4. Running on Fumes
 5. Bubble
 6. Your Own Spell
 7. Your Young Voice


it's crossover time again. this time it was Adam's pick. he hasn't done his post on this album yet so i'm gonna keep mine brief.
this is a collaboration between singer/songwriter King Creosote from Scotland and English electronic artist Jon Hopkins. i'd never heard of either of these guys before and really had no idea of what to expect so i was pleasantly surprised to find the album was a kind of blend of folk/pop and electronics. i really enjoyed the mellow, sometimes melancholy arrangements. it's a great summer downer album. i also really enjoyed Creosote's voice, it sounds very familiar at times but i can't quite place it. 
i would definitely check out each members solo stuff.

(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)