Review #30: Nü Sensae - Nü Sensae (2008)

Nü SENSAE

Year: 2008
Genre: Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: Noise, Hardcore, No-Wave
Label: Isolated Now-Waves
Tracks: 8
Length: 12 Minutes (Short)
Style: Angry
My Rating: 6/8

FUCK... I just got out of one pretty shitty decade as far as music goes. Hopefully there's a bright future for that sort of thing ahead, since 2010 arbitrarily marks some sort of fresh slate left for us to refill. Still, there have been a number of far-and-few-between rock bands that have made the last ten years not COMPLETELY unbearable. Nü Sensae is one of 'em. No-Wave magic spliced with hardcore fury and energy, this is one of those bands that sound pissed like they MEAN IT. They've released an EP a few months ago, they've been on several compilations, and they're planning on doing a new full-length record, soon. This is their debut one-sided LP.

The music is influenced by the Germs, Bikini Kill, L7, and the Cramps, I believe. There's a pretty strong Germs influence on this album, as Andrea has a few moments here where she sounds like a slightly higher-pitched female Darby Crash with her screams. It's the kind of scream that you don't hear in modern music very often, but it sounds great. It's rough, it's pissed, and it lasts. This album really feels more like a hardcore record to me, but there are a lot of No-Wave characteristics as well.

1. Raven Tussle
Starts with a bizarre-sounding radio broadcast. Then the song starts. Heavy, crunching bass, thrashing beats, and screams chock-full of energy, here. The only lyrics here are a single line which I cannot interpret towards the end. Other than that, mostly screaming.

2. 1992
This version is a hell of a lot better than the "Emergency Room, Vol. 1" version. It packs a lot more of a punch, and it's slightly faster. The other version was sorta lame, but this version makes up for it. It's a good song about different years of the 1990s. For some reason.

3. Don't Panic
One again, this one is an improvement from the version off of "Emergency Room, Vol 2.". The other version was good as well, but it didn't really carry a tune at all. I like at least a semblance of a tune in my songs, no matter how small. With that said, this song is really fucking cool. They made a music video for it!

4. Cut Throat Nine
Mainly hard fast beats with a totally fuzzed-out riff. I love the part of the song (with the bass beat) about 1 minute into it, for some reason.

5. The Witch
Opens with the line from the Wizard of Oz, "Are You a Good Witch, or a Bad Witch?". Andrea repeats the line "I can feel my fingers, I can feel my legs", which for some reason I find kinda funny. I can feel my fingers and my legs, too. I guess that means that this is one of those songs that, like, I can relate to a little bit. The song gets faster at the end.

6. Brain Aid
A fast song with a great beat. Gotta love Andrea's screams. They are really something, here. A good song.

7. Peter Tripp
"Don't fall, Peter Tripp!". Another more regular-sounding song from the band, so there's nothing extremely notable about it. Basically, it has a similar beat as the first track, except this one isn't as good.

8. Graceland
Hey, that's where Elvis lives! Starts with pounding drums and cymbals. I like the vocals on theese song. It izz a good song. This iz the end of Side 1 which means that it's the end of the album because this album only has one side on it and that side is Side 1.

This is just a really good, aggressive, noisy punk album. There is more to come, so make sure to see these guys live (there's only two members!), and don't forget to actually buy their records!

THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR "DON'T PANIC"

Review #29: Black Flag - I Can See You (EP) (1989)

I CAN SEE YOU (EP)

Year: 1989

Genre: Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: Hardcore, Post-Punk
Label: SST Records
Tracks: 4
Length: 10 Minutes (Short)
Style: Angry
My Rating: 7/8

"I Can See You" was the last Black Flag record to be released. Three years after the band broke up, in 1989, they released this little dgfgdfgdf! It has four songs on it, taken from parts of the "In My Head" Sessions that didn't make it on that album. The album is about ten minutes long. The cover art was NOT done by Raymond Pettibon, who had a falling-out with SST a few years prior.

1. I Can See You
This is a scary one. Basically the same beat done over and over again with the lines "I can see you, you can see me, I can see you, you can see me..." over and over. For some reason the lead guitar riff makes me think of some unsettlingly joyous house with a big happy family in it with some bizarre undertones of fear of the unknown. The song almost sounds TOO happy, but to me, the lyrics imply something sinister. The song's chorus is "Don't... stab me in the back" repeated.

2. Kickin' and Stickin'
Shortest track on the EP. Kickin' and stickin'... smokin' and a-drinking... just sitting here laughing (a-ha-ha)... as the blood keeps spillin'. Basically little limericks like that to a slow-ish beat and Henry's laughing.

3. Out of This World
My favorite song on the record. It's adventurous, it's packed with energy, there's a sense of danger... it's a good song. Well, it's the fastest song on the album and it's about a guy who's gone mad and is leaving everything behind. The part where Henry goes "I LOVE I LOVE I LOVE I LOVE I LOVE I LOVE I LOVE I LOVE I NEVER LOVE I NEVER LOVE I NEVER LOVE I NEVER NEVER NEVER!" has so much flow to it.

4. You Let Me Down
Longest song on the album. The song's lyrics seem to be about a guy who feels like he's being abandoned by his own friends. The vocals are spoken rather than sung.

The contents of this EP can now be found on the CD reissue of "In My Head" (as these tracks were probably originally left out because there wasn't enough space on the LP). Because of this, it's regarded as a throwaway by many. I see something else in this EP. It's amazing what story can be told in just 10 minutes. You see, everything released by Black Flag before this -- it all painted the picture of the loner, the reject, the alien, the outsider, just waiting to snap... as the last Black Flag record, I think this album concludes that tale. In "I Can See You", that troubled little man DOES SNAP. In "I Can See You", he seeks out his victim in cold blood. In "Kickin' and Stickin'", the protagonist KILLS. In "Out of This World", he's on the run. "You Let Me Down" is a somewhat deluded retrospective. I believe that this EP is the proper end of the tale that Black Flag was telling.

Review #28: A.N.S. - Pressure Cracks (2009)

PRESSURE CRACKS

Year: 2009

Genre: Heavy Metal, Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: Thrash, Hardcore
Label: Tankcrime Records
Tracks: 9
Length: 21 Minutes (Medium-Length)
Style: Angry
My Rating: 6/8

As the newest release from A.N.S., this one features the band delving into the thrash-metal genre. Whether that's what they'll be for the rest of their career or not is unknown. Still, this is a pretty good album that takes advantage of a new, more metal-y sound.

For this record, the band signed to Tankcrimes Records, a metal and punk label. Much like their previous album, the '80s influences can still be heard, and there's a track that totally reminds me of something off of "My War" by Black Flag. But, here's the important part. The review.

1. I Killed Porcho
Starts with a soundclip of the infamous Henry Rollins vs. Unnamed 15-Year-Old Kid interview where the kid is saying "you going a little slow heavy metal, kinda? Maybe?", to which Greg Ginn replies "a little zany, a little wasty..." the song starts. This one is really fast. You can hear the hyper-fast metal guitar riffs and the heavy inclusion of guitar leads. Great first song!

2. Down the Rabbit Hole
Another fast song, but not as fast as the last song. It's the shortest song on the album. Ends VERY fast.

3. If You Don't Get It Now...
A slow intro. The song itself is pretty fast. Closer to just plain ol' hardcore, here. I love the vocals, here.

4. Seized by Fascists
"Nazis... I hate these guys" -- the song opens with that line. The vocals here are pretty badass, and the song itself is also really good! Towards the end there is an awesome lead-solo. I listen to this song in the car a lot.

5. Speak to Me
Makes extensive use of lead guitar. Interesting beat, here. 2/3 through the song, it slows down. Eventually, it fades out. End of Side 1.

6. Tunnel Vision
You too can have "tunnel vision"! Just take a toilet paper roll and stick it in your eye! For real, though, this is another thrash song. Nothing extremely interesting here, but it's a good song.

7. The All Consumer
Starts RELATIVELY fast... then it gets REALLY FUCKING FAST... until getting about as fast as it started... and then it gets REALLY FUCKING FAST again. THEN IT STAYS REALLY FUCKING FAST, WITH A SOLO! THEN IT GETS REALLY FUCKING SLOW, and the singer starts yelling about how he "won't let it control him", and how "the morning has come". So basically, the first half of the song is ultra-fast, and the second half is really slow.

8. Instru-Monu-Mental
Opens with a pretty nice riff. Starts as a slow song, but it gets faster once the drums appear before yer airs. Basically somewhat art-punk sounding music accompanied by spoken poetry by Chris. This one has a good solo.

9. Bleeding
Starts with the ringing of a large bell. Another slow song. This one will remind you of "My War"-era Black Flag. Very interesting-sounding, introspective lyrics (though I can't understand them all). Awesome screams. The song actually gets fast 2/3 through! In this ending section, there iz, in fact, a neat-o sol-o. And then, it ends. No hidden track for you.

This is a very good album. While I'd like to see A.N.S. do a little plain o' punk here and there ('cause they're actually good at that), they are still just as great as a metal band. If "The Pool" was like the product of a strange sexual interaction between "Damaged" and "Suicidal Tendencides", then this album is the bastard child of "My War" and "Join the Army"! One of the actual SOLID albums of 2009! If you like punk or metal, then this iz for you.

Review #27: Suicidal Tendencies - Year of the Cycos (2009)

YEAR OF THE CYCOS

Year: 2009

Genre: Heavy Metal, Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: Thrash, Funk-Metal, Hardcore
Label: Suicidal Records
Tracks: 14
Length: 52 Minutes (Long)
Style: Angry/Rebellious/Funny
My Rating: 7/8

Suicidal Tendencies is a hardcore-punk-turned-thrash-metal band from California (in the U.S. of A.). They basically released a lot of albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and they released albums called "Free Your Soul and Save My Mind" and "Friends and Family, Vol. 2" before taking a really really long break. Well, they're back now, and they haven't lost very much steam.

It's not all Suicidal, though. This album has tracks from Mike Muir's other bands as well, such as Infectious Grooves and No Mercy. Hell, we might as well just call this a "Mike Muir" album since everything on this has Mike Muir in it. Anyways, on to the review...

1. No Mercy Fool
"LET'S KICK THE DUST OFF THIS MOTHA!" -- next thing we know, it's a great metal song. This is basically just a really good song that rocks hard. Nice solos, awesome riff. It's just good. It feels good. Nice n' slow... until the ultra-fast midsection! That's where the thrash part kicks in.

2. Come Alive
They made a music video for this one. Starts with some nice slap-bass. "I'M ALIVE!!", screams Mike. This is a fast song. A lot of funky-soundin' guitar leads, here. The first half of the song is more metal-based, but the second half is more hardcore-ish.

3. Cyco Side of the Brain
This one's kinda weird. It's a funk-metal song. Most of the vocals are rapped, here. Not bad, but not my favorite track on the album either.

4. Life's Longer Than Just One Day
This one is great. An anthem against false authority and propaganda and a celebration of the fact that life is often long. The first part of the song has a beautiful acoustic guitar riff, but about a minute into the song, it gets heavier and slightly faster. One of the most truly awesome songs to come out in awhile.

5. It's the Groove... Don't Fight It [Infectious Grooves]
An aggressive funk-metal song with strange synth organs. If that's your thing, then it's pretty awesome in that aspect, but I like the Suicidal Tendencies stuff more. Still, it's an alright song.

6. Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right
'80s-style thrash metal. Alternates between slower and hyper-fast parts. The album's title, "Year of the Cycos" is derived from a line in this song.

7. Big Man [Cyco Miko]
Funky "wah-wahs", dirging metal guitar, and slap-bass. Basically a song singing about how "It takes a Big Man" to do all of this shit. This one has psychedelic elements to it, but otherwise, it could easily pass as a Suicidal Tendencies song.

8. Crazy But Proud [No Mercy]
No Mercy is a thrash metal project made up of Mike Muir, Mike Clark, Ric Clayton, and Sal Troy. A very fast thrash song. A short, slow mid-section.

9. Cyco Vision (Live)
A live performance of "Cyco Vision" from their 1999 album, "Freedumb". Very good song.

10. Beam Me Up [Cyco Miko]
More funk-punk-metal fusion stuff. I'm pretty sure that, like, it's about Mike asking a bunch of aliens in a flying saucer to "beam him up" so he can get outta Earth and visit space. Either that or he's just really tripping on acid.

11. It's Automatic [Infectious Grooves]
The whole song is bass-ed (get it??) around a crazy slap-bass riff. There's a little piano in here, too.

12. My Summer Vacation/All Goes to Hell [Cyco Miko]
Begins with a hilarious short story called "My Summer Vacation". Then there's "All Goes to Hell", which is another story beneath a funk-metal piece.

13. Funny Farm [Infectious Grooves]
I always thought the term "Funny Farm" sounded hilarious. I dunno why, it just does. More slap-bass funk.

14. The Future's Now
This one's alright, but it could've been better. I just don't like the riff that much. But it's still alright.

This album pretty much picks up where Suicidal Tendencies left off in the earlier part of this decade, and it's got a lot of solid songs, and for the most part, it's a very good record! Check it aut.

MUSIC VIDEO FOR "COME ALIVE":

Review #26: Butthole Surfers - Locust Abortion Technician (1987)

LOCUST ABORTION TECHNICIAN

Year: 1987

Genre: Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: Noise, Experimental, Hardcore
Label: Touch & Go Records
Tracks: 11
Length: 33 Minutes (Medium-Length)
Style: Weird/Scary/Funny
My Rating: 8/8

This is one of the greatest albums to ever be made. It has been said to scare some people, amuse others, and it makes me laugh! With that being said, a lot of people consider this album to be the high-point of the band's career, and the band had never made something quite this weird or disturbing before, and they certainly never did again.

According to Gibby Haynes itself, it's a concept album in which each song is a concept in itself. And he's just about right. There is almost zero filler here, except for the fact that they had two different versions of the same song on here. But other than that, every single song is different. Every one has something new to offer. There is grunge, punk, industrial rock, thrash-metal, and a whole plethora of downright bizarre, extremely creative tracks.

The whole album is like a mental roller-coaster ride. In fact, don't even read this review if you've never heard this record before. I don't want you to know what to expect. Listen to the damn album. That's the best experience you could have. But, if you've already heard this, then READ ON:

1. Sweat Loaf
*silence*
(slowly, soft string music can be heard fading in)
Child: "Daddy?"
Father: "Yes, Son?"
Child: "Wh-Wh-What does regret mean?"
Father: "Well, Son, a funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you HAVE done than to regret something you HAVEN'T done... and by the way, if you see your Mom this weekend, would you be sure and tell her: SATAN! SATAN! SATAN!"
That dialogue opens the album. After that, it goes right into a slow, grunge-sounding intro with Gibby yelling. This ends with a soft guitar solo and the sounds of the wind blowing. Back to the "verse" section which is harder and heavier, and now has Gibby using the "Gibbytronix" (a voice modulation device) and laughing. Back to the calm section of the song. Back to the verse part, one more time! This ends with the sound of wind blowing as Gibby's howls fade out. The whole song is said to be some sort of parody of "Sweet Leaf" by Black Sabbath. And still, they have not yet even scraped the surface of the insanity to ensue...

2. Graveyard (Version 1)
Starts with just the guitar. Then the beat and the bass join in. It's of a similar musical style to the previous track, and Gibby's voice is being played in a very low pitch. Sounds really funny, to be honest! This song isn't my favorite, though... it's a bit repetitive.

3. Pittsburg to Lebanon
Starts with the sounds of birds tweeting, which is interrupted by another heavy dirge-fest. Gibby's singing here resembles '70s metal vocals. This one is even slower than the last two songs. Spooky falsetto vocals in the background. The song ends with sounds from a radio. It's about to get even crazier...

4. Weber
This is where it starts to get really weird. This is the shortest track on the album. It's basically a short little lead-guitar driven instrumental piece that is about 37 seconds long or so. Before you know it, it fades out in a slightly eerie way.

5. Hay
This one is scary. It's the soundtrack to insanity. There's a bunch of extremely fast backwards music playing with the sounds of a bunch of mentally retarded adults screaming "HAY!" in the background. Has a very freaky ending, with all of them yelling "HAY" one last time with a scary echo into the darkness.

6. Human Cannonball
The only "normal" song on the entire album. It's basically a traditional-sounding punk song in with lyrics that actually sound unusually serious for the Butthole Surfers. I listen to this in the car a lot. Starts with the beat, and then you hear a voice saying "Are you ready to rock?? WELCOME!!!", and then the bass, and the guitar kick in. This one has a truly wonderful riff, introduced by a nice solo. Before you know it, Gibby starts singing a song that seems to be about feelings of abuse or being rejected. There's another solo later on in the song, and it's one of my favorite guitar-solos I've ever heard. But this song is great. It's like a single moment of sanity and calmness amidst the sea of chaos. But it doesn't last forever. This song is the end of Side 1.

7. U.S.S.A.
This one is also very strange. It sounds like industrial rock. It has one of the scariest, most abrasive-sounding riffs ever, which has a strange clicking sound in the background, the sound of a record being scratched, and a strange high-pitched voice repeatedly shouting "U.S.S.A.! U.S.S.R.! U.S.A.! U.S.R.!". That's pretty much the song, but it lasts for awhile.

8. The O-Men
This is the definition of "badass". It's a crossover-thrash song, and it has Gibby growling unintelligible lyrics to a repeated beat, as well as sped-up voices, slowed-down voices, and a "solo" that is made up of the sounds of tape rewinding.

9. Kuntz
An amazing track. An old-fashioned Thai folk song totally fucked and screwed up to make it sounds like they're saying "kunt" over and over again as well as other Butthole magic. If this doesn't totally make you laugh on the first listen, then I feel sorry for you.

10. Graveyard (Version 2)
WHY the hell did they have to do the same song twice on this album? That's my only complaint about it. They could have included some other NEW song, but this is just a more "normal" sounding version of track 2.

11. 22 Going on 23
This one is pretty weird. It's basically the same bassline and beat repeated over and over with the sounds of a radio broadcast interview of a schizophrenic woman who claimed that she was sexually assaulted. I was playing it in the car one night and my friend actually asked me to turn it off, he was so offended by it. There is a strangely "happy" solo in the middle of this one. The song ends with, well, the sound of cows and crickets. While somebody else who had reviewed this album said they were in a "field", I personally think "slaughterhouse" sounds more fitting. It's a pretty creepy ending.

The Butthole Surfers were never quite this weird again, and some actually even think they "sold out" after this album. Well, regardless, if you like any form of alternative music, you simply MUST listen to this! You'll never be quite the same.

Review #25: Black Flag - Damaged (1981)

DAMAGED

Year: 1981

Genre: Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: Hardcore, Noise
Label: SST Records
Tracks: 17
Length: 32 Minutes (Medium-Length)
Style: Angry, Emotional
My Rating: 7/8

Few bands had ever captured the feeling of TRUE RAGE before this album was released. In 1981, this was considered scary. With 15 songs about revolution, vandalism, alcoholism, police brutality, and inner torment, this was one of the most controversial records of its time. The band shaved their heads to resemble skinheads during this period and were harassed by the police more than any of their peers during this period.

Just a few months before this album came out, Greg Ginn and the rest finally found the true, angry, enraged new singer that would become the voice of the band for the rest of its existence: Henry Rollins. As an ice-cream man and previous frontman of his own band, State Of Alert, Henry was already a huge fan of Black Flag who wrote letters to the band. Just a few notches more brutal than Dez's singing style, Henry's voice was like no other at the time. He could scream, he could roar, he could growl, he could yell, he could shout (Dez was still in the band for quite some time as a second guitarist until he left in 1983).The music in general fits the mood of the album as well, though.

1. Rise Above
Arguably the band's most famous song. Basically a song about a punk revolution against those who had oppressed them and looked down upon them. My favorite part is the chorus.

2. Spray Paint (the Walls)
Shortest song on the album. Well, it's about basically the fact that it feels good to act crazy when you're doing what you really wanna do. Awesome group-shouts!

3. Six Pack
This is a re-recorded version of the song that was the title-sake of the single released earlier in 1981. With Henry on the vocals, the song sounds more sincere and aggressive than ever before, though Henry Rollins has always treated alcohol with contempt.

4. What I See
The song is about feelings of jaded suicidalness, and feeling that life is pointless. Henry really goes out on a limb with those vocals, here!

5. T.V. Party
Another song that has tasted a bit of mainstream popularity. Basically a satire on people who waste their time doing nothing but watching television all day and drinking beer. This version isn't quite as good as the re-recorded 7" version from '82, but it's still pretty good! This version is a little less polished.

6. Thirsy and Miserable
This is another one I love. It's about the emotions of a group of people who are addicted to alcohol, and it musically describes the fear and intensity of the craving quite well. Great riff, and I love how he says "store closes at 2:00, there's not enough to last us!!" so intensely.

7. Police Story
This one's about police brutality and how the protagonist of the song out of spite flipped off a police officer and was beaten with a billy-club. Also describes feelings of hopelessness about the situtation ("I understand we're fighting a war we can't win...").

8. Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie
A song about a drug addict who is contemplating suicide to solve his problems. The lyrics are real deep here. End of Side 1.

9. Depression
A song about a person who is feeling a very bad case of depression. Not my favorite song on the album, but the lyrics are great.

10. Room 13
Didn't the Circle Jerks do a song called "Room 13" as well? Well, anyway, this song isn't really very much like their "Room 13" anyways. The lyrics are about the human will to survive. Awesome riffs from Greg Ginn!

11. Damaged II
Kinda strange that they'd put Part 2 before Part 1, eh? Well, this one is a lot more up-beat than "Damaged I". It's faster too, and it has a great riff. The song's about confusion.

12. No More
This song starts with a single repeated droning bass note, which slowly gets faster and is eventually accompanied by a single repeated drum beat. Very ominous feeling. The rumbling buildup explodes into a fast thrasher about the protagonist's dissatisfaction and frustration with his life.

13. Padded Cell
Awesome opening riff. The song is about how the protagonist feels that Earth is like a padded cell with deceptive lies and allures of paradise, when in reality it is simply full of "straightjacket minds" which have been "defanged and declawed", and that it needs more maniacs. Powerful chorus chants, here.

14. Life of Pain
Starts with an ominous lead-riff, where Henry yells and screams "pain!" repeatedly. It explodes into a fast, dark song about the pain and feelings of those who watch their own friends desire to end their lives and commit suicide. The verse riff here is really gorgeous and when I originally wrote this review I don't think I realized that like I do now.

15. Damaged I
I like Dez Cadena's version on the "Louie, Louie" single better, since I felt like I could kinda relate to it, but this one is good, too. It opens with the line, "My name is Henry... and you're here with me, now." As the final track on the album, it's very slow, and it's easily the angriest, most dark piece on the whole album. The pained screams are too sincere to describe. What I love about both versions of "Damaged" are the stream-of-consciousness improvised ramblings in which the singer expresses his true feelings as hard as possible. That's ze end.

This album is kind of like the "mid-point" or transitional period of Black Flag's existence. Henry had just joined the band, so he didn't take much of a part in writing the songs, and a lot of these songs were on previous releases with Dez Cadena, but at the same time, Henry's introduction lead to the truly introspective, dark work that their later releases were known for. It's simultaneously the end of the more accessible hardcore punk that the band was famous for, and the beginning of the more experimental art-punk that caused the posers to turn away from the band and physically abuse Henry on-stage. Any fan of hard rock can appreciate some aspect of this. Noise-punk, sludge-metal, thrash metal, and grunge music were heavily influenced by this piece. With all of the wannabe "brutal" music today... nothing seems as real, as insane, or as honest as this. Along with "My War", I consider this album to be the musical embodiment of anger.

MUSIC VIDEOS

Review #24: Seaweed - Seaweed (1990)

SEAWEED

Year: 1990

Genre: Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: Hardcore, Grunge
Label: Leopard Gecko Records
Tracks: 8
Length: 22 Minutes (Medium-Length)
Style: Emotional
My Rating: 7/8

Seaweed is one of my favorite bands of all time. They are a post-hardcore band from Tacoma, Washington that formed in 1989 with the original lineup of Aaron Stauffer (vocals), Clint Wener (guitar), Wade Neal (guitar), John Atkins (bass guitar), and Bob Bulgrein (drums). I've been a fan of them for over a year, but this was the year that I started REALLY learning to appreciate them. Their music could almost be considered to be an early form of "emo-core", but don't let that fool ya, 'cause my bullshit detector's on, and these guys are GOOD. Real emotion in their music, not computer-generated corporate emotion like a lot of kids my age listen to. Their music also often gets lumped in with "grunge" music, due to the fact that they play a good number of slow songs and use a lot of distortion, not to mention that they come from a place awfully close to you-know-where.

This, however, was not their first release. Most of the songs on this album come from earlier 7" releases from 1989 and early 1990, but there's also a few new songs (which would be released on their next LP, "Despised", a real classic.) If you're a fan of grunge or hardcore punk (or even real emo), you might easily take a liking to this!

1. Just a Smirk
Has a really nice beat and fuzzy guitars, with Aaron's beautiful but rough vocals. However, this iz just the beginning. A really awesome mid-section with a great solo. This should fire up a party.

2. Installing
This one starts out pretty slow. It was later re-recorded for "Despised" in 1991. The chorus is faster than the chorus. Most of the song alternates between fast and slow parts.

3. Stargirl
This is a beautiful song. The lyrics are about that special girl we dream about meeting, "but she isn't even there." Easily the best song on the album. Just when you think the song is going to end, there is an outro-section that re-spices up the song just before the end. This song is sexy.

4. Deertrap
This is off of one of their early singles. I guess the song is about a time that Aaron saw a deer in a deer trap and tried to rescue it, but couldn't succeed. Carla Torgerson from the Walkabouts does backing vocals on this one. She did backing vocals on a lot of their songs, actually! The song gets really thrashy at the very end.

5. Inside
This was the A-Side to their very first 7" EP. Slower tempo than the previous few songs. Carla does backing vocals in this one, too.

6. Lovegut
The last track on the "Inside" EP. Probably some sort of love song, but I don't have the lyrics. Great emotional vocals from Aaron Stauffer. The tempo is almost grungy.

7. Carousel
The B-Side to the "Deer Trap" single. I guess my main thumbs-ups to this one are the main riff and the vocals.

8. Patchwork
This one got on "Despised" as well. I really like this one. The part that really pulls me into this one is the part of the chorus that has the "you consume" line it. Most of the song is relatively fast, but that part is slow. The song ends by slowly fading out.

This one is only a preview of the greatness that they would continue to spew out for the rest of the early '90s, which include some of my favorites, "Despised", "Weak" (the best one), and "Four". Their major label debut, "Spanaway" is supposedly a classic as well, but I haven't listened to the whole thing. Same can be said about "Actions and Indications". The band broke up in 2000 or so, but they re-united in 2007. They claimed to be recording a new album called "Small Engine Repair", but there's still no word of it being released as of now. Oh well. Anyways, check this album out. It's very good.

Review #23: The Melvins - Eggnog (EP) (1991)

EGGNOG (EP)

Year: 1991

Genre: Heavy Metal, Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: Sludge, Grunge, Noise, Hardcore
Label: Boner Records
Tracks: 4
Length: 20 Minutes (Medium-Length)
Style: Angry/Weird/Funny
My Rating: 6/8

The Melvins are just one o' those bands that can do almost anything they want and succeed. They started out as a great hardcore band, and along the way, invented grunge, and then they went on to invent sludge-metal, and they dabbled in electronic music and experimental noise-rock as well. It's just a shame I didn't review this one before Christmas. It would've been fitting. Eggnog was a favorite of mine during the holiday season until I learned that I was very allergic to milk. Fuck.

Anyways, this one is considered a staple album by the Melvins by a lot of people. And it IS true, the songs on here are pretty good, though in my opinion, they have done better songs. But still, this is AMONG their best in terms of quality.

1. Wispy
Starts with some pounding drums and guitar noise. Contains the memorable line "I don't know much, but... I don't feel so good." Buzzo goes on to sing some stoner poetry, as the drum-and-bass verse build up, until at the end of the lyrics, Buzz lets out a mighty yell which fits extremely well with the instruments. Ends with banging drums. It's a pretty short song.

2. Antitoxidote
My favorite track on the EP. Starts with a slow intro, but then we realize that this is a hardcore punk song! It's very badass, and then after the first verse, Buzz lets out a crazed scream/yell, and then there's another section of the song which has a truly badass recurring line, "PIGS DON'T LET IT!", yelled throughout that part as well as other lyrics inbetween. This song is fucking awesome. I want to play it at parties!

3. Hog Leg
Starts with a tape of a christian evangelist preacher manipulated to say funny shit about alcohol. The song has almost KISS-like vocals with a glam-rock sounding shriek. This one's really heavy. The mid-section, however, iz a noise-fest.

4. Charmicarmicat
Motor-engine sounding guitars. This song is ultra-slow, much like "Boris" on the record before it, "Bullhead". Extremely slow, dirging, and one of the heaviest songs the Melvins have ever done. Near the end of the song, you can hear lyrics that sound like "bastards take away!!", or something like that. It's longer than the other songs on Eggnog combined. DSFSDFSDGSF

I think this is a pretty good Melvins record! It's got a little bit of all of the styles that the Melvins are associated with. The first song is like grunge, the second song is punk, the third song is a mashup between heavy metal and noise-rock, and the final song is pure sludge. Get someone this EP for Christmas.

A LIVE PERFORMANCE OF "ANTITOXIDOTE"

Review #22: Nazi Dust - Demo (2009)

NAZI DUST DEMO TAPE

Year: 2009
Genre: Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: Hardcore
Label: Cult Maternal Records
Tracks: 6
Length: 10 Minutes (Short)
Style: Angry
My Rating: 5/8

I just stumbled across a copy of this on the internet. I really don't know much about this band. However, they come across as a relatively new band that could potentially make inroads to greatness. My guess is that they are from or near Tampa Bay, Florida, because of this e-mail address:

upthetampapunx@gmail.com

Well, that is the address you could have hit up if you wanted to purchase a copy of this cassette tape (it's out of print, now). The band itself plays a fiery thrashfest of punk magic with brutal screamed vocals, so if you like more "extreme" forms of punk and metal, then this iz for you. Anyways, here's the review:

1. Value Without Purpose
Starts with some heavy riffs as an intro, and then the song goes into hyper-fast mode, with vocals so rough that you can't really even understand what the guy's saying... which is pretty good, to be honest! The song gets even FASTER at the very end. Aggressive as fuck!

2. Mislead
A very badass intro, but then the song gets really fast like the previous song again. The vocals are more intense than the last, though. The ending is relatively slow compared to the rest of the song.

3. Subservient
Dark-sounding riff. The song sounds like it's not gonna be as fast as the first two, which iz okay, 'cause there's more time to take it all in, but then before you know it, the super-fast chorus kicks in. That's the makeup of the song. Slower verses, faster choruses. Good song!

4. Cling to Objectivity
You actually hear his voice go down a few pitches, here! Speedy, angry, thrashy. Two thirds through the song, the beat gets weird for a moment, until it speeds up again with an almost thrash-metalish riff.

5. Bad Blood/Fervor
A two-parter! Starts with the riff, and then the drums and vocals, and there are backing vocals here which are lower-pitched than the singer's screams. Ends with a more mellow tempo. That's "Bad Blood". Immediately afterwards is "Fervor", which is even angrier and faster than Bad Blood, but there's a lot more diversity in the beats here!

6. Brotherhood
A pretty short, fast song. Probably my least favorite song on the tape, but it's alright. And that's all, folks!

This demo tape can be described as wild, angry, fast, and insane. A lot of hardcore fans will enjoy this. The songs are good, but it's not quite at the "classic" calibur. Anyways, the tape is apparently out of print, so don't feel too guilty about downloading a free copy of it online. A studio record is supposedly going to be recorded in not too long, so expect to hear/see more from these dudes. And... I'm out!

Review #21: Circle Jerks - Group Sex (1980)

GROUP SEX

Year: 1980
Genre: Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: Hardcore
Label: Frontier Records
Tracks: 14
Length: 15 Minutes (Short)
Style: Angry/Rebellious/Political
My Rating: 6/8

I'm gonna admit... I'm not much of a Circle Jerks listener. I just haven't taken the time to listen to that much of their music. However, they do sound promising, and I caught myself listening to their debut LP, "Group Sex", a lot today, so I'm gonna review this apparent hardcore classic.

Keith Morris, the band's frontman, left Black Flag in 1979, to form a new band called the Circle Jerks. Their original line-up consisted of Keith Morris (vocals), Greg Hetson (guitar), Roger Rogerson (bass guitar), and Lucky Lehrer (drums). They signed to Frontier Records, and were featured on the punk film "The Decline of Western Civilization" in the same year that this album was released. Speaking of which, I think it's aboot time to review this album.

1. Deny Everything
The opening song. It's a very short song, as it's just under 25 seconds long. The theme of a song is basically the idea that the protoganist is encouraging us to deny everything until he can be proven guilty, and that he is being framed. For what? We'll never know...

2. I Just Want Some Skank
Basically about a bored kid who still lives with his parents and wants to meet a girl and get laid so he can overcome his depression and earn the respect of his mom and dad. Slow verses and a very fast chorus.

3. Beverly Hills
This is a song that attacks Beverly Hills for its superficiality and general lame-ness. The protoganist of the song apparently lives there and wants to move out of there. One of the slower songs on the album.

4. Operation
This is a song about a guy who wants to get a vasectomy because he doesn't want to be a father. It's got a pretty strong riff and a good chorus.

5. Back Against the Wall
My favorite song on the album. The verses almost sounds like ska-punk or something, but the chorus is more rock-n'-rolly. It's pretty much about how teenagers who try to fight against the system feel powerless despite their efforts. Sounds of broken glass can be heard. The song gets even faster at the end, which is sure to fire up any slam-dance pit.

6. Wasted
This is a "cover" of the song he previously sang for Black Flag on "Nervous Breakdown". However, they do this one differently, and it's faster and more aggressive.

7. Behind the Door
A song asking the questions of what sort of things lie behind the door of the elusive room 13. A pretty good song.

8. World Up My Ass
Alright, alright... if Keith has the entire world up his ass, he must have a pretty large asshole. Maybe being teased about this was what caused him to leave Black Flag and form the Circle Jerks. No? Well, it's basically about the franticness of the world, and how he feels like he's being burned, eaten, and spit out by society. This one has a kick-ass solo!

9. Paid Vacation
Holy shit, this one is still relevant! In my opinion, it perfectly describes the current wars in the middle east, only over 20 years before they actually started! Still, it's about the mid-eastern wars in the 1980s. Same problem, different time.

10. Don't Care
Here's another one that was originally a Black Flag song. Keith Morris released this song on the album as his own and forgot to credit Greg Ginn as one of its main writers, so in the same year, Black Flag got revenge (get it?) on Mr. Morris by recording their own version of the song with lyrics that slam Keith for "stealing" their song called "You Bet We've Got Something Personal Against You". If you've heard the version on "Jealous Again", it's the same music as that one, except this version is faster and the lyrics are about... well... not caring.

11. Live Fast, Die Young
A song that celebrates youth. The protoganist of the song would rather live an exciting and risky life style and die young than "live to be 34" or "die in a nuclear war". Don't blame him at all!

12. What's Your Problem?
One of the fastest songs and best songs on the album. The lyrical theme revolves around the differences between guys and girls that cause them to sometimes not respect eachother because of misunderstandings of behavior. The mid-section here just kills me (in a good way) for some reason.

13. Group Sex
The title-sake song of the album. A fast song advertising an apparent party that takes place on Friday and Saturday nights where you can eat good food, listen to music, and have group sex with other couples.

14. Red Tape
A very fast song criticizing the government for its overt taxing of the people. And... ZAT iz ze end!

I really under-estimated this album. It's a very good listen, and it's short, so it's legit. Most of the songs are pretty good. The album seems to be one of the most spot-on descriptions of some of the main sentiments of the American punk scene during the 1980s, which was mainly backlash against Reaganomics, suburban boredom and angst, and feelings of a hopeless future for their generation. "Group Sex" should appeal to fans of the Germs, Minor Threat, and the Dead Kennedys. Take some time to check this aut!

MUSIC VIDEOS

Review #20: Black Flag - Jealous Again (EP) (1980)

JEALOUS AGAIN (EP)

Year: 1980

Genre: Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: Hardcore
Label: SST Records
Tracks: 5
Length: 6 Minutes (Very Short)
Style: Rebellious/Angry
My Rating: 6/8

"Jealous Again" was the second Black Flag record and the third release on SST Records. 1979, Keith Morris decided to leave the band to form his own band called "The Circle Jerks", which still exists today and was an influential band in the '80s punk scene. Anyways, the band hired a new singer named Ron Reyes, who played with them for about a year. After a year, tensions began to rise between Ron and the rest of the band. They managed to get him to record this record with them just before he left, and then he went through a face of violent crime and aggression towards the band for mysterious reasons. As a result of this, he is credited as "Chavo Pederast" on the EP as a mockery of his behavior towards Black Flag. He now lives in Canada as a born-again Christian with his wife and family. Shortly after this record got released, they hired Dez Cadena.

In this record, the band's music begins to evolve towards the Black Flag sound that fans recognize the band by, and as a result, the album is more aggressive than "Nervous Breakdown".

1. Jealous Again
Here you hear Ron/Chavo's wail. This sounds the most like "Nervous Breakdown" songs than any other song on the record. Basically a song from the viewpoint of a guy who's annoyed by the fact that his girlfriend is jealous of another friend of his who happens to be female.

2. Revenge
Ron's voice is far-removed from the beast-like growl of Henry Rollins, but the music is already sounding like something from "Damaged", but more up-beat. Still, Ron's voice is really strong and angry.

3. White Minority
Some may be offended by the lyrics of this song at first listen, but it's really just a parody of white-pride sentiments among certain groups. Best song on the album, 'cause the riff in the verses and the choruses are fucking great. End of Side 1.

4. No Values
A very aggressive song about having no values. Fastest song on the album.

5. You Bet We've Got Something Personal Against You!
This is an interesting one. Back when Keith was still in the band, Greg and he both wrote the music for this song, but when he left the band to start the Circle Jerks, he put this song on it as his own along with "Wasted". This is basically the ultimate slap in the face by taking that song and turning it into a diss anthem.

As I said before, after this album, Ron left the band and became known to them as "Chavo Pederast". In the same year, they found a replacement in Dez Cadena, and they recorded two singles with him in 1981. This album bridges the gap between the more '70s-sounding "Nervous Breakdown", and the truly aggressive, dark songs associated with Dez and Henry Rollins. It's a good EP, and like "Nervous Breakdown", it's also really short, so you could listen to this in the same time it takes to eat a sandwich from Subway. Maybe even less.

MUSIC VIDEOS

Review #19: A.N.S. - The Pool (2008)

THE POOL

Year: 2008

Genre: Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: Hardcore, Experimental
Label: Cowabunga Records
Tracks: 10
Length: 32 Minutes (Medium-Length)
Style: Rebellious/Angry
My Rating: 7/8

A.N.S. is a hardcore punk band from Texas that formed circa 1999. The band has released three LPs and two split EPs. Their main style is Californian-soundin' skateboarding-related punk with a small dash of avant-garde, though they play crossover thrash on their newest LP, "Pressure Cracks".

Last year's release, "The Pool", however, is a piece of classic punk rock. It's fun, it's rebellious, all of the songs sound good, and they try somethin' different on each track. One of the very few SOLID records we've had in awhile...

1. The Deep End
The Deep End of... "The Pool", perhaps? If THIS is The Deep End, perhaps the last track is meant to represent the SHALLOW END? The Wading Pool? No? Well, anyways, the song begins with a good bass, and once the rest of the instruments kick in, with a nice solo, you can already tell that this is going to be a good album. After the intro, the tempo gets faster, and it's an energetic hardcore thrasher. You know what to expect (in a good way, of course!). The vocals get real intense towards the enddddddddddddddddddddddSDFSDFGDSF.

2. Just in Your Mind
Another great one. Starts with an ominous, psycho-sounding intro... silence... and then the meat of the song immediately starts! Even faster than the last song. Reminds me of an early Suicidal Tendencies song. Brutal backin' vocals!

3. Attack of the Reaganauts
Sorry, but... Ronald Reagan's dead. However, his worshippers are still alive and well. It wouldn't be a TRUE hardcore album without a slam at Ronnie. This one's an instrumental, though you hear some sound-clips from some show or radio serial that I do not recognize at one point. The song has a rather surf-y sound to it.

4. Skate Nazi
Neo-Nazis skateboard too, kidz! This song appears to be about the protoganist being harrassed by a Skate-Nazi, who wants to kill him! I love the chorus riffage.

5. Gar Ecliop
Okay, this is one of the weirder tracks on the album. It's all weird and in reverse. If you didn't already figure it out, "Gar Ecliop" is "Police Rag" backwards. We all hate pigs. Anyways, I decided to play the song in reverse and speed it up by 20% to get how it might have originally been recorded, and it's pretty bassy, basically revolving around police brutality and their unfair ways. A very badass song, either way... unfortunately, it fades out during the second verse. It ends too soon. End of Side 1.

6. Through Time and Space
A more downbeat-sounding song with a slow intro, but then the fast part of the song starts. The end section goes back to the original slowness, but then that gets faster, and then the song ends with a solo.

7. Skate Zombies Must Shred
Starts with a funny short skit of a Nature Show-sounding guy remarking at a crowd of skateboarders. It's pretty much a song laying down the ways of the skate zombie. Never seen one myself, but I'm sure that they exist. The songs end with a soundclip of a zombie skateboarding.

8. Thought Wrong
My favorite song on the album. The riff and the chorus are just classic. Dunno why, but it really appeals to me. A very good song.

9. The Grip
Slightly slower than the rest of the songs on the album. Great, aggressive vocals and an awesome beat on this one. This one also has a good solo.

10. The Shadow Has a Name
The last track on the album. It's a very weird track. It starts with the sounds of thunder, until we hear the drums, and then we realize it's a mostly instrumental track that's remniscient of Black Flag in 1984. More soundclips of people talking from old movies, and maniac laughing from Chris, the vocalist. There's also fast, thrashier sections of the song. All in all, it's a very diverse, interesting song. More rain and thunder at the end. And then, there is even more rain. More rain. Rainy, rainy, rain. Lots of rain. About 8 minutes and 30 seconds into the song, we start hearing some lounge-style music from a radio. The rest is basically a weird sound-collage. The whole song clocks in at almost 14 minutes in length.

So, if you like '80s hardcore punk, this is for you. The album's overall sound makes me think somewhere between Black Flag and Suicidal Tendencies in the early '80s. It's got the spirit. It's familiar, yet not overly contrived. It has the same attitude and youthful energy as its influences. One of the best traditional punk albums in awhile.

Review #18: Nü Sensae - Three Dreams (EP) (2009)

THREE DREAMS (EP)

Year: 2009
Genre: Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: No-Wave, Noise
Label: Critiscum Internationale Records
Tracks: 4
Length: 8 Minutes (Short)
Style: Rebellious
My Rating: 6/8

Nü Sensae is a No-Wave hailing from the Vancouver, B.C. Canadian punk scene which is birthing a variety of other good bands at this point. The band formed circa early 2007 and plays a noisy, abrasive form of punk that is reminiscent of No-Wave from the '70s and '80s. The band only has two members; Andrea Lukic, who sings the songs and plays the bass guitar, and Daniel Pitout, the drummer.

The band released a 12" self-titled record last year on Isolated Now-Waves, and this rekerd is the newest release from them which was released only a month ago on Critiscum Internationale Records.

1. Mowgli and Sly
First thing that comes to mind is fuzzy. Begins with a sludgey riff and thumping bass drums. The second half of the song is thrashier and faster, and Andrea is singing in this part. A pretty good song.

2. Mens Rea
A more traditional-sounding song, but still innovative. I like the drums especially on this part, and you hear the line that the title of this record, "Three Dreams" is derived from. Ultimately, it's a pretty simple song. End of Side 1.

3. Worm(s)
The first Nü Sensae song I ever heard. They made a music video for this. It's similar-tempoed to the previous track, but it's more aggressive and the vocals are harsher and have more flow to 'em. I swear I'm hearing the noises of strange animals in the background of this.

4. Fantum
The bass is very throbbing, here. A notch less fast than the last couple songs. The verse riff here is very good. Ultimately, though, I consider it the weakest track on the album. Not that it's bad or anything, but all of the other songs on here are pretty spot-on for the tone they're going for... who the hell am I to question 'em, though? Anyways, the record ends here.

It's pretty short, so when it ends, part of you is left wanting a little more. However, you can always check out their earlier LP, and they have been featured on a few compilations as well. I recommend this band's music to all fans of early Sonic Youth, Bikini Kill, L7, and the Germs, whom they are influenced by.

MUSIC VIDEO FOR "WORM(S)"

Review #17: The Offspring - Baghdad (EP) (1991)

BAGHDAD (EP)

Year: 1991
Genre: Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: Hardcore
Label: Nemesis Records
Tracks: 4
Length: 10 Minutes (Short)
Style: Political/Rebellious
My Rating: 6/8

It's over. It's all over. Christmas, I mean. The presents, the hype, the crass commercialism, the fact that it rained on Christmas this year. Well, now there's only New Year's Eve left to look forward to, which probably won't be that exciting to be honest. I'll elaborate on my feelings on that some other time, though.

The Offspring are a band from Orange County, Califorina. While generally synonymous with pop-punk nowadays and merely a shadow of what they once were, this album was from their days as a truly great punk band. The band formed in 1984 and released a 7" single in 1986 and then signed to Nemesis records and released a full-length LP in 1989 (which is totally gonna be reviewed sometime soon). Well, this is their second and last release on Nemesis Records, and it's just before they really started to get big in the underground scene a year or two later (and then in the mainstream in 1994!).

This record is a lot more obscure and under-rated than it should be, but maybe it's because it's an EP with only 4 songs. Nonetheless, it's out of print, so you don't need to feel guilty for downloading it, though I'm sure it'd feel great to get your hands on an actual copy. Each song is unique, but it's not completely new. One song is just a new version of a song from their first LP. Another is an instrumental track. One of the songs later got re-recorded for the LP after this. One of them is a cover song.

1. Get it Right
This song got on "Ignition" later. It's basically the same sort of hardcore-type thing that they were doing during this period, so y'know what to expect. But if you heard the "official" one and wanna hear how it sounded a year before Ignition came out, give this a try.

2. Hey Joe
A cover of Jimi Hendrix covering Billy Roberts. My favorite song on the album. It packs a punch in places where the two older versions don't. Nice solo at the beginning. It's got a hard beat and it just rocks.

3. Baghdad
The namesake of the record. However, it's the least interesting track in that it's just a slightly altered version of "Tehran" from their debut LP. Nonetheless, the lyrics are changed (by one word) to relate to the Gulf War, and this song is sadly still relevant today, thanks to two bullshit presidents and the three before 'em that helped plant the seeds.

4. The Blurb
This is an instrumental track. Sort of. Okay, maybe it's not. There are vocals, but it's just Dexter wailing to a beat and other background noises/vox. One of the weirdest (in a good way) songs the band has ever done.

Well, it's a good listen. The lyrics to "Baghdad" are still relevant to today's politics regarding the lame-assed wars in the Middle East that were SUPPOSED to be ending this year. The only song that really can't be found anywhere else on this record is "The Blurb", but a lot of people probably wouldn't like it anyway. Still, it's more good classic-style Offspring music, and it (appropriately) sounds somewhere between the first record and "Ignition".

Review #16: The Melvins - Chicken Switch (2009)

CHICKEN SWITCH (A REMIX ALBUM)

Year: 2009
Genre: Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: Remix, Noise
Label: Ipecac Records
Tracks: 14
Length: 69 Minutes (Long)
Style: Weird/Funny
My Rating: 5/8

The Melvins are one of those few bands who are older than a large amount of PARENTS nowadays and still manage to stay fresh and come off as a "new band" to its new listeners. Earlier, they had released two of their most traditional-sounding records in awhile, "(A) Senile Animal" and "Nude With Boots", and now they've come up with yet ANOTHER zany idea to push boundaries: a REMIX ALBUM! Well, it's not your typical remix album. Think of the Melvins' weirdness and sense of humor. You'll find all o' that, here. Well, they gave each of a select group of remixers (including members of the Boredoms and Sonic Youth!) a whole album (or more) to remix into ONE TRACK. The results are sometimes amusing, sometimes mediocre, sometimes hilarious, and sometimes frightening...

1. Washmachine Sk8tronics (Eye Yamatsuka)
Eye Yamatsuka is the frontman for an experimental band called the Boredoms, and he does the first track. It is basically a powerful one-chord riff constantly repeated over and over again with a nice beat, run through all sort of effects, many of which sound extremely cool!

2. Emperor Twaddle Reemix (Christoph Heemann)
Y'know the character King Dee Dee Dee off of the Kirby video games? That's the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the title of this song, for some reason. Probably because "twaddle" sounds like "waddle", which is something that penguins do. And so, this song has a very strange, arctic-sounding aura about it. It's just a soft ambient string-ish piece with little bits of piano. Something that could be used as the soundtrack for a man wandering through the cold icy tundra when he hasn't eaten or seeing a human being in days.

3. She Chokes Her Dying Breath and Does it in My Face (V/Vm)
This is my favorite one off of this record. Why? 'Cause it's so fucking WEIRD! It's basically a slowed down version of "Grinding Process" with the vocals replaced by creepy, foreign, inhuman sounds which are bound to either make you die of laughter or fear. The song is slowly replaced by an extremely soft soundclip of music.

4. AAHHH (John Duncan)
Begins with a bunch of people saying "ahhh!", and then a bunch of grungey guitars make noise and a fast bass beat repeats throughout the rest of the song with heavy guitar noise. The song ends with eardrum-piercing buzz noises and unintelligible whispering. Remixed from "Lysol".

5. Linkshänder (Matmos)
A very synth-oriented song. Probably remixed from "Honky" or something like that. However, there are some guitars and raygun-sounding effects that come up in the song later.

6. Eggnog Trilogy (Lee Ranaldo)
This song is another great from the album. It's remixed from "Eggnog", as you may have guessed. This song is divided up into three sections:
i. She's Ivanhoe
Mostly a remix of "Wispy". It's a lot like a longer version of that song, but when Buzz lets out his great yell that ends the song, a whole tidal-wave of noise plays alongside.
ii. Cancer
This one is based around the mid-section of "Antitoxidote" -- however, I was real disappointed that they never made any use of the "pigs don't let it" line, which was the high-point of the whole Eggnog album for me. It ends with the end-section of Antitoxidote while pausing when the preacher from the "Hog Leg" starts saying words, including "Cancer" (hence the title!).
iii. Inebriated
A whole section of the song based around the ENDING section of "Antitoxidote", but with much more noise and such.

7. SNOW REM REM IBV (Merzbow)
Starts with a hard, clanging electro-beat. Fuzzy, digitized lo-fi guitar sounds. MS-DOS sounding noises start appearing at the end.

8. Prick Concrete/Revolution M (David Scott Stone)
I believe this was just taken from a single part of "Prick" with an acapella solo by Buzz, extended into something that is over three minutes long. Hee hee!

9. Queen Electroclash Remix (Panacea)
One of the more mainstream-accessible tracks on the album. This is basically a neat little version of their mid-'90s hit "Queen" remixed into the electroclash style of dance music.

10. The Silky Apple Butter of Youth (Sunroof!)
Okay, I have NO IDEA what this is supposed to be remixed from. Hell, it could just be a really clever re-working of something from Bullhead sounding like serene, soft music that you would play for a baby (until it goes insane from the voices inside its head, anyways). Yeah, this is a very calm, weird, aquatic-sounding song.

11. 4th Floor Hellcopter (Kawabata Makoto)
"Aww, honey, the baby's asleep. We just played it the 'Silky Apple Butter of Youth'. Maybe we should just leave this album on all night so it falls asleep!" *shuts the door* "WHAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!!"
HAHAHAHA! The frightening sonic BLAST of this next track has awoken your baby!
This song is pure noise.

12. disp_tx_skel_mach_murx (Farmer's Manual)
Uses a lot of Butthole Surfers-esque tape manipluation and rewinding and fastforwarding tapes just for the hell of it. This is actually weirder than a lot of Butthole Surfers songs, though.

13. Overgoat (Void Manes)
Everyone loves the song "Night Goat". But will they love this? Probably. It's much slower, heavier, ominous, and less predictable, since it's being remixed. It starts similarly to the actual song, but then it gets real weird, as they start pulling in beats and guitar tracks and noises from other songs until it sounds nothing like "Night Goat".

14. Over From Under the Dog, Girl & Boy Treatment (RLW)
High-pitched whistles and a throbbing sludge bass. Some lo-fi drums fade in and out, and there's a lot of feedback noises in one part. The song ends in some sort of long feedback symphony.

15. Hard Revenge Bloody Milly Battle vs. Melvins Ozmatized Gore Police (Feat. Cardopusher of the Five Deadly Venoms) (Speedranch)
One of the weirdest tracks on the album. Basically an insane noise collage with noise from Melvins songs as well as sounds from films and general mind-rape.

Bonus Track: Punch the Lion (Hiro Noodles)
As the title suggests, probably a mix between "Punch the Lion" and "Now a Limo". Mainly beats from different songs mixed with a sonic grumbling noise and guitar sounds.

While it's no "Locust Abortion Technician", it's definitely one of the weirder rock albums to have been released. I am very glad to see that the Melvins decided to do this, and I'm actually starting to see it pop up in stores. If you like noise or weird, out-there sort of music, get this.

(P.S. -- Doesn't the cover remind you of "Loveless" by My Bloody Valentine??)