cd reviews

Disclaimer: I have a sickeness. It’s called music. Somehow, I have convinced myself that all of the records I have ever wanted will go out of print in the next three months, and I, therefore, must buy them all right now or suffer the dire consequences of limited press. While spending most of my life perusing the record store, I, naturally, continue to fall victim to the lure of stupid cds. Here is a review of everything I bought on “compact” this week.

8mm: the sountrack
This was a good flick (somewhat) about snuff films and the S&M underground. If you saw it, you probably remember the part where Nicolas Cage was creeping through Machine’s house, trying to find him, while an Aphex Twin record played in the background. If you didn’t see it, imagine Nicholas Cage prowling around some S&M brute’s (reminiscent of the WWF’s Kane with a pentagram tattoo on his hand) house, walking into his bedroom, seeing more than one Danzig poster, leaving, and suddenly freaking out because an Aphex Twin record is inexplicably put on the turntable. Unfortunately, Aphex Twin is not on this sountrack. However, if you’re at all into exotic instrumentals, Ravi Shankar , “My Guru” off “Bombay the Hard Way”, sitar, or anything remotely of the aforementioned flava, you’ll definitely like this. The entire score is composed by the very talented Mychael Danna, who appears inspired by the Oriental, the dark, wooden pipes as musical instruments, and the beat. Most of the tracks are fairly mellow, the magically dreary type of music that plays within the imagination at dawn: the sun begins to warm the sky, the grass is damp with dew, and the protagonist suffers on with his bleak self. My jam: track 8: fiddling, backed by exotic drumwork and some “shake” instrument, what I will guess is Moroccan vocals melting into an argument of song. track 10 and onward: tribal drumming and chant, the eye of the storm, sitar, wooden pipe instruments, an envelope of electronic mastery, a gain in speed, eventual and utter chaos. breathtaking. I reccomend this one highly.

Noothgrush: Erode the Person / Grief: Miserably Ever After
Seeing as you’ve probably never heard of these bands, I will now try to synthesize what they sound like. Take your typical heavy metal fare, slow it down a little bit, subtract the rockstar voice and attitude, add a healthy dose of morbid sentiment and swing your partner round and round. You got that, chief? Now that you’re two-steppin, realize that we’re pretty much at the death metal end of the spectrum. The one thing that isn't working for this gingham/denim get-up is the grinding, low pitched, signature death metal growl. For vocals, we are thinking something more in a mid-pitched, low tempo, country kitchen scream/sing. If you read me, cowfolk, doe-see do your partner because we, my friends, have arrived at sludge. aaaaaa I love this music. Enormous guitar funeral ballads, slow everything, intensity, morose lyrical mastery, long drawn out torture. my jam: everything!!! You know it, you love it.

Dahmer: Dahmerized
Yay. I love this band. They sing about mass murder and serial killers in grindcore french. Songs include (but are not limited to) “John Wayne Gacy, “The Hillside Stranglers,” and “David Berkowitz.” If you like grindcore* and murder, this is a must.
*sludge, explained above, except, here, highly sped up and featuring those death metalesque, deep, throaty vocals we talked about.

Submission Hold: Waiting for Another Monkey to Throw the Fist Brick
Now here’s something for everyone. Meet Submission Hold: an incredibly powerful, innovative and brilliantlly political punk band. a valiant attempt to encourage action and awareness. Don't you just love them already? Most songs on this album begin as quiet, melodic flute anthems, feautuing the vocal pleasantly of Jenn Throw up. Mid-song, however, an extraordinary change occurs. After a friendly “come join us in our battle,” the band begins to lock arms, take to its feet, and scream loudly in protest of injustice and stagnation. Addressing religion, ethics in technology, corporate evil, privilege, prejudice, sexism, propaganda, human rights, environmentalism, and so much more, this is a band that REALLY makes you think. If you’re willing to get over pop punk riffs and stupid songs about lost love, if you are looking for a truly creative and “different” sound, if you seek a band with a message, Submission Hold is for you .

Nine Inch Nails: Fragile
If you like NIN, you MUST buy this album. If you don’t, read on. Up until a few months ago, I thought NIN was just another one of those stupid bands: whose singles get played on the “south park rock” radio station, whose shirts they sell at Hot Topic, and whose logo is dutifully carved into flabby arms by devoted fans. I fully admit that I was incredibly wrong. NIN rules, dude!
I find that NIN provides the perfect soundtrack for late night car travel and web development. Guitars, electronic scratchy noises camoflauged as beats, Trent Reznor’s vocal musings, accidentals, surprises around every corner, perfect transitioning. Pure genius.
Imagine you’re running around inside a giant computer. There are silicon chips and wires and giant hunks of metal every where you turn. The floor is sterile white with grey specs, linolium that echoes footprints no matter how quiet you try to be. There is music being piped in fom somewhere above. What’s playing? NIN, of course.
This is the best album of the year. This is the best muscial composition I have ever heard. This is so intelligent and intricate and emotional and complex that I just have to listen to it all day. Whispers. Industrial. Wind. Secrets. Pain. Charcoal. Please buy this. I’m in love. My jams: everything.

Jello Biafra: If Evolution Is Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Evolve
Content to come.

-Rachel Cotton