The Rock Blogger

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A spot-on comic from Viruscomix.com that satirizes your average concert goers. Having been next to some of these characters at numerous shows, this made me chuckle. They missed “the really tall asshole that stands in front of you” though.

One of the early animation projects of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, long before South Park.
It’s a rather inspiring little short centered on how one’s life should be played as a free flowing song instead of being driven towards a final, climatic note. Surprisingly powerful stuff.

Vinterland. Welcome My Last Chapter . 1996. 4.5 stars .

While I have been tempted to focus on more current and popular bands on this blog, there are just too many criminally underrated acts out there to leave unnoticed, and Sweden’s ferocious Vinterland is just one of them. Despite being the band’s sole album, Welcome My Last Chapter is a highly refined and melodic work of black metal, overcoming its relative obscurity to rank as one of the genre’s most effective releases.

Nearly all the hallmarks of Scandinavian black metal can be found here, including winter themes, sorrowful lyrics, forest imagery and brutal blast beats. The crucial difference that breaks Vinterland from the mold is the symphonic production that allows the majestic keyboards and serpentine riffs to ring through with brutal clarity. Rather than tapping into the lo-fi, crusty aesthetics that populate so many black metal albums, Vinterland give their songs more breathing room, providing space between their icy guitar riffs, mournful piano breaks and relentless drum rolls so you can make out the crystalline melodies as they unfold.

The variety of sounds here make the album consistently interesting, as the compositions weave between vicious metal assaults and expansive crescendos, allowing each musical element to sound distinct and epic. Rather than washing their songs down with terrifying white noise, Vinterland plot their course carefully, giving prevalence to coherent song structures. Welcome My Last Chapter , while still dark and frozen, manages to break from raw black metal traditionalism to shape a beautiful and engaging experience.

Here is “Im an Other in the Night”

Agalloch recorded this beautiful cover of Sol Invictus‘ “Kneel to the Cross” on their Of Stone, Wind and Pillor EP (2001). Does anybody know which album the original appears on?

Ashes Divide . Keep Telling Myself It’s Alright . 2008. 4 stars .

A Perfect Circle’s Billy Howerdel returns with his new solo project Ashes Divide, providing a logical extension to where his last efforts left off. With APC closed up, and Maynard James Keenan occupied by Tool and his own (disappointing) Puscifer project, the technically savvy Howerdel has been left to own devices, allowing him to step out of the shadow of his former band mate. While Howerdel is more than a proficient guitar player, providing the organic, jangly riffs that made many APC songs so compelling, his vocal abilities and songwriting had yet to reach the limelight. Until now.
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Nadja. Skin Turns to Glass. 2008. 3 stars.

Toronto’s Nadja are one of the most prolific and experimental drone bands to occupy the genre, crafting dense and heavy works not unlike those of seasoned acts Sunn o))), Boris and Jesu. Skin Turns to Glass is a re-recording of an earlier CD-R of the same name which had a limited release in 2003. Like the title suggests, this album is a slow, plodding act of transformation, where thick layers of guitar noise, keyboards, and industrial percussion lap over each other to produce a terrifying and psychedelic atmosphere.

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“Modern World” from Apologies to the Queen Mary. 2005

Wolf Parade’s long awaited follow up to 2005’s acclaimed Apologies to the Queen Mary , will be arriving June 17 courtesy of Sub Pop records. There is no definite title for the new album yet, but early rumors suggested it would be named Kissing the Beehive . Maybe the band got cold feet after Pitchfork made fun of that title, I’m not sure, but we’ll know soon enough.

The tracklist:
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Amebix . Arise . 1984. 4 stars .

(Note to readers: this started out as a conventional review but soon became a rant about politics and punk music. Please bear with me).

What a difference 24 years make. Since the heyday of Amebix, the UK’s famed anarchistic, squat dwelling crust punks , punk music has been filtered and manufactured into easily digestible soma tablets for the kiddies to swallow, filling big chain record stores and malls with self-absorbed twats who don’t know what real music is.

What a bloody shame.
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The Drift . Memory Drawings . 2008. 3.5 stars .

San Francisco’s The Drift specialize in chilled out, emotional post-rock that is heavily influenced by jazz and dub traditions, crafting a warm and boisterous sound that should please fans of Tortoise and Toronto’s own Do Make Say Think. Relying on tight interactions between the trumpet, synths, wiry guitars and offbeat drumming, the melodies on their sophomore album Memory Drawings are instantly captivating.

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Kayo Dot ’s upcoming Blue Lambency Downward is one of the most anticipated records of the year, continuing on with the band’s fusion of jazz rock with intense metal and avant-garde compositions.

Truly one of the more inspired and original post-metal acts around, Kayo Dot is sure to have another masterpiece on their hands come May 6 (close to my birthday too, hint hint). To tide you over until then, here are two of the new tracks, performed live last month. Thanks to ArchivesKey, whoever you are, for posting these on YouTube.

Note: because Kayo Dot’s songs are so long, one of these videos gets cut off prematurely. There is still a lot there though, so its worthwhile.

Blue Lambency Downward

Right Hand is the One I Want