As is traditional, eighty-something minutes of ultra-creepy sounds to get you in the mood for next weekend’s festivities.

Mainly contemporary stuff this time around, and don’t expect many toe-tapping tunes; I’ve been doing these for over a decade at this point, so the go-to horror-rock classics have long ago run dry. Instead, expect ragin’ metal, soundtrack extracts, warped outsider rock, lo-fi electronica - all throbbing in praise of The Dark Gods (or something along those lines). I’ll refrain from adding bandcamp links, but most can (and should) be easily googled and given money.

If we don’t speak before the big night, may your kool-aid carry a kick, and your rites not go wrong.

(For the next seven days, a nice old fashioned mp3 download version can be found here - if you’d like a re-up at some point after that, just drop me a line and I’ll be happy to assist.)

Labels: halloween, horror, mixcloud, mixtapes

This compilation is the result of a long and rather convoluted gestation process. I initially began throwing it together after visiting Japan last year, as a gift for some friends over there who had expressed an interest in hearing some contemporary British bands.

I chose 2015 as a cut off point for ‘new-ness’ pretty arbitrarily, and, as noted on the back cover scan above, decided to concentrate on shorter, more song-based stuff rather than the gargantuan psyche/doom stuff I often favour, primarily for space reasons (although I’ve done my best to throw in a few stylistic curveballs along the way too, particularly in the second half).

As I began gradually knocking the tracklist into shape however, it occurred to me that the period covered by the music herein actually marked out a very specific period in the cultural history of the British Isles. From the Cameron government’s dispiriting election victory in 2015 and the ridiculous/fateful referendum which followed, to the ensuing wave of hate-filled, populist xenophobia, through the ultimately doomed attempts at a fight-back, to the surreal political chaos which consumed so much of last year, and the crushing, no-hope full stop of last December’s general election result.

Could some of this spiralling ugliness, uncertainty and frustration be heard reflected in the output of the UK and Ireland’s underground rock scenes during this period? I don’t know. But suffice to say, my selections herein couldn’t help but take on a certain political bent as I remained glued to the hell-ish, hour-by-hour parliamentary ruckus which characterised the latter half of 2019.

Little did I know at that point of course, that the music herein was about to acquire a whole new level of historical potency, as the fragile cultural ecosystem which allowed it to exist in the first place found itself obliterated more-or-less overnight in March 2020.

Eight months on, it’s still fairly mind-boggling to consider that, for the first time in history, the collective creation and performance of popular music has effectively been shut down, by virtue of both governmental decree and accepted common sense, with the kind of non-profit-making / DIY musical cultures represented on this comp potentially suffering most severe and sustained damage, as a result of being both deprived of industry/government hand-outs and existing almost by definition within the confines of small, unventilated rooms.

Of course, things will come back in 2021, in some as-yet-unguessed-at form. With a bit of luck, the vast majority of the bands and musicians featured on this comp will still be active in some form. But whatever happens, all will be changed.

The faces and the places we’ve all got to know over the past few years, the forms and norms we’d all grown to expect as we’ve trudged out on cold dark evening on our way to venues or practice rooms or other weird autonomous spaces of one kind of another -- all of that is now gone. When the time to rebuild comes, new faces will be gluing foam to walls and carrying boxes of Red Stripe into new places, and new things will be happening within when OGs like you(?) and I emerge from hiding to knock upon their doors.

To a certain extent then, the music featured herein can be seen to represent the last gasp of a certain strand of DIY culture, caught in amber and filtered through my own individual tastes, before things screeched to a halt. A final burst of amplified discontent before the universe hit the ‘pause’, and then ‘restart’, buttons.

I realise that’s a pretty heavy burden of significance for a humble mix CD to carry, but what can you do? Ladies and gents, a tiny slice of the sound of the UK and Ireland, 2015-2019. Enjoy.

(NB - As the keen-eyed/eared amongst you will note, this online version of the comp contains a very important bonus track not included on the initial CD version run off for friends in Dec 2019, from which the cover scans above are taken. Apols for confusion.)

(As is now traditional, I’ve linked to relevant bandcamp pages in the tracklist below. Whether these bands are still active or otherwise, your financial contributions will almost certainly reach someone who deserves a few quid.)

Labels: mixcloud, mixtapes, recent social history, UK Freak Rock

Spells and Incantations:
Being Thee 10th Annual Stereo Sanctity/
Breakfast in the Ruins Halloween Mix CD.

 [Cross-posted with Breakfast in the Ruins.]

As we kick off Halloween week, here, as tradition demands, is a just-under-80-minute mix of ragin’, unholy audio to get you in the mood for whatever safely socially distanced blasphemous rites and abhorrent festivities yourself and your household support bubble/coven have planned this year.

Given that this is the tenth instalment in the series (research gleaned from the long-shuttered archives suggests that the first occurred back in 2008, but that I skipped both 2018 and 2019), you’ll appreciate that the back catalogues of the true greats of Horror-Rock have already been thoroughly tapped by this point, but, as so often in life, metal has stepped up to save the day.

Betwixt the riffage, we also dip a disfigured toe or two into the faddish yet undeniably appealing waters of ‘dungeon synth’, and explore a wide range of atavistic diabolism during the first half, before a brief diversion into lycanthropy ushers us into some unspeakable realms of cosmic terror, concluding with a nod to everyone’s favourite Obeah Man. Dare you stand before the altar and offer up your mortal soul? Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, a quick click on the mixcloud ‘play’ button is all it takes.

Alternatively though, if you miss the riskier business of getting naked and throwing questionable fluids around the place, the old school mp3 download link below the tracklist may prove more to your liking.

(As usual, bands and artists who are still a going concern and deserve your support have been linked below as appropriate.)

 

Labels: halloween, horror, METAL, mixcloud, mixtapes

I know it’s a bit late in the day for a summer compilation, but I always end up making one of these each year, with the intention of passing it on to friends etc, then forget to post them here, so I’m determined to break the habit, even as we trudge on into September.

Plus, as the name and cover illustration subtly imply, we ain’t exactly looking at some “fun on the beach” type comp here, leading - I hope - to a mix which should be broadly suitable for all seasons. Sitting in a room, listening to some music – that’s what engagement with organised sound is all about here in 2020, be it thirty degrees or zero on the thermometer.

Compiled back in late July/early August, just before the killer heatwave intervened, this is once again dedicated to the memory of Mr. Morricone, and otherwise goes out to all the voluntary shut-ins out there, keeping it real and playing it safe for the duration.

As previously, links to non-major label artists who are still a going concern and could benefit from your support (which in this case is most of them) are provided within the track-list below. 

00:00 Allen Toussaint - Victims of the Darkness
03:24 Jeff Parker - Gnarciss
05:38 Obnox - Young Neezy
08:28 Cornershop - No Rock: Save in Roll
12:06 Edikanfo - Nka Bom
18:19 Sun Ra - Where Pathways Meet
24:44 Yussef Dayes/Alfa Mist/Mansur Brown/Rocco Palladino - Love is the Message
35:03 Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Driveby
39:45 Kawaguchi Masami New Rock Syndicate & Kryssi Battalene - Shadow of the Earth
46:05 Ennio Morricone - Per Qualche Dollaro In Più
48:55 Angel Bat Dawid - Transition East
52:16 BadBadNotGood & Ghostface Killah - Sour Soul
55:00 Kamaal Williams feat. Lauren Faith - Hold On
58:15 King Crimson - Starless
1:10:33 Bruce Langhorne - Harry and Hannah
1:13:27 Mundo Earwood - Pyramid of Cans

(Alternative download link.)

Labels: mixcloud, mixtapes, summer

I’m painfully fully aware that I’ve been shirking my self-imposed responsibilities in terms of sharing mixes and radio shows here over the past year or so. The crushingly tedious explanation for this involves new computers, out of date software and conflicting file formats etc etc, and, given that finding solutions to such infernal issues is not exactly my idea of fun, I’ve only just got around to it.

How better to celebrate my return to ersatz DJing then than by unleashing a new instalment of Mystery Ships, my long-dormant series of global psychedelia mixes. (The last instalment was over five years ago at this point, unbelievably. Happy to re-up any of ‘em upon request, by the way.)

Working from home has naturally given me plenty of opportunity to huddle over my beloved circa-2006 iTunes and throw these things together, and in keeping with the effects if lockdown stasis, the theme of this one is HARDCORE PSYCH. By which I mean that, whilst earlier volumes in this series might have veered quite a long way off their stated remit, the cuts included here (excluding the fairly sedate intro and outro numbers) are full-steam-ahead, no nonsense psychedelia – overwhelming, full spectrum beautific sound to zone out to and get lost within. Not all rock-based by any means, but suffice to say, if you’re not in the mood for out of control fuzz guitar, smeary distorted organ textures, backward-masked blather, oversaturated tape sound and roiling, tempestuous rhythmic freakouts, well – just keep on walking ‘cross that quarantine seaweed, fella. It’ll still all be here for you on the way back.

A second mix on a somewhat more laidback / meditative tip will hopefully follow shortly.

Sample/stream via the embed below, or alternatively, the traditional mp3 download link follows the track list. Featured bands and artists who are still a going concern and deserve your support have been linked accordingly.



00:00 The Clean - Are You Really On Drugs?
02:35 H. Tical - Distillation
06:20 Kim Sun - The Man Who Must Leave
14:01 Erkin Koray - Mesafeler
17:42 The Bevis Frond - Window Eye
23:13 Masahiko Sato - Take It Easy
28:31 Oblivion Reptilian - Alien Shit
36:24 Don Cherry - Isla (The Sapphic Sleep)
38:45 The Insect Trust - The Skin Game
42:49 Taras Bulba - The Neon Midnight
48:00 Don Cherry & Terry Riley - Sunrise of the Planetary Dream Collector [Köln, 1975]
56:26 Headroom - New Heaven
1:02:25 Alice Coltrane - Hare Krishna
1:10:36 Shooting Guns - Feelings (Dub)
1:23:04 Brigadune - I’ll Cry Out From My Grave (God I’m Sorry)
1:25:54 Demon Fuzz - Message to Mankind

(Download link.)

(If you’d like me to re-up the file, or send it to you directly or whatever, just drop me a line in the comments - it’d be a pleasure.)

Labels: mixcloud, mixtapes, Psychedelia

The track list for this mix CD began to coalesce way back in 2016, when, partly inspired by the extraordinary God Less America compilation LP, I started throwing together a mix of my favourite country songs with lyrics concerning death, murder, crime, suicide, substance abuse, imprisonment (or, in the case of Chuck Wells’ remarkable ‘Down & Out’, all of the above compressed into three minutes between choruses).

The plan changed somewhat however when – much to my delight - my brother asked whether I could compile a mix of “cowboy music” for him (emphasis on the pedal steel). So, I began widening the scope to cram in some classics from country’s ‘big names’, and various cuts that I felt neatly demonstrate the pleasure of the genre’s trademark sounds.

I’ll admit, the polyglot mix that eventually resulted doesn’t really serve as an effective ‘starter kit’ for exploring country music (where’s Dolly / Patsy / Tammy / Buck / Willie / George / Waylon for chrissakes?), and neither does it work very well as a collection of eccentric/bizarre narrative country songs. You will also no doubt note the presence of a number of artists whose inclusion within even the widest definition of the genre is extremely questionable.

But, nonetheless, I believe that this compilation succeeds beautifully in encapsulating the things I love about country music.

High on the list of those things, I think, is verses. Far more-so than choruses, I’ve always loved a f-ing good verse or two, and (for English speakers at least) country gives better verse value than any other popular music genre I’m aware of, excepting possibly hip-hop.

So, if you feel similarly, and if you’re unfamiliar with these songs, all I can say is - please take the opportunity to give them a listen, because every single one is a marvel.



Track list:

00:00 Hank Williams – Ramblin’ Man
03:00 The International Submarine Band – Folsom Prison Blues / It’s Alright Mama
07:22 Jonathan Richman – Since She Started To Ride
09:53 Loretta Lynn – Bargain Basement Dress
11:32 Boxcar Willie – Truck Driving Man
14:21 Dave Dudley – Operation X
16:40 Jimmie Rodgers – Frankie & Johnny
19:27 Merle Haggard – The Legend of Bonnie & Clyde
21:30 Chuck Wells – Down and Out
24:35 Harry Johnson – It’s Nothing To Me
26:58 Gram Parsons – The Streets of Baltimore
29:49 Lee Hazlewood & Nancy Sinatra – Jackson
32:36 Arkey Blue – Too Many Pills
36:09 Bobby Gentry – Fancy
40:22 Lee Hazlewood – Pray Them Bars Away
42:57 Merle Haggard – Sing Me Back Home
45:44 Laura Cantrell – Lee Harvey Was A Friend of Mine
49:41 Tom T. Hall – It Rained In Every Town Except Paducah
52:32 Townes Van Zandt – Pancho & Lefty
56:12 Emmylou Harris – Wayfaring Stranger
59:38 The Band - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
63:08 Dave Van Ronk – Hang Me, Oh Hang Me
66:18 Johnny Cash – San Quentin (live at San Quentin)
70:11 The Flying Burrito Brothers – Sin City
74:21 The Mekons – Lost Highway


Download links for mp3 version: one / two.

Labels: country, mixcloud, mixtapes

I’m sorry for temporarily letting this blog die yet again. No particular excuse this time around, but, as UK residents in particular will appreciate, summer 2018 has thus far been… quite a memorable one, I suppose. Here therefore is a random seasonal mix of OLD MUSIC to celebrate the mixed feelings and sun-baked uncertainties that have surrounded it.

Dedicated to pubs with cold, well-kept cellars, anyone else who managed to throw the Vs at a scary green helicopter last week and the hope of a world in which those in positions of power don’t run their mouths like hustlers at a fucking dog race.

A few notes:

1. In stark contrast to most of this blog’s other recent content, this is largely a heavy rock/psyche free zone. Well, I mean, it kind of kicks off with a 7 minute plus ‘Tokyo Flashback’ jam, but beyond that… pretty low on the fuzz, in view of my recent tastes.

2. Instead, this initially started off as more of a “return to good old singer-songwriter values” kind of playlist, with a side order of drug-dazed ‘70s L.A. cynicism, but that was just too grim, so, as the hot weather persisted, it thankfully got hijacked by a lot of “lazing around in the sun” type material – which, to not put too fine a point on it, basically means busting out the funk.

3. At one stage, this was also intended to be one of those mix tapes in which each track has a connection to the one that preceded it. (I find these a lot of fun to do, because, I don’t know… I’m like that.) Subsequent revisions broke this up a bit, but many of the links still remain – some based upon pretty obvious musical similarities, others on vague lyrical/atmospheric themes that may at times remain entirely mysterious to anyone other than myself. If you don’t initially see the connections, why not think up some new ones (forge your own chains)? If you are INCREDIBLY BORED, why not write them down and send me a list? I’ll reward you by… being frightened, quite honestly.

4. In the even more unlikely event that anyone has been specifically following mix tapes/CDs I’ve made over the years, they may notice I’ve dug up a few old chestnuts / past enthusiasms here. I dunno. Maybe it’s another summer thing. Too hot to think, let alone find anything new. Let’s just play that Minutemen track again. Perfect.

5. If you are sufficiently behind the times to still download music from the internet and burn it onto CDs – well, first of all, WELL DONE. My belief that the years 2004-2008 represented a golden age for music lovers that has now been cruelly shit-canned remains strong, so possibly you agree. (Let’s talk about it, perhaps on a messageboard.) Secondly though, please note that the track-by-track mp3 version of this mix I’ve uploaded is *slightly too long* to fit on a CD (devious mixing techniques brought the single track Mixcloud version in at just under 80 minutes). Thus I would probably recommend picking the track you’re least liable to enjoy and ditching it before burning. Sorry about that.

Right then. Mixcloud box:



Full tracklist & timecodes:

00:00 Dennis Wilson - Friday Night
03:00 Overhang Party - Now Appearing! Naked Existence / 今立ち現れる
10:13 The Bevis Frond - Waving
13:26 The Mekons - Millionaire
18:00 Neil Young - Hawaii
20:35 Sly & The Family Stone - Runnin' Away
23:26 Tony Grey & The Black 7 - The Feelings
28:13 Baby Huey - Listen To Me
34:50 Bullfrog / Franco Micalizzi - Man Before Your Time
38:34 Kool G Rap - Money in the Bank
43:21 Alice Coltrane - Lovely Sky Boat
50:12 Silver Jews - Dallas
54:24 D.R. Hooker - Forge Your Own Chains
58:48 Greg Ashley - Pursue The Night Life
63:15 Minutemen - Dr Wu
65:00 Barbara Faith - The Bramble and the Rose
67:54 some unknown Korean kids - beach scene from 'A Woman After a Killer Butterfly'
70:16 The Band - Whispering Pines
74:15 Bobby Charles - Save Me Jesus

(Mp3 version.)

Labels: mixcloud, mixtapes, summer

I’ve been palming variations on this comp CD off on people for several years now, and I think the track list is now in it’s third, possibly fourth, iteration – so it’s about time I stuck it up on the weblog.

The initial impetus behind it was to provide something of a sampler for folks who dug Black Sabbath and Led Zep but hadn’t yet moved on to check out the wider field of mutant, riff-blasting heavy rock music that existed alongside them in the ‘70s British underground.

As I dug deeper into the period myself however, and kept discovering more great records and great stories, the track list began to take on a slightly more ambitious aim – namely, that of demonstrating the solid through-line of anti-authoritarian rage, musical thuggery and hair-raising electrified noise that ran straight from the psychedelia and counter-culture aligned free festival rock of the late ‘60s to the explosion of punk and heavy metal at the end of the ‘70s, and of countering the offensively reductive “hippies > prog > punk” timeline that various divvies continue to trot out every time the BBC makes a documentary.

Disclaimers:

1. Admittedly, some may wonder where exactly Badfinger fit into all this, but I would urge them to sample their track here before scoffing, because it is certifiably bad-ass.

2. Likewise, some may feel some of my choices here are a tad obvious – particularly in light of the many ‘70s Heavy compilations that have appeared in recent years - but I would ask readers to reflect on the fact that there are still many listeners out there for whom such hallowed names as Stackwaddy, Edgar Broughton Band, Third World War etc mean nothing. Imagine their pupils dilating as this oversight is corrected, and I’m sure you grizzled vets can stand to sit through ‘Maypole’ one more time.

3. Others still may question the total lack of female representation on this comp, and, whilst I realise that “it was the ‘70s, 98% of music was made by hairy-chested, ale-swilling brutes with facial hair like Genghis Khan” doesn’t constitute much of an excuse, I’ll simply say that, if you know of any good female-led British heavy rock bands from the 1970s, please tell me, because I’d love to listen to them.

4. Do you think there’s too much Hawkwind? It did cross my mind, but… if you can conceive of the concept of “too much Hawkwind”, you are probably not the target audience for this comp.

So -- case closed. I love every bit of this track list beyond words, and I’m gonna stick with it. Meanwhile, I’ve got Volume # 2 on the go, and if anything, I like it even better than this one, so if you get a kick out of Vol # 1 and/or want to complain that I’ve missed out your favourites, stick around.

WARNING: Please be aware that this compilation contains a LOT of rockin’ lead guitar. So much rockin’ lead guitar in fact that even the most ardent fans of rockin’ lead guitar are advised to split listening across several sittings to avoid burn-out. You have been warned.




Full track-list with timecodes as follows:

00:00 The Pink Fairies - Do It
02:57 Hawkwind - Master of the Universe (live)
10:22 Stackwaddy - Roadrunner
13:44 The Way We Live - King Dick II
16:58 Edgar Broughton Band - Out Demons Out
21:44 Badfinger - Suitcase (BBC session)
29:05 The Deviants - Slum Lord
31:19 Third World War - Ascension Day
36:10 Dark - Maypole
41:10 Wicked Lady - Run The Night
46:17 High Tide - Futilist's Lament
51:34 Twink - Ten Thousand Words in a Cardboard Box
56:00 Red Dirt - Memories
58:03 Atomic Rooster - I Can't Take No More
61:34 Larry Wallis - Police Car
64:52 Motorhead - Iron Horse / Born To Lose
70:09 Hawkwind - Urban Guerrilla


(Sneaky download link.)

Labels: mixcloud, mixtapes, UK Freak Rock

INTRODUCTORY NOTE:

Over the past few years, I’ve inadvertently become pretty fixated on making themed compilations and playlists – either carefully wrought overviews of particular scenes, sub-genres or sounds, or else exploring different musical approaches to different kinds of subject matter. I will usually tend to slave away over these things for months on end, initially just for my own amusement/edification, although I have sometimes made actual, physical CDs out of them and given them to people I hoped might like them. On one occasion, I actually dared to sell some of these CDs for money (with proceeds going to charity, natch) – a venture which proved surprisingly successful.

So, as one part of my campaign to revitalise this blog, it stands to reason that I should start sharing these comps – primarily streaming via Mixcloud’s user friendly, copyright police-ducking interface, although I’m also game for providing more, uh, ‘old fashioned’ listening options upon request [see below].

BLURB:

A sort-of sequel to ‘Songs About History’, which I posted here back in 2012, the concept of ‘Songs About War’ speaks for itself, more or less, so I'll spare you a round of socio-political hand-wringing.

In spite of the fact that few if any of the predominantly first world based artists on this comp have any first hand experience of war (I think Billy Bragg was in the army at one point, but beyond that… no idea), I have done my best not to simply fill the whole thing with ‘60s derived “war is bad man… why can’t we just stay in head and love each other?” type diatribes, which would have proved all too easy (although I’ve still let The Byrds in with a more-or-less definitive example of the form).

Instead, I’ve tried to select songs whose writers have at least *tried* to place themselves within the skin of someone participating in armed conflict in some capacity, creating what they feel is an appropriate musical analogue to the experience, and perhaps reflecting to some degree on the place of war as a seemingly inescapable component part of human nature and society.

In this respect, I quite like the way that, as you listen to these songs in close succession, the specific details of the conflicts many of them are written about tend to fall away, leaving behind the feeling of more abstract, universal scenarios, applicable to any time and place throughout history in which people have been driven to fight and kill each other en masse.

If you’re worried that such subject matter could potentially lead to a pretty monotonously grim track list, well, what can I say – I hope the inclusion of several banging dance tracks, ‘80s heavy metal and a hefty application of black humour will help ease the burden a little.

Naturally, I would have loved to have included some more songs emanating from areas of the world that actually have been ravaged by war within living memory, but, broadly speaking, my experience of such music tends to suggest that – as was discussed in my review of the excellent ‘Wake Up You!’ comp in 2016 - musicians whose countries have recently emerged from conflict tend to have better things to do than stand around singing about it. Funny that.

Anyway, I hope you get something out of these selections. Any comments, observations or suggestions for future volumes are gratefully received.


LISTEN:


(direct link.)


TRACK LIST:

1. The Mekons – Hello Cruel World
2. Joe Tex – I Believe I’m Gonna Make It
3. Napalm Death – Retreat to Nowhere
4. Michael Yonkers Band – Boy in the Sandbox
5. Iron Maiden – Intro / Aces High (live ’85)
6. Warren Zevon – Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
7. The Dead Kennedys – When Ya Get Drafted
8. The Byrds – Draft Morning
9. Nudge Squidfish – Part Cherokee
10. Bolt Thrower – Eternal War
11. Party of One – Baghdad Boogie
12. Billy Bragg – Island of No Return
13. Weird War – AK-47
14. William Onyeabor – Why Go To War?
15. The Gories – Sovereignty Flight
16. Honey Ltd – The Warrior
17. Rocket From The Tombs – 30 Seconds Over Tokyo
18. Geechie Wiley & Elvie Thomas – Last Kind Word Blues
19. Mike Williams – Lonely Soldier
20. Leonard Cohen – The Partisan
21. Wire – Reuters
22. The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band – The Anniversary of WWIII
23. Dead Moon – Johnny’s Got a Gun


[PS - if you’d like either a downloadable version of this comp or an actual CD, my email address is at the top of the page – I’ll be happy to help.]

Labels: mixcloud, mixtapes, war

Hopefully arriving with sufficient notice for you to fully absorb it as you set about cultivating appropriate state of mind prior to next week’s big night, I’m afraid I must warn you that, for better or worse, this year’s Halloween comp has emerged as quite possibly the darkest and gnarliest to date. Decidedly low on jollity, what we have here is a thoroughly shuddersome mixture of anguished subterranean punk, ferocious funereal metal and eerie psychedelic aberrations of one kind or another, guaranteed to get you in the mood for a full-on, cemetery-stalking Halloween.

Once this general atmosphere had taken hold, I thought I might as well go with it, and as such I have finally taken the opportunity to include in its entirety one of my all time favourite trad doom tracks, Reverend Bizarre’s ‘Strange Horizons’. You may think you know ‘epic metal’ with yr new fangled Neurosis and Opeth and what-not, but trust me my friends – this is one you need to experience. It’s a thing of beauty.

Also noteworthy here meanwhile is the inclusion of the first ever hip-hop track on one of these mixes (courtesy of my long overdue immersion in Gravediggaz’ ‘Six Feet Deep’ album – hey, only nineteen years late), and, I believe, our first ever vocal jazz ballad too, courtesy of Ada Moore. Let’s hope there’s more of both to come in future.

Relatively little movie content this year, but nonetheless, featured films include: ‘Les Demons’ (Jess Franco, 1972), ‘All The Colors of the Dark’ (Sergio Martino, 1972) and ‘Eugenie: The Story of Her Journey Into Perversion’ (Jess Franco, 1970).

As ever – enjoy.

Labels: halloween, mixtapes

Of course, Alan Vega will be remembered for what he brought to Suicide’s first album; it would be foolish to try to claim otherwise.

Words (and delivery thereof) as simple, as striking, as dangerous, as lustful, as otherworldly as anything that emerged from the ‘50s/’60s rock n’ roll / rhythm & blues culture he obviously admired so much, and just as much of an indelible part of American culture (or at least, the segments of it that matter) as a result.

Forty years on, you cannot reduce these songs, or laugh them off. You cannot play them on the radio without getting complaints; you cannot play them in the car with friends or relatives without breaking a sweat. “Punk”? “Avant Garde”? Posturing? Stupidity? Success? You tell me. Love them or hate them, once you’ve heard them, they will be with you forever.

You’d have to be a pretty unhinged individual to have owned and enjoyed everything Mr. Vega has put out over the years (in fact for a long time I had a record shopping rule that whilst solo/collaborative discs bearing Martin Rev’s name should be purchased immediately, anything involving Vega should be treated with extreme caution), but I’ve been undertaking somewhat of an accidental reassessment of his post-’77 oeuvre of recent, and am hopefully in the process of gaining a greater appreciation of the uniqueness of his voice, and of the perverse, compelling artistry that ran through all of his work, even when (as was often the case) he was making records that sounded like most listeners’ idea of hell.

The way I like to look at it is: if the still much missed Lux Interior (Satan rest his soul) summed up his stage persona as “half Elvis Presley, half Frankenstein’s Monster”, Vega – consciously or otherwise - took the idea behind this combo far further, developing a style that sounds like the wandering, unquiet spirits of Presley and Roy Orbison being evoked through some sort of unholy electronic séance, issuing tormented, incoherent fragments of rock n’ roll jive and damning indictments of the culture they see decaying around them, channelled seemingly at random through Vega’s reverb-drenched tonsils. Ghosts of an old America, crawling from the bricks, the pavement and the recording consoles, passing baleful spectral judgement on the weaponised bummer of a country that now surrounds them, crying out in weird, leather-clad despair.

Whilst some of Vega’s best moments saw him indulging in straight narrative and street level reportage, more often than not he went in for what sounds like a wholly improvisational, almost unconscious, approach that, once you get a taste for it, proves kind of extraordinary.

It’s like rock n’ roll as reduced to a series of desperate, garbled exhortations from another plain, related over a grinding, ritualistic back-beat, presented like an ancient incantation whose precise meaning has long been lost to the ages, but that can still occasionally melt without warning into pools of pure, shimmering tenderness, with Vega’s ghosts rising to the occasion in response. (“Finally, this I understand!”, the hazy greaser apparition declares, pulling a comb through his hair as he enters full seduction mode, lost in some Lynchian velvet dream of the perfect moment of love, until the stentorian reminder of modernity intrudes again via Rev’s juddering drum machine (or nearest available equivalent), forcing him into another tirade of swaggering, subway stalkin’ confusion.)

And… I could probably continue in this vein for some time. For now, let it simply be noted that, hare-brained and unapproachable though it may often seem, I believe that Vega’s body of work holds depths and mysteries that very few of us have yet managed to get a handle on. Take a deep breath and throw the dice the next time you see his name on some weird looking 7", and maybe one day we’ll catch up with him.

Whilst writing this yesterday, I threw together a quick Mixcloud effort in tribute to Alan Vega. Perhaps it will help illuminate some of my blather above, perhaps not. Selections are somewhat limited by the lack of stuff I currently have in mp3 format (I would have liked to include something from Suicide’s bleak post-911 comeback album ‘American Supreme’, but can’t find it right now, whilst other bits and pieces are trapped on vinyl), but whatever – if you want to dig in, it’s here. Track listing and time codes as per below.

Labels: Alan Vega, deathblog, mixtapes, Suicide

Sick of words following last week’s big you-know-what in the UK, I thought I’d fall back - as ever - on music and throw together a brief sonic response.

No mixing, no gimmicks, no chat here - just tunes. Little subtlety, much anger – hopefully some catharsis. Inevitably, we can’t offer 100% lyrical relevance, but, a few dated topical references aside, I hope the spirit of some of these songs still hits home.

More ambitious mixcloud outings are a possibility in the future if this one proves workable [I’ve not used their site before – any comments/issues, let me know], but for now, just think of this as an emergency aesthetic sticking plaster for a set of festering wounds that’s not going to start getting better any time soon.

Labels: bad news, misery, mixtapes, politics

Here, as tradition demands, is this year’s All Hallows mix CD, presented for your listening pleasure, and hopefully allowing you enough time to incorporate its delights into your festivities, or dark and solitary rites, or whatever else you’re up to this weekend.

Rumours that I’m now running short of material for these mixes after eight years should be treated with the derision they deserve, and listeners may be assured that, if mainstays such as Roky Erikson, The Cramps and The Misfits are absent this year, newcomers like Bum and Vanilla Fudge should make for more than adequate replacements, and there’s even the world premiere of a new Skull Tennis track to get your pulse pounding too. Thrilling stuff and no mistake.

Featured movies this time around are ‘The Devil’s Nightmare’ (Jean Brismée, 1971 / soundtrack by Alessandro Alessandroni) and ‘The Psychic’ aka ‘Seven Notes in Black’ (Lucio Fulci, 1977 / soundtrack by Bixio, Frizzi & Tempera), with a little bit of ‘Gli Occhi Freddi Della Paura’ aka ‘The Cold Eyes of Fear’ (Enzo G. Castellari, 1971 / soundtrack by Ennio Morricone) thrown in for good measure.

Whatever you’ve got planned for Saturday night, I hope you can find some enjoyment herein.

Labels: halloween, mixtapes

Every year, I find myself wondering how the hell I’ll manage to put together another full 80 minutes of top drawer horror-themed music in time for next Halloween…. and yet every year I end up pretty pleased with the results.

Word goes out this time to a particularly fruitful batch of new bands ploughing this general sort of furrow (Zig Zags, Satan’s Satyrs, Blood Ceremony…), meaning that this year we haven’t even had to draw upon the ever more stretched catalogue of Cramps and Misfits hits (though good old Roky does of course get a look-in). Not even room for any random slabs of Ennio Morricone nightmare fuel, although we do have a right belter from Bruno Nicolai and a few nice library cues.

Films evoked within, either directly or indirectly, include: ‘Manos: The Hands of Fate’, ‘Possession’, ‘The Fog’, ‘The Legend of Hell House’, ‘Carnival of Souls’, ‘All The Colors Of The Dark’, ‘Blood Sabbath’ and ‘Let’s Scare Jessica To Death’. Pretty good line-up if your going the 24 hour movie marathon route this Friday, I should think.

Labels: halloween, horror, mixtapes

Time I think for yet another psychedelic mix-tape, and the general theme that emerged whilst I was putting this one together is a that of a kinda period spent in stasis (whether good or bad), a visit to limbo… y'know, that sort of thing; a journey across ‘the endless plain’. Interpret as you will.

The title comes from a John Cale song, and thus we finish with a selection from his damaged masterpiece ‘Music For a New Society’ (1983), a record that seems to sound more ominously relevant than ever today… if you’re in the mood, and I wouldn’t blame you if you’re not.

Labels: mixtapes, Psychedelia

It’s been a little while since I’ve done one of these, so let’s sing loud and stand proud for a border-demolishing comp of world-spanning psych-rock delirium, featuring contributions from India, Turkey, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Brazil, Australia, Yugoslavia and Iran (with plenty of room left over for US / UK business too), all united by the international language of fuzz, smoke and the mysteries of the Fender bass. Beyond that, no real concept at work here really, so, in the words of the Captain: JUST DIG IT.

Labels: mixtapes, Psychedelia

Presenting for your listening pleasure, the sixth annual Stereo Sanctity / Breakfast In The Ruins Halloween Mix!

I fear this year’s comp may prove a slightly more gruelling listen that previous years, for the simple reason that, after six years, I’m running pretty low on good, horror-themed rock n’roll songs, necessitating a move toward a greater proportion of soundtrack stuff, random instrumental creepery and general noise. Of course, there’s still old Halloween comp perennials like The Cramps, The Misfits, The Flesh Eaters and Electric Wizard to keep you grounded amid the charnel atmos, and I’ve also dug up some old favourites from my archive of old movie samples, so… approach with open ears and a singularly weird and unsettling journey awaits (I hope).

Probably available for a limited time only, due to the near-impossibility of keeping downloadable files up for long on the increasingly locked down corporate internet, but as ever, if you miss it, just give me a shout.

Labels: halloween, mixtapes

Part nine in my ever on-going series of expanded-definition psyche mixes, I thought for this one we’d get back to basis to some extent by front-loading some hefty chunks of no-bullshit psychedelic rock, leavened as ever with occasional excursions into other realms altogether. Worryingly, a bit of a Charles Manson type theme seemed to be developing mid-way through, so I thought we might as well go all out with it.

Along the way, we’ve got welcome returns from such Msytery Ships/Planes regulars as Angus Maclise, Vibracathedral Orchestra, Delia Derbyshire and the mighty Rallizes, alongside debut appearances from Colosseum, Chuck Cowen, the mysterious Religious Girls, and a young lad called Neil, heard here bumming out a cheery East Coast bar crowd with some seriously heavy vibes. He could far with the right management.

Labels: mixtapes, Psychedelia

Here’s a quick 73 minute mix I put together this month. Often I make a kind of ‘start of Spring’ mix, but as Spring has yet to appear, it’s basically just a bunch of stuff I like that is not really fast rock music, arranged in a manner that pleases me. A few old favourites, a few things I’ve been getting into recently, a few surprises, I hope. There is something of a concentration of tunes with excellent rhythm tracks across the first half, a bit of a weird section through the middle, and something of a downbeat tone towards the end. Nothing deliberate or self-referential – that’s just the way it panned out. Hope you enjoy it.

Labels: mixtapes