Wretched Wisdom By Krallice (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Black Metal)

Most of the music I post here is in the indierock/electronic vein, but let me tell you I have a major soft spot for trash and speedmetal circa 1985-1992. I admit it. After the Metallica black album, that soft spot hardened. Time passed. Then metal crossed over into indie. I really liked that first album by The Sword. I wanted to get into Mastodon when I first heard of them, but it never really took. I dig them when they come up on random on iTunes, but I never really seek them out.

Downloadables:
"Barael's Blade" (box.net mp3) by The Sword
"March Of The Fire Ants" (box.net mp3) by Mastodon

Then I started checking out instrumental postmetal (via thepunkguy, thanks Krist), e.g. Russian Circles and Pelican, kickass. I think I liked the instrumental part of the equation as I am not a big fan of the cookie monster vocals.

Downloadables:
"Station" (box.net mp3) by Russian Circles
"City of Echoes" (box.net mp3) by Pelican

When I was checking into that genre, one name kept popping up... Krallice.

They look like this:


This is not instrumental postmetal. This is the non-satanist American variant of Black Metal played by guys who have roots in the prog/jazz/post/tech-metal of Orthrelm and Behold...The Arctopus. This is less noodly and proggy. Nevertheless, this is a commitment. The shortest song is on the Krallice self-titled album is 6:08. The mp3 below clocks in at 10:17. Because the screamy vocals are very low in the mix, for me this is a new genre almostinstrumentalblackmetal. It is AWE-some (in the true meaning of the word). I wish someone told me about this when it came out in July last year.

Downloadable: "Wretched Wisdom" (box.net mp3) by Krallice

Am I going to be sucked in to an investigation of Black Metal? I had always rejected the genre as "too extreme," but maybe I just wasn't ready for it. We'll see.

Profound Lore is here.
Amazon MP3 page is here.
eMusic page is here.

Consider CLICKing
- Deerhunter side-proj, Lotus Plaza has a new new new mp3 available on Stereogum... here.

- Raven Sings The Blues brings you "two great female fronted doses of fuzzed pop." Check out the Blank Its and Golden Triangle... here. (Note: Methinks we'll see more of these bands around this here web presence).

The Krallice album

Fire Lances Of The Ancient Hyperzephyrians By The Sword

Oh fuck yeah!! The Sword has made "Fire Lances Of The Ancient Hyperzephyrians" available as a free mp3. Disclosure: you could previously get it from ptw, plus it is available today at Spinner. Personally, I think you should download it below (that is if you don't have it already). Happy Headbanging.

Downloadable: "Fire Lances Of The Ancient Hyperzephyrians" (box.net mp3) (source: kemando)

Ancient Hyperzephyrians look like this:


Myspace page is here.
Kemando is here.
The Sword merch is here.
The Sword Podcast is here.
Emusic page is here.
Preorder Gods Of The Earth here or here.

Consider Clicking
- Oh My Rockness thinks you should be listening to this mp3: "Sweet Love For Planet Earth" by Fuck Buttons. More about that here.

- New Live Les Savy Fav is coming soon: "The Sweat Descends (Live)" (mp3)

- The Smudge has two posts you should check out: one is about Royal Bangs and the other is about Bridges And Powerlines... here and here (respectively).

- Hack up (or is it hock up?) a mp3 blog in minutes @ joelaz.com (via Idolator)... here.

- BOWAS has a big ass post about 90's North Carolina indie rockers Raymond Brake... here.

- Watch a kinda random SXSW vid featuring Bodies Of Water and Mika Miko... here. It will have you saying "Great Story Jenna Thornhill" (a la The Soup).

Something In The Water By The Jealous Girlfriends

Did you know that tix to The Jealous Girlfriends' 5/27-28 CD release shows with Sea Wolf at The Merc go on sale tomorrow? More about that here.

Listen: "Something In The Water" (mp3)

Myspace page is here.
Good Fences is here.
CD Baby page is here.

Consider Clicking
- Chunklet was very pissed about missing John Brannon singing a Negative Approach song with Fucked Up... here.

- Drink some coffee in Fort Greene/Clinton Hill... here. And don't forget Urban Spring (pricy but delicious).

- VIDS VIDS VIDS: (1) Watch The Sword's new vid for "Fire Lances Of The Ancient Hyperzephyrians" @ S'Gum... here. (2) Watch Portishead's "Machine Gun" vid @ BVegan... here. (3) Matablog has a live Times New Viking vid... here. (4) Oh, and uhhhhh.... royal contact high?

- Download "Hurly/Burly" by Man Man in The 'Gum Drop... here.

- The Rawking Refuses To Stop posts a wee track entitled "Zombie" by one Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti a/k/a Fela Kuti... here.

- I Rock Cleveland blogs about Exit Stencil artists Hot Cha Cha... here. Listen: "J'accuse"

- IA is excited about seeing Le Loup and The Ruby Suns (with mp3s)... here.

March 2007 Mix

Today I have something new (and old) for you. Sometimes we are a bit too focused on the NOW... right?

Let's take some time and reflect. Let's look back and see what stands up and what falls down. Let's listen to a mix that looks back one year to March 2007.

Downloadable: "March 2007 Mix" (zip) (mirror: sendspace)

This mix features:
Ted Leo + The Pharmacists
My Teenage Stride
El Jesus De Magico
The Mae Shi
Night Of Pleasure
El Perro Del Mar
Black Moth Super Rainbow
Jana Hunter
The National
Low
Jesu
The Manhattan Love Suicides
Los Abandoned
YACHT
Aesop Rock
Motico
Rocket From The Crypt
50 Foot Wave
These Arms Are Snakes
Antibalas

The track listing:


Consider Clicking
- lamestain has another installment of the history of TAD (including a short unfruitful interview with Steve Albini)... here.

- Gorilla Vs. Bear has a mix that El Guincho made for The FADER... here.

- Bushwick Is Beautiful interviews High Places (the singers of "[e]very national anthem going off at the same time in a bucket of water")... here.

- There's new eMusic Selects selections today featuring SUSU and Hands On Heads... here.

- There's two 'single files' for your consideration at ptw... one new new new track by The Sword (here) and another by Witch (here).

- There's is a new Brenmar remix of These Are Powers floating about on the internets. Here it is: "Little Sisters Of Beijing (Brenmar Remix)" (mp3). Here is the original track: "Little Sisters Of Beijing" (mp3)

- Also available now is another track from pacificUV's new longplayer... "Tremelo" (mp3)

YOUTUBE: Steady As She Goes By Shellac

So, check out this here youtube vid from Shellac.

Watch: Steady As She Goes


Comments:
1. Video and audio are out of sync (on purpose maybe??), and the audio sounds better than most youtube vids.
2. Not sure who produced this, but there's an intro to something by The Ponys that comes in at the end.
4. Don't look directly into Albini's teeth.

Southern page is here.
Wiki Wiki Wiki here.

Consider Clicking
- "Bubble Pop" (mp3) is the new jam from Del The Funky Homosapien. More about that at GvsB... here.
- Do you need some remedial Misfits 101? Well then... click here. Presented by thepunkguy.
- Copy, Right? has the nerdiest cover of "Got Your Money" ever (it's by Audrey3000), plus sooo much more... here.
- Alright crafty types, here's something you can do with all those irrelevant compact discs you have crammed everywhere (this of course does NOT apply to me).
- Deerhunter side project, Atlas Sound has something new for you at p'fork... here. Listen: "River Card" (mp3)
- Austin doomrockers The Sword have a new cd, Gods Of The Earth. It comes out April 1. More about that including a tracklisting... here. Personally, I can't wait for "Fire Lances Of The Ancient Hyperzephyrians".
- Illegal Art artists, Oh Astro have released the sample source information for Champions of Wonder... OK, now nobody sue them. OK?
The tracklisting with some mp3s:
1. Snow Queen – Ratatat "Desert Eagle" and Lily Allen "Everything Is Wonderful"
2. "Hello Fuji Boy" – Hot Chip "Boy From School," Fujiya & Miyagi "Ankle Injuries," and Lionel Richie "Hello"
3. "Lucy Sees The Moon" – Lucy (their daughter) sings the lyrics to children's song "I See The Moon" and it is filtered through Deanna Durbin "Amapola" and Bing Crosby "If I Had My Way"
4. "Candy Sun Smiles" – Busdriver "Sun Shower," Gnarls Barkley "Gone Daddy Gone," and Electronic "Getting Away With It"
05. "Empty Air" – only source is Jim O'Rourke "Good Times"
06. "Xanadu" – Jane Dowe sings the lyrics to "Xanadu" in sync with the original song (originally sung by Olivia Newton John with music by Electric Light Orchestra) filtered through Electronic "Get The Message" (strumming guitar intro) and Xiu Xiu "Bishop, CA". Background contains samples from Pan Tone "Gringo Grinder" and The Killers "Somebody Told Me" (guitar pluck).
07. "Journey To The Center" – Remix of ROC "Journey to the Center of Brixton" (authorized), along with additional drum parts from Stefen Robinson (aka Yea Big).
08. "Itch Box" – Remix of Yea Big "Please Die, and Leave Me Alone" (authorized), which samples vocals from a chain-gang chant from the film Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? Also contains vocal sample from the ROC track, additional drum parts from Stefen Robinson and a synthesized harmonic progression from Tristan Hansen (a student).
09. "Robot Love I Love You" – Ella (their other daughter) sings her own lyric filtered through the Japanese children's song "Inu No Omawarisan" as recorded on the compilation Doikono Douyou.
10. "Quiet Mouth" – only source is Sufjan Stevens "John Wayne Gacy, Jr."
11. "Pet Apples" – only source is The Apples In Stereo "About Your Fame"
- Stereogum declare experimental avantelectronoisers Fuck Buttons a band to watch... here. Watch them... here or here.
- There's a fresh new look at bloodonthewall.com

- UPDATE: Ruby Isle's elbo.ws project pushes forward with "Sax Rhomer #1" (mp3) a cover of the latest in Mt. Goats... here.