The Heavy Duty

Is It Wonderful? - Matthew's Best of 2013

noreply@blogger.com (hemantooth) — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 16:15:00 +0000

By Matthew Timmons

It's that time of year again, where The Duty staff examines the wreckage of the 2013 music scene and see what still gets them off. Welcome to "The Breast Of 2013."

For one day only, The Duty is back! Despite most of my bloggin' time now dedicated to spreadsheets and spandex, I've got a soft spot for the old yearly Top Ten list - so Dev and I had to run this bit back at least one more time. No matter what other bullshit we get into, we'll always be Heavy Duty. On to the list!

10. Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks

The newest metamorphosis of NIN: introspective dance groove angst. I was on the fence until I saw most of these cuts performed live - a hot band with probably the best stage show I've ever seen. Pino Fucking Palladino holding down the low end like a boss never hurts. Renzor's been doing this for 25 years now and is as cool as ever. I'm impressed.

9. Russian Circles - Memorial

I love Fano Guitars - brilliant design, they sound and play amazing, and Dennis is cool as shit. So when I saw this pic of Russian Circles guitarist Mike Sullivan with his newly acquired RB6 - I had to check out a band with such good taste in gear. And they rip! Instrumental post-metal thunder from a three-piece that makes me wanna buy more overdrive pedals than I can fit on my board.

Every year while I'm writing my term papers for college I pick out an instrumental album as my soundtrack to the pain - Memorial got me through a 15-page paper about police relations with the homeless. Thanks guys!

8. The Aristocrats - Culture Clash

Guthrie Govan is Gandalf with a guitar. This is the best "guitar" band in the world, and they tour with friends of mine! This record is even better than their excellent debut album. Please give them your money so we'll get more of them.

7. ArnoCorps - The Fantastic E.P.

We the fact we had a tiny bit to do with this album even existing is awesome. A worthy follow-up to the 2009's Ballsy EP and the Greatest Album of All Time, I hope one day I can sing along to that amazing chorus form "King Conan." I AM KING! No band is as committed to an ideal as ArnoCorps is, and for that I'll drop and give them 20. Doing it now!

6. Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels

Line of the year from Killer Mike: "I move with the elegance of an african elephant." What else to you need need to know?

5. Arctic Monkeys - AM

Not many bands make sexy rock music anymore. This is sexy rock music.

4. Kanye West - Yeezus

Maybe I'm looking into a small moment a bit too much, but when Kanye can't deliver the line "But I got her back in and put my dick in her mouth" without cracking himself up on the excellent album opener "On Sight" - my theory is he's breaking kayfabe on purpose just for a moment so we know not to take all this so seriously. Sure, on the rest of the album he comes of as an egoistical nightmare, but who wants modesty in rock 'n roll? A good heel always thinks he's the best in the world, and Yeezus is some damn fine evidence he might be right.

3. Parquet Courts - Light Up Gold

Sloppy punk rock stoners playing catchy as fuck tunes that namecheck their favorite snacks. Swedish Fish!

2. Arcade Fire - Reflektor

Oh, nothing to see here. Just listening to "Afterlife" on repeat and sobbing. Move along.

1. Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork

Like there was ever a doubt what would be 2013's number one. My favorite musician digs deep for his most personal record yet. This is some dark shit. Josh Homme usually sticks to obtuse metaphors and dick swinging braggadocio. ...Like Clockwork is brimming with vulnerability and emotional low points never heard on a Queens record. A far cry from songs like the spastic head-caver "Millionaire"- but a necessary step for an artist to find his way back after a couple of lost years. And it helps keep the band fresh and the setlist varied after 16 years. Welcome back.

Matthew Timmons is the founder and editor of The Heavy Duty. Follow him on Twitter @matthewtimmons.

The Year in Re-Brew: Devon's Top 10 of 2013

noreply@blogger.com (d evon) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 22:49:00 +0000

By Devon Booth

It's that time of year again, where The Duty staff examines the wreckage of the 2013 music scene and see what still gets them off. Welcome to "The Breast Of 2013."

I listened to a lot of things this year. Here's some stuff I remember liking:

10. Black Flag - What The...
SST, 2013

I listened to this record twice on Spotify and I'm sure I will never, ever, not once listen to it again. But please don't misunderstand me 'cause it really wasn't that bad! 2013 was THE year for people on the internet to have all sorts of opinions on FLAG, Black Flag, and "Black Flag," and by "all sorts" I mean they were all up in arms about "terrible" music, questionable ethics, or (ugh) punk rock "legacy." But me, I don't care about these things. I gladly spent $30 to see Greg Ginn and Ron Reyes play "Six Pack" and I thought it was a real hoot. Old guys doing stuff isn't worth getting worked up about, and most of the time it's an awful lot of fun.

9. Sybil & Guy - "Keoma"
from Keoma OST
Cinedelic, 2002 (1977)

Title track from the stunningly bad-ass Keoma, a wonderful film about violence and dust, told in Peckinpah-aping slo-mo. I'm not sure who this "Sybil" is, but I tell ya, I can't get enough of her hand-wringing madness and jittery paranoia.

8. Kirin J. Callinan - "Victoria M."
from Embracism, XL / Siberia / Terrible Records, 2013

Dude has a ton of great videos and this one reminds me of Pleaseeasaur. It's also a catchy tune.

7. Various Artists - Tomas Milian: The Tough Bandit, The Rough Cop and the Filthy Rat in Italian Cinema
Mediane Multimedia, 2008

I'd have been pleased if this was just a book of Tomas Milian movie posters, but when a CD of Tomas Milian movie themes peeked out the binding I was absolutely tickled pink. Sixty-five minutes of cop drama saxophones, throaty ballads, and variety show Euro-disco? Sign me up!

6. Arnocorps - Fantastic EP
Exactly, 2013

~~Still~~ Forever the Greatest Band of All Time.

5. Shannon Wright - In Film Sound
Ernest Jenning Record Co. / Vicious Circle, 2013

Back in 2005 Steve Albini said Shannon Wright was:

My favorite guitarist in the world at the moment. Live, she has made my cry real tears like a little child.
I don't understand how any fan of genuine rock music could fail to be moved by her when she plays live with the guitar and the piano and everything. So good.

And, as often is the case with SA, he was on the money.

4. Demis Roussos and Ennio Morricone - "A Flower is All You Need"
from Night Train Murders OST
Cinevox, 2009 (1975)

Pretty melodramatic song for a movie that ends with a teenage girl getting stabbed in the hoo-ha and thrown out a train window, don't ya think? Demis Roussos was big ol' Greek guy with a splendid falsetto, a burly beard, and a closet full of many-colored caftans. I guess he was a real easy-listening superstar back in 1970's Europe, even becoming a sex symbol to the continent's finest dowagers and a target of the era's most popular televised revue programs, which makes the fact that I spent half the year listening to his double-disc best-of all the more fun.

3. Zebra Hunt - "Only Way Out" b/w "Get Along" 7" & Beaches EP
Tenorio Cotobade / self-released, 2013

I'd originally put Joel RL Phelps and the Downer Trio's GALA in the number three spot, but I'm sick of telling you how much I like Joel so I'm giving it to Zebra Hunt instead. Super cool Fender guitar into Fender amp garage pop.

2. 100s - Ice Cold Perm
DreamCollabo, 2012

Pimp rhymes with a Hollywood Shuffle sample and a shout-out to Juvenile. Producer Joe Wax is straight-up fantastic. These tracks feel like stoplights on wet pavement and a detective at a stripclub.

1. Guido & Maurizio De Angelis - Il Cittadino Si Ribella (Street Law) OST
GDM, 2002 (1974)

Midway through the year there was a sticker on my bottle of San Pellegrino that said 2013 was The Year of Italian Culture. Quite serendipitous since if there was ever a prevailing theme to this year it was me on the sofa watching the finest Italian genre pictures, wonderful one-of-a-kind films like Jacopetti and Prosperi's Addio Zio Tom, Umberto Lenzi's Seven Blood-Stained Orchids, and Andrea Bianchi's incomparable Strip Nude for Your Killer. Among my favorites was Enzo G. Castillari's Street Law, a movie memorable not only for Franco Nero's mustache and turtlenecks, but also for Guido and Maurizio De Angelis' irrefutably superb soundtrack. The De Angelis brothers worked like maniacs during the '70s churning out scores to everything from police thrillers like Roma Violenta to spaghetti westerns like Keoma to pirates-on-the-high-seas miniseries like Sandokan. They are all gems, but with Street Law Guido and Maurizio were truly at the top of their game. The songs are tight and gritty, brimming with tasty guitar licks and funky tempos that exemplify everything that's exciting and enjoyable about the life you live and the life you want to. "Goodbye My Friend" and "Drivin' All Around" are a perfect storm of '70s masculinity, one where deep tans and top-shelf scotch meet bar-band swagger and wide-collared conga drums. They make you feel like you're in control of everything and everyone, even when you're driving your sensible sedan to Target.

Devon Booth is an editor and writer for The Heavy Duty, and the creator of the Bedroom Covers Tumblr. He also blogs on film at The Highland Cinema and all kinds of neat stuff at Monster Fresh. Follow him on Twitter @devonbooth.

Cover Wars: Have A Cigar

noreply@blogger.com (hemantooth) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 19:20:00 +0000

By Michael Foley

"Have A Cigar" almost perfectly encapsulates my decidedly mixed feelings about Pink Floyd.

On one hand, I dig their wary perspective and the knack for arrangements that allow equally for a memorable tune AND impressive playing. And certainly, I can spot their DNA in more than a few bands I like. I even dig how they are one of the few bands that still really cares about the packaging of their albums, however sparse those albums have become the last couple of decades. I'm more than willing to give them their due.

On the other hand, I just haven't really "reached" their music for the most part. Not sure I could tell you why, mind you. Most of the "sins" they commit to my ears (being too insular/self-absorbed with their lyrics, classic rock radio overkill, etc.) are more a matter of my taste as opposed to actual absence of quality. I know the many millions of records they've sold put my opinion somewhere in the minority here. But it should be noted they don't tend to blow a lot of wind up my metaphorical skirt. I wouldn't want my own biases to detract from discussing a perfectly good song though, so let's proceed.

Firstly, the original version of the song from Wish You Were Here:

Is it possible that the whole "Which one is Pink?" gag is the first in-joke of its kind in rock? It might be, though I always assume the Beatles invented every trope in rock music first. Then again, the Beatles never had any of their members go batshit insane on them due to heroic amounts of pscyhedelic drugs. My guess is we can at least credit them for the gallows humor they achieved here, they certainly came by it honestly. And as blasphemous as I'm sure someone reading this will find my next statement to be, that organ isn't doing it for me. The band is killing it otherwise, and the guest lead vocal by Roy Harper are awesome.

I did find it interesting to learn that Wish You Were Here is the favorite Pink Floyd album of both Richard Wright and David Gilmour. For a band that literally made albums about not getting along this is no small thing. Hold that thought, we'll come back to it.

Next, Primus' cover from the Miscellaneous Debris EP:

As is a bad habit of mine, I heard this version first and am far more familiar with it than the original. I still remember my brother getting me this EP and the other three Primus album released at the time for Christmas '92. While covers are rarely the best way to introduce yourself to a band, this version is pretty darn to being a Primus tune already. On the surface, Rush is the easiest Classic Rock point of reference for Primus. "Hey look, long-winded trios with lead bassists/drummers!" I get it. But it's a testament to Claypool that you can hear Geddy Lee and Geezer Butler and Roger Waters and Larry Graham and lord knows who else, but when all the sausage is made it sounds uniquely like Les and no one else.

From the first note, Les Claypool's bass pushes the song forward with Tim Alexander's drums and Ler LaLonde's guitars bobbing and weaving around and through Claypool's bass as it chews up the landscape. And bonus points for "Pink" becoming "Bob Cock" in their version. Miscellaneous Debris has that loose vibe all the way through until "Have A Cigar" concludes its short 18:07 running time. I can see where the less-adventurous listener might not enjoy much Primus past this slight EP. Covering songs mean you have to be at least nominally more straightforward than you might be otherwise, right? As twisted as Primus' music usually is, it'd be damn near impossible to get weirder right?

Finally, the Foo Fighters' version. They've actually done two versions of the tune. Their first crack at it was a B-side from the Next Year EP , while the far better-known version showed up a few months later on the Mission Impossible 2 soundtrack complete with Brian May of Queen guesting. First the May-less version:

Totally dig this, man. Between this and "Cold Day In The Sun" I really would be okay with letting Taylor Hawkins sing more often. Dave Grohl is certainly a decent vocalist, but how much more "street cred" would the Foos have if Taylor used his cheeky growl more often? Even if Hawkins' vocal turn was a tip of the cap to the original's guest vocals, it's worth pondering. And the band sounds extra tight here, just a power trio (which they were at this point) honed by hundred of shows together knocking out a tune they've probably all known since high school. This was recorded during the There Is Nothing Left To Lose sessions, which (to my ears, at least) has always more of a Classic Rock vibe than most Foo albums. I meant that in a complimentary manner, lest anyone sense snark there. Reading up on the making of that album, the vibe was laid back and communal. They just wanted to make a good record even if there were only three guys in the band at that point (they were between lead guitarists at the time). Grohl even mentions this being a very enjoyable record to make, and you can hear it.

I can see where some folks got made that it wasn't as good as The Colour And The Shape, and I get it. That album defined how post-grunge would sound for years, some even rank it as much a nail in Grunge's coffin as Soundgarden breaking up around the time that album was released. There Is Nothing Left To Lose, by contrast sound like a band unafraid of the expectations placed on them and just wanting to play good for themselves. Cobain might've been rolling in his grave at the thought of his old drummer covering a Classic Rock dinosaur like Pink Floyd, but perhaps that's part of the point. Lose the pressure from the label or the weight of what people expected the former drummer of Nirvana to sound like. That's always been a good rule of art, if not life: if you please yourself you're probably on the right track.

Besides, it was a far sight better than the "Baker Street" cover. Gah.

While we're talking Classic Rock, let's try this out with a side of Brian May! "Have A Cigar" take two:

As much as I hate to say it, the far better-known MI2 version is a case of subtraction by addition. May's extra guitar certainly isn't bad, it IS Brian May we're talking about. But the extra layers of production are needless to the point of distraction, at least if you're familiar with the earlier version. I imagine I'd think higher of this version if I wasn't already familiar with the first version. That one sounded fun. I could picture the grinning all around on that last version. This one sounds a little too preening and ready for Top-40 Rock Radio. The difference between this version and that b-side is the difference between what the Foos can be at their best (energetic, loose, rawkin') and their worst (Professional, over-produced, generally bland).

I am sure there's at least a dozen Pink Floyd songs that would be considered more canonical that "Have A Cigar." I might be giving in too much to the weight of the concept albums or the cult of personality around Syd Barrett with such an assertion, I freely admit I am not the biggest expert on the subject. But I feel like Wright, Gilmour and Grohl all fondly recalling sessions involving this song has to mean something.

Michael Foley is a writer living in lovely North Carolina. Despite his various strong opinions, he does not want to tell you how to live your life. You can follow him on Twitter @wryMFTerrill

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Donate To ArnoCorps' Kickstarter! DO IT NOW!

noreply@blogger.com (hemantooth) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 04:47:00 +0000

By Matthew Timmons

Normally we're not huge fans of Kickstarter at the Heavy Duty, too many lame projects put out by lazy people who probably shouldn't be looking for a handout to fuel their questionable artistic endeavors. But once in a while a project comes along so deserving we can't help but rally the faithful and see if we can the word out. Duty favorites ArnoCorps is looking for some amazing Heroes and Sheroes to help record The Fantastic EP, and we feel the world needs its pointed wisdom and indispensable advices. If any band deserves all the cash money to pump out more excellent music and inspirational anthems it's The 'Corps. And they've offered some amazing incentives for fans as gifts for donating, from autograph helmets to a personal audio assault in your own home! (California residents only.)

Of course, The Heavy Duty will be donating our hard earned Duty-Dollars to the cause, but how much is up to you! Our editorial staff has pledged to donate $1 for each Facebook like and Twitter retweet this post receives by the last day of the Kickstarter campaign! Exactly! Click on the link below to donate directly yourself, and like or tweet this post with the buttons at the bottom of the page to raise up the total from The Duty. Do it now!

Matthew Timmons is the founder and editor of The Heavy Duty. Follow him on Twitter @matthewtimmons.

Tall Americano and an LP: Matthew's Top Ten of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (hemantooth) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 20:43:00 +0000

By Matthew Timmons

It's that time of year again, where The Duty staff examines the wreckage of the 2012 music scene and see what still gets them off. Welcome to "The Breast Of 2012." Next up is Editor-in-Beef Matthew Timmons:

Looking over my Top Ten this year, and one think becomes apparent immediately: I must have had a pretty good year, because this is all some pretty happy shit on this list. No self-loathing or angry music to be found. My descent into Starbucks Rock is almost complete; I'm pretty sure I bought half these records while getting my caffeine and scone fix. My taste in music now coincides with what corporate Starbucks thinks people will randomly buy while purchasing a $5 latte. So now I just need Norah Jones to make it one of these years, then we can drop the Heavy from the site's name so no one gets confused.

10. ZZ Top - La Futura - This album's guitar tone sounds like your speakers about about to explode, but unlike some recordings where the loudness war has crippled it, I dig the way this sounds. Reverend Gibbons should always sound thicker and nastier than anyone else.

9. Los Straitjackets - Jet Set - The gateway drug for my reverb and tremolo obsession. Got to see them live this year and I don't think any band does their thing better than these guys do their thing. So much fun. Semi-related note: I want a Fano JM6 bad - surf green with a silver aluminum pickguard, Lollartron pickups, and a B5 bigsby.

8. Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE - This album is a laundry list of things I don't understand and feel uncomfortable writing about: African American issues, bisexuality, R&B, young people, if music is good or not, etc. But what I do know is "Pyramids" is a killer song, and this album overall is a great listen. Best reason for Spotify's existence is trying stuff out like channel Orange and really digging in, something I probably wouldn't have done in any other format.

7. Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls - This was probably the album I was looking forward to the most after their killer EP realized last year. And it's a good record, but a slightly disappointing one. All four songs from the EP are here again unchanged, and none of the seven new songs are better than those original four. A small quibble for a band that has some huge potential, and anticipating sustained improvement is a welcome change from worrying if a band will start to suck.

6. The Darkness - Hot Cakes - It's always been a bit of a running joke how obvious The Darkness are my kind of band - when their debut album came out I'm pretty sure everyone I knew recommended it to me. But after 2005's disappointing One Way Ticket To Hell... And Back (too much '77, not enough '72), I don't know if I even gave the band two thoughts, despite how much I loved that first album. And Hot Cakes gives me everything great about Permission to Land -- big riffs that straddle the fine line between stupid and clever like good rock and roll should -- with an added bonus: a Radiohead cover that makes me love both bands even more.

5. Dr. John - Locked Down - I bought this album because Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys produced it and I heard some clips on NPR and I thought the drums sounded great. Look at that album cover!

4. Jack White - Blunderbuss - For months I though Blunderbuss would end up as my album of the year, but it ends up comfortably at number four. Jack White ditches the over-reliance on fuzz pedals and cuteness, and fires back with pre-war Martins and two hot backing bands. I'd also like to think the track "Freedom at 21," with it's constant drum fills in the verses, is a slight fuck you to the retired Meg White.

3. Grizzly Bear - Shields - I have no idea if long-time fans of this band love this record or not, but I do and I don't care to follow up that thought with any actual research. This is the first time I've ever listened to them, and I like what they've got going on. This is one instance where I feel additional reading might be detrimental to the experience. Except this Vulture article. It's a must read for anyone who likes music at all.

2. Soundgarden - King Animal - Already covered this on the Duty here, but I do have one more little nugget to add. I was listening to KEXP a couple of weeks ago and they played "Bones of Birds," and I was astonished how long it took my mind to register that this was a new song from Soundgarden. That is the best possible test a new work can have -- randomly encountered without a chance for the listener to prepare their narrative bias -- a few unconscious moments of pure listening. And I loved it.

1. Divine Fits - A Thing Called Divine Fits - I usually have a few iron-clad things that need to be present when even considering an album to be my favorite of a given year. But all that careful spreadsheetin' and note-takin' goes out the window when a record makes you move your ass and sing into a wooden spoon while you make a grilled chicken and pesto Boboli on an unremarkable Tuesday evening. No album made me smile more while listening than A Thing Called Divine Fits, and that's all the justification I need.

Matthew Timmons is the founder and editor of The Heavy Duty. Follow him on Twitter @matthewtimmons.

The Year in Re-Brew: Devon's Top 10 of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (d evon) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 20:15:00 +0000

By Devon Booth

It's that time of year again, where The Duty staff examines the wreckage of the 2012 music scene and see what still gets them off. Welcome to "The Breast Of 2012." Next up is Heavy Duty Shuffle Slayer Devon Booth:

I listened to a lot of things this year. Here's some stuff I remember liking:

10. Nachtmystium - Silencing Machine
Century Media, 2012

It's a good record because of the reverbed USBM rasps, thrash metal bridges, and minor-key grandiosity, but it's a great record because it reminds me that I fucking love Nachtmystium. They're the only heavy metal band I still listen to and I don't think I'd have it any other way.

9. Michael Gira - The Milk of M Gira: Collected Solo Home Recordings 2001-2010
Young God Records, 2012

Gira sits in his office and plays guitar with his thumb. I'll take these demo versions of "Jim" and "Eden Prison" over two-thirds of the SWANS catalog. Rest of the tunes are cool too.

8. Cumulus - EP
self, 2010

I saw her play and I thought, "I wish I had the courage to be soft-spoken and vulnerable." I'm also sentimental and sometimes lonesome. I was probably thinking those things too.

7. One Man Metal
VICE, 2012

Honest, heartfelt, and empathetic. Black Metal isn't romantic, it's just troubled guys who like troubled stuff.

6. Chris Brokaw - Gambler's Ecstasy
12XU, 2012

One month ago I saw Chris Brokaw at the Trader Joe's and two months ago I saw him onstage with a line of stompboxes and a Jazzmaster. Gambler's Ecstasy is the adult I want to be.

5. Umberto - WELCOME TO THE CHILLZONE
Solid Melts, 2011 / The Great Pop Supplement, 2012

Either your life's at a crossroads and you're about to go mad, or you're staring out a bus window on a chilly winter night. WELCOME TO THE CHILLZONE is most ominous, disorienting, and the compelling release in Umberto's already ominious, disorienting, and compelling catalog.

4. Joel RL Phelps - "Blinding Light"
Live on KEXP, 2012

(Joel RL Phelps The Downer Trio, 2012. Photo courtesy of Matt Koroulis)

There's been no better time in history to like Joel RL Phelps than in this calendar year. For years and years and years and years the guy had no sort of web presence whatsoever and it was straight murder on fellas like me. No homepage, no forum posts, nothing on Joel but a decade-old interview and a lone video from seven years past. But early this year he quietly released a couple new Christmas songs and gifted us the assurance that a whole bunch of music was somehow and somewhere in the works. Within a few months, it felt pretty great that after all our years of internet stalking, we fans had real-deal JRLP Soundcloud, Wordpress, and Facebook pages, and that we could finally sleep soundly knowing that not one, but two new albums were on the horizon for 2013. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't include Joel on this list, so "Blinding Light" it is! My favorite cut from his current crop of soon-to-be-officially-released recordings, and quite possibly his finest song since the Clinton administration.

3. You Won't - Skeptic Goodbye
Old Flame Records, 2012

Well-adjusted nice boys, these You Won'ts. Truly great guitar pop from two New England buddies who met high school drama club and toured the country with pressed shirts and pearly smiles. This record has tons of killer Buddy Holly guitar chords and tons of singable choruses, and when they came to town the drummer played a spatula and the singer did a song with no microphones, standing on a folding chair in the middle of the crowd. See? They're nice boys, just like I said. Skeptic Goodbye is goofy, genial, and oh so very great you'll gladly take it to your parents' house. Kinda jealous as fuck over here (brood, brood, brood).

2. Godspeed You Black Emperor - 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!
Constellation Records, 2012

Once I had a 401(k) I thought I was completely over Godspeed You Black Emperor and their dark cloud of #Occupy pretension. But, boy howdy, was I ever wrong. 'Allelujah is an absolutely fantastic record, one that vibrates with excitement, volume, and a remarkable lack of sad-ass violins and anarchist book fair field recordings. Exhilarating and triumphant, it's a record that took me completely by surprise and makes me want to do things that make people happier. Hands-down the ALBUM OF THE YEAR.

1. Y.N.RichKids - "Hot Cheetos & Takis"
North Community YMCA Beats & Rhymes Program, 2012

So back in the olden days Matthew Timmons and I loved nothing more than walking down to the convenience store for handfuls of Nutter Butters, liters of Wild Cherry Pepsi, and sacks on sacks on sacks of Cool Ranch Doritos. I look back on those days and always think, "Man, was there ever anything finer?" Nah, of course there wasn't.

Oh, and when I say "olden days" what I mean is 2006, when Matt and I were 26 YEARS OLD. Guess with that in mind it's no surprise that I'm calling "Hot Cheetos & Takis" the undeniable SONG OF THE YEAR. I always like me some odes to quality snack foods, but this one knocks all other songs right out of the park. "Hot Cheetos" has it all: a banging beat, a heartwarming backstory, and tons and tons of earworm quotables. Every verse is clever without being precocious and every kid is animated without being annoying. I LOVE how Nasir calls him mom "ma'am," how "icey flow" Frizzey Free rocks a buttoned-up polo, and how Jasiona flat-out destroys every single one of these boys but still chews her food "cause you know [she] got the manners." Listen, I'm coming to you as a guy who has zero patience for both children and puffed cheese, and this song has single-handedly made me re-evaluate my entire stance on humanity. I been watching this video since last summer and I can't imagine tiring of it. Fun, infectious, life-affirming, and delicious. CRUNCH.

Devon Booth is an editor and writer for The Heavy Duty, and the creator of the Bedroom Covers Tumblr. He also blogs on film at The Highland Cinema and all kinds of neat stuff at Monster Fresh. Follow him on Twitter @devonbooth.

Mike Foley's Soundtrack to 2012

noreply@blogger.com (d evon) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 20:01:00 +0000

By Michael Foley

It's that time of year again, where The Duty staff examines the wreckage of the 2012 music scene and see what still gets them off. Welcome to "The Breast Of 2012." Next up is Mixmaster Mike Foley:

I have soundtrack'd my life with far more detail than is necessary. I have playlists based off of who MIXED an album, let alone produced (or "recorded by" in Steve Albini's case) the damn thing. And that's before getting to stuff like band lineups or whatever. Thus, this is something of a playlist or soundtrack for my 2012. Or Spotify. Or mixtape. Whatever the hell you kids are calling it these days. 8-tracks?

"Somewhere" by Dave Brubeck

Oddly enough, the most played song on my iTunes for a good chunk of this year. I truly hate admitting this, but I thought Dave Brubeck had passed on a few years ago already. Same as Jack Klugman. For all the obvious candidates for "Musician You Think Will Live Forever" (Willie Nelson, Keith Richards), I personally would rather it was some great Jazz musician like Herbie Hancock or McCoy Tyner.

"Earache My Eye" by the Rollins Band

Spending a lot of time with Henry Rollins' catalog isn't exactly a newsflash for me. Spending time with the more obscure albums is. This is from Insert Band Here, a live album recorded in 1989. The set closes with this Cheech & Chong cover. Yes folks, he's always had a sense of humor. It might be hard to mix with all the muscle flexing and tattoos, but it is there. You think I could a fan of the guy for something like 20 years if he DIDN'T have a sense of humor?

"I Hung My Head" by Sting

Yes, I am putting Sting next to Henry Rollins on purpose here. As much as Henry jokes about Sting being music for old people, well, I'm closing in on 40 and am increasingly glad to not give a shit. So whatever. Hell, Johnny Cash thought this tune was good enough to cover. When it come to music snobbery, I would think The Man In Black owns pretty much everyone else you'd care to mention.

"Stronger" by Kelly Clarkson

If for no other reason than that car commercial she was in at the beginning of the year reminded me just how poorly Chris Berman is aging. Thanks for that Kelly, like I haven't learned to hate ESPN enough over the last decade or so. Still need to borrow this disc from my wife. As long as we're being touchy-feely here, here's a version Made In Seattle that went viral this year.

"Live To Rise" by Soundgarden

I mentioned this song in passing when discussing The Avengers back in the spring, but wanted to make a bit more mention of it here. First off, very clever to give away your first song in your Big Comeback for free. Especially tying it into one of the biggest movies ever. I know I heard one other song in passing from King Animal this year, but I don't remember the name of it. If these tracks are anything to go by, The Least Interesting Men In Grunge are back with a vengeance, and we can all get on with forgetting that album with Timbaland ever happened.

"Just What I Needed" by The Cars

I think this was the song when, surfing around the radio one day, I heard the main two local commercial rock stations (100/7 The River and 96 Rock) playing this song at the same time. I'm pretty sure it was this one. If it was "You're All I've Got Tonight" I never would've turned it to find out.

"Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen

#HatersGonnaHate #MuthafuckinRootsCrew

"Subdivisions" by Rush

I picked up this album after work one day, strangely enough the day someone almost committed suicide near my work place. Not sure how much of a coincidence that is, considering This has probably always been my favorite Rush-in-ripping-off-The Police-mode song. Am really glad they got into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, even if it often seemed people liked them more because they weren't in there. Y'know, the whole Groucho Marx thing.

"Mineral" by Buffalo Tom

I only heard this song once, but sometimes once is enough. Driving back from the venue where I got married sometime in the late spring/early summer. Made me very nostalgic for the kind of young lust/love foibles I rarely allowed myself back to have back then. That's pretty impressive if a song make you nostalgic for things that never actually happened. I agree with The Sports Guy, these guys should've been much bigger than they wound up being, soundtracking Pontiac commercials aside.

"Walt Grace's Submarine test, January 1967" by John Mayer

It would be appropriate to end on this note, since this was the best song released in 2012 that I heard, beyond question. What I said before still stands, and if anything is more true. Since that song entered my life, I'm married. Living with a truly wonderful woman and forging a new path scarcely imaginable a few years ago. If this really is a lullaby for the self, maybe our dreams can come true after all. With or without a library card.

P.S. I will delve into this more at some point, but if you weren't at my wedding this year our first song as a married couple was a cover of "I Only Have Eyes For You," sung by Mandy Barnett. I would certainly agree with the idea that says that is the most important song you could hear in a given year. Sadly, this song is not available on YouTube, otherwise we'd have a clip up. Maybe that'll be for our one-year anniversary, a gift to y'all for reading.

Michael Foley is a writer living in lovely North Carolina. Despite his various strong opinions, he does not want to tell you how to live your life. You can follow him on Twitter @wryMFTerrill

Forbidden Love: Aaron Shipp's Breast of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (hemantooth) — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 21:28:00 +0000

By Aaron Shipp

It's that time of year again, where The Duty staff examines the wreckage of the 2012 music scene and see what still gets them off. Welcome to "The Breast Of 2012." Next up is Beef Expert Aaron Shipp:

Imagine the agony when it was discovered that my lock for album of the year actually dropped in 2011 (Ume's Phantoms). It was to be the crown jewel atop a year stacked with excellent female-fronted releases. Four said acts made my list and at least four or five more come to mind that could've made an argument (Metric, St. Vincent, etc). Alas, the Austin trio would not have their fleeting moment in the warmth of my sun because, if I'm anything, I'm a man of rules. So know, as you digest my humble offering to this year's Breast Of.., that my heart belongs to another but our love is forbidden.

10. Best Coast - The Only Place

I typically like my music (all art really) like I like my coffee: dark and regretful. Consentino's voice is so perfectly placed within this surf-pop sound though, that it's impossible not to appreciate. The cleaner production this time around casts the whole album in such a childlike innocence, you can forgive the lyrics reading like a down syndrome memoir. My #10 spot is usually reserved for the album that didn't blow my mind but never left the rotation out of pure spite. The Only Place is no exception this year.

9. Unsane - Wreck

Contrary to my opinion on this year's Neurosis release, I actually like this slightly subdued version of Unsane. Granted, they still sound like a Tuesday evening nightstick beating, but the strikes are measured. You could call it a "matured" sound but that's not quite accurate when categorizing something as raw and apathetic as an Unsane album. So we'll call it "self-aware" and trust you understand that the designation only implies a motive behind the malice.

8. Amenra - Mass V

As previously stated, Honor Found in Decay was a little too Eye of Every Storm for me. Thankfully, Amenra came through to fill the power vacuum, lessening the disappointment from one of many bands who were supposed to crush it this year (I'm looking at you Baroness). Mass V has moments that warrant a top three contention on my list this year, but those moments occasionally serve in highlighting the missed opportunities and choices that make you wonder if the band "gets" what they're doing yet (even after four albums). It makes sense that a Neurot disciple would pick the baton up from the ground and finish the marathon after a Neurosis stumble, but they're only here for that reason.

7. The Mynabirds - Generals

First of the "homer" picks, except it's not. This is a legitimately good album with all the production and presence of a Billboard chart topper. Laura Burhenn's wild-west drawl is both assertive and sexy over 70's spiked dance rock. Generals is a confident and versatile album that I still feel should land The Mynabirds an opener spot for The Black Keys, 'cause they'd sound great together.

6. Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel...

Fiona Apple is on a level equal to the great songwriters of all time. Until The Idler Wheel..., I had often wondered how much of the songwriting process was Apple's. When the Pawn... and Extraordinary Machine are such complex albums, layered with all kinds of studio magic, that it's hard to believe she wrote every element of them. The music of those albums is almost like a backdrop constructed for her emotional soapbox; a coffee shop for her poetry. The Idler Wheel..., wonderful in it's "girl and a piano" simplicity, cements what I'd always felt but never could prove: that Fiona Apple is a siren. She does what all great songwriters do: beckon you with sweet melodies to bash you against the rocks of their angst. How easily the achievements of Tidal were forgotten after the tumult of her successive albums, but The Idler Wheel... reminds me that this girl has the chops necessary to slide a knife across my throat with a lullaby.

5. Conduits - Self-Titled

I'm incredibly proud that something so full and methodical came out of Omaha. We get a lot of good indie rock and folk; quick hit stuff that goes good with shots and conversation. We rarely get a slow burner around here (sup Back When), so not only is Conduits self titled release really, really, good but it's also unique. They straddle several different genres and time periods with a progressive shoegazer approach and the result is hypnotic. Pleasant and perilous, this album is a Summer night garden party laced with cyanide.

4. Cursive - I Am Gemini

Feeling a little raw from the abundance of Omaha love? Sorry, can't help it. I'm very mindful that Heavy Duty is on the internet and, as such, has a worldwide audience so I always weigh my local picks with greater measure. With that, all three of my homeboy picks still hit the list and it's the aspiration of I Am Gemini that lands Cursive in the four hole. A fervent proponent of concept albums, the mere attempt will always incite applause from me. So a successful execution really gives me the douche pimples. While the concept itself may be a little less than original, it's flushed out with great song after great song. I really expected this album to get more national praise, but I think most critics and fans are still comparing Cursive to Domestica or The Ugly Organ and, as such, never gave Gemini a fair shake.

3. Pinback - Information Retrieved

This album nearly missed the Top Ten altogether until two days ago when I revisited it and had my mind blown. Funny what expectations will do to you and, after Autumn of the Seraphs, I was expecting a bouncy, hooky follow-up. Information Retrieved is no such animal. It's a depressed offering through acknowledgments and denials. My main bitch (again, until recently) was that the songs never reached the heights they could so obviously touch. Like Hasheem Thabeet refusing to touch the rim, the hooks were right there, all Pinback had to do was reach out and grab them. I've since realized that the restraint is the point. The depressed tone is not conveyed through action and words but of absence and, especially after the smorgasbord of Autumn..., it works really well. Hollow and frustrated, I assumed Information Retrieved was a failure instead of the perfectly executed bummer it actually is.

2. Deftones - Koi no Yokan

Nobody told Deftones that they're not supposed to be relevant anymore. So they keep tweaking their sound and releasing killer albums that are true to their roots but mature in a way that results in truly unique offerings. How songs can be so heavy and yet so melodic is a goddamn mystery. Such is the Deftones essence, their "sound" now. Koi no Yokan is an opus to this specific brand of 90's throwback/expansion and, if you haven't heard the Deftones since White Pony (or god forbid Around the Fur), you need to see what they've become.

1. Torche - Harmonicraft

Qualifications for Greatest Album of All Time must, MUST, include the enjoyment of every song on said album. You can not include a candidate that harbors even a single song that you skip in repeated listenings. This is where all debates regarding the subject should begin and you'd be surprised at how many great bands are eliminated from the discussion. You'd also be amazed at the bands who make the list. Of course, there's many more prerequisites that must be met before an album can be crowned Greatest of All Time, but Harmonicraft (the latest drop from a band I heartily enjoy but wouldn't necessarily consider legendary) would gracefully clear that first hurdle. I love every track. Torche's blend of metal and melody makes for a unique and unmistakable identity. Their albums continue to improve upon the formula and now, the synthesis is seamless. Crunchy but groovy, aggressive but jaunty, Harmonicraft is fun, pivotal, and simply awesome all the way through. It's also my favorite album of 2012.

Aaron Shipp is a writer living in Omaha. Catch up on his various projects at shipp.wordpress.com.

The Worst Metal Albums of the Year: Jonas McKinley's Best of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (hemantooth) — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 20:35:00 +0000

By Jonas McKinley

It's that time of year again, where The Duty staff examines the wreckage of the 2012 music scene and see what still gets them off. Welcome to "The Best Of 2012." First up, Yanni stalker Jonas McKinley:

The Top Ten Worst Metal Albums of 2012, in no particular order:

Titus Andronicus – Local Business
The gentle rocker "(I Am The) Electric Man" could be Neil Young in an alternate universe where Neil Young writes songs that people want to sing along to. And so goes an album that starts very British Punk with echoes of the The Clash and grinds to a soothing halt with the aforementioned Electric Man and "Tried to Quit Smoking." It’s a set consisting of a tight ten (explanation later), with every song carving a distinct place. Listen to: "In a Big City," "Titus Andronicus vs. the Absurd Universe."

St. Lucia – St. Lucia EP
St. Lucia is a one-man-band. That man is Jean-Philiip Grobler. Neither have a Wikipedia page. That will change over the next year if this EP has anything to say about it. A one-man-band that uses synths almost exclusively should be a DJ. A DJ that uses synths this well is really a producer. The album plays like a soundtrack for a top notch 80’s comedy/thriller. Producer Grobler masterminds my favorite single of the year, "All Eyes On You," an exquisite dalliance that will have you using words like “dalliance.” This “album” is an EP. I expanded my criteria to include EPs this year as a show of support for what should be the dominant way to compile songs in another 5 years. Why bands insist on 17 track albums anymore is beyond me. My advice is to stick to a “tight ten.” The best albums have 5 or 6 amazing tracks and 4 or 5 niche tracks that deserve to be heard. The rest is filler. Stop wasting time on filler, pick your ten best (less if you plan to release bonus tracks) or just release an EP. That is all.

Mumford & Sons – Babel
Most successful bands blow their sophomore albums. After touring incessantly on their first record, playing every song dutifully, they cannot help but long to play something completely different. Their newfound hubris also leads to questionable creative choices and loads of experimentation. The most successful bands know when they are on to something and can artfully exploit it. Love them or hate them, Mumford & Sons sound different than everything else in the Top 40. Babel is the rare sophomore album that is indistinguishable from the first album, but still completely relevant. In movie terms, it is Batman Returns. Not as surprising as the first but just as enjoyable. At times, they feel like a poor man’s The Frames, but mostly they hold their own and then some. Their sound may go stale soon, but give them credit for stumbling onto a sound that holds up over two full albums. And yes, it is all about the banjo (and occasional explicit lyrics). Listen to: "I Will Wait, Lovers’ Eyes" and "Broken Crown."

K’naan – Country, God or the Girl
Maybe I’m missing something, but even a release from Nasir “Hip Hop is Dead” Jones didn’t move the dial for me in what I consider a down year in hip hop. K’naan saves the day with this one. My first listen to this album had me counting potential singles, songs universally appealing and catchy. Beware, there are hooks galore on this one. The best hip hop records seamlessly incorporate a bevy of samples and contributors while moving the bar on what a hip hop record should sound like. Eclectic to say the least, he works with Bono, Nelly Furtado, Keith Richards and, coincidentally, Nas to create a sound influenced by world music and all his own. Rather than succumb to the pressures of current EDM-inflenced production, this album sounds unplugged in comparison. The only thing missing is a true banger, but that is excusable. Standouts: "Better," "Bulletproof Ride," and "The Sound of My Breaking Heart."

Matisyahu – Spark Seeker
Forget everything you thought you knew about Matisyahu. Orthodox Jew? Not really. Bearded? Nope. Gimmicky white rapper? Now so much more! His debut was interesting if for no other reason than the fact that it featured a bearded Hasidic Jew rapping. The music in retrospect was pedestrian. Now with none of the gimmicks at his disposal he turns in the best album of his career. It’s soulful, uplifting and even danceable at times. The reggae influence still plays heavily in his affected singing style, but much like Everlast doing anything, he kinda pulls it off. The beatbox/saxophone interlude "Summer Wind" is the kind of fun you have as an adult in a bounce house. "Tel Aviv’n" contains the line, “I’m on my way on a camel with my shades.” So, yeah. Standout tracks include: "Live Like a Warrior," and "Breath Easy." Take everything you just heard about Matisyahu and give him a chance, but not a Christmas present.

Bruce Springsteen – Wrecking Ball
Jimmy Fallon did something interesting and unprecedented earlier this year. He dedicated an entire week to Bruce Springsteen in celebration of 3 years of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. If you missed it, it’s worth a Google. It was spectacular and a perfect synopsis of where Springsteen finds himself. As a reminder, Bruce Springsteen is alive. It was not a Bruce Springsteen tribute. The man himself was heavily involved. He’s a living icon. And yet he’s still at the top of his game and taking part in late night television stunts. It’s like Michael Jordan coming out of retirement to win three NBA championships. Jordan was already arguably the best basketball player that ever lived and he came back and only added to his legacy. Wrecking Ball is one of those bonus championships. Bruce is inspired by the plight of the working man and after 4 years of the worst recession in our nation’s history, this is inspired music full of his trademark conviction. Having seen him live just a few weeks ago, (check out Aaron's review of the Omaha show here) I think it is safe to say he has a few more championships left. Listen to: "Wrecking Ball," "We Are Alive" and "Death to My Hometown."

Japandroids – Celebration Rock
My only problem with Japandroids? My favorite lyrics in my favorites songs are the song titles, the two word song titles. Singing “through the cold, pissing rain” may be what the cool kids are doing, but who wants to be cool if that’s the scenario? There is good news however. Usually, the lyrics are indecipherable and the music is great. This is what I consider garage rock and if done well (as it is here) the angst is palpable and the energy undeniable. Celebration Rock is your new go-to air drums record, to be used to bludgeon the interior of your commuter vehicle. Try it, you’ll like it™ (Yo Gabba Gabba). Standout tracks: "Younger Us," "The House That Heaven Built," & "Continuous Thunder." Total number of tracks? Eight. Now, that’s what I’m talking about™ (Yo Gabba Gabba).

Metric – Synthetica
Emily Haines! Let’s be clear, a female lead singer should be the goal of any new rock band. In the absence of a talented female lead and only then should a male singer be considered. Emily Haines is 2012’s Exhibit A. I have listened to this album more than any other album on this list. There’s no quit in this album. It is beautiful and mesmerizing, like watching snow fall under a street light. One of my favorite female singers ever is Stevie Nicks and this album reminds me of Fleetwood Mac’s underrated Tango in the Night. "The Void" is a modern "Little Lies." "The Wanderlust" casts nicely as "Seven Wonders" and so on. Every year there is an album that I think should be wildly successful that meets instead with modest to disappointing results. I fear this year Metric may be suffering that fate despite an amazing female lead singer and deserving album. Listen to: "Breathing Underwater," "Dreams So Real" and "Clone."

Fun. – Some Nights
Raise your hand if you love Fun. (band)! Raise your hand if you listened to and loved their first album! Raise your hand if you listened to and loved The Format! Raise your hand if you wish there was some award for discovering bands before they hit their stride and put out their best music! Did I listen to and love The Format? Sure. Was it anywhere near as good as the music Nate Ruess & Co. put on Some Nights? Nope. So what changed to take a great singer who wrote good songs and make him and his new band a breakout act? A one-man-band…er producer of course. You see Nate knew their sound needed to be bigger/better if they were going to make it and sought out hip hop producer Jeff Bhasker (Kanye West, Beyonce, Natalia Kills, etc). It worked, with a fresh pop sound and Nate’s dynamic range (possibly the best live pop voice I’ve ever heard) they dominated the charts in 2012. I defy anyone to listen to this album and not hum it later. Fun puns intentionally withheld, this album is everything that is good in pop music in 2012. Listen to: "Some Nights," "Out on the Town" and "One Foot."

Shiny Toy Guns – III
My taste in music is probably obvious at this point. When people ask what music I like I have stopped with the “everything” nonsense and moved on to “pretty music.” Pretty Music transcends all genres. I can listen to any type of music so long as it is pleasing to the ears. Everything above is pretty music. Shiny Toy Guns make pretty music. If you are not familiar with them, they are a more dance-oriented Garbage, sort of a Garbage 2.0. After a hiatus by co-lead singer Carah Faye Charnow and a good, but not great second album in her absence, III is a return to form. I like everything about this album (admittedly more than probably anyone else). From the opening "Somewhere to Hide," with its synth pulse and Carah’s strong vocal to the more industrial "Speaking Japanese" to the achingly tender duet "Wait For Me." This is music you would play to impress a girl (or a guy with good taste). Standout tracks: see All.

Follow Jonas on Twitter (@betteroffjonas) and help him understand how anyone could enjoy Death Metal.

Cover Wars: Behind Blue Eyes

noreply@blogger.com (d evon) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 19:56:00 +0000

By Michael Foley

If you were to distill The Who down to one essential song, you'd have a lot of options. I'd give my vote to "Behind Blue Eyes" from Who's Next. Not saying it's my favorite song of theirs, it's not even my favorite song off that album. But if you were trying to parse their balance of brawny musical technique and thematic ambitions, it'd be hard to beat this one. Before we delve too far in, here's your clip:

It's no hyperbole to say this is some of the most visceral poetry you're ever going to get in a rock lyric. It's a postcard from the edge of a guy who's not sure he has anything left to lose. His quiet desperation is mirrored in the first few minutes of the song, just the vocals (Daltrey's lament-filled verses buffered well by the backing vocals) and the mournful acoustic guitar. Thus, when we get to the power chords and Daltrey wanting the listener to "put your finger down my throat" it's like he's bumping up against the very evil he's trying so desperately not to swallow. The Entwistle/Moon rhythm section, unsurprisingly, kills as well. Having been largely absent for the hushed beginnings, their pent-up energy finds its release throughout the second half of the song.

It's crucial to remember this song was supposed to be the centerpiece for the Lifehouse rock opera Townshend has played with off and on since the '70s and I can see why the struggle has taken up so much of Townshend's career. Look at that set list, aren't they a disproportionately large percentage of the Who songs we really care about? If we assume that Lifehouse is the story Townshend has most wanted to tell, and "Behind Blues Eyes" was its center, might this be the single most important song he ever wrote? I may like "Bargain" or "Baba O'Riley" or "Won't Get Fooled Again" more, but if we're thinking in terms of his overall body of work as a writer then I would think that's the distilled essence of what Townshend's been going for all these decades. Taking the power and muscle of rock and adding an inquisitive mind and sensitive heart.

It's a testament to his skill as a writer that what could be his most insular song is possibly his most universal. Unfortunately, the problem with such universality is you might not like what people do with it. Say, Fred Durst? Here's the Limp Bizkit cover no one asked for:

I do have to give Fred credit for either knowing some truly deep album cut rock history, or just being very very lucky here. The way Lifehouse was originally conceived, "Behind Blue Eyes" was not only the centerpiece but also the perspective of the story's villain. If the song would (presumably) make us feel more sympathetic to an nominally villainous character, it makes more than a little sense that possibly the single most hated music personality of the last 15 years would feel a need to cover the song. At some point, having such anger directed at you has to be wearying, regardless of what your bank accounts or drug dealers or groupies may tell you.

That said, yeah this isn't good. No, the modern production can't improve on anything of the original. No, the playing isn't particularly noteworthy. No, Durst's vocals are every bit as useless as you'd expect them to be. No, I don't understand the point of the Speak & Spell where the guitar solo was--hell, I wasn't even that curious to know what the damn thing was spelling. Just... no.

Speaking of people whose careers peaked in the '90s, Sheryl Crow did a version too, which almost HAS to be better than this, right?

The modern production flourishes aren't as lunkheaded as the Bizkit version. Sure, it's a little too dressed up with those keyboards. But keeping the thrust of the song with an acoustic guitar and forlorn vocal before the release of the latter half of the song hews close enough to the original to not risk blasphemy. Mind you, she's generally been good at (and rarely given credit for) treading the line between reverence and worthy risk when it comes to covers. The ticking of the drum-machine-as-clock may or may not work for you the listener as a metaphor for the desperation of the lyric here (since this version comes from Californication, your feelings about David Duchovny and/or sex addiction may factor in here as well as your feelings about Mama Crow), I would concede. But unlike Limp Bizkit, at least she's unafraid to tackle the Big Rock Flourish of the song without hiding behind irony, apathy or ennui.

The Sunday Cool Down Shuffle: I'll Think of a Clever Title Next Week Edition

noreply@blogger.com (d evon) — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 22:01:00 +0000

This is a feature post for The Duty known as The Sunday Cool Down Shuffle. We load up the iTunes, hit shuffle, and write about the first ten songs that come up, no matter what. Got it?

By Devon Booth

10. "Apology Accepted" - The Go-Betweens The first Go-Bees song I heard. Great lyrics.

9. "Mangoes & Goats" - Death Piggy "When I think of mangoes I think of goats / When I think of goats I think of you!" And speaking of lyrics, Dave Brockie is a genius!

8. "Jason's Basement" - The Gossip One time I saw The Gossip's guitarist hailing a cab. I was almost like, "Hey, I got your record for free and I don't listen to that much. So nice to meet you!"

7. "Blown a Wish" - My Bloody Valentine I think Kevin Shield's tone is making me carsick.

6. "Brandy Alexander" - Feist Seems like brandy would require a lot of accessories. Special glasses and ascots, at least, and probably a tweed sportcoat and leather chair. All worthwhile investments.

5. "Titanium Expose" - Sonic Youth Remember when they put this in the trailer for The Ninth Gate? Remember The Ninth Gate?

4. "Metal Sheet" - Second Layer Adrian Borland wrote so much great music that I don't need to listen to half of it.

3. "Let's Go Away" - The Wipers Anyone working on a Greg Sage documentary? Send me your Kickstarter link, I'm in for $10.

2. "Erase" - Neurosis & Jarboe I wonder how much of this record was written before Neurosis knew it'd be a Jarboe collaboration, and then how much was tweaked once she came on board.

1. "Interlude" - Math One In the New Year I'd like to record some music like this. Unfortunately, I don't own recording software and I don't know how to write songs. Here's some more Math One:

Devon Booth is an editor and writer for The Heavy Duty, and the creator of the Bedroom Covers Tumblr. He also blogs on film at The Highland Cinema and all kinds of neat stuff at Monster Fresh. Follow him on Twitter @devonbooth.

The Heavy Duty Hall of Fame: Shout-Outs

noreply@blogger.com (d evon) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 20:34:00 +0000

By The Heavy Duty Staff

No need to fake the funk, we stole the Heavy Duty Hall of Fame straight from Grantland's own YouTube Hall of Fame. Each week one of us from the Heavy Duty staff will pick a topic near and dear to our hearts and the rest of us (and sometimes a special guest / close friend / highest bidder) will weigh in with a YouTube vid/clever pic and our extra-special commentary. This week we choose...Shout-Outs!

Tune: Suicidal Tendencies - "Institutionalized"
Shout-Out: Pepsi

Matthew Timmons: I owned a skateboard for two weeks before it was stolen, I look ridiculous in bandannas, and Venice isn't my kind of town. But I would much rather drink a soda than do drugs, so I totally relate to what Mikey is going through here.

Tune: Ol' Dirty Bastard - "I Can't Wait"
Shout-Out: Everyone

Michael Foley: I can't tell if the copious amount of shouting out at the end was supposed to be (a) a parody of the concept of shouting out, (b) the ultimate exercise in shouting out, or (c) something in between. Since we're talking about the ODB, I'm going to go with (c). You never knew what you were going to get with that guy, and I would posit that as part of what made him so compelling. And who doesn't love hearing the theme From TJ Hooker retooled for Da Club? I am particularly fond of the shout-outs to the various Armed Forces (keep in mind, this was pre-9/11, when such gestures were not NEARLY as commonplace as they've since become) with the best saved for last: "...and, uh, myself." RIP Big Baby Jesus, you mad genius you.

Tune: Necro - "Nirvana"
Shout-Out: ~~Rick Ross~~ ~~Rick Ross~~ Rick Rock

Devon Booth: In the first verse, Necro's all, "...listen to Ozzy over Rick Ross chords..." and when I heard that I thought, "Holy shit, Necro is triple-A AMAZING" because I'd spent the previous four years reading everything I could about the People's Temple and the Children of God and MK Ultra and I was straight-up elated that a rap dude from Brooklyn with songs like "Your Fucking Head Split" and "Vaginal Secretions" would name-drop cult awareness researcher Rick Ross in a song sandwiched between Silence of the Lamb samples and odes to Charlie Manson. It wasn't until much, much, much later that it dawned on me that, wait a minute, Necro was probably talking about a whole 'nother Rick Ross, like the hip-hop/C.O. Rick Ross or the South Central drug lord Rick Ross, and definitely not the Rick Ross who was on Donahue and fell victim to a smear campaign by the Church of Scientology. Damn. I projected my tiny worldview onto a thuggish maniac and chumped myself hard. Thought I couldn't feel any more naive about it 'til late last night when I Google searched "Necro Pre-Fix for Death Rick Ross" and saw that it's actually "...listen to Ozzy over Rick Rock's chords..." Wait, wha??? Who the fuck is Rick Rock?!? Shout-outs are bullshit.

Tune: 2Pac - "I Get Around"
Shout-Out: Michelob

Aaron Shipp: "Weekends was made for Michelob": dopest product placement ever written. Crazy how an ultra-violent period of hip-hop made some of the most fun party jams of all time. It's impossible not to get in a lively spirit when this song starts and, by its end, not be grinding whatever structure or person you can find. You could cite the Digital Underground shout-out at the beginning too, if you wanted, but I will always prefer to think of Tupac Shakur as the most successful of the Oakland squad, having never truly left.

The Sunday Cool Down Shuffle: Word Count Edition

noreply@blogger.com (d evon) — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 20:10:00 +0000

This is a feature post for The Duty known as The Sunday Cool Down Shuffle. We load up the iTunes, hit shuffle, and write about the first ten songs that come up, no matter what. Got it?

By Devon Booth

10. "Chaka Khan" - Ollie Byrd Hey, it's Ollie Byrd! I found this guy when I was searching for videos to put on my Bedroom Covers Tumblr page. I really liked his slightly gruff and always endearing voice, and I love how he covered a Til Tuesday song without a trace of irony. His original songs turned out to be really cool too, and in a world where Pitchfork, AV Club, and millions upon thousands upon millions of blogs wear you out on every artist before you've even heard of 'em, I can't tell you how much fun it was to simply stumble upon a guy and find out you really like his stuff.

9. "Grotto of Miracles" - Silkworm Back in my late-late-teens I wanted to publish my own Mark Prindle-style record review website so I spent a bunch of nights sitting in my bedroom, staring at my CD collection, and writing about bands until the Dr. Pepper supply ran dry. I remember that I opened my review of Libertine by saying it was "Silkworm's artistic record." Ha! "Artistic." What does that even mean? Just thinking about it makes me a little glad I never learned HTML and carried that project to term. I can't imagine all the insufferable and pretentious things the younger me had to say, and all the blushing the older me would do when I re-read those things. Worse, my attitude toward Use Your Illusion II and ICP's Jeckyl Brothers was one of pure fawning, I tell you. Fawning. Being an almost-adult on the internet sure doesn't age well.

8. "Let 'Em Go Matt" - Nighthawks You guys should check out Maniac, this short film where Cage murders a woman in the snow and shoots a man in the stomach. I think it's just as good as 1980's original Maniac, but far less enjoyable than the Maniac II promo reel Buddy Giovinazzo made a half-decade later. Whenever I watch Buddy's seven minute promo thingy I can't get over what a shame it is that this sequel never came to fruition. Guy's a great director, and has become one of my favorites the more I think about him. The few films he's made are bleak and despondent, but there's a real empathy and honesty to them, and a sense that he has a genuine compulsion to tell these stories of broken-down addicts and teenage prostitutes.

7. "The Face of Oblivion" - High on Fire High on Fire's in town this week. Pretty excited even though I can't remember what happened the last time I saw them.

6. "The Great Escape" - The Chills Steve McQueen was, like, 32 when he made The Great Escape. Can you believe that? At best, the guy looked like he was in his mid-forties and nowadays our hunky Hollywood stars are all five decades in with heads of luxurious blond hair and smooth, smooth foreheads. Let's hear it for the creams and the modern science, out there doing the Lord's work.

5. "Leave Me Alone" - Lou Reed One time I sat in my cubicle and vowed to stay seated until I'd listened to all four sides of Metal Machine Music.

4. "I'm a Little Dinosaur" - Jonathan Richman Raptors can open doors. Watch the fuck out.

3. "Do It Again" - Queens of the Stone Age Homme's a sexy motherfucker, but I bet he's a real asshole.

2. "Wall of Death" - Richard & Linda Thompson Sometimes my fantasy is to live a hundred miles outside the city and only listen to John Prine and Richard Thompson.

1. "Tiny Cities Made of Ashes" - Modest Mouse Earlier today I read this unbelievably sad post on Julia Sweeney's blog where she wrote about her dog who died a few weeks back. After a lot of the sad parts she wrote, "Now, as I type this, his ashes are sitting on my desk." I guess now, as I type this, that last sentence is tremendously sad as well, but it also makes me wonder what I would do if I had a pet who passed. It's a heartbreaking thought, that of a pet dying, and one that I keep in mind when I crouch down to pet a stray and smile when I think of getting one of my own. Someday, after fifteen years of sleeping on my bed and following me down my hallway, he'll yowl with sickness and we'll make an emergency midnight drive to the nearest animal hospital. Then, once dawn breaks, I'll trudge across the empty parking lot and come home alone, so very, very alone. I'll take the next few days off work, throw his still-warm carrier in the dumpster, and tear up when I don't hear the jingle of his flea collar when I unlock the front door. Three months later, I'll have to pull the refrigerator away from the wall or fish some boots out of the hall closet and when I see those dusty clumps of cat hair on the hardwood floors I just know I'll break down all over again.

In other news, Modest Mouse! A cool band. Surprised I never listened to them more.

Devon Booth is an editor and writer for The Heavy Duty, and the creator of the Bedroom Covers Tumblr. He also blogs on film at The Highland Cinema and all kinds of neat stuff at Monster Fresh. Follow him on Twitter @devonbooth.

The Heavy Duty Hall of Fame: Dynamic Duos

noreply@blogger.com (d evon) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 21:37:00 +0000

By The Heavy Duty Staff

No need to fake the funk, we stole the Heavy Duty Hall of Fame straight from Grantland's own YouTube Hall of Fame. Each week one of us from the Heavy Duty staff will pick a topic near and dear to our hearts and the rest of us (and sometimes a special guest / close friend / highest bidder) will weigh in with a YouTube vid/clever pic and our extra-special commentary. This week, with Fleetwood Mac reuniting for the 17th time, we choose...Dynamic Duos!

Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing

Matthew Timmons: One of my least favorite aspects of metal, which progressively gets worse as the years go on, is this idea that you have to mean-mug it up at all times and act like the whole process is some hellish nightmare in order to be legit. Granted, it's hard to keep a strong rageface with Halford Les Miz'n it across the stage in front of you, but, I've always loved how much fun Tipton and Downing seemed to be having in Judas Priest. It's metal because of the red-leather and the studs and the low-E played at lightning speed, but it's really just brothers having fun with pointy guitars who are in on the bit. At least I think they are, right?

James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich

Michael Foley: I was sorely tempted to put McCartney/Lennon here, but there's been too much public hash made out of who did or didn't write which song over the last few decades for my tastes. At some point you just get tired of wondering who had a bigger slice of the second-to-last track from Revolver or Rubber Soul. Clearly, they are the best musical duo ever by most any rational metric, but for all its dysfunction I prefer their metal equivalent: James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. The partnership of Hetfield & Ulrich is one of the few you could even begin to compare it to, but neither Lennon nor McCartney helped coin the phrase "drinking the wasabi," so there you go.

I always loved the quaint charm of these two writing riff/lyrics and getting their "input" from the others, like there really was some weird metal version of the Batcave where they did their work. Sure, this "input" rarely merited them sharing the songwriting credit and you can certainly question those ethics to some extent. But at the end of the day it created "Harvester Of Sorrow" so you can only hate it so much. Even when guys like Cliff and Dave were in the band, every single song went through everyone's favorite surly Californian and goofy Dane before you could put the Metallica name on it. Love it or hate it, it is unquestionably theirs.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone

Devon Booth: Trey Parker has his name on everything and Matt Stone has his on next to nothing, which is why these guys have the best partnership in all of show biz. Those credits say to me, "Sure, I'm Trey Parker, and I may write all the songs, set up all the shots, and do all the voices, but if it wasn't for this guy right there, this guy with the second-and third-billings I wouldn't be able do any of it." Real friendship, folks. It's the best.

Hall & Oates

Aaron Shipp: It was a relief, for everyone eating in the San Luis Obispo Applebees, when it all came to an end. Those of us awe-stricken over a basket of riblets or mid-bite through a quesadilla burger were finally allowed prioritization of mastication. What started it all is only known to those immediately involved: Daryl Hall and John Oates. What followed was a hiccup, a temporary diversion of a calm stream, witnessed and felt by everyone. It was a collective dodging of a bullet. Their conversation had been largely inaudible to the surrounding patrons but, when John said, with a glare over the raised Oriental Chicken Rollup, "You're such a fag," it was heard by all. Spring defies Winter. Darkness refuses to cede to light. These are the kind of disturbances on par with a disbandment of the best songwriting duo ever conceived. Their chemistry is at a genetic level, their partnership predestined by the stars. Theirs is the work of the divine and the mere threat of it ending, well, the completion of a Wednesday late lunch no longer mattered. With baited breath, we waited for a response, for any sign of disastrous escalation.

"Only for you." replied Daryl, followed by a soothing smile.

My remaining buffalo wings never tasted so good.

The Heavy Duty Hall of Fame: Christmas Music

noreply@blogger.com (d evon) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 21:38:00 +0000

By The Heavy Duty Staff

No need to fake the funk, we stole the Heavy Duty Hall of Fame straight from Grantland's own YouTube Hall of Fame. Each week one of us from the Heavy Duty staff will pick a topic near and dear to our hearts and the rest of us (and sometimes a special guest / close friend / highest bidder) will weigh in with a YouTube vid/clever pic and our extra-special commentary. This week, with holidays in the air, we choose...Christmas Music!

Los Straitjackets - 'Tis the Season for Los Straitjackets

Matthew Timmons: This will be no surprise to anyone, but if I’m going to enjoy any kind of Christmas related music, it’s going to be guitar instrumentals. And nobody does it better than Los Straitjackets. These guys surf-up and reverb-drench the most whitebread, boring holiday bullshit thrown at them and make it the only time your head doesn’t want to cave in on itself at your work holiday party. Since they can pull this off, I’m pretty sure they could cover most depressing music possible and make you wanna to make out with Sally Field while listening. That’s talent.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Michael Foley: It's perhaps on the obvious side, but Vince Guarldi's soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas gets my vote here. Aside from the expected holiday-themed tracks, it has "Linus & Lucy" on it. You can complain all you want about how the characters have been licensed out to an obnoxious degree or how seeing old Peanuts strips in the newspaper (remember those, kids?) is some indictment of our culture at large. You'd be wrong (read one of the Fantagraphic reissues of old Peanuts sometime, it's shocking how subversive a lot of that stuff was and still is), but go ahead and complain. It's the holiday season, after all, and that is much a holiday staple as standing in a long line or "re-purposing" a gift.

Back to "Linus & Lucy" for a second. For my money it's quite possibly the best melody in music history, certainly on the short list. I can see where it might have too much of a lounge vibe for some listeners. But man, how can you not have a smile on your face listening to it? How is that physically possible? Maybe it's the unencumbered dorkiness whenever you see kids dancing to it, not caring in the best way possible. If only that sort of comfort in our own skin was the main takeaway from this time of year, we'd probably all be a bit better off. Though if it's not, I have a list on Amazon of you want to buy me something. That'll work as well, I tend to be pretty cheap.

John Denver & The Muppets - A Christmas Together

Devon Booth: John Denver with schmaltz, Miss Piggy with sass. Only Christmas record YOU NEED.

Mannheim Steamroller

Aaron Shipp: Mannheim Steamroller used to be a hot commodity around Omaha because Chip Davis (2nd cousin to George Lucas and Rip Torn) is from here. Close to eight thousand different musicians were commissioned to orchestrate Chip's first Christmas album and 7,937 lived to tell the tale. Day and night, the musicians were called upon to play measure after measure. Chip's appetite for perfection was insatiable and only when they would curl over dead (or dying) would the unpaid, volunteer UNO student musicians be allowed to retire. It was a brutal production, one that eventually yielded the hottest turd to cling against the scrotum of Omaha. I have to endure this shit every year. Every year. You think Mannheim Steamroller is so novel? Find it to be the quintessential Christmas music, do ya? I say you can have it, sadist.

They're Not Booing, They're Saying "BRUUUUUCE."

noreply@blogger.com (hemantooth) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 19:13:00 +0000

Picture stolen from the internet and not from the show reviewed.

By Aaron Shipp

This is exactly where a newly single 33 year-old man who spends every waking moment sprinting in pursuit of youth wants to be: surrounded by middle aged men and women dancing like maimed mummies, reanimated by rock. Gone from them are the hard lived days of youth, the very hardships that once fueled a young Springsteen. The race is over. Tonight, the Century Link Center in Omaha brims with Audi car keys and fresh prescriptions of Cialis. True, there are a number of innocents here, but it’s difficult to imagine they came of their own volition. These kids, all of them, were drug here under the false pretenses of their parents’ nostalgia. “Concert” means many things to different generations. For me, it’s a splendid morass. For many brood-lings: a chance to stay up late. For their parents, it’s a celebration of those times once fueled by anthems of suicide machines. At best, this entire affair is no longer about the struggle but of the victory overcoming it. At worst, it is an expensive farce.

It’s low hanging fruit to attack a musician who’s come to represent blue collar misfortune (never more so than now, during a recession) for $75 ticket prices and overpriced beer. Considering that we’re talking about an artist whose wheelhouse has been perseverance for decades now - long before it was a current event - such attacks are laughable. Bruce Springsteen is a road dog, a musician’s musician whose wealth and success seemingly never went to his head. An uncanny understanding of people has forged a catalog of Americana and his ageless ability to excite a crowd is only fully realized in a venue of this size. We’re moments into the show and already he’s singing “Hungry Heart” in a mass of hands and smiles. The eighteen(?) piece E Street Band is heralding the end of heartache behind him. Lights are panning toward the heavens. There’s not a bad seat in the house. Part of the art is the performance and a manipulation of this magnitude is truly impressive.

And it is a manipulation.

This is all a theatrical manipulation of the spirit and your level of enjoyment relies on how willing you are to be washed away by it all. Have you come for the sincere songwriter or the carefully choreographed theatrics? Do you really believe that these signs in the audience, supposed requests from fans, are truly improvisations in the making or are the perfectly synced, elaborate lights slowly tearing a hole in the charade? Is this young girl in the “I Love Bruce” shirt truly such a fan, at the age of (maybe) seven, that she not only knows the words to this ten year-old Boss song, but is also so unwavered by the ocean of people before her that she can belt out a few choruses without the slightest inhibition? (No.)

The theatrics of it all colludes with the recurring subject matter and I’m forced to check my cynicism. It’s easy to forget that I’m categorizing one of America’s original legends in with a general distaste for the rampant plastic patriotism that’s commercialized these days. This is the man who wrote “Born in the U.S.A.” for crying out loud. How dare I accuse the guy who wrote that song as cashing in on patriotism? He took an entire country to task and managed to make a hit single out of it to boot! He is not Toby Keith. Springsteen’s product is not 'MURICA. No, his style has even more appeal to an even greater audience. It plays to the priceless and personal. It’s nostalgia.

Did anyone realize back when “Glory Days” was a fresh single that Springsteen was foreshadowing what his entire career would obsess over? As he’s narrating the first of many Jersey anecdotes between songs, it’s finally apparent to me. Memories are a powerful thing. Folk, rock, country, blues, nearly all genres of music appeal to the past but it’s those special songwriters that permeate the specificity of their own history and use their experiences to elicit a response. Deeper than the theatrics, beyond the choreography and faux improv is Springsteen’s gift to do just that. He has a list longer than your leg of anthems and biographies retelling the tales of fictitious heroes and romantic villains, but his historically sincere “voice of the people” lends credence where there normally would be none.

It dismisses the monetization of patriotism and financial depression.

It makes a shallow arena show credible.

Musicians have their style, hook, etc., and Springsteen’s just happens to be regret and reminiscence. At the end of the day, sincerity doesn't matter. This is a celebration for those who've earned it. None of these people in the audience are looking for an anthem to further them along the road of perseverance. They’re simply looking for their money’s worth and God bless each and every one of their tender, silver heads. For this is the old guard, people who play by the original rules. What these folk know of piracy is that it exists, that is all. They know nothing of torrents, Usenet, or how they work. Only within this niche is an arena deity still possible. The music marketplace, rusted and drafty as it is, conducts business as it always has without the complications of temptation. Free art is thievery in the hearts of these simple folk, nothing more. How fitting that the Boss, opulent, carefree, and the herald of yesteryear, should hold court tonight over a celebration within an industry well beyond its glory days.

Aaron Shipp is a writer living in Omaha. Catch up on his various projects at shipp.wordpress.com.

The Sunday Cool Down Shuffle: Ultimate Sin-dition

noreply@blogger.com (d evon) — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 22:27:00 +0000

This is a feature post for The Duty known as The Sunday Cool Down Shuffle. We load up the iTunes, hit shuffle, and write about the first ten songs that come up, no matter what. Got it?

By Devon Booth

10."Arise / Dead Embryonic Cells" - Sepultura Remember when I wrote this "We Heart the Brazilian Beasts" post? I don't know if it makes the sort of sense I wanted it to, but now that it's nearly five years later I'm quite pleased how much it sums up how I've always felt about Sepultura: twice a year I give them four minutes of my day and they are awesome.

9. "Ambitious Outsiders" - Morrissey Morrissey's great, but it's a crying shame his records sound like Alesis patches and session hires.

8. "Raping a Slave" - SWANS I'm watching the hummingbirds flit by my window. It's tender moments like these that make life worthwhile.

7. "The Finish Line" - Bill Burr Bill Burr's story on The Moth breaks my heart. He's the best.

6. "Winterwind" - Bottomless Pit They do it with such ease and confidence. Bottomless Pit gives me hope that things will turn out all right.

5. "Blinded By Fear" - At the Gates I saw some toilet stall graffiti that said, "Fictional Events Already Realized." That was pretty cool. It's not that often you get a daily affirmation when sidestepping the hot dog puke on the floor.

4. "Cat Guy" - Marc Maron I swoon for the kitties, but the last thing I want is an apartment that stinks like litter and Meow Mix.

3. "Lightning Strikes" - Ozzy Osbourne This is a great record. I'm a total sucker for 1976 and 1986.

2. "Eating Its Way Out of Me" - Cage My iTunes lists this song as "Eating It's Way Out of Me," but I corrected it for this post because I don't want to you think I don't know what I'm doing. Sometimes I leave the poor grammar in because I like how it sounds or I think it's funny, and sometimes I just don't know what's correct and I'm tired of reading GrammarGirl forums. Hopefully you're able to tell the difference. If not, please pretend it's all intentional.

1. "Roots" - Silkworm My dad heard me listening to this song once and he stuck around until it ended.

Devon Booth is an editor and writer for The Heavy Duty, and the creator of the Bedroom Covers Tumblr. He also blogs on film at The Highland Cinema and all kinds of neat stuff at Monster Fresh. Follow him on Twitter @devonbooth.

The Heavy Duty Hall of Fame: Genocide!

noreply@blogger.com (d evon) — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 20:12:00 +0000

By The Heavy Duty Staff

No need to fake the funk, we stole the Heavy Duty Hall of Fame straight from Grantland's own YouTube Hall of Fame. Each week one of us from the Heavy Duty staff will pick a topic near and dear to our hearts and the rest of us (and sometimes a special guest / close friend / highest bidder) will weigh in with a YouTube vid/clever pic and our extra-special commentary. This week, in honor of the mighty Thanksgiving, we choose...Genocide!

GWAR - "Hail, Genocide!"

Matthew Timmons: I never pay any attention to lyrics, so choosing a song that was about genocide was a bit difficult because I don't know what any songs are actually about. Always assume every song is about fucking. So while I deal with my shame of being such an unrounded music lover, I still need to pick a song about this weeks theme. How about a song with "genocide" in the title? That'll do Matt, that'll do.

Rage Against the Machine - "Settle for Nothing"

Michael Foley: Like that Stereogum article about the 20th aniversary of Rage's debut mentioned, Zack wasn't (isn't?) particularly good at singing or rapping. But damn if he couldn't build up to a scream better than any vocalist. "GEN-O-CIDE" indeed. Plenty of ink (physical and digital) has been spilled on the pros and cons of Rage's politics/hypocrisy/heaviness over the last couple of decades, I'll just think of simpler things like how the guest spots on the self-titled debut actually do enhance it, like Maynard's vocal on "Know Your Enemy" or Stephen Perkins being amazing on percussion as always. Or that it's excellent to air guitar (or bass or drums or sing or scream or rap) to, something I've done a lot with that album over the years. There are worse ways to measure the quality of an album.

I don't remember how long I'd been working at Borders when I decided to get a CD of that first Rage album to supplement the cassette I'd had since sometime Freshman year of college (yes, I'm old -- moving on...), but it was some Sony line sale so it was probably around the holidays. Sure enough, got it home ready to rock out to it. The oddest thing, though: when I opened up the case I found another disc. Completely blank, no labels at all. Turns out, it was an additional copy of the album in addition to the one properly labeled. Sometime later, my brother wanted to borrow my copy of the album. I happily gave him the properly annotated one, and that "blank" one rests in the case on my shelf to this day. How subversive.

Public Enemy - "Night of the Living Baseheads"

Devon Booth: How did "crack" become a punchline? When did that happen? Was it all Norm MacDonald? It's frightening we live in a world where something responsible for so much crime, violence, AIDS, and despondency has been co-opted by SNL and your next door neighbors as a cutesy in-joke about how you did something without thinking or you saw a woman in the throes of filthy cocaine psychosis. Hard drugs have decimated every one of our American metropolises and the CIA let it happen every single time. We should all be ashamed of ourselves.

Sepultura - "Territory"

Aaron Shipp: If'n I don't get JACKED over some tribal drums and this song has the best tom action of all time. It's got TWO killer drum intros. Aside from that, it carries the same problem I've always had with Sepultura: Cavalera's vocals. They're so strained, you know he's trying to pull that shit from the core of his vocal chords and, as a formal metal vocalist, it's painful to hear. Aside from that, this track rips and the live version from the deluxe Chaos AD release is even better.

Definitive List o' Top Six: Thanks! D. Booth Edition

noreply@blogger.com (d evon) — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 18:22:00 +0000

By Devon Booth

Merry Thanksgiving, everyone! Yes, it's Thanksgiving, the greatest and most emotionally taxing of all federal holidays. Here at the Duty we've always enjoyed ourselves some T-day, whether we spent the entire day sitting in stopped interstate traffic, sucking down Carl Budding sandos while watching Rocky III, or drinking seven glasses of wine while the packaged gravy congealed. I myself have been thankful for a lot of musical-type stuffs during this calendar year (new ArnoCorps, that J Mascis guitar I bought, the time I saw Joel RL Phelps twice), but there's a whole ton of not-so-musical things that I'm glad I have in my life right now at this very moment. So why not step away from your in-laws and indulge me some while you enjoy yerself a little:

Definitive List o' Top Thanks: D. Booth Edition

6. Good & Plentys Some people don't like Good & Plentys and I call those people wrong. These candy-shelled wonders were the tastebud soundtrack to all the key events of my childhood (Star Trek IV, The Far Side, A MAD Look at Jazzercise), and I finally found a convenience store brave enough to stock them. I guarantee you that when you meet me at the cineplex my pockets will be half-full of these guys 'cause I ate the rest on the walk over.

5. Michael Shannon When it comes to my entertainers I like 'em creepy as fuck and intense as shit. Michael Shannon might be the best of the bunch 'cause I never can tell if he just smothered a toddler or just finished Dostoevsky. With each appearance on Boardwalk Empire I'm increasingly jealous that he can exude such a warm dichotomy of evil secrets and brooding melancholy. Extra points for fighting Superman, knocking up Paz de la Huerta, and getting cast in Groundhog Day. I'm sure Shannon'll win some fancy-pants award for that movie where he upended the banquet table, so get on board now before he starts selling out or really losing his fucking mind.

4. Club Soda Did I tell you I stopped drinking? Also that I pretend I'm an old man? Club Soda with a lime wedge is unfuckwithable. People who think you're drinking think you're a man with a humongous gin and tonic and people who think you're not drinking think you're a man with a dramatic bottomed-out booze story to tell. It's the best of all worlds.

3. Norm MacDonald What a weird dude.

2. Google Chat I don't know how I'd cope with the world if I didn't have Google Chat. Forty hours a week I sit in a cubicle pretending to update Excel files when I'm really just sending you "lulz" and Legend of Zelda screenshots. Google's chat plug-in dealy has helped keep me sane, distracted, and somehow still employed. It's also answered valuable questions like "Did you see these fuzz pedals?" "Should I get an Americano?" and "This is no way for a man to live, what the fuck are we doing with our liiiiiives?!?!?!"

1. YouTube What did we do with ourselves before YouTube? I can hardly imagine a time where I couldn't sit on the computer and waste away my morning hours watching Joe Bob Briggs' Monstervision intros, a Norwegian documentary on Wovenhand, David Letterman's 1988 interview with Lynda Barry, and as many creepy ALF clips as I could handle. This modern era, it is a magnificent time for leisure, and in a world where we're ashamed of our MySpace profiles and terrified of our tagged photos it's downright astonishing that YouTube's flash video arsenal has only gotten better with age. Don't change, goddamnit! I have tomorrow off and a powerful hankering for Thin Lizzy and Marsha Warfield.

Devon Booth is an editor and writer for The Heavy Duty, and the creator of the Bedroom Covers Tumblr. He also blogs on film at The Highland Cinema and all kinds of neat stuff at Monster Fresh. Follow him on Twitter @devonbooth.

EPIC THAYIL: King Animal

noreply@blogger.com (hemantooth) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 21:22:00 +0000

This week The Heavy Duty celebrates the return of Soundgarden with their first new album in 16 years, by looking back at all five of the band's studio releases. Next up, their new album King Animal:

By Matthew Timmons

That thick as syrup, sludgy Drop-C Kim Thayil verse riff on "Blood on the Valley Floor" - with Chris Cornell's leather-lunged wail sailing over the top - is what did me in. Game over, Bill Paxton, all that jazz. I floated away, teared up, and all the worry and the wonder whether this reunion was worth my time had washed away. A big warm hug from an old friend I didn't even realize I'd missed so damn much. The pessimistic narrative in the outer reaches of my mind - one of a band that should have stayed broken up - was no more.

And that narrative for the reunion of Soundgarden is the same narrative for every popular band that's been away for too long (sorry) and returns, ready to empty nostalgia's bulging wallet. You loved this thing, now it's back, and will make you feel like you did back when you were 13, when life was awesome. For a monetary fee, of course.

This is good business, the nostalgia game. And for some people that idea is a disingenuous cash grab, bankrupt from the artistic integrity of their original run. They broke up in the first place because the well was dry, and now they are back to fill that well with cash money for pulling "Spoonman" out of mothballs live.

When Soundgarden announced reunion shows two years ago, I assumed it would follow the similar blueprint that Faith No More, Rage Against Machine, and the Pixies laid out the last few years. Reunite, headline Coachella and Bonnarroo, rake in the cash, refresh the back catalog for iTunes and Amazon, and cash them checks. But Cornell and Co. decided to do something a bit different than those bands, something in 2012 that is probably unnecessary, maybe even financially unsound.

Record a new album.

Strange to think that a decision like that is the riskier path, but there must be a reason most of these reunited acts are sticking to the just the stage. Albums are expensive and don't sell well anymore. The new music could stink and ruin any good will you have with the fans. Better to just tease them about the possibility of new music, reissue the old albums, and raise ticket prices for another "final" tour.

But this is where I start to buy into Soundgarden's new narrative, weave a little of my own, and suddenly King Animal becomes something rather unique and special.

The story goes that the band reconvened in 2010 just to go over business dealings. Most other bands of their ilk had a rich history in the public conscious, selling on their strong legacy, but for some reason Soundgarden did not. So they regrouped to establish a website to promote the back catalog, and put together a plan for greatest hits packages and live releases. Those business dealing lead to talks of one-off hometown shows. Hey, we still like each other! That lead to a larger festival touring. Then, playing together for the first time in 15 years, the old chemistry surfaces, a true band that functions like one should emerges. An album must be made. Great story, isn't it? Well, it's sort of true, and I'm sticking to it. If we've got to deal with narratives, I'm ignoring yours and writing my own.

Two weeks ago Nate Silver burned the old and tired narrative political pundit establishment to the ground. Never again will we have to listen to bloviating bootlickers like Dick Morris try and convince people - from their complicated research process of skimming Drudge and mainlining Red Bull - that they know who's got the momentum, and what the people want. We know have the math, and math always wins. No more narrative, just truth. With music, however, the narrative will always remain. There's no fancy algorithm that can be punched into a computer and spit out whether a song or an album is any good. Too many variables. We are stuck with the narratives, ascribing universal notions and values to something that is inherent in its nature invaluable.

King Animal sounds like a proper followup to Down on the Upside, a band that is older, wiser, a bit slowed down, but still vital. Nobody makes music like this anymore, a band that can be nimble and heavy, with musicianship first. All topped of by Cornell's amazing voice, which is a bit hoarier, but still unquestionably one of the best rock music has to offer. And that's really my best argument for why King Animal needs to exist, why it has value, even if it leaves you flat. It's a hard rock band with chops, flanked by a great singer with honest to god hang-your-hat-riffs. In 2012. I might faint. That's all I ever want.

I hope for any fan of the band, there is a moment on King Animal that takes them where "Blood on the Valley Floor" took me. Maybe the soaring chorus of "Taree," or Thayil's machine gun splatter outro solo on "Rowing." Or the band's trademark Time-Signature-Fu on "Crooked Steps" or "A Thousand Days Before." A moment where the music transcends the narrative - old men fighting against time, against their own spent youth - and that moment proves that sometimes nostalgia is worth the trip because it reminds you of who you were, something about yourself you left behind. And maybe you can keep that piece from your journey, and bring it on back home.

Matthew Timmons is the founder and editor of The Heavy Duty. Follow him on Twitter @matthewtimmons.

And Yeah, Paige Hamilton: Tool Box

noreply@blogger.com (hemantooth) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:40:00 +0000

By Aaron Shipp

Unless you’re a loyal disciple of either band, you’ve probably presumed both Helmet and Toadies dead for some time. Their heydays have long since passed and any national limelight directed toward the bands has long since receded into the night. Speaking for myself, I only recently gave the post-Betty era Helmet a fair shake and hadn’t heard any Toadies related news since the release of Feeler in 2010. Nostalgia always lends a little shine to otherwise matte material though, so finally provided with the opportunity to see both live at the Waiting Room on Nov. 7th was too great to pass up. Only one of the bands proved they were still in prime form, however. (Psst, it wasn’t Helmet)

Paige Hamilton is a maniac. In between poorly mixed songs off a set list desired by no one, he spoke of his parents’ political views and the time in Russia when drummer Kyle Stevenson fucked up “Ironhead” in front of thousands. Every anecdote was communally met with ‘Oh yeah?’ instead of the expected roar of laughter but Hamilton couldn’t care less. He’s a balding rocker refusing to grow old. Fighting the good fight of youth. God bless him.

The mix for their set was terrible, so when Hamilton gave the Toadies shit for not having any solos in their songs, it was like seeing a paraplegic unknowingly saw off a toe. For none of Hamilton’s solos were audible the entire set. He spent each, hunched over his axe, masturbating wildly to the satisfaction of only himself. It was gross.

The two songs from Betty that were played (“Street Crab” and “Vaccination”) were decipherable enough to portray just how rad Helmet must’ve been to see live in 1994. They seductively whet the appetite for tracks like “Speechless”, “Wilma’s Rainbow”, and “Overrated”: songs that never surfaced during the set. That’s how their forty minutes played out, though. It touched on every album in the group’s discography but none of the hits. How do you not play “Smart”, “Milquetoast”, and “Unsung”? I get it, hell, I even appreciate it, when a band skips the one hit wonder in lieu of new material, but it was as if Paige knew exactly the songs that everyone was waiting to hear and dumped them all. That’s kinda where my peace has come with Helmet though, albums or otherwise. You have to take what you’re given, even if it’s not what you want.

Toadies on the other hand..

Whatever punk aesthetic they may have shallowly embraced previously has been shed for perfect professionalism. It’s been a long time, a very long time, since I’ve heard a band so incredibly tight. We’re talking album quality the entire set. Anyone (again) assuming that the band had retreated into instrument-less hills for the last decade or so was immediately proven mistaken and Mr. Paige Hamilton’s dig regarding the lack of solos was retorted with a rawk-us shred during opener “Happy Face.” I’ve mentioned before how energetic Toadies Live from Paradise is and why that album is laudable amongst other concert recordings. This show, though, displayed none of the perceived band animation. They were all fairly stationary. When playing, Todd Lewis hunched like a gargoyle save for his ever wandering, ever watching beady eyes. What lacked for physicality on stage was more than made up for in the audience...and in more than one way.

As Stegmaier said, “This band knows where its bread is buttered” and they proved it with nearly every track from Rubberneck, including a three drum rendition of “I Burn” (with the help of Helmet and Ume drummers). When it came time for the one hit wonder, Toadies couldn’t get thru half of “Possum Kingdom” before a fight broke out in the crowd. This stopped the set immediately with a sudden “See ya later” from Lewis and a speedy exit off stage with the rest of the band in tow.

I was confused.

Then I was mad.

Then I wondered what right I had to be mad, which brings us to the incredible topic of band justice. What’s one to do in such a situation? Abide violence within your fanbase and continue to play regardless, thus endangering them? Or do you protest and punish everyone by storming off stage, cutting the set short? It’s somewhat of a no-win situation, but one every band must address uniformly. One would hope you could continue playing while security settles the matter quickly, but I’m sure any touring band has seen that hope misplaced on far too many occasions. Without the means to physically interject yourself, what power do you have left on stage but to stop playing in protest? How do you do that without alienating the 98% of the patrons who’ve paid for a show and behaved themselves?

You do exactly what these unexpected professionals did.

After security successfully eliminated the aggressors, Toadies returned to stage. Lewis stated briefly, “We’ll come back to that one.” After another handful of rocking songs from their past, they did just that, giving the crowd an honest shot at what they’d all been waiting for, even if it meant swallowing their pride and playing the “one hit wonder” a second time.

During the set, I couldn’t help but question whether there had ever been a band held with more reverence who had done so little? The crowd rocked heartily to the new stuff (barely drizzled atop a set jammed with old material) but they sang as a chorus to “I Come From the Water” and “Tyler”. Everyone in that room knew what everyone else was there for, including the Toadies. They balanced perfectly the nostalgic desires of their fanbase with their own present day ambitions. Which is why they deserve every word of praise awarded them.

Aaron Shipp is a writer living in Omaha. Catch up on his various projects at shipp.wordpress.com and follow him on Twitter @aaronlshipp.

The Sunday Cool Down Shuffle: Humpin' Around Edition

noreply@blogger.com (d evon) — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 19:28:00 +0000

10. "Loser's Club" - The Humpers Dude, have I told you why I have this record in the first place? When I was 15 my mom found a Humpers promo poster and brought it home for me thinking I'd find it funny. Guess she was right! It was apparently funny enough for me to buy the record a year later and really, really, really like it.

9. "Past Full of Shadows" - Adrian Borland I like doing this Shuffle every week, but I get so tired of the same bands coming up all the time. Shouldn't I get some Entombed or Angel Corpse or Mark Eitzel on these things? Seems like it's always some combination of Borland, Necro, and The Go-Betweens. Maybe it's an elaborate iTunes conspiracy to get me to download more records.

8. "The Sad Chicken" - Leroy & The Drivers Have you guys watched Thunder Soul, that documentary on the Kashmere Stage Band? A real cool story and a perfect lounge-around-your-house-while-you're-doing-laundry watch. All these brashy/brassy funk tunes are so much fun, I only wish I hosted parties so I could listen to them more often.

7. "Boche's Dick" - Shellac Bob Weston is my favorite.

6. "Sappy (Acoustic)" - Nirvana Isn't it interesting that Nirvana had such a giant catalog on "previously unreleased" songs? Do other bands have tapes and tapes and tapes and tapes of songs that never made it to an album? Metallica probably has, like, nothing we haven't heard. But Nirvana, seems like from the word go they had a gigantic backlog of bonus cuts just waiting to be tossed onto cassingles, Japanese editions, and Dutch bootlegs. In a lot of ways, it's a great move. Got a bunch of kids to buy CD-5s and a bunch of collectors to argue about which b-side was the Greatest Song Ever.

5. "Get Some Go Again" - Rollins Band "I do a lot, I do a lot, I do a lot of stuff" Ha! Good guitar tone, though.

4. "Frozen Gtr" - Thurston Moore Lee Ranaldo has the best shirts. Jealous.

3. "Miles From Nowhere" - Cat Stevens I started listening to Cat Stevens 'cause I got it in my head that my dad liked Cat Stevens. I mean, I know that my dad listened to and talked about Cat Stevens, but I think that our respective definitions of "like" were awfully different. I'm sure he was just thought, "This guy's pretty cool. I sure do like this record. Hey, turn on that Ali fight!" whereas I'm more the type to think, "I sure do like this record. In fact, it's so good I think I'll drive across the state, see this band 15 times, and memorize their Wikipedia page!"

2. "Clocked In" - Black Flag Probably the third best song on the fourth best Black Flag record.

1. "Brothers Gonna Work It Out" - Public Enemy I like to retroactively pat myself on the back for being such a cool kid, but I know most of it was just the luck of circumstance. I remember being in fifth grade and telling my friend how I liked Public Enemy, but, c'mon, I know I didn't really know anything about PE except that they were on Yo! MTV Raps. For all the highfalutin lip service I give myself for being Mr. Progressive Jr. 'cause I dug Faith No More, Bobcat Goldthwait, and The Godfather, I still had this Louie Louie cassette single and I still thought Bruce Baum was hilarious. It's not like I made a choice about any of it. I was just a bullshit child and this is what happened to show up in front of me.

Nah, fuck that. I was the shit.

Devon Booth is an editor and writer for The Heavy Duty, and the creator of the Bedroom Covers Tumblr. He also blogs on film at The Highland Cinema and all kinds of neat stuff at Monster Fresh. Follow him on Twitter @devonbooth.

The Heavy Duty Hall of Fame: Disappointment

noreply@blogger.com (d evon) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 21:54:00 +0000

By The Heavy Duty Staff

No need to fake the funk, we stole the Heavy Duty Hall of Fame straight from Grantland's own YouTube Hall of Fame. Each week one of us from the Heavy Duty staff will pick a topic near and dear to our hearts and the rest of us (and sometimes a special guest / close friend / highest bidder) will weigh in with a YouTube vid/clever pic and our extra-special commentary. This week, in honor of the pathos of life, we choose...Disappointment!

Beck - Guero

Matthew Timmons: I get sad when pre-release buzz on an album labels it a "return to form" for an artist who traveled down wayward paths. As anyone who's read the Duty with regularity, they'll know I am the president of the Wayward Path Defenders Club, and wish to see artists that have made that choice continue to take chances with their careers.

Guero was hailed as a Beck coming back to his Mellow Gold/Odelay-style wacky raps over wacky instrumentations, with The Dust Brothers back producing. Most fans rejoiced. I did not. I loved the subdued folk rock and tropical-infused Mutations, the Prince aping cum-fest Midnight Vultures, and Sea Change, the most depressing album ever recorded until a despondent Meat Loaf rage-births Bat out of Hell IV. And while a I liked a few songs off Guero, I never got into the album. And I haven't been excited for a new Beck album since. Although he might rope me back in with this amazing concept.

Guest Appearances

Michael Foley: I realize it's folly to get disappointed by something as inherently hyped up as Guest Tracks, but I am perpetually a sucker for them. Maybe it's because I heard "Scenario" by A Tribe Called Quest or "Funny Vibe" by Living Colour (some of Chuck D and Flavor Flav's best work, I strongly believe) at a formative age? For good or ill, I have some really high internal bar for success that usually goes unfulfilled. The genre rarely matters, generally the odds are good I won't dig it as much as I want to.

Don't get me wrong, if it's done right you get something like "The Memory Remains" by Metallica where Marianne Faithful's voice really haunts an otherwise stock (as much as I love the Load twins, they said so themselves in Some Kind Of Monster) tune into something far more interesting. But I do tend to think too many cooks tend to spoil the metaphorical stew. Think more along the lines of that cover of "Lady Marmalade" from Moulin Rouge or even "Born To Raise Hell" from the Airheads soundtrack (soundtracks and compilations in general are ripe for such overwrought works). Certain bands or musicians are good at making it work (the aforementioned Metallica and Living Colour, John Mayer, any jazz musician worth the name). Generally speaking, to my ears, it's more likely to be too much of a good thing.

Witch - Paralyzed

Devon Booth: 2008 Devon would be like, "Paralyzed is total ass garbage, an album so underwhelming I'm not even sure I have the energy to listen to it the whole way through. Witch's '06 debut was heavy, sludgy, and just crackly enough to sound otherwhirledly and mysterious, but this record is faster, shorter, and murky enough to sound lazy and uninspired. I have no interest in making guitar faces, slapping the steering wheel, or giving PBR-fueled high-fives when I hear it. I unwrapped this disc and my disappointment in the songs' lack of hazy guitar grooves and gigantic kick drums hit me like a half-ton of bricks. BO-RING. Zzzzzzzzzzz (omg)."

And then 2012 Devon would be like, "Paralyzed is a huge ol' slab of disappointment 'cause it's really just 2008 Devon pining to be 2006 Devon. I know there's heaps of coolness/fun-ness/funny face-ness to be had in "Eye"'s three minutes and thirty some-odd seconds, but all of that is instantly erased by the stink of Four Years' Ago Me heart-broken that Six Years' Ago Me was so quickly slipping away. Can you believe how sad I was that in 2008 I practically had to force myself to Google 'Judas Priest'? Man, Six Years Ago Me lived for that stuff and Four Years' Ago Me only pretended he did. I'm still uber-disappointed in Paralyzed, but not for any reason other than I'm disappointed in myself that I'll never truly be able to give the record a fair chance. If the thing hit shelves today I guarantee I'd dig it mucho mas and have it locked down in my year's Top 10, but since its untimely release date coincided with my complete inability to move on with my life I will never ever ever try to listen to it again. Bummer."

Music

Aaron Shipp: Like the slowly souring kisses in a relationship gone bad, music itself has been a growing disappointment since its inception. Everything "original" is simply a molestation of previous genius; an old muse made to feel young again by a youthful lover. Music is experiencing the buzz spins. The party's nearly over. Reeking of cigarettes and an amalgam of thirty different types of perfume, it's waddling toward the car it will drive drunk and crash into an animal boarding house. Bitches and pussies under the wrecking ball tires and chrome bumper. Music. The general epithet for an industry of prostitutes. Show us your goods for a cut of the door and a warm beer, whore. If video killed the radio star, then the internet has bound, gagged, and fisted the entire MTV Generation. Nothing is appreciated because nothing holds value. Ego is the only currency in a recessed culture. Inflation rises, musicians of tomorrow. Your bleeding hearts drip upon a saturated Earth. Spare yourself the hardship of delusion. Soon music will return to its true roots, to the only people left who appreciate it: the musicians.

EPIC THAYIL: Down on the Upside

noreply@blogger.com (hemantooth) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:52:00 +0000

This week The Heavy Duty celebrates the return of Soundgarden and King Animal, their first new album in 16 years, by looking back at all five of the band's studio releases. Next up, their "last" album Down on the Upside:

By Aaron Shipp

Some albums foreshadow the end of a band's career. Be it a half-assed contract fulfillment or an album so in tune with the band's agitation that it drips with dysfunction, you can just smell the rot setting in. Pantera's Reinventing the Steel was nothing short of satirical. Wavering Radiant by Isis tried to push an out-of-fuel semi uphill, but Faith No More's Album of the Year may be the most sincere sayonara ever recorded. Each unmistakably foretold the end in their own way. Other albums have the added, unfortunate title as a historic waypoint, standing guard as a universal reference point for when an entire sub-genre was pronounced dead. As the last memorable album across the finish line of the Seattle scene sprint, Down On The Upside holds this unfortunate charge.

Down On The Upside is a flaccid album. Long, long gone are the savage wails and edgy cuts of Soundgarden's youth. The natural development of the band resulted in mature Top 40 tracks that barely registered with the demographic they helped forge. For many, it was a listless album offering very little to get excited over. However, if you managed to hang on to Soundgarden up to the point of Upside's release, chances are you didn't notice that their sound had gotten progressively polished (those that had noticed, hadn't hung on past Badmotorfinger). Their overall sound grew so minutely from Badmotorfinger on, it was impossible not to see what was coming next. The last two tracks of Badmotorfinger ("Holy Water" and "New Damage") could easily fit on Superunknown, which itself telegraphs Down On The Upside wholly. If you compare Ultramega OK to Down On The Upside, the contrast is unmistakable, but the transformation between albums is remarkably smooth. Soundgarden definitely ended as a band entirely different than their infancy would've suggested but that growth seemingly stunted after Superunknown, resulting in a good but nothing-new album in Down On The Upside.

What the album lacks in innovation and inspiration, it more than makes up for in honed alt-rock. Some of the best tunes the band has ever written are on this album, but they're tucked deep within a deceptive packaging. On the surface, the album sounds like a collection of Superunknown b-sides. The tone, production, nearly every element of the band's sound is left unchanged from the legendary album that propelled Soundgarden into the hearts and minds of the grunge faithful. It's that same renown that serves as Down On The Upside's greatest adversary. "More of the same" can be just as great a risk as attempting to fix something that ain't broke and, for Soundgarden (along with a stable full of peers who found sudden success without a grander vision), it was simply a no-win situation.

Nothing could match the immeasurable cultural success of Superunknown and, in 1996, the wave of Seattle adoration was breaking quickly. Pearl Jam released the absolute mess, No Code [editor's note: this albums rules, fuck you]. Stone Temple Pilots shit out Tiny Music. The only other redeeming releases from the scene were Dust by Screaming Trees and an Alice in Chains MTV Unplugged session that induced suicidal thoughts from anyone watching/listening to an already gone Layne Staley. Major chart success outside of Seattle was turning toward Bush, Barenaked Ladies, and Hootie & the Blowfish. Discriminating tastes were enjoying releases elsewhere from DJ Shadow, Tool, Tori Amos, The Roots, Rage Against the Machine, At the Drive-In, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Fiona Apple, Modest Mouse, De La Soul, Beck, Belle and Sebastian, Maxwell, The Afghan Whigs, the list goes on and on in a year absolutely jammed with hallmark records. The music world was rapidly forgetting about Seattle and Down On The Upside did nothing to draw the spotlight back.

Soundgarden's last album before their King Animal re-birth is a monument to the mediocrity eventually realized by nearly every band of America's shortest music trend. It's truly amazing that a scene with so much talent suddenly found itself devoid of innovation and creativity. It's as if they all puttered out simultaneously, looked around the room at each other, and shrugged. That said, for as uninspired Down on the Upside is, it's still a really fun record. In the grander scheme of things though, and with the added benefit of hindsight, it's easy to see that the album was not only an effigy for the band but for grunge rock as a whole. Once regular radio rock realized that all you had to be was as edgy as "Pretty Noose," the mud burst from the damn and choked out any hope of innovation for the next decade.

Aaron Shipp is a writer living in Omaha. Catch up on his various projects at shipp.wordpress.com and follow him on Twitter @aaronlshipp.

EPIC THAYIL: Superunknown

noreply@blogger.com (hemantooth) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 20:56:00 +0000

In 1994 I was barely getting into modern rock music in elementary school student as (then) modern pop punk and grunge started making its way onto MTV and into the mainstream radio that I was uncontrollably consuming. I have to admit, I eventually found my identity as a diehard Nirvana fan, and pretty much avoided every other band labelled "grunge." Among these bands was Soundgarden. Their album Superunknown had been spewing forth singles that were crowding the airwaves and TV when all I wanted was a quick fix of "Teen Spirit." Now after all these years of growing up and expanding my tastes beyond weird adolescent pretentious notions, I get to go back and listen to this monster called Superunknown. Since I'm not really qualified to review this (or any) album I'll just jot down my shallow subjective impressions as I listen to it.

The first track "Let Me Drown" opens up with a skittering guitar and drum-led groove that on closer listening sounds something like a riff that Max Cavalera would come up with, but for some reason the attitude Soundgarden exudes doesn't cheese me out with the alt-metal connotations. Immediately you sense the weight. These guys came to swing some heavy shit around. I picked this album back up recently because of how often it was cited as having an amazing drum sound. And yeah, I concur. These drums are huge sounding with enough clarity and focus to hear all the fast notes.

The second track "My Wave" loses me. Even if it is in 5/4, I feel like I've heard too many bad bar bands use this feel and ruin it, but I'm certainly seeing leather pants in my mind's eye. This type of "rawk" just doesn't move me today like it might have in the early 90's.

You really get to hear how massive these drums sound on "Fell On Black Days." This is one of those awesome studio productions where the music sounds like it was recorded on a backdrop of black space. I mean, I can close my eyes and get a vague feeling for the size and shape of the room when that first kick hit comes in. This song has a cool vibe. I keep getting surprised when the song doesn't end though. Oh yeah, the "Mailman" came. He brought this heavy-ass sludgy riff and laid it down for about four minutes and twenty six seconds. That's what the Mailman does.

Whoa! I get it now. Soundgarden really just wants to be Led Zeppelin (well, who doesn't, I suppose?). They pretty much made their titular track "Superunknown" a Zeppelin tune. That's cool I guess. This song probably has the most energy so far.

They go and make a interesting change here on "Head Down." The guitar unexpectedly keeps that bitchin' sounding kinda clean but kinda overdriven tone while the drums come rolling along. It gives this song a really cool texture that sets it apart from the tracks before. The vocals are giving me the melty face feeling. I like that brooding psychedelic thing.

Oh OK. Then it's the song I don't think anyone around my age doesn't know. That chick with the melted ice cream pouring out of her mouth will still be burned firmly into my memories of this tune. "Black Hole Sun" continues that trippy vibe that "Head Down" started. This one sounds like the token ballad the lead singer wrote. It's a catchy song though, I'll give it that.

Ahh yes... Now "Spoonman" is just plain fun. It's got this shifty percussion based groove. Spoons... a whole bunch of them. I know the drums are supposed to be the star of this song, but the guitar is playing a pretty cool riff over the chorus. So, I think the spoon player's name is Uri Geller. What's a drum song with out the arbitrary time changes half way through? Well, maybe not a good one. But we don't have to worry because this song has them, and Uri tears shit up over the breakdown.

And here comes the potent Sabbath DNA again. "Limo Wreck" probably has some of my favorite guitar work on it. Lots of interesting harmonic textures. The buildup into the choruses give me the tingles every time.

I like how the drums come in on "The Day I Tried to Live." They seem to just come pounding in with out any consideration of what the guitar was trying to lull us into. Not just that, but he's also playing in... wait... let me count... 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4! Dude, I'm totally down with bands that play in double digit prime number time signatures!

And then out of FUCKING nowhere... straight ahead Mountain Dew rock! "Kick Stand" isn't really a bad tune, it just seems really out of place in this sea of gloom.

I probably heard my friend's band cover "Fresh Tendrils" more than I've heard Soundgarden's version. So, I'm almost comparing Soundgarden against their impostors rather than giving you my unfettered impression. Whatever... I do what I want. This song has a strange but effortless flow to it. It pushes into sections by way of unexpected bursts with lots of air, and shows that you can be heavy with out a massively distorted guitar.

I feel like I hear so many bands these trying to accomplish what Soundgarden pulls off in "4th of July." This song is just so sludgy, but with such a rich vocal melody and 70's vibe. Heaviest song on the album.

Oh, looks like Led Zeppelin decided to join us again with "Half." Is that Chris singing? Is that Chris singing on acid? I could Google it, but... meh. This serves as a proper psychedelic segue I suppose. I'm surprised there aren't any loud sitars on this one. But it's nice and technicolored anyway.

What would a song called "Like Suicide" sound like? A depressed goth kid on Facebook crying out for help? Actually, no. It's a pretty powerful song in all seriousness. And Soundgarden love their seriousness. Of course it's a really moody song that builds up from a chill drum tom and snare groove in 5. As the song builds up, Chris Cornell's voice gets higher pitched. It's probably one of their most used songwriting tools but it serves them well. This dude can shriek. It's a pretty bleak cap on an already broody album. No hope here, folks. Just go kill yourself.

Well, there it is. I admit that I had to get high a few times throughout to get motivated to listen to it, but I think it served me and the album well. Superunknown hits some strange buttons for me. I intentionally stayed away from lyrical content, because I am really harsh on lyricists. When you know it's a dark rock album from the early 90's you can almost be certain there's going to be a lot of big boy whining. And that's cool. Hopefully Chris got a hold of some Anthony Robbins lectures or some shit and worked his way out of it all.

But overall they are great songwriters that do heavy music justice. I feel like I would have been a better musician today if I had gotten obsessed with Soundgarden instead of Nirvana when I was in elementary school. Each of these fuckers can PLAY. All in all, this great album may have some cheese from the era, but it stands strong all by itself in 2012.

Ray Hughes is a musician living in Portland and is the owner/luthier at Ray's Stringed Things and Repair.