New Susumu Hirasawa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New Hirasawa is always cause for celebration even if its all covers of old P-Model songs (Susumu Hirasawa's old band from the 80's)Check this radical tune out I have it spinning on repeat like its the last song in the world. Once I scrape the money to import it I'll put it up on some rar site for those who are interested. Until then enjoy!

Crystal Castles II

Sure its 2 months late but you never cared anyway.

Back in 2008 my dearest and oldest friend Cody introduced me to a band called Crystal Castles. From then on at least once a week (often times more) for two years I listened to their self titled debut from start to finish. Glitchy shrieking electro with a fuck you punk attitude? How could it not be awesome? Fast forward to 2010 and here I am anticipating the follow up to the most important band of my adulthood. Will it suck? How could they possibly live up to their previous work? I actually lost a little sleep over it. The album finally gets leaked (I still bought it :P) and you know what? It is AMAZING, just an eyelash shy of their last album. A bit more reserved but willing to explore their darker side, Crystal Castles finally established themselves in the main stream as one of the most cutting edge bands of the 21st century. At least that's what I tell myself as I blast through their new album again and again on my way to work casually hurling insults at other drivers for their crappy taste in music (even if I can't hear them).
The first half of the album is a beast covering more ground in varying styles and sound than most bands do in their careers. From the nihilistic drone and grind of Fainting Spells to the euphoric radio friendly Cellestia to the brutal punchy assault of Doe Deer (my current favorite)Crystal Castles delivers on all fronts. Baptism and Year of Silence finish the flawless opening which soon turns from trance-like glory to slow, dark and brooding. It all starts to feel a bit formulaic but still manages to pull out some real surprises with tracks like Intimate, Pap Smear and Violent Dreams, a song that plays like the pulse of a dying man. The main difference between their two albums are these filler songs. Their debut was filled with fun, short and catchy instrumentals while here they are replaced with dirty 4 minute grooves. It weights the album down a bit but does encourage a more thorough listen to Ethan Kath's amazing song writing skills.
If you need your music to be familiar and friendly go elsewhere. This is the future of pop and quite frankly pop has been long overdue for a face lift.

9.8/10

Sing along! DEATHRAY DEATHRAY DEATHRAY DEATHRAAAAAAAEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Midori - Shinsekai

Its been a long time since I shelled out for an album but if I ever want to see Midori play in the states I have to pay. Not a complaint, no band has ever deserved my money more than Midori. They are punk jazz, the only true punk jazz band on the planet and we must take care of them. Shinsekai is Midori's 6th album and is a bit of a departure from their previous work. The bands focus has shifted more towards the piano rather than guitar which is almost completely drowned out by the rest of the band. The bass, drum and piano players are monsters and they are at their peak here. Think Bill Evan's trio on crack. I would like to make special mention of Keigo Iwami the bass player. Who plays stand up bass any more? This guy, and he is unbelievable, possibly the best I have ever heard.

I get all of my Midori goodness from CDJapan.com and so should you.

MELT-BANANA Lite LIVE Ver. 0.0

How do you describe a Melt Banana album to someone who has never heard them before? Pure joy or god awful noise? They aren't so much a rock band as they are an anti-personnel weapon. Melt Banana lite live ver. 0.0 is 27 minutes of rapid fire noise that can peel the paint off walls and scramble your brain. This album is a welcome return to their 2 minute blasts of noise from the mid '90s. With nothing but vocals, drums, samples and synths, it's a stripped down nasty sounding album which is just what I have been hungry for.

Planet Roll Call!!!

I just stumbled across Susumu Hirasawa's new album Planet Roll Call... No words are adequate I'm just in love. I would like to think everyone has a band, song or musician that moves them in such a way that's positive and life affirming.


Enjoy

Another musical side note this time with VIDEO!!!!!!

I just picked up Astor Piazzolla's Tango - Zero Hour

possibly my favorite cd next to my copy of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, seriously its that good.

Musical side note

You kids dug on Them Crooked Vultures yet? It's Dave Grohl on drums Josh Homme on guitar and vocals and John Paul Jones on the bass. It's pretty groovy like if Q.O.T.S.A was a relaxed jam band. You can find it on here on mediafire
http://www.mediafire.com/?ki5myng2ywh
Don't feel bad its just a live recording (beware of screaming girls) the studio album will come out later this year.