This Is Book's Music

Boris began their U.S. tour two days ago, and as they are here moving from coast to coast, some of the shows will be part of a residency. This means if you live in specific cities, you will have two chances to see them, each time being different from the other. The tour is being called “from the past, the present and through to the future”, as one night will feature the band playing classics and new material, while the other night will have the band playing the majority of their Flood album, followed by an experimental/drone/noise sex. Get your Boris boners:

April 26… Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves)
April 27… Austin, TX @ Carson Creek) {Austin Psych Fest}
April 29… Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade) !!
April 30… Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle) !!
May 1… Washington DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel) * !!
May 2… Washington DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel) * #
May 3… Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts) !! #
May 4… Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall) * !!
May 5… Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall) * (w/ Doomriders)
May 6… New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge) * !!
May 7… New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge) * #
May 9… Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop) !!
May 10… Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall) * !!
May 11… Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall) * &
May 12… St. Louis, MO @ Firebird) &
May 13… Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theater) &
May 14… Denver, CO @ Bluebird) &
May 16… Mexico City, MX @ Lunario) {Aural Festival}
May 18… Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile) * (w/ House of Low Culture)
May 19… Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile) * (w/ drcarlsonbion)
May 21… San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop) * (w/ Bosse-de-Nage)
May 22… San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop) * ^^
May 23… Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex) * ^^ %
May 24… Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex) * ^^ (also w/ Ides of Gemini)

% w/ Marriages
!! w/ Young Widows
# w/ Stephen Brodsky
& w/ Pallbearer
^^ w/ Deafheaven

With their debut album, I tended to think that Gaytheist mixed up a nice chunk of metal with their style of garage punk. With Hold Me (But Not So Tight) (Good To Die), this Portland trio are still incredibly heavy but I hear much more sleazy punk this time around, and I tend to like/prefer it that way. Or maybe that’s all in my head.

I think what I hear a lot more of is that bastard energy that comes from playing and rocking out for the fuck of it, reminiscent of a lot of Seattle music from the mid-to-late 1980′s, in fact I found myself comparing some of the tracks on this album to the disgusting grooves of Green River, but more tightly put together. What I love about this new album is that these songs (12 in total) come and go at a rapid page, and I found myself having to look at where I was at in the album. “Spread ‘Em” may or may not be about the pleasures of the anus, but these guys play as solid as Anthrax, Hüsker Dü, or Slayer, or at least use that type of musicality during the bridges of the songs, pretty much as passages to get you from here to there in slightly unexpected ways. Gaytheist are even more defiant, and if there were any fears about what and how they make their music, this release have made them disappear.

* w/ Red Fang
@ w/ Argonaut
# w/ Monogamy Party)

A nice Black Sabbath tribute has been created by Cancer Bats, who offer a nice 5-song EP called Bat Sabbath: Bastards Of Reality (Metal Blade) and while the cover is homage to Sabbath’s Master Of Reality, the EP only features two covers from the album. Fortunately they are good covers, as they break into “Children Of The Grave” and the almighty “Into The Void”. Two songs from the Paranoid are tackled, “Iron Man” and “War Pigs”, the latter not featuring “Luke’s Wall” but still a heavy load nonetheless. The other track is taken from Sabbath’s self-titled debut, as “N.I.B.” features a distorted bass that takes over for Tony Iommi’s guitar riffs. Not back for a punk band going metal for a few songs. If the band ever does another Sabbath EP, I’d love to hear them do “Am I Going Insane (Radio)”, “All Moving Parts (Stand Still)”, and “Swinging The Chain”.

Everyone has their music origins, and I definitely remember some of the first records that were in my parents’ collection or in the house of my uncle. Santana’s Abraxas, Paul Simon’s There Goes Rhymin’ Simon and El Chicano’s Viva Tirado were albums favored by my mom and dad, while Black Sabbath’s Master Of Reality was what I craved when I had to stay next door with my Uncle Wayne. These records had a big influence on my outlook of not only music, but album covers and how art and design had a role in how music was interpreted. In my case, I was a three and four year old having to figure out what these images were and what, if anything, they had to do with what was coming out of the speakers. I’ve talked about how John Rowles’ “Cheryl Moana Marie” and Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now” also played roles in my life as something that was more than records found within the box of 45′s that were near our stereo in California. Yet looking at everything I’ve ever listened to, there is one album for me that reigns near the top as the monarch of everything.

Houses Of The Holy was my introduction to Led Zeppelin, and what an introduction. It was a record that was played loud everywhere I went, and when records were played loud, I couldn’t help but to listen. I’d sit in the living room as a three year old, with the album cover in my lap and wondering who these naked kids were. Where are their parents, I’m sure I asked myself. Where are they going? What are these holes they’re coming from, and where is this mysterious place? Who is that man on the inside, and is he going to throw the girl down the mountain? How come everything is orange, yellow, blue, and green? So many questions but no answers were to come upon staring at this cover for 40 minutes at a time.

As I approached the double digits in age, I would have a few more Led Zeppelin records, including Led Zeppelin III and the (untitled 4th album). In my early teens, I had all of their albums on cassette, specifically the Atlantic reissues from the late 70′s. It had come as a shock when I discovered drummer John Bonham died, which meant I could never see them in concert. From what one of my uncles had told me, Led Zeppelin had played in Honolulu a number of times before they were banned for life. That was his story, and for years I believed it. I later discovered that those Honolulu shows were done before and including the (untitled 4th album) but once they reached a certain level of success, they were not to return to Hawai’i for shows ever again. In turn, Led Zeppelin created a mystique which lead to false rumors, until I discovered how to find out the truths of these rumors for myself.

In my teen years, I had a Houses Of The Holy door poster. My first LZ CD was Houses Of The Holy, specifically the West German target pressing. I read Hammer Of The Gods, watched The Song Remains The Same and went through many articles about the band, and how the music on the (untitled 4th album) had become a classic in itself, partly due to the success of “Stairway To Heaven” and how the album was eventually purchased as a single since the U.S. didn’t release the song as a 45. I understood it and respected it, but while I’ve gone through their music many times over, bought and raided bootlegs to hear them go through the motions in many combinations, I found myself always returning to the record that made me a fan in the first place.

Black Sabbath: one of the greatest heavy metal bands of all time, if not THE greatest. It’s arguable, but feel free to argue. They released two incredible albums and then progressed into the greatness that was their third album: 1971′s Master Of Reality. It is my favorite Black Sabbath album. Feel free to argue about it.

Cancer Bats are a Canadian hardcore punk band who have been together for almost ten years, with four albums and a number of EP’s to their name. With their Metal Blade Records debut, they decided to record an EP honoring Black Sabbath, and they did so by calling it Bat Sabbath: Bastards Of Reality. Two of the songs from Ssabbath’s Master Of Reality are covered: “Children Of The Grave” and “Into The Void”. The remaining three (“N.I.B.”, “War Pigs”, and “Iron Man”) are from their first two. No “Luke’s Wall”? C’mon guys. Nonetheless, they are honoring Sabbath not only with the music, but with their homage to the Master Of Reality cover. While it has been done a number of times before, the homage never gets old.

Orphans are a Denver-based band who enjoy screaming their hearts out, vocally and musically, and Pack Mentality serves as a means to touch on not only the mentality that exists in the world, but perhaps their fans who know that unity can work if done right.

These guys are on the screamo side of things, and what they sing about touches on things that are about definition, reflection, and what it means to exist in a world where it feels like everything is falling apart at once. “Dark Satanic Mills” is a song with a lot of depth and emotion, and that’s not to say that the other three do not, but I found myself listening to this song a lot. “Bengals” begins with that comes off as a cry for help, but once the verses start up, it begins to explore a few moodier moments before the disgusting and painful wails start up again, and it sounds great. This release only makes me want to hear another EP or two, or even a full length, but I’ll take whatever they offer up.

Newsted is the new band from bassist Jason Newsted, and after being known for his work with Flotsam & Jetsam, Metallica, and Echobrain, he is presenting a brand new project, a trio where he embraces vocal duties along with his bass work.

The heaviness of the music is sure to remind people of the role he had in Metallica, but some of it sounds like late 70′s/early 80′s Black Sabbath, the 70′s hard rock influences that would help turn up the Lamestain (a/k/a “grunge”) sound, or vocally he could be Cronos of Venom (or at least there’s a slight Cronos variation in some elements). “King Of The Underdogs” has a nasty ass groove driven by Newsted’s bass work, Jesus Mendez Jr.’s drumming, and Jessie Farnsworth’s guitar riffs, while also revealing pop textures during the verses that has the potential to break these guys to a wider audience, if need be.

If Lemmy can do this at his age, Jason Newsted can easily rock out as he approaches his 50th birthday. There’s an incredible groove that will keep audiences moving and grooving, with the kind of heaviness that will be loved by those who thrive on Motörhead’s sound. Consider this the continuation of the music that he loves and craves, and it’s a fine addition to his life’s output thus far.

The first album by Van Halen: February 10, 1978. I do not remember the exact day, for I wasn’t caring about taking notes at the age of seven but I do remember the moment I heard my first note of Van Halen. Early 1978, my family and I went to Ala Moana Shopping Center in Honolulu. While my dad probably went to the book store to look at car, motorcycle, or bodybuilding magazines, and my mom went to look for fabric or whatever she looked for at Ala Moana, my sanctuary was the record store. There were a few “record sections” at Ala Moana in the late 70′s but my haven was DJ’s Sound City, because:

1) I wanted to be a radio DJ
2) It was a sound city. This was my playground.

I was looking around, as I always did, and looking towards the entrance from the back (which most likely meant I was going through jazz and eying animated titties on Miles Davis album covers), I heard what sounded like traffic, as if I was on a freeway. All of a sudden I heard a pounding bass note, and then that guitar.

The music sounded nothing like the hard rock I listened to as a kid, this sounded like it was on the “next level”. I don’t know if it was the guitar, the bass, the drunms, or the wild singer. I just remember standing there going “what is this?” or whatever I said at seven years old. I don’t remember hearing “Eruption” or “You Really Got Me” just yet, for my dad came to get me, but what I did look for was the cover of what was playing. I saw a smiling man holding a guitar with electrical tape wrapped on it. On the turntable was the Warner Bros. “Burbank trees” label. That moment has been embedded in my mind forever.

My Uncle David would buy the album for himself, as he was the guitarist who found himself in countless bands so whoever were the hot guitarists, he had their album. I don’t remember sharing a moment with my uncle where he played the album while I was at his apartment, but the album was played religiously on the radio from the start. Then again, radio in the late 70′s seemed a bit more free, or at least the type of radio stations I listened to. It may not have been a format to my mind, but 35 years later, Van Halen is still played religiously, not bad for an album that wasn’t a bit success on the charts. On the radio, though: I couldn’t turn on the radio without hearing “Eruption” always attached with “You Really Got Me”, “Jamie Crying”, “Feel Your Love Tonight”, “Ice Cream Man”, “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love”, “Atomic Punk”, and the others. As I would eventually get into reading hard rock/heavy metal magazines, I realized that Eddie Van Halen became the era’s new master, and who didn’t want to worship the man?

As I was still someone who tagged along with my parents wherever they went, I would still see new Van Halen albums in the tracks. I clearly remember seeing Women And Children First at the GEM department store on Ward Avenue in Honolulu, and may have seen Fair Warning and Diver Down there too but it was these first five VH albums where I got to know about their music, at least from a distance. I never bought these albums until after the fact, but as an early viewer of MTV, the first VH videos I saw were “So This Is Love” and “Unchained”. I remember watching the video for “Intruder/(Oh) Pretty Woman” and wondering who the woman was (only to discover later that year that the woman was a man), and also hearing whatever hit single Warner Bros. released. “Dancing In The Streets”? All over the radio. Yet the first VH album I bought was 1984. These days, having that album be my first VH album might seem odd since most will say that the first five albums had “the better songs”, and arguably that’s true, but there were a lot of good songs on 1984. Same with OU812 (for I skipped 5150, even though I really liked “Why Can’t This Be Love”), but… no matter.

As a high school radio DJ, Van Halen were the kings. It did matter that David Lee Roth went solo and Sammy Hagar became the new singer, but it was also the first time I really got to soak myself into the music, and regardless of the power of “Dance The Night Away”, “Romeo Delight”, “Beautiful Girls”, “Hear About It Later”, and of course “Hot For Teacher”, “I’ll Wait”, “Panama”, and “Jump”, all roads lead to the band’s glorious 1978 debut. I always loved how on the cover, Alex Van Halen looked demonic while Anthony just held the bass like a military man. Roth, as always, looking lovely and gorgeous as he always is. Inner sleeve: everyone looking exhausted, with AVH smiling devilishly. Roth: still lovely and gorgeous. If England would have the NWOBHM, then Van Halen was America’s equivalent of that, and it also marked the revolution of what was to come from hard rock and heavy metal in the 1980′s.

It has been six years since Tomahawk released an album, and six years is a hell of a long time, especially in these maniacal times. The group have returned with an album that continues to show the world what they’re made up. This album is called Oddfellows (Ipecac).

Vocalist Mike Patton is on board, drummer John Stanier is here, and guitarist Duane Denison all remain. Tomahawk now features Trevor Dunn on bass, and that can only mean trouble amongst these gents. To be honest, the album is a nice and clever mish-mash of abrasive sounds that go from creating Queens Of The Stone Age crunchy-style angst to twisting the kind of Italian spaghetti western tunes that Mr. Bungle sliced up with their lounge stylings on their last album, California. It goes all over the place but if you have listened to anything Patton has done in the last 15+ years, you know that is very much a part of the norm, and it’s incredible. Patton continues to show his vocal versatility, to where I’m always blown away that he doesn’t do more mainstream work. Then again, considering where the mainstream is today, perhaps it’s best that Patton lay himself completely out of that equation. Then again part II: this is what the world needs to hear. Then again Part III, Conclusion: maybe the rest of the world doesn’t deserve Tomahawk.

Oddfellows is either an album that you expect to hear while driving in a desert with no air conditioning, only to realize you’ve been in your garage for the last 55 minutes, tripping out. The rhythm section of Dunn and Stanier is wickedly fierce, while Denison’s guitar work is as insane as it’s ever been. A part of me was thinking “wow, this is quite mainstream for King Buzzo” but I was confusing Tomahawk for a brief moment with Fantomas. If there’s one thing this album does, it’s that it pulls you in, not only as one of Patton’s many vehicles, but as a solid piece of sound. These guys could easily be making hits, in the vein of the aforementioned QOTSA or even (dare I say it? Yes I will) Maroon 5 but they’re making music for themselves, and it just so happens that this music has a fanbase. Tomahawk is a bit like an axe thrown a certain way, and with Oddfellows they know that it’s not being thrown at their fans. Get out of the way, then turn around quickly to watch its eventual destination.

With a name like Graveyard, one might think that these guys are dead, but instead they exist to resurrect the goodness of music by keeping it vibrant and up to date. Lights Out (Nuclear Blast) reminds me of the kind of hard rock album that Black Sabbath would have made during the first (Ozzy Osbourne) era of the band if they were able to bring all of the elements they made in those eight years. You have the ballad, you have the heavy punch that drives the listener into the guitar and bass riffs, you have a semi-ballad, all of which made those early Sabbath albums a delight to hear. Then you had vocalists who help to make the band sound like either Danzig or Soundgarden, without the whiny vibes that naysayers have always said brought both groups down. These Swedes know how to seek the source of the origins of their favorite bands, and go beyond that core. They know how to wail, and I think when they reach a level of electricity that’s hard to bear, they bring it back down to Earth, leaving everyone on a number of levels but leaving them wanting more. Much more.