Boudacious Tuneage Day

Not sure what I’m on about? It all starts here.

Last week’s tracks were all on the lighter, more celestial side of things, so this week a slight change. And yes, you all guessed it because I am that predictable, the sponsor this week is the element Earth.  Earth, Just dig it.

First up, and please try to control yourselves from the shock of seeing me list a band most of you have actually heard of, is Nine Inch Nails. With Teeth, I thought, was a brilliant album, and one that did not achieve the acclaim it deserved. Much of what Trent does is either misunderstood or dismissed as irrelevant angst, which I suppose comes with the territory. But I think those who do so, are missing out on a layer within Trent’s music that can only be uncovered if given the necessary attention. When you drop the anger, or the politics, or even the abrasive sounds, you’re often left with a fragile beauty. Like a broken heart. And if I need to explain to you why a broken heart is a thing of beauty, then you probably shouldn’t be hanging around here.

However, the lead single off NIN’s forthcoming album Year Zero, is devoid of even the tiniest fragment of beauty. My Violent Heart is raw, pissed off and seems to have been scraped off the floor of the basement in Fight Club. I like it, and if you give it a listen, maybe you will too.

Where do you go if you’ve made more of a noise, and discovered ways of making even more noise, than (arguably) anyone else. If you’re Justin Broadrick (Napalm Death, Godflesh), I’m sure your guess would have been…well….make more noise. But since Justin has always done pretty much whatever the hell he wants to, he’s decided to compose a soundtrack for the movement of glaciers. Or the slow flow of lava days after an eruption. Or the weathering away of a pinnacle of stone, keeping its head above water despite the constant barrage of wave and ocean. Well, maybe he had something else in mind, but that’s pretty much what he’s come up with for his incarnation as Jesu, and the album Conqueror. It may sound repetitive at first listen, but that’s probably because you’re playing it at the wrong level. This must be played LOUD. And without distraction. I’d be curious to know where it takes you. Stream the entire album, here.

I’ve never tried to hide the fact that, beneath this Herculian physique and legendary good looks, lurks the soul of a geek. But what does that have to do with music, I hear you ask. Well, is there a more geeky musical style than that of prog rock? No? I didn’t think so. Rush, Yes, early Genesis. Sci-fi, concept albums, drawn out passages of self-indulgent noodling. Some very very good. Some very very bad. Did I say bad? I mean Ghost Rider bad. And the bad out number the good at about the same ratio as Beatrix to Crazy 88. But amongst the good, there is Porcupine Tree. Their last album Deadwing was a little gem. Perhaps slightly more accessible than some of their other catalogue, it was still a showcase for the highly skilled musicianship and brilliant songcraft of frontman Steven Wilson. Fear of a Blank Planet will only be out a few months from now, but you can download an album sampler from their website. With almost no track on the album suitable for radio play, I doubt there will be any changes to their renown or droves of hipsters ordering the album months in advance. And you know what? That’s just fine with me.

Any musical favourites or finds that you’d like to share? Email me at forgottenmachine@yahoo.com

Have a great weekend.

~ by tenmiles on March 2, 2007.